Where the Heck Should I Move To? Please Help!

Rental Property Investor · Erie, PA · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 2k+ votes

Hi, Bigger Pockets,

I wanted to get some leads to some cities that could be ideal for me to move to and invest in. I currently live in Los Angeles and would really like to live somewhere different.

I grew up in northwestern Pennsylvania, which was a good place to grow up. We had Lake Erie to enjoy and woods to play around in as well. It’s a great place during the spring, summer and fall months.

The reason why I moved away from Erie is because I don’t like snow and dreary days (they typically run from November to March/April).

I would like to move somewhere that has the following attributes listed below. If any of y’all know of any areas or cities that has the traits, please let me know. I would be super grateful.

A place where:

-There are lots of woods—I really enjoy hiking and being outside

-I like water that has waves—so it’s near a decent-sized lake or an ocean

-Land is relatively cheap—I would like to live on a decent-sized plot of land

-It either doesn’t snow or it very rarely snows

-People are friendly

Those are the main needs. I truly hope I can find a place that suits my likes. The U.S.A. is so large it’s tough to know where to search and so I wanted to ask y’all, since Bigger Pockets users are all over America (and beyond).

Again, thank you, fellow BPers. I appreciate it very much.

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Craig CurelopBusiness Member

Real Estate Agent · Post Falls, ID · Member since 2016 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes

@Karl B. - When reading this, Florida was the first place that jumps out at me. However, if "lots of woods" is what you value the most then maybe Florida isn't for you.

Colorado meets a lot of these criteria. Though there is not much water with waves, there is TONS of wonderful hikes and people are super friendly and active.

Sure it snows, but it does not stick. At least in the Denver area it doesn't. If you want snow, you go to the mountains.

I have similar criteria as you and I live in Denver and am very happy.

You also might want to consider northern CA. A few hours north of San Francisco, like Sacramento area? There are a lot of hikes, it's pretty warm, people are nice, and it's not far away from the ocean.

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Mike ReynoldsPro Member
construction · Nacogdoches, TX · Member since 2011 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
9y
Originally posted by @Karl B.:

Originally posted by @Mike Reynolds:
All of your reasons are the reasons I live in Nacogdoches Texas. The two largest lakes in the state are less than an hour drive. One is in the county. Trees in abundance and rolling hills. Ocean is just three hours away.
Halfway between Houston and Dallas.
There are three large lakes in our county alone. One has trout. 15 lakes less than two hours away. Land is cheap here even though we are a college town. The college is spending millions expanding with no end in sight. We do get some snow but it never lasts more than a few days.
That sounds amazing. Please tell me the names of the two largest lakes - I definitely want to research those areas. I will research Nacodoches as well. Thank you so much, Mike!
The two largest are Sam Rayburn and Toledo Bend. Both man made. In the county we also have lake Nacogdoches and lake Naconiche as well as the north part of Sam Rayburn.
1 Reply
Cam Jimmy
Investor · Anchorage, AK · Member since 2016 · 222 posts · 294 votes
9y
you literally described Alaska in your want list! There are plenty of small towns where you can get land for super cheap... and Alaska has more woods and nature than the entire lower 48 combined! Lots of snow in the winter though :)
1 Reply
Account Closed
Rental Property Investor · Orlando, FL · Member since 2016 · 463 posts · 220 votes
9y
I'd look into Richmond, VA. Nice-sized city, Atlantic ocean about an hour away (warmer than Pacific!!), lakes all around (e.g. Lake Anna), Blue Ridge Mountains/Appalachian Trail close by, woods everywhere. Super nice people, lots of culture (if that matters to you), mild weather both in summer and winter.
I know where I am retiring. :)
1 Reply
Jon Q.
Investor · Berkeley, CA · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 713 votes
9y
Originally posted by @Karl B.:
Hi, Bigger Pockets,
I wanted to get some leads to some cities that could be ideal for me to move to and invest in. I currently live in Los Angeles and would really like to live somewhere different.
I grew up in northwestern Pennsylvania, which was a good place to grow up. We had Lake Erie to enjoy and woods to play around in as well. It’s a great place during the spring, summer and fall months.
The reason why I moved away from Erie is because I don’t like snow and dreary days (they typically run from November to March/April).
I would like to move somewhere that has the following attributes listed below. If any of y’all know of any areas or cities that has the traits, please let me know. I would be super grateful.
A place where:
-There are lots of woods—I really enjoy hiking and being outside
-I like water that has waves—so it’s near a decent-sized lake or an ocean
-Land is relatively cheap—I would like to live on a decent-sized plot of land
-It either doesn’t snow or it very rarely snows
-People are friendly
Those are the main needs. I truly hope I can find a place that suits my likes. The U.S.A. is so large it’s tough to know where to search and so I wanted to ask y’all, since Bigger Pockets users are all over America (and beyond).
Again, thank you, fellow BPers. I appreciate it very much.
Karl,
"
-I like water that has waves—so it’s near a decent-sized lake or an ocean
-Land is relatively cheap—I would like to live on a decent-sized plot of land
"
That's a great wish list! Me too!
Unfortunately, such a place doesn't exist. I think the best you're going to get is Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, Vancouver... and I like these cities for the reasons you cite above. but everyone else does too! So prices are high.
If you want water and don't want to pay for it, move to Corpus Christi or the MS coast, but watch out for hurricanes! If you're okay with rivers and lakes consider chattanooga or any city in Maine (many lakes).
Let me know where you decide to move.
Best,
Jon
1 Reply
Jon Q.
Investor · Berkeley, CA · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 713 votes
9y
Originally posted by @Russell Brazil:

If you enjoy having a high income, then the DC area offers most of what you want. Land may not be cheap, but housing when measured against our larger salaries here equates to more affordable housing than LA, NYC, Seattle, etc.
I hear D.C. is getting pricey Russell... not true?
1 Reply
Eddie Silva
Portland, OR · Member since 2017 · 8 posts · 8 votes
9y
I absolutely love the Pacific Northwest. It meets all your listed criteria, but for example in Oregon, average number of cloudy days per year (defined as 80-100% cloud cover averaged over the daylight hours of a day) ranges from ~160 to ~240, mostly based on how close to the Pacific you are and whether or not you're west of the Cascades. Seattle and Portland (both west of the Cascades) are similar at around ~220 cloudy days. It is however important to note the classification-defying PacNW climate* in that western rim: our clear, dry, low humidity summers are very unusual considering that we live in a temperate rainforest! There's also an amazingly low number of insects given that fact.
Oregon and Washington absolutely cannot be beat in terms of direct access to a huge amount and variety of nature. You want woods? Like I said, temperate rainforest. Some of the second-growth forests I've camped and hiked in are unbelievably beautiful, let alone the old growth. My favorite site at my favorite campground in the world is next to a tree stump bigger than a minivan.
So, if you hate the clouds - I don't - at least you're getting something in the exchange.
* (the climate really does defy classification due to the dry summers - it does not fit in the Koppen scale.)
2 Reply
Kelly Lund
Real Estate Investor · Reno, NV · Member since 2017 · 9 posts · 10 votes
9y
I agree. It depends on what your idea of cheap is. I moved to Reno Nevada 14 years ago from sunny San Diego. It is high desert. So we get some snow. And this year we had record breaking snow levels. But most of the years I have lived here if you live in Reno it doesn't snow that much. Winters can vary but I've seen 40-50 degree days for weeks on end. Lake Tahoe is a short distance away which has amazing hiking and beaches. Tons of lakes to choose from and off roading. Carson City is also close and is cheaper than Reno.
3 Reply
Russell BrazilBusiness Member
Moderator
Real Estate Agent · Washington, D.C. · Member since 2012 · 17k+ posts · 30k+ votes
9y
Originally posted by @Jon Q.:

Originally posted by @Russell Brazil:
If you enjoy having a high income, then the DC area offers most of what you want. Land may not be cheap, but housing when measured against our larger salaries here equates to more affordable housing than LA, NYC, Seattle, etc.
I hear D.C. is getting pricey Russell... not true?
While DC is one of the most expensive markets in nominal value, somewhere between 3rd and 5th most expensive depending what list you look at...when measured against the areas income, it is actually quite affordable compared to the top 10 or 15 or so cities. In the DC area we have 10 of the richest 20 counties (top 11 if DC were a county) as by measured by median income. Take the San Francisco metro area for instance, most expensive market in the country with a median home price at $700k, but with a median household income of around $88k versus DC area with a median home somwhere around $475k with a median household income of $93k. DC then with a higher income and much lower price is a lot more affordable. This pretty much is the case with all the other expensive metro areas, our higher income here (not to even mention lower energy costs) create a situation where yes our homes are expensive, but are affordable.
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Eric C.
Investor · Grand Junction, CO · Member since 2017 · 207 posts · 201 votes
9y
Originally posted by @Russell Brazil:

Originally posted by @Jon Q.:
Originally posted by @Russell Brazil:

If you enjoy having a high income, then the DC area offers most of what you want. Land may not be cheap, but housing when measured against our larger salaries here equates to more affordable housing than LA, NYC, Seattle, etc.
I hear D.C. is getting pricey Russell... not true?
While DC is one of the most expensive markets in nominal value, somewhere between 3rd and 5th most expensive depending what list you look at...when measured against the areas income, it is actually quite affordable compared to the top 10 or 15 or so cities. In the DC area we have 10 of the richest 20 counties (top 11 if DC were a county) as by measured by median income. Take the San Francisco metro area for instance, most expensive market in the country with a median home price at $700k, but with a median household income of around $88k versus DC area with a median home somwhere around $475k with a median household income of $93k. DC then with a higher income and much lower price is a lot more affordable. This pretty much is the case with all the other expensive metro areas, our higher income here (not to even mention lower energy costs) create a situation where yes our homes are expensive, but are affordable.
The fact that the DC metro area has 10 of the 20 richest counties shows how corrupt and flawed our wasteful government is.
3 Reply
Karl B.
OP
Rental Property Investor · Erie, PA · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 2k+ votes
9y
Originally posted by @Mike Reynolds:

Originally posted by @Karl B.:
Originally posted by @Mike Reynolds:

All of your reasons are the reasons I live in Nacogdoches Texas. The two largest lakes in the state are less than an hour drive. One is in the county. Trees in abundance and rolling hills. Ocean is just three hours away.
Halfway between Houston and Dallas.
There are three large lakes in our county alone. One has trout. 15 lakes less than two hours away. Land is cheap here even though we are a college town. The college is spending millions expanding with no end in sight. We do get some snow but it never lasts more than a few days.
That sounds amazing. Please tell me the names of the two largest lakes - I definitely want to research those areas. I will research Nacodoches as well. Thank you so much, Mike!
The two largest are Sam Rayburn and Toledo Bend. Both man made. In the county we also have lake Nacogdoches and lake Naconiche as well as the north part of Sam Rayburn.
Awesome! Thank you so much. I'm looking at pictures of both - Toledo Bend has lots of woods. So cool! Sam Rayburn looks really awesome also.
0 Reply
Karl B.
OP
Rental Property Investor · Erie, PA · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 2k+ votes
9y
Originally posted by @Cam Jimmy:

you literally described Alaska in your want list! There are plenty of small towns where you can get land for super cheap... and Alaska has more woods and nature than the entire lower 48 combined! Lots of snow in the winter though :)
I can't handle the show long-term. It makes me sad. But I will definitely visit Alaska! :-)
0 Reply
Steve Moody
Portland, OR · Member since 2008 · 123 posts · 73 votes
9y
@Eddie Silva why are you trying to get MORE people to move to Portland? :D It rains all the time and is really expensive, you don't want to move here!!
0 Reply
Karl B.
OP
Rental Property Investor · Erie, PA · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 2k+ votes
9y
Originally posted by @Jon Q.:

Originally posted by @Karl B.:

Hi, Bigger Pockets,
I wanted to get some leads to some cities that could be ideal for me to move to and invest in. I currently live in Los Angeles and would really like to live somewhere different.
I grew up in northwestern Pennsylvania, which was a good place to grow up. We had Lake Erie to enjoy and woods to play around in as well. It’s a great place during the spring, summer and fall months.
The reason why I moved away from Erie is because I don’t like snow and dreary days (they typically run from November to March/April).
I would like to move somewhere that has the following attributes listed below. If any of y’all know of any areas or cities that has the traits, please let me know. I would be super grateful.
A place where:
-There are lots of woods—I really enjoy hiking and being outside
-I like water that has waves—so it’s near a decent-sized lake or an ocean
-Land is relatively cheap—I would like to live on a decent-sized plot of land
-It either doesn’t snow or it very rarely snows
-People are friendly
Those are the main needs. I truly hope I can find a place that suits my likes. The U.S.A. is so large it’s tough to know where to search and so I wanted to ask y’all, since Bigger Pockets users are all over America (and beyond).
Again, thank you, fellow BPers. I appreciate it very much.
Karl,
"
-I like water that has waves—so it’s near a decent-sized lake or an ocean
-Land is relatively cheap—I would like to live on a decent-sized plot of land
"
That's a great wish list! Me too!
Unfortunately, such a place doesn't exist. I think the best you're going to get is Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, Vancouver... and I like these cities for the reasons you cite above. but everyone else does too! So prices are high.
If you want water and don't want to pay for it, move to Corpus Christi or the MS coast, but watch out for hurricanes! If you're okay with rivers and lakes consider chattanooga or any city in Maine (many lakes).
Let me know where you decide to move.
Best,
Jon
I'll definitely let y'all know. It'll take some time, of course. :-)
1 Reply
Karl B.
OP
Rental Property Investor · Erie, PA · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 2k+ votes
9y
Originally posted by @Eddie Silva:

I absolutely love the Pacific Northwest. It meets all your listed criteria, but for example in Oregon, average number of cloudy days per year (defined as 80-100% cloud cover averaged over the daylight hours of a day) ranges from ~160 to ~240, mostly based on how close to the Pacific you are and whether or not you're west of the Cascades. Seattle and Portland (both west of the Cascades) are similar at around ~220 cloudy days. It is however important to note the classification-defying PacNW climate* in that western rim: our clear, dry, low humidity summers are very unusual considering that we live in a temperate rainforest! There's also an amazingly low number of insects given that fact.
Oregon and Washington absolutely cannot be beat in terms of direct access to a huge amount and variety of nature. You want woods? Like I said, temperate rainforest. Some of the second-growth forests I've camped and hiked in are unbelievably beautiful, let alone the old growth. My favorite site at my favorite campground in the world is next to a tree stump bigger than a minivan.
So, if you hate the clouds - I don't - at least you're getting something in the exchange.
* (the climate really does defy classification due to the dry summers - it does not fit in the Koppen scale.)
Many thanks, Eddie. I don't mind clouds. I'm not a fan of tons of rain or snow though. What areas in Oregon/Washington have waves and great hiking? I definitely want to check it out. Many thanks.
0 Reply
Account Closed
Real Estate Agent · Austin, TX · Member since 2017 · 31 posts · 15 votes
9y
Lago Vista off Lake Travis is so beautiful!! Near Austin. Look it up....The Ocean is 3 hours away😊
1 Reply
Jon Q.
Investor · Berkeley, CA · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 713 votes
9y
Originally posted by @Karl B.:

Originally posted by @Cam Jimmy:
you literally described Alaska in your want list! There are plenty of small towns where you can get land for super cheap... and Alaska has more woods and nature than the entire lower 48 combined! Lots of snow in the winter though :)
I can't handle the show long-term. It makes me sad. But I will definitely visit Alaska! :-)
I don't know... there's a reason that Alaska is one of the fastest growing states in terms of population.
Maybe global warming is turning it into a tropical paradise? Cam, do you have an explanation for the strong population growth and forecasts by the U.S. Census Bureau?
1 Reply
Eddie Silva
Portland, OR · Member since 2017 · 8 posts · 8 votes
9y
Originally posted by @Steve Moody:

@Eddie Silva why are you trying to get MORE people to move to Portland? :D It rains all the time and is really expensive, you don't want to move here!!
Ha, true :) He said he wanted land though, so I would figure outside the metro area ;)
1 Reply
David Faulkner
Investor · Orange County, CA · Member since 2015 · 2k+ posts · 3k+ votes
9y
Originally posted by @Account Closed:

@Karl B. "Where the Heck Should I Move To?" Oompa Loompa land, of course.
Nope ... I'm afraid the Oompa Loompas already drove land prices way up there ... that's what crazy Willy Wonka stock option money does after the IPO :)
1 Reply
Eddie Silva
Portland, OR · Member since 2017 · 8 posts · 8 votes
9y
Originally posted by @Karl B.:

Originally posted by @Eddie Silva:
I absolutely love the Pacific Northwest. It meets all your listed criteria, but for example in Oregon, average number of cloudy days per year (defined as 80-100% cloud cover averaged over the daylight hours of a day) ranges from ~160 to ~240, mostly based on how close to the Pacific you are and whether or not you're west of the Cascades. Seattle and Portland (both west of the Cascades) are similar at around ~220 cloudy days. It is however important to note the classification-defying PacNW climate* in that western rim: our clear, dry, low humidity summers are very unusual considering that we live in a temperate rainforest! There's also an amazingly low number of insects given that fact.
Oregon and Washington absolutely cannot be beat in terms of direct access to a huge amount and variety of nature. You want woods? Like I said, temperate rainforest. Some of the second-growth forests I've camped and hiked in are unbelievably beautiful, let alone the old growth. My favorite site at my favorite campground in the world is next to a tree stump bigger than a minivan.
So, if you hate the clouds - I don't - at least you're getting something in the exchange.
* (the climate really does defy classification due to the dry summers - it does not fit in the Koppen scale.)
Many thanks, Eddie. I don't mind clouds. I'm not a fan of tons of rain or snow though. What areas in Oregon/Washington have waves and great hiking? I definitely want to check it out. Many thanks.
Well, first off, about the rain. In Western Oregon and Washington our number of rainy days are also quite high. However, everybody who doesn't live around here seems to think that this fact means serious rain for every one of those days. It doesn't. While we definitely can have some Biblical downpours, many of the days that technically count as rainy get little more than a trace of precipitation. Don't get me wrong - as I said, west of the Cascades it is a temperate rainforest! But, many of the rainy days are sprinkles or showers, especially in the spring and fall and even commonly in the rainy winters. Spring especially, in Portland I like to call it "popcorn weather" because you might have a torrential downpour at noon and by 1pm it's mostly sunny and beautiful.
As for hiking and outdoor fun, PacNWers are super into it because there is so much right at our doorstep. I'll use Portland as an example because I live here. The city has the largest park inside city limits of any city in the world. So there's hiking less than a mile from downtown. But there is amazing recreation within an hour of the city. We have a few volcanoes hanging out which tend to be completely surrounded by recreation areas for obvious reasons ;), but fire up Google Maps or Google Earth and pull up the Oregon/Washington area. See those huge swaths of green, the state and national forests? Yeah, all of that. The Cascades are named that because of the waterfalls. Search up things like "silver falls" and "ramona falls" and "columbia gorge hikes" and get ready to page through the results.
Waves I'm less familiar with - I do know that a wetsuit is basically mandatory year round due to water temps - but we're on the Pacific Rim and we do have some broad sand beaches in between the forested cliffs, so there must be some, right? There is also plenty of opportunity for river recreation on the Willamette, Columbia and Clackamas rivers, and lots of lakes and reservoirs for fishing and kayaking.
As another poster noted, in Portland specifically the real estate market is white-hot and probably near a peak (we hope?) but you said you wanted a patch of land so you might want to be somewhere else anyway. But in greater Portland, you'd definitely be buying high, so watch out.
1 Reply
Account Closed
Los Angeles, CA · Member since 2016 · 156 posts · 113 votes
9y
Check out Mobile, Alabama. They're a port-city with fair housing prices. Airbus recently moved operations to Mobile which helped their local economy. Mobile is about an hour from the Alabama beach resorts and Pensacola, FL.
3 Reply
Karl B.
OP
Rental Property Investor · Erie, PA · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 2k+ votes
9y
Originally posted by @Account Closed:

Lago Vista off Lake Travis is so beautiful!! Near Austin. Look it up....The Ocean is 3 hours away😊
It is amazing! I looked at it and thought, that's in Texas? It looks like something out of a coastal town in North Carolina. I am amazed. Thank you so much for mentioning it to me.
0 Reply
Karl B.
OP
Rental Property Investor · Erie, PA · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 2k+ votes
9y
Originally posted by @Eddie Silva:

Originally posted by @Karl B.:
Originally posted by @Eddie Silva:

I absolutely love the Pacific Northwest. It meets all your listed criteria, but for example in Oregon, average number of cloudy days per year (defined as 80-100% cloud cover averaged over the daylight hours of a day) ranges from ~160 to ~240, mostly based on how close to the Pacific you are and whether or not you're west of the Cascades. Seattle and Portland (both west of the Cascades) are similar at around ~220 cloudy days. It is however important to note the classification-defying PacNW climate* in that western rim: our clear, dry, low humidity summers are very unusual considering that we live in a temperate rainforest! There's also an amazingly low number of insects given that fact.
Oregon and Washington absolutely cannot be beat in terms of direct access to a huge amount and variety of nature. You want woods? Like I said, temperate rainforest. Some of the second-growth forests I've camped and hiked in are unbelievably beautiful, let alone the old growth. My favorite site at my favorite campground in the world is next to a tree stump bigger than a minivan.
So, if you hate the clouds - I don't - at least you're getting something in the exchange.
* (the climate really does defy classification due to the dry summers - it does not fit in the Koppen scale.)
Many thanks, Eddie. I don't mind clouds. I'm not a fan of tons of rain or snow though. What areas in Oregon/Washington have waves and great hiking? I definitely want to check it out. Many thanks.
Well, first off, about the rain. In Western Oregon and Washington our number of rainy days are also quite high. However, everybody who doesn't live around here seems to think that this fact means serious rain for every one of those days. It doesn't. While we definitely can have some Biblical downpours, many of the days that technically count as rainy get little more than a trace of precipitation. Don't get me wrong - as I said, west of the Cascades it is a temperate rainforest! But, many of the rainy days are sprinkles or showers, especially in the spring and fall and even commonly in the rainy winters. Spring especially, in Portland I like to call it "popcorn weather" because you might have a torrential downpour at noon and by 1pm it's mostly sunny and beautiful.
As for hiking and outdoor fun, PacNWers are super into it because there is so much right at our doorstep. I'll use Portland as an example because I live here. The city has the largest park inside city limits of any city in the world. So there's hiking less than a mile from downtown. But there is amazing recreation within an hour of the city. We have a few volcanoes hanging out which tend to be completely surrounded by recreation areas for obvious reasons ;), but fire up Google Maps or Google Earth and pull up the Oregon/Washington area. See those huge swaths of green, the state and national forests? Yeah, all of that. The Cascades are named that because of the waterfalls. Search up things like "silver falls" and "ramona falls" and "columbia gorge hikes" and get ready to page through the results.
Waves I'm less familiar with - I do know that a wetsuit is basically mandatory year round due to water temps - but we're on the Pacific Rim and we do have some broad sand beaches in between the forested cliffs, so there must be some, right? There is also plenty of opportunity for river recreation on the Willamette, Columbia and Clackamas rivers, and lots of lakes and reservoirs for fishing and kayaking.
As another poster noted, in Portland specifically the real estate market is white-hot and probably near a peak (we hope?) but you said you wanted a patch of land so you might want to be somewhere else anyway. But in greater Portland, you'd definitely be buying high, so watch out.
Thank you! You wrote a good 'Why Portland is Awesome' post. I need to visit Portland anyways just to do some more hiking. :-)
0 Reply
Karl B.
OP
Rental Property Investor · Erie, PA · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 2k+ votes
9y
Originally posted by @Account Closed:

Check out Mobile, Alabama. They're a port-city with fair housing prices. Airbus recently moved operations to Mobile which helped their local economy. Mobile is about an hour from the Alabama beach resorts and Pensacola, FL.
I'll definitely do more research on Mobile. I know they have waves down there. Thank you for the suggestion.
0 Reply
Steve Moody
Portland, OR · Member since 2008 · 123 posts · 73 votes
9y
As @Eddie Silva mentioned we do get quite a bit of rain here, but not always huge amounts of rain (winter 16/17 was pretty bad though). The further east you go the more dry weather you get. I have no idea what type of work you're looking to do but if location doesn't matter a great place to get good weather, water, hiking, biking, etc is Hood River, OR. You might look into Bend, OR as well but it's growing and getting more expensive (nowhere near L.A. expensive though). they get more snow than Portland, but not a ton.
I live in the 'burbs west of Portland and while it's getting harder to find, there's still pretty decent deals on land outside of the Urban Growth Boundary. Look at areas like Sherwood and Newberg as well. I always tell people to visit the Portland area around November-January to get a feel of what it's like in the winter. It's a big change from L.A. but it's not that bad. The hardest part for me isn't the clouds or rain, it's the short days of winter. It's only lihgjt between 7:30am and 4:30pm at the shortest part. Lots of dark and even at noon the sun is only about 45 degrees above (if you can see it)
1 Reply
Karl B.
OP
Rental Property Investor · Erie, PA · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 2k+ votes
9y
Originally posted by @Steve Moody:

As @Eddie Silva mentioned we do get quite a bit of rain here, but not always huge amounts of rain (winter 16/17 was pretty bad though). The further east you go the more dry weather you get. I have no idea what type of work you're looking to do but if location doesn't matter a great place to get good weather, water, hiking, biking, etc is Hood River, OR. You might look into Bend, OR as well but it's growing and getting more expensive (nowhere near L.A. expensive though). they get more snow than Portland, but not a ton.
I live in the 'burbs west of Portland and while it's getting harder to find, there's still pretty decent deals on land outside of the Urban Growth Boundary. Look at areas like Sherwood and Newberg as well. I always tell people to visit the Portland area around November-January to get a feel of what it's like in the winter. It's a big change from L.A. but it's not that bad. The hardest part for me isn't the clouds or rain, it's the short days of winter. It's only lihgjt between 7:30am and 4:30pm at the shortest part. Lots of dark and even at noon the sun is only about 45 degrees above (if you can see it)
Awesome! Hood River looks amazing. Based on Google Images it seriously looks like Norway. Many thanks for the suggestion. I am definitely going to look into it.
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