Where the Heck Should I Move To? Please Help!

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
9y

@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. 

See this reply in the discussion

213 Replies

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  • Rental Property Investor · Erie, PA · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 2k+ votes
    9y
    Originally posted by @Steve B.:

    around Tillamook forest or clatsop state forest areas

     I'll definitely check those out. It looks amazing for hiking. Thank you, Steve. I appreciate it. 

  • Rental Property Investor · Erie, PA · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 2k+ votes
    9y
    Originally posted by @Nichole Ovens:

    I live near Knoxville, but love Chattanooga. I am happy to help show you around...and if you like whitewater, I would love to get you out on one of the many local rivers. I am friends with some of the top guides in the area.

    Asheville, NC is hip and beyond cool (but getting more expensive). Greenville, SC is (like Chattanooga) a working town that has seriously revitalized. Hit me up if you want to learn more about any of this.

     Thank you so much. I appreciate it. I've never whitewater rafted before. And no income tax would be amazing. I'm seriously at around 10% income tax in California which is awful. 

  • Investor · Grand Junction, CO · Member since 2017 · 207 posts · 201 votes
    9y
    Originally posted by @Marshall Easlick:
    @Karl B. I grew up in Ventura, California and I've ended up in Wellington, Colorado. What a great change!

    I originally moved from California to Casper, Wyoming (don't move to Casper) thinking that I would miss the beach but I grew up surfing in the Pacific and, once I moved away from the coast, I realized that I just didn't miss it like I thought I would. I found that the low density living and abundance of land made people behave differently toward each other (more humanely), which more than compensated for the lack of large bodies of water.

    I ended up in Wellington, which is located about an hour and a half north of Denver and 15 minutes north of Fort Collins and I love it here. This is a small town populated by about 8,000 people with massive, new residential construction going on right now and probably for the next 20 years- an excellent investment opportunity, as I see it. I bought one of these houses in late 2014 and it has increased in value from $222,000 to $290,000 in 2.5 years, so I'm buying another one on Monday for $300,000. I am renting my current house out for $1,700 per month, which will provide great cash flow.

    UPS plans to build a distribution center in the area, Google plans to build a headquarters near Denver, and there are dozens of new neighborhoods being built as I write this. I want to specify that I live in Wellington but I am talking generally about Northern Colorado.

    I wanted to provide some specific financials because they are important when considering an area as an investment opportunity but, more importantly, the people that I've encountered in Colorado are warm and friendly compared to the stereotypical Southern Californian.

    This reply turned out lengthier than expected but I hope it helps. Feel free to contact me if you want to.

     Interesting that one of the big reasons I am leaving Colorado is the Californians moving here.  No offense to you as I don't know you personally, but that is the truth.  

  • Rental Property Investor · Erie, PA · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 2k+ votes
    9y
    Originally posted by @Matt R.:
    Originally posted by @Karl B.:
    Originally posted by @Scott Matthew C.:

    Karl B. Ann Arbor, MI.....

     I do like Ann Arbor but my undergrad is from Penn State and so I would be disowned living in the town of Wolverines. :-)

     I have a couple friends move to Oregon from LA. One to the Portland area the other to Brookings. Brookings has the waves and rest but a little slow for some maybe. They both were from LA orginally and seem to be happy with the move and especially the prices. "We Are" Good luck! 

    Penn State! :-) Those are some epic waves! I'm all for a slower lifestyle. Brookings looks to have a lot of really nice homes for sale also. Thank you for the lead, Matt.

  • Investor · Wellington, CO · Member since 2017 · 79 posts · 30 votes
    9y

    I totally understand that. Personally, I don't like the Californian mindset but, as long as there are less Californians than California has, then Colorado will be more desirable to Californians looking to be a part of the exodus away from that place. These are obviously gross generalizations but it's the easiest way to talk about it. Honestly, this has been happening for generations and it's nothing new, so I don't take any of it personally.

  • Rental Property Investor · Erie, PA · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 2k+ votes
    9y
    Originally posted by @Renee Collins:

    I'm from Chicago, but I hate the winters...spent some time in North Carolina...I love it! It is going to be my winter home. Good Luck to you!

     Thank you, Renee. So many people I know from my hometown are snowbirds - it's a great idea as it makes life wonderful. :-)

  • Rental Property Investor · Erie, PA · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 2k+ votes
    9y
    Originally posted by @Dominic Balconi:

    Manta, Ecuador. Or Puerto Cayó, Ecuador if you prefer private beaches.

    Allow me to explain.

    Uses USD

    Cost of living is 1/3 of the US

    70 Degrees all day and night, year round, with little to no rain

    Stunning blue and green ocean views

    Live in a beachfront residence for $600 a month

    Large expat community if you don't speak Spanish

    Community-driven culture, people are very friendly

    Amazingly beautiful country; most ecologically diverse country on earth

    Voted #1 place to retire 4 years in a row

    Inexpensive, beautiful, and the investment opportunities are endless. For example, I'm building a home for 70k total, including all materials, labor, land, etc. I am expecting to sell it for at least 120k. It will be a Duplex.

     That sounds amazing! I definitely want to visit Ecuador and hang out with some sea turtles. Thank you for the information. I will definitely look into it. Something tells me you've inspired some other BP members to take a look at Ecuador as well - and there's so much interesting history there also. 

  • Rental Property Investor · Erie, PA · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 2k+ votes
    9y
    Originally posted by @Nathan Gornto:

    I would suggest Charleston or Annapolis on the east coast. Olympia, Washington is also beautiful and the town has its own network of walking/biking trails through protected forest area, lots of things to do outdoors. 

     Thank you, Nathan. I'll definitely look into those places. I'm not very familiar with any of them.  

  • Rental Property Investor · Erie, PA · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 2k+ votes
    9y
    Originally posted by @Roshan K.:

    Bradenton and Sarasota hit every single one of your targets.... however, they are relatively boring as far as cities go (at least to a mid twenties guy like me). You get EVERYTHING you asked for in your initial post though!

     Thank you, Roshan. I was pretty epic in my mid-20s. I'm super boring now. And so I will definitely learn more about those two cities. Sarasota definitely looks to have some woodsy areas. Again, many thanks.

  • Rental Property Investor · Erie, PA · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 2k+ votes
    9y
    Originally posted by @Marshall Easlick:
    @Karl B. I grew up in Ventura, California and I've ended up in Wellington, Colorado. What a great change!

    I originally moved from California to Casper, Wyoming (don't move to Casper) thinking that I would miss the beach but I grew up surfing in the Pacific and, once I moved away from the coast, I realized that I just didn't miss it like I thought I would. I found that the low density living and abundance of land made people behave differently toward each other (more humanely), which more than compensated for the lack of large bodies of water.

    I ended up in Wellington, which is located about an hour and a half north of Denver and 15 minutes north of Fort Collins and I love it here. This is a small town populated by about 8,000 people with massive, new residential construction going on right now and probably for the next 20 years- an excellent investment opportunity, as I see it. I bought one of these houses in late 2014 and it has increased in value from $222,000 to $290,000 in 2.5 years, so I'm buying another one on Monday for $300,000. I am renting my current house out for $1,700 per month, which will provide great cash flow.

    UPS plans to build a distribution center in the area, Google plans to build a headquarters near Denver, and there are dozens of new neighborhoods being built as I write this. I want to specify that I live in Wellington but I am talking generally about Northern Colorado.

    I wanted to provide some specific financials because they are important when considering an area as an investment opportunity but, more importantly, the people that I've encountered in Colorado are warm and friendly compared to the stereotypical Southern Californian.

    This reply turned out lengthier than expected but I hope it helps. Feel free to contact me if you want to.

    Thank you for the great post, Marshall. And congratulations on your next buy - we're officially property closing brothers because I'm closing a duplex in Pennsylvania Monday (the 31st). 

    It sounds like your area is the place to be. Have you seen a lot of land purchases in the property/real estate transactions report? I was thinking, in a lot of towns they have tax auctions/back taxes-owned properties listed online - especially for land only - if your area has something similar (the land plots are listed online, sometimes with opening bid prices) it may be a good idea for you to see if you can snap any deals. 

  • Investor · Wellington, CO · Member since 2017 · 79 posts · 30 votes
    9y
    Karl, boring pays the bills and leaves you with money left ovef at the end of the month to invest. I'm very boring and I am buying my first investment property. It won't be so boring when I am retired at 45.
  • Rental Property Investor · Erie, PA · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 2k+ votes
    9y
    Originally posted by @Marshall Easlick:
    Karl, boring pays the bills and leaves you with money left ovef at the end of the month to invest. I'm very boring and I am buying my first investment property. It won't be so boring when I am retired at 45.

    I hear you. Cash flow and evergreen money is the way to go, despite society pumping the 'get rich overnight' mindset. And the more good deals you buy the more cash flow you can have for other deals - it's literally the snowball effect. Thank goodness for this site/community. It has helped a lot of people, including me, and the effect has been life-changing for so many of us. 

  • Rental Property Investor · Seattle, WA · Member since 2017 · 383 posts · 248 votes
    9y

    Tacoma, Wa is starting to come up and fits most of your boxes. Everyone is getting priced out of Seattle and moving South (or North) - and Tacoma has a lot of great inventory. Good luck!

  • Investor · Wellington, CO · Member since 2017 · 79 posts · 30 votes
    9y

    Karl, I haven't checked anything else out yet because I was under contract on my current purchase before I found BiggerPockets, so I am a total newbie. I am waiting for this house to close and rebuild my capital before seriously considering another investment but I don't think my next one will be a single family home, and it certainly won't be new construction. People areally buying new construction homes out here before they are even holes in the ground and some of them are increasing in market value by $10,000 - $30,000 beforeally they are completed. Since I've begun educating myself with BiggerPockets, I've limited my investing potential by buying new construction because the money is made on the front end when purchasing.

  • Investor · Jackson, MS · Member since 2014 · 1k+ posts · 769 votes
    9y
    Originally posted by @Karl B.:
    Originally posted by @Susan Maneck:

    I'm a native of California who has been living in Mississippi for the last 17 years.  As far as a place to invest Mississippi can't be beat, but I don't really want to retire here. I bought a condo in South Lake Tahoe, CA for that purpose which is currently rented because I can't retire until these politicians decide what they are doing with Obama Care. On a whim this summer I visited Lake Almanor near Mt. Lassen in California. I was amazed at how beautiful and affordable that area is. The only thing you won't have are the waves. 

     That is a beautiful area! I just did a Google Image Search. It definitely doesn't look like California but it's not too far from Oregon, so that makes sense. Thank you for the suggestion, I appreciate it. It's definitely a place that would be very nice to visit.

     I can tell you are from Southern California. News Flash! Northern California is California. Without us where would you get your water? (Sorry, us Northern Californians keep hoping LA will secede from the state.) >;-> Lake Almanor, isn't that far from Chico or Redding. It is about 200 miles south of the Oregon Border. 

  • Investor · Jackson, MS · Member since 2014 · 1k+ posts · 769 votes
    9y
    Originally posted by @Karl B.:
    Originally posted by @Craig Curelop:

    @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. 

     Thank you for the great response! I haven't ever been to Colorado but I know several people who love it there (my mom's good friend moved there for the skiing maybe 10-15 years ago and will never leave). I considered north of Sacramento or maybe even Oregon. The land is very reasonably priced up there. I think the main thing holding me back from California is the insane income tax. :-/

  • Investor · Jackson, MS · Member since 2014 · 1k+ posts · 769 votes
    9y
  • Investor · Jackson, MS · Member since 2014 · 1k+ posts · 769 votes
    9y
    Originally posted by @Carolyn Morales:

    @Karl B 

    N.E Florida has tons of woods, forests, springs and lakes... just saying ..I heard someone say Colorado is difficult with its mineral rights and water supply ability and allowability to dig a well ? Might want to verify. Just what I heard 

     Yeah, but you got to like hot and humid. That being said the best vacation of my life was a house boat on the St. John's River. And we boarded it five miles from where i was living at the time. 

  • Investor · Jackson, MS · Member since 2014 · 1k+ posts · 769 votes
    9y

     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.

    Check out Coos Bay. 

  • Investor · Jackson, MS · Member since 2014 · 1k+ posts · 769 votes
    9y
    Originally posted by @Dominic Balconi:

    Manta, Ecuador. Or Puerto Cayó, Ecuador if you prefer private beaches.

    Allow me to explain.

    Uses USD

    Cost of living is 1/3 of the US

    70 Degrees all day and night, year round, with little to no rain

    Stunning blue and green ocean views

    Live in a beachfront residence for $600 a month

    Large expat community if you don't speak Spanish

    Community-driven culture, people are very friendly

    Amazingly beautiful country; most ecologically diverse country on earth

    Voted #1 place to retire 4 years in a row

    Inexpensive, beautiful, and the investment opportunities are endless. For example, I'm building a home for 70k total, including all materials, labor, land, etc. I am expecting to sell it for at least 120k. It will be a Duplex.

     There is a reason they call it Ecuador, however. It is on the Equator which means the beaches are hot, hot, hot. However the Andes are always temperate. Also, health care is inexpensive. But I'm not sure how good it is as an investment. Rents relative to property are cheap and real estate deals are pretty much cash only. Also, interest on a savings account is 5% and you only need to bring 30K with you in order to immigrate. 

  • Lender · Philadelphia, PA · Member since 2017 · 8 posts · 3 votes
    9y
    US Virgin Island...Jamaica...Cuba...
  • Rental Property Investor · Boulder, CO · Member since 2016 · 55 posts · 23 votes
    9y
    Originally posted by @Dominic Balconi:

    Manta, Ecuador. Or Puerto Cayó, Ecuador if you prefer private beaches.

    Allow me to explain.

    Uses USD

    Cost of living is 1/3 of the US

    70 Degrees all day and night, year round, with little to no rain

    Stunning blue and green ocean views

    Live in a beachfront residence for $600 a month

    Large expat community if you don't speak Spanish

    Community-driven culture, people are very friendly

    Amazingly beautiful country; most ecologically diverse country on earth

    Voted #1 place to retire 4 years in a row

    Inexpensive, beautiful, and the investment opportunities are endless. For example, I'm building a home for 70k total, including all materials, labor, land, etc. I am expecting to sell it for at least 120k. It will be a Duplex.

  • Rental Property Investor · Boulder, CO · Member since 2016 · 55 posts · 23 votes
    9y

    That sounds like a dream. I hope to get to Ecuador in the next year. I need to check out this place!!!

  • Charlotte, NC · Member since 2017 · 17 posts · 11 votes
    9y

    Florida can be great, but if you want all four seasons and less oppressive heat in the summer, check out Wilmington or Charleston areas. Lots of retirees, vacationers, beach culture, tourism dollars and of course friendly Carolinians. If you can get in a surrounding town then land is even cheaper..

  • Real Estate Agent · Littleton, CO · Member since 2017 · 44 posts · 12 votes
    9y

    @Marshall Easlick I was just up in North Fort Collins last weekend and we drove through Wellington. I am totally blown away with the growth up North along I-25. As I was driving through Wellington I was thinking to myself I should buy something up here. The area has changed so much since I lived in Fort Collins a decade ago, but Fort Collins is one of my favorite places. Are there any decent older homes in the area?

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