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Respected Contributor
Posts: 2,020
Registered: ‎05-06-2016

Re: Where I won’t be moving!

[ Edited ]

If I could afford to live in NYC or San Francisco I would. I have no car and big cities are great for getting around without one. I live in a small waterfront town in Maryland 30 miles north of Baltimore, and we have a local bus system but it doesn't run on weekends or holidays so if you need to run errands on the weekends or holidays, you have to use a cab and that's expensive. The bus does run until 9:00 at night so I can run errands in the evening on weekdays. The good thing is my apartment is in walking distance to my bank, a pharmacy, a 7-11, restaurants, library, and the post office.

 

While housing in Maryland is not as expensive as the cities the OP listed, it can be extremely pricey. Most decent apartments in my county are $1000 a month and up. I was lucky to get mine for $895. The cheapest homes I've seen for sale here that don't need tons of work start at $250,000. My town is prime real estate, especially if you want to live downtown or near the water - typically once things go for sale or rent, it gets snapped up. I'm two blocks from the water and downtown is right around the corner, so I'm very happy where I'm at.

Honored Contributor
Posts: 9,602
Registered: ‎03-21-2010

Re: Where I won’t be moving!

@Cumbercookie13   My brother lives in a Maryland community (once listed by Forbes as the top 50 places to live....I think it was ranked #13.....   Anyway, he moved there 3 years ago.  He got an older house fro m$175,000.00 Pretty cheap.  He's got 1 acre lot with it.  Since then, the new homes up the same street are going $450,000.00 per house.  Lots are only 1/4 acre.  They are monster big houses with very little room between houses.  Glorified row houses with a small space on each side.  Maryland has always been one the richest states to live in.  High taxes, big population of elected officials in D.C live there. It has Bethesda, etc.  His area is semi rural with horsey set near by.  (Fox hunting, etc.) Gas has not gotten to his house yet.  So he has to have oil. Still some farms near by, but most family farms don't last.  Overtaken by agribusiness.  Land in Maryland is what's driving up the cost of houses.  By the contrast, my sister lives in the middle of high desert in New Mexico. Their town is poor.  Jobs hard to get to there.  She has 8 acres of scorpions and rocks & cyotes.

Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 6,672
Registered: ‎03-10-2010

Re: Where I won’t be moving!


@Carmie wrote:

@Linmo wrote:

@Carmie wrote:

I have visited every city on the list.  I agree they are great places to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there.

 

I like small towns and everything that goes with it.  I can be in NYC, Boston or Wash DC in a few hours...all within driving distance from me.

 

I love Hawaii and Honolulu and I used to love San Francisco, but now San Fran is a rats hole.  A ruined city.  It's a pity.  I hope it can come back to its greatness and beauty.


@Carmie No disrespect intended, but I totally disagree with your opinion of SF.  It has it's issues as do all major cities and I agree that it's very expensive to live here, but I've lived in the SF suburbs for over 30 years and feel very fortunate to be here.  I may not be able to retire in this area, but feel blessed to have been here for this long.


Oh, I used to love SF. It was such a beautiful city.  We used to rent a home in the Mt Davidson area and my DH would walk to the park where that big cross is...remember the cross in a Dirty Harry movie?

 

Love the food and the buildings and the shopping.

 

Now, not so much.  It is filthy with homeless people everywhere.  Dirty sidewalks and needles laying around.  Homeless people with big dogs to protect them so that you have to cross the street while they are picking the aluminum cans from the trash or the dogs growl and threaten you.

 

I have been pretty much all over the world and in many big cities.  The one that makes me the saddest is SF.

 

It is expensive, I 100%, But some areas are still gross, especially the down town area.I am glad that My husband and I have good memories of our visits, but I won't be visiting soon.

 

No disrespect meant, but somone needs to do something quickly.  I know many of my friends and other travelers gave up,on SF too.


@Carmie ...That is so sad.  SF was always such a lovely place to visit.  We lived in the San Fernando Valley for 40 years and taking trips to SF was always something to look forward to.

The moving finger writes; And having writ, Moves on: nor all your Piety nor Wit Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line Nor all your Tears Wash out a Word of it. Omar Khayam
Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 5,188
Registered: ‎03-11-2010

Re: Where I won’t be moving!


@Jordan2 wrote:

I live in one of the 5 boroughs of NYC. Sure NYC is more expensive but it is a city that never sleeps. There are so many places to take advantage of, restaurants, Broadway shows, museums, parks, it is worth the cost of living here.


and u could grab a cab, take the subway or walk.

 

Valued Contributor
Posts: 951
Registered: ‎08-23-2011

Re: Where I won’t be moving!

SF is still a lovely city to visit
Respected Contributor
Posts: 2,768
Registered: ‎03-10-2010

Re: Where I won’t be moving!

[ Edited ]

I have been in each of those cities, except Honolulu. 

 

I grew up 15 miles from Boston and lived in Manhattan for 15 years. I love both places, but Manhattan more.

 

One reason I still am working is that I don't want to retire where I live now in FL.  I would have nothing to do.

 

In NYC  I could go to the opera every night in the season (standing room  in the back for the first act) when I lived in New York (and then move to seats when people leave).  I had an opera-loving friend who taught me that the socialites only stay for the first act.   It's not that I did that every week, but I managed to see operas at the Met once or twice a month during the season.  I was in walking distance--not close but about a mile--and didn't even need public transit. The museums and the parks in NYC are beautiful and public transit means a car is not needed.  Cars are are unnecessary in the city, but are needed in the country and suburbs, which is where I live in FL.

 

I used to think I would move back to NYC or the Boston area, but they really are still out of my price range.  It's possible---though moving is so stressful!--that I'll compromise on the car and in a year or two will retire somewhere in commuting distance to one of these cities.  Many who have posted have said this, and I agree:  it's expensive but worth it.  The quality of life is wonderful. 

 

I was last in San Francisco a few years ago and loved it.  At least in my experience, the food there is the best in all these cities.  And the people are great.

Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 7,630
Registered: ‎08-19-2014

Re: Where I won’t be moving!

 


@spiderw wrote:

Nicksmom!

 

My closest dearest friend was from Brooklyn.  We met at our summer homes at northern NJ when we were teens and became close friends.  Often during the winter months, I would visit her and I loved Brooklyn.  I too came from the city but there was something exciting and special about Brooklyn.  When my friend married she moved to NJ but always kept her Brooklyn "accent" and missed living there.

 

She passed a few years ago and I miss her every day.  But I have those great memories of Brooklyn and understand your feelings about living there! 


 @spiderw  So sorry about your friend.Yes, Brooklyn is a very special place. I've been to a lot of places in my life. I left Brooklyn for Long Island almost 40 years ago.Yet a piece of my heart will always belong to Brooklyn.

Respected Contributor
Posts: 2,955
Registered: ‎08-13-2010

Re: Where I won’t be moving!

Living now in Az. alot of retired people but they are building new houses & the people are buying wow 3 bed 2 bath hardly any yard 5 hundred thousand for what? They have a playground or community pool down the street cuz the yards are small & build more houses the busy street behind them. HOA's expensive but they are buying. Our problem is the heat in the summer wow electric co loves it, we have certain times we get a discount to wash/dry clothes electric is cheaper on those times which is mostly during business hours when people work. Wish we had another electric co which we could choose competition would be fun. My house is all electric (no gas or gas lines in the neighborhood) but the taxes aren't bad, tourist come all winter helps us.