Where can I go?

[terakhan]

I've been pondering it a while, but I don't know the rest of the country well enough to really make a choice. I am looking for a location that I can move to in the future. My goal is:

:caffeine-free terra firma
:non-swirly wind patterns
:slushy-free roadways

For those who don't want to think about those too much...

:No, or very VERY few earthquakes
:Likewise in the tornado and hurricane departments
:Free of disgusting, wet, sticky snow (the dry, drifty powdery kind is fun and acceptable)

I currently live in Oregon, and while we lack the shakes and swirlies for the most part, the slush is as native as I am, and I think in the future, one of us should be elsewhere. Mother Nature being the bitch she is, I don't think she will move the snow, so that leaves me.

All that said, any recommendations?

[AccountingDrone]

Arizona.

Barometrically stable, generally. Not really prone to being shaken rattled or rolled by Mother Nature.

Does have a short monsoon rainy season, sort of - but generally no snow.

Check it out. It can't hurt =)

[BookstoreEscapee]

Well, I'd suggest New Jersey (no tornadoes, occasional hurricanes but they're usually pretty tapped out by the time they get up here...and you still wouldn't have to pump your own gas!) but we get snow. Which turns to slush. And it's 30 degrees as I write.

[Antisocial_Worker]

Upstate South Carolina is hilly enough to avoid the tornadoes and you won't have to worry about earthquakes... I'd suggest Western North Carolina, where I am, but it snows every year here.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Probably want to avoid SC. It snows rarely, but when it does, it cripples us.

Tornadoes.

We are not prone to earthquakes....but we are sitting on a huge fault. Back in the seventies, we had a tiny one. A big one could happen, and in the late 1800's, it did.

Plus, the weather is extreme, and changes really, really fast. Where I live in particular is basically a bowl full of humidity.

[draggar]

St Augustine, FL. Hurricanes generally don't hit that area (if coming from the Atlantic they'll usually hit south Florida or the Carolinas).

Florida has NO seismic activity (only two earthquakes have ever been reported and one was only felt in FL - both were lower than a 2.

It may snow on occasion but I think you'll routinely ned to scrape down the windshield a few times a year.

Orlando, too but they're more prone to hurricanes (crossing the state).

They say Florida is the tornado capital of the world but they're all in south Florida or in tropical cyclones.

[trailerparkmedic]

Texas. Houston is the only big city that gets hurricanes, and a major storm is a once in 20 years thing.

I'd avoid Dallas or the panhandle/west texas, because tornadoes are apparently pretty common. Dallas also gets some snow, but it doesn't stick around long.

Bonus points to Texas--no state income tax, and a low cost of living.

[AdminAssistant]

Well, you definitely *don't* want Kansas (snow, surprisingly few tornadoes), Missouri or Arkansas (since a major fault runs through both and a major quake is predicted in the next few years).

[Frantic Freddie]

Texas. Houston is the only big city that gets hurricanes, and a major storm is a once in 20 years thing.

I'd avoid Dallas or the panhandle/west texas, because tornadoes are apparently pretty common. Dallas also gets some snow, but it doesn't stick around long.

Bonus points to Texas--no state income tax, and a low cost of living.

You forgot oppressive heat & humidity 10 months of the year & the palmetto bugs.Never heard of a palmetto bug? It's a 4 inch long,flying cockroach.

And of course that lovely little Highway of Death,Loop 610.Bumper to bumper at 80 mph,fun! Even at that speed it takes you an hour to go anywhere,so always figure that into your plans for the day.



Really,I like a lot of Texas,but you couldn't pay me enough to live in Houston.If I had to live there using terakhan's requirements I'd head for the Hill Country,anywhere from Ozona to San Antonio & Austin.

My state is prone to only 2 natural disasters,forest fires & flash floods (some years we'll get a lot of light,dry snow,other years none,like this one),5th largest state with only 2 million population.Which is it? here's a hint: Wallace,McCarty,Garrett & Lincoln

[trailerparkmedic]

I had more issues with traffic in San Antonio than Houston. At least traffic moves on 610, unlike 410.

Austin is nice except for the lack of entry level jobs for college grads. I imagine it would be tough to find any retail type job as well, since those are filled with underemployed college grads. Every time hubby and I go to Austin, we seem to run into an old classmate of his working as a waiter/barista/cashier at Target.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

I will say one thing about my state: After reading some of the crap on here, I would have to say the traffic is not as bad and the people are generally nicer.

[Jester]

It's amusing to me that the very first response in this thread was my home state of Arizona. I often point out to people the wonderfulness of Zona: no snow, no tornadoes, no hurricanes, no mudslides, no earthquakes, little rain, few floods, few cold nights, even fewer cold days.

Of course, this applies only to southern Arizona (Phoenix and Tucson metro areas), not to northern Arizona, which is mountainous and has cold and snow.

The downsides of Phoenix & Tucson: lots of heat (though very little humidity--think oven rather than sauna), occasional screwy weather (not nothing to relocate because of), no oceans, not the easiest place to get fresh seafood. Phoenix is basically a giant suburb, Tucson a smaller version thereof, so if you like the burbs, you would love it. Plenty of malls, restaurants, bars, sporting events (more in Phoenix), and swimming pools. Oh, and the traffic sucks too, though not as bad as LA or NY.

The upsides: cheap real estate (especially lately), relatively affordable cost of living, plenty of open spaces for various outdoor sports, great calendar for outdoor sports (most of the year), located near enough to other places (LA, San Diego, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Denver) to be somewhat central in the West. Not to mention not too far (short plane ride, long drive) to your friends in Oregon.

Where I live in Key West meets all of your specs except the hurricane one....kind of. See, lots of hurricanes head AT Key West....but the vast majority of them get diverted in another direction to the unique geography of the region. (The Upper Keys get hit a lot more than those of us in the Lower Keys.) Downsides of KW are high cost of living, expensive real estate, and the fact that you are 120 miles from the nearest major U.S. city. Still, great place to live.

Other places that may interest you: New Mexico (a poor man's Arizona ), though not the mountains there; San Antonio (heard great things about the place), Austin (nice place, from what I saw in my 3 days there, though they do get SOME snow), Orlando (inland so relatively safe from hurricanes), and Atlanta.

That is assuming that you want to stay in THIS country. Other countries offer other possibilities, of course.

[AriGriffin]

Piedmont North Carolina- either the Pinehurst/Aberdeen/Southern Pines area or Raleigh area. The Piedmont area of NC only gets one good snowfall a year. It is usually in-land enough to avoid the hurricanes. Tornados are rare and as far as I know, there hasn't been an earthquake in the area.

[Primer]

Texas. Houston is the only big city that gets hurricanes, and a major storm is a once in 20 years thing.

I'd avoid Dallas or the panhandle/west texas, because tornadoes are apparently pretty common. Dallas also gets some snow, but it doesn't stick around long.

Bonus points to Texas--no state income tax, and a low cost of living.

You forgot oppressive heat & humidity 10 months of the year & the palmetto bugs.Never heard of a palmetto bug? It's a 4 inch long,flying cockroach.

If I had to live there using terakhan's requirements I'd head for the Hill Country,anywhere from Ozona to San Antonio & Austin.

Let's see...San Antonio floods anytime it rains.

Austin and the Highland Lakes region on east through Bastrop and Smithville IS subject to tornadoes, but they usually do skip over Austin proper. Austin's unofficial City Bird is the Building Crane as everything is always under construction. If you do choose Austin, stay away from the east side, and anything north of Parmer Lane (Pflugerville-Round Rock area). That's where most of the growth has occurred, and traffic is unbelievably bad!

The palmetto bugs really are not that bad once you get used to them--at least they don't bite, and they appear by the dozens, instead of by the hundreds like regular roaches do. A couple of cats will keep them under control. It's the fire ants that you have to watch out for. Good ol' cream style Go-Jo hand cleaner is good for treating the bites and stings, though. Slather it on, let it sit for a few minutes, and rinse it off. No pustules!


Minimum (entry) wage jobs do exist, but a LOT of places won't even talk to you unless you have a 4-year college degree.

Good luck, wherever you choose!

[EricKei]

New Orleans for the same reasons TPM pointed out, plus awesome food and music! Yes, absurd humidity, the odd Storm...but the Katrina-class biggies are, generally, once every generation or so. The nearest fault is over an hour west, and is peaceful (runs thru the capital and ends in Clinton, LA); snow is basically a myth; tornadoes are quite rare, and they are just about always a part of those Storms for which most sane people evacuate anyway...

That, and you don't have to worry about those four-inch-long flying cockroaches, either! ^_^ They're closer to a foot plus, here...We generally give them territory until we track down an elephant gun >_>