View Full Version : Leaving America - Where Would You Go?



Pages : [1] 2

Just the facts
08-16-2013, 11:17 AM
Now for a little fun... If you decided to move out of the US where would you go and why would you pick that location? Try to be specific on the location if you are picking a city like Paris but can't afford to live in the 7th district. Include pictures of the part of town you would like to live in if possible. It doesn't have to be a place you have been to before - just some place you think would be a good fit for you.

As a first choice I would pick Cork, Ireland. It is a small city on the southeast coast of Ireland. City population is 120,000 and an urban area around 400,000. It is the 3rd largest city in Ireland. I would pick this city because it large enough to provide the amenities of urban city life but not so large that you can't make the whole city your own. It is pretty dense at only 14 sq miles so a bicycle could take me everywhere in the city. It is also connected to the rest of Ireland by rail and ferry service to Wales, England, and France. The airport also provide low cost non-stop service to cities all over Western Europe. It is located along the scenic Irish Sea and has a healthy shipping industry.

Cost of living wise it seems to be pretty reasonable with many housing option near the city center in our price range, but we will definitely need to give sq footage (which is fine with me - less to clean and I would plan to spend most of my time in a sidewalk café anyhow). They have a great public market called the English Market (reminds me a scaled down and cleaner version if Reading Terminal Market in Philly).

Another big plus is that it is an English speaking country so adjusting to life outside the US would be just that much easier. On the downside the days are very long in the summer and short in the winter due to its northern location (as far north as parts of Alaska). Despite long summer days and long winter nights temps above 75 and below 32 are very rare. A light jacket and I would be fine 90% of the time.

http://mw2.google.com/mw-panoramio/photos/medium/2184231.jpg

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2009/06/28/travel/28_36hours_600.jpg

http://ichef.bbci.co.uk/wwtravel/624_330/images/live/p0/16/76/p01676th.jpg

Stew
08-16-2013, 11:32 AM
Bettenfeld Germany. Absolutely loved living there.

Just the facts
08-16-2013, 11:41 AM
Bettenfeld Germany. Absolutely loved living there.

That is a pretty small and remote village - but I love the way it looks. What would you do there; own a small shop, farm, watch the stock market from afar?

OKCisOK4me
08-16-2013, 11:41 AM
Find the family roots. So start off in one of three cities in Sweden...Uppsala, Stockholm or Gothenburg.

ctchandler
08-16-2013, 12:37 PM
Just the Facts,
They may speak English, but Irish is the national and first official language, English is second. Also, I have driven in areas of the Republic of Ireland where the signs are only in Irish. I think a lot of the old timers would like it to be an Irish only country, they hate the English. But WOW, they really drink a lot there! I was in a city when their team won the national "Hurling" championship. There were drunks everywhere.
C. T.
Another big plus is that it is an English speaking country so adjusting to life outside the US would be just that much easier.

Dubya61
08-16-2013, 01:01 PM
Southern Spain, Near Sevilla or Cadiz. It was one of the first places I lived on my own (in the military) and really liked the laid-back lifestyle. Cost of living is cheap, but jobs are hard to have, so it would have to be a retirement situation.

ctchandler
08-16-2013, 01:01 PM
I would move to Carshalton, Surrey, U. K., a suburb of London. I have spent almost a year in trips (two months at a time) and have driven over 15,000 miles on the "wrong" side of the road. I have a widow friend that lives in a gated community there and there are 11 pubs within a mile of her home, or "flat" as she calls it. She owns it, I think of a flat as a rented apartment. And, when the weather is bad, one pub is about 1/4th of a mile. I can't find any pictures of the city, but her back yard with a little river is really nice.
C. T.43084309431043114312

ctchandler
08-16-2013, 01:04 PM
I'm not sure why the pictures ended up in a row like that. I will have to figure out how to load them properly. Just click on each one and you see a nice sized picture.
C. T.

Bill Robertson
08-16-2013, 01:23 PM
Australia. No real, good reason. I like the accents. And they have a huge following for sprint car racing of which I'm a big fan.

Just the facts
08-16-2013, 01:52 PM
Australia. No real, good reason. I like the accents. And they have a huge following for sprint car racing of which I'm a big fan.

Australia is a big place - can you be more specific? Do you ever watch Australian Supercars?

Q4BJao4iC9o

CuatrodeMayo
08-16-2013, 01:57 PM
Melbourne.

CaptDave
08-16-2013, 05:14 PM
Australia is a big place - can you be more specific? Do you ever watch Australian Supercars?

Love the V8 Supercars - what Bubbacar should be! Did anyone see Darrell Waltrip scream like a little girl during a Supercar ride at Bathurst?

(Sorry for the slight detour.)

But where would I want to live? New Zealand is on the list even though I have never been there. I love Italy but cost of living scares me - but I think Sorrento would be great. Or Rome. Shannon, Ireland or any number of places in Ireland are appealing as well.

bradh
08-16-2013, 06:09 PM
Love Supercars as well!

Great topic JTF, but can I cheat and choose Alaska, since it's so far removed from the lower 48? :)

Just the facts
08-16-2013, 06:42 PM
Love Supercars as well!

Great topic JTF, but can I cheat and choose Alaska, since it's so far removed from the lower 48? :)

Only if you can see Russia from your porch. :)

Where in Alaska?

poe
08-16-2013, 07:20 PM
As much as I would love to say I would relocate to Italy and live the "Under the Tuscan Sun" lifestyle, I would probably play it safe and stick with Canada or the UK. As screwy as the US can be, it is my home, and I wouldn't want to stray far.

soonerguru
08-16-2013, 08:12 PM
Madrid. Very cosmopolitan city with friendly people, amazing public transportation, very diverse cultural offerings, and some of the finest food in the world.

bradh
08-16-2013, 08:18 PM
Only if you can see Russia from your porch. :)

Where in Alaska?

Probably Homer, wife and I were up there in 2009.

Soonerguru...you could get some cheap housing in Madrid in all those ghost towns along that abandonded rail line

bradh
08-16-2013, 08:47 PM
That's awesome Sid. We re-did our honeymoon there in 2009 (thanks to Hurricane Dean chasing us off St. Lucia two years prior).

There is actually a lady who used to work for the Chamber who opened a bakery with her mom on the boardwalk in Homer, great little place.

But back on topic, I'd probably choose the Swiss Alps or the Chilean Andes...strictly for the skiing.

MsProudSooner
08-16-2013, 09:47 PM
Bayeaux, France, so that I could thoroughly investigate the D-Day sites in the area:

4313

bchris02
08-16-2013, 10:22 PM
I honestly would like to live in London or Paris if I was relocating to another country. Bordeaux France always seemed interesting to me as well.

Mel
08-16-2013, 10:22 PM
Amsterdam.

Celebrator
08-16-2013, 11:12 PM
Montreal.

ljbab728
08-16-2013, 11:52 PM
Montreal.

Interesting that you should mention Montreal. I'm going to be there for a few days at the end of the month. I haven't been there for 45 years and I'm really looking forward to it.

andrew3077
08-17-2013, 12:23 AM
Madrid. Very cosmopolitan city with friendly people, amazing public transportation, very diverse cultural offerings, and some of the finest food in the world.

Lived in Madrid for 4 months and I can't agree more. I'd go back anytime for the incredible nightlife open until 6AM and the variety of different neighborhoods with different characters. So many great things to do, sports, food, arts, culture in such a beautiful and dense inner city.

RadicalModerate
08-17-2013, 06:14 AM
Based strictly upon what I've seen on various travel shows (and a bit of what people who have been there have said) I'd have to say somewhere in Ireland. Somewhere near the coast.

My other choices would be Barcelona and Dubrovnik. Maybe Buenos Aires.

I'd say Sweden (where my father grew up--near Uppsala) but it stays way too cold for far too long for me.

BBatesokc
08-17-2013, 06:18 AM
If I were being realistic on cashing-in and liquidating all I had to move out of the country I'd most likely pick Belize - more specifically, Ambergris Caye island.

I really like going there, the island is fairly small, the people are very nice, its laid back and not very expensive (aside from a house on the beach). The scuba diving there is really good. I've talked to several Americans who did sell everything and move there and they love it. Several own bars, one owned a large home where they rented out rooms, one owned a restaurant and another a coffee/chocolate shop.

There are plenty of other more exotic locations I'd prefer to live, but many would be unrealistic.

Bill Robertson
08-17-2013, 07:40 AM
Australia is a big place - can you be more specific? Do you ever watch Australian Supercars?

Melbourne or Perth. Both are coastal. Yes I do like the supercars but I love dirt.

ou48A
08-17-2013, 08:19 AM
I would only leave unless I absolutely had to.... So things would pretty bad here and bad too in many places around the world.
I would probably try to make my way to rural western Canada where I could live off the land.

BlackmoreRulz
08-17-2013, 08:29 AM
Costa Rica, can't believe all these people opting for cold climates

CaptDave
08-17-2013, 08:50 AM
Costa Rica, can't believe all these people opting for cold climates

That is a good option for the coffee alone!

Just the facts
08-17-2013, 09:03 AM
While Cork, IE is my first choice my second choice would be Cardiff, Wales. They have a pedestrian shopping district in the City Center with lots of housings around it and the British Railway Station is adjacent.

Just the facts
08-17-2013, 09:14 AM
Costa Rica, can't believe all these people opting for cold climates

Oklahoma City Average January Low: 25.2 F
Stockholm Sweden Average January Low: 23.0 F
Cork, IE Average January Low: 37.4 F

CaptDave
08-17-2013, 09:20 AM
I can't believe I forgot about Swansea, Wales, UK. Swansea - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swansea)

I know a couple people from there and met a few of their footballers from the association NOKC Soccer had with Swansea FC when my kids were playing there. They are on the coast and has sufficient transport options. The city is also undertaking some revitalization projects that sound promising.

mkjeeves
08-17-2013, 10:07 AM
I'd have one of my homes in or near Tofino, BC. We usually stay on Cox Bay. Chesterman or MacKenzie would be okay too.

http://www.coldwaterclassiccanada.com/unjimages/tofinophotographycoldwaterclassic/tofinopohotgraphyair5873.jpg

bradh
08-17-2013, 10:22 AM
Costa Rica, can't believe all these people opting for cold climates

I hate the beach, I love the mountains.

I also would like Europe because soccer and track are more popular there. Love watching track, I'm probably one of 100 track fans in the US

OKCisOK4me
08-17-2013, 10:26 AM
I guess people here just love the beach cause we're so interior. I, myself, am a big fan of the mountains. I think it is because one can be itself with nature and can ponder more of life than a free for all on the beach.

mkjeeves
08-17-2013, 12:48 PM
BC has both.

Midtowner
08-17-2013, 02:06 PM
Victoria, B.C.

Teo9969
08-17-2013, 02:19 PM
In today's political climate? Probably Canada or somewhere relatively innocuous in South America.

In a stable world climate, Europe. I'll have to get back to you on where.

venture
08-17-2013, 03:55 PM
Victoria, B.C.

I was going to say that . Spent a couple weeks there many years ago and loved it. Of course I've heard crime has gotten really bad there, though it is improving. Beautiful area regardless.

SOONER8693
08-17-2013, 04:29 PM
Prague, Czech Republic. Seemingly endless number of women available for a very reasonable price.

Teo9969
08-17-2013, 04:31 PM
Prague, Czech Republic. Seemingly endless number of women available for a very reasonable price.

The women in Praha are on another level than the rest of Central Europe.

RadicalModerate
08-17-2013, 04:40 PM
I guess people here just love the beach cause we're so interior. I, myself, am a big fan of the mountains. I think it is because one can be itself with nature and can ponder more of life than a free for all on the beach.

Dude . . . It ain't the beach. It's the coast.
I grew up (let me rephrase that: grew older/spent my formative years) in the mountains.
Mountains don't literally have waves to meditate by. Coasts do.

O2_lU3adj5k

Just the facts
08-17-2013, 04:56 PM
What I have come to learn is that people mostly just like the sound of moving water - be it the surf at the beach, a babbling brook/waterfall in the mountains, or a fountain in a plaza. We have a two bowl fountain in our front yard and for some reason I can listen to it for hours.

RadicalModerate
08-17-2013, 06:02 PM
What I have come to learn is that people mostly just like the sound of moving water - be it the surf at the beach, a babbling brook/waterfall in the mountains, or a fountain in a plaza. We have a two bowl fountain in our front yard and for some reason I can listen to it for hours.

Your example of our fondness for the sound of water is probably one of the earliest, ingrained memories that each of us carry with us.

Here's what I plan to listen to while I water the lawn and meditate on when I should mow it next. =)

0-N9L3ZXWPA

Richard at Remax
08-18-2013, 09:59 AM
I'd go straight to Bora Bora

Snowman
08-18-2013, 12:30 PM
Sydney, Australia (ideally between downtown and one of the beaches east of it).

I have a hard time imagining moving permanently to any city that English is not the primary language or the country was not part of the British Commonwealth. The weather is fantastic year round, wide variety of outdoor activities year round, the ocean is warm, great parks all around the city, have the benefits of a major city and has a wide variety of popular recreational sports.

Just the facts
08-18-2013, 02:02 PM
A warm weather snowman. Now I have seen everything. :)

elitespy
08-18-2013, 10:22 PM
I would definitely go to Wiesbaden, Germany. I lived there for 3 years when I was younger and I loved it. I miss Europe frequently, here are some pics.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9d/BD_20130414-NerobergWiesbaden-00001.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9f/BD-HauptbahnhofWiesbaden-20130507-IMG_1754.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/09/Wiesbaden_Innenstadt.jpg

Celebrator
08-18-2013, 11:49 PM
Interesting that you should mention Montreal. I'm going to be there for a few days at the end of the month. I haven't been there for 45 years and I'm really looking forward to it.

Great city. Feels so much like Europe but is just a few hours by car from Boston and NYC. Second largest Francophone city in the world, but English is also spoken widely. I just really like the feel there.

Just the facts
08-18-2013, 11:57 PM
I love Montreal as well. It is as close as you can come to Europe without leaving North America. The biggest problem is that it gets so darn cold in the winter.

Dubya61
08-19-2013, 11:37 AM
I'm surprised no one has mentioned Barcelona, yet. Sure, it's expensive, but a very exciting city. I still stand by my southern Spain post, but love imagining all the other possibilities.

soonerguru
08-19-2013, 11:42 AM
I'm surprised no one has mentioned Barcelona, yet. Sure, it's expensive, but a very exciting city. I still stand by my southern Spain post, but love imagining all the other possibilities.

You may be surprised. When I was there in May we found out you can purchase a nice apartment for 150k. The collapse of Spain's economy has created extreme real estate values. I've heard of a couple in OKC that has purchased an apartment there just because of the great values. If I had money to throw at real estate, I would be buying a pad in Barcelona right now.

The cost of food and transportation is as good as OKC, too. The only thing that seems ridiculously high are hotel prices.

Barcelona is a bargain-hunter's paradise for affordable residential investment right now. Madrid is reasonable but not as much.

OKCisOK4me
08-19-2013, 01:11 PM
Dude . . . It ain't the beach. It's the coast.
I grew up (let me rephrase that: grew older/spent my formative years) in the mountains.
Mountains don't literally have waves to meditate by.

I'd rather meditate in the mountains while listening to Sounds of Nature - Rolling Waved Edition on CD.

Prunepicker
08-19-2013, 06:57 PM
Where ever the best small stream fly fishing is, but not South America.

Wishbone
08-20-2013, 06:46 AM
Somewhere in the Carribean for me. Grand Caymans if I could afford it. St. Thomas wouldn't be bad either.

Roger S
08-20-2013, 06:59 AM
It would have to be to another planet for me.

Just the facts
11-13-2013, 08:19 AM
I found a place that just might be enticing enough - Melun. It is located on the Seine about 30 miles SE of Paris. in addition to be a dense town of 38,000 people in 3 sq miles, and surrounded by farmland, it has easy rail access into Paris and the rest of France.

Richard at Remax
11-13-2013, 12:30 PM
Since I Got to go to Bora Bora for my honeymoon I am going to throw out a place from left field. And I don't even know if can even visit it. Id like to go take a tour of Pripyat, Ukraine and the nearby Chernobyl power station. Read a lot of books and seen plenty of shows on it. plus the computer games called Stalker are based there and ive spent too much time on those.

Jeepnokc
11-13-2013, 07:08 PM
Somewhere in the Carribean for me. Grand Caymans if I could afford it. St. Thomas wouldn't be bad either.

Anguilla. All the island without the tourists. Plus, Bankie Banx has a really cool preserve/bar there