Driven through, but that's about it. Spent a couple days in Wilmington, NC and that was a good time. It's probably changed a bit since I was there last though due to getting hammered by a hurricane last year.
I'll be going there! I haven't ruled Tampa out yet as a potential living destination.. I'll see what I think of it in December.
If I had the money, I'd move to Victoria or Vancouver. Close enough to the the border, but far enough the idiots.
is boring as hell, and i've already been here over 8 yrs. trying to make my way to either coast if i can land a job.
I've been thinking a fourth move to the islands might be in my future....Big Island is a buyers market after the last eruption.the chances of another eruption seem like it'll be far past my life span now....I love the weather there...Kauai is spendy
I know a river there with perfectly round cascading bowls with waterfalls you can soak in and watch the ocean from ....peaceful until a tourist helicopter comes roaring up the canyon
Do you like the Hilo side of the island? I think the humidity would bother me. We’ve been eyeing property in the Waikoloa Village area. It’s near beaches that we really enjoy.
I've always lived near Hilo...I like the rain to wash the vog away...it rains alot there..my son was born in Hilo hospital and I taught at the elementary school there and at the Japanese college. Hilo has a small beach but it's not a beach town...South Point or Kona have beaches..Hilo is rocky and lots of sharks...dramatic shores...not gentle. I'd go to Kalipana or Captain Cooks beach ..short drive from Hilo
I like the Kona side much better than the Hilo side. When we went there we didn't get a place with an ocean view which I dearly regret.
Nevada City California....tucked in the foothills of the Sierra's it's a beautiful, artistic town with lots of live music, gold rush architecture, lot of culture...probably my favorite place in N. California..it was the closest large town from my land in the 70s...Yuba river country
lol at Vancouver having the exact same number as Portland. I'll bet Beaverton has the same number too
waikaloa village is in between hualalai and mauna kea. think of it in terms of a valley surrounded by grassland, but with small rainfall amounts. green for very short periods. windy and dusty after. always near wild fires up on the high road between kona and waimea. traffic in normal times between it and anywhere else can be very heavy because of all the kohala coast resorts' visitors and the workers that service them. kind of insulated demographics as much of the building there was during the boom and the costs of housing reflected the demand then. very limited shopping with 1 kta grocery. shopping at the resort stores closest would be like having a 7-11 as your only available option, as prices reflect the monies available to resort guests. if you are talking about the hilton waikaloa village then you are in the resort itself and talking about a completely different animal costs wise. the ocean breezes and golf course and resort landscaping there create a different micro climate as well.
I've been all over the county multiple times and I think about this a lot. For me it mostly comes down to weather, I don't want to live anywhere that is too extreme and major events like hurricanes and tornados are huge negatives. So the midwest and NE are mostly out for their winters, and summers and extreme events have most of the SE and SW out. Most of the west coast near the ocean is perfect for me, anywhere from Seattle to San Diego which are all tolerable and enjoyable most of the year. Hawaii is obviously a dream but I wonder how being so isolated is after a few years. I think if you can afford a summer winter situation then that is the real dream, something like Phoenix in the winter and Portland in the summer would be great. Ultimately we could end up in Mexico though. We are in love with the food, culture, weather and especially the prices there. Security is a concern but many places seem ok. The weather in some of the mountain cities are like spring and sunny 300 days a year and the beaches are famously amazing. Our spots we are interested in are Puerto Vallarta, Puerto Escondido, Akumal/Tulum, Merida, Mexico City area (Coyoacan or Puebla), Guanajuato and San Miguel Allende. I also have some friends in an expat community in Ajijic, they use to winter there and eventually moved full time because they loved it so much.
Thanks for the information, lawai'a. I know it's kind of isolated out there, and I've experienced the wind a couple of times. There's a new shopping center under development that's going to bring a Foodland to that community, so that should provide a bit of competition. I figure that we'd do a Costco trip to Kailua once or twice a month for the major purchases. We're still very much in the preliminary discussion stage, but the prices for condos there are a lot more affordable than many places on the island. The Waikoloa Beach Resort condos typically have HOA fees that run $1,000 or so a month, so that's not on our radar.
