Two places I am familiar with are part of my choice process. The first is beautiful New Hampshire or neighboring Vermont.This is a rural area with more trees than people. It is beautiful in the summer, fall and spring. In the winter it is isolated, frozen and cold. Blizzards happen and take out the electricity for weeks. New Hampshire is a poor state with inadequate (to my taste) libraries, little public transportation, and few health care options for the elderly. On the other hand there are a lot of artists and writers who live here. It's just that there are miles and miles of driving between artists. There are few stores which means I spend less money. That includes however, thrift stores where I bought the majority of my clothes on Cape Cod. I live in a very rural area at the moment, but there are some interesting larger towns such as Brattleboro which has a lot of arts and music things going on. Brattleboro though is almost out of my price range to own either a condo or house. However there are some houses on land of their own in the more rural areas that are in my price range. That is the major big plus about this area: possibly I could own my own home on private land.
This is beautiful Cape Cod, where I lived for 30 years. I didn't know I loved it here till I left for a year! The pluses are: I could buy a small, bottom level condo in a town here. There is great beauty, the ocean, friends of many years, lots of artists and writers, film festivals, galleries, wonderful bookstores and numerous health food stores, many therapeutic massage people and hands on healers of all sorts, including my herbal practitioner. Many opportunities to take classes and workshops including arts and yoga. A fabulous library system. Lots of agencies who tend to the elderly (something to take into consideration now that I am 63). Tons of thrift stores with gorgeous often new clothes to purchase for pennies. The negatives are: living is expensive. Food costs more as it must come "over the bridge." I cannot afford a house of my own with land. There is no public transportation should I ever be unable to drive. Hurricanes occasionally arrive causing destruction.A third option that has arisen is to purchase a friend's house in North Dakota. She now owns a second house in town and lives there and so wants to sell this smaller house. I have never been to ND. The house for sale is cute and reasonably priced. Like NH, North Dakota is isolated, has cold and snowy winters and is a "poor" state with, I am assuming, not a great library system (in this town anyway). I am not sure about the services for the elderly. Nor the access to artists, workshops and classes, yoga, alternative health practitioners, thrift stores etc. My friend loves living in this town and is trying to start an artists retreat there.
Of course there is also the rest of the USA and world to consider. I am not sure if I am brave enough to explore these larger options re: places to live. Although I am encouraged by other bloggers stories of how they found new places and moved there and are very happy. I also have two dependents to consider: Miss Emily and Bibbitty.
Plus, if I want to place all my things in my storage unit, and board my cats, I could travel. I have been invited by one blogger to visit her home. These are a few things on my radar screen at the moment. Thanks for listening. Love, Suki
Do any of you, dear readers, have stories of finding a new place to live? How were you brave enough to do it! How did it work out? What were your first steps?
