Where to move to?

[cjaysanchez]

Moved from Nj to Houston about 9 yrs ago. We had family in Houston and ran away from the cold, so at that time it made sense. After many years in Houston, we are getting tired of floods, huracanes, tropical storms that seems to be the norm in here, but we are not quite used to it and, frankly, kind of tired of dealing with it. We had flooded once already and going through that is a life changing event for sure. The question is, where would you move to if work relocation was not an issue? Good weather, good boating options, warm/mild weather, good food? Having a big international airport is important for me due to weekly traveling in USA and international. We were considering Arizona, New Mexico, but not sure. Maybe just north of Houston to Dallas, San Antonio or Austin but some of the continuous storms seem to hit many times these areas as well. Any advise will be greatly appreciated. We have two girls (9 and 4 yrs old).

 

[Babin Farms]

NM seems to be a place where there's not much bad weather to deal with. Got a friend who lives in Northern part & seems to like it but the only problem might be boating. Not much water to be had in those parts.

 

[Mike Clark]

Knoxville, Tennessee! Several large lakes close by, Norris Lake, Cumberland Lake , Douglas Lake.
Smoky Mountains are close by (50 Miles) good weather. great people. No hurricanes or floods.

 

[JetboatDrvr]

King for a day, we would move to Knoxville or Chattanooga. Mild winters and great boating options. Gives you enough of an off season to do boat upgrades and maintenance.

I also have a friend out by Lake Tahoe which would be a great option but that is some cold water.

 

[McMark]

I boated a time or two on lake keowee about 30 years ago and have had it in the back of my mind ever since. Not sure what it’s like these days though. I remember it being a nice area.

 

[2kwik4u]

Knoxville is a great answer. Just enough off season to make it NOT the desert, and plenty of water around for boating options.

I would also strongly consider northern California, right on the coast. VERY temperate weather year round. I'm also a cyclist, and could see doing many rides a week in retirement there, year round.

Same for Hawaii if you can swing the cost. VERY consistent weather. Travel is probably an issue for OP there though.

 

[Yamahaul]

FL middle of the state. got rivers, got tons of lakes. got springs got gators and water on either side about an hour hour and a half away either direction. hurricanes arent bad in the middle. As long as i've lived here maybe 50 tops wind and that was the eye going over us, or close enough cant remember what storm. no floods, not catastrophic anyways

 

[sjsandman01]

N.Texas is nice close to DFW and a bunch Of lakes. We live 5 minutes from Lake Lewisville but travel to Ray Roberts just a personal decision. You have 4 or 5 lakes within a hour driving.

 

[grywlfbg]

Tulsa, OK would be an easy move. Super cheap here. Tons of lakes. Schools are good. Winters are very mild. They do have tornadoes here but they tend to avoid cities (heat island effect - rising air due to the concrete pushes storms around). I grew up here and then moved back ~4 years ago. Never had a close call.

The airport here is nice but you'll have to connect if you're going international. If you really need direct international flights your list is pretty short (and all are expensive places to live). Pre-COVID I traveled a fair amount. For me, the ease of getting to and through the Tulsa airport made up for the connection. I can literally leave my house 1 hour before departure, get to the airport, park, through security, and to my gate in time for boarding. At SFO I had to leave my house ~3 hours before departure to beat the traffic to the airport, get through TSA, get to my gate, etc. With that 2 hours saved I can connect in Houston, Denver, Newark, etc. and do it with less stress.

 

[Captain_Ron65]

I moved to Knoxville 12 years ago after living in Indy and Chicago for over 14 years. I love it here. It's a big, small town that continues to grow and offer larger town amenities. The climate is great, it rarely snows. We have tons of outdoor opportunities, the mountains, rock climbing, whitewater, excellent mountain biking, tons of places to hike, and of course last but not least, 6-7 awesome lakes surround us. The cost of living is ridiculously cheap as well. The only thing not on your list is an international airport. I usually drive to Nashville or Atlanta for airports, both are around 3 hours away.

 

[mrcleanr6]

Knoxville, Tennessee! Several large lakes close by, Norris Lake, Cumberland Lake , Douglas Lake.
Smoky Mountains are close by (50 Miles) good weather. great people. No hurricanes or floods.

i am heading out that way sooner or later. somewhere in tenn, georgia, south or north carolina on a mountain lakes somehwere. if i can keep business going good for another 4-5 years then that will be good enough and i am out. i like the area i am in here in nj. rural and on the edge of 4 state forests, 2 miles from the river. its great but the 15-20k a year for your avg home property taxes in nj, you cant possibly retire here.

 

[Sotally Tober]

The area around Lake Travis (just outside of Austin). Great lake and area. Homes are reasonable including waterfront.

 

[Robconn]

I am a NJ expatriate too! My formative years were at the Jersey Shore. In 2003, moved to the metro Atlanta area, plenty of deep expansive fresh water lakes with marinas and public boat ramps. Before Covid, plenty for the kids to do year round Besides the lake. Hope you find a good safer spot. Good luck

 

[Epsmith19]

I'm partial to Charlotte NC. One of the fastest growing metros in the country, 2 good lakes (norman and Wylie) 3 hrs to the beach, 3 hours to the mountains and an temperate climate.

 

[Ismael Breton]

Chattanooga, TN. Live here now, will stay here for a long, long, long time.

 

[ysidive]

Lake Lanier area North of Atlanta... Gainesville, Dawsonville, Dahlonega, etc.... Large lake to enjoy boating and quite a few other larger lakes within an hour or less drive... Lake Alatoona in Georgia, Lake Hartwell on the Georgia, SC line... Some smaller lakes for day trips also, Carters lake etc.... Many to choose from and very affordable taxes...Most of the counties in these areas also are super senior friendly.... Most exlude seniors from school taxes which greatly reduce your taxes on homes..... Check it out....

 

[Inthrustwetrust]

I would avoid NM. Only real decent sized city is ABQ, and its the hood. Their is a reason Breaking Bad was based there. I lived in East New Mexico for 4 years. Never again. Horrible crime rates, horrible schools, gang activity, drug and human trafficking.

I’ve lived in many places (military) I love the Florida Pan handle where we are now but man, we’ve had several close calls with these major hurricanes the last couple of years. Our house is a mile from the gulf, if we take a direct hit our house will be a goner.
I’m a big fan of the south east area. Tennessee is a great option as many people have said, little more temperate than the Deep South, and don’t really get the Hurricane devastation. I love the Carolinas, but again they get the Canes the closer to the coast you get.

 

[jtwrace]

FL middle of the state. got rivers, got tons of lakes. got springs got gators and water on either side about an hour hour and a half away either direction. hurricanes arent bad in the middle. As long as i've lived here maybe 50 tops wind and that was the eye going over us, or close enough cant remember what storm. no floods, not catastrophic anyways

Yep. I grew up in NNJ and spent 15 yrs in Charlotte, NC. Moved to Orlando, FL a bit over 1.5 yrs ago and it's the best move I've ever made. For year around boating, it doesn't get any better than this IMO. 213 hrs in 13 months!

 

[elcue]

Come back to Jersey!

 

[HangOutdoors]

Cmon up to Michigan and enjoy the Great Lakes... Plenty of water to share