Gretchen Rubin once asked, “Are you a ‘book’ person or a ‘tree’ person?” In other words, do you see your life as a book of chapters, where you turn the pages? Or do you see yourself more like a tree that’s rooted in one place, growing rings from a center?
I’m definitely a “book” person. My life has been a series of chapters- I grew up in Illinois, then lived in Florida for a few years, moved to New York City, worked as a musician for many years (traveling between NYC and Europe) and then finally “settled down” back in Florida, where my husband likes to joke I joined the witness protection program. I relocated, changed my career, and changed my name (when we got married).
This chapter of my life has been AMAZING! I had my kids! I escaped from my Seasonal Affective Disorder and flourished in sunny Florida! I learned a completely new trade! And now… I’m thinking it’s just about time for a new chapter.
My daughter will graduate from high school in two years, and we’ll be empty nest-ers. When both our kids are out of the house, there really won’t be anything to keep us here. We don’t have any family in Florida, and just a few friends. And, the friends we do have are making five year plans to escape Florida. A five-year timeframe is probably what we’re looking at as well.
Where will we move? Guess what- this is where YOU, dear readers, come in! I’m open to suggestions. I’ll tell you what I’m looking for. I want to live somewhere with lots of natural beauty, with trails to hike and run. I would like it to be colder than Florida, but not TOO cold- I know I can’t live in the midwest, for example. We would be looking for a place with a lower cost of living (I mean- almost anything is lower than South Florida!) so, for example, places like Northern California or Boulder, CO are not feasible. On the other hand, we would like a little bit of culture- maybe near a college, maybe a town with an indie bookstore, things like that- in other words, I don’t want to live in the middle of Alabama.
We’re not in a rush, but we’re talking about taking some exploratory trips, possibly next summer, to check out possibilities. Any suggestions would be welcome!
On another, less life-changing subject, we’re thinking of getting a third cat. Our older cat, Charlotte, has gotten SO CRANKY and refuses to have anything to do with Muffin (our younger, more sociable calico). Charlotte has gone so far as to relocate herself out to the patio, and Muffin seems really sad! The worst thing is, she has taken to meowing, sadly AND LOUDLY in the middle of the night, and it’s really disrupting our sleep. When we googled possible solutions, one of them was “get a second cat.”
What do you think??? Should I move to North Carolina? get another cat? Tell me what to do!
37 Responses
Jenny–this might be the most exciting post ever! You’re right that if Angie goes to school in an other state, there won’t be much to keep you in Florida–how exciting to plan a whole new “chapter!!!”
Too bad the midwest is not a candidate :/.
I’ve heard great things about places like Louisville, KY or Greenville, SC.
Okay Maya- I will look into both of those! Louisville would be closer to my sister, at least.
So exciting!!! The funnest part is that you don’t know the answer yet so you get to explore and “chose your own adventure”.
I wonder how far north you can get without having awful winters? Maybe NC, TN, or even WV? After having been in San Fransisco and BC I wonder if there are any affordable areas between those two points? The PNW would be a nice change for sure.
Google is correct that now is the time to get your orange tabby!!!
Your recent trip to WV opened my eyes to that state, and how beautiful it is. It also has a low cost of living. Not sure about the weather… I would have to look into it.
I can’t wait to see what others suggest! I was in Greenville, SC for work last year and thought it was really charming. It’s an up and coming city with a great downtown. You’d be pretty close to lots of other cool places in NC/SC. I would also consider a place like Knoxville. It would be close to the mountains of NC. Neither of these locations get terribly cold but they can get some winter weather. And the cost of living is below avg for both of those locations.
What a fun thing to think about! I would like to live elsewhere after we have retired but Phil doesn’t even like to think about where we might live. I think I would like to live in CO but that is not a lower cost of living destination!!!
Okay adding Knoxville to the list, and now there are two votes for Greenville. Thank you!
North Carolina? Arkansas? I liked eastern Tennessee the semester we lived there. Weather changes but not too much. My brother moved to Delaware from the northeast as he was very tired of shoveling snow. ( He would have loved key West or OBX, but not a realistic option!)
Get another cat- a plus for you and your Muffin! Charlotte will be cranky regardless. I can’t get another cat- right now, as much as I’d like one, so I encourage others! My son volunteers at a shelter and brings home pictures of all the cute kittens and charming adults. So hard to resist!
Hmm, Delaware? I’ll have to check on the weather! And- I agree. Charlotte is going to be cranky no matter what we do, so we might as well get a friend for Muffin!
Selfishly I want you to make a HUGE life change and move to Nova Scotia so we can explore together and you can get me back into running shape. But it is cold. So that’s likely not going to fly.
My sister lives in Columbia, SC and LOVES it. (She lived in Greenville before that.) If you move to either place I will come and visit you (once a certain president is out of office, at least.)
Ooh! You could come visit me! That would be awesome! Another point for SC.
Wow, what an exciting new chapter! I am no help because – like Elisabeth – I’m like “how about Canada?” Alas it’s probably too cold for you…although you DID grow up in the Chicago area and I will say that Kelowna is much less cold than Chicago. Also we have almost no humidity. And it’s beautiful! All the produce, all the wine, all the everything up here! AND WE HAVE UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE.
Ah, I know I’m no help at all. Good luck with your decision! Also I have no idea about cats, not being a cat person, but three cats feels like a lot of cats! But maybe it’s best for little Muffin.
Nicole, I’m pretty sure about 50% of the US population has toyed with moving to Canada this year. I think it would definitely be too cold for me, but Universal Health Care would be a huge draw! I’m pretty sure it’s not that easy to emigrate right now (or is it? Should I be looking into this???)
You should definitely get another cat!!! hahahah…. we are so in love with Bubble.
Good question on where to move to. Would you be wanting to live near long time friends or family members? that could help narrow down the list.
Our family members all live too far north for me, unfortunately. So that’s not a factor, which actually makes the decision harder.
I had a feeling you would vote for another cat!
We have this discussion too…we mostly love Northern California, but would like to end up somewhere less expensive. I like Portland a lot, and we have family there, but my husband was NOT a fan when we went in December and saw how dark and gloomy it was. Poo!
Ack! Portland would also not be for me. “Dark and gloomy” would NOT work!
My Husband wants to retire to Chicago – his dream is to have a little condo where we can walk to all the sights. And he loves winter, so I think it would be perfect for him. It’s a nice thought exercise, though, to think of where one wants to retire. Well I feel like with Global Warming, Washington DC is going to be “not too cold” by the time you are looking to move – there’s lots of culture here and nature nearby A lot of people from DC retire to Delaware because there are tax advantages.
San Diego? It’s cheaper than Northern California, though probably still on the higher cost of living.
New Mexico – Santa Fe is lovely, so is Algurqueque.
I would LOVE Santa Fe, but I’m thinking it’s also expensive? And I’m positive San Diego would be expensive as well. Delaware is a maybe? I really haven’t thought at all about that state, so I would have to look into it.
Chicago is such and amazing place. As long as you don’t mind winter, it would be a great place to live!
Oh wow. This is a big change. Exciting stuff. I do not have much to suggest, but I will second Lisa’s vote for Greenville, SC. Coach taught a class there a few years ago. I accompanied him and we really loved the area.
The cat situation sounds challenging. No experience there.
Okay, I don’t think I’ve ever given a thought to Greenville SC but lots of people have mentioned it! I’ll definitely do some research.
I love how you see your life as chapters – it really fits! I don’t know the US well enough to make any suggestions, but it looks like the comments are already full of great ideas.
Naturally, my mind goes to Cape Town – beautiful scenery, perfect weather, amazing trails for running, and very affordable.
Will you both be retiring in five years, or will work still be part of the plan?
Well, I’ll probably be looking to stay in the US… although Cape Town sounds amazing. To answer your question, my husband wants to retire but I’ll probably still be working (I’m six years younger than he is). Pretty sure I could find work as a massage therapist in most areas.
Albuquerque! Dry heat, not wet, a town you can walk in, mountains with trails, a lovely alternative culture. It seemed like a KIND place when I visited a few times in the 90s.
Or Spain!
We are looking into getting a small flat in Spain because of my husband’s SAD, which is getting more and more debilitating.
Oh, I’m with your husband. SAD is really terrible, and it was seriously wrecking my life when I lived up north. Moving to Florida really changed everything.
Albuquerque… I’m intrigued. It sounds amazing, not sure about the cost of living. It would be VERY different from Florida! I would love to be near mountains.
Looks like it’s lower than the national average on cost of living. I would live there, honestly.
You should get some long underwear and move to Madison. It is definitely not less expensive, but it IS beautiful! A few months of the year (LOL). One of my college besties is a professor in Greenville and adores everything about the vibes there, and we love stopping in Louisville on our drives to Hilton Head (which is also amazing). Also! Alabama has super cool college towns– what about Tuscaloosa or Auburn?
I know…. I shouldn’t have dismissed Alabama so quickly. It’s still not my first choice, though!
It’s funny because my husband mentioned Madison- OH NO YOU DON’T! I grew up in the midwest so I know EXACTLY what kind of winters you have up there!!! Long underwear won’t fix the gloomy, gray, depressing skies.
Greenville and Louisville are on my list, for sure.
I’ll put in a plug for northern Arizona — Prescott is a beautiful smaller city, they do get snow in the winter but not a lot and it’s not as hot as the desert parts of the state, there are TONS of beautiful trails (and lots of trail races in the area — Prescott is actually where my first ultra was!) and they have some of the amenities of a decent sized city including a Trader Joe’s! Also the downtown area is very cute and historic and they apparently go all out for Christmas. I love Sedona and Flagstaff too but they’re more expensive and Sedona still gets pretty hot and Flagstaff gets a fair amount of snow. But Prescott is within easy driving distance of both cities, as well as Phoenix, so there’s lots of options for trails and other fun things to do!
If money were no object I would move to Sedona, but I’m thinking eventually I would move to Prescott if the summers down where I am currently get to be too much.
Oooh! Okay, I’ll look into Prescott. That really would be a new adventure. Thanks for the great info!!!
You should move to North Carolina and then I could visit you when we visit Angus! What a cool adventure it’s going to be deciding where to go! I’ve only been to (counts on fingers) 12 states, and I’m missing a few provinces also. If we moved it would be closer to an ocean.
Oh, wow, I am such a tree! This is really exciting to think about. If you don’t want too much snow you have to be careful about the jet stream in the mid-Atlantic. Recently the Richmond area has gotten more snow than D.C. because of how it dips. Also, western N.C. can get snow in the mountains but there’s great hiking and culture there.
Do you think you’ll be influenced by where your kids might land?
Wow! Big news.
I doubt you will big NY.
I HATE moving so I will die in my house. LOL
But I love to travel and race.
Can I visit you?
YES YOU SHOULD GET ANOTHER CAT. Let me know if you want to book a trip to Tampa to get one from Cats and Caffeine, hahahahaha.
If I could live anywhere else than Florida, I would move to Charlotte, NC. You get to experience all 4 seasons, don’t have to deal with hurricanes (much), and it doesn’t get TOO cold. Plus, there is so much happening in Charlotte in terms of restaurants, culture, etc.
We’ll see how many more hurricane seasons I can get through, living on the west coast of FL!
We are very much in the same position. Except I am absolutely chomping at the bit to get out of Florida and wish A would choose a college out of state. But here we are.
I am also compromising with my husband who thinks he has to live in a warmer climate or perish (which is nonsense), but we do need to be very close to an excellent medical program for his health issues. I am in love with Athens. We are going to look at Augusta as well. Personally, I would head to upstate NY or Maine, but he’s not into it. In theory, I like a lot of places in NC, but I don’t know if that’s calling me home. I would fit in super well in Asheville, but it’s too pricey at the moment. So we will see.
Let’s compare notes for sure!
Many people have suggested Greenville, but I’m going to be a little more specific and say Travelers Rest, SC – it’s just north of Greenville and has more of the smaller-town vibes, less traffic, and is still close enough to Greenville to stop by for an hour or two. I worked in Greer, SC and that’s a cute town as well! That entire area is growing really quickly, for good reason. It’s home to Furman University (and a few other smaller universities) and is about an hour from Clemson University (where my husband and I met and graduated from, so I do have bias there!). There are also plenty of high school football games to attend around the Greenville area!
Okay Jenny, I read through all of the comments and I think (1) regardless of the cold, the Midwest is also pretty flat. For me, trail running needs some dips and climbs, so although they have dirt, they don’t have very many hills (in some of them). (2) isn’t NC pretty humid? Maybe that does not bother you, but for me, that is not super fun in the summer when it is hot and humid (for running). I like Arizona, and Flagstaff is very popular with the trail running community but it does get cold in the winter. Maybe Prescott is the answer. You should check out the Javelina 100 race and see if you like the look of that terrain. I also like Boise, and it has mountains right outside of town, plus the Sawtooths are awesome but (a) it is also cold there and (b) once you get out of town you may not like the political feel.
If money was no object, I would definitely live in CA, OR or WA! Haha (or maybe VT or NH, but now you are back in the cold again)! PS I have looked into buying property in WA, and if you don’t mind living in a bit more rural area, there are still some deals! Like here is one in Port Angeles, which is pretty temperate but does get into the 30s in Dec/Jan https://www.redfin.com/WA/Port-Angeles/702-E-2nd-St-98362/home/195854671 Also you have the ferry to Victoria and the Olympic range right outside your door, plus bike paths and beaches on the water! Oh, and they have no state tax for earned income.
Oops I meant to say SC, not NC….also that house does need some upgrades but there are others!