So, what's YOUR idea of the perfect place to live?

[ovrszd]

Eddie Walker at #18 went the right way about it. You really need some land to be able to make sure that whatever happens you can produce enough food to survive. I am not into catastrophic end of the world scenarios, but I do not discount the possibility of a breakdown of modern services either. Personal safety is number one on my list and that means a country that is in the present day relatively crime free. Portugal fits the bill so far as that is concerned. A lot of people hunt and the police carry guns, but it is extremely rare to hear of any violence involving guns.

I have lived with minimal income for 40 years, but still managed to farm in England, Australia, Scotland and here. Like Eddie, we think we might have one more move left in us, but I also think there is no perfect place. If there was everybody would want to be there and it would soon not be perfect. When we become too old and decrepit we think we would like to fade away in the Scottish Highlands - but that would mean relying on somebody else for sustenance so it is a last resort.

You would be an interesting man to spend time with. I'll bet you've got some stories to tell.

As to the perfect place. Fortunately for me few people think where I live is the perfect place. Consequently I get the privilege of living in a rural, lightly populated, small towns area that fulfills my Soulful needs.

My step-daughter and family live 80 miles from us in the outskirts of Des Moines Iowa. Typical suburbia. They can't imagine living where we do. I mean, get real, THERE'S NOT EVEN ONE MALL IN THIS COUNTY!!!! And we can't imagine living where they do. Again, it's all about what is "perfect" for each individual.

 

[The Suburban Farmer]

One of the issues we've been facing when looking for more rural property is the Internet connectivity issue. While I have the luxury of being able to work out of my home office some/most days if I don't feel like driving into the 'burbs, I HAVE to have reliable high-speed internet for my job with no data caps -- so satellite is out. Our current place has FIOS which has been awesome -- but we are literally the last house on the line for both FIOS and the other cable internet providers.

One of the things I'm really excited about is the pending "next generation DSL" which is supposed to be able to deliver 100 MB/sec speeds using DSL lines to rural areas... this would really open up our personal ability to move farther out -- at least until I'm retired or in a different job.

DSL speed could soon get a boost with new technologies - San Jose Mercury News

It's funny... I been doing an analysis for the last year on some of the houses/farms in rural Northern VA (specifically western Loudoun County) using data from Redfin and Trulia and found that the same house with Comcast or FIOS availability is generally $100K more than the exact same house without any high speed internet, even after controlling for other factors (YES -- I'm a data analysis nerd and do this type of work as part of my day job, too.) Maybe it's just a phenomenon of northern Virginia and all of the DC-folks that want to get out of the Beltway, but I found that interesting.

 

[LD1]

I like the midwest states. Specifically Ohio

Not too hot in the summer, not too cold in the winter. We dont get a ton of snow. Tornados are really the only real threat from mother nature, and they are scarce. No hurrucanes, volcano or earthquakes to worry about.

And we really dont have deadly animals to speak of. A coyote is about the larges predatory animal, and you are lucky if you ever see one. And we dont have any of them creepy crawly poisonous things like found out west, and no large reptiles with lots of teeth like the south.

Yep, I like Ohio

 

[ovrszd]

I like the midwest states. Specifically Ohio

Not too hot in the summer, not too cold in the winter. We dont get a ton of snow. Tornados are really the only real threat from mother nature, and they are scarce. No hurrucanes, volcano or earthquakes to worry about.

And we really dont have deadly animals to speak of. A coyote is about the larges predatory animal, and you are lucky if you ever see one. And we dont have any of them creepy crawly poisonous things like found out west, and no large reptiles with lots of teeth like the south.

Yep, I like Ohio

Very descriptive LD1. My imagination ran wild while reading that!!!! And I totally agree!!!

 

[LD1]

Very descriptive LD1. My imagination ran wild while reading that!!!! And I totally agree!!!

Midwest is good for farming/gardening too. And plenty of deer, squirrl, rabbit, and turkey to hunt as well

 

[phiferpharm]

Costa Rica is second, but without the "they speak English" part, which would be tough for us.

Costa Rica has a surprisingly large retired American community. It has been several decades since I was there, but at the time you could live quite nicely on an average pension. The people were quite cordial and helpful.

As for my present State, the poll is right.. It is a horrible place with heavy taxation and mean vicious people, not to mention we had at least two days or more of freezing temperatures during winter... I highly recommend all you Northerners stay out of my neck of the woods...

 

[doxford jim]

Two places come to mind for me and both are in the southern ocean. South island of New Zealand and Tasmania are places where I could happily end my days - providing I had enough money to live on. Both places have lots of small towns, loads of country and neither have many dangerous wild life to speak of.
I currently live in the middle of British Columbia on 150 acres. While that sounds nice, in the winter it can get down to -40F/C and that gets old quickly. As we age we find that our bodies have different ideas of what we can do
Climate does make a difference as does the type of property we currently live on - both impact our decisions in life.
Having worked and travelled in both countries, I do believe these to be great places to retire to - moderate weather and mostly very friendly people with traditional values.

 

[Gary Fowler]

Perfection is a state of mind for the individual. Some say it is mountain, others desert, while most prefer woodland areas. I think anywhere one can be comfortable, affordable and have the amenities that he wants is perfect for that person. The next guy may be totally different and cant possibly see why someone would want to live there. For myself, I cant see why anyone would want to live in the snow belts of the northern regions of North America /Canada which also makes me wonder why the original settlers of N.A. settled in the North.

 

[MacLawn]

doxford, you said it! Now, man, I'd love to live on 150 acres, but not in that kind of cold. Me old bones just canno' take it. Never could. I reckon I'll do like the old song says,

"...oh the weevil's in the cotton.
and the corn don't grow,
everybody's got troubles,
every place I go.
Let the rain come down.
let the cold wind blow.
Gonna stay right here,
in the home I know". Troubles fly away...

 

[ovrszd]

Perfection is a state of mind for the individual. Some say it is mountain, others desert, while most prefer woodland areas. I think anywhere one can be comfortable, affordable and have the amenities that he wants is perfect for that person. The next guy may be totally different and cant possibly see why someone would want to live there. For myself, I cant see why anyone would want to live in the snow belts of the northern regions of North America /Canada which also makes me wonder why the original settlers of N.A. settled in the North.

I agree concerning the state of mind. I feel a bit of sadness of those that dream of moving. That just tells me they haven't found their "spot" yet and if they are late in life, they probably never will. And I also contribute some of that unsettled feeling to my signature quote.

I always figured white man started settling in the North simply because that's where he landed and he didn't know any better. Took generations of explorers to wander over the next hill and come back reporting what they saw to get us to move.

By the time we ventured West much of it had already been habituated and claimed by Mexico. So we violently took it.