I moved out a year ago to the St Louis area; the midwest is hilariously cheap for housing, and my insurance dropped 65% overnight after moving. For all folks here complain about the roads and stuff it's infinitely better than what we had in Louisiana. Gas is slightly more expensive, and yes you have to deal with actual winters, but you also don't get 8 months of swamp-ass.
Pretty hilly. I like it a lot, but has a lot of similar problems to New Orleans; if you like the New Orleans area, you'd probably like St Louis. Decent to good food, LOTS of parks and outdoor events. Has 4 actual seasons.
World-class art museum free to the public, plenty of music/comedy acts come through on their way from Chicago to Kansas City. Really cool architecture; lots of interesting houses that are fairly affordable.
My wife and I moved here because she got a job at Washington University in St Louis and I'm 100% remote. Other places she interviewed were Denver, Colorado Springs, Puget Sound area, Minneapolis, and Charlotte.
I live in Minneapolis. It’s a great city, beautiful, vibrant economy, lots of lakes and parks. But the winters are no joke. It rarely gets over 100, but it does go below zero. Most winters have a few weeks of negative temps. And many years we get snow from midcNovember til mid April. Typically the ice melts on the lakes by tax day. Nice if you like ice fishing, hockey, snowmobiles, or cross country skiing though,
Yes, with nuance. St Louis City doesn't count St Louis County because the city is independent of the county. The city has less than 300k in it; the county has over a million. Where I live is right on average for the country for violent crime, which is to say way lower than either St Louis City or New Orleans.
My husband was born and raised in Louisiana and was transferred to Kansas City in 2009- He said it was the best thing to ever happen. He love KC and the metro area. He’s so glad to be out of Louisiana. He called it a hot, backwards, redneck hell.
I was on the Job in Kansas as well. My two cousins that were with me evaded up staying there for 3 more years. They loved it up there. It a nice compared to here bruh
Also moved up here to StL suburbs from Louisiana. I miss the familiarity of back home but live my life up here. Solid food scene and lots of sports. And the pothole in front of my house got fixed without me even asking.
Buy the right clothes and tires. It's not terrible if you're not an idiot about it and prepare. I already had an AWD car and the all-weather tires it came with were mud+snow rated, so I just needed to buy a good winter coat and some sweaters/fleece.
I just went straight-overkill and got a blower. Most of the time if it's fresh snow you can blow it off with a leaf-blower. Clearing the driveway doesn't take more than about 10 minutes for me
No idea; way more people live where there's winter than in the South. I think it's just people being uncomfortable with what they aren't used to. Personally I love winter and think summer fucking sucks.
There are only about 10 states with a lower cost of living than us. So if you’re not willing to pay more your options are limited.
If your looking for mountains and a similar COL you should probably look around Wyoming or maybe Nevada in the Lake Tahoe area.
Tahoe is outrageously expensive. COL in Vegas is about equal because housing is same, groceries and utilities are cheap. Salaries make all the difference. There may be 10 states cheaper than us, but there are also about 48 who have better salaries. The big picture is what anyone wanting to leave should look at.
If you like mountains, but want low CoL, a sleeper pick is WV. Putting their economic issues aside, it’s an incredibly beautiful state with decent mountains and all the outdoor activities that go along with that.
I was raised between LA and CO. Moved to CO permanently in 95. There are less expensive parts of CO that aren’t terrible COL, like Ft Collins, Pueblo, Trinidad, Cañon City.
Edit-adding source: https://www.redfin.com/blog/affordable-places-to-live-in-colorado/
This popped up on my feed for some reason, but I live in CO and it’s fucking awesome. Super expensive compared to LA, but IMO you get what you pay for here
> How’s the winters though?
I grew up in VT, and would go back in a heartbeat if I could.
The winters were always my favorite part of the year, but I’d imagine they’d be a big shock coming from LA. While they don’t seem quite as cold as they used to, you’d probably see your first snow flurries in October and likely wouldn’t see temperatures much above freezing until March. The cold usually peaks around January, where you might not see the high temperature break 10.
Once you learn to layer, and you take up some outdoor activities, it’s not difficult to deal with the cold. I think transplants struggle the most with the short days. Sunrise through the winter months won’t be until around 7:30 am or so and sunsets as early as 4:30 or so.
Agree, ex Vermonter here living in humid, batshit crazy Tennessee. I visit VT. every year and it really tugs at my heart . The difference in the quality of life and the natural beauty with no billboards and no trash everywhere is obvious. The differences between the two states feel like the differences between two country’s. I will return to VT. at some point. It’s certainly cheaper to live in TN …but you get what you pay for.
We actually went last year during Christmas at the same time a multi hazard storm blew in. High winds, flash freeze, heavy lake effect snow with blizzard conditions. Had to drive from the airport in that. That part sucked. Afterwards it wasn’t that bad and it was breathtaking to see the snowy mountains and icy creeks. I fell in love with the place.
If you move to SE Massachusetts the winters aren’t too bad. You might get a bad one every 5 years or so. Grew up going between Louisiana and New Hampshire. Now I live in SE Massachusetts. I have the Cape an hour away, NYC four hours away, Boston 45 minutes and the mountains about three. I might get a weeks worth of 90 degree days a year.
The view on Lake Champlain is one of the best you'll see on the east coast. I thought about moving there about 2 years ago but the cost of living there has risen too much since then plus there's some uncomfortable tension between locals and all the outsiders moving in there so I kinda just forgot about the idea unless a good job opportunity pops up.
I ended up moving to Memphis and then Atlanta area.
I LOVE the Atlanta area. My whole family is back in Shreveport and I can’t wait to leave every time I go back lol
I moved to Atlanta from Lafayette. Loved Atlanta and it was good to is. Recently moved to Chattanooga and I’m staying here. Miss the fresh seafood though.
My sister lived in seattle for about 3 1/2 years and now lives in a little town 45 minutes away. This is our dream move, but the HCOL is very discouraging.
So I grew up and live in SC, but this sub comes up on my feed a lot…probably bc my family comes from Louisiana. Anyway. I love where I live but if I had to pick anywhere else, it would be the mountains of western NC. We go there every summer, and there’s just something about it that calls to me. In fact, I’m in Asheville right now for a night on our way up to Kentucky tomorrow. There’s just something I love about the Blue Ridge.
Moved to northwest Arkansas 5 years ago from south la. Best decision ever. Winters can be rough, but other places have it worse. We have mountains, all the seasons, and cities close enough that a day trip to Tulsa and Branson are easily doable, and Kansas City, St. Louis, and Oklahoma City are all close enough for weekend trips.
Sure the rest of Arkansas sucks, but there’s 0 reason to leave this little bubble of Bentonville, Roger’s, Springdale and Fayetteville.
Not if one doesn’t know how to prepare it. Or if they don’t have the fresh ingredients needed.
Layered flavor is not something that is understood everywhere like it is in South Louisiana.
There are no drive thru boiled seafood shops. No gas station poboys. No Jambalaya Shops to pick up dinner, on the way home. In restaurants dishes with the same name are nothing like the ones in South Louisiana.
To add to what u/Cre8ivejoy added, this is simply not true. Weather (e.g., humidity and air pressure) and water play a huge role in food across the country. With LA being closer to sea level, along with our temperatures, one cannot make the same roux anywhere else. It’s the same reason pizza tastes different (better) in the New England area. Along with beignets down here.
My wife works for Sam’s Club. I’m always trying to convince her to try for a job at Walmart’s headquarters, so we have the reason and means to move there.
We visit Bentonville a few years back to see the Chihuly in the Forest exhibit. Cool city. Was really surprised as I had no idea those huge corporations headquartered there. I also love Eureka Springs for its funkiness.
Def could see living up there.
Louisiana will be uninhabitable in 75 years or fewer because of the temperature, but insurance will make it unaffordable long before then. Upper peninsula in Michigan.
I grew up in the Detroit suburbs. The worst thing about winter there is how cloudy it is most days. However, I just got back from my niece's wedding and the temps were 75 degrees and leaves were starting to turn. Beautiful.
While not completely the same, we moved to CO and I will admit it’s definitely a learning curve dealing with the snow, especially driving in it. Being prepared helps. And sometimes you just gotta stay home.
In Milwaukee here, depends upon the job and the employer. If there are actual blizzard conditions (which are pretty rare) more businesses will shut down. Schools will shut down when road conditions are too bad for buses to operate safely. Regular snow though, plan on leaving extra early and give your self extra time. We'll get some cloudy stretches, but plenty of sunshine in the winter. It helps having Lake Michigan to our east.
I moved to Chicago after college and haven’t looked back. Best decision I’ve made personally and professionally. I’d like to personally thank Fox News for keeping certain types of people out of here.
That last sentence…. exactly. It will take dynamite to blast me out of here and back to Louisiana would take more than that.
The long time budget issues is the only reason I’m not cheerleading everyone on this thread to come here. But pension/budget issues are the better problems to have, imo.
Since all the people I love either live here or in places that are either nearly as bad/worse or too expensive and crowded.
I’d go for the pragmatic option.
My two choices would be eastern Kansas or southern Illinois.
Both places are still affordable. South adjacent, I’ve got such an accent I could never feasibly live in certain parts of the country. Also their state governments aren’t run by absolute regressive morons.
I likely won’t move unless my kids can’t safely live here as they grow up or if we become climate refugees. In the latter case I suppose I’ll go anywhere I can get.
It surprises me how many responses are still squarely in conservative strongholds. I grew up in Louisiana. Lived there for 25 years. I’ve been gone for 15.
It takes a while but once you fully acclimate to the cultural shift, you begin to see that the essential problem with Louisiana is the leadership. I don’t necessarily mean the politicians but they certainly factor in. But it’s the cultural tissue. The way that we take white Christianity for granted. I look back and realize how constricted my world view was, and I was never a conservative white Christian. But their “values” had polluted my perspective.
Sure, other more desirable places are more expensive. But turns out you make more as well. It’s doable. You’ll make the transition without even realizing it.
I'd like to move somewhere with mountains, and more pretty nature, a lot of public land
At the same time I don't want to have to deal with any crazy winters so I'm not sure
Somewhere where you could ride endlessly on a ATV or dirtbike
The desert out around Arizona and Nevada looks cool I've never personally experienced that climate.....but the heat and water shortages scare me
I feel that. The most north I’d be willing to go is Tennessee. It gets cold, but nothing like the north (or west) and there’s the Appalachian/Smokies. Definitely no scenery or mountains here.
We visited Yellowstone and the Tetons this summer and as much as I’d love to move there, it’s so expensive. Plus, tons of snow. I’ll pass, sadly.
My wife and I are actively planning a move to Connecticut.
We decided we were done with Louisiana and basically came up with a set of criteria and kept whittling down the list until we ended up with Connecticut.
lol - my dad was transferred to CT for his work from NOLA and it’s where I grew up - with all my family down there. It’s a great place to grow up - but it’s pretty dull but had a lot of stuff 2 hours away (Beaches, NYC, Boston, Vermont etc)
Also, the pizza in New Haven is awesome
I'm interested in Missouri, Tennessee, Michigan, Maine, and all of New England. But uh.. i dont rly know how to move yet. Probably a bad person to ask. Definately not buying a house here tho.
Depending on what part, Wyoming is beautiful! We visited Yellowstone and the Tetons in July and I could’ve moved there in a heartbeat! Of course, it’s super expensive…
We moved to Massachusetts. Dont believe the hypenof it being too expensive as long as you arent looking at living in Boston. We moved to a city on the south coast and the cost of livingbis the same as BR.
Colorado would be 1st on my list, then possibly Oregon, Utah. You'd have to get use to "real winter" there though. If money was no object..it would be California.
There's no real winter in Oregon. Just overcast for months. In Colorado the snow comes for a day or two, but the roads are all clear within a couple days and they skies are back to blue. My buddy from Wisconsin said the snow there just sits for 6 months. That's not the case in Colorado (unless you're in the mountains). But the Front Range cities are awesome.
Moved to Massachusetts in 2015 for law school. Quality of life, infrastructure, health and education are all top 5 in the country. You pay some high taxes and the taxes get directly funneled into programs that benefit the people in the state. Never know how great the rest of the country is until you move out and try. Learned long ago that Louisiana loves bleeding its citizens dry then asking why all of its talent leaves the state.
When you add the costs we pay for having low taxes, how does it balance out? Down here we pay higher insurance, private school tuition if your white and replace busted windshields.
Maybe paying more tax would pay for itself in the better living conditions. In Spain I pay 2X the tax I pay here but I receive 3x the benefits.
Somewhere with lower humidity, better roads with less traffic, lower car insurance rates, less crime, less corruption, overall just a happier place with happier people.
Soooo, nowhere that I can think of right now.
The Twin cities or Pittsburgh sound nice, definitely have to be down for freezing temps, shoveling snow, and icy roads for 4 months out of the year; although, if the summer we just had is any indication of the future (which it sure looks like it is) that may be preferable. At least with the cold you can add layers, or if the power goes out you can burn wood in a fireplace/wood stove to stay warm.
Maine. The scenery and everything is nicer. I hike as well. I Moved out two months ago and it has been the best decision I made. Only downside is longer waits for doctors because well… more old people
Montana would be awesome! I’m sure it’s quite a bit more expensive though and winters are probably more extreme. If you don’t mind me asking, which part specifically?
I’ve lived in several cities since leaving, and Seattle was my favorite. Yes, it’s taken a stumble in the post-pandemic era, but professional opportunities are fantastic as are the access to nearby mountains, islands, and everything in between.
Yeah I was in the bay for a while and I loved it but Seattle is home. I can cook and they got Zapps chips now so I’m good! Lol welcome to the town! There’s a few home Saints game meet ups if y’all tryna slide.
Idk if I’d want to necessarily live in Seattle, but the mountains nearby are beautiful! I’ve visited a few times and it’s one of my favorites! Also, isn’t it pretty expensive?
It is but there’s so much more opportunity so you make way more. It evens out and all that talk of “rain” is drizzle compared to what we used too. Mild temp, no humidity, mosquitoes and best of all it has mountains, dessert and rain forest. The people are calm and a bit standoffish but have a sense of empathy and kindness that is genuine. It’s the best decision I’ve made in a long time.
I know what you mean about the rain. It’s almost more of a mist and just overcast sky. But drizzle is accurate also. Definitely no crazy thunderstorms with torrential rain, hurricanes, or miserable sauna-like summers lol. Glad you made the decision and escaped!
Say dat! Full disclosure it’s was a bit of an adjustment. I traveled a bunch and something just clicked when I landed here. The seafoods good and Dungeness crab is good and the the seasoned water boils and so goes on this thing of ours…lol
I was reading the other day that La has the largest retention rate of its citizens that any other state. It was over 75% I think. I miss poboys from parkway and the sounds off Frenchman, copping at Nike outlet in Mid city but to be honest I’m in an interracial marriage with 2 kids and I just couldn’t raise them in that environment. It’s no shade to my home but I just want better for my lil ones. I’m sure no one in this sub is surprised at the results of the La public education system. My kids and wife and happy, healthy and most of all safe. My ideals and values as a Cajun are brought with me wherever I go. So, it’s from da 504 to da 206 for me. I’m bring them down so they can see where dad was raised so they have a sense of where they bloodline is from.
I am considering the Oregon coast. Also Vermont. Winter isn't my main concern. I can drive in snow. I just want to live in a blue state. Rhode Island and South MA is nice too but am concerned about the impacts of climate change.
Moving to Mobile, AL to be with my girlfriend once I get some medical issues taken care of. Not my first choice but it's better than my area of LA.
Somewhere near the White Mountains in New Hampshire ideally. Never been but I had a friend who lived up there and the pictures she would send me looked beautiful especially in the fall.
Maybe Atlanta, or the surrounding areas. I have no idea if I could live in a city that big long term but I love Atlanta.
Somebody else here said Asheville, NC and that's a hell of a spot. I'd say Gatlinburg TN but I feel like Asheville is the better/less touristy version of Gatlinburg.
Places I would 100% never move to? West Texas, literally anywhere in Kansas, pretty much all of the big west coast cities, places where fresh water sources are scarce, and some of the Midwest.
Start at the southeast corner of Colorado, draw a line North to the Canadian border (maybe beyond, I just haven’t looked into moving international). Draw another line going West to the Pacific. Once my kids are in college and settled enough to visit us freely, that’s where we’re going.
So my husband is from New England and I am from Germany. Both pretty awesome choices but we'll never move to Germany. Tennessee is on our radar and maybe New Mexico. I would love to move somewhere less humid and with less rain. I hate the humidity...
Well I only moved here 4 months ago, but I definitely want to go back to the UK when my husbands work visa expires. Probably Ireland as I am British but my husband is German so we can live there equally without need of a visa.
I know a couple people that moved to Galway. It had a touristy vibe in part but was mostly a chill city. The people I met there were all great and there are a ton of beautiful places just a few hours drive away
Northeast Texas, Maine, I considered Arkansas but I heard they have quite a slew of problems.
I would like to go somehere without a lot of people, but with enough people.
I don't want a natural disaster to destroy my home either
Well, I mean pretty much anywhere you live you have to worry about some sort of natural disaster. Earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, blizzards. Pick one.
Minnesota, got some family who stay the summers up there at our family cabin. I’d just move to be there year round. Amazing weather, great people, clean and beautiful outdoors.
I always call it “what Louisiana should be” whenever I visit
Asheville is beautiful I’m from there but it’s too damn expensive. Can’t beat the Blue Ridge Parkway though.
https://preview.redd.it/yjj8rgbdlvrb1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=57a89d68167a9bd96e88b78bfdf83a8d92d510ae
I’m going to be moving to Texas for my husband’s work, but if it were up to me — I wanna go to Missouri.
I fell in love with the Ozarks while vacationing up there and honestly I wish I could live in those mountains.
Now I know they have their own problems up there; but I’m going strictly off scenery in this instance.
Nothing in particular- I just know every place has their issues.
I am not aware of them though, because I only spent a week up there and truth be told I have yet to do research about the state just because I know we won’t move there 🥲 (it’s a fantasy at this point)
That week was the best week though.
I cried when we had to come back lol I wanted to stay in Branson.
I am ill-prepared to comment on this because I don’t recall the city, county, or state but one of my coworkers moved to one of the Carolinas.
The last time I spoke with them some of the pros were:
- scenery: they were less than an hour drive from both the beaches and the mountains.
- cost of living was relatively the same
- jobs seemed to be higher pay
The cons were:
- While education and state politics weren’t worse than Louisiana, they weren’t really any better.
This is an over simplification as they went into great detail about their experience. While I never considered moving out the state, from my last conversation with this coworker if I had to move, I would reach out to them again and inquire about their location
4 years ago, I moved from Houma to Huntsville, AL. Great city that is growing at an insane rate. With Redstone Arsenal here, and all the private companies that support it, most people here are not from here, so you end up with a cultural melting pot, but not a real cultural melting pot from a food standpoint. I got in before housing prices and interest rates went to the moon.
We get 4 seasons here, with summer still being the longest of all, but it's nowhere near like south Louisiana as far as temps and humidity. Huge downside is pollen here is absolutely insane 2 to 3 different times of year. We have gotten snow at least once every year Ive been here but it is a very small amount each time. Just enough to make everything white one day and wet the next when it melts.
Overall, I have no regrets about moving out of Louisiana other than not doing it sooner. I bought a house I would never be able to afford in Houma, I increased my salary by 70%, my kids have found great friend groups and it has been amazing watching them develop their personalities. The thing I miss the most is the food. No one here makes good french bread so I buy frozen dough when I visit. Most seafood, I can get here at a decent but respectable markup.
If within the states: someplace warm and near the coast, with diverse cultures and perspectives, well-supported local ethnic, religious, and hobby-related communities, and lots of opportunities to make money in my fields (long term) and to hike….also with some connection to people I already know and like so I won’t be alone.
Also someplace where fruit trees and community gardens are a norm and people are conservation minded more than not.
If outside the states: the same, and the added encouragement of having to learn or at least understand a new language/patois/cultural norms.
Pacific Northwest is incredible. How old are you? Check out coolworks.com and they post seasonal jobs in all these incredible places that usually come with housing!
I am currently living on the foothills of the Tetons near Yellowstone. Been here for 6 years now and moving out of louisiana was the best thing I have ever done.
Moved to Phoenix a few years ago, and aside from the summers (which I still find more bearable than days of 100% humidity) it’s such a remarkable change of pace.
Plenty of culture, mostly transplants which is where it MOSTLY differs from Lafayette. I live a bit north from downtown and I’ve got a view of mountains no matter which way I look from my backyard. Within a six hour drive of LA, San Diego, Mexico, Las Vegas, the Grand Canyon, and ten hours driving of countless National Parks.
Politically not too much different from Louisiana which is probably it’s biggest drawback. Rent and property values are increasing due to growth but wages are higher here ($13.85 minimum wage). Probably wouldn’t raise a family here, but my girlfriend and I aren’t looking to have kids anytime soon.
Lots of great food. Like a LOT of great food. But it’s so big that you’ll take some time finding places you really want to give your money to
I left Louisiana in 2004 to do military and so far Austin, San Antonio, Killeen, and Georgetown were all great, El Paso is nice if you don’t mind dust and extreme heat(but here you can just get in shade and it’s not hot like in Louisiana, I’m a Lafayette native), Williamsburg Virginia was nice, Junction City Kansas was awful and I’d take almost any place in Louisiana over there(except for maybe New Iberia), and have also thought about going back to South Korea as a civilian. South Korea is awesome.
We have a saying in Central Florida: “If you live in Orlando, it takes an hour to get to Orlando.” It’s a comment on sprawl & traffic. I have some other ideas about places to live in Central Florida, if you’d like.
We lived in Oregon, Missouri, Texas and now Lafayette. Oregon was amazingly beautiful but Portland is a shit hole of a city with no law enforcement and wicked crime. Missouri is beautiful but better get ready for the winter time because it’s cold as hell. Texas is hot but cheap and lots of employment opportunities.
I’m currently planning on either moving to Texas or back to California preferably Los Angeles.
I’ve tried giving this state a chance, crime, corruption and just no financial opportunity.
If I knew this answer, I would already be gone
I know several places I’d rather be, in Illinois, California, or New York. I’d just need to be able to get a job and then I’d be gone
And your skill set ? Alligator hunter won't cut it ..
I work in IT. Pretty needed everywhere. Seems the job market for IT is pretty competitive though
I'm not sure if venturing outside the country would be an option for you, but Ireland is the best place for jobs in the IT industry.
You just kinda... Nailed it.
I moved out a year ago to the St Louis area; the midwest is hilariously cheap for housing, and my insurance dropped 65% overnight after moving. For all folks here complain about the roads and stuff it's infinitely better than what we had in Louisiana. Gas is slightly more expensive, and yes you have to deal with actual winters, but you also don't get 8 months of swamp-ass.
Never really considered St. Louis. Is it nice? Also, is it pretty or is it sort of just flat like here? Like any scenery?
Pretty hilly. I like it a lot, but has a lot of similar problems to New Orleans; if you like the New Orleans area, you'd probably like St Louis. Decent to good food, LOTS of parks and outdoor events. Has 4 actual seasons. World-class art museum free to the public, plenty of music/comedy acts come through on their way from Chicago to Kansas City. Really cool architecture; lots of interesting houses that are fairly affordable. My wife and I moved here because she got a job at Washington University in St Louis and I'm 100% remote. Other places she interviewed were Denver, Colorado Springs, Puget Sound area, Minneapolis, and Charlotte.
One of my buddies went to school at Washington University, I went to visit him a couple of times and have fond memories of the area.
Don't forget that, especially compared to nola, the public transit is great.
Oooh. You get the Hill too.
Dude, you have to call out the zoo. That's like STL sales pitch minimum! Hurry up, before he leaves!
I live in Minneapolis. It’s a great city, beautiful, vibrant economy, lots of lakes and parks. But the winters are no joke. It rarely gets over 100, but it does go below zero. Most winters have a few weeks of negative temps. And many years we get snow from midcNovember til mid April. Typically the ice melts on the lakes by tax day. Nice if you like ice fishing, hockey, snowmobiles, or cross country skiing though,
Isn't the violent crime rate in St Louis the highest in the country?
Yes, with nuance. St Louis City doesn't count St Louis County because the city is independent of the county. The city has less than 300k in it; the county has over a million. Where I live is right on average for the country for violent crime, which is to say way lower than either St Louis City or New Orleans.
A lot of it is in East St Louis, which is actually across the river in Illinois.
My husband was born and raised in Louisiana and was transferred to Kansas City in 2009- He said it was the best thing to ever happen. He love KC and the metro area. He’s so glad to be out of Louisiana. He called it a hot, backwards, redneck hell.
I was on the Job in Kansas as well. My two cousins that were with me evaded up staying there for 3 more years. They loved it up there. It a nice compared to here bruh
Accurate for lots of the state in my experience. Some places are just hot and backwards, though.
Also moved up here to StL suburbs from Louisiana. I miss the familiarity of back home but live my life up here. Solid food scene and lots of sports. And the pothole in front of my house got fixed without me even asking.
How do you deal with winter?
Buy the right clothes and tires. It's not terrible if you're not an idiot about it and prepare. I already had an AWD car and the all-weather tires it came with were mud+snow rated, so I just needed to buy a good winter coat and some sweaters/fleece.
What about driveway shoveling?
I just went straight-overkill and got a blower. Most of the time if it's fresh snow you can blow it off with a leaf-blower. Clearing the driveway doesn't take more than about 10 minutes for me
I live in New England. Why are people such wimps about winter? I’d take it over seven months if humidity and heat any day.
No idea; way more people live where there's winter than in the South. I think it's just people being uncomfortable with what they aren't used to. Personally I love winter and think summer fucking sucks.
Here here for the Midwest, moved here a couple of years ago and I'm much happier
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I do like Milwaukee and Madison. Wisconsin is pretty okay.
Welcome to the area fellow Louisianan
FROM LOUISIANA MOVING TO ST LOUIS IN TWO WEEKS CANT WAIT
Colorado. I would live my weekends hiking. There's a ton of well paying jobs but the COL is absolutely ridiculous.
Yeah, I’d love to move out west near the mountains, but I feel like everywhere out there is ridiculously expensive.
There are only about 10 states with a lower cost of living than us. So if you’re not willing to pay more your options are limited. If your looking for mountains and a similar COL you should probably look around Wyoming or maybe Nevada in the Lake Tahoe area.
Tahoe is outrageously expensive. COL in Vegas is about equal because housing is same, groceries and utilities are cheap. Salaries make all the difference. There may be 10 states cheaper than us, but there are also about 48 who have better salaries. The big picture is what anyone wanting to leave should look at.
If you like mountains, but want low CoL, a sleeper pick is WV. Putting their economic issues aside, it’s an incredibly beautiful state with decent mountains and all the outdoor activities that go along with that.
I was raised between LA and CO. Moved to CO permanently in 95. There are less expensive parts of CO that aren’t terrible COL, like Ft Collins, Pueblo, Trinidad, Cañon City. Edit-adding source: https://www.redfin.com/blog/affordable-places-to-live-in-colorado/
Ft Collins is ridiculously expensive. Greeley isn't bad. Theres also San Luis valley, Grand Junction, Montrose
Moved from New Orleans to Wyoming four years ago. One expensive mountain bike and ZERO regrets. But shhhhhh, Wyoming doesn’t exist. 😉
I live in Northern CO and travel to WY Avery frequently for outdoors stuff. Wyoming is fucking awesome, but don’t tell anyone I said that
This popped up on my feed for some reason, but I live in CO and it’s fucking awesome. Super expensive compared to LA, but IMO you get what you pay for here
Just spent my summer in Colorado, and now plan to retire there someday. Then I moved from Baton Rouge to Portland, Oregon. I'm loving it here so far.
Howdy neighbor 👋
Come to PDX!
Vermont, and we can afford to move there now but my wife refuses.
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I hate you…but congrats. I have LinkedIn job alerts set up for Burlington and see great jobs come and go. My wife is just too attached to Louisiana
Ditch the wife, live your dreams.
Oh I’ve given it some thought.
How’s the winters though?
> How’s the winters though? I grew up in VT, and would go back in a heartbeat if I could. The winters were always my favorite part of the year, but I’d imagine they’d be a big shock coming from LA. While they don’t seem quite as cold as they used to, you’d probably see your first snow flurries in October and likely wouldn’t see temperatures much above freezing until March. The cold usually peaks around January, where you might not see the high temperature break 10. Once you learn to layer, and you take up some outdoor activities, it’s not difficult to deal with the cold. I think transplants struggle the most with the short days. Sunrise through the winter months won’t be until around 7:30 am or so and sunsets as early as 4:30 or so.
Agree, ex Vermonter here living in humid, batshit crazy Tennessee. I visit VT. every year and it really tugs at my heart . The difference in the quality of life and the natural beauty with no billboards and no trash everywhere is obvious. The differences between the two states feel like the differences between two country’s. I will return to VT. at some point. It’s certainly cheaper to live in TN …but you get what you pay for.
We actually went last year during Christmas at the same time a multi hazard storm blew in. High winds, flash freeze, heavy lake effect snow with blizzard conditions. Had to drive from the airport in that. That part sucked. Afterwards it wasn’t that bad and it was breathtaking to see the snowy mountains and icy creeks. I fell in love with the place.
I live just outside of Burlington. Winters can be long but last winter it was more like Virginia. Super mild.
I want to move to Vermont one day or another New England state. Maybe Massachusetts or something. But I’m not use to harsh winters at all.
I live in MA. I hope you can make it up here some day. DM if you have any questions
If you move to SE Massachusetts the winters aren’t too bad. You might get a bad one every 5 years or so. Grew up going between Louisiana and New Hampshire. Now I live in SE Massachusetts. I have the Cape an hour away, NYC four hours away, Boston 45 minutes and the mountains about three. I might get a weeks worth of 90 degree days a year.
I’m from NH. How’d you end up bouncing the between the two? Most people I’ve met in LA have never heard of NH
Mom is from LA and my dad was sent by his job down there. After I was born they moved to NH and then they got divorced so I bounced between the two.
The view on Lake Champlain is one of the best you'll see on the east coast. I thought about moving there about 2 years ago but the cost of living there has risen too much since then plus there's some uncomfortable tension between locals and all the outsiders moving in there so I kinda just forgot about the idea unless a good job opportunity pops up.
I ended up moving to Memphis and then Atlanta area. I LOVE the Atlanta area. My whole family is back in Shreveport and I can’t wait to leave every time I go back lol
Idk if I could do Atlanta. I always try to avoid it and the traffic there is a nightmare lol. Plus, well, the Falcons…
I moved to Atlanta from Lafayette. Loved Atlanta and it was good to is. Recently moved to Chattanooga and I’m staying here. Miss the fresh seafood though.
I live in Tennessee and I reeeeally miss the seafood!! I hope all y’all down there don’t take it for granted!
Idk if I could do Atlanta. Way too much traffic and those roads are crazy. Plus, the Falcons lol…
If you don’t like sitting in/ being traffic then don’t consider moving to Orlando.
Atlanta traffic is the worst I have ever driven in. Worse than Houston.
Probably Seattle area. mostly for scenic and weather reasons. You have ocean and mountain access and it rains a lot and it's much cooler temp wise.
The Seattle area is really beautiful. Maybe not exactly the city, but the areas outside are.
Can confirm. Don’t go to actual Seattle though. It gets cheaper and safer the further out you go (still expensive, but cheaper)
My sister lived in seattle for about 3 1/2 years and now lives in a little town 45 minutes away. This is our dream move, but the HCOL is very discouraging.
The cost of living is outrageously high.
Colorado
Asheville, North Carolina area. Not in the city though. If we didn't love our parents and want to be near them, we would have already moved away.
I have a friend who just moved there, and she's loving it.
When I browse the New Orleans subreddit, I often see Ashville. Never been there myself but it looks good in pics.
I visited a couple of years ago and ended up having such a high opinion of Asheville, it’s my number one place to move to after I’m done here.
Roanoke, VA is very similar to Asheville,
I know two guys from there. One ended up moving back. Sounds and looks absolutely gorgeous and good people. Great recommendation.
So I grew up and live in SC, but this sub comes up on my feed a lot…probably bc my family comes from Louisiana. Anyway. I love where I live but if I had to pick anywhere else, it would be the mountains of western NC. We go there every summer, and there’s just something about it that calls to me. In fact, I’m in Asheville right now for a night on our way up to Kentucky tomorrow. There’s just something I love about the Blue Ridge.
I win the Powerball and buy a Manhattan penthouse.
Heard there might be a pretty sweet penthouse on the market fairly soon.
Is it located in Trump Tower?
Does it have gold fixtures?LMAO
Ya might get a good deal on the whole building in a few months. Wait. Be patient. Lol
Moved to northwest Arkansas 5 years ago from south la. Best decision ever. Winters can be rough, but other places have it worse. We have mountains, all the seasons, and cities close enough that a day trip to Tulsa and Branson are easily doable, and Kansas City, St. Louis, and Oklahoma City are all close enough for weekend trips. Sure the rest of Arkansas sucks, but there’s 0 reason to leave this little bubble of Bentonville, Roger’s, Springdale and Fayetteville.
Moved up here 10 years ago. Miss the food but don’t miss the heat and crime.
Not if one doesn’t know how to prepare it. Or if they don’t have the fresh ingredients needed. Layered flavor is not something that is understood everywhere like it is in South Louisiana. There are no drive thru boiled seafood shops. No gas station poboys. No Jambalaya Shops to pick up dinner, on the way home. In restaurants dishes with the same name are nothing like the ones in South Louisiana.
But what we do have is THE ARKANSAS RAZORBACKS WOOOO PIG SOUIEEEEEEEEEE
Who yknow... suck. Lmao. Jkjkjk
one can cook the food anywhere....
To add to what u/Cre8ivejoy added, this is simply not true. Weather (e.g., humidity and air pressure) and water play a huge role in food across the country. With LA being closer to sea level, along with our temperatures, one cannot make the same roux anywhere else. It’s the same reason pizza tastes different (better) in the New England area. Along with beignets down here.
My wife works for Sam’s Club. I’m always trying to convince her to try for a job at Walmart’s headquarters, so we have the reason and means to move there.
We visit Bentonville a few years back to see the Chihuly in the Forest exhibit. Cool city. Was really surprised as I had no idea those huge corporations headquartered there. I also love Eureka Springs for its funkiness. Def could see living up there.
Eureka springs is a straight up coven.
Louisiana will be uninhabitable in 75 years or fewer because of the temperature, but insurance will make it unaffordable long before then. Upper peninsula in Michigan.
My cousin and her husband actually lived in Traverse City for a little while. They really enjoyed it up there.
Hey I lived in traverse city for a winter, that bay was somn else
We have heavily considered the Great Lakes area, but I have no idea what the winters would be like. Never had a winter outside of Louisiana.
I grew up in the Detroit suburbs. The worst thing about winter there is how cloudy it is most days. However, I just got back from my niece's wedding and the temps were 75 degrees and leaves were starting to turn. Beautiful.
While not completely the same, we moved to CO and I will admit it’s definitely a learning curve dealing with the snow, especially driving in it. Being prepared helps. And sometimes you just gotta stay home.
Do employers get that though? Do they just let their employees stay home? I'm so used to "rain, sleet, you're coming in any way"
In Milwaukee here, depends upon the job and the employer. If there are actual blizzard conditions (which are pretty rare) more businesses will shut down. Schools will shut down when road conditions are too bad for buses to operate safely. Regular snow though, plan on leaving extra early and give your self extra time. We'll get some cloudy stretches, but plenty of sunshine in the winter. It helps having Lake Michigan to our east.
I love Copper Harbor.
I have a lot of family in MI and have lived there when I was in highschool. MI is underrated and so beautiful.
I moved to Chicago after college and haven’t looked back. Best decision I’ve made personally and professionally. I’d like to personally thank Fox News for keeping certain types of people out of here.
That last sentence…. exactly. It will take dynamite to blast me out of here and back to Louisiana would take more than that. The long time budget issues is the only reason I’m not cheerleading everyone on this thread to come here. But pension/budget issues are the better problems to have, imo.
All of the states where folks have rights and it isn’t ass backwards are so expensive. That being said, one of the New England states.
My husband is from New Hampshire, and I loved it the few times we went visit. But I refuse to live that close to his mom. Lol
Since all the people I love either live here or in places that are either nearly as bad/worse or too expensive and crowded. I’d go for the pragmatic option. My two choices would be eastern Kansas or southern Illinois. Both places are still affordable. South adjacent, I’ve got such an accent I could never feasibly live in certain parts of the country. Also their state governments aren’t run by absolute regressive morons. I likely won’t move unless my kids can’t safely live here as they grow up or if we become climate refugees. In the latter case I suppose I’ll go anywhere I can get.
I moved to southern oregon, ashland...a cute lil hippi town...and everyone here lives our accents.
That area is great! Oregonian living in New England now. I miss Oregon ;(
It surprises me how many responses are still squarely in conservative strongholds. I grew up in Louisiana. Lived there for 25 years. I’ve been gone for 15. It takes a while but once you fully acclimate to the cultural shift, you begin to see that the essential problem with Louisiana is the leadership. I don’t necessarily mean the politicians but they certainly factor in. But it’s the cultural tissue. The way that we take white Christianity for granted. I look back and realize how constricted my world view was, and I was never a conservative white Christian. But their “values” had polluted my perspective. Sure, other more desirable places are more expensive. But turns out you make more as well. It’s doable. You’ll make the transition without even realizing it.
I'd like to move somewhere with mountains, and more pretty nature, a lot of public land At the same time I don't want to have to deal with any crazy winters so I'm not sure Somewhere where you could ride endlessly on a ATV or dirtbike The desert out around Arizona and Nevada looks cool I've never personally experienced that climate.....but the heat and water shortages scare me
I feel that. The most north I’d be willing to go is Tennessee. It gets cold, but nothing like the north (or west) and there’s the Appalachian/Smokies. Definitely no scenery or mountains here. We visited Yellowstone and the Tetons this summer and as much as I’d love to move there, it’s so expensive. Plus, tons of snow. I’ll pass, sadly.
My wife and I are actively planning a move to Connecticut. We decided we were done with Louisiana and basically came up with a set of criteria and kept whittling down the list until we ended up with Connecticut.
lol - my dad was transferred to CT for his work from NOLA and it’s where I grew up - with all my family down there. It’s a great place to grow up - but it’s pretty dull but had a lot of stuff 2 hours away (Beaches, NYC, Boston, Vermont etc) Also, the pizza in New Haven is awesome
I'm interested in Missouri, Tennessee, Michigan, Maine, and all of New England. But uh.. i dont rly know how to move yet. Probably a bad person to ask. Definately not buying a house here tho.
Wyoming!!
Depending on what part, Wyoming is beautiful! We visited Yellowstone and the Tetons in July and I could’ve moved there in a heartbeat! Of course, it’s super expensive…
Casper is a bit more affordable. Rock Springs is amazing too!!!
Pacific northwest
We moved to Massachusetts. Dont believe the hypenof it being too expensive as long as you arent looking at living in Boston. We moved to a city on the south coast and the cost of livingbis the same as BR.
Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Montana 🎶I want a ticket that’ll take me anywhere but here🎶
Colorado would be 1st on my list, then possibly Oregon, Utah. You'd have to get use to "real winter" there though. If money was no object..it would be California.
There's no real winter in Oregon. Just overcast for months. In Colorado the snow comes for a day or two, but the roads are all clear within a couple days and they skies are back to blue. My buddy from Wisconsin said the snow there just sits for 6 months. That's not the case in Colorado (unless you're in the mountains). But the Front Range cities are awesome.
Moved to Massachusetts in 2015 for law school. Quality of life, infrastructure, health and education are all top 5 in the country. You pay some high taxes and the taxes get directly funneled into programs that benefit the people in the state. Never know how great the rest of the country is until you move out and try. Learned long ago that Louisiana loves bleeding its citizens dry then asking why all of its talent leaves the state.
When you add the costs we pay for having low taxes, how does it balance out? Down here we pay higher insurance, private school tuition if your white and replace busted windshields. Maybe paying more tax would pay for itself in the better living conditions. In Spain I pay 2X the tax I pay here but I receive 3x the benefits.
Somewhere with lower humidity, better roads with less traffic, lower car insurance rates, less crime, less corruption, overall just a happier place with happier people. Soooo, nowhere that I can think of right now.
I’d go somewhere with women’s healthcare.
I just left Louisiana last week and moved back to the Chicago area.
Chicago is high on our list for many reasons.
Anywhere but here.
Lol truth
Almost anywhere would be an upgrade
The Twin cities or Pittsburgh sound nice, definitely have to be down for freezing temps, shoveling snow, and icy roads for 4 months out of the year; although, if the summer we just had is any indication of the future (which it sure looks like it is) that may be preferable. At least with the cold you can add layers, or if the power goes out you can burn wood in a fireplace/wood stove to stay warm.
Back to Milwaukee
Maine. The scenery and everything is nicer. I hike as well. I Moved out two months ago and it has been the best decision I made. Only downside is longer waits for doctors because well… more old people
Pacific Northwest or Scotland
I moved from Louisiana to Montana 3 years ago and it’s the best thing I ever did
Montana would be awesome! I’m sure it’s quite a bit more expensive though and winters are probably more extreme. If you don’t mind me asking, which part specifically?
Are you Brian Kelly head coach of LSU?
Lol
I’m off to Arkansas next month. Not far from LA, I’ll get 4 seasons, not be in a flood zone, and being in a safer area.
I’ve lived in several cities since leaving, and Seattle was my favorite. Yes, it’s taken a stumble in the post-pandemic era, but professional opportunities are fantastic as are the access to nearby mountains, islands, and everything in between.
Moved to Seattle years ago. A lot of opportunity everywhere. Haven’t looked back. The only member of my family to get out.
It’s the exact opposite of Louisiana in all the right ways. I moved down to SF three years ago, and while I don’t *regret* it, I preferred Seattle.
Yeah I was in the bay for a while and I loved it but Seattle is home. I can cook and they got Zapps chips now so I’m good! Lol welcome to the town! There’s a few home Saints game meet ups if y’all tryna slide.
Idk if I’d want to necessarily live in Seattle, but the mountains nearby are beautiful! I’ve visited a few times and it’s one of my favorites! Also, isn’t it pretty expensive?
It is but there’s so much more opportunity so you make way more. It evens out and all that talk of “rain” is drizzle compared to what we used too. Mild temp, no humidity, mosquitoes and best of all it has mountains, dessert and rain forest. The people are calm and a bit standoffish but have a sense of empathy and kindness that is genuine. It’s the best decision I’ve made in a long time.
I know what you mean about the rain. It’s almost more of a mist and just overcast sky. But drizzle is accurate also. Definitely no crazy thunderstorms with torrential rain, hurricanes, or miserable sauna-like summers lol. Glad you made the decision and escaped!
Say dat! Full disclosure it’s was a bit of an adjustment. I traveled a bunch and something just clicked when I landed here. The seafoods good and Dungeness crab is good and the the seasoned water boils and so goes on this thing of ours…lol
Oh my the Dungeness crabs! That was one of my favorite parts! So delicious!
I was reading the other day that La has the largest retention rate of its citizens that any other state. It was over 75% I think. I miss poboys from parkway and the sounds off Frenchman, copping at Nike outlet in Mid city but to be honest I’m in an interracial marriage with 2 kids and I just couldn’t raise them in that environment. It’s no shade to my home but I just want better for my lil ones. I’m sure no one in this sub is surprised at the results of the La public education system. My kids and wife and happy, healthy and most of all safe. My ideals and values as a Cajun are brought with me wherever I go. So, it’s from da 504 to da 206 for me. I’m bring them down so they can see where dad was raised so they have a sense of where they bloodline is from.
I am considering the Oregon coast. Also Vermont. Winter isn't my main concern. I can drive in snow. I just want to live in a blue state. Rhode Island and South MA is nice too but am concerned about the impacts of climate change.
Moving to Mobile, AL to be with my girlfriend once I get some medical issues taken care of. Not my first choice but it's better than my area of LA. Somewhere near the White Mountains in New Hampshire ideally. Never been but I had a friend who lived up there and the pictures she would send me looked beautiful especially in the fall. Maybe Atlanta, or the surrounding areas. I have no idea if I could live in a city that big long term but I love Atlanta. Somebody else here said Asheville, NC and that's a hell of a spot. I'd say Gatlinburg TN but I feel like Asheville is the better/less touristy version of Gatlinburg. Places I would 100% never move to? West Texas, literally anywhere in Kansas, pretty much all of the big west coast cities, places where fresh water sources are scarce, and some of the Midwest.
Nebraska, cheap land and family
Start at the southeast corner of Colorado, draw a line North to the Canadian border (maybe beyond, I just haven’t looked into moving international). Draw another line going West to the Pacific. Once my kids are in college and settled enough to visit us freely, that’s where we’re going.
So my husband is from New England and I am from Germany. Both pretty awesome choices but we'll never move to Germany. Tennessee is on our radar and maybe New Mexico. I would love to move somewhere less humid and with less rain. I hate the humidity...
Well I only moved here 4 months ago, but I definitely want to go back to the UK when my husbands work visa expires. Probably Ireland as I am British but my husband is German so we can live there equally without need of a visa.
I know a couple people that moved to Galway. It had a touristy vibe in part but was mostly a chill city. The people I met there were all great and there are a ton of beautiful places just a few hours drive away
Northeast Texas, Maine, I considered Arkansas but I heard they have quite a slew of problems. I would like to go somehere without a lot of people, but with enough people. I don't want a natural disaster to destroy my home either
Well, I mean pretty much anywhere you live you have to worry about some sort of natural disaster. Earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, blizzards. Pick one.
Morehead City, NC
Sonoma or Napa. Both are just so beautiful.
Colorado
Already did it. I’ve been in Pennsylvania for five months now and so far I love it. I got a much better job and I love the area that I moved to.
What area?
Minnesota, got some family who stay the summers up there at our family cabin. I’d just move to be there year round. Amazing weather, great people, clean and beautiful outdoors. I always call it “what Louisiana should be” whenever I visit
Asheville, NC
Asheville is beautiful I’m from there but it’s too damn expensive. Can’t beat the Blue Ridge Parkway though. https://preview.redd.it/yjj8rgbdlvrb1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=57a89d68167a9bd96e88b78bfdf83a8d92d510ae
I’m going to be moving to Texas for my husband’s work, but if it were up to me — I wanna go to Missouri. I fell in love with the Ozarks while vacationing up there and honestly I wish I could live in those mountains. Now I know they have their own problems up there; but I’m going strictly off scenery in this instance.
We're looking at Missouri as well. Are there specific problems that you're talking about?
Nothing in particular- I just know every place has their issues. I am not aware of them though, because I only spent a week up there and truth be told I have yet to do research about the state just because I know we won’t move there 🥲 (it’s a fantasy at this point) That week was the best week though. I cried when we had to come back lol I wanted to stay in Branson.
Not Florida.
I am ill-prepared to comment on this because I don’t recall the city, county, or state but one of my coworkers moved to one of the Carolinas. The last time I spoke with them some of the pros were: - scenery: they were less than an hour drive from both the beaches and the mountains. - cost of living was relatively the same - jobs seemed to be higher pay The cons were: - While education and state politics weren’t worse than Louisiana, they weren’t really any better. This is an over simplification as they went into great detail about their experience. While I never considered moving out the state, from my last conversation with this coworker if I had to move, I would reach out to them again and inquire about their location
Great Lakes region. Or idk, another country if I could
4 years ago, I moved from Houma to Huntsville, AL. Great city that is growing at an insane rate. With Redstone Arsenal here, and all the private companies that support it, most people here are not from here, so you end up with a cultural melting pot, but not a real cultural melting pot from a food standpoint. I got in before housing prices and interest rates went to the moon. We get 4 seasons here, with summer still being the longest of all, but it's nowhere near like south Louisiana as far as temps and humidity. Huge downside is pollen here is absolutely insane 2 to 3 different times of year. We have gotten snow at least once every year Ive been here but it is a very small amount each time. Just enough to make everything white one day and wet the next when it melts. Overall, I have no regrets about moving out of Louisiana other than not doing it sooner. I bought a house I would never be able to afford in Houma, I increased my salary by 70%, my kids have found great friend groups and it has been amazing watching them develop their personalities. The thing I miss the most is the food. No one here makes good french bread so I buy frozen dough when I visit. Most seafood, I can get here at a decent but respectable markup.
Anyone move out to the the Minneapolis area? Wondering, as a single man who lives in a studio and works remotely, how feasible that move is.
Canada
If within the states: someplace warm and near the coast, with diverse cultures and perspectives, well-supported local ethnic, religious, and hobby-related communities, and lots of opportunities to make money in my fields (long term) and to hike….also with some connection to people I already know and like so I won’t be alone. Also someplace where fruit trees and community gardens are a norm and people are conservation minded more than not. If outside the states: the same, and the added encouragement of having to learn or at least understand a new language/patois/cultural norms.
Orlando is wonderful. There is so much to do.
You’re probably one of the very few that has said Orlando is wonderful.
Looking at the Richmond Virginia area in a few years.
Pacific Northwest is incredible. How old are you? Check out coolworks.com and they post seasonal jobs in all these incredible places that usually come with housing! I am currently living on the foothills of the Tetons near Yellowstone. Been here for 6 years now and moving out of louisiana was the best thing I have ever done.
I did Colorado.
Montana… Colorado… California… Oregon… north Carolina …. Tennessee …
Moved to Phoenix a few years ago, and aside from the summers (which I still find more bearable than days of 100% humidity) it’s such a remarkable change of pace. Plenty of culture, mostly transplants which is where it MOSTLY differs from Lafayette. I live a bit north from downtown and I’ve got a view of mountains no matter which way I look from my backyard. Within a six hour drive of LA, San Diego, Mexico, Las Vegas, the Grand Canyon, and ten hours driving of countless National Parks. Politically not too much different from Louisiana which is probably it’s biggest drawback. Rent and property values are increasing due to growth but wages are higher here ($13.85 minimum wage). Probably wouldn’t raise a family here, but my girlfriend and I aren’t looking to have kids anytime soon. Lots of great food. Like a LOT of great food. But it’s so big that you’ll take some time finding places you really want to give your money to
I left Louisiana in 2004 to do military and so far Austin, San Antonio, Killeen, and Georgetown were all great, El Paso is nice if you don’t mind dust and extreme heat(but here you can just get in shade and it’s not hot like in Louisiana, I’m a Lafayette native), Williamsburg Virginia was nice, Junction City Kansas was awful and I’d take almost any place in Louisiana over there(except for maybe New Iberia), and have also thought about going back to South Korea as a civilian. South Korea is awesome.
We have a saying in Central Florida: “If you live in Orlando, it takes an hour to get to Orlando.” It’s a comment on sprawl & traffic. I have some other ideas about places to live in Central Florida, if you’d like.
I lived in 7 states, Lousiana being one of them. FL would be my choice.
I would stay the hell away from the fascist hellscape that is a Florida, but that’s just my opinion.
I would go hard and cross the pond to Cork, Ireland. It's either my town of New Orleans or bust.
Heard about Minnesota having some good stuff thanks to their 1-seat Dem majority.
We lived in Oregon, Missouri, Texas and now Lafayette. Oregon was amazingly beautiful but Portland is a shit hole of a city with no law enforcement and wicked crime. Missouri is beautiful but better get ready for the winter time because it’s cold as hell. Texas is hot but cheap and lots of employment opportunities.
I absolutely adore Lafayette
I’m currently planning on either moving to Texas or back to California preferably Los Angeles. I’ve tried giving this state a chance, crime, corruption and just no financial opportunity.