ERE City (US)

dragoncar · Post by **dragoncar** » Wed Jul 27, 2011 2:23 am

I'm glad I'm botthe only one who wasn't finding anything really cheap around Durham.
As for jobs, I think a decent number of ere will also want the possibility of semi-retirement. And Jacob makes a good point about services. A place with no jobs seems likely to become the next ghost town - kids will move out, nobody will move in, old folk will die, etc. I think it's more common than it sounds (some places have population maintainance only through government subsidy).
Ethical or not, I still think it's best to be in a position to benefit from the waste of others (used stuff, road maintenance, loss leaders, etc.). While it may not be an ere goal to depend on this excess in the long term, in the short term I think it will fill an ecological niche.

Post by **jacob** » Wed Jul 27, 2011 3:20 am

Dover, NH (same as Newmarket, but north of Durham instead. Also the Amtrak Downeaster stops here. It is the oldest town in NH.).
Somewhat cheaper.

Post by **jacob** » Wed Jul 27, 2011 8:11 am

What's the preference for
1) City town house, small lot, barely bigger than the house.

2) City perimeter, enough for a big garden (probably no animals) <10,000 sqft

3) Rural, trees, some acres.
?
I tend towards (2). Acres would be spiffy, but I'm not sure I'm going to fully utilize them anyway. I have a long track record of city perimeter living.

KevinW · Post by **KevinW** » Wed Jul 27, 2011 6:31 pm

(1)
I tried (2) with no car for a while in college and had a couple bad experiences. One was being summoned to jury duty at 8 AM a few towns over. It turns out that "I don't own a car and would have to leave my house at 4 AM" is not an excuse. The second was getting caught with a migraine and no pain reliever. My options were to grin and bear it or hike into town with said migraine. In both cases it would've been *real* nice to be a short walk from civilization.

dragoncar · Post by **dragoncar** » Wed Jul 27, 2011 7:56 pm

I'd say #1, with an option to get #3 on the side (unimproved). Presumably, #3 would be within biking distance to the city, right?

Post by **jacob** » Wed Jul 27, 2011 8:03 pm

@dragoncar - It depends on your biking distance

I would suspect that for something like Pittsburgh, PA, it wouldn't be the case(?)---some of these big cities are easily several miles across and usually surrounded by burbs. Also, while I could see having a lot of trees 5 miles away, I would be hard pressed to imagine a chicken coop or even a garden.

Hoplite · Post by **Hoplite** » Wed Jul 27, 2011 8:26 pm

From Chicken Laws:

http://home.centurytel.net/thecitychick ... nlaws.html
Pittsburgh, PA. "Fowl at large” are not permitted in unenclosed areas, other peoples' property, or public lands. Also, “no more than 5 pets per household" city limit and animal nuisance prohibitions as well.
You can keep an unlimited number of chickens (no roosters) in NYC. Go figure

S · Post by S » Wed Jul 27, 2011 8:59 pm

#1 Would be my first choice with a possibility of #2. If we got a couple EREers together doing #1, perhaps we could start a community garden together.

mikeBOS · Post by **mikeBOS** » Thu Jul 28, 2011 1:13 am

Albuquerque doesn't have much a reputation, but having lived there for a bit, I think it could be an ok ERE city. Low real estate prices, amazing bus system makes it enjoyable to live car-free, plus commuter rail up to Santa Fe and the Amtrak line from LA to Chicago passes through, plus there's cheap bus service to Denver. A relatively temperate climate makes it possible to bike/walk/scooter year round (a couple snow flurries in January and 100 degree dry heat in July at worst). There's also a great library system, a thriving art community and the massive University of New Mexico with all its corresponding museums, free events and free sporting events. It's next to lots of mountain hiking/skiing space. It's culture is unique with a heavy Mexican influence.
If you have kids there's one big plus: Anyone who graduates from a New Mexico High School can go to any of the state schools/universities for 4 years for free. The state covers tuition for everyone.
Downsides: it's hot in July, no lakes/ocean to swim/boat in, long-term future water shortages likely, no world class museums or concert halls and its pretty isolated, it's not like you can take a 3-hour trip to a visit another big city like you can on the coasts, have to be able to appreciate the endless desert.
Not that I'd relocate again. New England works well for me

jeremymday · Post by **jeremymday** » Thu Jul 28, 2011 5:23 am

Here is a great article of exactly what "city limits" mean, how east coast cities don't have as much urban sprawl, etc, etc...
http://pittsburgh.about.com/od/facts/f/how_big.htm
Very interesting to think about.

Eliza · Post by **Eliza** » Thu Jul 28, 2011 12:13 pm

I'm a city girl at heart...sounds like for a variety of reasons most of you prefer small towns/more rural existences.
Although, I could go in for a college town since they usually have access to interesting cultural events and decent public transportation. I've often considered State College, PA as a retirement possibility.

jzt83 · Post by **jzt83** » Sat Jul 30, 2011 2:00 pm

Eugene Oregon.
- Cheap real estate (median price is $220k and dropping) 1 acre of land can be had for around $100k. Check out Redfin.com

- University of Oregon is in the city.

- non-fluoridated tap water and overall good water quality

- located next to the Willamette river

- abundance of local, fresh, and organic food.

- Mild weather.

- Superb year-round gardening. Land is very fertile.

- Bicycle, pedestrian and public transit friendly

- Liberal and well-educated population

- Mild year-round weather and rarely snows. 8 months of overcast skies may be a drag for some though.

- Low-crime

- has an Amtrak station
What about Humboldt County, Ca; Chico, Ca; or Detroit?

jzt83 · Post by **jzt83** » Sat Jul 30, 2011 5:12 pm

Consider Spokane Washington as well. Ran Prieur lives there and owns a large plot of land about 1 hour north of the city. He doesn't live on the land full-time, but uses the land to plant stuff and only visits periodically in the warmer months. He also recently bought a house in the city of Spokane for $72,000, and you read about his experience of house hunting here:

http://ranprieur.com/me/house.html.
He also has a land blog with photos and videos: http://ranprieur.com/land.html

Post by **jacob** » Sat Jul 30, 2011 7:42 pm

I looked at what health insurance would cost me in Eugene, OR and I had to do a double take: The cheapest plan is $50/month with the next one at $64/month.
I'm currently paying $95/month (California) and the New Hampshire plans I was randomly looking at were $150.

Post by **jacob** » Sat Jul 30, 2011 7:47 pm

Actually we could take a trip up to Eugene in 10 days or so. What should we be looking for? The good areas? The bad areas? The shops? Stuff that would be relevant if you're living there---not touristy stuff.

jzt83 · Post by **jzt83** » Sat Jul 30, 2011 8:31 pm

To be honest, I've never been to Eugene. It just seems like a city that fits much of the criteria for an ERE city, at least on paper.
If you ever visit Spokane, Ran Prieur would be more than willing to show you around. You could even help work on his land and stay in his new house.

Post by **jacob** » Sun Jul 31, 2011 10:44 pm

Not here!

Post by **jacob** » Sun Jul 31, 2011 10:51 pm

Corvallis, OR?
Eugene looks to be the grass pollen capital of the US. I'm sorry to say this would be a dealbreaker for me.

George the original one · Tue Aug 02, 2011 8:53 pm

Corvallis - area between downtown and the OSU campus. North side of town is where the last 30-40 years of suburban growth has gone. Philomath, about 5-10 miles to the west, is where the affordable property is and there's a paved bike path into Corvallis. Character is a little less hippy than Eugene-Springfield and it's a smaller city.
Budgeting for a roundtrip from Eugene with time to look is about 3 hours.
While you're headed to Eugene, you should also swing through Cottage Grove, about 10-15 miles south of Eugene, just off I-5. Avoid the lumber mill at the south end of Cottage Grove.

Post by **jacob** » Tue Aug 02, 2011 9:26 pm

Portland, OR.
* all the cool kids live here

* affordable on ERE budget, single family housing under 100k

* airport

* rain/green country

* river/ocean access

* climate change is favorable to this region

* health insurance is affordable, 35yo male = $50/month