Where would you live??

no, I'm down in Surrey, which is great for access to London, but is very, very expensive.  

Northern California(Bay area) - Incredibly crowded, but if you like smog... Does get a little chilly around the Bay, foggy as well. Harsh standard of living. 300,000 for a bandbox of a house or a couple hours commnute.

Hmmm, maybe.  But Northern California is not the Bay Area.  There is much more to the North State than San Francisco.  In fact, where I live, Bay Area residents are considered southerners.

12years: I've visited there so I know what I'm in for. My wife grew up in Bradford. We want to live in York. A touristy kind of town from what I hear.

Scrumpy: Course you have to be able to find a job and the less populated areas in far north California aren't best for that.

I always understood it to be a contraction... "Get in't car." A contraction of "in the". They don't leave out any other articles from what I've heard.

12years: I've visited there so I know what I'm in for. My wife grew up in Bradford. We want to live in York. A touristy kind of town from what I hear.

Nope, sorry, you have to live there before you can review it.

hey nick,

thanks for the info on virginia.  much appreciated!

i've only visited york once, tool a little bit to adjust to some people's accent, but phrases like 'it's all right' sounds real good up there

love the moors -- was lucky enough to be there on a misty day.  heathcliff!!

ever been up to tan hill?  is that pub still there? i got major carsick both ways on that winding road.  still, an experience!

Since we're plugging different areas, let me recommend the Pacific Northwest.  Particularly, here in Washington, we have what amounts to two different states: the "west-side" (Seattle, et al)  with mild winters (rain, some snow) lush greenery, recreation of all sorts, culture of all sorts from around the world, and enough coffee to float a navy,   then there's the "east side", with vast expanses of farm & forest lands, alpine mountains & lakes, paradise for horse lovers like myself,  landscape ranging from desert to high mountains, excellent skiing...
At the same time, we have higher-than-average property taxes, and real estate prices, and somewhat higher unemployment.  But, it is still fairly easy to live here on a modest income, and the people are great.  You're never more than a couple hours away from Sea-Tac international airport (flights to London are cheap).  
I'd be happy to answer anyones' specific questions, as long as you're not picky about having accurate information... (kidding, of course).  
So, that's about 2 cents' worth, I think.
Love this site!

You're never more than a couple hours away from Sea-Tac international airport

Dang, you must be able to drive fast!!! When I lived in Spokane, it was nearly a 5 hour drive (I think it was just under 300 miles on I-90), about 3 1/2 hours when I was in the tri-cities, and about 3 hours from Vancouver, Washington.

Do you have rocket boosters on your car? If I ever move back, I wanna ride with you to Sea Tac.

Well, I guess "a couple hours" is open to interpretation, especially from Spokane.  Rocket engines would be nice though...generally, if you're on I-90 and going under 80, watch out!

I lived in both Reston and Tysons Corner, which are about 15-20 miles from Washington, D.C. There's quite a bit of crime in and around Washington, D.C., including the parts of Northern Virginia near it. The traffic is astounding. 5-8 AM in the morning and from 4-7 pm in the evening are rush hour times. Average commutes times can run in the hours. It's hot in the summer and fairly cold in the winter with some snow, but not as much as in the midwest. The people are standoffish, but that was a plus for me.    The economy is decent, but housing is on the expensive side. Tons of stuff to do around there; from beaches to museums and monuments.

I never lived in Maryland, but there are some nice parts that aren't Baltimore. Although Baltimore has been rejuvenated in the last 5-6 years.

I do and don't agree with you Nick.  Here's where perception comes in.  I lived in Alexandria/Arlington and loved it.  Summers are definitely hot, but I found most winters to be pretty mild (except when we had Blizzard 96! Ugh!).  I didn't find people to be stand offish, but maybe that was just me.  I agree about tons of stuff to do.  Quite easy to find things to do for cheap or free if you are (or even not) on a budget.  I really loved the DC area.  Didn't live in MD but went there often enough.  I really like MD, but prefer the VA side.  We lived near Mt. Vernon and the Parkway.  I loved going down by the Potomac in the fall for walks.  Absolutely gorgeous!

Nick:  Yorkshire folk, do leave 'the' out of sentences at times.  They will say get in't car at times, and others just say get in car.  Just depends on the mood I guess.  I suppose you will just have to wait and see  

York is a nice area, and very touristy.  You will just need to be wary of where you buy your home, as it's a very floodable location.  I believe that region has flooded every  year since I've been here (3 years).  Whatever you do, don't move back to Bradford, it's become a major dive.  It is very dirty, loads of racial tension, and there are only a few areas of town worth living in anymore.

Islandgirl: You're welcome... Virginia wouldn't be for you if you wanted it warm all year round.

Elle: That's why I said fairly cold... It gets below freezing there in the winter. That's fairly cold.

TexasTweets:  Some have a harder 't' in in't than others, at least according to my wife. We'll be going to where the jobs are and if that's Bradford (doubtful) then so be it. We'll be trying our best to go somewhere in Yorkshire.

I have visited York, Leeds, Bradford and some smaller towns while I was there. I've also had her family over numerous times in the last four years.  I'd rather not move to Bradford unless we had to.

I like Atlanta and would probably be happy staying here if we hadn't decided to move to the UK.  We're an hour from the mountains and 3 hours from the sea.  It isn't warm year round but is still pretty mild.

Regarding the accent issue, as my honey and I have only been a couple while living in the US, I hear the comments on his accent (and some flirtation that goes with it as he is a looker!!) fairly often and it does bug me but it's not too bad.  Melissa, does it ever work in the opposite way... does your guy gets a little jealous when comments are made about your accent?  People do make comments on American accents, yes?

I have spent many years thinking about this very question & I can HONESTLY say, without reservation SEATTLE, WASHINGTON (city life) or Bremerton/Quilcene (rural) - depending upon lifestyle preference.

I am not kidding you when I say it is so beautiful & friendly.

The weather is not as bad as everyone makes out. It rains a lot in the winter, but west side (Seattle side) of the mountains gets snow only once every 4 or 5 years (less now due to global warming I'm sure).

You have every landscape within a few hours drive & California, which is Washington with hotter weather is only a short drive or flight away to visit. There is just too much crime, extreme weather (earthquakes), immigrant population (hahahaha), litter, smog & actors for my liking.

Washington state (not Washington D.C. - which stands for District of Columbia) is designated 2/3rds National Park, which means it is protected by several city, state & national bodies. It is CLEAN like Canada (only 4 hours away), but without the tax rates. There is hiking, fishing, rafting, white water rafting, camping, swimming (there are thousands of lakes dotted around state).

Most of the state is relatively unspoiled. There are a lot of jobs & the economy is good. The city itself is BEAUTIFUL, clean & friendly. It is broken down into areas centered around 'hills' 'Beacon Hill', 'Queen Anne Hill', "Capital Hill" (gay district), University District and water plays a major role in it's layout. The city is FULL of parks & lots of free stuff to do & see. I LOVE IT!!!!!

Yet, if you travel only a few hours outside, you could literally be standing on a mountain (2 huge mountain ranges run through state) without another living soul in site. Mt. Rainier is HUGE, its so high you can only get up to 'look-out' point for about 4 months a year. They even have Ice Caves that you can explore through in spring/summer.

The state is full of history & culture. There are several Native American Indian reservations dotted around the state, that encourage visitors to come and see the beautiful magical NAI way of life. Most of the names around Washington are NAI, including Seattle (which was named after the GREAT Chief Seattle).

PLUS, if all that wasnt enough to at least tempt you to visit - it is also the COFFEE Capital of the US. Not to mention all the GREAT seafood restaurants.

I am moving there next year, if I can ever figure out the immigration process for my husband (problems for another thread I think).

Honestly, do yourself a BIG favor and at least go there for a visit, I am pretty sure you will love it and never want to leave. Start by looking at some tourist sites for Washington State, I think you will be stunned by it's unspoiled beauty.

I've been to 38 states and have to say my favorite American city is Washington DC, I loved the surrounding areas as awell and if we weren't moving to England I might really pudh for that area.

Savannah GA is also beautiful, as is (of course-the place I grew up!) St. Louis MO.  Wyoming is gorgeous, but cold, which doesn't bother me but does bother some.  Nebraska is dull, and the southwest was WAY too hot for me....truly lovely to look at, but living there would not be for me.  Besides, they have scorpions there-real ones, I've seen them.

Virginia, Tennessee, etc..all lovely.  Apparently Nashville is a cool place to live, I've been through it and liked it but never stayed for any length of time.

Dallas/Ft. Worth is one of the cleanest cities I've seen, and the people are very friendly.

I personally loved LA, and thought Berkeley CA was the worst f*(^&in place I've ever had the supreme misfortune of spending a day.

Atlanta is fun but awfully crowded, and every year they have a big party called (I think I'm spelling it right) Freaknicht where people are literally partying on the highways, stopping traffic for hours.  Count me OUT of that one!

Nevada is fine if you like Indian reservations and old ladies with dyed hair and big jewelry.  Same with New Mexico, although Four Corners is breathtaking.

I haven't been to the Pacific NW but hear it is great...we considered moving there but when they had riots and a major earthquake withing like 3 months I said no.

What a great thread!

Arizona is Hot.  Beautiful, but hot.  Unless you live a couple hours north of Phoenix... Prescott has seasons... Flagstaff is gorgeous... pine trees, smaller population but still a nice size and also has NAU (I always like living in University towns because the students add life, and there is always something going on ~ shows, exhibits etc...).

If California were afforable to me, I'd live in N. California... Santa Rosa is my fave spot, but I'd live in Chico, Eureka... I'd also consider the Lake Tahoe, Reno area.  

Loved Virginia... mild winters... enjoyed DC, too.

Also have considered Colorado... good friends there, close enough to drive to Oklahoma (where dad and family are), and Tucson (where mom and good friends are)...

Of course, I have to be on the lookout for good crafting resources   ~ and good women's barbershop resources...

I hate the heat, but it makes financial sense for us to move to Tucson.

x