Wednesday, July 25, 2012

The Dream Is Coming True

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I grew tired of California. The San Francisco Bay Area has become a cesspool of anger, dysfunction, crime, bullying and mental illness. Well, maybe that describes life in most areas of the United States. Research quickly makes it clear that currently, there’s a lot of people wondering if there is any place better to run to.

For black people, we often have an additional layer of fear and doubt to work through when faced with drastic change—because moving to another state can be just that—a drastic life change, for better or worse.

I'd done a lot of moving in my life, but only recently did I learn that "smart relocators" take their time and create list with as many as 24 items of "must" that are looking for in their new location. They compare housing tax rates, quality of the drinking water, racial and political demographics, proximity of good schools, city zoning laws, and even the view they’ll have. Where do you find such valuable information?
  • City-Data.com not only has statistics on most cities in every state, the site also has a forum that allows anyone who registers to post and replies to questions about … anywhere and anything. It's been my experience that if asked without judgment or blame, candid, "real talk" questions elicit "real talk" answers delivered with respect.
  • Wikipedia.com has a surprising amount of good information on cities and counties.
  • United Country.com is a great website for those of us who are looking for rural property just outside the trauma-drama of urban technocratic apartment life.

I am currently checking out the Southeastern states I'm most attracted to. After this phase is over, I'll spend six months in Southeast Asia, determining if I want to retire in a country like Thailand. I've been warned against, "All or Nothing" thinking, so it might end up being six months in Cambodia, and six months in North Carolina. Right now, life has given me the luxury of being able to spend nine months deciding.  From now on, most of my posting will take place on either:

I hope you'll join me on the journey.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

I am currently looking to buy some land in Southern California. I kept in mind a couple of things you highlighted in this article (schools and city zoning laws) but I never thought about the racial make-up or demographics. Most of the land I am looking at is rural, so it never crossed my mind. But thanks so much for sharing!

What We Believe:

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