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Author Topic: Where to move down South?  (Read 3139 times)

Monkeyleg

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Where to move down South?
« on: March 12, 2006, 02:07:36 PM »
Years ago, I promised my wife that we would move as close as possible to the city of her heart, New Orleans.

I've spent the past five or so years trying to make that possible by moving away from photography (which requires me to be in a large city with a good advertising market) to internet-related ventures which will permit us to move anywhere.

I'm making good progress. And my wife is now asking, "where?"

I've looked at Natchez, MS, but don't know much about it other than it looks on the surface like a nice place.

Anyway, I'd appreciate suggestions on places to look at.

Here's some pertinent details:

We could probably sell our house here for about $160,000 or so. I don't want to buy anything more expensive than that.

While I'm the primary breadwinner, my wife's job provides the health insurance. So, a decent job market is a must. Her job here is entry-level, but we only pay $215 a month for very good coverage.

Low taxes are also important. Right now we're paying $3200 a year on our place, and I think that's a total rip-off.

Low crime is important, too. I don't want to jump from the frying pan into the fire.

So, any suggestions on areas to look at?
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Art Eatman

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Where to move down South?
« Reply #1 on: March 13, 2006, 03:56:02 AM »
If I were going to Louisiana, I'd pick Cajun country over any other part of the state.  But, I'd pick Mississippi over Louisiana.  There's a lot more "Can do!" attitude there, IMO.

I travel I-10 regularly.  My opinion comes from reading local newspapers and listening to BS in cafes.  

Can't help you about specific places, though...

Art
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Where to move down South?
« Reply #2 on: March 13, 2006, 06:01:30 AM »
Take a look at the Mobile, AL vicinity.  Mobile celebrated the first Mardi Gras (in 1703, sixty- odd years before New Orleans started) and was the original capital of the Louisiana Territory.  See if Wintzell's still has their oyster po'boy if you visit Mobile,

lpl/nc (born and raised in AL though)
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El Tejon

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Where to move down South?
« Reply #3 on: March 13, 2006, 06:31:04 AM »
From going down there from 1995 to 2004, I fell in love with Kerrville, Tejas.  If I had to live in the South, I would go there.Smiley
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roo_ster

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Where to move down South?
« Reply #4 on: March 13, 2006, 08:29:23 AM »
My neighbor from East Texas sometimes called his birthplace "West Louisiana."
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JAlexander

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Where to move down South?
« Reply #5 on: March 13, 2006, 11:23:02 AM »
El T has a good idea in Kerrville, but that might be farther away from NO than your spouse wants to live.  So how far is too far, and do you want to live in a small town or a big city?

James
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Art Eatman

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« Reply #6 on: March 13, 2006, 11:27:15 AM »
Yeah, Kerrville is pretty country.  Lower humidity than Austin or San Antonio.  I used to fly-fish the Guadalupe, as well as do some canoing above Canyon Lake.  Not a bad location to go to lakes or the coast or go to Austin for serious partying.  Not all that far to wander over to Luckenback to hang out.

Smiley, Art
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Monkeyleg

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Where to move down South?
« Reply #7 on: March 13, 2006, 12:28:21 PM »
I'd rather stay away from big cities. Crime, politics, traffic, etc.

Natchez is only 30,000 people. We have suburbs in Milwaukee larger than that.

If we were within a few hours drive of New Orleans that would be fine.

I'll have to check out Kerrville. Never heard of it.

My wife loves the Deep South, so Mobile might also be a possibility.

There's a beautiful turn-of-the-century Southern style home in Natchez that's on the market for $165,000. If it doesn't sell by the time we're able to move in a few years, I suspect there's something wrong with it. Wink
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JAlexander

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« Reply #8 on: March 13, 2006, 12:51:58 PM »
Kerrville's a good place, as is Llano.  They're west of Austin, though, so getting to New Orleans from either would take relatively longer.  I'd recommend Gonzales, since it's not too far off I-10, but it's also a little too far out to be a bedroom community for Houston, San Antonio, or Austin.  I just checked a Gonzales-area realtor and found a decent-looking house on 40 acres for $219K.  

James
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SADShooter

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Where to move down South?
« Reply #9 on: March 13, 2006, 01:06:15 PM »
My wife and I enjoyed living in The Woodlands, north of Houston. We also enjoy visiting Lafayette, home of Prejeans, our favorite cajun dining spot. I don't know about current housing or job market conditions in either place, though.
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IndianaDean

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Where to move down South?
« Reply #10 on: March 13, 2006, 05:15:37 PM »
Does Mobile still have any Mardi Gras?
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Art Eatman

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« Reply #11 on: March 14, 2006, 03:16:35 AM »
Yeah, Mobile still does Mardi Gras stuff.

I used to live in Austin, and my father's family settled down below Cuero.  I've been through that country beaucoup times.  

Another home-business town that's pretty neat is Hallettsville.  Old German settlement on the Lavaca River.  It's a quick run down through Victoria to the coast, if you like fishing.

Art
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El Tejon

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Where to move down South?
« Reply #12 on: March 14, 2006, 04:36:45 AM »
I never really got to see the area around Kerrville, other than from the road as I as driving to and from there.  For 9 years I was there it was the hotel (usually Inn of the Hills or YO) and then off to Thunder Ranch in Mountain Home.  I did go running in the neighborhood around that strip mall on 27 (it had the grocery Coast to Coast or something) and when we had night shoots I went to Bandera for jewelry and once to the Cowboy Art Museum because my dad asked me to go and see what it was like.

Here's the chamber of commerce stuff:  http://www.kerrvilletexascvb.com/
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Brad Johnson

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Where to move down South?
« Reply #13 on: March 14, 2006, 10:24:41 AM »
I'd be careful about anything Art says. I think the heat has gone to his brain.

Tongue

Brad
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crt360

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Where to move down South?
« Reply #14 on: March 14, 2006, 11:10:43 AM »
I like the Kerrville area, too.  I have some kinfolk there.  Bandera, Vanderpool, Fredericksburg, and various other little places out that way are nice.  I spent a lot of time exploring that part of the state when I lived in San Antonio.  

Quote
My wife loves the Deep South
It's not exactly Deep South to me, though.  When I think of Deep South, I think of big old restored homes, heat, humidity, giant mosquitos, bayous, lawnchairs, seafood, shacks, and yards with chickens running around in them.  The Texas hill country gets hot, sometimes humid, and has a few mosquitos, but other than that it has nothing in common with the Deep South (or at least how it sticks in my mind).

The more southeast you go in Texas, the more Deep South like you'll get (the crime rate probably increases, too).
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Monkeyleg

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Where to move down South?
« Reply #15 on: March 14, 2006, 12:26:01 PM »
"It's not exactly Deep South to me, though.  When I think of Deep South, I think of big old restored homes, heat, humidity, giant mosquitos, bayous, lawnchairs, seafood, shacks, and yards with chickens running around in them.  The Texas hill country gets hot, sometimes humid, and has a few mosquitos, but other than that it has nothing in common with the Deep South (or at least how it sticks in my mind)."

That's exactly what my wife wants. Wink
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Jacobus Rex

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« Reply #16 on: March 14, 2006, 01:45:21 PM »
The "Golden Triangle" area of Texas is right on the LA border.  It is a few hours from New Orleans.  It includes Beaumont, Port Arthur and Orange, Texas areas.  There is a LOT of cajun influenance.

ETA: http://www.answers.com/topic/southeast-texas
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IndianaDean

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« Reply #17 on: March 14, 2006, 06:34:26 PM »
Wow, that's pretty cool. It's amazing how our press only publicizes some things and ignores others. This is the first I've heard that Mobile did MG first, and still does it. It's always just New Orleans.
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Art Eatman

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« Reply #18 on: March 15, 2006, 04:08:15 AM »
Dunno 'bout the heat and my brain, but the heat makes my arthritis hurt less. Smiley

I commonly stop for coffee and gas on the east side of Mobile Bay.  The Mobile "Register" seems to have quite a bit of coverage about what appears to be localized neighborhood crime.  I don't know how delineated it is.  It could be like many places, where "nice neighborhoods" are unaffected.  That east side area seems to be where residential growth is occurring.  Good seafood restaurants in the area...

Art
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