Here goes.......to preface this list, I will start with a few personal things I don't mind sharing. My wife started out as a registered nurse years ago and has worked her way to nurse practitioner. Currently, she is working on furthering her education, so we move often to different teaching hospitals(from Stanford to Dartmouth to any children's hospitals). We do travel contracts from 13 weeks to 6 months then move on to the next place. Sometimes, she goes to teach new graduates and sometimes she learns from others....just depends on what step is needed next. For myself, it is hard to hold down a permanent job, so I usually go to a local dive shop and help teach Scuba but I also have a side business helping restaurants trim their fat with a partner, which I can do from anywhere. I guess it is kind of like Kitchen Nightmares but way less hectic and more on the financial side
Got two little ones to keep in shape as well. We are nearing the end of traveling so the girls can settle down and start Elementary school and stay in the same school system....we have narrowed it down to Texas(for family) or California(no family anywhere close).
In no particular travel order:
Bellingham, WA - not much to say about this city, real small and kind of old. It is really close to Canada to go explore Vancouver and also kind of a short drive to Seattle. A lot of whale watching, fresh seafood but quite a bit of rain, especially in the Winter. Some real nice trails to explore and nature in general but it does get pretty cold. This is a real political state and town though. Be ready for multiple protests for anything and everything and lots of pot smoking on every corner. The people who aren't there for College are mainly the hippie type. Cost of living is cheap with no real option to upgrade housing.....will stick out like a sore thumb.
Bend, Oregon - nice country but this state was not for us. The people were pretty much like those in Washington but weirder. The weather wasn't the best either with lots of rain. There wasn't really an easy way to get to the coast either. Cost of living - moderate
California
San Francisco area:
We have lived on all three sides of the city. We love the area and can go to Napa, Yosemite, Monterrey Bay, Carmel all within a little drive. There is so much to do, can live there for years and still not see/do everything. It does have a lot of fog and light rain but it isn't near as bad as Seattle rain. The late Summer months are perfect. We liked Pacifica the best, well because I am a water bug
I won't go into detail on the three sides but it does get quite a bit hotter on the East side and down to the South. Cost of living - very high
LA area:
We have lived in Calabasas/Topanga/Tarzana areas. It is much warmer here than SW of LA. or along the coast. Beautiful, rugged areas to do things outdoors and a short trip down the 101 to Santa Barbara or a bit South to Malibu.
We also were in Beverly Hills for awhile and that should be self-explanatory.......
Newport Beach was our favorite which is near Anaheim/Orange with plenty of things to do. Being that far South, the outdoor activities are limited, it is mostly beach stuff.
There have been other places along the coast down to San Diego but basically, LA down to SD is the same....just gorgeous. The weather is usually perfect with arms reach of the coast but it does get warm further towards the East up and down the state.
Cost of living - high but not quite as expensive as SF on average. There are places in the state where it isn't so bad but not sure they are areas where many want to live. If anyone wants a house near a major city, expect to pay close to a million for something decent and of average size and not real old.
Houston
Do not go there, it is a really hot, humid vacuum of a place! This is my hometown too, never really knew how bad it was until I moved out of state. I lived South towards NASA which is better than most of the surrounding areas but it is still bad
San Antonio/Austin
If I had to settle down back in Texas, this is where it would be. It still has the nature I like with one main drawback....no ocean! It does get hot but I think it isn't as bad as Houston. Cost of living in Texas is nothing compared to the West Coast
Hanover, NH
This is a beautiful area, close to Vermont, Boston, NY, the whole NE map. I am amazed by the color of the trees and the local seafood. There is not enough city life for us to settle down here but it is a nice change. The Winters will be brutal we are told, so we won't be here past October
Cost of living - moderate but higher the more East you go. It takes a nice, country drive from here to go see the sights but it is a nice ride to the destination.
There have been a few other small cities we lived in, but they are within the SF/LA areas. For the wife and I, we like California because you can do the nature thing or the city thing, even in the same day if you wish. I have snow skied at Big Bear one morning and went surfing that afternoon
Cali has everything to offer but it is crowded and expensive.
Hope this list helps someone, I can get more specific if anyone wishes.
