Originally Posted By SierraAloha I grew up in Hayward...Lived there 30 years. My entire family is still in the Hayward/Castro Valley area....It's a good place to live....Not as good as Copperopolis, but hey, it was home for a long time. Hugs, Aloha
Originally Posted By beamerdog >> It would be a blast to have a "Meet beamerdog" LP meet.<< Hahahahahaha - it would have to be a "meet beamerdog and beamerdog's dog" meet. My plan this year is to come out west to visit relatives and at least attend the Big Meet, so I hope to meet all of you, too
Originally Posted By beamerdog Thank you all for the frank suggestions and all the conversation. If anyone has more suggestions, please bring them on. Thanks Lulu for the sites. I will definitely check them out. Yes, I have medical issues which would have an influence on where I would choose to live. Although I seriously considered Chicago (I loved the visit I had there) the cold, wind, and hot summers probably be a problem. Re: Denver. I was there in November and was wearing light Fall clothing. I was surprised at how mild the temperatures were - it was colder and wetter in Delaware. I plan on traveling in the next year. I will definitely plan on visiting these suggestions. Keep 'em coming!
Originally Posted By gottaluvdavillains SierraAloha - Thanks for mentioning Castro Valley-that would be a great choice...I grew up there CVH grad!! beamerdog - you should really check out really any part of Ca - most everywhere, with a few exceptions has very mild weather and lots of jobs and such....
Originally Posted By fkurucz <<Re: Denver. I was there in November and was wearing light Fall clothing. I was surprised at how mild the temperatures were - it was colder and wetter in Delaware.>> We get the bulk of our snow in the Spring, not in Fall or Winter. A white Christmas is pretty rare out here (we did get one last year). It can get pretty cold late January through mid February, but mild Novembers are not unusual.
Originally Posted By fkurucz <<you should really check out really any part of Ca - most everywhere, with a few exceptions has very mild weather and lots of jobs and such...>> ...and really, really, really high housing costs. We thought it was expensive 10 years ago. Today, it is simply surreal. An interesting article from the NY Times: <a href="http://tinyurl.com/28k8vp" target="_blank">http://tinyurl.com/28k8vp</a>
Originally Posted By Lisann22 I grew up in Hayward too. We moved from SF when I was in the 5th grade. Hayward has changed quite a bit. While I loved growing up there I honestly couldn't recommend it anymore.
Originally Posted By ShivaThDestroyer >>"meet beamerdog and beamerdog's dog"<< Of course!!! It just wouldn't be the same without him. Even if you don't end up moving out this way we'll look forward to meeting you at the Big Meet 2008. I can't believe have may of us have lived in Hayward.
Originally Posted By avromark I'd love La Jolla, Chicago personally (but that may not be for years) Just throwing some cities out there, how about Boston? Baltimore? Celebration? Maui? Honolulu? Spokane? Memphis? If you're search was anywhere in North America I would strongly recommend against Alert No matter what you decide, it will be your home. Let us know if you eventually decide. I've considered relocation a few times, but cost and a few other factors made me chicken personally. I guess we do get used to where we are, the ups and downs. Hopefully your relocation will do you good and benefit your QoL.
Originally Posted By LuLu Beamer - very excited to hear you're planning to attend the Big Meet! Good luck with your relocation thoughts. For my own part, I feel very chicken to venture out to points unknown. Good for you!
Originally Posted By beamerdog I'm torn between living in a rural area and just figuring out how to support myself by doing something other than farming, lol, or moving back to Philadelphia or another comparable city. For health reasons, I've decided to stay away from any climate colder than the one I'm in. Celebration appeals to me as does La Jolla (visited there several years ago), but I don't think I could afford LJ. My best friend who knows me better than anyone says that NYC would not be the place in which to settle. (she's a New Yorker!) Actually, she lived with us right after her divorce for a while and I've spent a lot of time with her up in NYC recently after her husband died. I'm now curious as to why she thinks that city wouldn't be a good match. I love DC, and Ashville (?) NC has been suggested because it has a large thriving artists' community. The population is extremely diverse which appeals to me. Right now I'm fixing up my home to sell, and when that's done I have to find a new source of income (I've been throwing around the idea of training dogs for the "rich and famous" since a couple of baseball players have started asking me for advice) and another home. Thanks again for the great suggestions.
Originally Posted By Lisann22 Hey Beamerdog what about franchising one of the Club Bow Wow kennel resorts and doing your training from within there? I have one a block away from where I work, the place is AWESOME. My boxer is going for her 3 hour interview next Tuesday. ;>
Originally Posted By beamerdog >>3 hour interview<< ??? Wow! or should I say Bow Wow! There are several places like that in Wilmington, but not franchised. I would love to, but I don't have the strength at this point :-( I can handle one "untrained" dog at a time, but not more than that. I love the concept as dogs really love being with their own kind. Sometimes we forget that. The real Beamerdog will be visiting my 2 for lunch on Monday :-D
Originally Posted By LuLu OMG if you come out here, I really need your help with my dog! I probably couldn't afford you tho! I don't know what kind of "digs" you require, but as far as expensive areas go, there's the possibility of renting a small guest house. I just thought of it in regards to the dog training, as my friends (the DH trains his own dogs for fun) have a very large lot (with sheep!) in an expensive area near Malibu, and they rent their little guest house for $700/mo. Now I know you could rent a huge house for that in some places, but you could be near the rich and famous! Then when you become rich you can buy on the beach in Malibu :-D
Originally Posted By LuLu I'm really thinking this could be the perfect blend of living in a rural area (their area is quite "rural" for SoCal) and being near the city / income opportunities. If you pursue the "dog training for the rich and famous" idea and are interested, we should think about a visit when you come to SoCal!
Originally Posted By beamerdog The West Coast is looking more attractive. I have a friend who used to rent out a guest house on her property - it's made me think about temporary digs near my home here. There are quite a few of these properties around.
Originally Posted By DlandJB We sure love it out here, Beamerdog. And if you can find a town that is near a university with a teaching hospital that is good for medical care too. The weather in southern california is just awesome.
Originally Posted By chickendumpling I don't have any location suggestions to add to the great ones you've gotten so far, beamerdog. I just wanted to chime in to wish you luck on finding the right place for you. Have fun exploring!
Originally Posted By vbdad55 I know you don't like the winters - but here's a realtors video for my aforementioned Money's best places to live <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVLoVW_G9CE" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v =LVLoVW_G9CE</a>
Originally Posted By xrayvision You may want to look into Del Webb's Sun City properties. They are usually built in vibrant areas that are also close to other amenities desired by active seniors...including golf courses and hospitals. The properties are well maintained and secure, and have beautiful club houses and golf courses. The houses also seem to be a little more affordable than similar houses outside of Sun City's gates. In terms of California cities that you may be interested in that has great weather, amenities and hospitals: 1) San Diego, including outlying communites north of the city like Oceanside and Carlsbad. Awaiting you is professional football, baseball, Sea World, world famous SD Zoo, Wild Animal Park, Legoland La Jolla, great food and shopping, fantasic beaches and boat ports (including cruise ships when you're ready to travel). UC San Diego Medical Center is really good. 2) San Francisco's East Bay communities including: 2A - City of Brentwood (Summerset Community with beautiful golf courses, stores, new schools, new full service John Muir Hospital. very nice housing that is more affordable than other S.F. communities. E-BART light rail station coming in a few years that will connect commuters to the BART subway station in Pittsburg to take you to San Francisco) 2B- Trilogy at Rio Vista - Along the Sacramento River (where two humpback whales were recently found swimming upstream). It's not too far from Brentwood and Antioch via Antioch Bridge. Very nice active living community with a lot of amenities. 2C - Upcoming Del Webb Sun City in Antioch, on Roddy Ranch near the border of City of Brentwood. Construction is suppose to start within the next two years. New full service Kaiser Hospital is opening soon near this site to accommodate the expected growth. New medical magnet high school opening next to hospital and upcoming Del Webb community. Will share some the same stores and amenities as Brentwood community, including E-BART station. Other stores and basic needs are already in place including several chain grocery stores, movie theaters, WalMart, Target Greatland, golf courses, two In-in-Outs, Mimi's, Carribas and many other food joints that Antioch and Brentwood share. 2D - Walnut Creek, San Ramon, Dublin, Livermore and other communities on the 680 Freeway to 580 Freeway corridor are also nice and more affordable than San Francisco proper and have easy BART access. Walnut Creek has some great upscale shopping, several small colleges, a financial district, a huge BART transit center and all the amenities you would need. If you are into the condo market, San Ramon just opened some reasonably priced condos for the price conscience. San Ramon is an upscale community with a high end corporate park. Dublin is becoming condo city, literally, with large condo towers of different architectual styles including Tuscany. 3) South Placer County (a growing upscale, but still affordable metropolis, located at the base the Sierra Mountains near Sacramento and 90 minutes from San Fran). 3A) Roseville - Sun City Roseville. Both Sun City and City of Roseville are great communities with very nice people and affordable housing (by California standards). Sun City Roseville was one of Del Webb's fastest selling communities in their company's history). It is near the upscale Galleria at Roseville Mall which features Nordstrom, Macy's, Talbots, Coldwater Creek, Restoration Hardware, Crate and Barrel, White and Black Market, and other great stores and chain restaurants like Ruth Chris Steakhouse, Il Fernaio Italian(spelling?), Max's Restaurant, Mimi's TGI Fridays. The new Thunder Valley Indian Casino has extremely nice gaming, restaurants and themed bars and is more elegant than a lot of Las Vegas strip gaming casinos. The popular casino will be expanding to include a 22 story hotel, conference center and large performance theater. Also near Sun City Roseville is the fun and historic Denio's Farmers Market and Auction, historic and beautiful Gold Country attractions including Empire Mine and Auburn shopping district, Folsom Lake Recreation Area, huge Roseville Autowest Automall, and two very nice hospitals recently built - Sutter Hospital and Kaiser Hospital (which also has several smaller clinics throughout Roseville . UC Davis Medical Center also has locations in Roseville. Roseville also has all the other amenities you would need, WalMart, several Target Stores, very nice movie theaters, great waterslide park with mini-golf and indy racers, lots of employers including high tech and financial firms, ect. 3B) Lincoln - Sun City Lincoln Hills. Due to the popularity of Sun City Roseville, Del Webb recently opened a second nearby community which is smaller but more upscale (and prettier IMO) than Sun City Roseville. Sun City Lincoln Hills is adjacent to all of the Roseville attractions already mentioned, but it is situated on rolling hills with lots of oak trees and natural rock outcropping which makes it a little nicer and natural setting. Lincoln has great golf courses including the beautiful Twin Bridges Golf Course which was home to several LPGA televised tournaments. Both Roseville and Lincoln (as well as nearby community of Rocklin and exclusive Granite Bay - the Beverly Hills of Sacramento with star studded residence) are located off of the busy Interstate 80 Freeway which is used to access both world class skiing in Lake Tahoe, one hour up the hill to the east, and world class San Francisco which is 90 minutes to the west. Sacramento is also located off of Interstate 80 Freeway too, about 20 minutes west of South Placer...featuring touring Broadway shows like Jersey Boys, museums, the State Capitol where Arnold and Maria Shiver dwell, the California State Fair in September, Old Sacramento Historic and River District (great dining and tourist shopping), Downtown Plaza Mall, Arden Fair Mall (featuring Nordstroms, Macys, Cheesecake Factory, Coldwater Creek..great mall), harness racing, Sacramento NBA Kings and Championship WNBA Monarchs pro basketball, Championship RiverCats AAA Baseball and 23 festivals a year (including the grand-daddy of all festivals - the Sacramento Dixieland Jazz Jubilee). 4) Folsom, CA - Near Roseville via Granite Bay or directly accessible from Interstate 50. High tech employers including Intel, great upscale communities with good schools, direct access to Folsom Lake Recreation areas, access to American River Biketrail and the American River. Nice old town district with shopping and dining overlooking American River. Mills Premium Factory Outlets (Folsom Natomas Station Outlets) featuring Sak's 5th Avenue and other stores, nice movie theaters and all the shops and amenities you need. Folsom is kinda pricy due to the high tech employers attracting Bay Area buyers and clientele with money. Highway 50 connects you with South Lake Tahoe world class casinos and ski resorts which are about an hour to the east, whitewater rafting and Apple Hill Orchards/Grower's Exchange which is 30 minutes east (Apple Hill is an awesome place to get crates of fresh produce and homemade apple pies and cider and apple butter and fudge and wine), Sacramento which is 20 minutes to the west and San Francisco. 5) Las Vegas - everyone knows about the world famous city of Las Vegas. Great place to retire with lots to do and see all the time, and lots of great retirement communities. 6) Arizona - Phoenix and Scottsdale are great places to live. Scottsdale has several beautiful retirement communities, Frank LLoyd Wright museum, gorgeous desert landscape, and the world famous Mayo Health Clinic. Mayo Hospital along with the, National Jewish Hospital, offer the best western medical services in America and throughout the world. Scottsdale and Phoenix have everything you could ever want, including great food and shopping and entertainment, pro sports, etc. Snow skiing can be found in Flagstaff Arizona and golf courses are everywhere. Arizona is kinda expensive but you're investing into a great lifestyle. Oregon and Seattle are also very nice. 1) San Diego 2)
