OPPO poll/help! (Mainly US, but others are welcome)

"Khalbali" (khalbali2) 02/06/2017 at 18:33 • Filed to: None

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Where does OPPO live, and why? What’s awesome about it? Me and mrs. khalbali are becoming unable to keep up with rising rent in Denver. The initial idea was to move south a little, monument or Colorado Springs, but it just feels so hard to get ahead or even keep up on our meager income, and I already work two jobs 70+ hours a week. We love Colorado, mainly for the mountains and generally liberal attitude, and mrs Khalbali works in the marijuana industry so that limits options a little. But where do you live and why should we move there?

Rhys millen in a mclaren on Loveland pass for your time.

DC3 LS, will be perpetually replacing cars until the end of time > Khalbali 02/06/2017 at 18:37

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Texas. I’m pretty sure we have the best cost of living to wage ratio in the country. Although I don’t even know it that’s an actual stat.

CB > Khalbali 02/06/2017 at 18:37

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I live in Toronto, because my family is here and it’s easy to live at home when trying to pay off student loans. It’s stupid expensive, though, so I wouldn’t recommend it.

facw > Khalbali 02/06/2017 at 18:37

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http://oppositelock.kinja.com/oppo-where-are-you-a-new-map-to-see-where-oppo-is-1785003174

ttyymmnn > Khalbali 02/06/2017 at 18:39

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We live in Austin. I came here to get my doctorate at UT and we stayed because we like it and we found work here.

CaptDale - is secretly British > Khalbali 02/06/2017 at 18:41

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I live in San Luis Obispo,CA. Beautiful here. Small, but Opera called it the, “Happiest place on earth.” or some crap like that. It is pretty and close enough to LA and SF for a day or weekend trip. I’ll move eventually since life will demand it, but I do love it here.

Lumpy44, Proprietor Of Fine Gif > Khalbali 02/06/2017 at 18:41

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Canada is not much cheaper to live but typically wages are a little higher(pun).

Think the Liberals will be passing new laws on mary jane use too. I live in Alberta if that is any help

ttyymmnn > DC3 LS, will be perpetually replacing cars until the end of time 02/06/2017 at 18:41

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Definitely a good COL in TX. And no state income tax, so when the IRS no longer allows you to deduct your state income tax on your federal return it won’t hurt so much. But I’m sure they’ll find some other way to stick it to us. I think TX has three of the top five fastest growing cities in the nation.

jasmits > Khalbali 02/06/2017 at 18:42

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I live in Portland but I don’t think that would help a whole lot with the ‘rising rent’ issue, although if you like Denver for mountains, general liberal attitude and the Marijuana Industry Oregon would be a good fit. I’m not sure if it’s any cheaper but intuition tells me it would probably be about the same.

TheHondaBro > Khalbali 02/06/2017 at 18:42

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Western Washington here. Rent is insane, avoid at all costs. Though here is the best place for marijuana.

Roadster Man > Khalbali 02/06/2017 at 18:45

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Southwestern Connecticut. Don’t move here. It has its perks, like having a beach in town, being a train ride away from NYC, and a car ride away from skiing in Vermont...

But once you ski that Colorado snow, you will be so miserable dealing with the crap we call “snow” here in the Northeast.

SPAMBot - Horse Doctor > CaptDale - is secretly British 02/06/2017 at 18:45

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I love SLO and much of the central coast. It’s a great place to get away from LA for a few days. I would like to move there eventually but the job situation is a little tough.

Spridget > Khalbali 02/06/2017 at 18:45

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North Carolina Piedmont! Cheap housing prices outside of Chapel Hill, close to RTp/Raleigh so there are plenty of jobs/things to do, lots of country backroads for cars, good restaurants, low taxes, only a few hour drive to some of the prettiest mountains and beaches in America, home to some of the best colleges and basketball in the country, and a fairly diverse car culture. Some of the areas are very conservative, but the Triangle (Raleigh, Cary, Chapel Hill, Durham, Carrboro), Greensboro, and Charlotte are liberal; most people here aren’t like what you see in the media, but the state legislature has gerrymandered the districts so that the worst Republicans always win. Hemp industry isn’t a factor here (legally, at least), but farming is huge in the state. Warm weather may also not be suited to you coming from Colorado, but I personally love it.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > Khalbali 02/06/2017 at 18:46

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I live on Martha’s Vineyard and you should not move here if you think your current rent is high.

SPAMBot - Horse Doctor > Khalbali 02/06/2017 at 18:49

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I live in the South Bay area of Los Angeles. I like it for all the typical reasons (Beach, weather, atmosphere, etc.). Plus I have friends and a bit of family in the area. Would not recommend if you are looking to lower your COL though.

S65 > Khalbali 02/06/2017 at 18:49

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Maryland, just outside of D.C., expeNSIVE but family is here

interstate366, now In The Industry > Khalbali 02/06/2017 at 18:50

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Suburban Richmond, Virginia. I’ve lived here my whole life, but fun back roads are a 5 minute drive, as are good craft breweries.

benjrblant > Khalbali 02/06/2017 at 18:50

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Denver, because.

(=

CaptDale - is secretly British > SPAMBot - Horse Doctor 02/06/2017 at 18:50

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Yeah tell me about it.

haveacarortwoorthree2 > DC3 LS, will be perpetually replacing cars until the end of time 02/06/2017 at 18:51

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Texas here as well. You can get a lot of house for your money here, especially if you work in an outlying area (i.e., non-downtown), which opens up a lot of options without a horrible commute. Summers can be a little warm, though!

Vítor > jasmits 02/06/2017 at 18:53

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Real Estate price for Portland is bit higher, 406k while it is 370k in Denver, according to Zillow. Also, going from almost always sunny Denver (245 sunny days) to almost always cloudy Portland (140 sunny days) would be a bit of shock.

My X-type is too a real Jaguar > Khalbali 02/06/2017 at 18:53

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Maine just legalized marijuana housing is reasonable and 7 months out of the year the weather is awesome.

Busslayer > Khalbali 02/06/2017 at 18:59

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I really liked Denver when I have visited. The one thing I hated was that the elevation sapped a noticable amount of engine power. Id have to go turbo if I lived in the area. So no specific suggestion other than go somewhere lower elevation.

Brian, The Life of > Khalbali 02/06/2017 at 19:02

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Welp, if you’re looking to reduce your Denver overhead, I won’t sing the praises of San Diego ;)

SPAMBot - Horse Doctor > CaptDale - is secretly British 02/06/2017 at 19:02

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I need a work from home in my sweatpants type of job and it would be perfect. Maybe when I retire :/

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > Khalbali 02/06/2017 at 19:03

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Columbia, SC. It’s within 2-3 hours of the mountains, beaches, beautiful cities(Charleston and Asheville), etc. The cost of living is pretty low, and certain areas of SC have a climbing job market(Greenville). The food is great. The people are friendly, but a bit stubborn. The “a bit stubborn” leads to this next bit, a lot of South Carolinians are fairly progressive for the South, but are to set in there ways to change while they are alive. That said, people aren’t going to berate you for your political or religious views. Also, the winters are very mild, the spring and fall are warm, and the summer is warm. So the weather is pretty great.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > Khalbali 02/06/2017 at 19:04

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Omaha is a wonderful place to live with excellent cost of living.

Herr Quattro - Has a 4-motion > Khalbali 02/06/2017 at 19:06

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East Pennsylvania. Live here because I was born here haha.

THE GOOD:

-Similar enough to Colorado to have ski mountains, but is more temperate during the rest of the year.

-Snow sucks, but not insufferable. Bad enough to need AWD or snow tires, but PROBABLY wont need both. Unless you live in the Poconos, then your f***’d regardless.

-You can drive 10 min and be in the middle of nowhere. And sometimes, its actually really beautiful, and have your breath taken away.

-In the Appalachian Mountains, so plenty of fun curvy roads and similar mountains.

-If you love outdoor activities, you’ll love Pennsylvania. Snow sports, hunting, fishing, kayaking, hiking, camping, etc. You name it, Pennsylvania is probably good for it. (Even surfing, if you count Lake Erie.)

AND THE BAD:

-Highest gas tax

-Best quality heroin in the nation (tho, I guess that could be a good thing if your into that?)

-Its essentially Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, College town, and East PA. The rest is kinda just... empty rural land, or smalltown USA. (by East PA, I really mean Philly, Lehigh Valley, and a couple other places)

-PennDOT seems to think that putting so much salt down, that the roads are slippery regardless is a good plan.

-Part of the Rust belt.

-Surprisingly decent drivers. Just don’t go near Philly or Pittsburgh and you’ll be fine.

>That being said, PA is awful when it comes to left lane squatters.

-Decent job opportunity. Just not in weed.

-You travel outside of one of the more dense areas, you’ll encounter tons of Rednecks. Tho no more then CO I would imagine.

Besides the weed, more temperate climate, and the more conservative population, PA is kinda like the East Coast version of Colorado.

Tripper > Khalbali 02/06/2017 at 19:07

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We live in an an area of the Philadelphia suburbs called “The Main Line”. Like any high income area, there are plenty of snooty people, Range Rovers, and fancy restaurants. In contrast to those negatives, it’s a really nice place and southeastern PA get’s a nice little taste of all 4 seasons (most years). I’m 30 minutes from Philly, an hour and a half from NYC...

It’s a great area for cars. Before the internet ruined everything, I would see the latest Ferraris driving on the road in Villanova months before I’d see them in Car and Driver.

I live here because I grew up nearby, so did my wife, and most of my friends. The few that left home haven’t gone too far north or south. We love to travel, but I’m an east coast kid.

Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras > Khalbali 02/06/2017 at 19:08

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I live in NJ

It sucks here

Stay away for your safety

jimz > Khalbali 02/06/2017 at 19:08

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just north of Detroit. Mostly because it’s where I’m from, but it’s enabled me to work in the auto industry for basically my entire career so far. both at a couple of (big name) suppliers, and at two automakers.

Plus, compared to certain areas the cost of living is pretty low. I rent, and I pay $950/mo for something which would probably cost me over $2000/mo in a place like San Diego.

slipperysallylikespenguins > Khalbali 02/06/2017 at 19:08

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I moved to Western Washington from Denver two years ago and prefer it here. Housing is expensive if you are around Seattle but average everywhere else. I’ve found my sweet spot in Tacoma which I found to be about the same price as Denver for housing. Jobs are plentiful and pay pretty well, and marijuana is legal. The thing I least like about it is the liberal views, but that sounds like its up your alley.

Other benefits are no droughts, very few fires in the summer, and you are sandwiched between the ocean and mountains instead of plains and mountains. No state income tax is a nice bonus. People drive better than Denver too. Home to Boeing, Amazon, and Microsoft so economy is pretty good. Lots of National/ State Parks. The outdoor culture is very similar to Colorado but with more water options. You can make weekend trips up to beautiful BC.

Downsides are terrible traffic all the time. It’s worse than Denver but if you are used to Denver traffic you could manage. Taxes are pretty ridiculous for pretty much anything else, especially alcohol. They like to throw tax increases at every problem they encounter, but Oregon has no sales tax so big purchases can be made there. Homeless everywhere, significantly worse than Denver as Seattle is kind of welcoming to them.

CaptDale - is secretly British > SPAMBot - Horse Doctor 02/06/2017 at 19:08

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Yeah... That would make living here better

Nerd-Vol > Khalbali 02/06/2017 at 19:08

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Tennessee. Knoxville in particular

Not a good fit for you though. Liberals and marijuana are not welcome.

:(

I like it because it’s home. The cost of living is low. If I had my druthers, I would live in Nashville. Much more hip and liberal of a city.

interstate366, now In The Industry > DC3 LS, will be perpetually replacing cars until the end of time 02/06/2017 at 19:10

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The only thing stopping me moving to Texas is a lack of twisty roads. Otherwise I’d have moved there years ago.

DipodomysDeserti > Khalbali 02/06/2017 at 19:10

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Arizona. Lots of scorpions, moutain lions, coyotes, and oppressive heat. Don’t move here, we are full.

OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars > Khalbali 02/06/2017 at 19:16

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I would have said Nashville but that’s happening pretty quick here. Depending on the type of work you may be better off here anyways. I’ve heard Denver being a problem city to live in more then once now. My fiances Grandfather has something like 1500 acres right outside of Colorado Springs and every acre is gorgeous. Loved my time there.

G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 > Khalbali 02/06/2017 at 19:17

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Kelowna, BC, Canada, and very little.

jasmits > Vítor 02/06/2017 at 19:21

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Agreed on the sunshine. I would take Zillow’s prices with a bit of a grain of salt(I’m about to graduate from college so I’ve been starting to apartment shop as I want to move back to Portland), they place a very constrictive border around the city, things get a lot cheaper in the suburbs and often you’re still only a 10-20 minute drive to the city.

jasmits > Vítor 02/06/2017 at 19:21

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Agreed on the sunshine. I would take Zillow’s prices with a bit of a grain of salt(I’m about to graduate from college so I’ve been starting to apartment shop as I want to move back to Portland), they place a very constrictive border around the city, things get a lot cheaper in the suburbs and often you’re still only a 10-20 minute drive to the city.

Racin'Jason001 > Khalbali 02/06/2017 at 19:23

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I live in the rural town of Richmond, Rhode Island. I’m only 16, so not much experience, but I don’t think it’s the best place to live. That natural feel of the rural area is great, but no mountains, just hills. I found a website that determine’s affordability to live in by state: here . Winter’s can vary here, but the road salt is over used, and I think is the worst of any state. It doesn’t take very long to travel out of state, obviously. We do have an income tax.

feather-throttle-not-hair > Khalbali 02/06/2017 at 19:26

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I live in seattle. Weather man. Can you handle the dark at 4PM in the winter and the drearyness? If so, its a pretty great place to live. Our pot legislation is kinda fucked compared to yours but we seem to finally be figuring it out. The stores I go to are now well stocked unlike the first year and a half or so.

-Plusses-

Outdoors stuff

Pretty views

Tech industry

Liberal

Good People

-Minuses-

Weather

People are way way more down with being introverted than anywhere else I’ve lived (Which is fine for me, but it drives some of my friends crazy)

Not as cool as Portland

ranwhenparked > Khalbali 02/06/2017 at 19:32

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Well, I currently live in lower Delaware via Albany, NY & Bucks County, PA.

There’s nothing terribly remarkable about the whole state, really, I likely would not be living here if not for work-related relocation.

However, there are some pluses.

1) mild climate

2) no sales tax

3) reasonable income tax

4) very, very low property values & related cheap rent

5) I’m about 30 minutes from the beaches, and Rehoboth Beach is actually a very nice little town.

6) reasonable driving distance from both Washington and Philadelphia, if you want to go somewhere on a weekend.

As far as the other places, Bucks County is very nice for a lot of reasons, but it has become quite expensive.

Upstate New York is pretty depressed economically, but has beautiful geography and the cost of living is fairly low. And, there’s a good number of nice places, too - Saratoga Springs for one, and Albany itself isn’t totally without some charms. Its actually one of the nicer state capitals in the east, which, I guess, doesn’t say that much for Trenton, Harrisburg, Dover, etc., but, still.

SPAMBot - Horse Doctor > CaptDale - is secretly British 02/06/2017 at 19:34

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Haha definitely! I will have to keep dreaming for now though

MonkeePuzzle > Khalbali 02/06/2017 at 19:35

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erm... denver.

sorry

DC3 LS, will be perpetually replacing cars until the end of time > interstate366, now In The Industry 02/06/2017 at 19:38

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In the hill country around San Antonio there’s plenty. But the rest of the state does suck when it comes to that.

TheRealBicycleBuck > interstate366, now In The Industry 02/06/2017 at 19:39

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Twisty roads? Check out the hill country. Plenty of twisters there. since you seems to be a little more liberal on your thinking, you might find Austin is the place for you. It’s right at the edge of hill country and is the most liberal place in the state. Costs are higher there, but everything is relative.

Saracen > Brian, The Life of 02/06/2017 at 19:44

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Was thinking the same thing!

wafflesnfalafel > Khalbali 02/06/2017 at 19:46

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Bellingham, WA - not overly conservative, college town, weed friendly, less expensive, close to outdoorsy type stuff and it’s really beautiful.

nermal > Herr Quattro - Has a 4-motion 02/06/2017 at 19:48

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Agreed on all points. Based on experience, if you’re into skiing or snowboarding, you’re gonna want to plan a trip or two back to CO every winter. At the minimum a trip to New England, which is definitely better than PA but still not as good as CO.

Add in that PA is one of the best states for proximity to race tracks. PittRace, Pocono, NYST, Summit Point, and NJMP are all within a relatively short drive. VIR isn’t bad depending on which part of the state you’re in.

Cost of living isn’t bad at all. $150k - $200k will buy you a decent house in a decent neighborhood.

Frenchlicker > Khalbali 02/06/2017 at 19:53

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I live in Southern Indiana, you shouldn’t. However my hometown is fabulous to visit for about a week in the spring or fall.

interstate366, now In The Industry > DC3 LS, will be perpetually replacing cars until the end of time 02/06/2017 at 19:59

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Hmm. San Antonio is home to an unusually large Prelude community, too...

1111111111111111111111 > Khalbali 02/06/2017 at 20:01

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I’m in Eugene. It’s quite nice. Mellow town, seasons, and close to mountains and the ocean. Also great driving roads.

just-a-scratch > Khalbali 02/06/2017 at 20:11

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Seattle is pretty great except for high housing cost and consequent homeless problem, traffic, the gray weather 9/12 months. It’s good for the weed industry mountains andwater though.

Milky > CB 02/06/2017 at 20:18

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Friends there were saying the average price of a 2 bedroom house is 1.2mil. Hahahahaha .... cries.

Girlfriend is trying to move to Detroit. Even Parkdale is expensive.

CB > Milky 02/06/2017 at 20:20

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That’s pretty close. It’s crazy.

Milky > Khalbali 02/06/2017 at 20:40

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Real liberal if you don’t venture out into the ‘burbs. Medical marijuana is everywhere. We have some glorified hills a few hours north that are fun enough to ski/board down. Rent / homes are cheap , providing you know where to look.

And there are car jobs to go around like no where else. You might get 2 Challengers stolen in a week, but I like Detroit.

JRapp: now as good as new again > jasmits 02/06/2017 at 20:55

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Portland here as well. And the cost of living seems to be pretty much on par with Denver, maybe just a hair lower, but so are the wages

https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/compare_cities.jsp?country1=United+States&city1=Denver%2C+CO&country2=United+States&city2=Portland%2C+OR

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Khalbali 02/06/2017 at 22:46

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Another Portlander here. But I’ve also lived in Fort Collins. Wages and cost of living are very similar. Portland is an awesome place to live for lots of reasons, but you won’t save money by moving here. Other options are other cities in Oregon, such as Bend, but there is considerably less industry there so finding a job may be difficult. Eugene, Albany, Salem, Medford, Grants Pass. Also consider Washington, such as Seattle and it’s suburbs, but I don’t personally know enough about those places.

pip bip - choose Corrour > Khalbali 02/07/2017 at 03:09

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Ballarat, Australia , born here.

benefits - no snow to worry about, no worrying about Trump

downsides - you have to worry about Aussie politics instead. otherside of the world.

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > Khalbali 02/07/2017 at 08:05

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http://www.businessinsider.com/where-is-marijuana-legal-2016-11

You have a few options.

Herr Quattro - Has a 4-motion > nermal 02/07/2017 at 10:11

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Well, I consider Vermont as the best place to ski or snowboard for someone living in the east coast.

I think most of PA’s snow mountains quality are so dependent on weather. A Lot of places near me practically survive on artificial snow...

nermal > Herr Quattro - Has a 4-motion 02/07/2017 at 10:20

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Agreed. My biggest problem is that a lift ticke at Seven Springs costs the same as one at a “real” resort. You get only a smidgen of the available mountain, plus you get ice instead of real snow.

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > Khalbali 02/07/2017 at 21:35

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A few more states to choose from