Quote:
Originally Posted by LivingAlmostLarge
So I am only dreaming of a lower cola, but i know that if we do move to a lcola we would have a higher quality of life. My sister lives outside of atlanta in a house my parents have said is truly amazing. They also own a second home.
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I wanted to abstain from commenting on this part, but it looks like I can't help it. I will throw in my 2 cents nevertheless, with the disclaimer that my views may indeed be BIASED relative to how mainstream Americans view life in general; also that I AM - like someone said - a FOREIGNER, and that my understanding of quality of life may be drastically different from what a majority of Americans understand by quality of life.
I lived in Atlanta for a decade. We never lived in a very large McMansion but we did live in a very elegant, brand spanking new, cutting-edge townhouse, about 1500 sqf, in the BEST location Atlanta could come up with. When we first saw the place, we just about fell in love with it and I remember getting major kicks thinking about how it will feel like living in such a beautiful (albeit not very large, by Atlanta standards) house.
I always liked the house - but let me tell you this:
Our house, in and of itself, added SQUAT to our quality of life in the long run. Of course, I'd always fancied living in OUR house if, by miracle, it could have been placed in an area where there is actual life nearby (in the US, this means HCOLA).
Comparing to where I grew up, Atlanta is a terribly provincial place with very few things to do, at the end of the day. When week-ends would arrive we would bang our heads against the wall trying to come up with ideas as to what to do, where to take the kids, what else is there to life above and beyond looking at our elegant construction.
There was basically "mall" and "small park nearby".
How long can you milk these options? For 10 years I missed being able to go to a pedestrian-oriented, lively place like crazy. I missed seeing people in the streets, plazas, a sense of vibe to the place, a SOMETHING that I was never able to find there even if we went downtown.
Downtown hardly offers any attractions except a couple of horribly overpriced spots such as aquarium and the zoo. It is certainly far from a magnet and few people seem to be interested in being there, outside of work week. There are some spots for "edgy"/"alternative lifestyle" populations, but this is surely not what I have in mind when I talk about a place with a vibe.
I have also talked to many people in MA (on a different forum) who swear by the QOL in the area, the kind the goes beyond living in a new McMansion. I have also spoken with some who made the decision to move from HCOL to LCOL and now regret it dearly, especially that it becomes very hard to do the reverse, once you are in LCOL.
I remember one guy on that forum, who had just moved from a HCOLA to Atlanta, freaking out about not having a place to step foot down.
He was going crazy over "where are the sidewalks!!???? Cars are running me over from all directions!!"
There aren't. You drive endlessly through dry suburbs to get to dry strip malls, get your stuff and return to the dear ol' TV screen. Repeat many times over. Then you die.
That being said, I know there are people who like to live in a big and comfortable house, watching TV for the rest of their days. If this is what QOL means to them (my sister-in-law is a perfect example), you can certainly have it in a LCOL area. Atlanta area is a good place to come to.
I am, by no means, trying to dissuade you from your dreams of living in LCOLA but do keep in mind that there is no FREE LUNCH; and particularly those going from HCOL to LCOL often find out, the hard way, WHY exactly the lunch is NOT free.