Step 2 - Identify possible new places to live

You may be a person who likes to list a lot of possibilities, then narrow down to a few of the most promising. Or, you may be a person who prefers to keep the list very small from the start, considering only the most realistic possibilities. This is a matter of personal style. Either way will work. If you make a short list, we suggest that you include at least one possibility that intrigues you even though it may seem impractical. My wife, the more practical member of our team likes to make short lists and arrive at a decision quickly. I like long lists, including all the outside possibilities I can think of, and waiting to the last possible moment to make the decision. This was the most difficult and painful part of the relocation process for us, until I recognized how much pain my enthusiasm for last minute possibilities was causing her. Whether to move and where to relocate can be important decisions that bring out some of the best and most difficult aspects of a person or relationship. After twenty-one years of marriage, we learned some things about ourselves and our relationship grew.

Expand the Possibilities?

If you want to explore more options here are some links to start with:

Narrow the List?

When you have a list with places you have thought about, ones that friends have suggested and ones that your list of requirements may suggest, use your insights from the list of your wants to narrow down. For example, if you want to reduce your living costs, you may need to avoid most large cities and look for small cities, towns or rural areas. Start with regions where living costs are lower. Obvious possibilities include northern New England, the South and the Central regions. If you want a warmer climate, you will probably move to somewhere in the south or southwest. If you are a lifelong easterner, one big decision will be whether you want to make a big change and go west, or whether you will be more comfortable in the east or central part of the country. If you like mountains, look at a topographical map to identify all the regional possibilities.

Example: My wife and I started thinking broadly, including places like Santa Fe, San Diego or Santa Barbara, the Ozarks and New Hampshire. I quickly discovered that she, who is originally from Wisconsin, definitely did not want to go to the West. Our list of requirements included a small city in the East or Central part of the U.S., lower living costs, a warmer but not hot and humid climate, with four seasons, in an interesting landscape with lakes or mountains. To get warmer we had to go south. To avoid a hot and humid July and August we realized that we had to go into the mountains. We quickly narrowed our focus to Virginia, Tennessee or Western North Carolina. The only small cities that seemed likely were Charlottesville, Virginia or the Western North Carolina cities of Asheville, Brevard or Hendersonville. This became our short list to explore seriously.

Whatever number you start with on your list, check them against your list of requirements and narrow down to the few best ones as soon as you can. It’s a fair amount of work to get information on each location. When you have chosen six or fewer of the more likely communities, write them in the vertical Location columns in the Compare and Rate Communities Chart.