Moving from the big city (NYC) to somewhere in the Northeast, where?

October 8, 2016 4:52 PM

We have spent our adult lives living in big cities and as we grow older, our desires and priorities have changed. But how the hell do we know where is right for us? Kind of a two parter.

My SO and I are considering making a big life change in the next year and moving from Jersey City to somewhere else in the Northeast. We're almost ready to buy a house and our choices here are limited and the taxes in Jersey City/the NY metro area are crazy. We both crave space, the outdoors and an adorable house/land. All of our friends have bought houses and have families now, and as single people with no desire for children, we want to start out next chapter.

Part I
Where should we consider?

- Needs to be within a 2 hour drive of a major domestic airport.
- Single family homes, with at least an acre of land. Houses with character. Under $400k. Under $200k very attractive.
- Near a town with some things going on. Main street. Perhaps a restaurant/bar. Stores.
- We'd like it to be rural if possible, or near great scenery. Beautiful countryside think that kind of thing.

We love Vermont and Maine. We'd consider parts of Massachusetts or Connecticut. Even upstate New York.

Part II.
I have worked in built up urban areas in various admin/receptionist roles my whole life. I wouldn't even know what kind of jobs are out there in rural areas. I'd kind of be starting life all over again. He is a commercial director and can work from anywhere as long as it has an internet connection. I however have never had a 'career' and would need to figure out some kind of job.
Is it difficult to start all over again in a small town? I don't want to be in the service industry but I'm pretty open otherwise. I'm not expecting you guys to tell me the perfect job necessarily but how do I go about soul searching and figuring out next steps for me? Work from home opportunities? Have any of you switched from an office job to a physical/outdoorsy job?

I'm sure the second part is a little vague, but anyone that has made the urban to rural move, I'd love to hear your story.

Thanks!

posted by shesbenevolent to Home & Garden (15 answers total)

My SO and I made this move in 2013. You should take a look at the towns around Northampton and New Bedford, Mass.
posted by vrakatar at 4:59 PM on October 8, 2016 [1 favorite]

If you're going to have at least an acre of land, perhaps you could do some farming.
posted by aniola at 4:59 PM on October 8, 2016

I hear Portland real estate is going up in price lately, but otherwise it seems like a good option. Since you don't necessarily need to be right in the city, you can probably go far enough out to find an affordable place there. I'd suggest somewhere downeast, but AFAIK most parts of Maine outside Portland are fairly economically depressed right now. Washington County in particular has a very high unemployment rate, so you might want to avoid it for that reason.
posted by tobascodagama at 5:31 PM on October 8, 2016

It really depends what you mean by "major airport". Two hours north of lga or two hours west of ewr should work. I assume there's the same some direction from bos and phl. But once you get past that its lots of through hub flying.

Certainly you can get what you want in a lot of the Hudson valley.
posted by JPD at 5:50 PM on October 8, 2016 [1 favorite]

For jobs, how do you feel about education or health care as industries? Even a small town or city will have some kind of industry in those areas, and there are plenty of admin roles in health care at least.
posted by MadamM at 6:43 PM on October 8, 2016

Have you considered the Quiet Corner?
posted by ZenMasterThis at 7:16 PM on October 8, 2016 [1 favorite]

Northampton, MA. An amazing mix of culture, food, nature, and rural living. At your price point, you'd probably have to live outside of downtown Northampton, but there are good options for houses in the towns all around (check out Williamsburg, MA). I love the place I live now, but if the chance came to move back to the Pioneer Valley, I'd do it in a second. Hartford airport 45 mins away, Boston Logan 1:45 away. Good job oppertunities in the area and easy access to Springfield (or maybe even Hartford) expands those opportunities further.

Another option might be Burlington, VT with Montreal as your "Domestic" airport?

Seconding the Hudson Valley, and adding eastern NY up further north, too. Depending on how "major" you need your airport, you can be in some pretty great places in easy range of Albany airport.
posted by Betelgeuse at 8:33 PM on October 8, 2016 [4 favorites]

Disclosure: I live in Mass. I travel a lot all over NE though. Traffic is just horrific in MA lately, so I'd avoid most of MA except western MA (previously mentioned Pioneer Valley should be ok). It's impossible to afford, anyway, unless you go to a depressed corner like New Bedford.

New Hampshire probably shouldn't be off your list. Manchester-Boston Regional Airport is really quite good and loads cheaper to park at, etc. Manchester itself is a bit over an hour drive to Boston (much longer in rush hour), so Logan is also doable from southern NH. Downtown Manchester has funky parts and decent restaurants and is quite a decent-sized economic area so there would be different types of jobs (not just service ones). You can get more bang for your real estate buck in NH, also. Other advantages to NH: there are a LOT of rural parts, and traffic sucks a lot less than it does around Boston. There's also all of the lakes around the state (Squam, Winnipesaukee, Newfound, etc.). Property closest to the lakes of course is more expensive, but there's a whole culture of outdoorsy stuff that you might love. Not sure if politics matter in your decision-making, but NH is considered more of a red state and has a lot of gun enthusiasts, but then again so does VT and ME. VT is pretty solidly blue.

I also second Northampton, MA, Portland, ME, and Burlington, VT. All fun and funky. Avoid CT. Too suburban, traffic can suck, largely boring. (sorry CT people!) I am pretty ignorant of upstate NY, although I have friends who love Buffalo. I don't think I could handle winter weather there, myself. That lake effect during snowstorms, yikes.

For jobs, what about moving near a university (we have a lot) and working there? A lot of NE universities are in pretty rural areas. And there are a lot of admin-type jobs. Take a look at universities and colleges near where you find appealing and see if they're hiring.
posted by clone boulevard at 9:40 PM on October 8, 2016 [1 favorite]

If you want a 1 hour drive to a major airport, and a rustic vista, for under $200, you may want to explore northeastern Ohio.
posted by ethical_caligula at 10:07 PM on October 8, 2016

I highly recommend the Quiet Corner as well. There is enough economic activity to make getting a job viable and you are close to both Hartford and Providence - Boston isn't really commutable but is close enough for nice access to a bigger city.
posted by decathexis at 1:30 AM on October 9, 2016

Come to the Hudson Valley!! We're Jersey transplants and now can't imagine living anywhere else except maaaybe Vermont (but the winters there scare us). Since schools aren't an issue, you'd probably like Beacon. It's accessible to NYC, culturally it will feel comfortable and familiar, it's easy to find houses in the sub-$400k range (we own a 4 bedroom in New Paltz, purchased for $210k), there is none of the gross commuting traffic you get in NJ, and it's just so damned beautiful. Being here in the autumn always makes me feel breathless.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 2:06 AM on October 9, 2016 [3 favorites]

Here's the metafilter question that helped us move to the Hudson Valley. You might find some useful info and advice there.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 2:10 AM on October 9, 2016 [1 favorite]

Another strong vote for Portland, ME. Absolutely gorgeous, very eclectic, vibrant artsy downtown, fantastic restaurants, walkable. South Portland is just across the bridge and will be more affordable. From Portland you're relatively close to Boston/Logan or can just as easily go the other way and shoot downeast.
posted by Bretley at 3:50 AM on October 9, 2016 [1 favorite]

As I'm sure you realize, your requirements list is pushing the limits of feasibility especially as to housing cost.

It depends somewhat on what you mean by "major" airport. Taken literally, that could limit you to LAX, JFK, and BOS. Bradley (Hartford) and Portland are lesser, but might be acceptable. Or maybe you can live with being a bit farther from the NYC airports if some of your travel can be done from Westchester.
posted by SemiSalt at 12:50 PM on October 9, 2016

Nthing Portland ME. Two hours from Logan via a bus that leaves every hour or so if you don't want to drive. We bought a year ago - no problem finding nice houses in the 200s as long as you don't insist on living on the peninsula. Lots going on, all the time, but also easy to escape to places that feel utterly remote.

You could get acreage and a rural feel pretty easily heading just barely north or west of Portland.
posted by donnagirl at 3:15 PM on October 9, 2016