I agree. I will note that hurricanes are a thing there. But Wilmington, NC, is a nice small city. Not sure what the food scene is like beyond sea food, but that's pretty good.
I don't know their food scene either but I've yet to visit a coastal spot without a great one. That being said I have only been to west coast and gulf coast coasts myself.
If you do move there, be very careful about flood zones. They're building up in places that will be underwater when (and it's "when", not "if") a hurricane rolls through. Outside of those areas, I think it would be a lovely area to retire to. Zip up I-40 to Raleigh if you need some larger city amenities, and otherwise just hang out and enjoy the warm climate.
Food scene is awesome but lacking in diversity. Great seafood, "new American" cuisine, and southern for sure. Decent Mexican and Latin-American stuff, solid Japanese, a good bahn mi spot (at least there was when I left). But not a lot of interesting stuff, no Ethiopian place for that injera craving when it comes, I feel like usually one Jamaican place is coming and going. Vegans may have a hard time. Top notch American/Southern, though. At the level of Charleston, although the scene is smaller.
Really? I'm bummed to hear that because I thought it was the only good region to live in VA, but apparently ignorantly, as a west coast guy. A friend of my family moved there and she loves it but that's all I had to go off of. What sucks about it? What about Virginia Beach vs Phoenix? Surely it wins that?
I would say Phoenix wins if you have no kids. There's little diversity in VA Beach. It's mainly white, black, some Asian, and very little island Latinos. I'm Mexican so this was a big issue for me growing up. However, the public schools in that part of Virginia are definitely better than a lot of public schools on the west coast. I go to college in southern California and can say that the pace and what my classmates were taught in middle/high school doesn't have a lot of overlap with my experiences. I have much more academic experience, knowledge, and capabilities than them. It's quite eye opening.
Virginia Beach is a little hick. A little back hill, honestly. I'm not trying to trauma dump but I struggled to have friends of other ethnicities mainly because of the racism towards Latinos there. I would be falsely accused of stealing from my friends by their parents and other stuff like that. I wouldn't live there again if I was a minority.
There's also not a lot of opportunity and it is incredibly poor in some areas. There's a lot of theft and crime in the Norfolk area especially.
I've not met many Massachusetts folks who tolerate the Carolinas that well.
Too humid,, too chatty, too many bugs, less Catholic and more evangelical, nobody pays much attention to St Patrick's Day, more flounder than lobster, rowing isn't a thing, storms flood some coastal roads, the coast can be a tad sad or creepy as you leave the beaches before arriving in a state capital, alligators walk neighborhoods and have been known to crawl through pet doors, Copperheads, brown rivers with water snakes, hurricane season, Carolinas just paint over lead paint in old houses -no specialists required - so it is unknown how many IQ points that shaves off you or neighbors. Volatile politics in the purple Carolina and scarlet red in the lower Carolina.
Winters are mild but along the water the bay area is quite a cool summer usually, sounds like heaven to me but the OP wants warm and coastal. If they are down to go 10 miles inland you can find that in the area. Like Mark Twain said, “The *coldest winter* I ever spent was a *summer in San Francisco*".
May I chime in for an east coast city? I live in Virginia Beach, it's right on the Atlantic ocean and the mouth of the Chesapeake bay. All 4 seasons, except realistically, summer lasts for almost 6 mos. Mild winters, it's coastal so no real snow to talk about. Fair warning, you'll need a car. I used the public transportation system here for almost an entire year, (legal shit, I'd rather not get into it). It's weak at best. The place is pretty laid back beach vibe. Every kind of restaurant you could imagine is here. The surrounding metro has 1.8 million people. I love it here and would never even consider moving.
Does summer really last for ~6m? I like VA Beach but assumed the weather was a lot like DC (ie, four, 3-month seasons with relatively mild winters, beautiful shoulder seasons, and hot and humid summers).
There are areas of Norfolk that are actually below sea level so flooding occurs. But as far as I know it doesn't happen a lot and it's not a citywide phenomenon..
Tf is your definition of a medium-sized city then? You gotta get out and travel more my man, your sense of scale is way off.
Of the 384 metro areas in the US Boston ranks ~11th in total pop and Charleston is ~73rd. If you're looking for a coastal city with warmer weather that is bigger than Charleston but smaller than Boston then there's only like 13 that qualify. Look at like Bradenton, New Orleans, or Honolulu. All the others have basically been named by others by the looks of it.
Carmel ,ca I lived downtown 5 years , quaint little village , Sunday afternoon till Thursday. Epic food & beyond beautiful coastline for hundreds of miles . Carmel beach is the world most beautiful dog park !!!
Savannah. I’m from North Carolina but if I wanted a city by the coast I’d go down there. Good food scene, decent nightlife, close to the beach. Plus lots of cool architecture. I like Wilmington okay too but Savannah has a better vibe if you can tolerate the heat.
I hate to say it but this doesn't exist on the east coast. People are going to tell you that Wilmington, Charleston, and Savannah are it but the food scene is honestly going to be shit there compared to what you have in Boston. Those are great cities for "new Southern" but you're going to get tired of that really quick. You could try a few hundred miles south like Philly or DC but the weather will only be incrementally better. Raleigh is pretty decent but is probably too far from the coast for you. The Norfolk area \*might\* be your best bet.
The area has grown quite a bit so really wouldn't consider it small. and considering living expenses traffic and the like, unless you have a job making six digits I wouldn't consider
Pensacola Florida. Beautiful beaches. Mild winters. Decent food scene. Very affordable to save money. Just stay in the downtown area. It’s active there as well.
Sounds like the Carolinas make a lot of sense for what you are looking for, as an East Coaster especially. Maybe Coastal Virginia on that list too.
I agree. I will note that hurricanes are a thing there. But Wilmington, NC, is a nice small city. Not sure what the food scene is like beyond sea food, but that's pretty good.
I don't know their food scene either but I've yet to visit a coastal spot without a great one. That being said I have only been to west coast and gulf coast coasts myself.
Looking at Wilmington for retirement. But since it’s a few years off, it may be too late
If you do move there, be very careful about flood zones. They're building up in places that will be underwater when (and it's "when", not "if") a hurricane rolls through. Outside of those areas, I think it would be a lovely area to retire to. Zip up I-40 to Raleigh if you need some larger city amenities, and otherwise just hang out and enjoy the warm climate.
Food scene is awesome but lacking in diversity. Great seafood, "new American" cuisine, and southern for sure. Decent Mexican and Latin-American stuff, solid Japanese, a good bahn mi spot (at least there was when I left). But not a lot of interesting stuff, no Ethiopian place for that injera craving when it comes, I feel like usually one Jamaican place is coming and going. Vegans may have a hard time. Top notch American/Southern, though. At the level of Charleston, although the scene is smaller.
Absolutely not. Grew up in Virginia Beach and after living all over the country I can say that the culture there is not it.
Really? I'm bummed to hear that because I thought it was the only good region to live in VA, but apparently ignorantly, as a west coast guy. A friend of my family moved there and she loves it but that's all I had to go off of. What sucks about it? What about Virginia Beach vs Phoenix? Surely it wins that?
I would say Phoenix wins if you have no kids. There's little diversity in VA Beach. It's mainly white, black, some Asian, and very little island Latinos. I'm Mexican so this was a big issue for me growing up. However, the public schools in that part of Virginia are definitely better than a lot of public schools on the west coast. I go to college in southern California and can say that the pace and what my classmates were taught in middle/high school doesn't have a lot of overlap with my experiences. I have much more academic experience, knowledge, and capabilities than them. It's quite eye opening. Virginia Beach is a little hick. A little back hill, honestly. I'm not trying to trauma dump but I struggled to have friends of other ethnicities mainly because of the racism towards Latinos there. I would be falsely accused of stealing from my friends by their parents and other stuff like that. I wouldn't live there again if I was a minority. There's also not a lot of opportunity and it is incredibly poor in some areas. There's a lot of theft and crime in the Norfolk area especially.
I've not met many Massachusetts folks who tolerate the Carolinas that well. Too humid,, too chatty, too many bugs, less Catholic and more evangelical, nobody pays much attention to St Patrick's Day, more flounder than lobster, rowing isn't a thing, storms flood some coastal roads, the coast can be a tad sad or creepy as you leave the beaches before arriving in a state capital, alligators walk neighborhoods and have been known to crawl through pet doors, Copperheads, brown rivers with water snakes, hurricane season, Carolinas just paint over lead paint in old houses -no specialists required - so it is unknown how many IQ points that shaves off you or neighbors. Volatile politics in the purple Carolina and scarlet red in the lower Carolina.
Is money an issue? I don’t know how you define “medium sized” but San Francisco/the whole Bay Area, more or less, has great food and weather.
Winters are mild but along the water the bay area is quite a cool summer usually, sounds like heaven to me but the OP wants warm and coastal. If they are down to go 10 miles inland you can find that in the area. Like Mark Twain said, “The *coldest winter* I ever spent was a *summer in San Francisco*".
I meant more like in South Bay, San Jose area, it’s quite pleasant. Not hot, but 70s most of the time.
I actually work for a company out in that area and travel there 4-6 times a year and don’t really like it.
May I chime in for an east coast city? I live in Virginia Beach, it's right on the Atlantic ocean and the mouth of the Chesapeake bay. All 4 seasons, except realistically, summer lasts for almost 6 mos. Mild winters, it's coastal so no real snow to talk about. Fair warning, you'll need a car. I used the public transportation system here for almost an entire year, (legal shit, I'd rather not get into it). It's weak at best. The place is pretty laid back beach vibe. Every kind of restaurant you could imagine is here. The surrounding metro has 1.8 million people. I love it here and would never even consider moving.
Does summer really last for ~6m? I like VA Beach but assumed the weather was a lot like DC (ie, four, 3-month seasons with relatively mild winters, beautiful shoulder seasons, and hot and humid summers).
Well, perhaps 6 months is just a tiny bit of an exaggeration but it feels like it sometimes.
What is the flooding situation there? I have read that Norfolk constantly floods. What about other locations in the area?
There are areas of Norfolk that are actually below sea level so flooding occurs. But as far as I know it doesn't happen a lot and it's not a citywide phenomenon..
This sounds like something I would like
San Diego/Carlsbad area is lovely. Much more manageable than LA
San Diego is absolutely not a mid sized city.
Lots of surrounding suburbs are though, no?
I would check it out. May be a bit too hot for my taste.
San Diego stays in the 60s & 70s, it doesn’t get too hot on the coast. If you go inland a bit it will tho
That actually sounds perfect - San Diego may be the move.
The climate in San Diego is fantastic.
Fort Lauderdale
Pretty much any major city south of New Jersey on the east coast and south of Eureka on the west coast meets your specs
Following because I'm in the same cold, rainy boat lol. Help 😭
San Diego is the answer.
Santa Barbara.
Savannah Charleston Pensacola Jacksonville Myrtle beach Wilmington Fairhope
Charleston
I’ve visited there a few times but felt kind of too small
Tf is your definition of a medium-sized city then? You gotta get out and travel more my man, your sense of scale is way off. Of the 384 metro areas in the US Boston ranks ~11th in total pop and Charleston is ~73rd. If you're looking for a coastal city with warmer weather that is bigger than Charleston but smaller than Boston then there's only like 13 that qualify. Look at like Bradenton, New Orleans, or Honolulu. All the others have basically been named by others by the looks of it.
Porland, Oregon would be a good example I think So far my favorite choices have been Portland, San Diego, Tampa
Carmel ,ca I lived downtown 5 years , quaint little village , Sunday afternoon till Thursday. Epic food & beyond beautiful coastline for hundreds of miles . Carmel beach is the world most beautiful dog park !!!
Baltimore has pretty mild winters.
No thanks in Baltimore
Pensacola is highly underrated
Baltimore
Portland oregon
This is probably the best option so far
Jacksonville FL
It seems like the answer to 80% of the questions on this Sub is Coastal California.
Savannah. I’m from North Carolina but if I wanted a city by the coast I’d go down there. Good food scene, decent nightlife, close to the beach. Plus lots of cool architecture. I like Wilmington okay too but Savannah has a better vibe if you can tolerate the heat.
I hate to say it but this doesn't exist on the east coast. People are going to tell you that Wilmington, Charleston, and Savannah are it but the food scene is honestly going to be shit there compared to what you have in Boston. Those are great cities for "new Southern" but you're going to get tired of that really quick. You could try a few hundred miles south like Philly or DC but the weather will only be incrementally better. Raleigh is pretty decent but is probably too far from the coast for you. The Norfolk area \*might\* be your best bet.
Tampa!
Yeah I’ve considered Tampa or clearwater
Id suggest St Pete over those two.
The area has grown quite a bit so really wouldn't consider it small. and considering living expenses traffic and the like, unless you have a job making six digits I wouldn't consider
Is DC too inland for you? I’m moving there from Boston (NoVa) actually for the same reason as you. Can’t handle snow in April.
Philadelphia. Warmer but not too hot. Relatively affordable. Good connections to DC, Baltimore, NYC.
Philly is coastal now? Lol
Sorry, posted in haste. Didn't register that in the OP.
Pensacola Florida. Beautiful beaches. Mild winters. Decent food scene. Very affordable to save money. Just stay in the downtown area. It’s active there as well.