where would you like to move right now?

[mocat]

Berlin

[mocat]

Never been to London or Paris but I have seen James Bond movies and Midnight in Paris

[Kat Kid]

Detroit.

[8manpick]

If I were to move away from KC to anywhere but Manhattan:

1. Ft. Collins or Boulder
2. Chicago

Would be hard to move away though, I'm really close with my family and have a good friend group in the area. Those things are far more important to me than any nightlife, restaurants, events, weather, or outdoor activities that another city could offer.

[sys]

i've thought about this a lot as well.  i come back to probably spain, just due to the language.  language aside, i'm almost sure i'd rather live in france or italy.

what regions do you prefer in these countries?

in spain, probably galicia, but maybe las asturias, cantabria, the basque country or catalonia.  i think galicia has the lowest cost of living though, and is also right next to portugal.  my wife might prefer catalonia, she doesn't like rain as much as me.  i could handle that, but if it was just my choice, i'd go for the greener areas.

in france, any of the provinces bordering the atlantic (from brittany down) or the mediterranean (same conflict between myself and my wife) as well as the midi pyrenees and the rhone alps.  maybe bourgogne and auvergne (never been to either afaik, but they seem like they might be nice).  also corsica, though again, never been there.  also not sure how i'd like living on an island.  i think my preference would be aquitaine.  but honestly, i'd need to spend more time there to know best where to live.

italy is just great, i could live almost anywhere there, although i'd probably steer clear of the islands and the coastal south.  maybe liguria as a first choice.  but i dunno, i've liked everywhere i've ever been in italy.  i'd probably have to look at cost of living before making a decision.

[sys]

it's against the spirit of the original poster's question, but the other reason i'm more likely to immigrate to spain than elsewhere in europe is due to the favorability of spain's immigration laws.  in fact, if i wanted to move to italy, i'd probably start the process by moving to spain.

hopefully, they don't change the laws before i can use them.

[bubbles4ksu]

i've thought about this a lot as well.  i come back to probably spain, just due to the language.  language aside, i'm almost sure i'd rather live in france or italy.

what regions do you prefer in these countries?

in spain, probably galicia, but maybe las asturias, cantabria, the basque country or catalonia.  i think galicia has the lowest cost of living though, and is also right next to portugal.  my wife might prefer catalonia, she doesn't like rain as much as me.  i could handle that, but if it was just my choice, i'd go for the greener areas.

in france, any of the provinces bordering the atlantic (from brittany down) or the mediterranean (same conflict between myself and my wife) as well as the midi pyrenees and the rhone alps.  maybe bourgogne and auvergne (never been to either afaik, but they seem like they might be nice).  also corsica, though again, never been there.  also not sure how i'd like living on an island.  i think my preference would be aquitaine.  but honestly, i'd need to spend more time there to know best where to live.

italy is just great, i could live almost anywhere there, although i'd probably steer clear of the islands and the coastal south.  maybe liguria as a first choice.  but i dunno, i've liked everywhere i've ever been in italy.  i'd probably have to look at cost of living before making a decision.

would language be an issue in northern spain or is there enough spanish around? what makes northern spain better than the south?

i've talked with a british ex-pat living in the normandy region about rural france. it sounded very pleasant, almost vermont-like.

i agree that italy would be a retirees paradise. four hour dinners, outdoors, every night, forever. that's interesting about italy's immigration laws. the whole racism explanation aside, i suppose they probably have more roma and slavs and africans wanting in than they can handle.

[bubbles4ksu]

Detroit.

i looked at real estate today. everything is encumbered with city violations/inspection fees/taxes/whatever, BUT i think if we can get some strategies for fighting the city me and you and pete can all be living in 5500sqft mansions for under 300K.

[sys]

would language be an issue in northern spain or is there enough spanish around? what makes northern spain better than the south?

i've talked with a british ex-pat living in the normandy region about rural france. it sounded very pleasant, almost vermont-like.

i agree that italy would be a retirees paradise. four hour dinners, outdoors, every night, forever. that's interesting about italy's immigration laws. the whole racism explanation aside, i suppose they probably have more roma and slavs and africans wanting in than they can handle.

you can speak "spanish" (castillian) anywhere in spain.  you might find yourself a little excluded from some parts of the community if you can't speak the regional language/dialect, but really everyone will treat you like an expat and make allowances regardless of whether you can or can't.  and really, i expect i could pretty much fully understand (not necessarily speak) either catalan or gallego within about a year of living there anyways.  neither are that different.  basque is a completely different animal, but i don't think they really expect any non-basques to speak or understand it.

i really like normandy, but i prefer the architecture farther south.  that's one of the great things about france.  they were so wealthy and so populous so long ago that they just have huge numbers of really amazing old houses.  in comparison, spain and italy were pretty poor.  plus it's colder than my wife would be likely to accept.

i've heard italy is particularly difficult to emmigrate to (just bureaucracy, not policy), but the main advantage is that i can slip in through a loophole in spain.  my wife is a mexican citizen and citizens of former spanish colonies can attain spanish citizenship after just two years of legal residence.

[steve dave]

I'm pretty positive you would have to overpay for Detroit real estate because every dork is trying to buy it.

[Kat Kid]

I'm pretty positive you would have to overpay for Detroit real estate because every dork is trying to buy it.

commercial?  yes.  downtown high-rise or refurbed historical?  yes. 

But that leaves a ton of real estate that is still in nice areas with good schools etc. for dirt cheap.  Detroit real estate was probably comparable to KC even before the devastation in the sense that it is such an enormous area with low population density that even the elite suburbs are not completely exclusive if you play your cards right.

Now?

well you can get beautiful grosse pointe or grosse pointe farms brick 4 br tudors for the price of a house on the west side of MHK.

http://www.zillow.com/grosse-pointe-mi/

[pissclams]

i've thought about this a lot as well.  i come back to probably spain, just due to the language.  language aside, i'm almost sure i'd rather live in france or italy.

language aside, food though.  spain.

[sys]

language aside, food though.  spain.

maybe.

[bubbles4ksu]

would language be an issue in northern spain or is there enough spanish around? what makes northern spain better than the south?

i've talked with a british ex-pat living in the normandy region about rural france. it sounded very pleasant, almost vermont-like.

i agree that italy would be a retirees paradise. four hour dinners, outdoors, every night, forever. that's interesting about italy's immigration laws. the whole racism explanation aside, i suppose they probably have more roma and slavs and africans wanting in than they can handle.

you can speak "spanish" (castillian) anywhere in spain.  you might find yourself a little excluded from some parts of the community if you can't speak the regional language/dialect, but really everyone will treat you like an expat and make allowances regardless of whether you can or can't.  and really, i expect i could pretty much fully understand (not necessarily speak) either catalan or gallego within about a year of living there anyways.  neither are that different.  basque is a completely different animal, but i don't think they really expect any non-basques to speak or understand it.

i really like normandy, but i prefer the architecture farther south.  that's one of the great things about france.  they were so wealthy and so populous so long ago that they just have huge numbers of really amazing old houses.  in comparison, spain and italy were pretty poor.  plus it's colder than my wife would be likely to accept.

i've heard italy is particularly difficult to emmigrate to (just bureaucracy, not policy), but the main advantage is that i can slip in through a loophole in spain.  my wife is a mexican citizen and citizens of former spanish colonies can attain spanish citizenship after just two years of legal residence.

all v. interesting info. 

[8manpick]

I'm pretty positive you would have to overpay for Detroit real estate because every dork is trying to buy it.

commercial?  yes.  downtown high-rise or refurbed historical?  yes. 

But that leaves a ton of real estate that is still in nice areas with good schools etc. for dirt cheap.  Detroit real estate was probably comparable to KC even before the devastation in the sense that it is such an enormous area with low population density that even the elite suburbs are not completely exclusive if you play your cards right.

Now?

well you can get beautiful grosse pointe or grosse pointe farms brick 4 br tudors for the price of a house on the west side of MHK.

http://www.zillow.com/grosse-pointe-mi/

Surprised that there are good schools in Detroit. Truly interesting if true.

[Kat Kid]

I'm pretty positive you would have to overpay for Detroit real estate because every dork is trying to buy it.

commercial?  yes.  downtown high-rise or refurbed historical?  yes. 

But that leaves a ton of real estate that is still in nice areas with good schools etc. for dirt cheap.  Detroit real estate was probably comparable to KC even before the devastation in the sense that it is such an enormous area with low population density that even the elite suburbs are not completely exclusive if you play your cards right.

Now?

well you can get beautiful grosse pointe or grosse pointe farms brick 4 br tudors for the price of a house on the west side of MHK.

http://www.zillow.com/grosse-pointe-mi/

Surprised that there are good schools in Detroit. Truly interesting if true.

grosse pointe, cass tech, country day.  They are all there.

[Kat Kid]

hmmmmm.  maybe not.  DAG and my uncle must be sad.

[Mikeyis4dcats]

Bourdain did a good show on Detroit.   Talked about a high rise downtown that's for sale for only $5mil.

[bubbles4ksu]

one bad thing about detroit is that ann arbor is right down the road #shithole

[Pete]

Bubz and KK, this Detroit thing has legs.  LEGS.

[Pete]

I'm pretty positive you would have to overpay for Detroit real estate because every dork is trying to buy it.

Wayne State is hiring like crazy.   

[Trim]

Pete, Seattle.

[kim carnes]

I'm pretty positive you would have to overpay for Detroit real estate because every dork is trying to buy it.

Wayne State is hiring like crazy.   

are you a professor pete?

[Pete]

Pete, Seattle.

Still a remote possibility. 

[Pete]

I'm pretty positive you would have to overpay for Detroit real estate because every dork is trying to buy it.

Wayne State is hiring like crazy.   

are you a professor pete?

Nope, not in academia at all.