First day we were there it never got out of the 70s.
Just getting out of your normal routine is great. Having gone on many vacations, I think there are so many great things to see and places to visit in the not too far away that are simply amazing.
EDIT: Just to add… as much as I would love to move to the mountains, I think it would ruin some of the magic for me. I moved to Tampa to be closer to Disney/Universal and having the ability to go any time I want as amazing as it is kind of ruins it for me. However, working at Universal now is simply awesome, but having the ability to walk into the park on my lunch or a break kind of ruins it some ya know?
On this, Dan thought both he and I would tire of it, that it would spoil some of the fun… but it didn’t happen, we constantly say how it was such a great decision. Some of it could be because of the diversity of biomes and sights around here, then throw in the seasonal changes which completely change the look of it all. FL congestion and road stress gets worse each trip we make down, and while crowds increasing here, it is still a lot better. Few temperature extremes, most here actually look forward to snow since it is rare here, and quite pretty.
Problem right now of course is, like everywhere, the cost for any who do want to move up. If anybody wants to be my neighbor, next door house just went on the market… nice dock, house site elevated well above the river, very well maintained… but it is less than 800 sq ft and they are asking 299k (and getting plenty of showings still at that!).
It all depends on where you live these days. I have lived in and around San Diego, CA growing up. I was born in the city and then my grandfather bought some ranches just outside the city (25 miles or so inland) and it was a whole different world. No traffic, mountains… and we were lucky enough to be 30 mins from the beach and 30 mins from the snow. Pretty awesome and there was like zero traffic.
I also lived in Houston area, the Atlanta area and a few others and all of the “areas” are just that, areas that can be less crowded and even very rural at times and only be a short trip to the city. I love living outside of a large city so I can have access to it and everything it offers. Having access to Tampa and Orlando is awesome and damn fun for myself and my family.
On the flip side, I am considering buying a cabin up in the Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge area and just renting it out when I am not there. We’ll see what the future holds. All that said, my wife has now become a mountain girl…
The buying and renting a good idea… I suspect whoever buys the house next to us will probably run it as a vacation rental. Because of the location - considered the best trout fishing spot in the SE US by some - even at 299k could probably do very well even if the value if the house itself goes down a lot later when the bubble goes. Lot of demand for rentals up here.
Some of it could be because of the diversity of biomes and sights around here, then throw in the seasonal changes which completely change the look of it all. FL congestion and road stress gets worse each trip we make down, and while crowds increasing here, it is still a lot better. Few temperature extremes, most here actually look forward to snow since it is rare here, and quite pretty.