As I mentioned in the last installment, that decision is turning out to not be as easy as I had hoped. The factors in the decision are: temperate climate, low cost of living, proximity to a major airport, and conducive to opening a dojo. Months of research have led me to the conclusion that no cities in the United States meet all four of those criteria. Those that have temperate climates lack affordable housing. Those that are most conducive to opening a new dojo are either prohibitively expensive or in blast-furnace climates. The only places that meet all four of my criteria are in Central or South America! And I can't obtain a residency visa for any of those offshore locations until I'm drawing Social Security. So, until then my search is limited to places where the heat and humidity are almost unbearable to me ...
There are 16 metropolitan areas that meet three of my four criteria. The top ten of these (in alphabetic order) are:
- Augusta, Georgia
- Carrollton, Georgia
- Charleston, South Carolina
- Columbia, South Carolina
- Columbus, Georgia
- Dallas, Texas
- Dothan, Alabama
- Jackson, Mississippi
- Memphis, Tennessee
- San Antonio, Texas
Not one of these locations seems ideal to me. Each has major disadvantages, but each also has some attractions and advantages for me. So my focus in the early part of 2013 will be comparing all of these areas in an effort to cull them down to no more than five -- and preferably just three -- to visit in person before making my final decision. This is where I invite reader participation!
If you are familiar with any of these areas, have suggestions or comments about them that you would like to share, please feel free to share your knowledge and impressions with me.
No comments:
Post a Comment