Maybe, for this time of year you want to visit the desert instead of the mountains.Or take a vacation along the coast. Or islands – like Catalina off the coast of Southern California or one of the Hawaiian Islands.
Photo: Visual Hunt
You may just decide to live there for six months and somewhere else for the other.In the mountains for skiing and snowboarding and then at the beach for surfing and sun bathing.
It may begin with a vacation to a friend’s favorite destination.
Maybe it’s someplace where you’ve never been before.
Where do you find neighborhoods with similar families?
For your first time you’ll want to figure out your route and itinerary.
Usually you have a region in mind, with some ideas where you might want to visit.
Western United States – Texas A&M Transportation Institute
You may start with a map of a region within the West or of Hawaii.
You can start saving bookmarks about potential places, to revisit later.
Or you recall a trip you took out west a few years ago.
From California to Nevada and Arizona.
Up to Colorado and back through Utah and Nevada to your return to California.
A name rings a bell when you read an article in a file saved years ago that you stumble across while cleaning up your office.
It lists the top places for retiring published by AARP – Loveland, Colorado.
You spend a little time on the Internet and discover, it’s been singled out as a great place to retire on the water.
In 2009 it was singled out as a best place to live.
Colorado Regions
You recall the fun you had hiking through the nearby Rocky Mountain National Park.
What were the names of some of those other places you saw on the way?
You wonder if Loveland is right for you?
After all, US News & World Report ranked it 7th on their top 10 places to live in 2009; right ahead of San Luis Obispo, California and behind front runner Albuquerque, New Mexico, # 3 Austin, Texas and #4 Boise, Idaho.
Now you’ve got your work cut out for you. Follow these 11 steps to turn your dreams into your dream home. Let’s use Loveland as an example:
1.I recommend beginning with Wikipedia and WikiTravel for a quick summary, local history some pictures and the zip code or zip codes.You’ll see a map of the state, a subset of that map for it’s county.WikiTravel profiles vacation attractions – directions and transportation, where to stay overnight, where you should eat and play.It gives you ideas for visiting local attractions and doing more when you consider a broader vicinity.So you can plan for a long weekend or a one or more week vacation.
2.If you aren’t interested in Loveland you can stop there and consider San Luis Obispo next.Maybe, for this time of year you want to visit the desert instead of the mountains.Or take a vacation along the coast. Or islands – like Catalina off the coast of Southern California or one of the Hawaiian Islands. But, if you like lakes and rivers, then Loveland may be worth further investigation.
3.For our purposes, we are assuming that you really want to move, invest in, work in, start a business or retire in a new community that doubles as a vacation resort and with pristine quality of lifestyle activities.Otherwise, why bother?
4.So, grab the zip code and go to Google and search on the 5 digits.You’ll find a map which will show you where this destination is in relation to its surrounding area.You see photo slide shows and videos of the area.You can switch to satellite views and hybrid map views.
5.Still believe this town may be a keeper?Jump to Claritas to check out the types of people who already live in the neighborhoods. “Birds of a Feather Flock Together.”Neighborhoods change slowly.They attract the same kinds of people over time.If you plan to move, invest, work, start a business or retire, you’ll want to see if residents match your criteria.
8.Let’s say you’ve compared and narrowed your search for real estate investments.Check out City-Data for in-depth demographics and regional, county and zip code statistics – including the number of registered sex offenders.
9.If you plan to move, you should search by zip code on Weather Underground to find a wealth of weather patterns including tornadoes, hurricanes and other disasters for each season, but especially for January and June to determine just how inviting your new vacation resort will be.You may just decide to live there for six months and somewhere else for the other.In the mountains for skiing and snowboarding and then at the beach for surfing and sun bathing.
10. Need a job?Check the openings by zip code from two Internet sites – Indeed and Simply Hired.You’ll want to take a couple of job hunting or house hunting trips before your final decision.Make a vacation of it by returning to WikiTravel to line up the best accommodations, or visit My New Place for a listing, map and photos of rentals by zip code.
11.We know that the best positions are hidden.You find them by a chain of referrals and introductions.How do you create a new network?Use your zip code and key word description of the town in LinkedIn’s advanced search function and begin contacting the first few of 100 local introductions.
These lifestyle descriptions are intended to paint a picture of a new neighborhood you’d enjoy, because you share some of the same traits with current residents.
Photo: Visual Hunt
For our purposes, we are assuming that you really want to move, invest in, work in and around, start a business or retire in a new community that doubles as a vacation resort with pristine quality of lifestyle activities. Otherwise, why bother?
Here’s what we know already.
Neighborhoods change slowly.
“Birds of a Feather Flock Together.”
They attract the same kinds of people over time.
You’ll want to see if current residents match your criteria.
We’ve already done the heavy lifting for you: identifying neighborhood characteristics by age and the stage of life of their residents.
Single (20-29, 25-54, or 30-44).
Couple (55+ or 65+).
Family (20-44, 25-54, 35-54).
Mid-Lifers (30-44).
Empty Nests (45+).
Baby Boomers (55+).
Seniors (65+).
And, we’ve compared neighborhoods by population density.
From urban and suburban Wealthy Influentials and Permanent Temporaries to premier quality-of-life Wireless Resorters to pristine small town and rustic High Country Eagles.
So, if you want to narrow your focus to neighborhoods with, say, 25-54 year old families in Wireless Resorts, then you can find a list that suits you best.
With the help of our knowledge bank, you can choose for variations in your new neighborhood by:
Refer to 66 lifestyle segment descriptions grouped in sets of ten, beginning with the most affluent and ending with the least. You’ll see that we’ve identified a sample town where you’ll most likely find each lifestyle listed.
These lifestyle descriptions are intended to paint a picture of a new neighborhood you’d enjoy, because you share some of the same traits with current residents.
8) Sit down with your spouse, partner or friends and write-up your bucket list of places.
20) Pivot. Maybe the lists of best places don’t appeal to you. Where can you go to make a fresh, new start? Don’t limit your imagination. Think anywhere — across the globe. Where do you really, really want to live, work and play? Why not live where it’s a vacation all year round?
21) Spend the time to find the best place to live and invest. It will be worth your while. The great thing about living where others spend their vacation is the year round quality-of-life.
26) If you know the zip code you can discover the lifestyles living in the community. You can compare your profile with theirs to estimate your degree of fit.
27) Estimate how well suited you are for the resorts. Refer to “Profiles-at-a-Glance” comparing 2008-2009 and 2013-2014 for changes in Life Stages – Singles, Couples, Families, Midlife, Empty Nests, Baby Boomers and Seniors; Ages – 20-29, 25-54, 30-44, 45+ 45-65, 55+ and 65+; and mix of Lifestyles in neighborhoods. Does the resort still offer the age, life stage and lifestyle profiles you prefer?
Friday nights are for celebrating high school sports.
Photo: Visual Hunt
These Americans tend to be young, working-class couples with large families-more than half have two or more kids-living in small homes and manufactured housing.
With the help of our knowledge bank, you can choose for variations in your new neighborhood by:
We use Claritas / Nielsen PRIZM lifestyle segmentation profiles to evaluate best places for relocation to more authentic, quality-of-life communities.
And, if your community already includes the following profiles, you’ll have a better understanding of what’s going on in your neighbors’ lives.
2011 Statistics:
US Households: 11,533,179
Median Household Income : $43,123
Three Rural Cowboy (HCERC) and another three (of the six) segments in Middle America are filled with middle-class homeowners living in small towns and remote exurbs.
“Typically found in scenic settings throughout the nation’s heartland, Middle Americans tend to be white, high school educated, living as couples or larger families, and ranging in age from under 25 to over 65.
Photo: Visual Hunt
Like many residents of remote communities, these conservative consumers tend to prefer traditional rural pursuits: fishing, hunting, making crafts, antique collecting, watching television and meeting at civic and veterans clubs for recreation and companionship.
Friday nights are for celebrating high school sports.”
Where in the West will you find those three lifestyles?
Google Maps: Coeur d’Alene, ID
We find three Rural Cowboy neighborhoods, one each in Arizona, Colorado and Idaho:
Surprise, AZ
Dillon, CO
Coeur d’Alene, ID
Which of the following lifestyles best describes you?
45Y3T3, Blue Highways, 20-29 Striving Singles, Middle America HCERC Rural Cowboy, High Country Eagles (Dillon, CO)
Rural Cowboy (HCERC): “On maps, blue highways are often two-lane roads that wind through remote stretches of the American landscape.
Among lifestyles, Blue Highways is the standout for lower middle-class singles and couples who live in isolated towns and farmsteads.
They like to hunt and fish, the women enjoy sewing and crafts, and everyone looks forward to going out to a country music concert.”
2011 Statistics:
US Households: 1,809,961 (1.55%)
Median Household Income: $43,023
Lifestyle & Media Traits:
Shopped at Wal-Mart
Owned satellite dish
Read Guns & Ammo
Watched auto racing
Drove Chevrolet Colorado“
50F3T3, Kid Country, USA, 25-54, Mainstream Families, Middle America – HCERCRural Cowboy, High Country Eagles (Coeur d’Alene, ID)
2011 Statistics:
US Households: 1,481,771 (1.27%)
Median Household Income: $42,166
Rural Cowboy (HCERC): “Widely scattered throughout the nation’s heartland, Kid Country, USA is a segment dominated by large families living in small towns.
Predominantly white, with an above average concentration of Hispanics, these young, these working-class households include homeowners, renters and military personnel living in base housing; about 16 – 20 percent of residents own mobile homes.
Lifestyle & Media Traits:
Ordered from oldnavy.com
Bought infant toys
Read Fit Pregnancy
Watched Nick at Nite
Drove a Nissan Titan Flex Fuel”
51F3T3, Shotguns & Pickups, 25-54, Mainstream Families, Middle America, HCERCRural Cowboy, High Country Eagles (Surprise, AZ)
2011 Statistics:
US Households: 1,873,167 (1.60%)
Median Household Income: $41,859
Rural Cowboy (HCERC): “The segment known as Shotguns & Pickups came by its moniker honestly: it scores near the top of all lifestyles for owning hunting rifles and pickup trucks.
These Americans tend to be young, working-class couples with large families-more than half have two or more kids-living in small homes and manufactured housing.
Nearly a third of residents live in mobile homes, more than anywhere else in the nation.
Lifestyle & Media Traits:
Shopped at Sears Hardware
Went camping
Read North American Hunter
Watched Outdoor Channel
Drove Ford F-Series”
Will you find a 100% fit?
No.
These lifestyle descriptions are intended to paint a picture of a new neighborhood you’d enjoy, because you share some of the same traits with current residents.
8) Sit down with your spouse, partner or friends and write-up your bucket list of places.
20) Pivot. Maybe the lists of best places don’t appeal to you. Where can you go to make a fresh, new start? Don’t limit your imagination. Think anywhere — across the globe. Where do you really, really want to live, work and play? Why not live where it’s a vacation all year round?
21) Spend the time to find the best place to live and invest. It will be worth your while. The great thing about living where others spend their vacation is the year round quality-of-life.
26) If you know the zip code you can discover the lifestyles living in the community. You can compare your profile with theirs to estimate your degree of fit.
27) Estimate how well suited you are for the resorts. Refer to “Profiles-at-a-Glance” comparing 2008-2009 and 2013-2014 for changes in Life Stages – Singles, Couples, Families, Midlife, Empty Nests, Baby Boomers and Seniors; Ages – 20-29, 25-54, 30-44, 45+ 45-65, 55+ and 65+; and mix of Lifestyles in neighborhoods. Does the resort still offer the age, life stage and lifestyle profiles you prefer?
With modest educations and incomes, these residents maintain low-key, sedentary lifestyles.
Photo: Visual Hunt
One of the youngest segments in America-with ten times as many college students as the national average-these neighborhoods feature low incomes and high concentrations of Hispanics and African-Americans.
With the help of our knowledge bank, you can choose for variations in your new neighborhood by:
“Micro-City Blues was created via the predominantly downscale residents living in the affordable housing found throughout the nation’s smaller cities.
A diverse social group, these segments contain a mix of old and young, singles and widowers, whites, African-Americans and Hispanics.
Most of the workers hold blue-collar jobs—hence the name—and their marketplace behaviors reflect the segments’ varied lifestyles.
This is one of the few social groups where consumers have a high index for video games and bingo, aerobic exercise and fishing, BET and the Country Music Network.”
Where in the West will you find those three lifestyles?
Google Maps: Palm Desert, CA
We’ve found them living in two California communities and a neighborhood in Idaho:
Coeur d’Alene, ID
Eureka, CA
Palm Desert, CA
Which of the following lifestyles best describes you?
47Y3C3, City Startups, 20-29, Singles, Striving Singles, Micro-City Blues – HCESTB Small Town Borders, High Country Eagles (Eureka, CA)
Small Town Border (HCESTB): “In City Startups, young, multi-ethnic singles have settled in neighborhoods filled with cheap apartments and a commercial base of cafes, bars, laundromats and clubs that cater to twentysomethings.
One of the youngest segments in America-with ten times as many college students as the national average-these neighborhoods feature low incomes and high concentrations of Hispanics and African-Americans.
2011 Statistics:
US Households: 1,525,847 (1.31%)
Median Household Income: $23,777
Lifestyle & Media Traits:
Shopped at The Limited
Attended college football games
Read Spin
Watched Game Show Network
Drove a Suzuki Forenza”
53Y3C3, Mobility Blues, 20-29, Single, Striving Singles, Micro-City Blues – HCESTB Small Town Borders, High Country Eagles (Coeur d’Alene, ID)
Small Town Border (HCESTB): “Young singles and single parents make their way to Mobility Blues, a segment of working-class neighborhoods in America’s satellite cities.
Racially mixed and under 25 years old, these transient Americans tend to have modest lifestyles due to their lower-income blue-collar jobs.
Surveys show they excel in going to movies, playing basketball and shooting pool.
2011 Statistics:
US Households: 1,522,347 (1.30%)
Median Household Income: $29,419
Lifestyle & Media Traits:
Shopped at Circuit City
Went whitewater rafting
Read WWE Magazine
Watched Telemundo
Drove a Hundai Tiburon”
60M4C3, Park Bench Seniors, 65+Sustaining Seniors,Micro-City Blues – HCESTB Small Town Borders, High Country Eagles (Palm Desert, CA)
2011 Statistics:
US Households: 1,345,679 (1.15%)
Median Household Income: $24,290
Small Town Borders (HCESTB): “Park Bench Seniors typically are retired singles living in the racially mixed neighborhoods of the nation’s satellite cities.
With modest educations and incomes, these residents maintain low-key, sedentary lifestyles.
Photo: Visual Hunt
Theirs is one of the top-ranked segments for TV viewing, especially daytime soaps and game shows.
Lifestyle & Media Traits:
Purchased in-home housewares
Bought gospel music
Read Jet
Watched The People’s Court
Drove a Suzuki Reno”
Will you find a 100% fit?
No.
These lifestyle descriptions are intended to paint a picture of a new neighborhood you’d enjoy, because you share some of the same traits with current residents.
8) Sit down with your spouse, partner or friends and write-up your bucket list of places.
20) Pivot. Maybe the lists of best places don’t appeal to you. Where can you go to make a fresh, new start? Don’t limit your imagination. Think anywhere — across the globe. Where do you really, really want to live, work and play? Why not live where it’s a vacation all year round?
21) Spend the time to find the best place to live and invest. It will be worth your while. The great thing about living where others spend their vacation is the year round quality-of-life.
26) If you know the zip code you can discover the lifestyles living in the community. You can compare your profile with theirs to estimate your degree of fit.
27) Estimate how well suited you are for the resorts. Refer to “Profiles-at-a-Glance” comparing 2008-2009 and 2013-2014 for changes in Life Stages – Singles, Couples, Families, Midlife, Empty Nests, Baby Boomers and Seniors; Ages – 20-29, 25-54, 30-44, 45+ 45-65, 55+ and 65+; and mix of Lifestyles in neighborhoods. Does the resort still offer the age, life stage and lifestyle profiles you prefer?
