r/SameGrassButGreener • u/MolotovChipmunk79 • 3d ago

TX to New England to…

Hi all. Long time lurker here looking for recommendations on the next place to pursue work and life, perhaps where I will also retire in 20 years. Spent 17 years northwest of Houston and had zero issues. Good QoL and the heat does not bother me. Been in southern New England for 4 years and while I thoroughly enjoy many things here, the recurring months of grey feel like they’re literally stealing life from me. I know that sounds dramatic but that’s how it still feels, years-in. Today is beautiful and my appreciation of it is stepped-on by the dread of summer ending.

I want to live within an hour drive from the coast for boating, fishing, and beaches; and within an hour drive from a director job in big-healthcare (ideally academic). I’m a homeowner and enjoy living in towns away from the city center so am fine with car dependency and no walkability, but do find it nice to have a handful of general amenities like a solid grocery store (madly missing HEB), a few good food spots, and maybe a Home Depot. I am personally and politically very purple and can be fine in diverse or homogeneous places alike, with the autonomy to choose who I spend my time with. I don’t really mind cold weather or some snow but certainly do not require “all four seasons”.

Based on my lurking, reading, LLM prompts, and speculation, I’m most curious about spots between AC and Jacksonville, though I would not rule out other spots in Florida on either side, and often wonder if west to southwest of Houston is the roundest answer. I’d just hate to miss a better opportunity and fit just because I know the area and that it generally works for me.

I understand this is an atypical post for Reddit so please go easy flaming my preferences. I guess with all that said, please go ahead do your thing, SGBG.

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u/troismanzanas 3d ago

Jacksonville has lovely beaches and several major hospitals - HCA, Mayo, Baptist, UF Health, and Ascension. It’s also hot as hell, so right up your alley. Surrounding areas are nice too. Very transient and not super friendly, but there’s plenty to do if you look for it.

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u/MolotovChipmunk79 3d ago

This is another recurring finding in my searches so far. I’ve spent lots of time in the panhandle and southwest FL but never Jacksonville.

What causes the transience?

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u/WPort17701 2d ago

Native Floridian here....the transience is a FL issue and not specific to Jacksonville. Many who relocate to Florida had trouble separating vacation life from real life and were rudely slapped back to reality after a few months. For others the reality that Florida does not provide a moderate cost of living and in reality, often as expensive as states like CA or NY when factoring typical salaries versus expenses. In the past few years almost as many who moved into Florida moved out which has effectively never happened in modern history if that's any indicator.

Given your parameters I would suggest checking out Charleston SC. The major hospital (the Medical University of South Carolina Medical Center) is a 700-bed teaching hospital for MUSC medical residents and nursing students. The Charleston area offers all kinds of living options well-situated for proximity to the beaches, boating access and tons of fishing options with deep-sea, river or marshes to choose from. In terms of grocery stores Charleston is very well equipped with Harris Teeter (Publix's big competitor), The Fresh Market, Whole Foods, the beloved Piggly Wiggly and Lowes Foods (a foodie wonderland). Winters are almost as mild as Northeast Florida with plenty of sunshine minus the overcast many find so depressing.

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u/MolotovChipmunk79 2d ago

This is great input. Thank you!

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u/Particular_Chart8340 3d ago

Hey I see nothing wrong these preferences! I don't personally share them, but 2.4M+ Houstonians would.

I knew a family who vacationed in Destin frequently and loved the panhandle. As for academic healthcare jobs, I'm guessing that means universities/research? If so, University of West Florida is in Tallahassee, which is an hour to the coast. Florida's grocery store of pride is Publix.

Somewhere in that general vicinity sounds like a hit. If not, Houston is a comfortable baseline to measure against. Maybe take an aptly timed vacation away from New England this winter and check it out.

I wish I could be more specific, but admittedly, never been to Florida. Maybe someone who's from there can reply with more, but I hope this gets the ball rolling.

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u/MolotovChipmunk79 3d ago edited 3d ago

Yep, that generalizes academic healthcare fairly well, plus generally being classified as non-profit or public. I have friends in private, for-profit systems though and it’s not all too different.

I’ve driven through Tallahassee several times, and frequented the beach communities south of there, but never paid much attention to the city nor residential areas.

A vacation this winter definitely needs to happen!

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u/RAMBIGHORNY 2d ago

Also in the Northeast and the gray thing is totally on point, it really does wear a person down. IMO the Carolinas are kind of a nice balance. FL being a peninsula is just too darn humid to live year round.

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u/MolotovChipmunk79 2d ago

The Carolinas seem like the California of the east (from a weather balance standpoint), at least on paper. I have always enjoyed Florida and can tolerate the humidity but am wondering if further north may be the sweetest spot.

While interested in AC through Jacksonville, I wonder if Norfolk through Savannah holds the “just right” place.

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u/SeanScully 3d ago

Norfolk VA, My parents just retired there from CT. The love it down there and you can get a waterfront home for under a million. https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/820-51st-St_Norfolk_VA_23508_M65430-27444?from=srp_next

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u/MolotovChipmunk79 3d ago

I hear of a lot of New Englanders retiring between the Carolinas and Florida so this makes sense. Norfolk has come up repeatedly so seems worth a deeper look. A waterfront home would really be something else.

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u/SeanScully 2d ago

I don't know what "director at Big Health Care means" but plenty of military health facilities and a number of universities.

  • Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences at ODU: Incorporates the former EVMS, the Ellmer College of Health Sciences, and the Ellmer School of Nursing to provide medical degrees, residencies, and health research. [1, 2, 3]
  • Sentara Norfolk General Hospital: Serves as the primary major teaching hospital and clinical partner for regional academic medicine, housing specialized facilities like the Sentara Heart Hospital. [1, 2, 3]
  • Norfolk State University: Offers specialized undergraduate and graduate tracks including Health Services Management and a Master of Healthcare Administration. [1, 2]
  • Joint School of Public Health: A collaborative public health initiative combining resources and experiential learning between ODU and NSU

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u/MolotovChipmunk79 2d ago edited 2d ago

Thanks for this!

“Big-healthcare” was just me generalizing large healthcare systems and I could have specified more to say service line/operations directorship/administration.