Do you want to live near the beach?

[Sax]

I live in the desert.. Yes. The high Sierra's.. And if anyone tells me again: "OH! That must be GREAT to live up there!" I am going to lose it.

That must be great to live up there!

I just got back from the high Sierra. Bishop is awesome. The 395 corridor in general is pretty rad. The Ritter Range is jaw dropping.

If you ever want to trade places, let me know. I'm right on the banks of the Missouri River, so you can swim in massively polluted agricultural runoff anytime you like.

 

[TofuRobot]

I happen to live a couple of blocks near the beach in the same house in which I grew up. I'm 53, and the town is not *at all* like it was when I was a kid. The traffic is horrendous - it's not even safe to walk down the street just out the door from my house - the influx of the 'nouveau riche' and monstrous homes the city allows for the sake of property taxes that were never allowed before... I am ready for a change. I *do* like being hear the beach, but for me, in my specific area, I'm over all of the inconveniences. My home is also very old and it's too much for me, economically-speaking. There is something about being near the beach, but I am not a sunbather by any stretch of the imagination (BTDT for years as a kid). I can't sit still long enough to just lay around all day on the sand - though people drive from miles away every day to do just that. I would be happy with a driveway, an accessible yard, and a sidewalk. I am very fortunate, and will probably not migrate too far from a body of water in my future locations, but I'm planning on moving in less than 2 years. It's actually been part of my plan for many years. If you can find a spot near the ocean that isn't overrun by tourism, yet still close enough to urban areas, I think that would be ideal.

 

[shyvas]

I would love to live in a seaside town.

 

[Nekodaiden]

I live close enough to the beach to make it an easy, relatively short, drive, and far enough away to miss all the beach traffic and any tidal waves.

 

[PTree15]

I love the beach so much, but I don't think I'd like to live right on the water. Living in a seaside town would be great, though. I'm about an hour from the Connecticut coast, which is not impressive, IMHO. I prefer beaches in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, which a bit farther.

 

[Chryssie]

I live about 40 minutes from the beach and I would love to live closer (except when there are hurricanes). When my family first moved to Florida, we went to the beach quite a lot. I haven't gone in quite a while. I do think the ocean is therapeutic so I should try to get over there more often.

 

[Lou]

I also live about 30 minutes away from the beach when there is no traffic. On a weekend, or any time in the summer it takes more like an hour.

But the Pacific over here is way too cold for swimming without a thick wetsuit. And thick wet suits aren't good for swimming - just surfing, sailing, and diving. I have a pool for swimming. But when its really hot its nice just to go over to the beach to cool off.

We also have a park on the water that is even closer. but it's on the San Francisco Bay which is still pretty cold.

I think I would rather live near a lake or a river. Maybe in the mountains.

 

[Mischief]

My best days have been spent by the ocean. It's as though my depression doesn't exist there.

 

[beancounter]

I live about 20 minutes ( by car) from a beach. I like it like that. Just far enough away.. If you live right on the beach, you have to deal with constant traffic during the warmer months, possible flooding during storms, and tourist and transients from all over the world.

I'n addition, taxes real estate, and the cost of living are higher right on the beach.

 

[PTree15]

I live about 40 minutes from the beach and I would love to live closer (except when there are hurricanes). When my family first moved to Florida, we went to the beach quite a lot. I haven't gone in quite a while. I do think the ocean is therapeutic so I should try to get over there more often.

Yes on the hurricanes. That's what would worry me about a house right on the water.

 

[Emma JC]

I am an Aquarian and a water person and have lived almost all of my life in sight of one of the Great Lakes. I moved out west in 1999 into the Rockies and I moved back within 3 months.... I love the water. I grew up going to a cottage on Lake Superior every year until I was 8 and then we had a cottage on a smaller lake in the Muskoka area of Ontario and that was perfect for swimming and canoeing etc. I live in a highrise currently and can see Lake Ontario and all the way to Niagara Falls. Swimming with wild dolphins in the Bahamas is huge favourite of mine.

Would I want to live on the water directly? no, not unless it was a small spring fed lake. The variations in height of the Great Lakes can make life miserable, hurricanes etc can make it miserable on the oceans. If the climate does keep changing and the oceans do rise then I would prefer to be at a higher elevation. Besides, there are a lot of spiders on homes that are close to the water. 🕷

Emma JC

 

[SapphireLightning]

I live in the small island village of Bar Harbor, and have lived on Mount Desert Island most of my life, all of that either within sight of the ocean, or within a few minutes walk to it. Too bad most of the beaches are just rocky, being Maine and all...

 

[MoreGreens]

I embraced the beach dream. I moved to live 3 miles from the ocean. It was beautiful, a literal paradise. I was giddy, until I learned of the invisible menaces named no-see-ums. Brits will know them as midges. Evil things. Between them and the mosquitoes I loved the screened lanai more than the sunsets.

 

[Mufflon]

We recently bought a house that's about 15 min away from the North Sea beach. So no watching sun rises but it feels so good having a place you only need a few minutes to see the sea.

 

[Poppy]

Nope. I can walk to the beautiful James River, so that's just fine by me. I grew up a Navy brat, and while we never lived within walking distance to the beach, I'm used to beach towns. If I could live near a secluded beach, maybe, but most of the well-known beaches are too busy and touristy for my taste at this time in my life.