Seattle: Model Evaluation

The final city on this trip that we are considering as a future home is Seattle.

Seattle scores well on four out of five dimensions: accessibility (good hospitals and airport), quality of life (great university, great views, cultural diversity), climate (despite the rain in winter) and job opportunities. In fact, Seattle has the best job options we've seen.

The problem with Seattle is cost of living. Housing is still very expensive, even with the recent declines in prices. Overall, cost of living is 25% higher than Hudson. If you back out the housing differences, it is still more expensive. Taxes are a mixed bag: there is no state income tax, but sales tax is up to 9.9% - living here without a job would be very expensive.

Overall, the model looks like this:

Seatle WA (Decision)

• ●Seattle WA is a good choice for our next home.
• ●AND [1 of 5] : Seattle WA has a good climate.
• ●AND [1 of 2] : Seattle WA has moderate winters.
• ○OR [1 of 2] : The number of days each year at or below freezing should be 10 or less.
• ●OR [2 of 2] : The average winter temperature should be at least 10 degrees warmer than Hudson OH.
• ●True
• ●AND [2 of 2] : Seattle WA has a good balance of sunshine and summer heat.
• ●OR [1 of 2] : Seattle WA has moderate summers in exchange for lots of sunshine.
• ●True
• ○OR [2 of 2] : Seattle WA has lots of sunshine but hot summers.
• ●AND [2 of 5] : Seattle WA has an affordable cost of living.
• ●AND [1 of 4] : Seattle WA has health insurance available for less than $1500 a month.
• ●True
• ●AND [2 of 4] : Seattle WA has lower taxes than Hudson OH.
• ●True
• ●AND [3 of 4] : Seattle WA has a lower cost of living index than Hudson OH.
• ●False
• ●AND [4 of 4] : Seattle WA has good housing for less than $750,000.
• ●False
• ●AND [3 of 5] : Seattle WA has good work opportunities.
• ●OR [1 of 2] : Seattle WA has good fulltime work opportunities.
• ●True
• ●OR [2 of 2] : Seattle WA has good freelance work opportunities.
• ●True
• ●AND [4 of 5] : Seattle WA provides a good quality of life.
• ●AND [1 of 2] : Seattle WA can provide a healthy lifestyle.
• ●OR [1 of 2] : Seattle WA has neighborhoods that provide a walkable urban lifestyle.
• ●AND [1 of 2] : Seattle WA has at least one neighborhood with a walkscore greater than 90.
• ●True
• ●AND [2 of 2] : The neighborhood with a walkscore greater than 90 has a crime rate no greater than 125% of the national average.
• ●True
• ●OR [2 of 2] : Seattle WA has areas with affordable nature 'compounds'.
• ●False
• ●AND [2 of 2] : Seattle WA can provide an inspirational lifestyle.
• ●OR [1 of 3] : Seattle WA has a high quality university.
• ●True
• ●OR [2 of 3] : Seattle WA has cultural diversity.
• ●True
• ●OR [3 of 3] : Seattle WA has beautiful scenery and views.
• ●True
• ●AND [5 of 5] : Seattle WA has good accessibility.
• ●AND [1 of 2] : Seattle WA is within 2 hours of a major airport.
• ●True
• ●AND [2 of 2] : Seattle WA is within 30 minutes of high quality hospitals.
• ●True

We have not ruled Seattle out, mostly based on the work opportunities, but we both agree that the city would mostly make sense if one of us had a job offer before we came. We've looked at real estate, and so far we have not found a house that we like that is within our budget.

Oxford MS: Model Evaluation

Oxford Mississippi is a college town about 50 miles south of Memphis Tennessee. It has the strengths of Memphis - good climate and cost of living - but with a much better quality of life. It meets our selection criteria, with one exception: there are not good local work opportunities.

The total model looks like this:

Oxford MS (Decision)

• ●Oxford MS is a good choice for our next home.
• ●AND [1 of 5] : Oxford MS has a good climate.
• ●AND [1 of 2] : Oxford MS has moderate winters.
• ●OR [1 of 2] : The number of days each year at or below freezing should be 10 or less.
• ●False
• ●OR [2 of 2] : The average winter temperature should be at least 10 degrees warmer than Hudson OH.
• ●True
• ●AND [2 of 2] : Oxford MS has a good balance of sunshine and summer heat.
• ○OR [1 of 2] : Oxford MS has moderate summers in exchange for lots of sunshine.
• ●OR [2 of 2] : Oxford MS has lots of sunshine but hot summers.
• ●True
• oxford climate comparison.jpg (Pictures)
• ●AND [2 of 5] : Oxford MS has an affordable cost of living.
• ●AND [1 of 4] : Oxford MS has health insurance available for less than $1500 a month.
• ●True
• ●AND [2 of 4] : Oxford MS has lower taxes than Hudson OH.
• ●True
• ●AND [3 of 4] : Oxford MS has a lower cost of living index than Hudson OH.
• ●True
• ●AND [4 of 4] : Oxford MS has good housing for less than $800,000.
• ●True
• ●AND [3 of 5] : Oxford MS has good work opportunities.
• ●OR [1 of 2] : Oxford MS has good fulltime work opportunities.
• ●False
• ●OR [2 of 2] : Oxford MS has good freelance work opportunities.
• ●False
• ●AND [4 of 5] : Oxford MS provides a good quality of life.
• ●AND [1 of 2] : Oxford MS can provide a healthy lifestyle.
• ●OR [1 of 2] : Oxford MS has neighborhoods that provide a walkable urban lifestyle.
• ●AND [1 of 2] : Oxford MS has at least one neighborhood with a walkscore greater than 90.
• ●True
• ●AND [2 of 2] : The neighborhood with a walkscore greater than 90 has a crime rate no greater than 125% of the national average.
• ●True
• ●OR [2 of 2] : Oxford MS has areas with affordable nature 'compounds'.
• ●True
• ●AND [2 of 2] : Oxford MS can provide an inspirational lifestyle.
• ●OR [1 of 3] : Oxford MS has a high quality university.
• ●True
• ○OR [2 of 3] : Oxford MS has cultural diversity.
• ○OR [3 of 3] : Oxford MS has beautiful scenery and views.
• ●AND [5 of 5] : Oxford MS has good accessibility.
• ●AND [1 of 2] : Oxford MS is within 2 hours of a major airport.
• ●True
• ●AND [2 of 2] : Oxford MS is within 30 minutes of high quality hospitals.
• ●True

If we could make a living in a small town, connecting electronically, through the Internet and by flying to customer locations when necessary, Oxford would be worth a second look.

Memphis Tennessee - Model Evaluation

Our planned second stop, Memphis, also does not pass our current decision model. Unlike Lexington, it passes the climate test, but it fails on availability of work opportunities (as does Lexington) and quality of life.

Lack of work opportunities is driven by the being relatively small and by a lack of technology companies. Quality of life issues are led by a complete lack of 'walkable' neighborhoods and a crime rate three times the national average. The complete tree looks like this:

• ●Memphis is a good choice for our next home.
• ●AND [1 of 5] : Memphis has a good climate.
• ●AND [1 of 2] : Memphis has moderate winters.
• ●OR [1 of 2] : The number of days each year at or below freezing should be 10 or less.
• ●False
• ●OR [2 of 2] : The average winter temperature should be at least 10 degrees warmer than Hudson OH.
• ●True
• Memphis Climate Comparison.jpg (Pictures)
• ●AND [2 of 2] : Memphis has a good balance of sunshine and summer heat.
• ○OR [1 of 2] : Memphis has moderate summers in exchange for lots of sunshine.
• ●OR [2 of 2] : Memphis has lots of sunshine but hot summers.
• ●True
• ●AND [2 of 5] : Memphis has an affordable cost of living.
• ●AND [1 of 4] : Memphis has health insurance available for less than $1500 a month.
• ●True
• ●AND [2 of 4] : Memphis has lower taxes than Hudson, OH.
• ●True
• ●AND [3 of 4] : Memphis has a lower cost of living index than Hudson, OH.
• ●True
• Memphis COL Comparison.jpg (Pictures)
• ●AND [4 of 4] : Memphis has good housing for less than $800,000.
• ●True
• ●AND [3 of 5] : Memphis has good work opportunities.
• ●OR [1 of 2] : Memphis has good fulltime work opportunities.
• ●False
• ●OR [2 of 2] : Memphis has good freelance work opportunities.
• ●False
• ●AND [4 of 5] : Memphis provides a good quality of life.
• ●AND [1 of 2] : Memphis can provide a healthy lifestyle.
• ●OR [1 of 2] : Memphis has neighborhoods that provide a walkable urban lifestyle.
• ●False
• ○AND [1 of 2] : Memphis has at least one neighborhood with a walkscore greater than 90.
• ○AND [2 of 2] : The neighborhood with a walkscore greater than 90 has a crime rate no greater than 125% of the national average.
• ●OR [2 of 2] : Memphis has areas with affordable nature 'compounds'.
• ●True
• 1020-Reid-Hooke.pdf (Documents)
• 17430 hwy 196.pdf (Documents)
• ●AND [2 of 2] : Memphis can provide an inspirational lifestyle.
• ●False
• ●OR [1 of 3] : Memphis has a high quality university.
• ●False
• ●OR [2 of 3] : Memphis has cultural diversity.
• ●False
• ●OR [3 of 3] : Memphis has beautiful scenery and views.
• ●False
• ●AND [5 of 5] : Memphis has good accessibility.
• ●AND [1 of 2] : Memphis is within 2 hours of a major airport.
• ●True
• Memphis_International_Airport.pdf (Documents)
• ●AND [2 of 2] : Memphis is within 30 minutes of high quality hospitals.
• ●True
• Memphis Hospitals.jpg (Pictures)

Once again, you can't see the supporting documentation in this html blog post. Hopefully, we can have this available in the Silverlight version we are currently developing.

Based on the disappointing evaluation of Memphis, we are considering rerouting to Oxford, Mississippi, which at least has a major university (which Memphis does not).

We have also discovered that our stop in Lexington coincides with the Kentucky Derby, which explains why we are having a hard time finding a decent hotel room! This, too, is making us reconsider our timing and planned route.

Lexington Kentucky - Model Evaluation

Our first stop on the walkabout will be Lexington. Our current plans have us staying only one night, and based on the results of my Decision Apprentice evaluation model, that is the right amount of time. Lexington fails to meet our criteria, and we only plan on spending several days in locations with high potential as a future home (or a family member to visit).

Based on my Internet research, Lexington fails to meet two of our five high level requirements: the climate is not mild enough (the winters are too cold) and there are not enough job opportunities for us. The full tree looks like this:

Lexington KY

• ●Lexington KY is a good choice for our next home.
• ●AND [1 of 5] : Lexington KY has a good climate.
• ●AND [1 of 2] : Lexington KY has moderate winters.
• ●OR [1 of 2] : The number of days each year at or below freezing should be 10 or less.
• ●False
• ●OR [2 of 2] : The average winter temperature should be at least 10 degrees warmer than Hudson OH.
• ●False
• ●AND [2 of 2] : Lexington KY has a good balance of sunshine and summer heat.
• ●OR [1 of 2] : Lexington KY has moderate summers but not a lot of sunshine.
• ●True
• ●OR [2 of 2] : Lexington KY has lots of sunshine but hot summers.
• ●False
• ●AND [2 of 5] : Lexington KY has an affordable cost of living.
• ●AND [1 of 4] : Lexington KY has health insurance available for less than $1500 a month.
• ●True
• ●AND [2 of 4] : Lexington KY has lower taxes than Hudson OH.
• ●True
• ●AND [3 of 4] : Lexington KY has a lower cost of living index than Hudson OH.
• ●True
• ●AND [4 of 4] : Lexington KY has good housing for less than $800,000.
• ●True
• 1671-Red-House-.pdf (Documents)
• 181-Water-Works.pdf (Documents)
• 252-North-Broad.pdf (Documents)
• 302-High-Street.pdf (Documents)
• 635-Jones-Lane-.pdf (Documents)
• ●AND [3 of 5] : Lexington KY has good work opportunities.
• ●OR [1 of 2] : Lexington KY has good fulltime work opportunities.
• ●False
• ●OR [2 of 2] : Lexington KY has good freelance work opportunities.
• ●False
• ●AND [4 of 5] : Lexington KY provides a good quality of life.
• ●AND [1 of 2] : Lexington KY can provide a healthy lifestyle.
• ●OR [1 of 2] : Lexington KY has neighborhoods that provide a walkable urban lifestyle.
• ●AND [1 of 2] : Lexington KY has at least one neighborhood with a walkscore greater than 90.
• ●True
• ●AND [2 of 2] : The neighborhood with a walkscore greater than 90 has a crime rate no greater than 125% of the national average.
• ●True
• ●OR [2 of 2] : Lexington KY has areas with affordable nature 'compounds'.
• ●True
• ●AND [2 of 2] : Lexington KY can provide an inspirational lifestyle.
• ●OR [1 of 3] : Lexington KY has a high quality university.
• ●True
• uk_Map.jpg (Pictures)
• university of kentucky.jpg (Pictures)
• ●OR [2 of 3] : Lexington KY has cultural diversity.
• ●False
• ●OR [3 of 3] : Lexington KY has beautiful scenery and views.
• ●False
• ●AND [5 of 5] : Lexington KY has good accessibility.
• ●AND [1 of 2] : Lexington KY is within 2 hours of a major airport.
• ●True
• ●AND [2 of 2] : Lexington KY is within 30 minutes of high quality hospitals.
• ●True
• hospitals.jpg (Pictures)

Unfortunately, in this blog post you are unable to view either the notes or the attachments that explain the red/false and green/true assessments I've made on each point. In the actual application, all of this is saved and readily available as documentation for each item in the model.

Lexington has a lot going for it - it is affordable, it has a good university (University of Kentucky), and it has some great walkable neighborhoods with nice housing. Unfortunately, it is a little too cold and a little too small to find work. If we find, as we travel, that no location passes our 'test' and revisions/compromises are necessary, Lexington may merit a second look.

Of couse, a lot also depends on how we feel about a place once we actually see it; as wonderful as the Internet is, there is no substitute for real life exploration. That is why a walkabout is necessary! We will visit, take pictures, and we will be more efficient at this because of the research we've done in advance. I now know the walkable neighborhoods we would like to explore, and given we plan on spending only one night, efficiency is essential.