Rental Roadtrip HomeTown Reviews!
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St. Marys - Experience the Gracious Beauty of St. Marys
Located at the very SE tip of Georgia, and at the end of the road and bordered by three rivers, St. Marys has retained a quiet laid back atmosphere. The “townies” reside in quaint cottages and enjoy walking or golf carting through the canopies of moss covered grand oaks to the riverside restaurants and waterfront park. A 45 minute ferry ride transports folks to Cumberland Island National Seashore, with undeveloped beaches inhabited by wonderful wild horses. Nearby are St. Simons and Jekyll islands, Jacksonville and Fernandina Beach, Florida, all offering a variety of experiences.
- St. Marys
- Georgia
Coronado - Move to Paradise!
If you cannot decide whether to move to a beach town, a hip city, or a small town, Coronado may be your answer! You can enjoy the quaint library, concerts in the park, the charming neighborhoods, the glorious beaches, the famous Del Coronado Hotel (Some Like It Hot), and the restaurants & shops galore, all with a hometown yet upscale casual vibe. This is the definition of having it all. A long impressive bridge takes you across the water to San Diego!
- Coronado
- California
Pasadena - A Small Town Big City
Though close to LA, Pasadena is a world unto its own! From its charming bungalows to its chic shopping on Lake Avenue (or perhaps you prefer the trendy Old Town District with its fantastic restaurants), you will find that nothing is far away and the sunshine and historical beauty can be enjoyed year round. Nature lovers – don’t miss the nearby Arboretum and Descanso Gardens!
- Pasadena
- California
Cornwall-on-Hudson - Artistic Woods, Just One Hour From Manhattan
A charming, artsy, humble town on the Hudson River, a one hour drive up 9W from NYC’s George Washington Bridge, and just ten minutes north of West Point Military Academy. There are apple farms, mom and pop shops, and landscapes as far as the eye can see. As it is not on a train-line, the housing is VERY affordable.
- Cornwall-on-Hudson
- New York
Carmel-by-the-Sea - Impossible Housing
I cannot be positive. This IS the most unique and romantic town in America, but there is NO rental housing. We lived there happily for some time, then the owner gave fast notice as he wanted to add his house to the already 200+ “furnished 30-day rentals”. The smallest of these is $12,000 a month. Owners have no interest to make their extra home available to good people who want to actually LIVE in Carmel and contribute to the town. Just tourists. Known as an artist colony no longer – true artists have been pushed out. A sad fact.
- Carmel-by-the-Sea
- California
Monterey - Scenic Monterey
Monterey is a beautiful and peaceful town in the Central Coast of California. It’s a popular tourist destination thanks to the gorgeous scenery, famous Monterey Bay Aquarium, Cannery Row, Old Fisherman’s Wharf, and plentiful outdoor activities (kayaking, scuba diving, hiking, etc.) If you like seafood, ocean views, and mild weather year-round, you’ll love Monterey!
- Monterey
- California
Dallas - Under-rated Dallas
Most people have heard of Dallas, TX, but they probably have misconceptions about the livability of it. The food is some of the best in the country (and not just BBQ and Tex-Mex!) The craft beer and craft coffee scenes are off the charts, and it is still affordable. Lovely suburbs get you out of the city, if urban life isn’t what you crave!
- Dallas
- Texas
Paso Robles - Wine Country!
We moved here two years ago – it’s great living in a wine town. There are many things to do and it’s close to San Luis Obispo. We absolutely love it here. Our house, neighbors, friends, doctors, and schools are great. The weather here is hot in the summer, but it’s nothing we’re not used to, and the benefit of living here is that it cools down at night. We are close to the beaches and it’s convenient being right in between SF and LA (about 3 hours away from each).
- Paso Robles
- California
Monroe and Effort Counties - The Gorgeous Poconos
In 1988 we purchased a lovely 2100 square foot home on 3 acres of land in the beautiful Pocono mountains only 30 minutes from Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. What we found for the modest price was more than we could have hoped for. The residents in that part of the world are warm and almost always willing to help a neighbor. Not eight minutes away is the town of Broadheadsville with the largest grocery store in the USA, decent restaurants, great hardware and sports stores, fabulous farm stores with fresh corn as well as all kinds of wonderful fruits and vegetables, a large drugstore and various other conveniences. It is truly a lovely place to live.
- Monroe and Effort Counties
- Pennsylvania
Broken Bow - Drift Away
Beautiful rustic cabins situated amongst towering majestic pine trees on acres and acres. Enjoy hot tubs, out door grilling areas, and cook s’mores over the outdoor fire pits. Broken Bow is home to a gorgeous lake, hiking trails, wineries, breweries, amazing restaurants,a casino, and lots of fun activities for kids and adults. This is a very popular place for Dallasites to have their vacation home.
- Broken Bow
- Oklahoma
Corsicana - The Good Old Days Atmosphere
One great thing about living in a small Texas town, is that you feel like you have stepped back in time. Little traffic or noise, no crazy cab drivers. My favorite part is that if you need something in the way of a service or an item to buy, you can even ask a stranger on the street, and they will give you two or three recommendations. The retail stores are happy to see customers and treat you accordingly. So much friendlier than the big city!!
- Corsicana
- Texas
Houston - Hot but Friendly!
Houston is a large, diverse city about 50 miles from the Gulf coast (Galveston). With a huge medical center & booming oil/gas industry, we host people from all over the world! It may not be the “prettiest girl in the room” but has some of the friendliest people and BEST restaurants in the world! Many cultures & ethnicities are represented in Houston, with festivals every spring & fall. With plenty of parks, golf courses & entertainment venues, being outside year ’round (other than July-Sept) is a plus. Houston has a vast selection of churches & synagogues. ALL are welcome!
- Houston
- Texas
Montecito - Royally Exclusive
Montecito is just an hour from Los Angeles, and the gateway to a jewel of a town, Santa Barbara. It has long been unaffordable with so many celebrities living there.( I was lucky to have a rental for 6K a month!) Now with the Royals, it is impossible. But, go for the two tiny villages – Coast Village Road and Valley Road – nice restaurants!
- Montecito
- California
Madison - It’s a Wonderful Life!
I’ve always thought it would be great to live in a town like Bedford Falls in the movie, “It’s a Wonderful Life”! My husband and I found it when we came here with our toddlers 23 years ago. It’s a bedroom community to many professionals working in NYC. The direct train takes you from a town with loads of trees, homes with gardens, great schools, 3 nearby colleges, church bells ringing every hour, a charming Main Street, great shops and restaurants, to the heart of Manhattan (Penn Station) in 50 minutes. Perfect!
- Madison
- New Jersey
Carpinteria - Safest Beach
Straight out of the fifties, this SoCal beach town offers all the quaint and homey ambience of an old-fashioned beach community while able to serve the hip with all modern amenities and comforts. We’ve been going there for so many years, we finally bought a tiny place as near to the cool salt marsh as possible!
- Carpinteria
- California
Fairfax - Bohemia in Marin County
Fairfax has maintained its small town atmosphere. Tucked away in West Marin County with a population less than 8000, it is close to many hiking and biking trails. Neighbors are friendly and the downtown has many restaurants and eclectic retailers, and a farmers market in the park every Wednesday through the summer months.
- Fairfax
- California
McKinney - Moved to Dallas area from LA
Moved from California and loving the change-up. Just 30 minutes north of Dallas. Friendliest people. Schools are great. The parks in the area of McKinney, Frisco, Plano, Prosper blow anything we had in LA out of the water. There are small pockets of places your wouldn’t expect like Downtown McKinney (which is bustling with folks) with historic buildings and homes surrounding by tons of restaurants and places to grab coffee or a drink. There is even a Croatian village – a cobblestone European villa that has no business being in the middle of North Dallas. It’s gorgeous and has homes, apartments, restaurants, and a ridiculously cool church on a small lake. Plenty of stuff to do around the wider area — sports, movies, outdoors, stuff, indoor kid things. It really has it all.
- McKinney
- Texas
Grass Valley - Enjoy the Sierra Foothills
Grass Valley / Nevada City is a great place to visit with the family. There are easy drives and hikes to fishing holes, the Yuba river, historical sites (gold mining town) farms and gardens to tour! There are cooking classes and foraging excursions available to learn about Native California plants. Skiing & Lake Tahoe are only 60-90 minutes away.
- Grass Valley
- California
Montecito - Star Studded Enclave
This is the escape town for celebs who need to be close to LA, but not live there. Stand in line for coffee, eat at one of the great cafes on Coast Village Road (or the Upper Village on Valley), and it’s amazing who might be near you. Best of all is the great food! Lovely Butterfly Beach, too. Rentals, errrr, very difficult. It’s gone the way of furnished for 30 days, unfortunately.
- Montecito
- California
Santa Barbara - An Historic, Lovely Town
It’s a jewel – and so popular. The natural boundaries keep it contained – State lands to the south, mountains to the east, ocean to the south/west, more State parkland north of college town Goleta. No buildings over 4 stories – so the downtown is LOVELY – thank goodness it didn’t get messed up in the 60’s like most charming hometowns – no glass and steel here! Many, many things to do, so many museums, and more charities per capita than any other town in America!
- Santa Barbara
- California
