Hi all,
This is my first post. It is also a bit more broad than the title suggests. Probably too broad for one post but I'll just lay it out. I'm just curious as to what anyone's thoughts about any of this might be.
We live in the US now in the southern Appalachian mountains. It is beautiful here but there are some issues for us, both locally and nationally. We are working on a plan for moving to <somewhere> else in the next 2-3 years and NZ is high (highest?) on the list. My wife and I have both been entertaining the idea since before we even met...but we've never been there.
What we really like here in Western North Carolina is that it is beautiful, not very crowded, and that we are living in a place with lots of wild areas. We also know that there is a lot of opportunity here in the US (though dwindling for many).
What we don't like is a longer list:
Locally there is a lack of cultural diversity and opportunities, no great schools, not enough flat ground, and for us a huge issue is that we are far too far from the sea (this is a big one). On a larger scale the problems with this country and direction it has been heading are a drag: A serious medical problem can ruin your family financially (even if you have health insurance which is rather costly), education system is tanking, far too many religious nuts in politics, unhealthy lifestyles, insane consumerism, corporations controlling everything, etc..
We know that there is no place where everything is perfect. It seems like a big tradeoff for living in NZ is that it is very expensive. We make a combined pre-tax income of about US$120K here. We get by but we aren't able to save any money (though we do travel every year to my wife's home in France). Basically, we're stressed out all the time and really wonder why we are working our butts off when it looks like all we'll end up with is more of the same of what we've got. A major question is if we can get by enough in NZ to at least be noticeably less stressed out than we are here. We don't need to live like kings but we do want to be able to afford to at least buy a house, explore NZ, eat out once every week or ten days, and maybe a small sailboat.
Things that we would like: Good schools, the ocean (sailing, surfing, fishing, snorkeling (which I understand NZ isn't tops on)), hiking/backpacking, good/healthy food, nice people, less consumerism, living wages, not too feel too crowded, and a hope of retirement. So that gets around to the title question: Is it possible to telecommute from a less crowded community. For me this means having solid broadband connection. This is key for me and a huge determining factor in choosing a community in which to live. It is entirely likely that I can bring my job with me so being close to other developers, offices, etc. isn't a great concern. I could write code from the bottom of the ocean if there was at least 5Mbs connection. That said, I could be open to taking a new job in NZ if it were the right opportunity. Living in a place that is right for everyone in my family is important though (see below). I'm skeptical that city life is right for us, nor is spending 2 hrs a day commuting but living near a city could be fine and is probably better than living way out in the sticks. We live an hour from the nearest city with any real cultural opportunities and it often seems quite far away (at least while we have small children).
A little more about us.
Me: American. 41. Software Developer (2nd career -- mostly Ruby development -- medical device communication standards, publishing, etc.). Also with a degree in Biology and post-grad work in Genetics and Plant Pathology and extensive experience with laboratory robotics for genomics, proteomics, and drug discovery. Fisherman, whitewater boater, mountain biker, hiker, xc skier, musician.
Wife: French. 39. PhD Mathematics. Tenured Professor of Math Education BUT wanting to switch careers -- either Wilderness Medicine or (perhaps more practically) surveying. She would get the proper training/certification before coming to NZ. Sailor, surfer, climber, xc skier, mountain biker, hiker, musician.
Son 1: 8. Very bright and industrious. Going to want good schools and artistic outlets (theater, martial arts, music).
Son 2: 4. Probably just as bright and will care naught for school. Will skip class and go surfing. Not a big guy but has the attitude to be a rugger.
Thanks for taking the time to read. Any feedback whatsoever is welcome.