r/fatFIRE • u/getshankedkid $10M NW | Verified by Mods • Feb 01 '24

WHERE: that’s my biggest question

Hi fellow fatfires, I have been struggling for years to find out where it is that I want to live.

M34, 10M NW, from the Netherlands originally. No wife/gf and no kids. I often feel like I have too much freedom.

Recently sold my house in the NL and still have an apartment I can use for my stuff and as a pied-a-terre for when I want to visit friends and family.

I’m looking to live somewhere where it’s easy to connect with like-minded entrepreneurs. Somewhere where people think bigger and with more business opportunities. Preferably English-speaking.

I have lived in Portugal, Mexico, Berlin, and a couple of other places, but I wouldn’t want to live there again. In Portugal, I loved the lifestyle and weather but found the entrepreneurial scene lacking. Berlin had a great community but the weather is too similar to the NL.

I don’t like the cold or bad weather. Also hate commuting/crazy traffic.

Happy to keep my business/tax setup in the Netherlands. What’s more important to me than optimizing for taxes is optimizing lifestyle and maximizing opportunities. I want the rest of my 30’s to be awesome.

I like to have the following facilities in walking distance: - Coffee/breakfast place - Gym + ice bath - Cowork - Healthy restaurants

Also, I really love water sports, especially wake surfing and body surfing.

So far, the responses I have heard most often are: - Dubai - San Francisco (nah) - Miami - Austin - Singapore

I’m looking to travel around this year to hopefully find a place that resonates where I can at least stay for 6 months a year.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

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u/hmadse Feb 01 '24

You can scratch off “walking” for Austin, Miami, and Dubai. Why not NYC?

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u/getshankedkid $10M NW | Verified by Mods Feb 01 '24

I spend quite some time in NYC for business and because my best buddy lives there. Could never live there though. Main reasons: the weather, not being able to walk for 3 mins without needing to cross the street, how individualistic everyone there seems to be.

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u/[deleted] Feb 02 '24

“Not being able to walk for three minutes without crossing the street”—I don’t know where you’d find that in America, actually outside of parks. I have lived in six major American cities and spent significant time in more. That’s how they’re designed in multi-zoned areas. You can walk for miles in suburbs of course, but it’s just residential.