Im thinking about emigrating.. which Country??

[swag72]

Having moved out to Spain from UK last year, this was the best move I ever made. I bought a scope for when I moved out and have really enjoyed my time with it. One thing though for anyone looking to emigrate, I can not overstate the point how much easier it is if you speak the language. To that end, if you really don't want to learn the lingo then a british speaking country would be so much easier.

I am having an issue at the moment with some healthcare, and my pigeon spanish can just about get me through now. We can take for granted the ease with which we communicate with people when there is a problem.

[James]

British Columbia interior (the wine valley region) has some great skies and better weather than coastal BC.

New Zealand's a good choice too and not only for those awesome southern skies.

Yup, same here. Kate & the kids would appreciate either :-) Possibly Canada a bit more though.

[ponytale]

Having lived in Perth Australia for 23 Yrs then coming back to blighty for 14 and now back to Perth next month,( can't wait) i can say for sure you would get many more clear nights viewing in oz , a short drive out of perth and skies get really dark, i have been out bush camping and you sometimes can't see another light as far as you can see in all directions, just fab!!!i will admit dust could be a problem sometimes but hey you can't have it all, looking forward to all my gear turning up in Perth in September

i will let youz all know how i get on, gday

[Macavity]

I often wonder what it must be like (will never know) to see the "Southern Skies" - I have a hunch they are "more interesting". <G> Perhaps an equatorial site? I sense both "poles" are fairly boring. An Alt-Azimuth drive might be sufficient...

[laser_jock99]

Having looked around at this myself a while back I thought rural/inland Spain & Potugal were the best options. Almeria in Southern Spain has the clearest and most cloud free skies in Europe due to influence of the Sierra Nevada mountain range- recording an average 3000 sunshine hours (=250 cloud free nights per year!!!). A nice place up in the hills away from costal development would be good.

Here's some mountain properties (if only I had the spare cash.......)

Cortijo Almeria - For Sale - Cortijo - 13 km to Maria and 9km to Toperas.

Cortijo Granada - For Sale - Cortijo - 8km from Orgiva, in a specatular location in a rural zone

Cortijo Granada - For Sale - Countryhouse - Berchules

Photos - Cortijo in Capileira, Granada, Spain

Photos - Cortijo in Castaras, Granada, Spain

[pete_l]

Having looked around at this myself a while back I thought rural/inland Spain & Potugal were the best options. Almeria in Southern Spain has the clearest and most cloud free skies in Europe due to influence of the Sierra Nevada mountain range- recording an average 3000 sunshine hours (=250 cloud free nights per year!!!). A nice place up in the hills away from costal development would be good.

'ere! have you been looking at my website? (shameless plug: http://www.under-a-dark-sky.com )

I went through the very same thought process 6 or 7 years ago. Originally I was looking for a place in Almeria, having studied LP charts and concluded that was the best bet. When I got there, I realised WHY there was very little light pollution - there wer very few people. In fact, so few people that most of the "houses" had fallen into disrepair, didn't have water/electricity/roads/phones and things like shops, hospitals and other people to talk to were in short supply.

It turns out there's a balance between a remote/excellent location and a population density sufficient to make a comfortable life.

On the question of house prices. Forget what the advertisers are asking. Most of them are living in pure fantasy land. Reckon that prices have halved in the past five years and that an opening offer aroud 40-50% of the asking price is a good place to start. Most houses in Spain are not really up for sale, they're just being marketed "in case" a rich/stooopid brit/german falls in love with it and is prepared to stump up the asking price. Otherwise the (extended) family just use the place as a holiday home - if it still has a viable roof, that is.

[g0ibi]

Canada for me, Ontario. Went 2 years ago (before skywatching!) Fantastic skies,good living and reasonable house prices! With this July weather in UK, its worth thinking about?

[GJBC]

France for me

to be fairly specific south east France well to be even more specific Etoile Saint Cyrice well to be totally accurate Olly's very own Les Grange astro.

far enough away from everything close enough should you need anything cracking skies

cant get much better

Grahame

[ollypenrice]

Heh heh, cheers Grahame!!

Olly

[mallorcasaint]

I have lived in Mallorca ( North ) for 12 years and love it. I have a penthouse apartment with a large roof terrace and it is a great place for sky watching! I agree that you should learn the language though otherwise you will end up in "little England". Not good!

[mag10]

Arizona or New Mexico is where I'll be spending the winter months of my retirement.

(I'll become on the thousands of Canadian "Snowbirds" who migrate to the southern US for the winter).

Those two states are renowned for dark skies and comfortable winters.

If Arizona is good enough for David Levy (who also hails from Montreal), who am I to argue?

[hemihaggis]

......

........... eriskay................

say no more

[laser_jock99]

'ere! have you been looking at my website? (shameless plug: Under-A-Dark-Sky - Amateur Astronomy in Rural Spain )

I went through the very same thought process 6 or 7 years ago. Originally I was looking for a place in Almeria, having studied LP charts and concluded that was the best bet. When I got there, I realised WHY there was very little light pollution - there wer very few people. In fact, so few people that most of the "houses" had fallen into disrepair, didn't have water/electricity/roads/phones and things like shops, hospitals and other people to talk to were in short supply.

It turns out there's a balance between a remote/excellent location and a population density sufficient to make a comfortable life.

On the question of house prices. Forget what the advertisers are asking. Most of them are living in pure fantasy land. Reckon that prices have halved in the past five years and that an opening offer aroud 40-50% of the asking price is a good place to start. Most houses in Spain are not really up for sale, they're just being marketed "in case" a rich/stooopid brit/german falls in love with it and is prepared to stump up the asking price. Otherwise the (extended) family just use the place as a holiday home - if it still has a viable roof, that is.

Pete,

Thanks for the link to your site some good content & advice there. It's interesting to see that independantly we came to exactly the same conclusion regarding optimum European location. The difference is you bought your place in Spain & I ended up in Wales!

[Macavity]

Wales (Land on my mothers!) is nice. It does seem to be somewhat beset with unemployment. <sigh> Gaggles of old guys congregate around, to "advise" you, whenever you're doing anything! LOL. A nicer, slightly "retro" atmosphere tho' - Less "nutter-infested" than city (even small town) England. Lacking facilities, and I sense local health-care isn't overly bothered. But, for the remainder of my declining life, when not raining, the skies are (As indeed I remember them) QUITE GOOD.

If I HAD retained my health (important!) I do think somewhere a little more "exotic"...

The future of a delapidated PIER does seem to be a excessive local preoccupation!

[Chris16373]

A friend of mine lives in what you would call "the suburbs" of Jakarta.

Went there last year to visit, and must say : it's very impressing.

Not to be the "rich white guy" of course (you're rich when you make

about 500 pounds a month ) but it's a very lovely country.

Ehh...what we have seen of it, and we did not only see the tourist places

but also some of the less-fortunate places...

If i were to choose maybe live there a few years and after that it's just a little

hop southwards to Australia....but that is not taking in account that one

should make a living

For astronomy-purposes though it would not be near Jakarta : there you

have the very definition of smog

[tom33pr]

Australia, probably one of the Sydney's suburbs

[hemihaggis]

...............eriskay............... bump

[hemihaggis]

..........ok ,st kilda............

[RoadRunner2009]

The motherland! Russia!

[Luke]

If it wasn't for being far away from family, I'd love to move to Canada!

[mag10]

If it wasn't for being far away from family, I'd love to move to Canada!

Cheers!

[Pete Presland]

France - or rather Francophone Switzerland would do me nicely. A lakeside vista, snow capped mountains in the background... A few Gothic novels, for company? LOL. I no longer smoke, but a culture where occasional over-indugence in food or wine is still allowable...

sounds good to me!

[sgazer]

For astronomy, not Melbourne! There's about one clear night a month and every time it's been a full moon on that night, no kidding! I think it would be clearer in Perth.