AzraCansel

Well I suppose what we're looking for is what we originally moved here for .......A different way of life but still with some of the trappings of the "good life" It would be great to be near some sort of coastal / beach area but we don't mind a shortish car journey for that,
Urla is an up and coming area that has some expats and native Turkish english speakers and near to the beach. I have not spent much time there so I am not sure what the cost of living is there but I would venture to guess that it is not dirt cheap but not expensive either. There are a lot more houses and villas out that way as well. It is about 30 minutes from downtown Izmir but they have lots of the shop handy there and they are open year round. Living in Gaziemir is not bad, at least for me...it is apartment living out this way but I can get on my scooter and head out to Çeşme and be there in an hour. Ilica beach in Çeşme is one of the most under rated beaches in Turkey and it is a shame really because it is beautiful there. The beach has soft white sand and gental waves and you can wade out a long ways before it gets deep.
a reasonable cost of living would be good too unlike the area we live in which has now risen to meet the costs/needs /pockets of the yabanci community.
I know that by being on your guard you can outwit the rip off merchants but it has become a bore and maybe I won't find what I want in this area of my life.
I guess I have been very lucky in that area as I have always kept quiet and in the background to look at prices and over hear what is said before I buy at an unfamiliar shop plus I tend to have a lot of time on my hands so I travel around a lot and scope out prices on things I am looking for. I can say that here in Gaziemir I have met lots of very friendly people and for the most part considering it is easy to tell I am a yabanci because I have a few more piercings and a couple tattoos, the local Turkish people have been very welcoming to me.
Simple living with good food , friends ...a sprinkling of expats would be good too, decent hospitals [ not ancient but we are getting older ] .Year round living , not somewhere that shuts down in winter .
When I am in need of expats I can head downtown to Alsancak. There are lots of expats in that area as well as the Turkish-American Association ( You do not need to be an American to join as I belong and I am Canadian) and there is also a branch of the British Council down there too. As for health care...well my son has been to the local clinic here in Gaziemir a few times and had good experiences. It is not a fancy place at all. I have also received emergency treatment at the Buca hospital, a state hospital. I was pleasently surprised actually because it is an older hospital but it was very similar to the hospitals I was used to in Canada. Not fancy and even tough there were lots of people there the wait time was by far shorter than any wait time to see a doctor in a Canadian hospital as well as I was very lucky as the doctor I had spoke english. There are also several good hospital downtown. Most of them are private hospitals. I wrote this last year about my experience at one of the private hospitals in Izmir: