Moving on up

In recent years, many people have been searching for a step change. Much of this, no doubt, has been driven by significant global events (the dreaded “P” word comes to mind), which reframed the meaning of home and redefined what we expect from the cities we live in. In the US, for instance, research by Goldman Sachs has found that Americans are moving away from bigger metropolises, lured by the relaxed pace of smaller centres.

Many reports have linked these relocations to the search for a slower lifestyle. But this shouldn’t necessarily be – and isn’t – the driver for all such shifts. Those looking to progress their careers, for instance, might want to move to an industry- specific hub. Change might also be driven by the search for inspiration – perhaps a culture-rich conurbation might broaden one’s horizons and inspire new creative works. Or it might simply be driven by a desire to return to a particular landscape, to mountain towns and coastal resorts alike.

Whatever the catalyst, moving to a new city can encourage you to escape your comfort zone, search for new opportunities and find a community that resonates. Here, we offer some suggestions that might help you find a new place that perfectly suits your personal tastes. — L

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To start a business
Tirana, Albania

In Tirana, a warm welcome is government policy. “If most countries suffer from xenophobia,” the Albanian capital’s mayor, Erion Veliaj, tells monocle. “This one has xenophilia.” It’s an affliction that’s immediately evident on the city’s sun-soaked boulevards and one that has also made it onto the statute books. As countries elsewhere in Europe turn inwards, introducing more restrictive entry requirements, Albania continues to court newcomers with attractive tax breaks and residency permits. Under its unique permit scheme, which has no minimum-income threshold, immigrants receive a one-year visa, renewable up to five years, in return for proof of a contract with a foreign company.

Belgian architect Guust Selhorst moved to Tirana in 2017 to work on the redesign of Skandabeg Square, the city’s vast communist-era plaza. “When I told my mum I was going to Albania, she was not so excited,” he says, squinting in the November sun. “She had only heard about the country in a negative way.” When he arrived, Selhorst soon realised that stereotypes concerning lawlessness were wide of the mark. “It’s rare to experience criminality,” he says. “When I lived in Brussels, many colleagues were robbed at knifepoint. That would never happen here.” But it was more than just a low crime rate that kept him in Tirana. Selhorst recognised that the city was ripe for entrepreneurialism, especially in the architectural sector. After convincing his Belgian employers to open an office, he later set up his own practice, as well as a landscape architecture firm. “I saw that with all the new buildings there was need for a landscape designer,” he says. “At the same time, there was a new landscape- design faculty at the public university. Its students have now graduated and I’ve hired some of them.”

Given that businesses don’t pay tax on their first €140,000 of revenue (and only 15 per cent after that) and are required to contribute a fraction of the employee-related taxes expected elsewhere in Europe, going it alone is an enticing prospect. Tirana’s university sector and growing ties with Italian institutions attracted Roberto Mazzuca here to study dentistry. While a student, he began letting out vacant properties to fellow Italian expats. After graduating he started a company that now manages dozens of properties across Tirana. “It’s difficult to start a business in Italy today,” he says. “Everything already exists and the taxes are high.”

For many years, the enduring image of Albania, especially in Italy, was of The Vlora, a cargo ship that landed in Bari in August 1991 with about 20,000 refugees on board who were fleeing the chaos that followed the collapse of communism in the Balkan nation. In the past 10 years, the same number of Italians have moved in the opposite direction, seeking opportunities and a higher quality of life in a country where the economy grew by 3.3 per cent in 2024. “They speak Italian here and we support the same football teams,” says Mazzuca. “I say that this is like another region of Italy.” Tirana Airport has more connections to Italian cities than any other hub outside of Rome or Milan. Veliaj cites the case of an Italian minister who regularly spends weekends in the Albanian capital because it is so cheap. “It costs about €25 to get here and you can stay in a nice hotel with a spa for €65 to €75 off-season. Eat and drink like in Italy, for a third of the price.”

Of course, with an increase in the number of newcomers, those low prices have begun to creep up. “When I arrived, I’d pay €250 a month for an apartment,” says Selhorst. “That same apartment today would be €550.” However, he adds, “The city has more to offer than it did 10 years ago.” Tirana’s bar and restaurant scene is thriving, thanks to new openings such as Destil Creative Hub, which houses art and a recording studio, as well as stalwarts such as Radio Bar, where the cocktail menu rivals any New York or Berlin establishment. The pace of change is exhilarating. “Most mayors are in charge of preserving things,” says Veliaj. “Our job here is to change everything.” If Tirana’s citizens remain xenophilic as its streets continue to swell with new faces, his will be a job well done.

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To capitalise on a hospitality boom
Essaouira, Morocco

It’s easy to fall for the considerable charms of Essaouira, a storied port town perched on Morocco’s Atlantic coast. Less frenetic than Marrakech or Fez, and with a Unesco World Heritage listing that’s partly attributable to its rich history of religious coexistence, the city has long appealed to adventurers, artists and bohemians. During the 1960s it had a hippy reputation and Jimi Hendrix was among its famous visitors. Since the 1990s it has become a popular destination for a wider range of holidaymakers and investors while maintaining more of an off-the-beaten-track vibe than other Moroccan coastal resorts.

Filmmakers adore the town – its evocative architecture has featured in several movies and Netflix series. It has also become a firm fixture on the surfing circuit recently, due to its favourable winds. Digital nomads flock here, attracted by the laidback atmosphere and year-round balmy temperatures. Music festivals – particularly a renowned annual event that focuses on Gnawa, an electric blend of traditional Berber, African and Arabic sounds – and other cultural offerings ensure that the town feels lively throughout the year. Unesco director-general Audrey Azoulay comes from a prominent Essaouira family and is sometimes seen walking its long sandy beach.

Morocco’s cet time zone makes it very convenient for European business, in particular, and the reasonably cheap cost of living has long drawn French entrepreneurs who appreciate the bilingual (French and Arabic) culture and low-cost direct flights from Paris and Marseille. Other investors include British, German, Italian and Swiss expatriates, many of whom have swapped jobs and homes to settle here, often buying 18th-century riads that they turn into guesthouses. According to one researcher, close to 400 properties in Essaouira’s old quarter are owned by foreigners.

Emma Wilson traded her life as an interior designer in London to establish Castles in the Sand, a bespoke rental business anchored in a pair of 200-year-old local residences – Dar Beida and Dar Emma – which she renovated from scratch. Her advice to those considering a similar move? “Follow your heart and go to Essaouira because you love it, not for financial investment,” she says. “There is a lot to learn; acceptance and respect are key. Always use a notary and make sure things are done legally.” Alyson Huggett moved to Morocco two decades ago and founded Essaouira cookery school Folklore Collectif, which highlights traditional cuisine, in 2022. She says that making her home here has been a positive experience. “Always seek professional advice and have up-to-date information as a foreigner,” she says. “This is a fast growing and stable economy within a stable kingdom but laws around requirements and imports need careful planning and consideration, as is the case anywhere.”

As elsewhere in the world, there are grumbles about gentrification and the challenge of balancing local and foreign investment. Zakariya Azzahir, owner of Yalla Surf watersports school, grew up in Essaouira and recommends that investors focus on sustainable businesses. “The town has a strong connection to traditional craftsmanship and eco-conscious tourism,” he says. “Investments that respect and preserve Essaouira’s unique heritage – such as eco-lodges, surf schools or small-scale community-focused hospitality projects – usually work well.”

Like others, Azzahir advises prospective residents and investors to spend a few months getting to know the local community before making the move. “Essaouira has taught me the importance of patience and adaptability,” he says. “The lifestyle here is slower and more deliberate, and that’s something to embrace rather than fight. I’ve also learnt the value of building relationships with visitors. In Essaouira, business often flows through word of mouth and trust is built over time. It’s a place where people value authenticity. That has been a rewarding and humbling experience for me.”

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To work with your hands
Port Townsend, USA

A fine layer of sawdust coats monocle’s boots as a fitting souvenir from Port Townsend. The small city swells to the gills every September for North America’s largest wooden-boat festival, founded in 1977. Boat owners from up and down the West Coast cruise into this picturesque marina in north-west Washington to show off their lovingly restored vessels. Though there are many larger harbours on the Pacific coast, people come to Port Townsend because it has a reputation as the premier port for wooden boat design, build and restoration. All that hammering and sawing can make a racket, so the festival’s host, the Northwest Maritime Center, does something clever. It works with the town’s estate agents to identify the newest residents (about 150 move here annually) and invite them on a behind-the-scenes tour to inculcate respect for their adopted hometown’s traditional crafts.

“We care about relationships and human scale,” the centre’s director, Jake Beattie, tells monocle, describing various civic campaigns to keep chain stores out of downtown. “The culture of craft keeps us small but punching way above our weight for amenities.” New residents are drawn to this 10,000-strong peninsula outpost – about two hours by ferry from both Seattle and Victoria, British Columbia – by the temperate climate, easy pace of life, vibrant main street and growing food-and-drink scene. But to truly embrace living here, pick up a chisel or saw. In addition to a thriving industry for maritime trades anchored by a city-owned boatyard, there are schools dedicated to wooden boatbuilding, fine woodworking and shoemaking. Five master bowmakers call Port Townsend home, the largest concentration in the world, attracting apprentices who have set up their own studios both here and abroad.

In short, working with your hands is this small city’s signature. That culture drew Tucker Piontek, an industrial designer by training, who had a steady career in stop-motion animation at renowned Portland-based studio Laika. He enjoyed designing puppets for the studio behind Hollywood hits including global success Coraline and Tim Burton’s Oscar-nominated Corpse Bride, but sailing is his lifelong love. He enrolled in the Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding and graduated in 2017. With a plethora of jobs available here, from restoring historic wooden yachts to fabricating aerospace parts, it was easy to stick around after graduation. Three years ago he returned to the school as an instructor. “You have to want to live here; it’s an end-of-the-road kind of place,” he says, while on a break before his afternoon class on shipwright drafting, where students draw plans for boats by hand. “Everyone is from somewhere else and has a story about how they ended up here.” In his case, the embrace of craft was the primary draw but the town’s natural beauty and cultural richness make life well-rounded. “I wake up to the sunrise over the Cascades mountains and watch the sun set over Vancouver Island,” he says. Though he no longer works in the film industry, he can still catch arthouse flicks and festival-circuit picks at the Rose Theatre, a well-restored bijou cinema built in 1907. Other residents swear by the city’s live music scene.

Steps from the theatre, pub-goers leave their e-bikes unlocked, an unthinkable prospect in larger North American cities. Along the downtown high street, shops sell books, furniture and records. The town has two newspapers, a radio station and a poetry press. Recent openings include a typewriter shop and a design brand’s flagship retail outpost, as well as a natural-wine bar and off-licence at the Victorian-style Bishop Hotel. The hotel’s new husband-and-wife owners credit some inspiration for buying the place to Finistère, which opened in 2017 and put the city on the map for destination dining. Deborah Taylor helms the kitchen, drawing on her experience at Michelin-starred restaurants in New York. “Port Townsend has a kind of vortex that sucks you in,” says general manager Scott Ross, before turning to greet regulars settling in for happy-hour oysters on a Friday evening.