Actually, the thing is, in light of Katrina, I want off the river, because even with our elevated house, the water came very close to coming on the front porch. If the storm come in 20 miles east of where it did come in, the first floor would have been flooded. As it stands, we lost a boat (why I wanted to be here in the first place, so I could get on the river without having to pay for space at the marina)
The main disagreement is not moving off the river, it's when to move (do we wait out another hurricane season in hope we can get more of an appreciation in property value) and where to. I want to live in one of the historic districts, she wants to move back to the hill (much of which was built to mimick the historic districts, but with construction dates in the 40s and 50s).
One area that we both have interest in is Ashland Place, and the general vicinity around it, though personally, I would like to live downtown somewhere, especially considering if we did that, I could just go home for lunchtime. (She actually could too, don't work too far from each other). Of course, the issue with downtown (and here's one she's right on) is that it floods easy, be it street flooding or storm surge flooding. But then again, a decision like this will take a long time too, though I'm just hoping that we do move before the Big One hits.
Is there a comparable neighborhood without a flooding problem? It sounds like you're looking for the same type of neighborhood, obviously agreed on that. I'd either look for another neighborhood without flooding problems or a home in that area and get real good flood insurance! I think I'd also keep my keepsakes upstairs. :)
Personally I love real old houses for character but am not willing to do the upkeep. I also am looking for a house but after looking at several older homes, I am now searching for a newer house. The maintenance on the old ones is tremendous, especially as one ages.