Best medium sized Western Cities (Second Tier) (living, cost, state)

[Champ le monstre du lac]

Not quite major metropolitan areas, not that small either and still on the big ciuty radar in regional terms. Somewhere between 500,000 and 2 million MSA. Cities like Seattle, LA, Phoenix, and Vegas get so much of the spotlight I'd like to create a thread for the west for cities in the next tier.

Tucson, AZ
Albuquerque, NM
El Paso, TX
Colorado Springs, CO
Salt Lake City, UT
Sacramento, CA
Fresno, CA
Reno, NV
Boise, ID
Spokane, WA

Which ones are mong the best?

Skyline
Scenic beauty/setting/topography
Culture
Education
Transportation (light rail/airports/public transit)
Weather
Recreational activities
Quality of life
Cost of living
the usuals and anything else you can think of.

[west336]

ABQ? Why -- Just curious?

[Champ le monstre du lac]

In my opinion Albuquerque is a diamond in the rough. It's not overtly yuppified like Santa Fe but still every bit as creative and artsy. It's in a beautiful location at the base of the Sandia Mountain Range to the east and some peaks on the western periphery making for gorgeous sunrises and sunsets in the middle of a wide open desert with the deepest blue skies. It's a new and modern city so the infrastructure is good but it's also an old one with historical roots. It's history and old charm is exhibited in Old Town with adobe buildings, an old Spanish Plaza, and church. There are many interesting museums, the Albuquerque museum of art and history is world class.

It has many interesting neighborhoods. Downtown, although not especially great is on its way up with some worthwhile bars and restaurants including the fabulous Standard Diner with its creative fare. Central Ave heading up to Nob Hill is very colorful. Lots of neon lights at night, it feels like a lively strip. It’s a collegiate neighborhood and has many eccentric stores including Masks Y Mas which a store dedicated to Dia de los Meurtos (day of the dead). Some of the stores and restaurants have impressive murals and sculptures. New Mexico really values there arts. So much so even the freeways are pretty with murals painted on the walls (near Santa Fe), some sculptures (like on Rio Grande), and even the overpass ramps and bridges are painted in hues of pink and blue.

Albuquerque is well located at the center of the state, so it's only an hour from Santa Fe (with a commuter rail option to get there), close to mountain recreation with hiking in the Sandias at the edge of town and excellent skiing up at Taos. There are also lakes, geothermal hot springs resorts, Indian Pueblos, within a few hours drive. The weather is very good, a four season climate, but winter is not too long, 300 + days of sunshine. I know it sounds like I'm giving it a syrupy sweet promotion, but I just came back from there and I loved it. Wish I could have spent more time. Sure it has it's riff raff, even a reputation for some bad neighborhoods, but that exists in so many cities and I didn't feel threatened even walking downtown at night alone. It's big enough to have just about anything one could need from a big city like international selection of food and a big airport, but just the right size to be laid back and plenty of beautiful wide open spaces on the edge of the city.

Many of these other cities like Tucson and Salt Lake City have many merits too that seemed to get overshadowed by the bigger western cities mentioned on C-D so often like Phoenix, Seattle, and Denver that I thought it would be nice to have a thread with these second tier cities. I'll let others chime in about some of these other cities. Here's some photos of Albuquerque.

[18Montclair]

If you have Sacramento, then you need to add Las Vegas too cause LV is smaller than Sacramento.

Reno is smaller than Fresno, Bakersfield and Stockton.

[Champ le monstre du lac]

Originally Posted by 18Montclair

If you have Sacramento, then you need to add Las Vegas too cause LV is smaller than Sacramento.

Reno is smaller than Fresno, Bakersfield and Stockton.

How did I know I would be corrected based on little technicalities like leaving out 'forgive me' Stockton? Really? Nonetheless I feel Sacramento is in a similar tier as many of these other cities and certainly not up with LA, SF, SD and Las Vegas. It gives recognition to the ones in the shadows but stil have their merrits as medium-large cities. And Vegas has far too much noteriety that it would be a thread domination. That and C-D still hasn't come up with a way to edit or modify poll options, so here is the thread as is. I hope it works.

[Mezter]

Does Denver Count?

[Melanzana92]

Denver is first tier of course! A smaller first tier, but first tier nontheless. It's a major center for a rather large region.

Personally, I think Salt Lake City should be considered first tier as well for the same reason. It'd be the smallest of the bunch, but calling it "second tier" is kind of degrating to it, in my opinion.

I really do like Albuquerque. Those were some excellent photos posted up there. The view from the mountains looks spectacular.

I did pick Reno, though. Personally, it's just my favorite and it's a nice little city next to some really great outdoor recreation areas.

[Zachj7]

Impressive that Sacramento is winning as I would pick that city as well. Sacramento is a decent city on its own but the fact that its close to SF and Lake Tahoe/Truckee really gives it the edge.

[pistola916]

Sacramento...much larger than a lot of the cities listed (2.1 million metro). Close proximity to SF, Ocean, Lake Tahoe, snow, mountains, Napa Valley... pretty good cultural, art, restaurant scene, decent nightlife, excellent weather year around;; known for it's tree-lined streets, many parks, and its two rivers, the American and Sacramento; the capital of California, the 8th largest economy in the world; Sac international airport handles over 10 million passengers a year; the Sacramento Kings of the NBA is here but they might end up moving; Sac State and UC Davis are the two important universities in the region;

All and all Sacramento is an underrated place to live in. the city itself is small (close to 500,000) but the area is huge that provides many amenities for everyone. And because the city relies on state government, in some ways it feels Washington DCish.

[Nineties Flava]

Out of these cities, Sacramento or Salt Lake City. Of my own personal preference, Oakland. Personally I don't see how one would put Fresno but not Oakland, but that's just me.