Mild climate, casinos and young people! (Parker, Durango: living in, cost of, move to)

[alexandreajean]

Hello forum people. It’s been a while since I made my last thread about wanting to move to warm mountain towns and have realized how close to impossible that really is. I really appreciate all the info you all gave me on that thread. It helped a lot. However, I now have a new ideal habitat in mind. I want 3 or 4 mild seasons:
summers - low humidity, SUNSHINE, less bugs
Fall leaf changing, I LOVE pine trees too.
Winters - nothing below zero, less frequent below freezing, would take more snow over more cold days

Being close to multiple climates would be a huge plus. My boyfriend loves to snowboard and I love the beach. I know they’re very opposite there’s gotta be a few places within a few hours drive of both climates.

I have a thing for forests and mountains.

If there’s somewhere that matches all of these i would be ecstatic.

I’m in the F&B service industry and my boyfriend is a table games dealer for a casino so somewhere with options for both of those occupations is necessary.

I’m from Wisconsin and just about the only thing I like about it is the green summers and freshwater bodies of water. Other than that I’m looking for pretty much the opposite.

If anyone has heard of or been to this dream city of mine please share!
All info is greatly appreciated.

Thanks people!

[EastwardBound]

Originally Posted by alexandreajean

Hello forum people. It’s been a while since I made my last thread about wanting to move to warm mountain towns and have realized how close to impossible that really is. I really appreciate all the info you all gave me on that thread. It helped a lot. However, I now have a new ideal habitat in mind. I want 3 or 4 mild seasons:
summers - low humidity, SUNSHINE, less bugs
Fall leaf changing, I LOVE pine trees too.
Winters - nothing below zero, less frequent below freezing, would take more snow over more cold days

Being close to multiple climates would be a huge plus. My boyfriend loves to snowboard and I love the beach. I know they’re very opposite there’s gotta be a few places within a few hours drive of both climates.

I have a thing for forests and mountains.

If there’s somewhere that matches all of these i would be ecstatic.

I’m in the F&B service industry and my boyfriend is a table games dealer for a casino so somewhere with options for both of those occupations is necessary.

I’m from Wisconsin and just about the only thing I like about it is the green summers and freshwater bodies of water. Other than that I’m looking for pretty much the opposite.

If anyone has heard of or been to this dream city of mine please share!
All info is greatly appreciated.

Thanks people!

Speaking strictly about Colorado:

~If your boyfriend's line of work is non-negotiable, you have Black Hawk/Central City or Cripple Creek for casino towns and then there are a few casinos run by Native American tribes over near Durango.

~For low humidity, most of the west and southwest will give you that year round and it's one of the best things about living in the west, because it makes all seasons more enjoyable. Most of Colorado has abundant sunshine year round.

~As far as MILD, that is open to interpretation, but generally, you will certainly find extreme weather in both summer and winter, with several days going below zero typically, and many days in the teens and 20s. However, 20 degrees here is MUCH different from 20 in wet Wisconsin. Personally, as long as the sun is out and the wind is not blowing, I'm very comfortable in 20 degree weather hiking, walking, working in the yard, etc. with the appropriate layers on.

~There isn't much water really anywhere in Colorado, so you wont be finding many beaches, other than some small 'beaches' I guess you could say along some lakes and such-but again, very limited.

~ Lots of varied forests and habitats, but not a lot of lush green landscapes, other than the spring really. Make sure you're aware of the 'brown' and comfortable with that before making a permanent decision about most of the west.

Without knowing more about your budget, other hobbies, etc, I would, based on what I read look at Nederland-close to the casino town of Central city and a small ski area and Durango-close to one of the Native casinos and skiing as well. If your boyfriend can consider other lines of work, that would open up other possibilities.

Really, almost anywhere along the Front Range Urban area and west has abundant outdoor activities, which won't disappoint. The main issue most people encounter in Colorado is the cost of housing, which you will need to plan for.

[BabyBoomers2]

When we lived in Parker, we'd go to Chatfield Reservoir for water entertainment. There was a Swim Beach there as well as an area for "beaching" a boat and relaxing on the sand on the shore. We "beached" our bowrider a number of times and enjoyed relaxing in lounges chairs. There were those that didn't have a boat and simply drove down to the shore, sit up and overhang and relaxed.

[evening sun]

I found this thread on the New Posts, so it is not about Colorado, but it seems to me, parts of Northern California fit your criteria. I live in Butte county & we have several casinos, & lots of lakes for water activities, hot summers & mild winters. Some of the adjacent counties also have casinos. Apologies to Colorado residents

[hikernut]

I don't think anyplace in Colorado does a good job of meeting your criteria. Why not post on the General U.S. forum?

[SkyDog77]

Reno

[Dreaming of Hawaii]

Usually when people say they "love the beach", they are talking about the ocean or Gulf of Mexico. I grew up on the Atlantic Ocean and while I love Colorado there is nothing that gives that ocean feel. Having a lake to boat on and a small strip of sand is not the same at all.

OP, you said you want a place within a few hours drive of both mountains and beach. I suggest that you look at Oregon and California.

[EastwardBound]

Originally Posted by SkyDog77

Reno

Great suggestion.

Also, if you can afford it, Southern California. You've got beaches, mountains, desert, casinos, mild winters, but still you can get some of that 'winter' feel in some ways. It really does get cool enough in the winter-50's to feel cozy with fires and jackets and that sort of thing, plus you can get skiing at Big Bear as well as an alpine environment in Idyllwild and the San Gabriel and San Bernardino Mountains.

[NW Crow]

SoCal: Idyllwild, Big Bear Lake, Arrowhead Lake. Zero degree days are rare (usually don't happen in typical year.) Casinos in San Jacinto, Cabazon, Indio, Coachella, etc.


Of course Tahoe area and some small CA Sierra foothill towns.


OR- Warm Springs Casino 15 miles west of Madras. Bend-Redmond 1/2 hr to 1 hr to south of Madras. Pendleton area is mild with casino. Skiing an hour plus away but available. Coast is 4-5 hours away. Casino in Klamath Falls, skiing hour plus away, coast 4-5 hours away.


WA- Might find what you want in Whatcom, Okanogan and Spokane counties.


Mild depends on exactly where you live. Above 5,000 feet, zero degree days become more possible but latitude matters too.


Central to eastern Arizona could possibly work if going to ocean is only occasional.


You need to know (say?) how big a community you prefer. Lots of these options are quite small or smaller than some want. A lot of the casinos are smallish too. Ok with a few thousand people (and related stuff)? Less? 10,000? 50k? Makes lots of difference. Some people are flexible / cope with small towns, some are not suited to it.


Fall leaf changing on west coast will generally occur in town, along rivers and some spots high enough to have aspen groves. In general it is not as widespread or colorful as in the east. Arizona has more deciduous trees than you might think, though it is still the exception and mainly in spots at moderate elevation that get enough water. The northwest has the least in the wild.

[NW Crow]

Looking at some of the LOWER mountain adjacent towns, it will go below 32 degrees 140-220 nights per year. There are mountain adjacent towns that don't have HIGHs below 32 often but these tend to be in southern CA and Arizona. If you don't like / tolerate cold, stay as low, southern and near the coast as possible. And definitely stay out of mountain towns in the Rockies.