If you had a chance to move anywhere in the US...WHERE WOULD YOU GO? (Boone: living in, places)

[jazzlover]

Originally Posted by Josseppie

I hear Wyoming is the same as it was 50 years ago. Well maybe less population in some areas.

Well, here we go again. You say you've "heard" what Wyoming is like. Well, I lived there for several years and traveled the whole state as part of my work. It is NOT like it was 50 years ago, but is not as overdeveloped as Colorado. I doubt that you've probably even met anyone from Wyoming. Most Wyomingites really cherish the state's relatively unpopulated open spaces--unlike you, who wants fill up the region with people as fast as possible. That would garner you a very unwelcome reception from most Wyoming residents. (Wait 'til Colorado gets serious about stealing Wyoming's water--that could start a shooting war, and I'd bet the Wyoming folks are better shots.) Also, unlike some milque-toast metro Coloradans, many Wyomingites can be somewhat less, uh, "delicate" in how they treat people that they find grossly irritating. "We don't know how he flew out that door head first--it just happened that way."

[Josseppie]

Originally Posted by jazzlover

Well, here we go again. You say you've "heard" what Wyoming is like. Well, I lived there for several years and traveled the whole state as part of my work. It is NOT like it was 50 years ago, but is not as overdeveloped as Colorado. I doubt that you've probably even met anyone from Wyoming. Most Wyomingites really cherish the state's relatively unpopulated open spaces--unlike you, who wants fill up the region with people as fast as possible. That would garner you a very unwelcome reception from most Wyoming residents. (Wait 'til Colorado gets serious about stealing Wyoming's water--that could start a shooting war, and I'd bet the Wyoming folks are better shots.) Also, unlike some milque-toast metro Coloradans, many Wyomingites can be somewhat less, uh, "delicate" in how they treat people that they find grossly irritating. "We don't know how he flew out that door head first--it just happened that way."

I have been to Wyoming a few times in fact I have cousins from Cheyenne. Also, I happen to like Casper as it reminds me of a smaller Pueblo. However, I don't think it will grow like Pueblo will and that's ok as not every city wants to be a large city or needs to be.

[80skeys]

I can't think of anyplace in Wyoming that's overdeveloped.
Except Yellowstone.

[jazzlover]

Originally Posted by 80skeys

I can't think of anyplace in Wyoming that's overdeveloped.
Except Yellowstone.

And Jackson.

[delta07]

1. San Luis Obispo, CA
2. Durango, CO
3. Bend, OR (oh wait, I'm already there....)
4. Salida, CO
5. Asheville, NC
6. Flagstaff, AZ
7. Fort Collins, CO
8. Boulder, CO
9. Sante Fe, NM

I didn't list these in any particular order, just places I have lived or always wanted to live. If you are looking for a change of scenery, the desert will definitely provide that! You'll be hard pressed to find everything on your list though, unless you consider CA. Just remember, even though Big Bear is relatively close to most cities in S. California, that doesn't necessarily equate to a short drive. Traffic is absolutely horrendous! I lived for a very short time (3 months, husband's travel nurse) in Thousand Oaks, CA. It was absolutely beautiful and had almost everything your looking for....but, wow, was the traffic bad! It took us 3 hours to drive to LAX from our apt., which was only 45 miles away! It took almost the same time getting back, and this was at 11pm. Terrible! Not much to the quality of life there, unless you enjoy living out of your car. I would never live in Palm Springs either. It's nice for a visit, but an absolutely terrible place to raise a family! I have friends that left that area once they had kids because they knew it was bad.

[gc57]

Leavenworth, WA.
Solvang/Santa Ynez, Ca.
Harmony, Ca.
Coeur D' Alene/Sandpoint, Id.
Carpenteria, Ca.
Hailey, Id.
Asheville, NC.
Ashland, Or.
Heber City, UT.

[brightdoglover]

I'd like to live fall and winter where I am (New England), spring in Kanab, Utah, to volunteer at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary and live as remotely as I ever have, with the red rock mountains all around. Summers in Ridgway or thereabouts.
I also would like to have been born a princess, but it's too late for that.

[plainsman48]

Originally Posted by 80skeys

I can't think of anyplace in Wyoming that's overdeveloped. Except Yellowstone.

Yellowstone is a National Park and there is NO development allowed. You are thinking of Dubois, Jackson-Wilson.

I lived in Wyoming for several years and couldn't wait to leave. Talk about boring. The nearest mall for my girls was a hundred miles one way!

Their elementary schools compared to many small towns in the midwest which were below grade, horrible and teachers weren't paid anywhere near what they are worth. The emphasis was on sports. National Honors was a joke. Of course being an outsider they didn't appreciate anything you could offer them in constructive criticism. They wouldn't listen at open forums and they wouldn't let you speak your mind - they had their own agenda and to heck with your opinions or what you could bring to the table. They didn't want to hear it! Then there was the mormon factor to contend with.

In Laramie, Cheyenne and Casper you didn't have that problem, just others. I80 and I25 are the major drug pipelines from the west and south and with meth labs popping up everywhere, we couldn't afford to let our girls remain any longer.

So, we packed up and left. Colorado was always my first choice after my 20 yr stint and so it was a natural choice.

I finally sold that home in Wyoming ten years later - and tho I made a profit on it, I wished I hadn't gone there in the first place. You learn from your mistakes and move on, never to relive them.

Catharthis is good for the soul!

[Tama]

How about Charlottesville, Va? It has mountains and the sea, near metro areas and beautiful countryside, historical sites, and not to hot nor too cold.
Atlanta suburbs are nice--Duluth, Covington, Conyers. Marrietta--and you get a lot more house and land for you buck than California or the other high-priced places.

[brightdoglover]

C-ville isn't exactly "by the sea." I imagine it's about a two-hour drive at the least, if I remember correctly. It is lovely there. I think it's way too humid, and it's quite expensive to live there.