Moving from Vail, CO to The-Equivalent-Only-Warmer?? (school, moved, cost, quote)

[CBSSM]

This is my first post so bear with me

What we grew accustomed to in Vail:
-friendly locals
-little to no traffic
-low crime rate
-ample outdoor activities
-somewhat solid economy for this day and age
-culture
-small town vibe
-great place to raise a family

What we're looking for:
-all of the above plus...
-[work] great food scene - fine dining a plus
-[work] mid to high end real estate market
-max of 200,000 people
-snow is not ruled out but the record of 511" of snow did me in last winter. Cool your jets skiers! I know it was an epic year!

Have considered Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Santa Cruz, and Ojai in California. Then heard of Bend, Oregon and parts of Washington but is there too much rain/snow there? Hawaii is too much of a process with moving, being far from the mainland, etc. We think we want to stick with the west coast but will not rule out the rest of the U.S.

Why we're moving:
-winters are a bit long
-lack of career opportunities
-high cost of living (not a major factor since we were still able to save but one regardless)

I understand this is a "needle in a haystack" but I thought I'd reach out because you never know until you ask.

Thank you in advance!

[Dogmama50]

We left Vail 16 years ago and have moved all over the country since. We finally made it back to Vail 2 years ago, we just couldn't find the right fit in other places except for Basalt/Aspen for 5 years. Last year's snow was harsh on us too, but this year has been pretty easy.

Bend is nice and worth checking out, it's a fairly similar community mindset. Oregon/Washington isn't as wet as it's made out to be, but it's considerably more humid with less hours sunlight in the winter. The pay scale in Bend is nothing close to what we have here. We have such a high concentration of fine dining here, it's hard to find the same clusters in many areas, California will probably be your best bet if that's a necessity for work.

[CBSSM]

Thank you DogMama50. We'll probably end up back in Colorado later on down the road but not in a resort area. Our goal is to open a restaurant and with the high cost of living it's simply unattainable. Thanks again for your input!

[bongo]

Have you visited Taos? It's about the same size as Vail, nicer weather in winter, has mid- to high-end real estate market, fine dining scene, rich in culture, friendly, outdoor activities, etc.

Good luck in your search!

[stillkit]

Originally Posted by Dogmama50

Oregon/Washington isn't as wet as it's made out to be, but it's considerably more humid with less hours sunlight in the winter.

That's only true within the Cascades (where Bend is) or west of there.

East of the Cascades, Washington and Oregon are radically different and probably shouldn't even be included in the same states.

[stillkit]

Originally Posted by bongo

Have you visited Taos? It's about the same size as Vail, nicer weather in winter, has mid- to high-end real estate market, fine dining scene, rich in culture, friendly, outdoor activities, etc.

And, Santa Fe.

[CBSSM]

Thank you! Sounds like I need to plan a trip to NM. I've heard great things about both Taos and Santa Fe but haven't made it out that way.

[Dogmama50]

I've lived in both Santa fe and Taos, they are both unique, but very different from our valley. Look carefully at the education system if you have school age children.

[bongo]

I thought of Santa Fe, except for the request for little or no traffic Can't drive Cerrillos or St. Francis Drs & say that LOL However, Santa Fe does have the culture, fine dining, high end real estate, etc.