Moving to the mountains...but which ones?? (low crime, house)
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Hello! My name's Emily and my family and I are looking to move out of California in the next two years. The problem is...we don't know where to go! We love the mountains, but many mountain states seem to have extreme weather, with winters lasting half the year! Are there any mountain communities where temperatures don't dip below zero, don't get 100+ inches of snow, and where it's not 100* + in the summer? We'd like to be in a small town with no more than 10,000 people, near a lake/stream/creek, with affordable housing (less than $200,000??), a hospital nearby, and where crime isn't out of control. Good school aren't a necessity, as the youngest will soon be finished with school. Does such a place exist within the good ol' US of A?
from your above post it sounds like Ruidoso,New Mexico would be a good choice, the population is just under 10,000 people and the average low in Jan. is 20 degrees and the average high in July is 80 degrees and low crime. Elevation is 6,720ft.
Ruidoso is like a hidden gem but some nearby Texans have second homes there and for being a mountain community its affordable and it doesent snow all that much for being a mountain town, Id say just the right amount, I call it the Durango,CO of New Mexico.
average annual rainfall-23 inches
average annual snowfall is 47 inches
look up their chamber of commerce website or Remax just to get an idea of the housing if you are interested.
Somewhere near Sedona, Aridzona might work and possibly Prescott. Don't go much further north though otherwise you will encounter plenty of snow and cold as you approach Flagstaff. Not sure about housing prices in either of these places these days though.
Northern Georgia or the mountains near Asheville, NC may also be worth a look.
I would say Sedona/Flagstaff initially almost no crime, beautiful, driving distance to phoenix, higher in elevation means cooler weather but there is almost no way your going to get under $200,000 and it does snow in winter. Chattanooga, TN and Greenville, SC is perhaps the southern most regions in the appalachia which means little snow, housing actually are under $200,000 but crime, population growth and adjusting to the culture could be a problem. North NM and South CO regions may be worth looking at, rural, mountain towns, house with land, Santa Fe, NM, Cortez, Durango, Trinidad, CO amongst others.
I suggest the mountains of NC, specifically around Asheville, NC, only 11 inches of snow a year, generally humble, nice folk, BEAUTIFUL scenery, all-around good place
Las Vegas? It snows on the mountains (which are only a 30 minute drive or so), but the valley itself is pretty much snow-free.
It does get hot in the summer, but you'd be hard pressed to find some place that doesn't get hot OR cold and is in the mountains. And if it helps, most people who've moved to LV said that the heat is easier to adjust to than the cold elsewhere. So who knows?
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