Help me find a place to live! Recommend a town! (real estate, to buy)

[shannon2007]

Hi! I am going to be moving after I finish nursing school because Wisconsin is way to cold in the winter and humid in the summer. I will be able to move anywhere in the US but am clueless on where to go. I have thought about it for a while and my dream place:

1. Must have a good number of sunny clear days per year. Clear= sunny for over half of the day, not gray or overcast or cloudy or hazy.

2. Able to wear a thick warm sweater for winter. At most throw on a jacket in the middle of winter. At no time do I want to have to wear snow boots, earmuffs, snowpants, etc.

3. A pretty nice summer that is warm enough and long enough to warrant an in-ground pool.

4. Decent schools that do not have any gang activity.

5. Very low humidity.

6. Can get a 4 bdrm. 2 bath 2 car garage ~ $200,000.

7. Small town is Okay.

Thanks for any suggestions.

[BSL63087]

Maybe somewhere in New Mexico? I don't know. Arizona is probably too hot for what you're looking for, Denver or Salt Lake City may be too cold. Portland might be ok.

[san phlegmatico]

I don't think such a place exists.

Here are some enthralling locales, each which lines up well with a few of your criteria:

1. Perhaps the remote fringes of the SF Bay Area, CA?

2. Perhaps the "inland"/ mountain areas of San Diego, CA?

3. Tuscon and Southern Arizona?

4. Oregon -- east of Portland, perhaps?

5. North Carolina... specifically Asheville and surrounding mountain regions?

6. Boise, Idaho?


Sunny + low humidity + nice schools + rock-bottom real estate = The Null Set. If you would drop your real estate price limiter, I would say a North County SD town (Encinitas, Del Mar, et. al.) is your best bet.

You didn't mention proximity to a hospital, which I assume you will be commuting to, in your new occupation as nurse.

[snowflake73]

I will say that I was born and raised in Wisconsin. I now live close to Salt Lake City. The winters are mild here compared to Wisconsin's brutal winters.

Where I live when we get a snowfall, it's most of the time gone by the end of the day. There's a lot of sunshine here, tons of outdoor activities, four distinct seasons, no humidity, not many bugs and beautiful sunsets and mountains. So much nicer than Wisconsin. I would never go back there. All everybody does there is sit in the bar there.

It's a nice, clean up and coming city. You don't have to be Mormon to live here either.

Good Luck

[CCCTerRN]

Hello
How about the western slopes of Colorado? Summer is not real hot...80-90's dry not humid. August can hit the low 100's. Winter mild, no wind snow is usually gone by noon.
Been here 4 years seen snow 3-4 times that wasn't melted by noon. But just have to go a few miles up the mountain and get all the snow you want. Rifle Colorado is small, but growning like crazy.
The hospital here is doing a 10,000 sign on bonus for RN's to commit to 2 years working the night shift on the med/surg/tele floor. It's 14 beds, ran by 2 nurses and a CNA. Were at mile post 90 on I-70, easy to get to. Schools are pretty good.
My son is a junior in high school and the worst has been a few fights. Nothing serious.
Housing would be the issue...the cost of houseing is constantly increasing. Increasing by 1-1 1/2 percent each month. So it's a great time to buy because as soon as you do the next month it's already worth more than you paid for it. That's why we are having the large sign on bonus.
If you apply just tell them Terri refered you.

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by snowflake73

So much nicer than Wisconsin. I would never go back there. All everybody does there is sit in the bar there.

And all everybody does in Utah is sit in Mormon churches.

Way to stereotype, bub.

[BearBranch]

Boise fits the bill.

[snowflake73]

Well I'd rather be surrounded by people who live in churches than bars.

[shannon2007]

I don't think she literally meant everyone drinks but I have to admit that is like what 90% of people here do with their pastime. Camp and drink. Hunt and drink. Watch Nascar and drink. Watch football and drink. Grill and drink. Drink when they're happy. Drink when they're sad. Drink just for the hell of it.
lol.

Thanks for everyone's suggestions, looking at Oregon, Utah and Colorado now.

[Lucidus]

Midland-Odessa, Texas

total metro population approx 250,000. Economy is booming but housing is very affordable. $200,000 will buy you a nice place with a pool easily. Has a warm climate with low humidity. A few cold fronts will push through each year and may bring a small amount of snow, but otherwise you can expect 300+ days a year of sunshine. I don't know about gang activity in schools, but I don't think that it is a problem. Several local hospitals to provide nursing jobs.