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Any suggestions for western cities matching these criteria?
- Safe
- Close to mountains: hiking and mountain biking trails close enough to town for daily use (not just weekends)
- Craft beer culture: I really like the people and energy that surround the craft beer culture.
- Walkable downtown area
- Quality restaurant scene: I'm not talking SF or NYC here, but just a solid variety of unique, local restaurants (avoid chains!)
- Climate: 4 seasons, preferably sunny
- People: friendly, outgoing, and active residents
- Size: not particular - open to suggestions for cities/towns of all sizes
Please let me know if any places like this exist somewhere out west! Thanks in advance
Boulder, CO is one bad ass college town. It has the best scenery in country. I went out to CU to visit my buddy.. the women in Colorado and out west in general are such much different than the south.The women are not as outgoing as the South and seemed kinda snobby but not.. they have a l lot of California transplants in Boulder and they seemed cool to me when I visited. People say Boulder has snobby people that are ultra liberal.. was some but quite not as bad as people say. I loved it.. seems like a great place to live.. only down side is everything seemed way over priced.
Any suggestions for western cities matching these criteria?
- Safe
- Close to mountains: hiking and mountain biking trails close enough to town for daily use (not just weekends)
- Craft beer culture: I really like the people and energy that surround the craft beer culture.
- Walkable downtown area
- Quality restaurant scene: I'm not talking SF or NYC here, but just a solid variety of unique, local restaurants (avoid chains!)
- Climate: 4 seasons, preferably sunny
- People: friendly, outgoing, and active residents
- Size: not particular - open to suggestions for cities/towns of all sizes
Please let me know if any places like this exist somewhere out west! Thanks in advance
I second Chico.
-It's a college town, but comparatively it's crime rate is reasonable.
-It's in the Sacramento Valley at the base of the foothills where the Sierra Nevada and Cascades meet.
-Sierra Nevada Brewery was founded and has subsequently flourished here, so we're very fond and proud of everything they produce.
-Many college students that move here don't even bother bringing a car, the university is downtown so everything is within walking distance. It's also a very bike-friendly town.
-The restaurant scene has definitely developed well in the past few years. The best places are downtown with a few options outside of that. I won't necessarily say it's hugely diverse, but it is getting there.
-Chico is known for being one of the top places in the nation for number of clear days. The wet season generally lasts from November to March with an average of 23 inches of rain per year (we desperately need more though). Springs are generally nice with temperatures averaging in the 70's and 80's. Summers can be hot in July, August and September with temperatures in the 100°-110° range and beyond, but that's usually not often or for protracted periods of time.
-Locals are friendly, although it seems like there's been an influx of folks moving up here from the Bay Area and Southern California who are a bit rude.
-Chico has a population of about 87,000 big enough to have it's own resources (shopping, entertainment, etc) but not so big that you feel strangled by traffic and huge crowds.
Any suggestions for western cities matching these criteria?
- Safe
- Close to mountains: hiking and mountain biking trails close enough to town for daily use (not just weekends)
- Craft beer culture: I really like the people and energy that surround the craft beer culture.
- Walkable downtown area
- Quality restaurant scene: I'm not talking SF or NYC here, but just a solid variety of unique, local restaurants (avoid chains!)
- Climate: 4 seasons, preferably sunny
- People: friendly, outgoing, and active residents
- Size: not particular - open to suggestions for cities/towns of all sizes
Please let me know if any places like this exist somewhere out west! Thanks in advance
Check out Fort Collins, CO...it has the feel of Boulder minus the extravagant cost of living and is the largest beer producing city in Colorado.
I was actually just in Bend about 2 months ago and absolutely loved it there! Just as you stated takuriver, my only concern about it was the size. It seemed great during my brief vacation there, but I wonder if it is too small and isolated. Also, I hear conflicting information regarding the actual amount of sunshine there. From the research that I've done, the "300 days" claim is simply incorrect.
Both Boulder and Fort Collins are on my list of places to visit in the near future. I love the mountains of Colorado, but I haven't been to either city yet. I also like the fact that they are close enough to a large metro area like Denver.
Chico is very interesting. I've never even considered it before, but I definitely will now. I've done a little research into Sacramento because of its incredible central location. I mean how can you beat being in between SF, Napa, the California coast, Lake Tahoe, Yosemite, and the rest of the Sierra Nevada mountains nearby. Talk about the best of everything! However, I have also heard people say that you only live in Sacramento for this reason, not so much for what the city itself offers.
Boise is very intriguing. For me, it's a perfect sized city. Large enough for plenty of activities, but not too big that crime, pollution, and traffic are glaringly present. It's also an area with a lot of potential for growth in the future, so I like that aspect too.
Any thoughts on Spokane? Reno? Missoula or Bozeman?
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