Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
On a different note, is it common to most desert areas that the heat will keep you indoors for parts of the summer?
Only the low desert gets oppressively hot (ie Phoenix). High deserts have nice summers, IMO. Dry, warm-to-hot, and nice night temps, unlike here in Phoenix where its super hot in the day, and very hot at night.
I would recommend St. George, UT. Its got the red rocks you crave (Phoenix doesnt really have any), and is growing. Another possibility would be Sedona, AZ, but its quite pricey, and could get boring since its a tourist town.
whats your budget? many different places around here come to mind.
PS: This may be the first time a 21 year old has actually sounded intelligent on this board.
Thanks for the compliment.
I don't think I can truly offer up a budget, I'm not planning on making a move in the near future(Likely over 6 months out) and exactly what I end up doing will result in how the various businesses/investments I'm working on pay out. I don't have any plans on moving into a large home, let's put it that way. I'll be moving out of my parents when I move and starting with no furniture, even if I did hit it big I don't want to spend all that long furniture shopping. Give me a decent kitchen, access to good food/internet, and room to put together a nice stereo and I'm good to go. I'm thinking more of a starter home over a condo/apartment due to the last thing on the list and the fact I may be wanting to setup a home recording studio. It seems increasingly likely that I will end up having to do some recordings for my businesses as I take on the role of leader and spokesperson. I'd also rather not disturb the neighbors listening to music.
If I had to set a budget it would be $20,000-10,000 for housing/furnishings. Naturally the longer I wait, the more I should have to spend. Also, the longer I wait the more of my income will be taxed by the rates of my home state.
Truth be told I'm willing to compromise on living in viewing distance of red rock. I was originally looking at moving to Wyoming or Nevada to take advantage of the nonexistent tax rates. My options have since opened up as my business partner left the project, we had been considering sharing housing and he has a medical condition which makes it so that he can't live anywhere too dry. I don't want to limit my options too heavily, I don't expect I'll be tied to any one area with regards to employment so I'd be ok starting out in a cheaper/further from my ideal area.
Apparently I cannot edit my posts. My budget is $20K-100K, lower the better. I don't intend to take out any loans as I see it just as a bad practice to get into. I have many friends who are a few hundred thousand underwater, some even in their late 40s/50s. One doesn't even have his own place.
I wanted to follow up and say that after further research I've decided against St George. Whilst it does have its appeals it would seem that my lifestyle wouldn't really fit in with that of the community. I'm not a party animal by any means but I am a casual drinker and probably will find myself taking trips to Vegas every now and again. I don't feel it would be right to force myself on a community with ideals which differ so heavily from my own.
1) Ridgecrest, CA.
[x] doesn't feel like a foreign country
[x] mostly white
[x] people love their alcohol
[x] cheap
[x] desert
[x] snows once ever 4-5 years, has a sort of winter
Forget about New Mexico and the desert parts of Colorado, as they will feel to you like a foreign country. Same for the desert locations in Eastern WA and Eastern OR.
Forget about New Mexico and the desert parts of Colorado, as they will feel to you like a foreign country. Same for the desert locations in Eastern WA and Eastern OR.
The only part of WA I would call true desert is Central WA. Eastern WA is the Palouse (South of Spokane) and evergreen forest (North of Spokane). Ritzville is about as far East as the desert gets in WA. From there it transitions into the Palouse, which is more grassland/prairie than desert.
The only part of WA I would call true desert is Central WA. Eastern WA is the Palouse (South of Spokane) and evergreen forest (North of Spokane). Ritzville is about as far East as the desert gets in WA. From there it transitions into the Palouse, which is more grassland/prairie than desert.
I was generalizing, as in only cutting WA into halves along the Cascade Crest (we could technically have this same argument about Oregon). I am a former WA resident, Spokane to be exact, and my work there took me to virtually all corners of the eastern half of the state (and the region). You could say the desert goes as far east as Sprague (I always used Fishtrap as the transition point from ugly to pretty ).
Wenatchee, Quincy, Yakima, Tri-Cities, Omak, Moses Lake, Ritzville, Othello, Coulee Dam, and many points between (even an argument for Ellensburg, Walla Walla and Clarkston to be included would be valid) would classify as desert in many circles. Spokane, Pullman, Newport, Colville, etc, would not be considered desert, as they get more precipitation, and with the exception of Pullman, are forested. The Palouse is unique, and personally I feel that it is an acquired taste (that I do not have).
I wouldn't recommend Central/SE WA to OP, because in many of these towns, he "would feel like he's in a foreign country". I actually liked going there, because culturally it felt more like my native CA, and of course the deep fried burritos that you can pick up at many locations there are well worth the trip.
Prescott, AZ--tolerant, open-minded people with a live-and-let-live attitude; no one cares what religion you are, who you sleep with, where you're from. Active, outdoors-oriented population--lots of people hike, bike, camp, fish, hunt, garden, kayak, horseback-ride, etc. Nature and the environment in general are very important and well-respected, unlike in the South. Very safe/low crime. Beautiful natural scenery and plenty of trees/greenery (if that's your thing--it's most people's). Very low humidity, lots of sunshine. On the warmer side, but has all four seasons and doesn't get extremely hot like the low desert areas (i.e., Phoenix, Tucson). Doesn't get too cold either, esp. compared to the Midwest, Northeast, Upper South, and most of the Intermountain West. They get some snow in the winter, but not much, and it melts quickly. It's got a cute little downtown and reasonable home prices. You can drive to Phoenix for things you really need on occasion--higher-end shopping, fine dining, pro sports, travel, more culture. It's also close to Flagstaff if you want more snow, mountains, winter sports, etc. as well as Sedona and the Grand Canyon for some of the most breathtaking natural scenery on the planet.
I was generalizing, as in only cutting WA into halves along the Cascade Crest (we could technically have this same argument about Oregon). I am a former WA resident, Spokane to be exact, and my work there took me to virtually all corners of the eastern half of the state (and the region). You could say the desert goes as far east as Sprague (I always used Fishtrap as the transition point from ugly to pretty ).
Wenatchee, Quincy, Yakima, Tri-Cities, Omak, Moses Lake, Ritzville, Othello, Coulee Dam, and many points between (even an argument for Ellensburg, Walla Walla and Clarkston to be included would be valid) would classify as desert in many circles. Spokane, Pullman, Newport, Colville, etc, would not be considered desert, as they get more precipitation, and with the exception of Pullman, are forested. The Palouse is unique, and personally I feel that it is an acquired taste (that I do not have).
I wouldn't recommend Central/SE WA to OP, because in many of these towns, he "would feel like he's in a foreign country". I actually liked going there, because culturally it felt more like my native CA, and of course the deep fried burritos that you can pick up at many locations there are well worth the trip.
Sprague is kind of pushing the limits of "desert", IMO... but there are a few "tendrils" of that landscape that go a bit further East. Now, those other cities you named (Quincy, Yakima, Tri-Cities, Omak, Moses Lake, Ritzville, Othello, Coulee Dam) are definitely and undoubtedly desert cities/towns, but are also all pretty much in the central part of the state. I guess I just consider the Eastern third of WA a different ecoregion and climate from the central third.
The Palouse looks and feels more like the Great Plains, albeit with a little more rolling terrain, than it does like Nevada or Southeast Oregon. Then there's Northeast WA (where I currently live), that's more like the foothills of the Rockies. Not as wet and densely forested as the Cascades, but very green and covered in Pine-Spruce-Tamarack-Aspen forest, with many small, naturally formed glacial lakes dotting the landscape.
It really is amazing just how many different ecoregions, microclimates, changes in elevation and precipitation, and vegetation there are packed into a state as small as Washington. It can all change very suddenly and dramatically when driving from one part of the state to the next. WA is very unique in this way.
As a final note, I do have to note that I'd be most comfortable around those of my ethnicity, I'm white and more specifically Celtic. Its not the most important thing for me, but I would be uncomfortable feeling as if I was living in a foreign land.
I'm not sure if it has been mentioned or not, but maybe Colorado Springs might be a good fit. It's also very dry and within a short drive of the high desert.
I had my lasik consultation and whilst they didn't outright say its a done deal, I'm near certain I won't be a candidate. The 2hr consultation was over in 10 minutes and they didn't talk price, nuff said. Unless I can find an alternative surgery for those with thin corneas, I'm going to have to limit myself to cities where one can survive without car(and bicycle.) I'll do a few more quick searches on the site(I've been scouring the internet for the past few days as I come to terms with the news) and then I'll post a new thread. It looks as if I will have to do a lot of trimming on my qualifications as I now have this thing which is nonnegotiable.
Sorry South-West. Maybe I'll come visit one day, or perhaps the technology will advance and I'll be able to get the surgery a few years down the line.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.