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I live in Mesa, Arizona and I am considering moving because I have been without the four seasons for too long. I really want to live somewhere where each season gets equal time share.
I would prefer not to move too far from Arizona because my mother and grandparents live here, and not too far from Washington, because my children's father lives there.
I also have two small children (5+6) who will both be starting school this year, so I want to move before school starts so they will not have to switch schools later on.
The schools where I live are very highly rated, so I can not move to somewhere where they would not get as good of an education. So I need to move somewhere that has great education either in the town, or very nearby, so we could commute.
I am looking for a quaint town, much like the town of Stars Hollow in Gilmore Girls. I want to live somewhere where everyone knows everyone else.
I would like to be close enough to at least one larger city. And close enough to a decent college.
I am planning for this to be my last move. I want to settle down and raise my family. Can anyone please suggest a town that sounds like what I am looking for?
Let's start with the four seasons. Northwestern California, all of western Oregon and Washington west of the Cascades and north of the Columbia Plateau and Scablands would fit the bill. Have you lived in Mesa all or most of your life? If so then bring lots of cough syrup. Winters here mean business, especially in north central Washington. Even in Redding or Red Bluff where a 75 degree afternoon is not unheard of, winter weather is a lot rougher than anything you'd be used to in Mesa. Be prepared for 3 to 7 months of gloom and drip in addition to the chill.
Distance from your mom and grandparents? Anywhere in Oregon will be a minimum of 1000 miles from Mesa. More likely 1200 to 1350. I don't know if that's too far or not. From Red Bluff, count on a 900 mile trip. OTOH you'll be a lot closer to the kid's dad (will Oregon be too close?? ).
Communities near where I live that fit what I believe are your requirements would be Philomath, Brownsville, Junction City, Harrisburg, Halsey, Dallas, Adair Village and Jefferson. A little farther out but still close to larger population centers include Newport and Toledo on and near the coast and Florence - also on the coast. Sublimity and Silverton as mentioned previously but also Stayton, Mill City, Coburg, Creswell and Cottage Grove are towns that might have the atmosphere you are looking for. All are conveniently located near Corvallis/Albany, Eugene/Springfield or Salem and none are more than a four hour drive from Portland. All four of the larger cities have good colleges and universities.
Frankly your comment about the Mesa school system surprises me. I have been to Arizona many times (in fact spent nearly a year there as a logger, of all things) and have heard from several Mesa residents that the schools there range from indifferent to bloody awful. Maybe things have changed and schools are better now. It is for this reason alone that I would almost recommend against your moving up here. At least not without visiting us for a few days to a few weeks to get a feel for the area. I believe the schools in all the places I have mentioned go from adequate to dam'd good but I can no longer say they are better than Mesa's.
Folks with greater familiarity that I with other areas of the Northwest might comment as well.
FVWinters mentioned Red Bluff; I would like to add to his evaluation. We have highly rated schools, Shasta College has an extension here, we're big enough to have some rental options (I know from experience that many small towns have almost no rentals), and, although it rains in the winter, it's only a 30-45 minute drive to the snow (Redding and Chico are within the same driving time). I have some links on aboutrb.com you might be interested in... good luck with your decision!
I have lived on and off in Port Townsend, WA for years. It is the closest thing to Stars Hollow I have yet to find. Small, progressive community. Lots of quaint shops, farmers market, nautical stuff, etc. The school district is pretty good but there are also independent schools around, including a Waldorf school. My parents live in Surprise, AZ, so I made the commute down to see them several times a year. It is a 2.5 hour plane ride... And Port Townsend is on the Olympic Peninsula so it is a ferry ride and a bit of a drive from Seattle. It might be worth checking out, however. It also has the added bonus of being in the Olympic Mountain rain shadow and gets far less rain than anywhere else in western WA aside from Sequim.
In terms of a good college you'd be looking at WWU or UW. WWU is actually a prettier commute because you go through Whidbey Island and the transit system between the two is top-notch. It is still a 2 hour drive, though. Hope this helps! Good luck
I have lived on and off in Port Townsend, WA for years. It is the closest thing to Stars Hollow I have yet to find. Small, progressive community. Lots of quaint shops, farmers market, nautical stuff, etc. The school district is pretty good but there are also independent schools around, including a Waldorf school. My parents live in Surprise, AZ, so I made the commute down to see them several times a year. It is a 2.5 hour plane ride... And Port Townsend is on the Olympic Peninsula so it is a ferry ride and a bit of a drive from Seattle. It might be worth checking out, however. It also has the added bonus of being in the Olympic Mountain rain shadow and gets far less rain than anywhere else in western WA aside from Sequim.
In terms of a good college you'd be looking at WWU or UW. WWU is actually a prettier commute because you go through Whidbey Island and the transit system between the two is top-notch. It is still a 2 hour drive, though. Hope this helps! Good luck
I know someone who moved to PT from Southern CA and they couldn't be more miserable. Both the hubby and wife have found people at work and outside of work to be very cold and unfriendly, and the weather to be dismal. They are planning for the day they can move somewhere else.
If you could handle the weather, and the people were friendly at least, that would be great. But, who wants to put up with unfriendly people and horrible weather? The rest is not worth it, if you're unhappy.
I'll grant you that it's a very attractive area visually.
Many places in the plains states of the Midwest/Southwest have a more milder 4 seasons. Try a small college town there.
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).
Maybe too far?
