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.
We want to relocate from Florida. We are outdoor enthusiasts (love hiking, biking both road and mountain, kayaking and even some white water rafting, we've done some very light climbing as well). But I am overwhelmed by the options and the pro's and con's. Here is what we are comparing...
Blueridge area - Greenville/Asheville/Chattanooga
Pros:
Warm winters
Lots of sun
Great colors and plant life diversity
Low cost of living
Great small downtown feel to a lot of the cities, low traffic etc..
Cons:
Small peaks
Not as impressive of views, not a lot of long range views of the landscape
Colorado/Rockies area
Pros:
Huge peaks, great long range views
Tons of outdoor activities, climbing, biking, kayaking etc.
Snow capped mountains, more access to skiing
Cons:
Somewhat brown, compared to the blue ridge area
Cold winters, lots of snow
Higher cost of living
Pacific Northwest - Oregon (mainly)
Pros:
Great colors/foliage.
Access to larger peaks
Volcanoes nearby?!?
Warm winters
Cons:
Gray skies
Higher cost of living
Other areas worth considering that I haven't done a ton of research on, but I have preliminarily ruled out due to the cold winters include: Wyoming/Grand Teton/Montana/Idaho areas as well as Upstate New York and the NH/VT/Maine areas. California due to insane cost of living and my wife is scared of earthquakes!
I'm open to considering anywhere. I just can't seem to find the best of everything I want and it's driving me nuts.
Pros:
Warm winters
Lots of sun
Great colors and plant life diversity
Low cost of living
Great small downtown feel to a lot of the cities, low traffic etc..
Cons:
Small peaks
Not as impressive of views, not a lot of long range views of the landscape
Asheville, Greenville, Chattanooga or if you can go smaller places like Brevard NC or Boone NC are your best bet in my opinion if you want to truly enjoy the outdoors and have enough disposable income to live comfortably enough. The weather is also more amenable for year-round activities, at least to the point where you would actually WANT to be outside.
Not as impressive of views, not a lot of long range views of the landscape
While you are touring the area I suggest you visit Knoxville. It has the pros mentioned, plus great long range views of all but one of the highest SE peaks. Look up the urban wilderness for a sample of mountain biking opportunities.
Lake Tahoe area. You could live in either CA or Nevada around the lake. Beautiful, clean air, mountains, gorgeous lake, etc., skiing and decent entertainment because of the casinos.
Lake Tahoe area. You could live in either CA or Nevada around the lake. Beautiful, clean air, mountains, gorgeous lake, etc., skiing and decent entertainment because of the casinos.
If you are trying to escape Florida/Southeast US humidity and public schools are not important, I highly recommend Reno, NV - you will have easy access to Tahoe (< 45 min) - it's a gorgeous area with zero humidity year-round and the cost of living is much cheaper than the immediate Tahoe area. The Reno public schools are a mess IMO (I looked into relocating about a year ago).
If you are trying to escape Florida/Southeast US humidity and public schools are not important, I highly recommend Reno, NV - you will have easy access to Tahoe (< 45 min) - it's a gorgeous area with zero humidity year-round and the cost of living is much cheaper than the immediate Tahoe area. The Reno public schools are a mess IMO (I looked into relocating about a year ago).
I've looked into Reno... from what I've seen... and please correct me if I'm wrong, it is deserty and brown? That is one thing that would be a deal breaker for us.
Greenville and Asheville have very different weather. Greenville matches your pros for the Blue Ridge area, Asheville really doesn't, colder winters, less sun, high cost of living.
OP, the majority of western states are not green, but they match what you want, high peaks, views, and overall impressive scenery with lots of outdoor activity choices.
So you either get over the brown issue or you stay East, if it's really that important to you.
OP, the majority of western states are not green, but they match what you want, high peaks, views, and overall impressive scenery with lots of outdoor activity choices.
So you either get over the brown issue or you stay East, if it's really that important to you.
So I'm confused. A lot of people say Colorado is brown most of the time. But I'm looking at pictures, pouring over trip advisor photos, google images, trail images etc etc....
I see some brown. But I see tons of pictures that are green, or white with snow, or autumn colors. It seems like a really good mix and doesn't really strike me as being a desert, brown dead area.
Are all the pictures lying to me?!?
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.
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.
