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I have heard Colorado Springs is VERY conservative and extremely white. Some may like that, but not me.
Boise sounds intriguing for the OP. Have you thought of going more inland PNW?
Also, why only mountain west states?
Cos has a national reputation as conservative because it houses the headquarters for several national evangelical organizations, as well as having had some national attention for loud mouthed and hypocritical born agains shouting from their pulpits. Its important<IMO, to note that these groups relocated here for the same reasons many persons do; natural beauty, reasonable cost of living, great recreational activities. These groups are not home grown. We also have four military bases, not the least of which is a major service academy. Reality is that conservatives are a fair percentage here, but not all of it. At one time, we had more self-proclaimed Wiccans than any other place in the US and more practicing witches than Salem MA. Where exactly you locate in COS will really influence what you see around you as far as conservatives or progressives. Also, because of the military bases, COS has a much more accepting attitude towards other races and while yes, it is still predominately white, we have large number of black and asians and nationals from other countries to temper things. We also see a regular influx of international athletes with our history for training Olympic ice champions and as the headquarters for the US Olympic Committee with a majority of the governing bodies also being located here and the National Olympic Museum construction in the near future.
Boise is much more white than Cos 89%vs78%, but is turning into a very interesting place. It has progressed a lot over the last two decades from when my family used to call it polyester heaven. The mix of old, new, and modern is coming together well there. There are still some very radical conservatives in the state, many would call them preppers, who are just waiting for the government to collapse to invoke their own local martial law. Most of these groups seem to gravitate to the panhandle areas for some reason, so you may never encounter then in Boise. The downtown area of Boise is a lot of fun though.
Portland is about as inland as you can go in the PNW and still get lushness and widespread moisture. Once you get into eastern OR and WA, things get high and dry rapidly and look more like the Arizona desert than what most view of the state as rainy, wet, and green.
Something not mentioned yet with your thoughts of the Rocky Mtn west, altitude here is a big factor in everything of daily life. Intense sunlight means blistering sunburns can occur in a few hours. The dryness will cause nasal passages to dry, crack, and bleed. You will always feel dehydrated unless you are pounding water non-stop. Altitude, for some reason, also impacts thoughts of depression and suicide. This is a topic still under considerable research, but the top suicide states in the nation are all at altitude. Extremes in weather also occur here. You can get all four season in a single day sometimes. Damaging hail the size of golf balls, small earthquakes, small tornados, blizzards, drought, forest fires, beatle infestations, expansive soils, etc can all be encountered in the Rockies. Changes in insurances rates will reflect these risks accordingly.
I have heard Colorado Springs is VERY conservative and extremely white. Some may like that, but not me.
Colorado Springs is somewhat conservative yes. Last election was 55/45 Republican. Boulder was 80/20 Democrat, so pick your poison.
Extremely white? Not for the Rockies. The Springs has 5 military bases that contribute significantly to the city's diversity. Although it's no east coast or southern city, it's hardly "extremely white". In my small office alone (29 people) we have Whites, Koreans, Colombians, Mexicans, African-Americans, and 2 gay folks. If that doesn't make it for you, good luck.
OP, I don't think you break your criteria down enough.
I know you didn't want California, but Sacramento might be worth a look. I doubt you would find any of the other Central Valley cities desirable, but they're there too.
Salem is a good one. Very affordable and about to pop off IMO (Portlandians will finally suck up that Portland is no longer affordable and move south).
I think you should cross Vancouver off the list.
Tacoma/area might be worth a look. I would add the Tri-Cities and Spokane/North ID to look at as well.
Boise is a good one. So is the Wasatch Front. I like Las Vegas and Phoenix for you as well. Colorado Springs is doable, and wise of you to drop Denver. Drop Reno, add Tucson, add Albuquerque, and at least peek at El Paso.
I am from Riverside. I've lived in Denver for ten years. Virtually everywhere on your list has less harsh weather than Denver, and Denver isn't even that bad compared to much of the northeastern quadrant of the US. Since you're from San Diego, you know what heat is like, thus you can handle the summers, and in many of these places the summers are drier, which make them not as bad (you'll be in A/C most of the time anyway). With snow, you just push it off your car, and drive slower/brake sooner, and allow more time. You wear more clothes, and there's slightly more preparation involved. But it's not every day of the year, and many of the snowy/cold places on your list are pretty mild (including Boise).
It is nowhere near the bigger deal you think it is.
For example, we've reconsidered in Arizona and would move to Chandler if we went there instead of Surprise. It will cost a bit more, but that city seems to check off every box we have, outside of the horrible horrible heat in the summers.
If you work in IT, you are going to find a lot more job opportunity in Chandler and Scottsdale. Most notable tech companies are going to be in the east valley. The west side of Phoenix (Surprise) is more warehouse and service jobs.
The heat really isn't that bad for me (I prefer it over Houston anyways)
But coming from San Diego, almost every city on your list will have some extreme weather you aren't used to.
I'm wondering why such a focus on the west and lots of dry regions. These regions will experience quite significant temperature changes. You mentioned wanting to avoid extremes (extreme hot and extreme cold). You might be spoiled with San Diego, and a moderate climate with relatively little temperature change.
Why not another coastal area, like where you are now. Texas? East coast? The Carolinas, Virginia, Connecticut, etc. Coastal Oregon might work, but there seem to be few major towns and jobs there. The more coastal you are the more you won't have to experience weather that is unusual and unpleasant to you.
Colorado gets bitterly cold, and what feels like winter lasts half of the year (November to April). I can't see how you'd even consider that. Summers in CO are often in the 80s and 90s, so it can get hot here too. I'm from a coastal area that varied much wider than San Diego, and this area is too extreme for me.
Last edited by Thoreau424; 10-31-2017 at 06:36 PM..
Colorado gets bitterly cold, and what feels like winter lasts half of the year (November to April). I can't see how you'd even consider that. Summers in CO are often in the 80s and 90s, so it can get hot here too. I'm from a coastal area that varied much wider than San Diego, and this area is too extreme for me.
While it does get rather cold in Colorado Springs, those cold spells are short lived, and its almost never bitter cold and snowing. Sure there are sparse/random snow storms in april and may, but there are many more days of 60 + degree during winter than most people think
If that is how you feel about it, then I would definitely scratch AZ off of your list.
Living in the suburbs outside the PHX area, while hating the HEAT and desert landscape sounds like a recipe for unhappiness.
I'm wondering why such a focus on the west and lots of dry regions. These regions will experience quite significant temperature changes. You mentioned wanting to avoid extremes (extreme hot and extreme cold). You might be spoiled with San Diego, and a moderate climate with relatively little temperature change.
Why not another coastal area, like where you are now. Texas? East coast? The Carolinas, Virginia, Connecticut, etc. Coastal Oregon might work, but there seem to be few major towns and jobs there. The more coastal you are the more you won't have to experience weather that is unusual and unpleasant to you.
Colorado gets bitterly cold, and what feels like winter lasts half of the year (November to April). I can't see how you'd even consider that. Summers in CO are often in the 80s and 90s, so it can get hot here too. I'm from a coastal area that varied much wider than San Diego, and this area is too extreme for me.
The OP doesn't seem to understand it's the humidity that keeps things temperate. There is no such thing as a temperate, dry area.
Deserts, which are the classifications of both the majority of the Western US and at the same time Antarctica, are the quintessential "temperature extreme" areas.
You can't say you don't want extreme weather and then still consider Salt Lake City at the same time. SLC is quite literally the best example of temperature extremes for the United States, reaching triple digits in the summer and winter highs just shy above freezing.
Only way to avoid the extremes and stay out west is to be on the coast, it's that simple.
The OP doesn't seem to understand it's the humidity that keeps things temperate. There is no such thing as a temperate, dry area.
Deserts, which are the classifications of both the majority of the Western US and at the same time Antarctica, are the quintessential "temperature extreme" areas.
You can't say you don't want extreme weather and then still consider Salt Lake City at the same time. SLC is quite literally the best example of temperature extremes for the United States, reaching triple digits in the summer and winter highs just shy above freezing.
Only way to avoid the extremes and stay out west is to be on the coast, it's that simple.
Or move to Bisbee, Arizona.....not too hot/not too cold.
Outside of CA, Bisbee climate is the best, and it’s green too! Quite treed.
It is not as dry as most of AZ, plenty of Arizona Live Oaks, leaves stay on year round.
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.....not too hot/not too cold.
