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It’s really not like people make it out to be, let’s not be over dramatic.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Katzpur
I third Salt Lake City. And no, your not being a Mormon shouldn't discourage you from looking into it more seriously.
Maybe Salt Lake City itself is a tad less LDS but if you think it doesn't dominate Utah's politics or have an effect on the populace you have your head in the sand.
Maybe Salt Lake City itself is a tad less LDS but if you think it doesn't dominate Utah's politics or have an effect on the populace you have your head in the sand.
It’s not like you’re going to get publicly stoned if you aren’t LDS
I think this depends more on the weather than anything else.
Sacramento is lovely city, but prob a little out of your price range.
Reno, is driving distance, has tons of natural beauty, and while hit and miss has some pretty nice areas. I overall dig Reno, and no state income tax is great.
Boise, ID, is basically out of reasonable driving range, but the flights aren't very expensive **Full disclosure** I grew up here so I'm a bit of a homer, but I think it's the nicest city of it's size/class in the country.
SLC has cheap flights and honestly the LDS people won't bite, I swear. (I'm Catholic not LDS, and have never had an issue with them, generally good people) Prices are going up though but it has an incredible economy.
Arizona will be out of driving range, but Phoenix has very cheap flights.
Vegas will also be out of driving range but has cheap flights.
Spokane is kind of the black sheep economy isn't as good, but the city is improving. It has the biggest rust belt vib you might be used to. Also the greenest of the options.
All of these places are very dry and can get hot in the summer so that will be a big change coming from PA.
I think this depends more on the weather than anything else.
Sacramento is lovely city, but prob a little out of your price range.
Reno, is driving distance, has tons of natural beauty, and while hit and miss has some pretty nice areas. I overall dig Reno, and no state income tax is great.
Boise, ID, is basically out of reasonable driving range, but the flights aren't very expensive **Full disclosure** I grew up here so I'm a bit of a homer, but I think it's the nicest city of it's size/class in the country.
SLC has cheap flights and honestly the LDS people won't bite, I swear. (I'm Catholic not LDS, and have never had an issue with them, generally good people) Prices are going up though but it has an incredible economy.
Arizona will be out of driving range, but Phoenix has very cheap flights.
Vegas will also be out of driving range but has cheap flights.
Spokane is kind of the black sheep economy isn't as good, but the city is improving. It has the biggest rust belt vib you might be used to. Also the greenest of the options.
All of these places are very dry and can get hot in the summer so that will be a big change coming from PA.
Great info, thanks for sharing! Will look into these places.
Maybe Salt Lake City itself is a tad less LDS but if you think it doesn't dominate Utah's politics or have an effect on the populace you have your head in the sand.
Salt Lake City is roughly 50% LDS, and of that 50%, there are many who are not practicing. While I would not encourage a non-LDS person to move to many parts of Utah, Salt Lake City is different. While state politics are strongly influenced by the LDS Church, Salt Lake City is not. 70% of Mormons are Republican, and the state legislature reflects this. Salt Lake City itself, on the other hand, has not had a Republican mayor in over 40 years. Our current mayor, also a Democrat, is an openly-Lesbian woman who is married to her partner. Does that sound like an LDS-dominated city to you? Don't accuse me of having my head in the sand. That could not be further from the truth.
Albuquerque is probably too far from San Jose but it fits most of your needs. Southwest Airlines can get you to San Jose easily enough.
What I'm looking for:
- Safe neighborhoods -- you have many to choose from -- choose wisely - Quality education -- Rio Rancho schools are better than Albuquerque in general. There are private academies. Rio Rancho is the 3rd largest city in NM and located on the west side of ABQ - Family fun venues, activities, programs -- Museums, lots of outdoor activities, Balloon Fiesta, Isotopes, National Hispanic Cultural Center, Indian Pueblo Cultural Center - Larger houses within 250-350K budget -- no problem in that range
- Affordable health, food, dining, etc. -- COL is lower than most places - In or close to a mid-size / larger city -- Smallish city but there is about 1 million population including Santa Fe an hour to the north - Close to a bigger airport -- ABQ Sunport -- not a major hub but it works - Diverse (we are a professional, educated Latino family) -- three distinct cultures plus an international influence and the home of UNM
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