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After years of watching California destroy itself, my wife and I have decided to leave the The Golden State dystopia.
Our top pick: Colorado
Because she is an RN and I am an accountant, we figured finding jobs in the Denver area would be possible and probable. We both love the outdoors: hiking and snowboarding. We both prefer colder weather.
However, even though it seems to be a perfect match with our hobbies and occupations, we are skeptical because of Colorado's politics. In recent years, they have been shifting towards a more liberal/progressive state. California 2.0.
Given the above criteria, what states and cities are best for my wife and I to live with the intentions of starting a family?
That's a tough one. I think Texas would fit the bill, maybe Dallas/Fort Worth.
OTOH-you want cold and snow, my wife just suggested Utah.
Good luck!
OP is into the outdoors and the hiking options around DFW are pathetic. Someplace like Provo would be better if the OP can handle the Mormon subculture.
OP is into the outdoors and the hiking options around DFW are pathetic. Someplace like Provo would be better if the OP can handle the Mormon subculture.
You're from Colorado, why would or wouldn't that be an ideal place for me?
You're from Colorado, why would or wouldn't that be an ideal place for me?
I live in the Socialist Paradise of Denver. Colorado is far from a one party state but if having Dems in charge of the state government is going to really bother you, look at Utah, Idaho or Montana.
You're from Colorado, why would or wouldn't that be an ideal place for me?
Honestly Colorado is still pretty middle-of-the-road.
Governor's a pro-energy conservative Dem, Sec. Of State, Treasurer, and AG are all Republicans.
State Senate is controlled by the GOP, and the State House is controlled by the Democrats.
US Senators - 1 GOP, 1 DEM. House Delegation - 4 GOP, 3 DEM.
There's definitely an urban/rural divide, and the state's politics are increasingly becoming Denver-centric.
Denver and Boulder proper are strongly liberal, but most Denver burbs are purple to red.
Pueblo leans left. Fort Collins/Loveland is center-left. Greeley is center-right. Colorado Springs is hard-right.
Now that being said, why wouldn't Colorado be a good fit?
It's expensive. Denver's now the most expensive non-coastal city in the country.
It's crowded. I-70 to the mountains is frequently a parking lot on weekends depending on the day/time you're on it. The popular hiking trails are absolutely overrun on weekends. It's not uncommon during summer weekends for "easy" 14ers like Mount Bierstadt, Grays and Torreys, and Quandary Peak to have 100+ people on the summit at a time. The social media age has brought out a bunch of self-absorbed douches with selfie sticks and Bluetooth speakers blasting crappy music for everyone on the trail to hear. There are also plenty of inconsiderate, irresponsible dog owners who, in addition to allowing Fido to run off-leash, leave bagged dog crap alongside the trail for the poop fairy to pick up.
That being said, the crowds can be avoided. You just need to know where to go.
What, specifically, are the conservative values you desire and/or liberal values you'd rather avoid? Are you looking for less government intrusion overall? Because that may include things like legal pot that many Republicans I know aren't necessarily for.
If you do have a more libertarian streak, Colorado might be okay for you. Cato Institute named it #10 in the nation in terms of "freedom," (https://www.freedominthe50states.org/) with a slightly-lower-than-average tax burden, moderate-to-conservative regulatory environment, "generally secure" gun rights, etc. But if you're a social conservative, you'll likely not be happy with the other side of that coin: legal pot, fairly widely accepted same-sex marriage, expanding legal gambling, etc. I'd imagine you'd be least happy in Boulder or Denver, but could perhaps find another part of the state with a vibe more suited to your liking.
New Hampshire (if you need to be nearish to "civilization"--at least in the southern part of the state) and Alaska (if you like moose and halibut more than you like people) are options too.
If you're looking for social conservatism, the southeast/midwest/great plains/etc. have lots of options for you. Indiana does well on the Cato measures, and is pretty socially conservative as well. Same for Oklahoma and Tennessee. I'd personally spend time in some of the Deep South states before I considered moving there. They're not for everyone. I say this as an SC native.
But at the end of the day, there are really probably only 5-10 states that are going to be a big problem for you, right? Say, CA, NY, NJ, MD, HI, IL? Maybe VT, CT, RI and OR? And even in pretty much all of those, there are plenty of areas away from major metros that might work fine for you.
Now that being said, why wouldn't Colorado be a good fit?
It's expensive. Denver's now the most expensive non-coastal city in the country.
It's crowded. I-70 to the mountains is frequently a parking lot on weekends depending on the day/time you're on it. The popular hiking trails are absolutely overrun on weekends. It's not uncommon during summer weekends for "easy" 14ers like Mount Bierstadt, Grays and Torreys, and Quandary Peak to have 100+ people on the summit at a time. The social media age has brought out a bunch of self-absorbed douches with selfie sticks and Bluetooth speakers blasting crappy music for everyone on the trail to hear. There are also plenty of inconsiderate, irresponsible dog owners who, in addition to allowing Fido to run off-leash, leave bagged dog crap alongside the trail for the poop fairy to pick up.
That being said, the crowds can be avoided. You just need to know where to go.
These might be true, but aren't as severe for someone who is moving out of Los Angeles and was able to make a decent living here. I might be wrong, but Denver can't be more crowded than LA nor can the traffic be as bad.
Your post made me chuckle though. I really hate inconsiderate people.
Texas is probably the ideal place for me, politically, opportunity, etc, but I can't do hot weather and need to be able to snowboard which is why I looked towards Colorado.
Colorado is one of the few states that has great entertainment, outdoors, city life, sports arenas (NHL, NFL, MLB) and isn't so hard left leaning.
These might be true, but aren't as severe for someone who is moving out of Los Angeles and was able to make a decent living here. I might be wrong, but Denver can't be more crowded than LA nor can the traffic be as bad.
Your post made me chuckle though. I really hate inconsiderate people.
Texas is probably the ideal place for me, politically, opportunity, etc, but I can't do hot weather and need to be able to snowboard which is why I looked towards Colorado.
Colorado is one of the few states that has great entertainment, outdoors, city life, sports arenas (NHL, NFL, MLB) and isn't so hard left leaning.
If you can make a decent living there, you can probably make a decent living here. It's just not as cheap as other interior cities.
Overall, no, the traffic isn't as bad as LA, but the freeways aren't as built-out here, either.
I-70 is twisty with steep grades and is two lanes in spots from Denver to Summit County. It's only 65 miles from Denver to Silverthorne, but that drive can take 2+ hours on the weekend during ski season and occasionally during the summer. Once you get past Vail the traffic eases considerably, but it can still be a PITA at times.
I-25 is much the same, with 2-lane stretches between Fort Collins and Colorado Springs. That freeway should be a minimum of 6-lanes from Fort Collins to Pueblo but that's not the case (and there's no money to make it happen). Castle Rock to the Springs is a parking lot every weekend, and accidents near Greenland can snarl traffic for hours.
Crowds are crowds when it comes to hiking, and there's no "getting away from it all" if you're sharing the trail with a few hundred other people.
Texas does have the political climate you're looking for, but having lived there unless you're out in Far West Texas near Big Bend the climate and outdoor options both blow. Even Austin, which is considered "outdoorsy" by Texas standards, lags far behind Denver and the Springs in terms of outdoor recreation not involving water.
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