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Looking for suggestions of areas to explore that would fit our criteria for a city with all seasons, lots of greenery, mountains and family friendly out west.
We have lived in Scottsdale, Arizona for the past 19 years and ready to leave the two climates of hot and not so hot of this area. We are a family of 5 with children ages 7, 6 and 4 and good schools are important.
We would prefer to move to a city that is green, has four distinct seasons, close to the mountains, housing for around $600K and not heavily taxed. We love to ski, mountain bike and hike. We lived in Vancouver, Canada for 2 years and really miss the forest and the outdoor activites. We loved having the city nearby and the diversity of the city.
We both have jobs that we can relocate with. Here are some of the things we are looking for:
-Somewhere in the west
-close to mountains for skiing and biking and hiking
-great family environment, good place to raise a family
-good schools, and good student to teacher ratio (Scottsdale just raised it to 30 kids per class and 27 for kindergarten)
-place to feel safe
-sports teams both college and professional to cheer and occasionally go to a couple games
-weather with all seasons, snow is fine, especially over the holidays
-cost of living affordability (housing, food, gas, etc.)
-get nice house for the money and plenty of room for home office and kids
-transportation nearby (easy to fly in and out
-city nearby if we want to go there
-good culture (museums, aquariums, fun places to hang out)
-ocean or lake nearby
-little humidity
-sunny days
-it rains to keep the place green
-nice scenery
-lots of variety
-restaurants nearby and grocery store variety
-small to medium town feel but not so much that everyone knows your business and accessible to conveniences nearby within 20 minute drive
-And most importantly opportunities for the kids in school and sports
Is there a place like this that exists? We have been looking into Oregon, Washington and Northern California. We thought of Colorado but it seemed very flat. Also, the one place my husband would love to be is Lake Tahoe but I feel it is a little too isolated. He would prefer a mountain town feel. I'm not really sure if there is a place that would fit this description so any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Boulder itself is relatively flat, they couldn't build on mountain peaks. But the town itself is completely surrounded by mountains and it's never a far trip from any part of town to mountain trails. The Flatirons are amazing. Flatirons - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Boulder is unparalleled for outdoor activities year round, and more. Best of Boulder
Colorado has more sunny days than Florida.
Plenty of housing options in your price range that fit your needs. I'd attach listings but the moderators get bent out of shape. Suffice to say, you can find a nice selection of 4 to 5 bedroom homes with around 3000-3500 square feet (and upwards) for 600K or less.
Boulder is close enough to Denver to take advantage of attending games of 4 pro sports teams (NFL's Denver Broncos, MLB's Colorado Rockies, NHL's Colorado Avalanche and NBA's Denver Nuggets).
why not stay in AZ and go to Flagstaff? I can't attest to the schooling , but I think it fits all your other criteria, and you're still in AZ, if you like the state as a whole.
why not stay in AZ and go to Flagstaff? I can't attest to the schooling , but I think it fits all your other criteria, and you're still in AZ, if you like the state as a whole.
you beat me to it, this is exactly what I thought as well, they only avg. 100 inches of snow a year, more than Mnpls/St.Paul or Milwaukee for instance.
ironically, I think Flagstaff fits most everything they want. If you look at some photos from around there it looks like Lake Tahoe or Yosemite areas with the ponds, evergreens and mountains.
Colorado! Flat? Huh? I live in CS and I've lived in flat places. This is not one of them.
Colorado is as flat as a pancake. But, unfortunately, the pancake got wrinkled. As if it were draped over some weird Lego structures.
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Suffice to say, you can find a nice selection of 4 to 5 bedroom homes with around 3000-3500 square feet (and upwards) for 600K or less.
, more than Mnpls/St.Paul or Milwaukee for instance. 
