The Perfect U.S. City for Me (low crime, homes)

[redjan1225]

I wonder if that perfect city exists for us. You know, the one with the great, but non-obtrusive neighbors and the perfect, balmy weather?

I was born and raised in Southern California but left in my twenties and relocated to the countryside north of Sacramento. I loved the small-town feel, the orchards, the farmer’s markets, the friendliness of people. But I moved to Phoenix in 04 to be closer to friends and to have a little more excitement in life. Now married, my husband and I often kick around the idea of relocating. We don’t have any children yet, but would like to raise our kids away from a large city of 1 million plus people. The things we are looking for:
-Lots of greenery; not necessarily mountainous, but just greener. You can only take the brown desert for so long.
-Low crime; I expect meth has made its way into every city, but violent crime totals should be very low.
-Low diversity; yes, I said LOW diversity. We are by no means neo-nazis or anything. But I do not want my children’s education to come second to the education of English language learners. And I’m just plain sick of being a minority in my town.
-Lots of outdoor recreation options; camping areas, lakes, hiking trails, parks.
-Conservative ideals; we love our country, love our guns, and just want a nice, simple life.
-Good medical facilities available
-Good job prospects for a health care administrative professional and a graphic designer.

Places we have considered include Boise, ID; Spokane, WA; Cheyenne, WY; and Missoula, MT. We’d like to stay in the west to be close to family in California, Arizona and Washington.

I’d love to hear from you on what places you think meet my criteria…if any.
Thanks kindly.

[pw72]

I think your previous considerations are good, with the possible exception of Cheyenne, which is not very green, and feels like a very small town, IMO. Plus it is the furthest away from CA, WA, and AZ.

Missoula is probably the least conservative, being a college town. There are pockets, though.

Boise and Spokane would meet your criteria, (Boise is arid, but the city itself is green during the warm season), but I might add Medford, OR, which is more conservative than the Willamette Valley to the north.

[jazzlorie]

Couer D'Alene and Lewistown ID.

[grapico]

somewhere in georgia or not... since u wont to be in the west, but you are describing the south.

[th3vault]

I agree, you have just described the South. I also don't see how Missoula, Spokane,Boise and Cheyenne fit your category of "balmy weather".

If you don't want to go too far east, there are parts of Texas that will fit your description so long as you avoid the major metros and South and West Texas.

Based on your exact criteria I'd say Georgia or Tennesse....they are green, they still have minor mountains, they have conservative ideals, they have relatively low diversity in the semi-rural areas you'd be looking at, snowbird retirees have caused a greatly increased demand for healthcare....there are a lot of outdoor activities in this part of the country..from mountains, to lakes, to the ocean.....

But if you want to stay West I'd say look at Texas.

[kettlepot]

I would suggest consideration of Redding, California.

We don’t have any children yet, but would like to raise our kids away from a large city of 1 million plus people. The things we are looking for:
-Lots of greenery; not necessarily mountainous, but just greener. You can only take the brown desert for so long.

While its dry in the summer, it's not actual desert. There are substantial amounts of rain in the winter and spring. The natural landscape in the immediate area will turn brown in the summer, but the hills/mountains which are immediately to the west and north of the city will stay green as they are pine forests. Go further into the mountains and things will be even greener.

Annual Precipitation 41.40, concentrated in October through March.

Ok... yes, it's hot in July and August. But it's a DRY heat... Isn't that what they say in Phoenix?

-Low crime; I expect meth has made its way into every city, but violent crime totals should be very low.

Crime is at the national average, (Rdg 314.8 v US 320.9) however, crime victims tend to be people who live lives that increase their chances of being a victim. Don't hang around scuzzy bars on weekends and you will avoid a lot of it.

-Low diversity; yes, I said LOW diversity. We are by no means neo-nazis or anything. But I do not want my children’s education to come second to the education of English language learners. And I’m just plain sick of being a minority in my town.

Native English speakers still make up 95% of the population. White non-Hispanic 85.7%, Hispanic 5.4%, American Indian 3.8%, others 5.1%.

-Lots of outdoor recreation options; camping areas, lakes, hiking trails, parks.

Outdoor recreation is EVERYWHERE in the area. Whiskeytown and Shasta Lakes for summer swimming, boating, skiing. Mt. Shasta for winter skiing. Camping opportunities include Burney Falls SP, Lassen Park NP , Medicine Lake and many, many others. For hardcore campers there is wilderness camping in the Klamath National Wilderness Area. On the coast there is Redwoods National and State Parks. Hiking includes Castle Crags, Lava Beds National Monument and many other potential national forest lands throughout the area. Within the city there is the River trail loop along the Sacramento River. Fishing and hunting opportunities abound as well.

-Conservative ideals; we love our country, love our guns, and just want a nice, simple life.

That's Redding. California has 58 counties. Shasta County is the 5th most Republican county in the state. 2004 Election Bush/Cheney 67%, Kerry/Edwards 31%. However, it is an area where incomes are modest, so "keeping up with the Joneses" is not a hallmark of Redding life.

-Good medical facilities available

Redding is the main medical center for a region encompassing about 10 counties. There have been some financial issues with some of the local hospitals, but all of the medical specialties and services concentrate their practices within Redding.

-Good job prospects for a health care administrative professional and a graphic designer.

Redding has become a retirement destination for many Southern California, and Bay Area retirees cashing out of their coastal homes. These retirees provide a growing population segment in need of medical services. It's one of the few areas where work can generally be counted on. Graphic design work will be harder to come by.

Places we have considered include Boise, ID; Spokane, WA; Cheyenne, WY; and Missoula, MT. We’d like to stay in the west to be close to family in California, Arizona and Washington.

You would be equidistant from all your relatives. For better - or worse - they all will congregate at your house.

[Thomas R.]

Shasta County's interesting as it went for McGovern, but has been Republican since then. I thought I had something else to add, but I guess not.

[Syringaloid]

You do realize that Cheyenne and Missoula are much much smaller than Boise or Spokane right? Boise, of the cities you listed, is by far the most diverse and progressive and is more DEM than REP. There are more Obama bumper stickers in Boise than you can shake a stick at.

[kettlepot]

Originally Posted by Thomas R.

Shasta County's interesting as it went for McGovern, but has been Republican since then. I thought I had something else to add, but I guess not.

Yes, you are correct on that point. My hypothesis on why that occurred is two-fold. The demise of the forestry based industries in the area, and the migration of metro area people cashing out of the Bay Area and LA.

The 1973-75 recession hit housing particularly hard, which along with the enactment of environmental regulations, collapsed the forestry products industry in the area. The effects were that blue collar old style industrial Democrats working in the mills were either forced out of their profession or out of the area altogether. Much of this occurred because of the very laws enacted at the behest of Bay Area environmentally-focused Liberals. I believe these workers took note of which party pushed the regulations that eliminated their resource extraction based livelihoods.

The other cause was the migration of Bay Area and LA residents who seemed to be disproportionately Republican. The effect was the complete partisan flip of the area from a 1972 McGovern county to a 1980 Reagan county.

[pw72]

Originally Posted by Syringaloid

You do realize that Cheyenne and Missoula are much much smaller than Boise or Spokane right? Boise, of the cities you listed, is by far the most diverse and progressive and is more DEM than REP. There are more Obama bumper stickers in Boise than you can shake a stick at.

Well, not exactly. Ada County (Boise) has voted republican in the past 11 Presidential elections. (Granted, in '08 it was closer than usual, but no democrat has won Ada since LBJ in '64. And that was a landslide election for Johnson).