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Old 03-04-2013, 05:45 AM
 
Location: Shaconaqe
187 posts, read 346,217 times
Reputation: 156

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I am currently pursuing relocating to New Mexico because it seems like a great place to live. It has all of the criteria (well' most of, at least) that I am looking for in a place to spend my life. The people are laid back, the culture is diverse, the air is clean, the stars are amazing in the night sky, and I hear there is an actual population of liberals, artsy types, and LGBT individuals.

However, Oregon also appeals to me. The one thing Oregon has that NM doesn't is rain...and lots of it. Living in East Tennessee, I have grown accustomed to rain. A rainy day is a beautiful day to me. However, my spouse suffers severely from allergies caused by mold and various species of vegetation. Knoxville, TN makes the top three "worst places for allergy sufferers" list often.

Alas, a rainy place might not be the best place for someone who suffers so horridly in such conditions. This is where New Mexico gains another leg up. The region is arid. However, I will be in dire anticipation of monsoon season every year, as I love rain, thunder, lightning, and inclement/stormy weather.

This said, I've read that Portland, Oregon is one of the best cities for allergy and asthma sufferers.

Perhaps there is somewhere in between that meets our criteria? If you can help with suggestions, I would be very appreciative. So far, it looks like New Mexico is winning, but I would like to know if there is somewhere that I've overlooked.

Here is our criteria:

-A place where allergy and asthma sufferers can live with the least amount of problems.
-Mostly liberal or at least half 'n half
-LGBT community is accepted
-Outdoor activities must abound
-I HAVE to be able to see the stars at night
-Mountains, lakes, and rivers nearby (the ocean would be a plus, but large bodies of water are just as good).
-Frequent thunder and lightning displays
-Trees and vegetation are a definite plus!
-Beautiful scenery
-You don't have to be a millionaire to be able to live reasonably.
-High potential for solar, wind, and other types of alternative energy
-Adobe and/or other green types of home construction are feasible.
-Clean air
-Frequent rain is a definite plus but should not outweigh the concern over allergies and asthma. (For instance: it's gorgeous in TN and the Smokies, with all of the frequent rain and green trees, but the allergies and asthma make it impossible to get out and enjoy your surroundings).


Now, is that too much to ask for!?

I welcome your suggestions, information, and experiences!
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Old 03-04-2013, 09:58 AM
 
Location: Renton Washington
256 posts, read 540,353 times
Reputation: 186
Oregon is great. However Eugene and Corvallis are not very good for allergies. Not as bad as Knoxville but still not very good. And that is a shame because Those two cities fit your criteria perfectly. If you can handle the allergies (again not as bad of Knoxville) I would move there.

Portland is great but if you want Outdoor activity but cannot have Eugene/Corvallis I would go to Ashland Oregon
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Old 03-04-2013, 10:07 AM
 
Location: Baker City, Oregon
5,432 posts, read 8,129,399 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TexKnox View Post
-Frequent thunder and lightning displays
Not much of that west of the Cascades. Occasionally east of the Cascades, but not as much as Tennessee.
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Old 03-04-2013, 03:13 PM
 
1,312 posts, read 6,459,233 times
Reputation: 2036
There are parts of New Mexico that are quite nice, but the social cultures of New Mexico and Oregon are quite different. New Mexico is a "blue" state in a certain sense, but I wouldn't say that it is very progressive in terms of land-use planning or green technology (Santa Fe being the conspicuous exception). There's also a shocking degree of poverty in NM that you see in few other states.

If the allergy issue is really critical, I would make a real effort to find out what the specific allergy triggers are. If it's grass or mold spores, then western Oregon might not be a good idea. On the other hand, "cedar fever" is a huge allergy problem throughout New Mexico. It's actually caused by juniper pollen and some people get so sick they need to go to the hospital. So don't assume that a drier climate automatically means increased allergy relief. It might, in fact, make things worse.

Quote:
Originally Posted by TexKnox View Post
However, Oregon also appeals to me. The one thing Oregon has that NM doesn't is rain...and lots of it. Living in East Tennessee, I have grown accustomed to rain. A rainy day is a beautiful day to me.
Don't assume that you like all kinds of rain just because you like rain in Tennessee. Rain here is completely different. We don't get that many rainstorms that clear out in a few hours leaving rainbows and sunlight on glistening grass. Our rain falls in winter. It's cold rain that falls on cold days. It drips and mists and weeps in thousandths of an inch from sullen skies for months on end from October until April. Then summer comes and there's no more rain until autumn. Your garden soil turns to a concrete-like consistency and you have to water it every day.

If seeing the stars at night is really paramount, the West Coast will not come close to the Rocky Mountain states. Realize, though, that NM features a rather brown landscape. The tradeoff is a wonderful blue sky. But it sounds as if rain and the green landscape it brings might be more important to you than sunshine. Find out what the exact allergy triggers are, then visit both places to see how you respond to the vibe of each. If you don't need work, southern Oregon might be a good compromise. The northern Sacramento Valley might be another possibility. There are lots of trees there due to meltwater from the Sierras, but a bit of a Southwest feel to the foothills areas as well.

Thunder and lightning comes from the clash of unstable air masses -- continental air masses, in particular. You won't find much of that close to the Pacific Ocean where summers are dry, but it's a regular feature of the monsoon season in the Southwest.

Cedar Allergies | LIVESTRONG.COM

Last edited by Steve97415; 03-04-2013 at 03:24 PM..
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Old 03-04-2013, 04:33 PM
 
Location: Lakewood OH
21,695 posts, read 28,379,702 times
Reputation: 35862
Allergies are a pretty bad problem here for a great many people. Some call it the allergy capital of the country. I don't know if that is true or not but I do know that like myself, many people tell me that their allergies are far worse here than they were in the midwest of those who orginated from there.

To be on the safe side, I would suggest that you Google NW Allergy Testing Panel and have your current physician supply you with this testing. It could be invaluable to determine whether or not you are allergic to the many allergens that appear in Oregon. Asthma is also a problem.

Common allergies are grass, trees and mold.
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Old 03-04-2013, 05:59 PM
 
Location: Shaconaqe
187 posts, read 346,217 times
Reputation: 156
"Don't assume that you like all kinds of rain just because you like rain in Tennessee. Rain here is completely different. We don't get that many rainstorms that clear out in a few hours leaving rainbows and sunlight on glistening grass. Our rain falls in winter. It's cold rain that falls on cold days. It drips and mists and weeps in thousandths of an inch from sullen skies for months on end from October until April. Then summer comes and there's no more rain until autumn. Your garden soil turns to a concrete-like consistency and you have to water it every day."


I knew that Oregon's precipitation was a lot of rain and not thunder and lightening (which was another advantage for NM), but I didn't realize the times of year that it rains in Oregon. You're exactly right. It rains less in summer and spring and more in fall and winter. I like all kinds of rain...even winter rains. However, I think even though NM is drier, it wins on the storm watching and chasing aspect because of monsoon season and its proximity to good storm chasing areas like CO, KS, OK, and TX.

I know that you're going to have allergies anywhere you go. However, NM has less year around allergies than East TN. East TN has something that absolutely makes you miserable in every season. High desert is also better for asthma. Poor East TN has so much going for it, and so much not going for it.

I know that NM isn't as liberal as Oregon...but both are wayyyyyyyy more liberal than TN.

Thoughts?
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Old 03-04-2013, 07:36 PM
 
Location: Lakewood OH
21,695 posts, read 28,379,702 times
Reputation: 35862
Quote:
Originally Posted by TexKnox View Post
"Don't assume that you like all kinds of rain just because you like rain in Tennessee. Rain here is completely different. We don't get that many rainstorms that clear out in a few hours leaving rainbows and sunlight on glistening grass. Our rain falls in winter. It's cold rain that falls on cold days. It drips and mists and weeps in thousandths of an inch from sullen skies for months on end from October until April. Then summer comes and there's no more rain until autumn. Your garden soil turns to a concrete-like consistency and you have to water it every day."


I knew that Oregon's precipitation was a lot of rain and not thunder and lightening (which was another advantage for NM), but I didn't realize the times of year that it rains in Oregon. You're exactly right. It rains less in summer and spring and more in fall and winter. I like all kinds of rain...even winter rains. However, I think even though NM is drier, it wins on the storm watching and chasing aspect because of monsoon season and its proximity to good storm chasing areas like CO, KS, OK, and TX.

I know that you're going to have allergies anywhere you go. However, NM has less year around allergies than East TN. East TN has something that absolutely makes you miserable in every season. High desert is also better for asthma. Poor East TN has so much going for it, and so much not going for it.

I know that NM isn't as liberal as Oregon...but both are wayyyyyyyy more liberal than TN.

Thoughts?
You are assuming all of Oregon is liberal. This is not accurate. Some Oregon towns tend more towards conservatism and can be as conservative as any place place in Tennessee. But of course, some are liberal as well. There are both. You simply cannot pigeonhole an entire state as either one or the other.

If you are seeking towns that are liberal, it would be a good idea to throw out some names to see whether or not they are so there won't be any disapointments if you move to one and then discover it is not after the fact.
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Old 03-04-2013, 08:35 PM
 
Location: Shaconaqe
187 posts, read 346,217 times
Reputation: 156
Quote:
Originally Posted by Minervah View Post
You are assuming all of Oregon is liberal. This is not accurate. Some Oregon towns tend more towards conservatism and can be as conservative as any place place in Tennessee. But of course, some are liberal as well. There are both. You simply cannot pigeonhole an entire state as either one or the other.

If you are seeking towns that are liberal, it would be a good idea to throw out some names to see whether or not they are so there won't be any disapointments if you move to one and then discover it is not after the fact.
I'm not assuming all of Oregon is liberal. I'm not naive. I'm also not naive enough to move somewhere without knowing what the place is like and researching life there...which is why I am on this forum. Obviously, any state is not ENTIRELY liberal OR conservative. TN is not ENTIRELY conservative. TX where I grew up is not ENTIRELY conservative. Liberals and conservatives don't just live in boxes where they can be organized according to how they vote. HOWEVER, Tennessee has a far larger percentage of conservative voters in big cities than Oregon does. Texas has a far greater percentage of conservative voters in big cities than Oregon has. There's a lot of gay folks in San Francisco...does this mean that I think that EVERYONE in San Francisco is gay? No.

Also, when comparing how liberal or conservative a state is to another state, you take into account what is on the law books and in the state constitution. The state govt you live under determines much of how you live your life. While Colorado might have numerous conservatives...or just as many conservatives as they do liberals, they also just legalized marijuana. However, North Carolina has one of the most liberal and gay friendly cities in the south (Asheville) yet they just recently had their state constitution amended to make gay marriage illegal in the state of NC.

All these things account for how liberal or conservative a state as a whole is (not JUST the individual people or towns) and how you can legally go about your life in a town in that state. Abortion laws, degree of the separation of church and state, laws that restrict or promote gay rights' etc...

I'm not pigeonholing any state. However, if I have to refrain from making general statements (or refrain from condensing a thought rather than summarizing a thought for quick reading) in order to receive legitimate and helpful feedback, I will do so.

Last edited by TexKnox; 03-04-2013 at 08:56 PM..
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Old 03-04-2013, 09:52 PM
 
Location: Lakewood OH
21,695 posts, read 28,379,702 times
Reputation: 35862
Quote:
Originally Posted by TexKnox View Post
I'm not assuming all of Oregon is liberal. I'm not naive. I'm also not naive enough to move somewhere without knowing what the place is like and researching life there...which is why I am on this forum. Obviously, any state is not ENTIRELY liberal OR conservative. TN is not ENTIRELY conservative. TX where I grew up is not ENTIRELY conservative. Liberals and conservatives don't just live in boxes where they can be organized according to how they vote. HOWEVER, Tennessee has a far larger percentage of conservative voters in big cities than Oregon does. Texas has a far greater percentage of conservative voters in big cities than Oregon has. There's a lot of gay folks in San Francisco...does this mean that I think that EVERYONE in San Francisco is gay? No.

Also, when comparing how liberal or conservative a state is to another state, you take into account what is on the law books and in the state constitution. The state govt you live under determines much of how you live your life. While Colorado might have numerous conservatives...or just as many conservatives as they do liberals, they also just legalized marijuana. However, North Carolina has one of the most liberal and gay friendly cities in the south (Asheville) yet they just recently had their state constitution amended to make gay marriage illegal in the state of NC.

All these things account for how liberal or conservative a state as a whole is (not JUST the individual people or towns) and how you can legally go about your life in a town in that state. Abortion laws, degree of the separation of church and state, laws that restrict or promote gay rights' etc...

I'm not pigeonholing any state. However, if I have to refrain from making general statements (or refrain from condensing a thought rather than summarizing a thought for quick reading) in order to receive legitimate and helpful feedback, I will do so.
Well, you would be surprised how many people do post here believing that the entire state is liberal just because they see Portlandia or hear about the liberal reputation of a certain area of the state but believe that's how it is everywhere here. It happens all the time. So it's easy to read that into a statement like "I know that NM isn't as liberal as Oregon" and interpret it as just another one of those.

Sorry I misinterpreted your statement as being on of those.
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Old 03-04-2013, 10:33 PM
 
Location: Shaconaqe
187 posts, read 346,217 times
Reputation: 156
I will try to be more specific.
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