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Old 09-10-2013, 01:42 PM
 
Location: Oshkosh
85 posts, read 125,918 times
Reputation: 49

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My husband and I are trying to find our perfect city! We know we'll never have everything that both of us wants, but hoping to find the city that has the most elements we're each looking for, and has the sacrifices balanced between us.

We are from Wisconsin. He loves it, and I hate it. I've always told my parents, as soon as I am able, I'm out of here! But now I have him to consider too. Hoping for the experts' advice based on our below preferences...

He likes: seasons, snow, fishing, pickup trucks, hanging out with his friends, low cost of living, residing in a house, plowing snow, doing his own house repairs, cloudy days, Dallas Cowboys

He hates: humidity, hot temperatures, moving a lot (his mom did it to him as a kid, and it's severely colored his opinion of it negatively), renting

I like: 50-80-degree range of temperatures, good mass transit (or at least good walkability and bike-ability), city amenities (like festivals, restaurants ,parks), walking my dog, gardening, wearing sandals

I hate: long winters, more than a few inches of snow, getting into a cold vehicle or cold bed, when it gets dark at 4pm, mosquitoes, wearing four sweaters under my coat

So, I know we couldn't have every single thing, but do you think Asheville could be a good compromise? Several people on City Data have suggested it to me. Is this a good candidate to spend our money and time to come visit and see it for ourselves?

I've been posting similar threads on boards for other cities. Still in the running are Albuquerque (drought, water shortages), Portland (grey and rainy in winter), and Denver (mild, but long winters). I'm trying to find the lesser of all evils! I know nothing is perfect, but trying to get as close to it as possible! If I get favorable responses to this thread, I will do some more research on Asheville.

Thanks!
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Old 09-10-2013, 01:52 PM
 
1,379 posts, read 3,902,398 times
Reputation: 841
Quote:
Originally Posted by Roonil View Post
My husband and I are trying to find our perfect city! We know we'll never have everything that both of us wants, but hoping to find the city that has the most elements we're each looking for, and has the sacrifices balanced between us.

We are from Wisconsin. He loves it, and I hate it. I've always told my parents, as soon as I am able, I'm out of here! But now I have him to consider too. Hoping for the experts' advice based on our below preferences...

He likes: seasons, snow, fishing, pickup trucks, hanging out with his friends, low cost of living, residing in a house, plowing snow, doing his own house repairs, cloudy days, Dallas Cowboys

He hates: humidity, hot temperatures, moving a lot (his mom did it to him as a kid, and it's severely colored his opinion of it negatively), renting

I like: 50-80-degree range of temperatures, good mass transit (or at least good walkability and bike-ability), city amenities (like festivals, restaurants ,parks), walking my dog, gardening, wearing sandals

I hate: long winters, more than a few inches of snow, getting into a cold vehicle or cold bed, when it gets dark at 4pm, mosquitoes, wearing four sweaters under my coat

So, I know we couldn't have every single thing, but do you think Asheville could be a good compromise? Several people on City Data have suggested it to me. Is this a good candidate to spend our money and time to come visit and see it for ourselves?

I've been posting similar threads on boards for other cities. Still in the running are Albuquerque (drought, water shortages), Portland (grey and rainy in winter), and Denver (mild, but long winters). I'm trying to find the lesser of all evils! I know nothing is perfect, but trying to get as close to it as possible! If I get favorable responses to this thread, I will do some more research on Asheville.

Thanks!
Asheville certainly has plenty of fishing nearby, a nice temperature range (though it will dip well below 50 in the winter -- these stats are easily found online), not a whole lot of snow typically, but there is some, especially in the higher elevations. "Hot" is relative, but in July and August, it does get into the mid-high 80s, sometimes even the 90s, though that is rare. Mosquitoes were absolutely horrific this year with all the rain. Cost of living? Again, all relative, but Asheville proper is not so cheap when it comes to housing, relative to the rest of the state (and again, these stats are all available online). Oh, and Dallas Cowboys fans are strictly prohibited!
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Old 09-10-2013, 02:54 PM
 
Location: Asheville
9 posts, read 12,069 times
Reputation: 10
I also considered Denver and Portland before moving to Asheville. From the sound of it, I would rule out Portland for your consideration, due to the amount of rain and cloudy days (and it is not just Winter!). Portland and Denver will be the most bicycle and walk friendly (Downtown Denver is pretty much flat!). Asheville can be walkable and bike friendly depending where you live. Prices for homes near Asheville (but only 15 minutes away) will be better bargains. You have four seasons with Denver or Asheville, less so with Portland and forget about Albuquerque. Rentals are high here within Asheville proper, but it is feasible to buy a decently prices home in Asheville proper (especially if he is into taking care of cosmetic repairs). Real estate prices here are on par with Portland. Denver might be a little cheaper, but it all depends on what you are looking for.

Where in Wisconsin are you from? Asheville is more like a large town to me than a city, but it has a lot going on for its size. If you need more of such, Denver might be a better option. Oh and it stays lighter here than up north, and we have a longer growing season. I moved from Philadelphia, but was born in Raleigh and then m parents decided to move up north when I was the ripe 'ol age of 2.

If your husband cant stand the thought of not being able to have a healthy season of plowing snow, than there is only one place on your list to go. Speaking of, Denver won't be as cold as Wisconsin.
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Old 09-10-2013, 08:46 PM
 
Location: Chapelboro
12,798 posts, read 16,206,847 times
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Asheville itself is a fairly small city with a huge hippie vibe. Not known for mass transit, but there are some buses. The pick-up vibe is more in the surrounding areas. Jobs are tricky. Asheville is a beautiful area and the economy is largely tourist driven. Lots of folks move there for the beauty. Some are retirees who don't need to work and some are granola crunchers who will make do with any job they can get.

Quote:
He likes: seasons, snow, fishing, pickup trucks, hanging out with his friends, low cost of living, residing in a house, plowing snow, doing his own house repairs, cloudy days, Dallas Cowboys

He hates: humidity, hot temperatures, moving a lot (his mom did it to him as a kid, and it's severely colored his opinion of it negatively), renting
Yes to seasons, some snow, fishing, some pickup trucks (esp outside of town), no high school friends, but you could make new ones, COL probably on par or higher than WI, house yes, snow plowing sometimes, cloudy days, some, no Dallas Cowboys. Humidity can be high, but if the temps are low you don't feel it as much. Usually in the 70s/80s in the summer, but can creep up to the 90s.

Quote:
I like: 50-80-degree range of temperatures, good mass transit (or at least good walkability and bike-ability), city amenities (like festivals, restaurants ,parks), walking my dog, gardening, wearing sandals

I hate: long winters, more than a few inches of snow, getting into a cold vehicle or cold bed, when it gets dark at 4pm, mosquitoes, wearing four sweaters under my coat
Usu 50-80, but will almost certainly be lower and probably higher, too. No to mass transit, but yes to some walkability/bikeability, yes to festivals, triple yes to restaurants (big foodie town), yes to dogs, gardening, sandals. Winters aren't long, but longer than many other parts of NC. It will be cold in the winter, but usu more in the 20s-30s in the mornings rather than -17, although that can occasionally happen. WI probably does get darker earlier, but it still gets dark early in winter.

I think Denver might be a better fit, but Asheville is worth a visit. Boone might be too.
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Old 09-10-2013, 09:02 PM
 
Location: Western NC.
1,324 posts, read 2,496,289 times
Reputation: 1273
Asheville is a wonderful place, love everything about it except the hot humid summers and no way to escape that is a weekend trip. I grew up in Wisconsin and love snow wish we had more. Higher the elevation more likely to get some we are at 3200 ft. so may have it when Asheville doesn't. We lived outside Eugene, Oregon, loved it, in many ways similar to Asheville some bigger maybe 150, 000. Yes, winters are grey and wet but you can head east to dry side for sun or to Cascades for major snow fix. Summers were fantastic, 80's low humidity lots of sun. Oregon coast offers another climate for summer get aways.
Have not lived in Abq. but love NM have been there number of times and considered it as son is in Az. Biggest draw is tri culture aspect lots of diversity, fantastic food and incredible scenery. Can't speak to Denver but spectacular location! Really depends on what your priorities are 1, 2, 3 etc. I think all have great things to offer and are outdoor oriented places your husband would enjoy.
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Old 09-12-2013, 11:36 AM
 
Location: Oshkosh
85 posts, read 125,918 times
Reputation: 49
Quote:
Originally Posted by Migration View Post
I also considered Denver and Portland before moving to Asheville. From the sound of it, I would rule out Portland for your consideration, due to the amount of rain and cloudy days (and it is not just Winter!). Portland and Denver will be the most bicycle and walk friendly (Downtown Denver is pretty much flat!). Asheville can be walkable and bike friendly depending where you live. Prices for homes near Asheville (but only 15 minutes away) will be better bargains. You have four seasons with Denver or Asheville, less so with Portland and forget about Albuquerque. Rentals are high here within Asheville proper, but it is feasible to buy a decently prices home in Asheville proper (especially if he is into taking care of cosmetic repairs). Real estate prices here are on par with Portland. Denver might be a little cheaper, but it all depends on what you are looking for.

Where in Wisconsin are you from? Asheville is more like a large town to me than a city, but it has a lot going on for its size. If you need more of such, Denver might be a better option. Oh and it stays lighter here than up north, and we have a longer growing season. I moved from Philadelphia, but was born in Raleigh and then m parents decided to move up north when I was the ripe 'ol age of 2.

If your husband cant stand the thought of not being able to have a healthy season of plowing snow, than there is only one place on your list to go. Speaking of, Denver won't be as cold as Wisconsin.
We're in Oshkosh, WI, which I believe is only a little bit smaller than Asheville, and is quite a bit bigger than my hometown 45 minutes away. I could go bigger, but my husband would probably like to stay in a city around this size.

Really my only hesitation with Denver is that I've heard from multiple sources that snow can occur anywhere from October to May. That's a lot longer of a winter season than we have now, even if it would be more mild and punctuated with spring-like weather. I'm just not sure if I could stand snow in May. Depressing.
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Old 09-20-2013, 02:51 PM
 
72 posts, read 191,303 times
Reputation: 42
I lived north of Denver in Fort Collins. I left because of the long winters. I spent 2 years there and we got approximately 8 inches of heavy, wet snow at the end of October in both years. Denver weather is about the same. More cloudy days, at least in Fort Collins than one might expect, based upon the hype from the local Chamber of Commerce. On a positive note, Denver has a lot of very walkable areas. And, it is close to a lot of great outdoor recreation. Fort Collins is a fantastic place to walk and bike!
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