Places we would like to live: Salt Lake City, UT or Austin, TX or Bolder, CO (Portland: real estate)

[ValerieOfRiverside]

My husband and I and our two kids currently live in Riverside. We really like the warm weather and have lived here our whole lives. As much as we love southern CA we just cannot afford to stay here any longer. The rent keeps going up and up and the pay on jobs is going down and down in our area. The unemployment rate seems to be out of control. Last I checked it was about 15%! My husband has been out of work for almost 2 years. He has been unable to find anything with decent pay and is currently staying home with the kids. I work basic retail in the day but we need more/better income. We want to buy a home with a big yard and a pool and that was our plan before the economy crashed. It has hit us really hard the last 2 years.

I’m a little concerned about living somewhere where it snows and how that would change our day to day life but we have to do whatever we need to. Leaving CA seems to be the answer (we sadly) agree on. We want to relocate to an area with more available jobs, affordable housing, and just be able to catch up on bills and save to buy a nice home.

We are not really worried about high schools because our kids are smart enough that they will be able to learn from any decent school. I don’t know if we would be able to afford Universities so having a community college close by would be a plus. We do care a lot about safety and want to live in a nice area with low crime. For me or my kids to able to walk alone after dark and be safe is a priority. Also affordable apartments and homes are important. And available decent paying jobs are very important. Having jobs close by so we wouldn’t have a very long commute is something we do care about too.

From friends we have talked to who live out of state and research we have done online we have narrowed it down to 3 places we would like to live. Salt Lake City, UT or Austin, TX or Bolder, CO. We are positive that one of these places will work out as a new home for us. But since we have never been to any of them we were hoping to get some feedback from Residents of these states.

What is the weather like? What are the people like? How is the economy and what kinds of jobs are available? How far do people have to generally commute to work? How affordable is the rent on apartments or how much to buy a nice home with a yard and pool? Are there any nice shopping malls or supercenter Wal-Mart’s or Supercenter Targets in the area? Are there any good parks or hiking trails or fun things to do outdoors in the area? What is the health care like? Health care plans, family doctors, plastic surgeons, hospitals, dermatologist? We have Kaiser health care and love it! I think that is mainly a CA health care. Any input would be great.

[kiacook]

I don't understand any list that is narrowed down to Austin, Bolder and SLC. What were your criteria?

[Currency Pair Crocodile]

Boulder is breathtakingly beautiful. But it can shut down by 7pm. Can't beat the rocky mountain views, especially the flat irons.

Austin is more lively and it has quite some scenic beauty too. But I'm no Austin expert. Boulder is more like my backyard I retreat there once in a while to find peace.

But a word of caution on Boulder is that it's ultra-liberal. There is a risk of kids growing up and turning into polarbear loving, environmental degradation crying, multiculturalism preaching nazis. I see these crowds conducting meetings every time I go there, where they spew their socialist rhetoric. It's not a bad thing, but one does not have to be quite gestapo about it, to be honest. I'm a pretty free-minded guy too, but a touch of conservatism is a must for a proper societal balance. But then, it depends on your choice. Real estate is way too expensive too. You should visit the Boulder forum for more insight.

[dburatti]

Take the previous post with a grain of salt. I think he or she is trolling for a flame war. Some people aren't comfortable with themselves and don't like to see other people happy, be they pro choice people, gays, or atheists for example, which Boulder embraces.

Boulder's laid back attitude is refreshing. A lot of southern cities could learn from it, Austin included.

What I'd watch out for is any city in Utah, SLC included. The Mormons have a hold of that state, and their religion affects many laws.

Of the ones you listed, your true choices are Austin and Boulder.

D

[eepstein]

It depends. Boulder is a very expensive, liberal, progressive type of place. It's a beautiful city and is a leader in clean, environmental practices. I haven't been to SLC in a long time, but it is probably hard to find many liberals here. Generally, SLC metro is quite conservative because of it's mormon roots. But, SLC in general is absolutely beautiful with the mountains!! Climate is similar to Boulder, but gets hotter in the summer and a bit colder in the winter.

Then there's austin which is definiately the least desirable of the 3 cities. With the exception of the areas around UT and downtown, Metro Austin is probably slightly more conservative overall than Salt Lake. Some of the Salt Lake suburbs are conservative, but you haven't seen anything until you venture out into the Austin suburbs!! They give "bubba" and "conservative" a whole new light.

Basically I would probably pick Boulder if I had a choice of the 3.

Originally Posted by Antlered Chamataka

Boulder is breathtakingly beautiful. But it can shut down by 7pm. Can't beat the rocky mountain views, especially the flat irons.

Austin is more lively and it has quite some scenic beauty too. But I'm no Austin expert. Boulder is more like my backyard I retreat there once in a while to find peace.

But a word of caution on Boulder is that it's ultra-liberal. There is a risk of kids growing up and turning into polarbear loving, environmental degradation crying, multiculturalism preaching nazis. I see these crowds conducting meetings every time I go there, where they spew their socialist rhetoric. It's not a bad thing, but one does not have to be quite gestapo about it, to be honest. I'm a pretty free-minded guy too, but a touch of conservatism is a must for a proper societal balance. But then, it depends on your choice. Real estate is way too expensive too. You should visit the Boulder forum for more insight.

[hoffdano]

No arguments that Boulder is beautiful. I haven't been there in some time so I can't offer much.

I have visited SLC many times - on ski trips. I noticed that each time I visited, the Mormon influence seemed slightly weaker each time. But the Mormon influence on the state is still very real. It isn't necessarily a bad thing. It is conservative, family oriented, and perhaps the opposite of a place like Portland or Boulder. SLC does not have good air quality. It ranks #7 (worst) in short term particle pollution. Any visitor to SLC has probably seen the haze that often covers the city. Lots of beauty around SLC.

Austin is an easy adjustment for most Californians used to warm weather. Our schools are generally very good. People are friendly. Austin's population is well educated. It is not "bubba" land like eepstein says. He has no tolerance for born and raised Texans who grew up in non-urban environments. The job market is tight - but probably better than where you are coming from. You should have a job before you get here unless you have lots of reserve funds. Government services are fewer in Texas. And public transportation is mediocre at best, non-existent in many cases. No shortage of shopping. Excellent supermarkets. Lots of outdoor activities including excellent lakes.

[misty2010]

I just pulled this off of another post.

Take a look: For Job Seekers, top five cities for the next decade
For job seekers, top five cities for the next decade - CNN.com