My wife and I live in Missouri, and have decided we want to live close enough to the mountains that we can easily go mountain hiking on a weekend. The drive to the Rockies from here is much too far. We also prefer to pay cash for our house, so we need something very affordable, below 100K.
What we looked for in a city:
1) proximity to mountains
2) affordable housing
3) enough jobs in the IT field to stand a chance
4) college/universities
After research, I found that Boise, Ogden & Colorado Springs fit these criteria. I have put Denver on the Maybe list. Maybe I'm missing some others. We're not interested in anything out east.
What are your opinions of how these three cities compare with each other, and/or do you suggest other cities that fit our needs?
Thanks very much in advance
