Might have to leave California, help me figure out where to go (San Jose: rent, condo)

[EurekaPerson]

Even in a "southern state", I imagine an interracial person would feel comfortable anywhere near a university. For example, Charlotte, North Carolina is only 54% white. If you meet your requirement of being near a university, then you should probably also meet your requirement of a more liberal and diverse atmosphere.

As far as the weather, if you want moderate humidity and no winter, then you are basically out of luck. Living far enough south to avoid winter means that are going to be in a humid climate along the Gulf Coast. The further north you go from the coast, the more snow you're going to get. And the southwest is just desert - and even then the elevated terrain receives snow.

The best fit for you might still be somewhere in California, where it never snows, but the climate ranges from desert in the south to humid and rainy in the north. Maybe there's somewhere in between for you.

[loveautumn]

That's quite a list you have there, so you probably won't find it all but have you thought about San Diego?

[Snort]

The climate requirements are difficult to find outside California. The Southwest is desert, the Northwest is rainy, the mountain states are frickin' cold in the winter with snow, the Southeast is often muggy in summer and still cold in winter (with exceptions, but the requirement the place be more liberal throws a wrench in the works there...)
Outside of CA, I can think of two places that imperfectly meet (sort of) your requirements: Asheville, NC and Flagstaff, AZ.
I'm sure there are other places that may fit the bill. I'd agree with the opinions on Austin.

[treedonkey]

Actually, on reviewing that list, it looked to me like you could find it in any one of a number of burgeoning metro areas across the country, outside of CA. Except item #1. If an ideal climate is a really big deal to you, stay in CA. Maybe narrow it down to a few places and then go to those local forums to get more info. Then make an itemized list of all the pro's and cons of each area and see what fits best.

Shouldn't job availability and family/friend ties play a role?

[Steve97415]

Originally Posted by califlo

-Weather: preferably no snow (or very minimal snow, < 5 in. a year), a moderate level of humidity with some noticeable rainfall (we are not interested in desert weather, but don’t really want to go back to Florida humidity either!), and we both love warm & sunny weather so we do not think we would do well in a city that is more often cloudy than sunny (like Seattle)

-Good air quality due to our health considerations

-Excellent hospitals/medical facilities nearby

-Affordable housing – pretty much anything less expensive than the Bay Area

-Low crime rate

-Near 4yr college/university, possibly 2 yr college might work (my husband works in higher education admin)

-Fairly diverse population and good acceptance of interracial couples (I spent a chunk of my childhood in Alabama, and my experience there as a multiracial person was horrible. I am not interested in moving to a place with a lot of racial issues)

-Moderate to liberal people and political environment(we are pretty liberal and agnostic, and hope to find a place where there might be other people somewhat like us)

Ideally, our new home would offer access to these things too but we would be willing to travel a little for them if necessary:
-a variety/quantity of ethnic restaurants (we like Indian, Thai, Vietnamese, Ethiopian, etc.) and cultural events/festivals

-reasonable access to outdoorsy stuff (hiking, parks)

-an assortment of stores for shopping like Borders, Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, Target, department stores

-less than 1- 1.5 hours from an airport

That sounds like Chico

The Sacramento airport would be at the upper edge of your limit, but you should be able to get there in not much more than 90 minutes.

[Snort]

Chico! That's my boy!
Good answer!

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by OC Investor2

Have you thought about Austin Texas?

State capital. College town. Moderate climate. Pretty Liberal (Damn near communist compared to the rest of Texas) Good arts & music scene. Definately bette cost of living. I have a friend who has some rentals in the area and he raves about it.

only problem with that is: humidity. She has said she doesn't want any or little. Of course she seems to be looking for Utopia and I will be damned if I know where that is, how about you?

Yes, Austin in liberal compared to the rest of Texas..and, no you would not be uncomfortable traveling through most of Texas as a bi-racial person..(at least not in the larger cities)

I think Chico suggestion for Ca is a pretty good one, but even then, it doesn't meet all your requirements (nothing will I am afraid) and I am not sure of the job market even though they have a univeristy..I think getting out of Ca might be your best bet at this time.
Nita

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by califlo

I am fairly new to the city-data forum, and I am looking for help in finding a place to relocate. I moved here to San Jose, CA from Tampa last year for my husband’s job. So far, we have enjoyed living here but we have had the good fortune to have paid very little for rent as it is mostly been subsidized by his employer. While we would definitely not mind staying out here awhile longer, our goal is to eventually buy a house and paying Bay Area rent is not going to really allow us to save what we need to do that, and it would not leave much money for us to budget for travel, fun, etc. We know buying here is out of the question for us - too $$. Therefore, we need a new home! We are both in our early 30s and we have no kids. We would like to stay in California if possible. If we leave, where should we go? Where have you all considered moving to? Here are some characteristics that we want our new city to have:

-Weather: preferably no snow (or very minimal snow, < 5 in. a year), a moderate level of humidity with some noticeable rainfall (we are not interested in desert weather, but don’t really want to go back to Florida humidity either!), and we both love warm & sunny weather so we do not think we would do well in a city that is more often cloudy than sunny (like Seattle)

-Good air quality due to our health considerations

-Excellent hospitals/medical facilities nearby

-Affordable housing – pretty much anything less expensive than the Bay Area

-Low crime rate

-Near 4yr college/university, possibly 2 yr college might work (my husband works in higher education admin)

-Fairly diverse population and good acceptance of interracial couples (I spent a chunk of my childhood in Alabama, and my experience there as a multiracial person was horrible. I am not interested in moving to a place with a lot of racial issues)

-Moderate to liberal people and political environment(we are pretty liberal and agnostic, and hope to find a place where there might be other people somewhat like us)

Ideally, our new home would offer access to these things too but we would be willing to travel a little for them if necessary:
-a variety/quantity of ethnic restaurants (we like Indian, Thai, Vietnamese, Ethiopian, etc.) and cultural events/festivals

-reasonable access to outdoorsy stuff (hiking, parks)

-an assortment of stores for shopping like Borders, Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, Target, department stores

-less than 1- 1.5 hours from an airport

I know there is a lot listed here and we may not find a place that has all of this. Thank you for reading this and for any help you can give!!

Actually have you thought about Albquerque, NM? It has much of what you are looking for, including Whole Foods (I think or something similar) and yes, Trader Joes..The climate is as good as it gets..Warm summer days, very cool nights, mild winters with lots of sunshine, and clean air. Because it is high desert the temps do not get anywhere near what they do in most desert areas.

BTW, AKgirl, Dallas has horrible humidity and depending on where you life in the area, it is far from liberal, unless you live right in the heart of the city..they also have no Trader Joes and will not for quite some time. I do agree, the tornado thing is a bit over done. We lived there for 13 years and only a couple of times did one come anywhere near us. The two I remember did quite a bit of damage, but I don't remember any serious inguries. The job market is as good as anywhere right now, but I don't think jobs pay as much as Calif, in fact I am sure they don't. Of course it depends on what market you are in.

[AKgirlinCA]

Hi Nita,
Weather isn't a deal breaker for me....just want a place where we can afford to buy a home and I might be able to stay home with my future kids....and a healthy economy is important to me as well....I'm basically set on DFW. thanks for any info you can provide...btw-I'll survive without Trader Joe's

[AKgirlinCA]

Oh sorry I was confused, that was for the OP. You're right...DFW is a great fit for us but might not be for the OP.