Hi there everyone,
My husband and I are relocating out of Arizona this fall and we are considering either the Austin or Greenville area. We have been to both areas briefly, although for only a very short duration during the summer season. We work from home so commute time, jobs, traffic, etc are not prime concerns. Plus, we do not plan in living close to the city as we do not need to drive in anywhere for work. However, we would like to have access to a city on the weekends for entertainment.
We have lived in Arizona for 4 years - 2.5 in the Flagstaff/Sedona region and 1.5 in Tucson. Northern Arizona was great as there were tons of outdoor activities, great road trips, unique sights to see, and beautiful scenery. However, the area is a bit limited and we eventually got bored. We never really felt like we lived in a town, but rather were on an extended vacation checking out really cool one time sights. Plus, we got sick of the dry weather, the huge temperature swings between the morning and afternoon, the too sunny weather year-round, the lack of new restaurants and attractions to check out, and the lack of any easily accessible airport.
We moved to Tucson (Oro Valley area) temporarily and do not like it at all. While we enjoyed many of the hikes here, took some great day trips, and enjoyed a handful of unique restaurants, there are many problems we have with the area. First off, it's a bit too old for us as we are in our early 30's and most of the population consists of seniors or college students so we always feel out of place. Second, the dry weather kills us as it did in Flagstaff, however, it's 100 times worse here. Dried out sinuses, chapped lips, joint aches, the need to carry 2 gallons of water everywhere, and a billion other problems that go away once we are in a humid area again. Any time we vacation to a humid area, we are in heaven.
As we lived on the East coast prior to our move to Arizona, we are well accustomed to extreme summer heat and humidity (Which we love opposed to most people). Also, the unending 24/7 sunshine in Southern Arizona is uncomfortable, unbearable and makes any outdoor activity downright miserable. Doesn't matter if it is 70 degrees or 110 - the sun and lack of shade makes it miserable. We will take the humidity index over the sun index as the sun beating down directly on you feels much worse.
We are now accustomed to the most brutal insane heat imaginable as we have built up our tolerance by hiking and biking in the middle of the afternoon (usually not by choice, but based on how long it takes to get to the trails), so summer weather in either area is definitely not a concern. Third reason we are moving is the lack of culture - besides hiking, the overall vibe seems to be lacking in some way and seems to consist of mostly dining at chains and shopping, of which we are not really interested in either. Seems like after we hike there really isn't much else to do (even more so in the summer when it's 110 as the area lacks any indoor attractions).
Here is what we are looking for in our move
Would like to rent a 2 bedroom for about $1800 max. Do not plan on living near the city in either area but renting a house an hour or so away in a more rural setting.
More cloudy days and more humid weather. From the charts, it looks like both areas are similar in this respect but would like some real feedback. Would prefer cloudy weather to fall mainly in the winter and spring months and do not mind if summers are more sunny. And, the more humid the better as we both feel much healthier and would love to not feel dehydrated after our 4 year bone dry stint in the desert.
Access to hiking trails, paved bike paths, lakes, etc. After endless long, exhausting hikes in the desert, we are looking for the majority of our hikes to be in the easier-moderate range of 6 miles or less. Not interested in any overnight/camping hiking trips. After hiking at least 3 trails per week for 4 years, we are looking for a better balance between hiking and other activities. We are still fitness and outdoor buffs just do not want this to be the basis of our life like it has been for the past 4 yrs. Would like to add other activities to the mix - kayak, stand up paddleboard, biking, etc. Also would like more indoor attractions, more events.
Museums, zoos, events, 5ks and half marathons, historic theaters, historical attractions, beautiful architecture and historical neighborhoods, water and amusement parks, holiday events (Halloween, holiday light displays, ice rinks, etc.), tree-lined streets, eclectic neighborhoods, lots of unique restaurants and coffee shops, any water based activities. Basically we are looking for a diversity of activities in every sense and more of a diversity in architecture. We are also fine with longer weekend trips to the bigger cities - Dallas/Houston or Charlotte/Atlanta if they offer more to do. As we haven't really been to any of these cities and just passed through a few of them, any input on which cities offer the better weekend trips would be great.
Great road trips to interesting state/national parks, cities, historical attractions, beaches, lakes, etc within say a 6-8 hour drive. After living in Arizona we are used to taking a road/day trip of at least 4-6 hours almost every weekend and have covered the entire state and most of the surrounding top to bottom. Looking for somewhere that has a better day to day quality of life as opposed to always having to take day trips just to do something.
Varied weather would be a nice bonus. Thunderstorms, access to fall foliage trips, lots of overcast days, hot beach/waterpark days during the summer
Also if anyone has any info about the airport in either area. Tucson basically has zero non stop flights and they are all severely overpriced. We tend to take more road trips as opposed to flying, however, would like to have the option to fly.
Oh and we have lived in a wide range of areas and are not really concerned with the political views of either area. We are not interested in politics, just interested in diverse things to do.
Basically which area would offer the better mix of outdoor attractions, road trips, cultural activities, and unique dining? Or, if anyone has a suggestion for any other area that would better suit our interests? We are looking to keep the move on the Southern half of the US at this point. Thanks for the input everyone! sorry this is so long just looking for some feedback
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