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After hitting 30 I started to re-evaluate my life and I'm considering a move: either out of LA county or to another state. If I stay in Socal, I'd be thinking of Ventura county or San Diego. If it's out of state, I'm looking into Denver/surrounding areas, Boise, Prescott AZ, Eastern WA, Salt lake city, and Austin/surrounding areas. I'm hoping to get some opinions in terms of how these align with what I'm looking for so I have some guidance before I start booking trips to visit each one. What I like about my area is the proximity to all types of nature, but I'm not sure that's enough to get me to stay. I'd trade a lake for the ocean if the city was the right fit.
I'm looking for much more surrounding nature (preferably trees, mountains, lakes, off-roading, camping, etc) along with a strong job market/social life (I'll likely be moving alone so I'll need to be able to get out and meet people to grow a new social circle). I'm in real estate right now so that's my skillset, but I'd likely find a different career that allows me to transfer my skills (tech isn't important to me so I'd prefer an environment with more socially-based careers that can still support me and a future family).
The main things I don't like about LA (that I'd like to avoid in a new city) are:
High cost of living
Selfish people, materialism, toxic work environments in sales-type jobs
Smog, traffic
Show-off mentality
Increasingly less-safe and growing homeless population
So far, I've heard the following about each city:
Ventura county: slower than LA county with more industrial-type job market. Not as busy socially but still close enough to get to Thousand oaks etc
San Diego: more Urban with some nature on the outskirts. Better people and strong job market. Slightly lower cost of living and great social scene
Denver:
Pros: Great for nature lovers, social life, great weather/seasons, great job market
Cons: Increasing number of people and traffic, higher cost of living than my other choices but still lower than LA
Boise: Smaller job market and slower social scene but great environment
Prescott, AZ: More trees and actual seasons. The lower cost of living, proximity to LA, and no state tax are also a plus. The job market out there seems nil though unless I commute an hour every day to a main city
Eastern WA: not as clean as other options, job markets not as great, but great nature and more lush forests
Salt Lake City: many of the same perks as Denver with the added pro of being less busy and no state taxes. My hesitation would be that I'm not as big of a fan of the high-desert look and prefer more trees. I also don't think the religious aspect and social scene would align with what I want. I hear that almost everything is closed on Sundays, alcohol consumption is strictly monitored, and all schools are Mormon. Please correct me if this isn't true
Austin area: Like the LA of Texas. Better people but increasingly more like what I don't like about LA. That coupled with the Texas weather which I don't think I'd enjoy too much
I know it's not that much information, but any insight into any of those areas as to how they might align with the basics of what I'm looking for would be helpful.
It seems like every millennial and younger want these same things, so I don't know if "great nature", "great social life", and "low cost of living" exists, much less one that also has a good job market for your specific career. You will probably have to either pick two out of three or pick a city that is just okay across the board.
Perhaps you should also consider Sacramento, and places in Tennessee, Georgia, and North Carolina?
I don't really agree that Austin is like LA, but I don't know that it scores super highly on your wants either. I'd only recommend it if you had visited and liked the vibe.
I don’t know that most of these areas can really be considered as low cost of living. Boise, Austin, Denver, etc have had skyrocketing rents and home values in recent years. Eastern WA might still be somewhat affordable but I’ve heard Spokane has gone up as well.
But maybe compared to LA it still would be reasonable in these areas.
Salt Lake City: many of the same perks as Denver with the added pro of being less busy and no state taxes. My hesitation would be that I'm not as big of a fan of the high-desert look and prefer more trees. I also don't think the religious aspect and social scene would align with what I want. I hear that almost everything is closed on Sundays, alcohol consumption is strictly monitored, and all schools are Mormon. Please correct me if this isn't true.
Salt Lake City is a high desert city, but it's not at all like Phoenix in that you really don't get the sense of being in a desert unless you actually leave the city and head south. Salt Lake City is actually situated in a gorgeous setting. Have you ever been here?
Lots and lots of things are open on Sundays. Some privately owned stops and restaurants are closed, and the one downtown shopping mall is closed. Otherwise, pretty much everything is open. You can go to movies, most restaurants, sporting events, etc. on Sundays. They'll just be less crowded than they are on the other days.
Alcohol consumption is not "strictly monitored." I'm not even sure what you mean by that. The liquor laws in Utah are a bit quirky, but you can very easily get a drink here. Salt Lake County has nearly 200 bars, an multiple restaurants that serve liquor.
About 98% of schools in Salt Lake are public schools, run by the various school districts in the area. This is fortunate because if they were all Mormon, 50% of Salt Lake City's school-aged kids would go uneducated.
OP, pretty much anywhere you go will have less traffic than LA. But even so, if you're looking to avoid it, you'd do well to avoid Denver; it's getting worse and worse there, especially along I-25. I haven't been there in awhile, but I've heard that the homeless population is becoming steadily worse and more in-your-face.
If you can't bear the thought of leaving California, San Diego would be a great option. It's easily my first choice (actually, it's my ONLY choice) if I had to live in California, which thankfully I don't have to do. But some people love that state, and if you're one of them, I'd heartily recommend San Diego.
Prescott is actually on my retirement shortlist (I'm in my mid-50s), which might be a good reason for you to avoid it. I've never been there (yet), but my understanding is that it's better suited for someone who's at the stage of life where they want to wind down (i.e. me) than a young-adult looking for a more active and energetic lifestyle. (I'd welcome being corrected by anyone who is more familiar with the city.) And yes, it's isolated. The closest major city, Phoenix, is almost 2 hours away. That said, the pictures I've seen look great; and it's got what may well be the best four-season climate of anywhere in the desert Southwest.
I've only been to Spokane a couple of times, but I kind of like it. It's certainly a scenic part of the country. A friend of mine who lives in that area has said that the homelessness issue is becoming noticeable there, though still nowhere even approaching the levels seen in the bigger West Coast cities.
If you have strong political views, in either direction, you could probably shorten your list. Salt Lake City is not as conservative as its reputation suggests, but it's far more conservative than Los Angeles is. (Depending on your point of view, this might be good or bad.) Personally, I love Salt Lake City; I've been there a number of times, and it's another place on my retirement shortlist.
Sacramento / Fairfield / Folsom and nearby have alot of trees and would fit what you're looking for. Some of the lowest COL in california. I'm looking for the same thing you are and its on my list to leave Phoenix. Prescott is nice and is green , but not like Sacramento, or the PNW. parts of the southeast are alot more affordable and close to nature and no desert to speak of. If you can deal with the humidity then i'd look there , specifically in Western NC or northern GA around Duluth-ish . Asheville,NC is the main city in WNC , but its expensive compared to the smaller towns nearby within a 50 mile radius .
Great answers, thank you all. This gives me some more to research and think about. I know COL/traffic/homelessness are subjective based on what you're used to, but compared to LA almost anything in those regards will be a plus
Also glad to hear that what I've heard about some of these cities isn't entirely accurate. I'm just starting my research and haven't actually been able to experience most of them yet
There are a lot of really cool places in this country that aren’t trendy and overpriced, nor are they at risk of heading in that direction. Might be surprised at what you find out there.
Trendiness just takes perfectly good places and ruins them. In the words of The Eagles: “Call someplace paradise, kiss it goodbye”
Personality, I’d avoid all those listed.
Take eastern Washington off your list immediately.
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