if you had your pick: portland, or; colorado springs, co; boise, id; greensboro, nc; warwick, ri (Lakeside: chapel, affordable houses)

[whr2go]

I know, I know all over the place but those are the choices and we have to choose just one! Kinda hard as we have never been to ANY of them.

Here is a little background. Our family, that includes two children ages 4 and 2, live in San Diego right now and can't wait to move just based on home prices and cost of living alone. On the positive side, we love the outdoors and the cultural diversity of San Diego.

We don't mind urban living as long as it is safe and has easy access to a park(s). Nothing too rural as we don't like the feeling of being so isolated but a house on the water would be a dream come true. Schools are very important because of the kids.

What do you think?? Are they all about the same or is there a real choice to be made? Help!

[SouthBayTodd]

for me, i'd probably pick portland.

have you visited all those places? yes, there are differences.

[whr2go]

Never been to any besides portland and colorado springs airports. Thus the dilema. Just trying to get a feeling on people who have actually been, lived and possibly visited some of the others. Much better than just reading statistics on each city. (Fingers crossed!)

[SouthBayTodd]

since you are from CA - i would guess you would like colorado springs or portland best... you should really visit a place before you decide to move there, can you?

[Nea1]

I lived in Portland Or 32 years, schools have some real issues and the weather isnt great. Lived in NC a year, that was a year too long. Me we are going to Co. been there a couple of times great schools, affordable houses great outdoors and loved it.

[5stones]

going from San Diego to Portland would be hard during the rainy season. I lived in Seattle and It was a real hard adjustment. From NOV. - March the weather pretty much sucked! (yes there were a few nice days but mostly overcast and alot of rain!!) Portland is better than seattle but it is wet.
NOW...JUNE, JULY and August....fantastic!! not a more beautiful site than a clear day seeing MT Rainer just dominate the view!!

[mrkool]

I would go to Boise in a heartbeat, but it sure doesn't have the cultural diversity you "love." So I'd scratch it from your list, and go with diverse Greensboro. Enjoy

[Rumblebelly]

Wow. Those all seem radically different areas in terms of climate. NC gets really uncomfortable in the summer. Boise and Colo Springs is really dry, Portland is really wet, RI is fairly wet with cold winters. Might wanna figure that one out first.

.

[renlacher]

Greensboro, NC offers trees and grassy fields, 4 distinct seasons, 3 hours to the coast, 3 hours to the mountains. The economy is stable and the cost of living is reasonable, better than comparably sized cities in the Northeast and Pacific Northest. There are lake-side communities outside of Greensboro that offer lakeside living, such as Belew's Creek. It is a good location for outdoorsy people because of the mountains, State/National Parks, and the beaches. NC offers, in my opinion of course, one of the best state university systems in the country (16 universities including UNC-Chapel Hill, UNC-Greensboro, and NC State) not to mention Wake Forest and, ugh, Duke.

Boise has a University and is very scenic (my opinion) but can be cold and brown a good bit of the year. It may feel very isolated compared to SD.

Portland is a top destination for disgruntled Californians. It has a great downtown area, plenty of culture, superior mass transit, and a green ethic. It can be very liberal; depends on what you like. It's cloudy and rainy much of the year, and gets a little snowfall on occasion which usually melts in a few days or less. Mt. Hood and the Columbia River are beautiful and challenging outdoor playgrounds.

Colorado Springs on the other hand is more conservative, much sunnier and drier, and growing. It may be a good choice for a San Diegan who likes sunshine and wants outdoor recreation. More of a high desert climate. Cost of living is quickly going up as the city grows, but still much better than SoCal. Lakeside living may be harder to find. It is family-friendly, but I don't know anything about the schools.

I don't know anything about RI, although I have visited its coastline, which is very scenic.

Greensboro public schools vary from excellent to fair, depending on the district, so research in advance. Greensboro may be the most "family-friendly" on your list, hence its #1 ranking on my list. Portland is the most urban. (just an opinion, hope it helps)

[SouthBayTodd]

portland is similar to san francisco politics. it can be very green, very liberal - but not as extreme as SF. public transit, restaurants, culture, are all top notch in portland.

colorado springs is a totally different vibe and politics. it is more conservative with lots of military, but is a very nice town in its own right. have you considered the denver area?