Young asian male looking for an ideal US city to relocate. (climate, moved)
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It's true that Denver's Asian demographic is nowhere near that of the Bay Area (which probably would be too expensive for the OP's budget as stated above) but there's a fairly strong Asian community.
I lived in Denver for years and like the OP, I'm a cold-weather lover. Denver's summers can be hot, but very dry and the winters are sunny and milder overall than SE Michigan (where I live currently.) I didn't mind the summers there at all.
Just thought I'd throw Denver out as an idea to look into. Seattle and that entire region may well be a great fit too, depending on real estate costs.
Denver is definitely a good suggestion. I've never visited Denver, so I don't know much about the city. It just feels sort of "remote"...
There are totally places in your price range there, you just have to know what neighborhoods to look into. In fact, I'd take your query over to the Seattle forum. They'll be happy to help you out.
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Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth
Denver is in the 90's in the summers. I don't know if that's too hot for the OP or not. Seattle might be a better fit, if he doesn't mind a lot of overcast weather, rain, drizzle. The winters are relatively mild, though, and there are definitely Asians around. But I don't know if he could get a condo for his price point. Maybe outside the city somewhere. OP could also consider Olympia, WA, for better affordability.
Great suggestions. In fact, when I talk about this with my friends, Seattle receives the most enthusiasm. Tacoma is only 40 min away from Seattle, and even closer to the airport, perhaps it has more affordable neighborhoods there? I will ask the Seattle forum for sure.
You might consider Renton, WA, bordering Seattle on the southeast side. Renton is increasingly becoming the go-to suburb for middle class Asians priced out of Seattle and Bellevue. The population is now about 25% Asian and there are large Asian grocery stores, Great Wall Mall (on the Kent/Renton border) and countless Chinese restaurants and a multitude of other services for the Chinese community: doctors, realtors, accountants, travel agents, barbers etc.
For 200K you can get a nice condo or a not so great house, for $250K you get a pretty nice house with garage, yard etc.
It's true that Denver's Asian demographic is nowhere near that of the Bay Area (which probably would be too expensive for the OP's budget as stated above) but there's a fairly strong Asian community.
I lived in Denver for years and like the OP, I'm a cold-weather lover. Denver's summers can be hot, but very dry and the winters are sunny and milder overall than SE Michigan (where I live currently.) I didn't mind the summers there at all.
Just thought I'd throw Denver out as an idea to look into. Seattle and that entire region may well be a great fit too, depending on real estate costs.
I lived in Denver too for 25 years. The problem I see is that the OP prefers 60 - 70 degree weather, and specifically mentioned that he doesn't want 90 degree days. That eliminates Denver's summers IMHO. 90 degrees is the average high temperature for most of July and August in Denver.
The more I think about it, Seattle would be his best bet. Portland might also work for him. But there isn't much of an Asian community there either.
I do love the Bay Area, but I am afraid no housing there is "affordable" by my standard...
Yes, I lived there for about 18 years and it's no longer even remotely affordable. San Diego is better, and you might be able to find a very small condo in your price range. I live near Seattle and $200K is going to make it tough to find a condo in a decent neighborhood.
I second the SF/Bay Area! Look at the peninsula: Daly City, Foster City, Menlo Park, San Bruno, San Carlos, San Mateo, South San Francisco and also Berkeley, CA and Oakland, CA. Definitely look in San Francisco proper too, I just hear things are quite expensive there. HUGE Chinese communities in all of these areas, especially in comparison to the rest of the country.
Houston would indeed be perfect for you if it weren't for the steamy summers; tons of Californians of all races have been flocking there for over two decades since Houston never endured the housing crash that walloped this state.
Demographer Joel Kotkin pointed out recently in the Orange County Register that Houston is teeming with good paying jobs in law, business, IT and medicine, and that grads of all ethnicities and especially Asians who graduate from any top-notch university (Cal, Stanford, CalTech, UCLA or USC out here) are indeed leaving Calif. in droves for Houston, which will very likely pass Chicago in population within 20 years.
'Temperate climate' is pretty tough to be able to avoid in the eastern 60% of the country during the late spring and all of summer, as well as Sept. & October.
If he wanted to stay indoors all day, temperature would be the least of his concerns.
I lived in Houston for most of my life. Houston only gets about 3-4 months of 60-70 degrees from November-February. He gets a month of Spring in March and then it jumps straight to 80+ degrees in April through October. There goes his 60-70 degree weather. The cooler September and October weather is spent indoors, because the cool weather is accompanied by flooding and rain.
If he loved the summer heat, I would encourage him to choose Houston over the other cities. In Houston, he'll be sweating in April/May and September/October, wondering where the 60-70 degree temps are.
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