Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
As of this writing I'm only 18 and still have college to go through so it'll be awhile until I can move out west (I live in Ohio right now, which I hate), but I've been set on living out west for awhile now, as I grew up in California and have visited Arizona and Nevada and love all of them
As the title implies, I'm looking to eventually move out to the western United States. What do I mean by western? Well, I'd say I currently have my eye on any of the following: Washington, Oregon, California, Idaho, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, New Mexico, Texas...
and, to a lesser extent: Montana and Wyoming (due to their sparse populations, I'm hesitant) and Colorado (cold weather, eww)
Yes, I know this may sound like a ridiculous list with a bunch of states with nothing in common, but that's why I'm here. I'm hoping that some of you here have experienced living in at least one of these states and could give me their general vibe.
I think Colorado is actually a bit warmer than Idaho, well depending on the elevation in either state.
I've only lived in a few places, none of those in the West, but it might help the others if you could say something specific about the West that you like. A person may have a great experience in a Western city, but it not be the experience you'd want. As you titled this "The Wild West" are you wanting like rodeos and Western music or more "wild" in the modern sense of dance clubs and bars?
I think Colorado is actually a bit warmer than Idaho, well depending on the elevation in either state.
I've only lived in a few places, none of those in the West, but it might help the others if you could say something specific about the West that you like. A person may have a great experience in a Western city, but it not be the experience you'd want. As you titled this "The Wild West" are you wanting like rodeos and Western music or more "wild" in the modern sense of dance clubs and bars?
Well, I was hoping those who've been there could give me the pros and cons of the states they know so I could see what's to like and not like. The Wild West didn't really mean anything, just specifying what my post would be about.
I guess I like a variety of things: big cities (sometimes), scenic beauty, warm temperature, the ocean (though I could live with making occasional vacations there), and ummm, not sure what other criteria to say?
What part of CA did you grow up in, and how long have you been in OH?
Here's the deal: every one of those states has parts with sparse areas and/or cold weather.
I have lived in CA, CO, and WA. I know OR, ID, MT, and WY fairly to very well. I've traveled through the other four.
So far, you've been very vague. You like big cities sometimes, well, you have tons of those to choose from. Scenic beauty varies from person to person. Warm temperatures occur throughout, but don't last the whole year everywhere. The ocean is only in CA, OR, WA (but you could count the Gulf of Mexico, but that part of TX is more southern).
I'm not asking for people to tell me what fits my personality, I'm asking people to list what they thought were the pros and cons of the places they'd been to so that I can look at it myself and see what sticks out.
I grew up in SoCal, Ventura County to be more specific. I've been in Ohio since late 2001.
I'm not asking for people to tell me what fits my personality, I'm asking people to list what they thought were the pros and cons of the places they'd been to so that I can look at it myself and see what sticks out.
I grew up in SoCal, Ventura County to be more specific. I've been in Ohio since late 2001.
If you're 18 now, isn't safe to say you grew up in Ohio too? I digress.
1. Inland Empire, CA (Riverside-San Bernardino)
Pros:
-Close to LA/OC/Beach/Mountains/Deserts
-High wages
-Cheaper than LA/OC
Cons:
-Traffic
-Smog
-Still high cost-of-living
2. Ridgecrest, CA (small town in the Mojave Desert)
Pros:
-Cheap
-Great weather 7 months of the year
-No traffic
Cons:
-very small, isolated town
-insanely hot for 5 months of the year
-not much to do
3. Denver, CO
Pros:
-Economically healthy
-Tons to do
-Close to mountains
If you're 18 now, isn't safe to say you grew up in Ohio too? I digress.
Nope, because where you grow up is supposed to be something you carry with you all your life, and I'd hate to imagine doing that with a place like Ohio.
Also, very helpful post. Thanks alot, if I have any further questions, I'll private message you!
Well, no one ever said that Colorado has warm winters, but parts of Colorado are certainly warmer than much of northern Utah, Idaho or eastern WA/OR, and even parts of NV. And, the endlessly dreary pacific northwest is "warm" on paper, but many people relentlessly drizzly gray skies less fun than a bit of snow (count me in that category) -- though the Pacific NW has a lot to offer if you can handle the weather there. Southern Arizona has unyielding hot summers that seem to last forever, but heavenly winters to compensate -- so it's kind of up to you if that's preferable. My choice in the mountain west would be Colorado due to mountains, scenery, a great mid-sized city (Denver), good economy, and a (still) relatively uncrowded state. But I'll concede that Colorado and Denver don't offer the west's best weather, though not the worst either.
Okay, so assuming Colorado is out and you like warm weather, I'd look to our southwest at Albuquerque, NM, and Phoenix, or Tucson, AZ. Finding a job in any of them may be a bit on the tricky side, though Phoenix used to be pretty good for jobs and could be again in a recovery. Phoenix is a bit of a love/hate -- huge and sprawled out, but it has a great natural setting in the desert on the edge of the mountains. Tucson is probably a bit more desirable size and layout, but it's economically second fiddle to Phoenix. Albuquerque, NM also suffers from limited economic opportunities like Tucson, but it actually has pretty good year-round weather (not all that hot in the summer), and I think has a very attractive setting -- you can actually take a tram up the mountain to a small ski resort IN TOWN, yet snow only visits the valley floor just a few times each winter. And it has by far the best food of any of the above (NM style Mexican food with fire roasted green chiles... mmmm..)
And of course, if you're looking for the "perfect" weather, you can always go to <sigh> California. Problem with California is that everyone else has already moved there, and some of them are now fleeing the place. To its credit, there are always jobs there and salaries are relatively high -- and if you're young and single you can do okay there as long as you like roommates, then save your cash, and flee inland once you get a family going.
Well, no one ever said that Colorado has warm winters, but parts of Colorado are certainly warmer than much of northern Utah, Idaho or eastern WA/OR, and even parts of NV. And, the endlessly dreary pacific northwest is "warm" on paper, but many people relentlessly drizzly gray skies less fun than a bit of snow (count me in that category) -- though the Pacific NW has a lot to offer if you can handle the weather there. Southern Arizona has unyielding hot summers that seem to last forever, but heavenly winters to compensate -- so it's kind of up to you if that's preferable. My choice in the mountain west would be Colorado due to mountains, scenery, a great mid-sized city (Denver), good economy, and a (still) relatively uncrowded state. But I'll concede that Colorado and Denver don't offer the west's best weather, though not the worst either.
Okay, so assuming Colorado is out and you like warm weather, I'd look to our southwest at Albuquerque, NM, and Phoenix, or Tucson, AZ. Finding a job in any of them may be a bit on the tricky side, though Phoenix used to be pretty good for jobs and could be again in a recovery. Phoenix is a bit of a love/hate -- huge and sprawled out, but it has a great natural setting in the desert on the edge of the mountains. Tucson is probably a bit more desirable size and layout, but it's economically second fiddle to Phoenix. Albuquerque, NM also suffers from limited economic opportunities like Tucson, but it actually has pretty good year-round weather (not all that hot in the summer), and I think has a very attractive setting -- you can actually take a tram up the mountain to a small ski resort IN TOWN, yet snow only visits the valley floor just a few times each winter. And it has by far the best food of any of the above (NM style Mexican food with fire roasted green chiles... mmmm..)
And of course, if you're looking for the "perfect" weather, you can always go to <sigh> California. Problem with California is that everyone else has already moved there, and some of them are now fleeing the place. To its credit, there are always jobs there and salaries are relatively high -- and if you're young and single you can do okay there as long as you like roommates, then save your cash, and flee inland once you get a family going.
I'll definitely look into Colorado, even though the cold is just what I'm running from (not that that's the only reason for me not liking where I live, just partially). I can definitely see how Seattle or Portland's constant rain would get old, though it does look pretty beautiful around those parts (based on photos I've seen) and I'm guessing with cities that big, you're bound to find job opportunities. I love Arizona and I think I'd be able to handle the very hot summers.
You're the second person to suggest Albuquerque, so I'll definitely check that out, despite the limited job opportunities. Same with Arizona.
I love California and would definitely consider it a possibility when I'm still in my 20's.
I was talking on the Texas forums about El Paso as well. Is there anything you have to say about that city?
If you are looking into the West I would suggest the Northwest and Inland Northwest because the West's best scenery is in Idaho, Oregon, Washington, and the Western side of Montana. Colorado is too inland and half of the state is part of the great plains while Idaho, Oregon, Washington have more mountains than CO. All the states I mentioned are beautiful but Colorado is overrated in my opinion. The Southwest lacks the amount of lakes, rivers, streams, lush forests that you can experience in Idaho, Oregon, or Washington.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I digress.
