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I am debating where to settle in for the next decade or so. I grew up in Vermont, spent 10 years in Austin, Texas, and moved to Portland, Oregon a little more than a year ago. I love parts of all three places, including Portland – tree-lined streets, cute houses, walkable neighborhoods, parks, lots to do, and not too expensive – but I am worried the lack of sun will get to me. It might not; I have dealt with five feet of snow and below freezing, and then four straight months a year of stifling 100 degree heat. But before I commit to Portland, is there any place else I should consider?
Here are my top criteria:
1. Less extreme weather – not freezing, or stifling hot, or gray for months on end and not terribly humid all summer … I don’t mind some snow, some cold, some wet, or some heat, I love seasons actually – a crisp, pretty Autumn, a white blanket of snow, the excitement of new buds and flowers in Spring and a warm summer … and I miss a good thunderstorm ...
2. Scenic – some green and trees and parks with cute houses and interesting buildings maybe … ideally with mountains or ocean within driving distance (I would LOVE to live near the ocean someday) …
3. Liberal, educated, laid-back, friendly – a mix of folks, not in to status symbols, and not overrun by foodies or hipsters or frat boys, etc. …
4. Small to mid-size (50K to 2.5M metro) – I think I am a small towner at heart but for business reasons I probably can’t go too small … I would love a small town feel though … a cute main street with shops, etc. … or a city with small town like neighborhoods …
Bonus: some place where people like to pop down to the pub for a pint – and a place that could use a good neighborhood pub to pop down to …
Albuquerque or Santa Fe in New Mexico might work. Colorado's Front Range may also work, and while it does get cold there it's a dry cold. 10F in Colorado feels like 40F in Portland.
I would love to try out Savannah (as far as I know from watching Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil), but after 10 years of unbearably hot and humid summers in Austin (to the point where my feet swell up to look like two small baked hams) I need to stay away from humidity.
Charlottesville though, I did a quick look up and it is pretty liberal and scores better than the rest on the "comfort index" I found on Sperling's. Laramie might have done well on the CI too (can't remember) but am looking for a little more liberal.
I didn't look up Santa Fe or ABQ, I have been to both and don't see myself living there.
I do want to look into Colorado a bit more. I have heard great things about Boulder. Will they let me live there if I don't really ski?
I would love to try out Savannah (as far as I know from watching Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil), but after 10 years of unbearably hot and humid summers in Austin (to the point where my feet swell up to look like two small baked hams) I need to stay away from humidity.
Charlottesville though, I did a quick look up and it is pretty liberal and scores better than the rest on the "comfort index" I found on Sperling's. Laramie might have done well on the CI too (can't remember) but am looking for a little more liberal.
I didn't look up Santa Fe or ABQ, I have been to both and don't see myself living there.
I do want to look into Colorado a bit more. I have heard great things about Boulder. Will they let me live there if I don't really ski?
What about cities/towns in the Northeast?
Perhaps places like Glens Falls, Saratoga Springs and New Paltz NY, Amherst and Northampton MA, Lewisburg and State College PA and Durham NH, among others. Some aspects may not be exact, but you can fulfill many or most of them in the Northeast.
we have very similar qualifications we are trying to fill while looking for the next place to call home-my list has two additional requirements: good air quality and lower elevation (2500 ft or lower)....
glens falls NY was suggested to you and I just want to warn you of the horrible air quality there as well as super-fund sites that are off the charts ( I lived there for many years. so this is first hand info). their air is improving only because most of the paper mills are shutting down-which means their economy is in the dumps.
New Palz is a neat place, but if you ever want to own a home or biz property, forget it-the taxes there will eat you alive (most of NY is ridiculously high for property taxes-check on sperling)
Asheville interests me as well-although it is somewhat isolated form anything else-and am reading they are having a lot of air quality problems-some of the highest respiratory sickness and death figure for the country,,,(that's from a med report in the area)
its getting frustrating......need something affordable...not too humid (have lived int he desert before and you better like wind-with a lot of sand....and dry heat is still hot-don't let anyone try to tell you anything else)
good luck-hope we all find what we are looking for
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suggestions and searching
