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I'll try to make this short and sweet. I grew up and still live in Phoenix, Arizona. With this comes pros and cons.
Pros: sunshine, perfect winters, easy drive to California and Mexico and the mountains (about 4-6 hours to all three), laidback people, not very much traffic and can easily be dodged, GREAT offroading, and beautiful sunsets.
Cons: have to drive at least twenty minutes to do anything (unless you live by ASU but not everyone wants to party nonstop, and gas prices are around mid $3 so it's kind of pricey), nothing to do besides drink or get sunburnt or trip on cacti, NO rain, and dust storms. Oh, did I mention the heat? Yeah, that sucks too.
I really want to leave Arizona but I haven't really had the opportunity to branch out here in the U.S. (for any extended period of time anyway.) Since I'm college-aged and single, I would like to move to a lively city since Phoenix is super sleepy. Part of this would be more outdoorsy stuff, since I love to kayak and be in the water, in the mountains, at the beach, etc. The other part would be more activities for a younger generation. Climate wise, I've only been in the snow twice so I don't know how I would fare here, but I'm assuming I'd do pretty okay. Lighter snow would be nice.
Also, I would prefer the area to be lower cost of living, since if I were to move to another city I wouldn't know a single soul so I couldn't do a roommate right away. That would limit my living options...
I'll try to make this short and sweet. I grew up and still live in Phoenix, Arizona. With this comes pros and cons.
Pros: sunshine, perfect winters, easy drive to California and Mexico and the mountains (about 4-6 hours to all three), laidback people, not very much traffic and can easily be dodged, GREAT offroading, and beautiful sunsets.
Cons: have to drive at least twenty minutes to do anything (unless you live by ASU but not everyone wants to party nonstop, and gas prices are around mid $3 so it's kind of pricey), nothing to do besides drink or get sunburnt or trip on cacti, NO rain, and dust storms. Oh, did I mention the heat? Yeah, that sucks too.
I really want to leave Arizona but I haven't really had the opportunity to branch out here in the U.S. (for any extended period of time anyway.) Since I'm college-aged and single, I would like to move to a lively city since Phoenix is super sleepy. Part of this would be more outdoorsy stuff, since I love to kayak and be in the water, in the mountains, at the beach, etc. The other part would be more activities for a younger generation. Climate wise, I've only been in the snow twice so I don't know how I would fare here, but I'm assuming I'd do pretty okay. Lighter snow would be nice.
Also, I would prefer the area to be lower cost of living, since if I were to move to another city I wouldn't know a single soul so I couldn't do a roommate right away. That would limit my living options...
What do you folks think?
Maybe look into Portland. Great Vibe, artsy, and growing urban core. 1 hour from beauty pacfic coastline and I think 2 hours from the mountains. If not portland look into Denver and Minneapolis!
Try to get your skill set/skills in place so you're marketable and can pick up and go where you want. With the way things are, everything starts from there. Good luck.
I'll try to make this short and sweet. I grew up and still live in Phoenix, Arizona. With this comes pros and cons.
Pros: sunshine, perfect winters, easy drive to California and Mexico and the mountains (about 4-6 hours to all three), laidback people, not very much traffic and can easily be dodged, GREAT offroading, and beautiful sunsets.
Cons: have to drive at least twenty minutes to do anything (unless you live by ASU but not everyone wants to party nonstop, and gas prices are around mid $3 so it's kind of pricey), nothing to do besides drink or get sunburnt or trip on cacti, NO rain, and dust storms. Oh, did I mention the heat? Yeah, that sucks too.
I really want to leave Arizona but I haven't really had the opportunity to branch out here in the U.S. (for any extended period of time anyway.) Since I'm college-aged and single, I would like to move to a lively city since Phoenix is super sleepy. Part of this would be more outdoorsy stuff, since I love to kayak and be in the water, in the mountains, at the beach, etc. The other part would be more activities for a younger generation. Climate wise, I've only been in the snow twice so I don't know how I would fare here, but I'm assuming I'd do pretty okay. Lighter snow would be nice.
Also, I would prefer the area to be lower cost of living, since if I were to move to another city I wouldn't know a single soul so I couldn't do a roommate right away. That would limit my living options...
What do you folks think?
You could check out Greenville South Carolina. Low cost of living, rarely snows in winter but does have some pretty bad ice storms, near some pristine lakes near the mountains compared to Lake Tahoe in Lake Keowee and Jocasee. Extremely nice downtown and park featuring a huge suspension pedestrian bridge over a waterfall. Near several whitewater rivers including the Chattooga, where the movie Deliverance was filmed and the Nantahala. Kayaking is done on both. You can be in the mountains in 45 minutes or so, Chimmey Rock / Lake Lure is a nice one in NC and Table Rock and Ceasar's Head in SC. There is also a nice little mountain state park right in Greenville called Paris Mountain. Greenville has a large mall and nice retail and restaurant options including some things you don't see in every town, like REI and Trader Joes.
You could also look at Summerville near Charleston SC, it will be more expensive than Greenville but it isn't that bad. Charleston probably has more young people due to several colleges including a big medical university and it has a vibrant historic downtown area. it is right near the beach. you could so sea kayaking there.
Thank you guys for your responses! I appreciate that you took the time to answer me
UpstateNancy- Thank you for the advice! I'm trying my best
MountainDew- I would have never guessed South Carolina! I'll look into that state some more.
A lot of you mentioned Portland and Seattle, which I was actually considering oddly enough. Considering Portland/Seattle are about the opposite of Phoenix, is the rain terrible (in the sense of it being continuous on average or heavy or light)? And with this, is the overcast bad or is it good enough to where the sun plays peek-a-boo during the day?
Also, you folks mentioned Minneapolis. Is it a similar (progressive) vibe like Seattle is that why you mentioned it? I'm curious.
I am from Seattle. I love WA and everything it has to offer but the rain truely gets to you and being dark and grey sucks. I love having almost 4 seasons, but the rain gets old quick! I would recommend OR over Seattle although it is pretty much the same just my preference. I've never been to SC but def check it out! I think I will do the same! good luck!
I'm not sure if I would like Minneapolis due to it's geography, since it's a bunch of lakes and pretty flat. So are the nearby areas.
I love the sunshine, really. Here the sun is pretty bright and that's when it's a nuisance because it's pretty blinding. It is also the cause of our extreme heat, because when we get an overcast or shade it feels about 20 degrees cooler. But my favorite season in Arizona is monsoon season, since that's the only time where Phoenix actually feels like a normal part of the planet. We get overcast, and our temperatures drop to about a hundred degrees, and it likes to rain heavily at night but at least it rains. Most of the time when Phoenix gets an overcast, it won't rain. It's like Mother Nature's sick joke to us.
Yeah, four seasons would be nice. I've only been in the snow twice and I've only seen the leaves change once. This would be life-changing for me.
Portland, Seattle, Austin, SF, Boston, Minneapolis, or Denver. Those are by far the best places to be right now and most of them fit most if not all of your criteria.
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(unless you live by ASU but not everyone wants to party nonstop, and gas prices are around mid $3 so it's kind of pricey), nothing to do besides drink or get sunburnt or trip on cacti, NO rain, and dust storms. Oh, did I mention the heat? Yeah, that sucks too.
