Looking for an upper-middle income, conservative suburb with chain stores, seasonal variation, and Asian people (condos, low crime)

[bus man]

Hi everyone,

I know that Utopia and Nirvana exist only in our imaginations, but I've been wondering if there is any place that would have all of what I'm looking for:

- An upper-middle income suburb within reasonable commuting distance of a major city, preferably with public transportation available between suburb and city.

- Politically conservative, or at least not excessively liberal. (Ideally, this would apply statewide; but at least at the city or county level.)

- A decent Evangelical Christian presence.

- Unlike apparently everyone else on C-D, I actually like chain stores. Wherever I live would need to have a Target for shopping, a Chick-fil-A for fast food, and some kind of sit-down Italian (e.g. Olive Garden) and Mexican (e.g. On the Border). Qdoba and Noodles & Company (or their equivalents) would be highly preferable as well.

- A respectably sized Asian population. My kids were adopted from South Korea, so wherever I live, I would want it to be in a place where they are not the only ones of "their kind" in the area. Having other adoptive families in the area would also be desirable.

- Some climate variation would be good, but not to the extremes. I'd like some snow in the winter, but not a lot; some heat in the summer, but not a lot. Some rain would be good, but not a deluge.

- And, like everyone else, I'd like good schools and low crime.

Places I have in mind that have at least some of these attributes include:

- Ellicott City, MD (near Baltimore)
This is where I live now, and I realize that it has most (though not all) of what I'm looking for. And yes, I am generally happy living here. So while I may always have the "grass is greener" mentality, I'm OK with being told that my best bet is to stay put.

- Castle Rock, CO (near Denver)
- South Jordan, UT (near Salt Lake City)
- Plano, TX (near Dallas) (this is the only one on this list that I haven't actually visited already)
- Edmond, OK (near Oklahoma City)
- Overland Park, KS (near Kansas City)

Can anyone point me to one of these places as the best bet, or perhaps someplace else that I haven't thought of? Thanks!

[citylove101]

Ft. Lee NJ, across the river from Manhattan, might be another place to look.

It has a large and noticable Korean population (the town is about 1/3 Asian), strong schools, safe streets, the moderate four season weather typical of the NYC metro, and a quick drive, and in some cases even a quick walk, to many big box strores and chain eateries.

There is a wide range of desirable middle and upper-middle housing both in single family homes and the many newer condos lining the Hudson.

The city, like New Jersey generally, tilts Democratic (Chris Christie notwithstanding) but is defintely non-ideological in tone and practice. It's pretty moderate and accepting. There are few, if any, of your rabid "San Francisco" Democrats.

Access to Manhattan by car or bus is simple, as this is the NJ town where the George Washington Bridge empties out from Manhattan. You can even walk across the bridge to Manhattan in good weather, and many people do. Don't know about evangelical Christian churches in the area, but I'm sure they exist. And they certainly do in NYC, where one could easily drive in on a Sunday morning.

[kidphilly]

Blue Bell PA (and surroundings) in the Philadelphia suburbs A large evangelical Korean population

Definitely upper middle class suburbs

On weather extremes to me the summer is more extreme than is the winter here (well this winter was an anomaly)

[skyao]

Plano, Texas fits the bill the best, imho. Plano's asian population is 20%-25% in some parts.

Utah and Colorado will have a much,much smaller asian population. I assume the same for Kansas and Oklahoma.

Originally Posted by bus man

Hi everyone,

I know that Utopia and Nirvana exist only in our imaginations, but I've been wondering if there is any place that would have all of what I'm looking for:

- An upper-middle income suburb within reasonable commuting distance of a major city, preferably with public transportation available between suburb and city.

- Politically conservative, or at least not excessively liberal. (Ideally, this would apply statewide; but at least at the city or county level.)

- A decent Evangelical Christian presence.

- Unlike apparently everyone else on C-D, I actually like chain stores. Wherever I live would need to have a Target for shopping, a Chick-fil-A for fast food, and some kind of sit-down Italian (e.g. Olive Garden) and Mexican (e.g. On the Border). Qdoba and Noodles & Company (or their equivalents) would be highly preferable as well.

- A respectably sized Asian population. My kids were adopted from South Korea, so wherever I live, I would want it to be in a place where they are not the only ones of "their kind" in the area. Having other adoptive families in the area would also be desirable.

- Some climate variation would be good, but not to the extremes. I'd like some snow in the winter, but not a lot; some heat in the summer, but not a lot. Some rain would be good, but not a deluge.

- And, like everyone else, I'd like good schools and low crime.

Places I have in mind that have at least some of these attributes include:

- Ellicott City, MD (near Baltimore)
This is where I live now, and I realize that it has most (though not all) of what I'm looking for. And yes, I am generally happy living here. So while I may always have the "grass is greener" mentality, I'm OK with being told that my best bet is to stay put.

- Castle Rock, CO (near Denver)
- South Jordan, UT (near Salt Lake City)
- Plano, TX (near Dallas) (this is the only one on this list that I haven't actually visited already)
- Edmond, OK (near Oklahoma City)
- Overland Park, KS (near Kansas City)

Can anyone point me to one of these places as the best bet, or perhaps someplace else that I haven't thought of? Thanks!

[Threestep2]

Haltom City, TX (as Plano in the DFW foot print).

[ckhthankgod]

Duluth GA may be another good choice, as the city is about 22-23% Asian and 43% of that population is Korean. Almost 10% of that city is Korean, if not more so. Georgia Korean Population Percentage City Rank Based on US Census 2010 data

Duluth, GA Population and Races

Duluth, GA

This would work in terms of shopping too: Gwinnett Place Mall

Also, the surrounding communities also have a relatively high Korean population as well.

[Threestep2]

ckhtankgod
We have family in Duluth, GA. A growing Hispanic population has been moving in. I am not sure if OP is looking for a Korean "town" which part of Duluth is or some diversity.

[ckhthankgod]

Originally Posted by Threestep

ckhtankgod
We have family in Duluth, GA. A growing Hispanic population has been moving in. I am not sure if OP is looking for a Korean "town" which part of Duluth is or some diversity.

Good point.....It just came to mind and may still work, but it didn't seem to be a major point.

[Duderino]

Orange County, CA comes to mind, although seasonal variation is not exactly Southern California's strong point.

[ccm123]

San Marino, CA
South Pasadena, CA
La Crescenta, CA (now heavily Korean-American)
La Canada Flintridge, CA
Pleasanton, CA
San Ramon, CA
Danville, CA
Lafayette, CA