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This may turn into a long rant, but I will do my best to keep it together .
Right now my family and I live in a red, hot state. We hate it here. The summers are unbearable, the politics are not agreeable to us (please no politicall responses, just describing my situation/feelings), low quality of education, it's hard to make friends and so on. We want to move to a blue state (very intrigued by the Pacific Northwest), where we believe we will have more in common with people, make true friends, and just in general, be happier. The only problem is that I have generalized anxiety and blue states are in the north and have long and often gloomy winters, which could make things worse for me. We are now considering moving back to central Texas (tiny liberal sea of Texas), but my husband's entire family lives there and after talking with them today and listening to that emotional roller coaster, I just don't think I can handle living somewhere where they can come over several times a month and would be present for every significant event that occurs in our lives.
I am just very confused about what to do. We are hoping to move this summer before the heat sets in, so a decision needs to be made soon so we can get a plan together.
I am really looking to have a nice, serious discussion, so please no rude or mean comments; I don't want to argue with anyone .
Denver and Minneapolis are both wonderful blue cities that (a) are very comparable to the Pacific Northwest, (b) have winters that are much sunnier and drier than average for the North, and (c) are more than a day's drive from central Texas.
This may turn into a long rant, but I will do my best to keep it together .
Right now my family and I live in a red, hot state. We hate it here. The summers are unbearable, the politics are not agreeable to us (please no politicall responses, just describing my situation/feelings), low quality of education, it's hard to make friends and so on. We want to move to a blue state (very intrigued by the Pacific Northwest), where we believe we will have more in common with people, make true friends, and just in general, be happier. The only problem is that I have generalized anxiety and blue states are in the north and have long and often gloomy winters, which could make things worse for me. We are now considering moving back to central Texas (tiny liberal sea of Texas), but my husband's entire family lives there and after talking with them today and listening to that emotional roller coaster, I just don't think I can handle living somewhere where they can come over several times a month and would be present for every significant event that occurs in our lives.
I am just very confused about what to do. We are hoping to move this summer before the heat sets in, so a decision needs to be made soon so we can get a plan together.
I am really looking to have a nice, serious discussion, so please no rude or mean comments; I don't want to argue with anyone .
I would find a blue state that is very progressive such as Minnesota and just deal with the winters the way that the Scandinavians do. They use extra bright colors to liven things up, drink aquavit, and find things to do indoors. You will never find the perfect place, just adjust the tradeoffs until you find a place that you can live with. Some negative aspects are better than others...
Alternately, you could find a warm weather state that has a coolish mountain area (North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia come to mind) where the winters and the politics are not so bad.....
This may turn into a long rant, but I will do my best to keep it together .
Right now my family and I live in a red, hot state. We hate it here. The summers are unbearable, the politics are not agreeable to us (please no politicall responses, just describing my situation/feelings), low quality of education, it's hard to make friends and so on. We want to move to a blue state (very intrigued by the Pacific Northwest), where we believe we will have more in common with people, make true friends, and just in general, be happier. The only problem is that I have generalized anxiety and blue states are in the north and have long and often gloomy winters, which could make things worse for me. We are now considering moving back to central Texas (tiny liberal sea of Texas), but my husband's entire family lives there and after talking with them today and listening to that emotional roller coaster, I just don't think I can handle living somewhere where they can come over several times a month and would be present for every significant event that occurs in our lives.
I am just very confused about what to do. We are hoping to move this summer before the heat sets in, so a decision needs to be made soon so we can get a plan together.
I am really looking to have a nice, serious discussion, so please no rude or mean comments; I don't want to argue with anyone .
Perhaps another state where it's not necessarily Blue (but has pockets of Blue) as well as a more moderate climate would provide the environment you're looking for. Many find parts of North Carolina to be the answer and I can personally vouch for the Durham-Chapel Hill area which is every bit as liberal as the Pacific Northwest without the high cost of living or dreary overcast weather. Durham-Chapel Hill oh by the way is ranked as the second most educated metro area in the country. Summer can be hot but it lasts three months in it's entirety with at worst three weeks of extreme which isn't bad compared to areas in the Deep South/Florida.
I'll second the suggestion of looking at Colorado, and toss in northern New Mexico as well.
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