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Hello, my wife and I want to live somewhere new and affordable. We have live in California for all our lives and it's prices are killing us now and annoying us. That has great weather and a beautiful scenery. We want a place the doesn't have terrible natural disasters.. I never found earthquakes that bad and found tornadoes very destructive. One that has a good field of jobs and lastly one that's well diverse in ethnicity and race or at least is welcoming to all races.
It's between Washington, Nevada, Utah, Colorado
I've lived in Washington and Utah, so I can give some info on those two at least.
Both are expecting big earthquakes, and occasionally get small ones. For Utah, natural disasters aren't really a concern. They do get wildfires, but rarely do they make it into settled areas, and even then property damage is minimal. Drought is a very real concern, however. Also certain parts in the desert south areas of the state will receive damaging flash floods during the summer monsoon season. A few in the past several years did do quite a bit of property damage, but for the most part it was highly localized to small areas. Washington of course has several ancient volcanoes that would be an issue if they blew, but that could be eons away, or tomorrow, who knows? Tornadoes in both states are rare.
Utah overall receives a lot of sunny days. The north gets cold winters with some snow, and the pollution can be bad in the populated cities in the valleys in the winter as well. The south gets a little less snow, doesn't really have the pollution issue, and is a bit milder. The summers are hot all over the state, and can get scorching in the south. Thunderstorms occur, usually stronger in the south parts, but none are anywhere near at all what they experience in the midwest. In fact our strongest storms just pale to what I saw when I lived in Texas. Washington of course has a large amount of rainy, gloomy days in the western parts, but east of the cascades it's much drier and sunnier, and warmer. Even the summers on the west are very nice though. It's just part of fall, all of winter and spring that can be wet and gloomy. But, it doesn't get too cold. They get snow in parts, but just occasionally. I personally think the western Washington summers cannot be beat. The eastern part of Washington receives colder winters and more snow though.
Hmm, what else. Well Washington is much, much more diverse than Utah, and much, much more liberal over all. Cost of living is very reasonable in Utah, but overall wages/salaries are low as well. Washington can be expensive, especially in Seattle and the surrounding areas, but I think the overall pay wasn't as low as Utah though. Washington doesn't have state income tax either, but they get it out of you in other ways. I think Utah is one of the better states in the country right now for overall economic health, growth and jobs. I'm not sure about Washington.
I would say Utah. Salt Lake City has a very young population and is experiencing tremendous economic growth. Colorado is popular, but is getting more and more expensive as time goes on.
Hello, my wife and I want to live somewhere new and affordable. We have live in California for all our lives and it's prices are killing us now and annoying us. That has great weather and a beautiful scenery. We want a place the doesn't have terrible natural disasters.. I never found earthquakes that bad and found tornadoes very destructive. One that has a good field of jobs and lastly one that's well diverse in ethnicity and race or at least is welcoming to all races.
It's between Washington, Nevada, Utah, Colorado
I would give Washington the edge. The I-5 corridor from Everett south through Seattle/Tacoma to Olympia offers a strong job market with areas not as pricey as Seattle proper, and an average educational level where ethnicity isn't so much a concern.
Okay, when you say Nevada, you are basically saying either Las Vegas or the Reno/Tahoe area. I don't have much experience up north, so I will focus on Southern Nevada.
1. No Natural Disasters.
No tornadoes, no substantial flooding, very little earthquake activity, fires stay over the mountains with the exception of a rouge idiot burning their house down in the city.
2. Closest Location to California
It is four hours to LA and five to San Diego from Vegas. We have a very large percentage of people who have moved here from California for varying reasons.
3. Cost of Living
The COL goes to Vegas hands down - particularly if you plan on being a home owner. Nevada does not have a state income tax and the property tax is 0.84% - or $840 each year per $100,000 based on the value of your home.
4. No Traffic Nightmares
Getting around in Vegas is very easy... I do it for a living. The freeway system was laid out with expansion in mind and handles the amount of traffic quite easily. You rarely see backups and the roads themselves are in great condition since we don't deal with freezing/thawing/salting.
5. Destination City
Moving away from friends and family can be tough... However, when you decide to live in a destination city, it gives people a little extra incentive to come out for a visit. We moved from Wisconsin and at first my wife was worried she would never see anyone - but that has been far from the case.
We are also spoiled with a true international airport where you can get flights to just about anywhere in the world.
6. Surrounded by Nature
We have about ten National Parks/Rec areas within a three hour drive from Vegas... Mt. Charleston, Red Rock, Valley of Fire, Lake Mead, Zion, Bryce Canyon, Grand Canyon, Death Valley, Mohave National Preserve all within a very reasonable drive.
7. Balanced Ethnically
Vegas does not suffer segregation issues whatsoever. The city is a giant melting pot of people from all over the country - and the world for that matter. There are no "invisible lines" drawn on the city.
8. Work is Here
We have a high unemployment rate... However, if you WANT to work, there is plenty of it to go around. We are experiencing another boom and right now we desperately need construction workers, teachers and police officers. Healthcare is also picking up.
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