Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I will just add that if you are interested in a city neighborhood in that area, SW Albany, Upper Union in Schenectady and the neighborhoods south and east of RPI in Troy may be worth a look. Colonie, the village of Menands and perhaps parts of Niskayuna and Guilderland are suburban areas you may be interested in.
I agree with this!
I especially back N. Colonie and Guilderland.
I went to Shaker High School in N. Colonie through 2007
Excellent schools, super safe, great people, can't beat the location.
Ithaca NY and Burlington VT may be a couple of areas to look into. Amherst/Northampton MA is another one that comes to mind. Glens Falls NY and Charlottesville VA may also work.
Ok pretty sure you're my soul mate at this point....
I have seen versions of this post before but can't seem to find one including my main criteria.
How about an outdoors place that has great mountain biking, fly fishing, is affordable and somewhat progressive (politically as well as bike friendly)? Probably have to pick two of the above right? We almost moved to Bellingham last summer which seems to come about as close as possible to my criteria. Obviously Boulder would be great but don't see it as particularly affordable. Salt Lake? Once affordable, not sure anymore, progressive bike wise but politically pretty conservative, at least as far as elections go. I'm expecting the same story in any of the south west and west coast cities I'm excited about: low pay for teachers and low scores for schools, politically conservative and overtly Christian to the point of possibly being uncomfortable for a religiously mixed family. And more expensive than I can afford ($300,000 for 3 bedroom + house). BUT all of my favorite activities within a 20 min drive, or best, out my back door. I start to weigh out why I care about the politics and culture of a city when most of my time is spent at work or with my wife and kids.
Parts of south Lake Tahoe are on the list now. Some small cabin/houses in the 250,000/300,000 range. I have three small children but looks like most school ratings out west are going to be a lot lower then what we have now in Ohio (for neighborhood affordability).
List for us so far is:
1) stay in Ohio as a base camp to work, low cost of living and great schools, also higher pay in my profession and travel to places with the outdoors activities and "lifestyle" I would love.
2)find a rural city we could afford, outdoor amenities abound and right in our back yard. Home school the kids, enjoy a more solitary life but more than satisfactory activity and nature wise.
-heber or midway
-draper (not rural which is a plus, can't afford the kind of in mountains property I would love)
-Provo
-Park city (if I change professions and double my income)
-city as close to Seattle WA as possible
-Snoqualmie
-sammamish
-Issaquah
-winatchee
-redmond
-Bellingham
-Lake Tahoe
-other Northern California cities?
-looked at Chico, Shasta and Redding but upon further research Redding seems to not be ideal for us.
Would love to hear others weigh in.
From the sound of things Chico would just about fit the bill, except for the fly fishing. I do some trout fishing in nearby mountain streams, I have friends who fish the lakes nearby and the Sacramento river, but as far as I know the Sac and the Feather rivers aren't really shallow like some Montana streams are, so fly fishing doesn't really work.
Aside from that just about everything else matches up.
Salt Lake? Once affordable, not sure anymore, progressive bike wise but politically pretty conservative, at least as far as elections go. I'm expecting the same story in any of the south west and west coast cities I'm excited about: low pay for teachers and low scores for schools, politically conservative and overtly Christian to the point of possibly being uncomfortable for a religiously mixed family. And more expensive than I can afford ($300,000 for 3 bedroom + house). BUT all of my favorite activities within a 20 min drive, or best, out my back door. I start to weigh out why I care about the politics and culture of a city when most of my time is spent at work or with my wife and kids.
Would love to hear others weigh in.
Salt Lake City is still affordable and definitely not politically conservative, in fact more the opposite. It has been strongly Democratic and quite progressive for many years now.
I have seen versions of this post before but can't seem to find one including my main criteria.
How about an outdoors place that has great mountain biking, fly fishing, is affordable and somewhat progressive (politically as well as bike friendly)? Probably have to pick two of the above right? We almost moved to Bellingham last summer which seems to come about as close as possible to my criteria. Obviously Boulder would be great but don't see it as particularly affordable. Salt Lake? Once affordable, not sure anymore, progressive bike wise but politically pretty conservative, at least as far as elections go. I'm expecting the same story in any of the south west and west coast cities I'm excited about: low pay for teachers and low scores for schools, politically conservative and overtly Christian to the point of possibly being uncomfortable for a religiously mixed family. And more expensive than I can afford ($300,000 for 3 bedroom + house). BUT all of my favorite activities within a 20 min drive, or best, out my back door. I start to weigh out why I care about the politics and culture of a city when most of my time is spent at work or with my wife and kids.
Parts of south Lake Tahoe are on the list now. Some small cabin/houses in the 250,000/300,000 range. I have three small children but looks like most school ratings out west are going to be a lot lower then what we have now in Ohio (for neighborhood affordability).
List for us so far is:
1) stay in Ohio as a base camp to work, low cost of living and great schools, also higher pay in my profession and travel to places with the outdoors activities and "lifestyle" I would love.
2)find a rural city we could afford, outdoor amenities abound and right in our back yard. Home school the kids, enjoy a more solitary life but more than satisfactory activity and nature wise.
-heber or midway
-draper (not rural which is a plus, can't afford the kind of in mountains property I would love)
-Provo
-Park city (if I change professions and double my income)
-city as close to Seattle WA as possible
-Snoqualmie
-sammamish
-Issaquah
-winatchee
-redmond
-Bellingham
-Lake Tahoe
-other Northern California cities?
-looked at Chico, Shasta and Redding but upon further research Redding seems to not be ideal for us.
Would love to hear others weigh in.
Have you considered Petaluma CA or more Northern CA than Redding? Auburn CA is a great place, Davis, Chico.
Excellent recommendations. I will check these out. On first glance school scores look to be lower than average but I guess homeschool is always an option if housing is affordable.
I have been researching the schools as well. I am more impressed than with our supposedly great Sacramento suburban school district. They still teach Ag sciences, foster music and the arts as well as offer culinary, auto and industrial arts. And have AP programs if that is you thing. Actually quite impressed. I am considering Humboldt as well. Love it there. Every area has it's good and bads. Also looking at Olympia WA. Evergreen State College is so alternative, pass/fail college/
Olympia is definitely a liberal place, family friendly, and more affordable that Seattle. BUT, make sure you can handle the weather. It's rainier and grayer than Seattle. And daylight hours are noticeably shorter in the winter. If anyone in your family is prone to SAD, it's not the place for you. That being said, the land here is beautiful and lush, and there are abundant outdoor recreational activities. The rain is usually just drizzle and doesn't stop people from doing stuff outside. Summers can be near perfect.
Bellingham has become very popular, but it can be very hard to find a decent-paying job there-- in most fields. It's a great place for students and retirees - especially for people who can afford to retire young - and, IF you can find employment, families with kids. There are a lot of low paying service jobs like in restaurants and elderly care. A big bonus is that it is so close to Vancouver, BC. It also, according to an avid mountain biker I once dated, a Mecca for mountain biking enthusiasts.
I think of Issaquah and Redmond as pricey suburbs of Seattle. Not a lot of affordable housing left in those places.
Sammamish and Snoqualmie are becoming more popular but are further out of Seattle. I think of Issaquah, Redmond, Sammamish, and Snoqualmie as suburban communities, while Olympia definitely has its own identity as a city. All of those places have decent schools.
Wenatchee is very different from the other WA places that you listed. It is east of the Cascades and so more conservative and more working class. Its climate is a lot dryer and less temperate (hotter summers, colder winters) Forest fires have become a problem of late. I doubt the schools are as good across the board. Still it is affordable, outdoor rec is easily accessible, and there are liberal people to be found. My very liberal cousin lives there and likes it. He works for a college.
Look at Tacoma and Olympia.
Cheap for being in Puget Sound, both progressive, cultured, a lot to do inside and outside the cities.
Tacoma is diverse, larger, more to do, growing faster, and I think more expensive (depending on the neighborhood)
Olympia is more laid back, homogenous, hippie city.
Both have access to trails, parks, Puget Sound, all within the city limits. Close to mountains, about an hour and a half drive to Ocean beach from Tacoma and an hour from Olympia.
Tacoma is more connected to Seattle, many transit options to and from, Olympia is more disconnected but I think it's still considered part of the CSA.
Both cities are very bike friendly.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
