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Well, the one thing I would warn the OP about is that generally most places (at least the ones I've been in the US, have a normative/similar spring/fall weather pattern, with perhaps fall being a few degrees warmer on avg. typically in Sept., Oct. and Nov. in most of these places than you'll find in Mar., Apr., May.
Now that the pedant in me got that out of the way, yeah, it really sounds like the non-tornado sections of the Midwest would be your best bet, or perhaps a smaller city in the NE, though even in Boston, I like to think most people are friendly.
I know some here may call me out as a booster, but in terms of snow, and minimal tornados, you can't go wrong with anywhere to the SE of Cleveland. Because of the curvature of the lake or something (who knows, but that's what I've heard), summer weather is always slightly less severe (eg, while there have been tornado touchdowns on the west side semi often, I don't think there has been one in Lake County in 50 yrs. As snow goes, that's also your best spot, there are a few towns over there that avg. over 100 inches per winter. Downhill skiing, snowshoeing, XC skiing, toboggan chutes, sledding are all
quite popular. Any city you'll find in the MW you'll probably enjoy, but it wouldn't surprise me that MPLS gets less snow, esp. in eastern suburbs due to no lake effect, and it also gets a later start to spring/end to fall. And also, the summers here are among the best in the country, as it rarely gets overly hot humid compared to many spots in the region. Another city/area that gets lots of snow, good people, plenty to do is Buffalo. If you give me more of the things that you value (specifically), I could provide counsel on advantages of each.
What do you find to be a beautiful landscape/what features do you enjoy! That is, as you'll understand, objective. Most Midwestern and smaller NE cities have the kind of exurban/rural areas you describe within an hour, unless we are talking about Chicago/the Bos Wash corridor.
What is it that you don't like about the south? Honestly I find people everywhere are more similar than different, and I think a place like Asheville would pleasantly surprise you (although snow there certainly is minimal.)
Just for some perspective... Cleveland DT gets 68 inches of snow per winter whereas Buffalo gets 95 and Syracuse gets 123. Certain East Side Cleveland suburbs esp. can hold their own though, where Chardon gets about 108. Syracuse gets the most but I'm not sure if that's smaller than what you're looking for.
However, Cleveland's spring temps and fall temps are not drastically different, but a few degrees warmer on avg. than NYS's.
Another place that I was thinking of was Denver or Salt Lake City. Although I'm not certain how much snow the city proper gets there since they are of course in a valley. And significantly more expensive, if that is a concern. Also, they have more recent transplants, in case you were looking for that sense of community feel.
As per nature surrounding Cleveland vs Buffalo, nothing within an 90 mins. of CLE is as scenic as Niagara Falls, or Letchworth State Park. However, Cleveland has many pretty scenic spots, better lake access, and a much, much larger and better developed parks system.
Minneapolis and Madison fit very well. Des Moines too but it's very much in tornado alley. Although tornados are so random and precise that fearing them or choosing where to live based on them is silly IMO.
Just for some perspective... Cleveland DT gets 68 inches of snow per winter whereas Buffalo gets 95 and Syracuse gets 123. Certain East Side Cleveland suburbs esp. can hold their own though, where Chardon gets about 108. Syracuse gets the most but I'm not sure if that's smaller than what you're looking for.
However, Cleveland's spring temps and fall temps are not drastically different, but a few degrees warmer on avg. than NYS's.
Another place that I was thinking of was Denver or Salt Lake City. Although I'm not certain how much snow the city proper gets there since they are of course in a valley. And significantly more expensive, if that is a concern. Also, they have more recent transplants, in case you were looking for that sense of community feel.
As per nature surrounding Cleveland vs Buffalo, nothing within an 90 mins. of CLE is as scenic as Niagara Falls, or Letchworth State Park. However, Cleveland has many pretty scenic spots, better lake access, and a much, much larger and better developed parks system.
In the Syracuse area, the further north the more snowfall on average. In the Buffalo area, the further south the more snowfall on average. Those figures are likely for the metro area.
Syracuse may be a good spot due to its location, as within 90 minutes, you can get to the 1000 Islands, the Adirondack/Catskill and Pocono mountains, the Finger Lakes, Letchworth State Park, Lake Ontario, Chimney Bluffs State Park and views like this one from Onondaga Lake Park: http://www.kooikerhondjeusa.org/wp-c...1-Onondaga.jpg
Flagstaff, Arizona. You get snow in the winter, although it doesn't pile up or last too long. Nice summers, springs, falls. Smallish. Friendly. Lovely down town. Train station. 2 hours to Phoenix, or maybe 2 1/2 hours. Prescott might be another choice w/ less snow.
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