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Looks like Reno summer is a hair "warmer" than Burlington, when taking heat index into account. Average July high is 89F vs 80F, but far less humid. It's more comfortable than Michigan, at least, which is where she's originally from. I'll add it to my list of places to read about, but I'm hoping to move down the list a little if nothing else.
It looks like most of the places with more tolerable summers are in CA, CO, MT, WT, WA and OR, with a few scattered (mostly high elevation) cities in other states.
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Originally Posted by ckhthankgod
I’d consider looking in the Albany NY area. It is bigger, more affordable, has a Tech sector, its weather would possibly fit and would find the scene you are looking for. You are also close to mountains and lakes as well.
I'm disinclined to stay in the northeast, but thank you. Albany is going in the opposite direction weather-wise.
Looks like Reno summer is a hair "warmer" than Burlington, when taking heat index into account. Average July high is 89F vs 80F, but far less humid. It's more comfortable than Michigan, at least, which is where she's originally from. I'll add it to my list of places to read about, but I'm hoping to move down the list a little if nothing else.
It looks like most of the places with more tolerable summers are in CA, CO, MT, WT, WA and OR, with a few scattered (mostly high elevation) cities in other states.
It's probably because it takes low temperature into account when most people are asleep, Reno does cool off quite a lot for its low temp. But during the day it's pretty warm to hot.
Asheville has a strong arts/writer/craft scene, but it's easy to pick and choose who you affiliate with. It's a very transient town, so a lot of new blood and people coming and going.
The job market isn't particularly strong, but it's a relatively small metro, so you could live in a higher elevation nearby area and drive to Asheville. WNC is not cheap either, but I can't imagine the cost of living or job market being any worse than Vermont.
Boone, NC is also a college town and could be an option. At 3300', Boone has the highest elevation of any town with over 10,000 people east of the Mississippi, and that would cut the heat and humidity down considerably. Appalachian State will bring a more left-leaning and some cultural diversity. The winters, while severe compared to Carolina standards, are probably much better than Burlington.
I'm pleasantly surprised by the weather in Boone - an average July high of ~78F, compared with ~80F in Burlington VT. Humidity is higher, but not typical southeast high. Asheville is probably too warm, but we might visit since it's relatively nearby.
Boone, NC is also a college town and could be an option. At 3300', Boone has the highest elevation of any town with over 10,000 people east of the Mississippi, and that would cut the heat and humidity down considerably. Appalachian State will bring a more left-leaning and some cultural diversity. The winters, while severe compared to Carolina standards, are probably much better than Burlington.
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Originally Posted by EckyX
I'm pleasantly surprised by the weather in Boone - an average July high of ~78F, compared with ~80F in Burlington VT. Humidity is higher, but not typical southeast high.
I will second Boone as an option and would include neighboring Blowing Rock as well which has a very sizable (for the population) art community that adds a significant progressive element to the area.
Climate and politicswise this definitely sounds like Colorado, but there is a much higher cost of living than Vermont. The Colorado Front Range is not made up of small towns like you are used to in the northeast. It’s mostly a large continuous area.
You might look at Durango, CO or Taos, NM.
I've traveled through Taos and Durango and found both of them charming. Never been to the front range, but I've heard good things. I'd definitely visit a few times before moving anywhere.
Weather-wise, Colorado Springs looks the most viable of the front range cities. It's larger than my desired population, but that just means I'd likely live in a nearby satellite city, or on the outskirts.
Looking for a few more western and Rocky Mountain recommendations!
You've already done some good research. Santa Fe is a writer's town, but there aren't too many tech jobs. I mean, there are definitely tech jobs, but not like places like Denver, Seattle, Bay Area, etc. And the summers are hot, though it's a dry heat. There are summer rains ("monsoons") that cool things off a bit, but the climate is getting drier.
Flagstaff gets hot like Santa Fe, in the summers. The summers are not cool there. Post in the AZ/Flagstaff forum, for more feedback on that, and on the availability of tech jobs.
You could try San Luis Obispo, in CA, where Cal Polytechnic university is. Smaller town, nice vibe, more affordable than other parts of CA that are near the coast.
Durango, CO, is in an incredibly scenic area, and has a local college, but IDK about the job market, and it's not a writer's town. It might be a little small for you, too, and isolated. Taos, NM, is smaller than Santa Fe, is an art town, IDK about writers, or tech jobs. Your chances would be better in Santa Fe. However, I don't think SF writers are an organized bunch. There's no "society" or loose affiliation to belong to. They work quietly out of their homes, and don't rub elbows with each other. Some are professors at UNM in Albuquerque or at St. John's College, in SF, or at the local CC. But there are big names among the writers. SF is that kind of place. A whole different league from a children's book writer, just saying. There may well be some kind of writers' group that's more on the level of your gf. She could try starting a writers' Meetup group.
I don't think you'll find an ideal spot, because you're looking for an unusual cluster of qualities, especially with the writers' community thing. And geology? I don't know what the geology job market is like at all. What kinds of organizations hire geologists? Is it mainly governmental? If I had more info, I might be able to help you more on that score.
And Los Alamos; well, there, you may have a chance. It's cooler in the summers, because it's up higher. The lab may hire geologists, and they certainly need techies. There's a local arts scene, as in Santa Fe, with a small local symphony, and that kind of thing. Is it "low heat" in the summers (your words)? Well....it's still in the Southwest, if that answers your question...
Take a look at Ojai, CA (pronounced; oh-high). It's a center of creative types, meditation retreats, and so on, kind of like Santa Fe, but not as hot, I don't think. But you say you're looking for 4 seasons, so....that would rule out California, except for the Sierras and Sierra foothills.
Maybe Olympia, WA? It's on Puget Sound, has Evergreen State College, WA State's "alternative school" at the university level, will have tech jobs, has a few writers, some of whom teach at the college. Cooler summers, of course. The only problem is, that global climate change has been bringing unusual heat waves to Western WA. I don't know how Olympia has been affected, but Seattle has been getting weeks solidly in the 90's, several times/summer the last few years. I've been studying that pattern around the area, and there are a few locations that miss those heat waves, but I'm not sure they'd be ideal for you. Bellingham, WA is one, home of Western WA University. Population: 75K by some counts, 100K+ by others, growing fast (popular with retirees).
Port Townsend, WA is another that would be perfect for you guys in some ways, but it's a really small town (5000), is arty but IDK if writer-y, liberal like Berkeley (no chain big-box stores allowed, no fast-food chains, mostly locally-owned businesses), but the job market sucks. It's at the foot of the Olympic mountains, though, and on the edge of both the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Puget Sound, both. There's a sailing/boating culture there. Good for kids. If you could get a tech job that allows you to work remotely, Pt. T could work for you.
^^^^
Oil and gas companies hire geologists. There is oil and gas activity around Durango.
There's also a lot of spillover (pun intended) into environmental work; a degree in geology is just a few credits' difference from some paths you can take with environmental science. Off the top of might head, I might find something in groundwater testing, site surveys, or even in construction, in addition to the obvious mining and petroleum fields.
Flagstaff gets hot like Santa Fe, in the summers. The summers are not cool there. Post in the AZ/Flagstaff forum, for more feedback on that, and on the availability of tech jobs.
According to Wikipedia, the average high in July is only ~81F in Flagstaff - as opposed to Santa Fe's 86F and Boulder's 88F - comparable to that of Boston, only with significantly lower humidity, and cooler than either Chicago or Detroit. Is the data wrong, perhaps? Today at least, Flagstaff is 6F cooler than Santa Fe.
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Originally Posted by Wikipedia
Flagstaff is the only city in Arizona never to have reported temperatures of 100 °F (38 °C) or higher.
I'll take a peak at some of your other recommendations, thanks!
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