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Prescott, AZ sounds perfect. Makes Denver look cloudy and gloomy in comparison. Has mild winters, mild summers, tons of outdoor activities, and is relatively affordable.
I did a little research on Prescott last year. It sounded good, except that the median age is 56. I'm looking for something younger. Otherwise, it checked off a lot of the boxes!
Stay away from the Valley of the Sun. (Summers)
More like the Surface of the Sun.
Water..........Water..................Water....... ...............whew...............tumble weeds,road runners,dirt devils.................................
Stay away from the Valley of the Sun. (Summers)
More like the Surface of the Sun.
Water..........Water..................Water....... ...............whew...............tumble weeds,road runners,dirt devils.................................
Yet you New Yorkers are moving here by the truckload.
I've been doing some research on where to move to next, and I thought I'd pop in here and ask just in case I missed anything. I currently live in Denver, but find it too expensive, with too many people (traffic) and too much construction.
Some things I desire in a new place.
-Affordable (this is relative, but let's say not too much over the U.S. average)
-Outdoorsy (plenty of places to hike, bike, kayak, etc). I'm more into summer sports than winter sports. That being said, even though I don't ski or board, I've still enjoyed the Rockies.
- Small city/big town desired. I would say anywhere between 25,000 - 200,00 people (the metropolitan area can be bigger)
- Relatively sunny weather. Denver will be tough to beat.
- 4 seasons or mediterranean temps. I'd consider both. What I don't like are really hot/humid temps or long winters.
- Fun downtown, or an emerging downtown with some energy. I don't drink much but I do like a vibrant downtown. And I love my coffee shops.
- Not too much traffic
- It would be nice if it had an entrepreneurial scene
- I like both beach and mountains, but prefer mountains. And rivers/forests.
- A community feel where people are friendly and say hello and get to know you.
- It would be nice if it were close to an airport and somewhat close to a larger city, but not necessary.
I realize it's hard or impossible to find a place that meets all of these criteria, but I'd love to hear your suggestions. I'm single, mid 40s, no kids and run my own online business, so jobs are not a concern. Not too concerned with politics either. I have family spread out over the country (California and Virginia). I will rent first and hopefully buy down the road.
Thank you for any suggestions!
If you don't like humidity, then the eastern half of the US is completely out of the question. You will still have some winters out west depending where you go. California would be perfect if it weren't for the traffic, population, and the high expensiveness. Pacific Northwest weather is too drowsy and cloudy for you, but I would love to move there, since I love that kind of weather. I am not sure about community feel there, but I heard the PNW is pretty introverted. You could try Arizona and live in an area that is not too hot. Arizona does get a little snow in some areas, but I haven't lived there to see how much. Well, it's a desert, so I would not expect a lot of precipitation. You could try New Mexico where it is not as hot as Arizona, but New Mexico winters seem like the temperatures get low. Closest beach would be in Mexico, but the benefit of Arizona is that you can drive into SoCal to access the nearest beach.
Out of curiosity, I observed temperatures of random areas out west through weather apps.
I am from the east coast where we have damp winters, so our winters feel colder than what winters feel like out west. Again, I am not from the west, so I would not know what a dry desert-like winter feels like. I assume a Denver winter temperature feels warmer than what I get in NJ, but Denver receives a lot of snow.
If you don't like humidity, then the eastern half of the US is completely out of the question. You will still have some winters out west depending where you go. California would be perfect if it weren't for the traffic, population, and the high expensiveness. Pacific Northwest weather is too drowsy and cloudy for you, but I would love to move there, since I love that kind of weather. I am not sure about community feel there, but I heard the PNW is pretty introverted. You could try Arizona and live in an area that is not too hot. Arizona does get a little snow in some areas, but I haven't lived there to see how much. Well, it's a desert, so I would not expect a lot of precipitation. You could try New Mexico where it is not as hot as Arizona, but New Mexico winters seem like the temperatures get low. Closest beach would be in Mexico, but the benefit of Arizona is that you can drive into SoCal to access the nearest beach.
Out of curiosity, I observed temperatures of random areas out west through weather apps.
I am from the east coast where we have damp winters, so our winters feel colder than what winters feel like out west. Again, I am not from the west, so I would not know what a dry desert-like winter feels like. I assume a Denver winter temperature feels warmer than what I get in NJ, but Denver receives a lot of snow.
You need to come out here potanta.
-There is plenty of California where you wouldn't experience traffic and overpopulation. Yeah, most places are going to be more expensive than similar places/areas in other states, but comparatively speaking, things are pretty reasonable in parts.
-I never felt like anywhere in the Pacific NW was lacking community, it definitely has it together more than most of CA, even with the supposed introvertedness.
-Arizona gets a LOT of snow in some areas, and a good chunk of the N/NE/E part of the state isn't desert at all. Some Arizonans go to Puerto Penasco, Sonora to go the beach.
-IMO, cold in CA and the Pac NW feels a lot colder than it does in CO at comparable temperatures. 30's in SoCal are frigid, whereas in CO you'd barely bat an eye at them. Yeah, Denver gets a lot of snow, but it melts quickly.
I'm in Denver now...you got any recommendations for affordable small towns in CO? I wouldn't do well with the winters in Montana.
Take a weekend road trip to Grand Junction -- maybe Amtrak, even. Grand Mesa, Colorado Monument and Arches will give you plenty to do. The place is in a micro climate zone so it's warmer than most places in Colorado. They grow peaches and apricots there commercially. It seems young to me but I'm old. A smaller town just to the west is Fruita which looks interesting. Palisade, to the east, looks more agricultural but has a distillery and brewery and vineyards. There are bike routes all through the area. I considered moving there but there was an issue with water rights that I chose to avoid.
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