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There are lots of places in Colorado that are really nice but almost all of them are hugely expensive. If you don't mind the cold and not being right in the mountains the Alamosa, Monte Vista areas are nice. Trinidad isn't too expensive.
In NM, Raton is cold but not terribly expensive. Las Vegas is reasonable. Socorro is not a bad little town.
More temperate and already mentioned Silver City and Ruidoso (both pretty expensive). Cloudcroft is cold and beautiful but tiny.
Down the hill from Cloudcroft is Alamogordo. Alamogordo would be where I would go given your parameters. Dry, not ridiculously hot in the summer, not terribly cold in the winter. Up the hill (Cloudcroft) is a wonderland of outdoor recreation. Not too far from Ruidoso for horse racing, casino, skiing and forest as well as touristy stuff.
An hour from Las Cruces for shopping, NMSU sports, and eating places. Not a lot further to El Paso which has most everything else you might need.
And it's stunningly inexpensive compared to most places as temperate is it is.
In Texas, there is a small town called Alpine that has a University that's kind of a neat little spot.
ya I really like Alamogordo.....i think Alamo could work nicely.
They said they're not good with humidity. That automatically disqualifies the Appalachia, some of the southern parts of which are even rainforest.
The OP didn't really define what "humidity" means in terms of intolerance and Appalachia or the Blue Ridge has towns at elevations high enough minus the level of humidity which most refer to as intolerable. Unless the OP is seeking nosebleed dry conditions I don't think the limitation is there so much. The Highlands-Cashiers area of NC is over 4000 feet in elevation, Waynesville NC is at 3100 feet, Boone NC is at 3300 feet, Blowing Rock NC is at 3500 feet, Banner Elk NC is at 3700 feet, Spruce Pine-Burnsville is around 3000 feet, Linville-Linville Falls goes up to near 3800-4000 feet and Jefferson-West Jefferson NC is at 3000 feet. For work options I would recommend Waynesville or Spruce Pine-Burnsville which are also commutable to Asheville.
Could I trouble anyone for suggestions on small mountain towns? Preferably in the west or midwest; and to be honest I was looking at Colorado, Utah, Nebraska when I tried to research on my own. I’m not good with humidity, and though unfamiliar with snow I won’t turn away from snowy towns. I just ... would like some place quiet with mountains.
Some information, as I’ve seen others do and it seems to help!
I grew up in Yuma, Az — which is a passing through town for many on their way to San Diego or Phoenix. I’m used to dry, high heat temperatures and endless sunny days. I did live in Mesa for 3 years while attending university in Tempe, and I found the Phoenix metropolitan area way too big for my comfort zone. I can’t grow anything to save my life but I enjoy nature and try to bike when I can, though Yuma doesn’t have many proper bike trails so I stick to the canals. Honestly had things turned out differently I would have been happy to stay in Yuma; I love the view of the mountains, the vibrant sunsets of purples and reds, the fact that I can get across town in 30 minutes.
But things changed and I am looking to move out of Yuma in three year’s time when my younger sibling is of age and it’s safe to leave. That’s a gap, yes, but I wanted to start looking now so I can properly save and keep an ear to the ground for jobs in the area. My step father had a cabin up by Williams and thereabouts is where my mother will retire when my sibling is of age. Flagstaff has always seemed expensive, and I don’t want to stay in Williams for personal reasons. If possible, I’d like to move out Arizona in general if I can make it that far.
I know Yuma has grown a lot in the past ten years and perhaps isn’t even considered a small town anymore. Honestly, I’m aware I have very little grasp of the world outside this town so I’m very sorry if I’m asking too much or providing too little. But I was hoping someone could just point me at a few suggestions of where I might be live quietly at the foot of or on a mountain and watch the leaves change color with the seasons for once.
Thank you for taking the time to read this. I hope your day goes well and stay safe.
I am from AZ and recall childhood trips in the 70s/80s from Eastern AZ to LA or San Diego. We went through Yuma many times. It was much smaller back then. It was a "drive-through" town for a gas stop for many tourists (still is) headed to CA from the east or to AZ from CA.
As a mountain runner and engineer who has lived in CO, AZ and NM, I know there are many great "small mountain towns" in those states. Many have already been mentioned: Raton, Silver City, Trinidad, etc. I drove through I-25 to Denver (again) after many years from Albuquerque last October. It was very cold and icy. But Pueblo, Co might be a place to consider. Or you might look at Las Cruces, NM, Belen, NM, Jerome, AZ, etc. In Colorado, Denver and Boulder are very expensive. But you might look at areas near Fort Collins and Greeley. In NM, you can also look at Grants or Los Alamos. In Eastern AZ, there is also Show Low/Pinetop. Payson is also very close to Phoenix but far enough to be a genuine "small mountain town" up the Beeline Highway going north from Mesa. I drove that route to Holbrook then onto I-40 to Albuquerque many times the past year.
But keep in mind the number one rule with relocation should be (1) have a job ready when you get there. These days, you can interview by Skype or Webex, GoTo Meeting, or just an iPhone. Next, if you do get a job, then is it stable? Is the job market big enough for your skills? Moreover, do you know how to live in colder mountain regions in more rural areas? To me, the snowfall in CO and NM is just right - not excessive like the upper midwest and not as cold (except higher up the Rocky Mountains like Guanella Pass or Georgetown).
For me, the answer was "No" in NM. Like you, I wanted to get out of AZ. I was in Phoenix and decided to move to NM last summer for a software engineering job. But it was a short-term contract. Given the current booming economy, I thought there would be many options. But the job market is scarce for software/IT in Albuquerque. The only place that seemed to have long-term stability was Sandia Labs, a federal government entity requiring lengthy security checks. It takes many months to secure that. Meanwhile, the jobs immediately start hiring and onboarding in Colorado or AZ for my field. So, I just moved back to AZ but could have just as well moved to CO.
I hope you find a neat mountain town with a good job market. I miss Albuquerque and loved hiking Sandia Peak. The culture of that Rio Grande Valley was perfect for my background and lifestyle. But the job market was not very good. But at least I had fun while it lasted.
I cannot help you on individual places due to lack of experience out West, although I wish I could.
However, going by entire states, I find it likely that you'll see far more promise in Wyoming, Colorado or New Mexico than any other states. Wyoming is EXTREMELY rural for the most part, Colorado is literally a state full of mountains and deserts, and New Mexico is even drier than the other two and still exceptionally (though not quite as) mountainous.
Since you're unfamiliar with snow, I'd recommend a relatively low-lying place in New Mexico near rather than in the mountains if possible. That won't guarantee a lack of snow in certain years, but it'd be warmer than your other options that still fit the arid mountain description. Snow is worse than you think; we only get it a few times per year at most here in Tennessee, but it can be very disruptive and extremely dangerous when it does due to many people being inexperienced; schools shut down at the mere threat of a flurry, and even some places that don't normally close will close if there's snow on the ground.
I also recommend low costs of living if possible. With you being in Yuma, it's highly unlikely that you'd be accustomed to anywhere even moderately expensive, as Yuma is VERY cheap for such a large city.
A good portion of Wyoming and Colorado are flat high plains.
Any Western state will have great options. Idaho, Oregon and Washington all have awesome small mountain towns.
Some other options not yet directly named: La Grande OR, Cody - Powell WY, Buffalo WY, Spearfish SD, Dillon MT, Chelan WA. Maybe Mountain Home or Emmett ID (fairly near mountains). Prineville OR. Ellensburg WA. Elko -Spring Creek or Winnemucca or Garnerville NV. In AZ what about Camp Verde, Payson, Safford, Springerville? Bishop CA. Rifle or Salida CO. Oakley - Kamas - Francis UT. Or Heber City or Cedar City UT.
A good portion of Wyoming and Colorado are flat high plains.
True, but that's even more the case with New Mexico. Of any predominantly desert state, those three are the most obviously mountainous (Montana doesn't have much desert).
check into some of the small towns in north idaho, think you might be surprised.
good luck where ever you go.
davder
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