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.
Sorry, I didn't see anything in your OP that precluded California except your mention of Rocky Mountain states. California is a big state and has places that meet all of your criteria. Most of the Rocky Mountain states are pretty dry. But sorry I can't help you.
Yeah I just had to re-read it too because I don’t remember it saying NorCal, or California in general, was out? I had a handful of suggestions too, but oh well? How about Lake Tahoe, on the Nevada side?
Sorry, I didn't see anything in your OP that precluded California except your mention of Rocky Mountain states. California is a big state and has places that meet all of your criteria. Most of the Rocky Mountain states are pretty dry. But sorry I can't help you.
No problem, I will edit it. We are not looking at CA. Mostly ID/MT. Thank you!
Yeah I just had to re-read it too because I don’t remember it saying NorCal, or California in general, was out? I had a handful of suggestions too, but oh well? How about Lake Tahoe, on the Nevada side?
I can't seem to edit it. California is way too congested. Not sure if Tahoe will suit our needs, but Reno/Tahoe has been on our short list. How PNW is it though? Not familiar with summers there. Thanks!
I can't seem to edit it. California is way too congested. Not sure if Tahoe will suit our needs, but Reno/Tahoe has been on our short list. How PNW is it though? Not familiar with summers there. Thanks!
Carson City or Douglas County, Nevada.
Reno's trails tend to be more congested and the city is not as dog friendly (leash laws enforced on most trails) as Carson City. Carson City is dog-town.
Carson City has many leash-optional trails and parks for dogs all around town.
Carson City has lots of open space trail systems, desert river-front trails and parks and is close to desert lakes. We are about half and hour or less from alpine lakes, rivers and some parts of the city are forested in the foothills. We are located in a semi-arid, high-desert ecosystem and water can be an issue, but we have the Sierra Nevada mountain snow pack, good water table recharge from the mountain streams and strong water rights in place for the city. The city does have outdoor watering restrictions in the heat of summer...you can water your lawn every other day before/after the heat of the summer day. You can hand water your gardens any time.
I would suggest the Sacramento area. It is not an overly crowded area at all.
You have Lake Tahoe close by and you are only about two hours to the Bay Area to take advantage of a large city when needed, along with coastal activities!
I am actually surprised Sacramento has not taken off more over the past decade, tbh. It has an excellent geographic location for being in the NW and COL is not out of control, unlike some of California's other cities. And it has a temperate, pleasant climate, with lots of sunshine, and mild seasons, and close enough to large mountains to take advantage of the winter/snow when you would like.
Sacramento would probably be the number place I would move to in California, given its affordability and proximity to so many great areas. (Lake Tahoe, Redwoods, Wine Regions, Bay Area, etc). You can find attractive homes in the 300k range!
Eh PNW is hardly grey and rainy all year. It’s beautiful and sunny out today. What part of PNW are you in? Some areas in PNW have more rain than elsewhere.
I don’t know if the perfect Goldilocks place exist. Lots of sun but also rain and green, with amazing mountains, ocean etc, does such a place exist? Maybe NH? But then you get the snow and cold too.
Reno's trails tend to be more congested and the city is not as dog friendly (leash laws enforced on most trails) as Carson City. Carson City is dog-town.
Carson City has many leash-optional trails and parks for dogs all around town.
Carson City has lots of open space trail systems, desert river-front trails and parks and is close to desert lakes. We are about half and hour or less from alpine lakes, rivers and some parts of the city are forested in the foothills. We are located in a semi-arid, high-desert ecosystem and water can be an issue, but we have the Sierra Nevada mountain snow pack, good water table recharge from the mountain streams and strong water rights in place for the city. The city does have outdoor watering restrictions in the heat of summer...you can water your lawn every other day before/after the heat of the summer day.
Eh PNW is hardly grey and rainy all year. It’s beautiful and sunny out today. What part of PNW are you in? Some areas in PNW have more rain than elsewhere.
I don’t know if the perfect Goldilocks place exist. Lots of sun but also rain and green, with amazing mountains, ocean etc, does such a place exist? Maybe NH? But then you get the snow and cold too.
Nowhere is perfect, but there are other options out there. Yes, it is sunny today. It does rain 9 mos out of the year. I was raised on the Peninsula (its not sunny like everyone says) but I live on the Eastside now (not Eastern WA)
I don't need the puget sound or ocean. Just lakes and rivers with the mountains. The whole state is too congested, traffic sucks, and we are welcoming a change with 4 seasons including snow. I might consider the East Coast in the future, but not now.
How crowded is the whole state and area? What areas in SO Idaho do you like? I'm not really interested in California at all.
Nevada is mostly Las Vegas. All the population that is. When you see scary statistics for Nevada, it is Las Vegas that is driving the stats.
Northern Nevada is limited in growth by BLM (federal land) and national forest. Although Reno is sprawling in growth and having growing pains.
Carson City is unique in that we are a small geographical area (city/county consolidation) and have a growth cap of 75,000. We are currently at 55,000 in population. Douglas County (Minden/Gardnerville/Genoa) is in a larger valley than Carson City and is a very nice area that is popular for retirees moving from California.
Nothing can beat Carson City for dog-friendly and plentiful trail systems in Northern Nevada imo.
Douglas County has the best mountain views, Carson City is the closest to the Sierra range...another option to look at is Washoe Valley between Reno and Carson City. It has homes on acreage and is more relaxed than Reno for dog activities. You have the lake there with miles of beach to walk down. I live in Carson City and we drive 5 minutes to Washoe Lake to walk on the beach a few times a week, every day we hike or bike on a different trail here. It's a popular pastime for residents.
As far as Idaho, Boise is too big and sprawling for me. I liked Pocatello when we camped nearby. It is in a narrow valley though and feels a bit crowded because of it. They have BLM land around Pocatello which is great for open space activities. I hear the winter can be rough there compared to where I live in Northern Nevada...not sure since I just camp in that area occasionally...
Nowhere is perfect, but there are other options out there. Yes, it is sunny today. It does rain 9 mos out of the year. I was raised on the Peninsula (its not sunny like everyone says) but I live on the Eastside now (not Eastern WA)
I don't need the puget sound or ocean. Just lakes and rivers with the mountains. The whole state is too congested, traffic sucks, and we are welcoming a change with 4 seasons including snow. I might consider the East Coast in the future, but not now.
The Olympic peninsula is a different story as you guys get the brunt of the rain (with exception of the northeast corner). Seattle, 9 months of rain a year is definitely an exaggeration. This year it hasn’t started raining earnestly until mid-December. So we are what one month with some consistent rain? I do find people in PNW seem to imagine that other places don’t rain. Coming from Boston, it rains a ton there too.
East coast is more congested unfortunately unless you go very north.
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.
