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Looking for any recommendations for areas in the West/Northwest that have most of all of the following:
Scenic; Lakes, Rivers and Forested Mountains and farmland. Four season climate with snow in the winter... but ideally not more than 3-4 months of cold-very cold weather.
We've taken a handful of trips all over the PNW/ West/Northwest and two summers ago - absolutely fell in love with Coeur d'Alene and Idaho in general. CDA ticks all of the boxes (scenic, outdoor recreation, historic homes and architecture, magnet schools, plenty of churches, kid friendly recreation) and gets me much closer to my family in Western Washington/BC. I'd planned to take a few more trips and check out the Spokane area. But... I just don't think I'm cut out for 6-7+ months of cold-very cold weather, particularly with long stretches without sun. I love the snow and think I could tolerate a fair amount of winter if there was more sunlight or if the summer/fall season was a little longer to balance it out.
I've ruled out places like Reno, Bend, East of the Cascades and Boise proper. I really loved Medford/Jacksonville, Oregon area, but have concerns about Oregon in general... especially the meth, crime and wildfire problems in Southern Oregon. I also didn't get that fun summer feel in Oregon like I did in Idaho.
Some other considerations; access to good schools is important and I'd like to be within 20-30 minutes of a largish city with an airport (ie: Target, Sams Club/Costco, hospitals, etc.) I'd also love a stronger sense of family/community, which is something I've really struggled to find in Las Vegas where we are now.
I feel a little tapped out of ideas. Moscow, Idaho hit my radar, but the weather/winter sun averages just don't look all that different from Coeur d'Alene. I haven't seriously considered Utah or Colorado, as it's further from family. California is also out of the question at this time.
I think it'll be tough to get snow while only having 3-4 months of cold weather in one place. How would you feel about being in a warmer area with seasons while being about an hour from areas with snow?
I'm thinking of somewhere like the Albuquerque suburbs (if southern OR has too much crime, would not recommend the city) or Prescott, AZ. Any particular reason CA is off the table? Visalia (right next to Sequoia/Kings Canyon NP and the Sierras) seems like a good fit for your criteria otherwise.
That does seem to be the challenge. I'm certainly open to a warmer area, depending on what that area offers in natural beauty and access to being on the water. New Mexico is kind of in the opposite direction in which I'm hoping to go, I've been through there and wasn't impressed. Prescott is an interesting option I've considered, but ... same issue though... gets me further not closer to my family.
I'm originally from California, unfortunately the state is an absolute mess and unless they make some big changes... I just don't see myself going back.
I had similar requirements to you. Then realized I'd sacrifice some convenience to have more tranquility/stronger community. Utah is an excellent choice and since you're in Vegas you can always check out St. George or even Cedar City.
But we opted for something more quaint, but less than an hour from city convenience and settled on Prescott, AZ
I had similar requirements to you. Then realized I'd sacrifice some convenience to have more tranquility/stronger community. Utah is an excellent choice and since you're in Vegas you can always check out St. George or even Cedar City.
But we opted for something more quaint, but less than an hour from city convenience and settled on Prescott, AZ
OP prefers forested mountains. St. George and Cedar City are too dry and dusty and don't have the type of forests he prefers that are in Idaho and Oregon.
That does seem to be the challenge. I'm certainly open to a warmer area, depending on what that area offers in natural beauty and access to being on the water. New Mexico is kind of in the opposite direction in which I'm hoping to go, I've been through there and wasn't impressed. Prescott is an interesting option I've considered, but ... same issue though... gets me further not closer to my family.
I'm originally from California, unfortunately the state is an absolute mess and unless they make some big changes... I just don't see myself going back.
Your family lives at a rather extreme northern latitude in this country. To expect mild weather at such a high latitude on this continent where the winds makes everything colder at lower latitudes is scientifically impossible. At least given the weather criteria you’ve given us here.
You have two options:
A) be as close to your family as possible OR
B) have the mild weather you are looking for
Let us know what you decide otherwise you are looking for an apple growing out of an orange tree.
OP seems to be interested in the NW but, generally, the high desert, as in New Mexico and parts of Colorado, has the best (inland) climate. If you have no burning desire to live near the ocean, or prefer mountains, that would be the great choice. The suggestion of Silver City is good -- a small, college town near the Gila Wilderness area. Colorado will have more snow, usually, than New Mexico. Look at Grand Junction, Montrose, Cortez, and Alamosa in Colorado. In New Mexico, the Rio Grande Valley is good. Santa Fe and Taos might be closer to being mountain towns but would work. Look at the Albuquerque metro, Socorro, TorC, and maybe Las Cruces, Gallup, Silver City, maybe the Farmington area. There may be places in northern Arizona that work. It is a mix of mountains, high desert, and sagebrush steppe. It can be remote and sparsely populated or a metro/urban area.
Looking for any recommendations for areas in the West/Northwest that have most of all of the following:
Scenic; Lakes, Rivers and Forested Mountains and farmland. Four season climate with snow in the winter... but ideally not more than 3-4 months of cold-very cold weather.
We've taken a handful of trips all over the PNW/ West/Northwest and two summers ago - absolutely fell in love with Coeur d'Alene and Idaho in general. CDA ticks all of the boxes (scenic, outdoor recreation, historic homes and architecture, magnet schools, plenty of churches, kid friendly recreation) and gets me much closer to my family in Western Washington/BC. I'd planned to take a few more trips and check out the Spokane area. But... I just don't think I'm cut out for 6-7+ months of cold-very cold weather, particularly with long stretches without sun. I love the snow and think I could tolerate a fair amount of winter if there was more sunlight or if the summer/fall season was a little longer to balance it out.
I've ruled out places like Reno, Bend, East of the Cascades and Boise proper. I really loved Medford/Jacksonville, Oregon area, but have concerns about Oregon in general... especially the meth, crime and wildfire problems in Southern Oregon. I also didn't get that fun summer feel in Oregon like I did in Idaho.
Some other considerations; access to good schools is important and I'd like to be within 20-30 minutes of a largish city with an airport (ie: Target, Sams Club/Costco, hospitals, etc.) I'd also love a stronger sense of family/community, which is something I've really struggled to find in Las Vegas where we are now.
I feel a little tapped out of ideas. Moscow, Idaho hit my radar, but the weather/winter sun averages just don't look all that different from Coeur d'Alene. I haven't seriously considered Utah or Colorado, as it's further from family. California is also out of the question at this time.
If you're looking for a place to live that is surrounded by or near forests, it's hard to beat the locations in Idaho that you've looked into, as well as many areas of Oregon and Washington, basically the Northwest. You mentioned you've ruled out "Boise proper", so that means you are interested in the outlying areas? Boise is one of the best cities for outdoor pursuits and is located at the base of the largest contiguous forested mountain/wilderness region in the west.
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