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Hey all, veterinarian here looking to move away from my vet school state of Arizona. We’re in Phoenix and it’s just too big a city and obviously too hot to take the dogs hiking in the summer. We’re trying to find a place that has great access to hiking, rock climbing, and lakes, and also has good local produce and has some fun restaurants etc.
We’ve looked at Bellingham, WA, Bend, OR and Boulder, CO. We’re a bit worried about narcissistic personalities in these rather affluent areas, but really do get a special feeling being in Boulder. Are there any other cities we should consider, and what are your thoughts on these considerations? We just watched some YouTube videos about how much Boulder sucks. From a financial perspective we probably won’t be able to afford to live in these places immediately, but can be on the outskirts.
If you want places where property is still affordable and people are laid back, I would consider some of the towns in the Ozarks or Driftless Area (less lakes and more of the Mississippi River and it's feeders).
Bentonville/Fayetteville AR
Eureka Springs AR
Springfield MO
La Crosse WI
Viroqua WI
Galena IL
Dubuque IA
Decorah IA
Winona MN
Red Wing MN
The rock climbing will better in the Ozarks and they will have more lakes. Property will be cheaper in the Driftless and the rivers are absolutely beautiful and a lot of fun in the summer. There's still plenty of rock climbing around there too.
Some lesser thought of places that come to mind are the Albany NY and Allentown PA areas, both of which are close to multiple mountain options, lakes and bigger Northeastern cities, if you want to visit them occasionally.
IMO, the entire Front Range of Colorado is overrun with people. We lived just outside of Boulder for about ten years, and in Fort Collins prior to that. There's an enormous amount of climbing in that area, but competition for access is considerable.
One other thing to consider is the wildfire risk in the dry western areas. For our next move (also out of the Phoenix area) I'm looking at some wetter areas because of this.
Hey all, veterinarian here looking to move away from my vet school state of Arizona. We’re in Phoenix and it’s just too big a city and obviously too hot to take the dogs hiking in the summer. We’re trying to find a place that has great access to hiking, rock climbing, and lakes, and also has good local produce and has some fun restaurants etc.
We’ve looked at Bellingham, WA, Bend, OR and Boulder, CO. We’re a bit worried about narcissistic personalities in these rather affluent areas, but really do get a special feeling being in Boulder. Are there any other cities we should consider, and what are your thoughts on these considerations? We just watched some YouTube videos about how much Boulder sucks. From a financial perspective we probably won’t be able to afford to live in these places immediately, but can be on the outskirts.
Rome, GA
Dahlonega, GA
Blue Ridge, GA
Highlands, NC
Boone, NC,
Banner Elk, NC
Ellijay, GA
Cleveland, GA
Bellingham, WA, Bend, OR and Boulder, CO were "up and coming" 20 to 40 or more years ago.
If you want that size, up and coming is not really the phrase generally. Maybe for Wenatchee (or Chelan or Cle Elum) WA or Helena MT in terms of being talked about. Or perhaps Casper WY. Or perhaps early for Butte MT. Grand Junction / Fruita CO already underway but not everyone knows. Bonners Ferry ID, Cascade / Donnelly ID, Driggs ID if you'd do quite small. (Or maybe Rexburg ID for some, if you want bigger.) Or likewise for Pinedale WY. Or really early on Cokedale WY. Buffalo WY isn't that well known. May not grow much / soon but who knows. Powell WY. Big Timber to Red Lodge MT. Seeley Lake MT. Choteau MT. Philipsburg MT. Cedar City UT. Richfield UT. Prineville OR. Baker City to La Grande to Joseph OR. Dillon MT, Philipsburg MT, West Yellowstone. Cody is already pretty well along but likely gets more attention in future. Spearfish SD. Oakley and Kamas UT. Meeker CO. Perhaps Delta CO someday. Eureka MT. Hamilton MT. Preston ID. Pagosa Springs CO. Maybe Cortez CO.
Depends what size, price point, degree of existing development / "coolness"... or jobs... you want / need. And politics / culture.
Rome, GA
Dahlonega, GA
Blue Ridge, GA
Highlands, NC Boone, NC,
Banner Elk, NC
Ellijay, GA
Cleveland, GA
Let's keep that one a secret...
Let everyone else assume it's still just a random college town with a football team that beat Michigan once...
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