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Gotcha. Would you say Corpus Christi is slightly more tolerable heat wise than the Houston area? It seems to cool down better at night at least when I visited.
Ooh man. I’m familiar with both. I’d say both are intolerable
Portland would be a great choice. It also has more than a dozen colleges and universities in the metro area, plus three different community college systems that offer an inexpensive way to the first couple years of school or vocational/apprentice programs. Plenty of lush green, rivers beaches and parks, ocean within a couple hours, mountains a bit closer. Salem, Corvallis and Eugene would be other moderate sized cities in the Willamette River Valley.
Portland would be a great choice. It also has more than a dozen colleges and universities in the metro area, plus three different community college systems that offer an inexpensive way to the first couple years of school or vocational/apprentice programs. Plenty of lush green, rivers beaches and parks, ocean within a couple hours, mountains a bit closer. Salem, Corvallis and Eugene would be other moderate sized cities in the Willamette River Valley.
And correct me if I'm wrong, but the insects of the PNW seem less 'bitey' to me compared to similarly lush areas in the eastern parts of the country.
And correct me if I'm wrong, but the insects of the PNW seem less 'bitey' to me compared to similarly lush areas in the eastern parts of the country.
Yeah having lived in both regions, the insects in the eastern half of the country are much worse. There are generally very few mosquitoes in most of the PNW, they’re only bad in the high elevation lakes for a couple weeks around late spring. Some years, like last year, when spring is particularly wet, the lowlands can get some pretty bad mosquitoes with all the standing water, though that’s not super common.
Yeah having lived in both regions, the insects in the eastern half of the country are much worse. There are generally very few mosquitoes in most of the PNW, they’re only bad in the high elevation lakes for a couple weeks around late spring. Some years, like last year, when spring is particularly wet, the lowlands can get some pretty bad mosquitoes with all the standing water, though that’s not super common.
Yep, in my six years in Western WA, I think I’ve gotten perhaps one or two mosquito bites. Never seen a tick, not once, not in the city, burbs or backcountry. No chiggers, fire ants, etc. Never seen a cockroach here or really any insect much larger than a quarter. Bugs are just not an issue and we also don’t really have any venomous creatures to speak of either. Western rattlers are here but again, never seen one and I’ve trekked hundreds of miles on the backcountry. Probably more prevalent in eastern WA.
I think Buffalo would be great. It has great summer weather though the winters are cold (learn to dress for them and you'll be fine). It's sizable and has some pretty decent colleges if you're interested and you can apply for some pretty sizable scholarships pretty soon after establishing residency. It's pretty cheap, has a walkable core that's pretty fun, a sizable base of progressive organizations, and is sizable enough to have a bit of everything but without being massive. It has an airport that has decent service and you can take a train or drive to much larger Toronto and even to NYC further out. Part of the city fronts a pretty great lake and is close to another one (and some impressive waterfalls in that transition).
And correct me if I'm wrong, but the insects of the PNW seem less 'bitey' to me compared to similarly lush areas in the eastern parts of the country.
I grew up in a Portland suburb, and as a boy scout camped all over the Cascade and Coastal Mountain Ranges. I never saw a tick until I moved to far Eastern Oregon after college. The Willamette Valley does have an abundance of fleas if you are a pet owner, and some spring/summer mosquitoes, but that's pretty much it for biting insects. Plus, no cockroaches!! Plenty of spiders though, but not poisonous ones. Never saw a black widow until moving to out of Oregon.
New Haven and Hartford are great places to live. None of the hassles of big cities but many of the amenities. Plus you are not far from Boston and New York City so you can take advantage of what they offer as well. Jay
Olympia gets 12-18 inches of snow on average per year. Seattle and Tacoma are usually lower. North of Seattle will usually be Olympia range or higher. Exact location matters. Least snow in the lowest spots right on the water. Occasional big storms, usually will be at least one in a few years.
Snow preference, if essential, eliminates the entire upper midwest.
Raleigh NC averages 4 inches of snow. Richmond VA , 11. Columbia MO, 16. Athens, GA averages 1. Lexington KY, 10. Newark, Delaware, 13.
Plenty of college towns in Florida. Not sure how many are progressive or progressive enough for you. Culture and voting are not always exactly aligned and parts of cities can vary.
Fayetteville AR is fairly progressive in a state that is not.
Live independently for 1-2 years and meet other residency requirements (voting, car and driver registration, a job) in many states and you might qualify for in state tuition. If you give them no basis to reject you, it should work out. Any basis for doubt they could reject the request.
No, Fayetteville, AR is not progressive. Far from it. It went for Trump in 2016 and 2020. if wanting to go progressive in that general part of the country, then make it Lawrence, KS for sure!
Washington County by itself reportedly went for Trump in 2020 by a margin of less than 4 percentage points. For the whole metro area it was 20 points.
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