What state/region would you consider if... (low crime, home)

[citychik]

What city/town/state/region of the US would you consider if you wanted to live in a place that has:

• Four seasons (or close to it);
• Low crime;
• Low or low-ish cost of living;
• Decent to good economy;
• Excellent medical and dental care;
• Good resources for seniors;
• Low or reasonable taxes (sales/income/property);
• Strong infrastructure (roads, highways, internet, power, etc.);
• Good public transportation systems;
• Affordable housing options that are safe, pleasant, and in good shape;
• No tornados, flooding, earthquakes;
• No major problems with mosquitos, chiggers, spiders, biting flies, etc.;
• Few or no poisonous snakes;
• Low or reasonable humidity;
• Diversity in religion, race, and ethnicities;
• Little to no extreme conservatism;
• Flourishing arts programs/communities; and
• Support for creative/entrepreneurial endeavors.

I know that no place would have all of the above, but where would you say has a good number of them?

.

[TheTimidBlueBars]

College towns, especially in the Great Plains, West, or Appalachia (mainly to avoid the humidity).

Lincoln, NE
Kearney, NE
Lawrence, KS
Hays, KS
La Grande, OR
Ashland, OR
Durango, CO
Provo, UT (might be your best choice)
Logan, UT
Laramie, WY
Pullman, WA
Boone, NC
Morgantown, WV

[FL_Expert]

Salt Lake City, and to a lessor extent Denver, are close matches. SLC isn’t known for its diversity, but I think it’s about as close of city as you’ll find based on what you’ve listed.

[citylove101]

I'd pick Chicagoland -- metro Chicago. A few of the Chicago suburbs and pars of the city's South and West Sides are high-crime areas. And people always complain about high taxes--though I think that's true damn near everywhere. Even with that, however, there are plenty of areas inside the city and around it that will meet most of the requirements you listed.

[citychik]

Wow, these are interesting answers so far!

[Bicala]

Naperville is a Chicago suburb that is very safe, has a lovely downtown, and is near enough to Chicago, that you can meet your best friend there for lunch, shopping, and be home in time to make dinner.

[AnythingOutdoors]

Except for public transit, Boise is a good fit. Oh, and we have some rattle snakes around but not that many.

Not as diverse as major metros, but more than most expect. This is due to the universities and being a welcoming city for refugees.

Housing isn't as affordable as it used to be, but there are nice parts of town with lower cost of living.

Politically, the city is majority moderate Democrat. The suburbs are more conservative.

High desert climate with low humidity, warm summers, mild winters. Few bugs.

Low crime, thriving pro business economy, low taxes, clean, good amount of art and culture.

Very low rate of natural disasters compared to the US average. The nearest active fault is ~70 miles away. No hurricanes or tornadoes to speak of. Flooding hasn't been an issue since the Boise River was dammed.

[ckhthankgod]

I’d say select parts of the Interior Northeast as well due to affordability, services, low risk of natural disasters, most decent sized cities have a degree of cultural diversity, walkability, relatively safe areas, some degree of public transportation, there are some job openings to be had, 4 seasons, generally live and let live and tend to have relatively solid art scenes.

[masssachoicetts]

Nashua, NH
Doylestown, PA

[Ben Around]

Pittsburgh.