Help me find my dream town/city (university, average)
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One question I have is what you would define as extremes of temperature, in either direction. My guess is that Vermont, and the interior of Massachusetts (like Northampton) might be colder than you'd want. Coastal areas in the Northeast, from southern New England southward, are decidedly milder, but Rhode Island and Provincetown could be too cold as well, depending on how flexible you are on weather extremes.
On the other hand, most of Texas will have very hot summers. Most of the South will as well. Some of the suggestions for towns in the Southern mountains, like Asheville, or towns in eastern Tennessee, might work very well, but these areas, though their summer temperatures are milder than those in most of the South, can still get humid, so again it depends on how flexible you are with the climate you consider too extreme.
Usually when I consider the idea of smaller cities that are vibrant despite having small populations, I think first of college towns. If you were to consider a college town, it would be a good idea to investigate carefully, including seeking advice on the appropriate state forums here at C-D, to make sure you find the right neighborhoods in whatever college town, away from noisy areas heavily populated by students. As long as you live in the right neighborhood, a college town can be a great place for what you're seeking. With the presence of a university, and the cultural offerings usually associated with universities, these small cities pack a lot of punch when it comes to vibrancy.
Depending on the range of climates that work for you, a few college towns I might suggest, in addition to those already suggested in earlier posts, would be Blommington, IN: green hills, and a nice lake fairly close to town; Fayetteville, AR: near the Ozarks, with nice forested hills all around; Bellingham or Olympia, WA: Puget Sound nearby, lots of greenery, lots of hills, with mountains fairly close by as well; Corvalis and Eugene, OR: moist and green.
A couple of borderline possibilites would be: Lawrence, KS: hilly areas in and near town, but other areas with wide-open prairie offering long, open vistas, and a lake a couple of miles from town, but can get both hot and cold in spells; Iowa City: picturesque rolling countryside nearby, a river running through town, but cold winters.
Best of luck in finding that Something for which you Search.
Thank you slick Rick and Daily journalist...and Ogre you bring up a very solid and simple point. A collegetown automatically is a good place to start. I am in Minneapolis now, so while I can endure cold weather, my pug walter can't. He has ginger little feet that freeze to the ice when we try to walk. I have created an indoor peeing station for him...but I digress. Both of us don't do well in humid heat. Him for breathing, me because I am a redhead and the palest woman in the world.
you know what idea I am really starting to like? A modified idea of combining Young Lisa's idea of an RV with all of your great town/city ideas. So here's what I'm gonna do.
After all votes are in, I'm picking the top five most often suggested places and doing a road trip with Walter. I may just take my car (got an electric car about 2 days before gas prices soared...so I am in major luck there) and stay in hotels...but I think this is a good old fashion reconnosaince mission.
if I'm clever enough, I can do all this in one road trip and post updates here. I prefer this to flying anyway, because...well, who likes flying anymore? Right now NC, Tennesee are coming up quite a bit, so those two are on the list, along with the pacific northwest, specific towns yet to be determined. Okay! Now we're getting somewhere! Literally!
Next thread will have to be a vote on best/worst road trip food and how to entertain a pug for 8 hours whilst in a car.
Oy boy.
Last edited by searchingforsomething; 12-15-2008 at 11:20 PM..
Hello searchingforsomething. Since you do mention some things that would fit the area I live in I'll put in my 2 cents worth. Here is a link for more information. Oregon's Adventure Coast - Coos Bay, North Bend, Charleston
I'm on the Oregon coast so you'd be near a lot of water. You'll get wet during winter but you won't need to shovel snow. There's no hot days. We've got plenty of woods and wild spots around. There is theater and arts around town;Plus bookstores and coffee stops.
Rent would cost you less than you are now paying. People here are casual and not fancy. Come on by and visit. Summer and fall have the best weather.
Mountain Home, Arkansas or Stillwell, Oklahoma comes to mind searching.
Building upon Synopsis' list, I would HIGHLY recommend you check out Eureka Springs, AR. It's an hour from the growing Northwest AR metro area with plenty of shopping and a regional airport through some of the most scenic terrain you're going to find in the middle of the country. Beaver Lake is right nearby. There is plenty of outdoor activity. The town is a VERY thriving arts enclave with a gallery and artist rate per capita to rival anywhere in the country. The biggest downside I can see for your requirements list is that it IS a very tourist oriented town and gets crowded in the summer season. Here's a link to a website about the town, bear in mind this is geared towards tourists obviously: Eureka Springs, The Extraordinary Escape
Lots of places were covered that I agree with. With a pug though I would advise against the deep south since the summers would be very hard on a pug. In a place like Texas the dog might not be able to go outside for 8 months. I would strongly consider the mountains. (Asheville, Chattanooga).
After all votes are in, I'm picking the top five most often suggested places and doing a road trip with Walter. I may just take my car (got an electric car about 2 days before gas prices soared...so I am in major luck there) and stay in hotels...but I think this is a good old fashion reconnosaince mission.
if I'm clever enough, I can do all this in one road trip and post updates here. I prefer this to flying anyway, because...well, who likes flying anymore? Right now NC, Tennesee are coming up quite a bit, so those two are on the list, along with the pacific northwest, specific towns yet to be determined. Okay! Now we're getting somewhere! Literally!
Next thread will have to be a vote on best/worst road trip food and how to entertain a pug for 8 hours whilst in a car.
Oy boy.
I think that sounds like a great idea. You really need to see places to make sure they will work for you. You can also check out Boone NC which is a college town. You might like the outskirts of Boone better because it is less populated. Does Walter like going for rides in the car? My pug, Niki loves traveling, boating, and hiking. She has quite the life. Anyway, Walter will probably be very untested in the scenery and when he's not he will sleep. We traveled around the country in our RV for over 3 years and Niki loved it, although not at first. She especially liked it when we stopped because she is a nosy little thing.
Keep us posted. If you need help with routes or ideas pm me.
Lots of places were covered that I agree with. With a pug though I would advise against the deep south since the summers would be very hard on a pug. In a place like Texas the dog might not be able to go outside for 8 months. I would strongly consider the mountains. (Asheville, Chattanooga).
8 months??? Wow, I guess I must be abusing my dog then.
In reality though, Texas weather is not "unbearable for 8 months" In Galveston for example you have nice ocean breezes and it is not too bad except maybe in August. Plus you have easy access to things you wouldn't in Asheville, like culture and big city amenities if you like.
8 months??? Wow, I guess I must be abusing my dog then.
In reality though, Texas weather is not "unbearable for 8 months" In Galveston for example you have nice ocean breezes and it is not too bad except maybe in August. Plus you have easy access to things you wouldn't in Asheville, like culture and big city amenities if you like.
I was in Houston and Galveston for a while. The breezes in Galveston may make it tolerable for you but Pugs are very sensitive to heat. In any event make sure you wash him constantly because if sweat builds up in the folds of their skin they get infections very easily. I would also go the pet section on the board and ask if anyone in Texas has a pug and how they handle them with the heat.
Galveston is not what I would call cultured but thats just my opinion. Never been to Asheville though.
Waterlily, that is a fantastic link. Spent a 1/2 hour cruising it. Synopsis, these are all places that never would have occurred to me, so thank you. Stormcrow, ALSO an excellent link. All these cool places I've never been to! Cleancut hippie, it is amazing how little it takes for them to overheat, isn't it. I've had to give Walter a "plunge bath" before when he got way too hot...never want to do that again. Young Lisa, Walter LOVES car rides. Never had a dog that loved them so much! Sweetclimber, there's NO WAY you're abusing your dog!! You're SWEETclimber.
okay, these are all going on the list...
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