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Not to sound like a complete geographical idiot (even though it's a good classification for me!)... what areas would be considered "low land California"?
He is mostly talking about the costal cities in California and parts of the Central Valley, the high lands of California would be up near the mountains like Lake Tahoe for example where it snows.
Southern New Mexico has the best weather in the country IMO.
Las Cruces NM comes close to what you're looking for. NMSU is located there. This small city has about 100K people and is a nice hometown. COL is good and lakes located not too far.
portland is nice but it rains a lot! you only see sun around 1/3 of the year. in the summer it is nice, but only for about 1.5 to 2 months. spring is okay, still some rain but the temp usually doesn't go above 71 degrees and its a damp 71. if you are prone to colds this may not be the place for you. i love portland's culture, people, art and lifestyle but the weather kind of tipped the scale for me - i just could not stand it after a year.
Great schools, pretty friendly area. Low cost of living. All 4 season but the winters are really mild (good for you, bad for me...I like snow ). I've always thought the humidity was a bit uncomfortable. Not really horrible..but uncomfortable (I come from an area where humidity is pretty much a nonissue) but it may be good for you.
You would be commuting distance (20 minutes or less) to VCU (largest school in VA) which has a pretty good (and well ranked) medical school and employment through the VCU HealthSystems.
Has a farmers market but I honestly can't say how active it is. But there are plenty of activities pretty much year round during the week and weekends (festivals, shows, concerts, parades, marathons etc).
You would be near the James River (not sure if thats what you're looking for...its more 'rafting' than rowboating..lol. There is also Boat Lake and Swan Lake, Shields Lake and Maymont Park Pond (all in Byrd Park). There's also 2 small (6 acre each) lakes in Bryan Park. Then you have Swift Creek Resevoir, Lake Chesdin...well..I can't name them all, just suffice it to say there are lakes..lol. You're also a couple of hours from Virginia Beach and the Hampton Roads area, as well as DC. Kings Dominion and Busch Gardens theme parks are all day-trips away should that ever interest you.
Winters are not really that mild in Richmond unless you are used to a very cold climate. While snowfall is not heavy, we average more than ten inches of snow a year which is not light. The climate of Richmond is comparable to the climate in DC which is just up the road. However, Richmond does provide all of the other things mentioned and currently has a good economy.
"While snowfall is not heavy, we average more than ten inches of snow a year which is not light."
I nearly sprayed my coffee all over my office when I read this. 3 inches of snow 3 times per year isn't light? The populations of CO, UT, WY, MT, ID, ND, SD, MN etc beg to differ.
I nearly sprayed my coffee all over my office when I read this. 3 inches of snow 3 times per year isn't light? The populations of CO, UT, WY, MT, ID, ND, SD, MN etc beg to differ.
Those from Texas, California, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, most of North Carolina, Arizona, New Mexico and the rest of the sunbelt would likely not beg to differ.
The states you mentioned have heavy snow annually and are among the coldest in the country. I specifically said that snowfall is not heavy in Richmond.
Last edited by Magicstar1; 02-07-2019 at 03:54 PM..
My suggestions would be Raleigh/Durham NC, Atlanta GA, Tampa/St. Petersburg FL, and Orlando FL. These places are affordable and meet what you're looking for. I have several family members in Raleigh/Durham, friends in Atlanta and Tampa, and we lived in Orlando for a year. Have no problem recommending any of them. I would include Charlotte NC, but, unfortunately, there's not a medical school in the metro. Good luck in your search.
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