If you left Seattle for a sunnier climate, and went to another large, western city in the US, where would you go? (Moses Lake: for sale, 2015)

[mike62pp3]

I would go somewhere near Southern California like San Luis Obispo or Santa Barbara.

Originally Posted by Hemlock140

I'd go to a sunnier part of WA, such as Ellensburg, Wenatchee, Walla Walla, Tri-Cities.

I was raised in Eastern Washington, the only thing good on the other side of the mountains is wine, warmer weather, and low cost of living. Other than that there really isn't much to do in those desert cities.

[GatsbyGatz]

San Francisco or bust.

[PNWGuy]

After 23 years of living in Seattle, made the move to phoenix area about 1.5 yrs ago. Loving every minute of it - housing is cheaper, food is excellent, schools are great, and tech sector is decent.

[PrincessoftheCape]

Sacramento, San Francisco or Redding (which isn't large, but would probably be my first choice). I might consider L.A., too, if I knew it wouldn't drive my spouse insane.

[mrman78]

Originally Posted by PNWGuy

After 23 years of living in Seattle, made the move to phoenix area about 1.5 yrs ago. Loving every minute of it - housing is cheaper, food is excellent, schools are great, and tech sector is decent.

I really like Phoenix - as a place to visit. I have friends there. However, I could never live there. I couldn't deal with the super dry and hot climate, but I can see why people like it. Even if it is basically desert, you have northern Arizona less than 3 hours away that is drastically different - and arguably more like here. Also San Diego, LA and Las Vegas are all about the same distance away.

[tobester]

Originally Posted by Kayela

Well - for family reasons, we've spent a chunk of time in Boulder, CO this winter. I have a terminally ill family member in Golden, CO, and my husband has an employer with an office in Longmont, CO (who was flexible about letting him work out of that office), so it was a somewhat logical in-between spot. We've done a couple VRBO's, and I can say it's been awesome! Dunno that I would have ever thought about it as a snowbird place, or even a place to consider at all, but I certainly am now.

Sunshine, snow and mountains! Hundreds of days of sunshine. Easy to drive in, powdery snow. Easily accessible mountains (Boulder is nestled right against the foothills with some amazing geological interest), and a trail system that puts Seattle's to shame. Heck, it puts the national park system to shame. We have trail running, hiking, snowshoeing and cross country skiing literally right out our back door, and downtown is 5 minutes away - ok 10 with parking. Where else can you find all that? I find I rather like the size as well. I don't need another big city - already got one. However Boulder has all the amenities and none of the traffic. It has charm, enough shopping, decent grocery stores and markets, and if I really, really need something 'big city', then Denver is ~30 minutes down the road.

You forgot to mention the bone-chilling cold, the extreme winds, thunderstorms and flash floods.

[Kayela]

You forgot to mention the bone-chilling cold, the extreme winds, thunderstorms and flash floods.

I grew up in South Dakota, working outside. Boulder's weather feels quite mild. Seattle's feels downright tropical. Plus, I like a good thunderstorm. It's one thing I really miss living in Seattle. I miss snow too, but at least that's just a drive to the pass.

[PrincessoftheCape]

Originally Posted by tobester

You forgot to mention the bone-chilling cold, the extreme winds, thunderstorms and flash floods.

Yeah, I... don't think it's really that cold in most of the front-range. It gets windy in the winter, and there are days when the temperatures don't rise above 30. But when you compare it to places like the Dakotas, Minnesota, or parts of upper New England, that part of Colorado neither experiences the same extreme temperatures nor the amount of big-storm precipitation.

Many cities in Colorado routinely see 300+ days of sunshine a year. That's a pretty good average for someone wanting to escape Seattle's grey (so, though, is the rain shadow of the Olympic Mountains -- try spending a winter in Skagit. I feel like I see the sun here more days than I don't).

[skidamarink]

Raleigh, NC

Believe it or not, the Pac NW and the southeast region both share more in common than you might think. Both have resentful natives who feel like they are being taken over by the Californians and the Yankee transplants, respectively. They are like inverse versions of each other, much like NYC is inversely similar to LA in resulting mentality (cocky, greedy, competitive, etc). The southeast is attacked more in the media, while the Pac NW sorta manages to remain out of the spotlight, except for Seattle and Portland being overrated in BS travel magazines and what not. Both place a higher value on humility (superficial humility, that is) rather than competitiveness and cockiness. Both are not as diverse as other parts of the coasts and may be a little more provincial in mindset as a result. In the southeast, humility is expressed verbally by excessively complimenting others, offering hospitality, and saying nice things. In the Pac NW, humility is expressed non-verbally, through verbal self-deprecation, or through some bizarre form of indirect high context situational brain teasing (always act like a new person is out to offend you, even if you know they aren't. That way, you can create a warm illusion of making them look superior and holier than thou, breaking Jante's Law. In the end, you make them feel special AND manage to demonize them at the same time. Brilliant.). I was not in-tune enough to survive through that in Seattle, so I left. But I think I would do better in Raleigh. It's more northern of the southern cities, so transplants can enjoy the benefits of the south without being subject to the hard-lined southern traditions and formal etiquette.

Or maybe it's more that Raleigh, NC or Charlotte is the San Francisco of the East Coast, in a very bizarre, inverted, yin-yang sorta way? Interesting to ponder.

[RotseCherut]

I'd probably go to Phuket, Thailand or maybe some city off the Southern Coast of Italy.

Oh you said the USA... Well, if money was no object, maybe I'd get a place in Honolulu.. I need mountains and vegetation along with my sunny and warm weather. Deserts and flat swamps don't intrigue me, therefore, no California or Florida.