want to leave seattle: any advice? smaller town, same liberal values, more sun (Burlington: job market, college)

[veggiecook]

Local new englander, newly married. I've lived in Seattle for the past 4 years and love the proximity to the mountains, water and general liberal attitude. I feel like Seattle is too big for me now and am seeking that quaint small town without the ignorance and lack of jobs, which I'm sure is rare...I'm a vegetarian cook, he's in IT and we want to open a B&B one day...but my main goal is finding a liberal, supportive community that isn't all standoffish like the folks in Seattle. 4 years here, and I've been an active friend and it's so hard to get people to just make time for you in this city,even when you know they are not busy...
that's my biggest issue with seattle, and i've learned it's a distinct seattle thing. i also need more days of sunlight out of the year. my brother lives in vermont and we've considered moving there, but obviously the job market isn't fabulous and the bugs....we've also looked at outside of portland but i've heard it's not much sunnier there in the winter than seattle? i've decided i don't mind the cold in the winter if i can have a little sunshine.
we are both rock climbers and like a little bit of a social scene...we plan on having kids in a few years and i just don't want to settle down somewhere and not be able to make any friends like in seattle...
my dream place: sunshine! access to swimming holes, hiking, rock climbing, farmer's markets, food co-op. supportive of vegetarian food/lifestyle. humidity is rough on my husband (he lived in ct for a summer and that was it!) i am flexible to either coast. i'd like to have a few acres but be somewhat close to a liberal town with some diversity (i get scared of the high percentage of old white people in vermont, no offense...it was never apparent until i moved to the west coast)
anyways, let's discuss and i welcome all advice. i need to leave this city before i get sucked in and regret not taking action...

[41Willys]

Boulder/BreckenRidge/Telluride Colorado.

[Scorpio2]

Ditto with 41Willys. Your best bet is a fringe city of Denver or somewhere on the Rocky Mountain front range. Santa Fe might also be what you need although it's a bit pricey and I'm not sure about the job situation. The only thing you'll miss is the lack of water compared to Seattle.

[AZ_singlemother]

Ditto! I was about to say Boulder area I have family there and it would definetly fit you.

[GANKS]

We're moving to Austin, TX in July for more sun. You won't have the mountains but you can go outdoors all winter...

Probably not as liberal as Seattle, but for Texas it's way out there. The cost of living is so much better too.

[AzDreamer]

Maybe stating with a state that leans to the left and then researching some of it's towns that roughly fit your needs is a way to find your place. Colorado, New Mexico and Eastern Oregon might be good states to look at. You might start by looking at college towns, someplace like Silver City NM might be a good fit.

[phoebe10]

I agree with everyone else about places in the Southwest. If you don't ind not being near a major body of water, I would definitely consider New Mexico. I've lived in Albuquerque my whole life. I'm a very outdoors person and let me tell you..there is so much to do within one hour of the city. There's hiking, skiing, lots of rock climbing, national and state parks, lakes, etc. This state has everything, (except the ocean). It is hardly ever humid here. You will like that. The winters are very sunny, and not uncomfortably cold.

Albuquerque is kind of a big city (about 600,000 + suburbs), but it definitely has a small town feel. It is diverse and people are, for the most part, accepting. The mayor is doing a lot right now in terms of making the city environmentally friendly and we're one of the top cities for bicycling. If you don't want a city so big, there is a small village right outside of town called Corrales, which is beautiful.

Anyway, that's my take on it. Obviously there are plenty of places that may meet your criteria.

Good luck!

[neptune]

Unless you're coming from the deep south, Colorado does not lean to the left! Boulder may be an ideal town if you can afford it, but personally I'd chose Albuquerque or Santa Fe instead.

[Champ le monstre du lac]

If you want a liberal town by the mountains but not too distant from the coast like the Rockies, I'd say check out Asheville NC, Burlington VT would be a good one too.

[scorpionqueen04]

I agree with caphillsea. I lived in Knoxville,TN and we would go to Asheville,NC on the weekends. Lots of things to do,quaint but not too quaint tucked away in the mountains and some of the nicest people I have ever met! I loved it there and in Knoxville as well. I however amd missing Seattle really bad and cannot wait to get back! Good luck on finding your place