Where would you rather live: California, Oregon, or Colorado?

Any decent place in Oregon or Washington will have very high housing prices pretty close to the California places actually. So if you want to go on the coast, you might as well go with California.

I'd definitely go with Colorado though. You get so much more for your money & nothing beats the views the Rockies provide. Colorado Springs fits what you're looking for. Also look into Missoula, Mt. Both have little rain, & pretty mild climates compared to Madison. Yes it snows, but it's gone the next day. Colorado Springs & Missoula are my two favorite western towns.

Also New Mexico is the like the poor mans Colorado. You can find some gems for cheap. Las Cruces, Alamogordo, Silver City, Albuquerque are all worth a look. Again much more for your money than Oregon, California, or Washington. Except Spokane, look into there as well. Another cool town.

Easy - the bay.

Perfect weather (rain in winter, lows are bad when it gets in the 40s) and tons to do. Plus one of the best running scenes you'll find anywhere.

The answer is the FL. It has everything you want and need.

not before mangoes wrote:

CA is filled with oodles of illiterate, brain-dead, dumpy-little Latinos, AKA the low-g human waste of 21st century America....

Wow, ignorance and racism in one post, congrats...

Any info on Mission Viejo, CA? Other than a bit pricey what else should I know?

Like I said, Utah:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090311/ap_on_re_us/states_of_happiness

Portland has

more microbreweries per-capita than any city in the nation

more strip clubs per-capita than any city in the nation

the largest park within city limits in the nation, there's no better place within a city to run than Forest Park, and that includes Central Park

a great restaurant scene with everything from great steakhouses and brew pubs to great asian foods

yes, the drizzle can get old, but it's way better than the extremes you'll find elsewhere

also, he said he was looking for a mid sized city, Portland fits perfectly

portland boy wrote:

Portland has

more microbreweries per-capita than any city in the nation

more strip clubs per-capita than any city in the nation

the largest park within city limits in the nation, there's no better place within a city to run than Forest Park, and that includes Central Park

a great restaurant scene with everything from great steakhouses and brew pubs to great asian foods

yes, the drizzle can get old, but it's way better than the extremes you'll find elsewhere

also, he said he was looking for a mid sized city, Portland fits perfectly

You forgot to mention all of the homeless, runaways, mentally ill and criminal element that have ruined going downtown in Portland or going to spend time at any parks.

If you're moving from Wisconsin due to the winter, don't move to Colorado. Though sunny and fitness oriented, the winters can get cold and more than that it's really windy.

I've never lived in California due to cost (and it's California).

It rains a lot in Oregon, but the temperature is very nice (not too hot nor too cold). If you don't mind the rain, definitely Oregon. Portland, Eugene & Bend are all nice places.

I've lived in Oregon (year-round), Colorado and Montana (in the summer only), and trained/raced/spent time in Washington/California/Idaho. Pretty much everything that can be said, has been said, but I wanted to point out a few things:

-- Pick somewhere near San Francisco if you are a competitive road racer and want to pick up a little cash here and there. The PAUSATF series has always looked amazing. Southern California also has a great road race scene.

-- Pick Portland if you want a "fun run" racing environment (road races/XC/open track meets). You also have the option of driving to Eugene to spectate at major track meets. I say Portland is your best option in Oregon because of the major airport and job opportunities. Oregon definitely has the best beer and ice cream (Tillamook). I would generally characterize Oregon as the cheaper (no sales tax), cleaner, quieter, and more pristine version of California.

-- I really like Seattle, and I would say they have both competitive (~Club Northwest folks) and fun run road racing. I believe they get real snow though? 3/4's of the year, amazing!

-- If you want to go to Colorado, seriously consider Colorado Spring. It's a major city with a smalltown feel (love the downtown area!). There are soooooo many running options (~the flat trail going through the city, mountains to the west, other connected trails). You have your choice of road and mountain/trail racing, which is a whole other beast. You also have two major airports (CS and Denver).

-- Definitely consider Boise, ID. Very moderate altitude/high desert. I stayed there for a few days in the summer and ran on a really cool dirt trail. They also have another trail/path going for miles and miles along a river. I believe their winters are surprisingly mild. I have a friend who lives there and swears the place is underrated.

Personally, San Francisco would be my "dream place" because of the competitive road racing, but I like all of the above for different reasons.

curious: how was oregon, and where does it land on your top ten?

Stay out of the pacific, west, and the mountain states. Move to TX, FL, NY, etc. We don't want your kind here in the west ruining our utopia. It's o.k. to visit and run at a meet at Stanford, Track Town USA, Boulder/Flagstaff/Albuquerque/Mammoth for the altitude, Chula Vista, or L.A. the undisputed Track and Field Capitol of the World with the WC/Oly Medals to prove it. But make sure you buy a round trip ticket back to the east.

I\'ve lived in the SF Bay area for over 20 years and I can\'t wait to leave. Expensive, crowded, high taxes...

the Golden State is tarnished. Don\'t move to Cali. CO winters are cold, but sunny and snow melts quickly. Lack of humidity make it a nice climate as well. Oregon is too rainy for me.

Gold doesn't tarnish you fool. Get out of the west and go back east ! We don't want your filthy kind here ruining our utopia. Go home, I repeat GO home NOW !

I'll probably just echo what most others have said, but here's my opinion.

Cali - awesome place to live, especially northern like San Fran, but not worth the money unless you have more money than you know what to do with.

Oregon - pretty cool, but pretty trashy in a lot of the places I was. It really depends on what you like. If you don't like overcast weather stay away. I was in WA for a while and found it superior to all the places in Oregon.

CO - ugh. CO is great, but a lot of it is cold as f***. Stay away from mountain towns (probably too expensive anyway). Denver is actually pretty cool if you find the right area to live. Fort Collins is hyped up a lot, and it is a pretty cool city, but it's not great. Boulder is probably the coolest place in CO that I've been, but it is expensive.

Someone mentioned Utah.

Utah - gorgeous state, but I strongly recommend staying away unless you're mormon. Yes it is a big deal.

Don't come to Colorado. Yep, it's just horrible. You don't want to live here. Go to California.

They are all nice.

If I were you and I chose Oregon, I'd live in La Grande. Colorado, either Dolores or Durango. California would be Quincy.

slotown wrote:

Ventura county might be another place to look into. North of the LA rush, but still close to a lot of good job opportunities if you're willing to commute a bit.

Anything south of the Gaviota Tunnel is LA.

Try Monterey, CA. Right on the coast, 60 deg F year round, and near the mountains of Big Sur on the coastline. Blake Russel lives there. The Big Sur Distance Project used too have its base there