I want to move west...Where should I go?

que, que what? wrote:

Don't settle in Salt Lake as others have mentioned or anywhere in Utah. The state is way too conservative. You will never find even something as trivial as a porn shop or a strip club in the entire state. It's a very boring, Mormon, conservative wasteland. It does have some nice national parks so visiting it for that purpose is ok, but if you are single and liberal, you will not be happy there. I lived in Provo for a summer and could not wait to escape.

Provo is not SLC. I lived there about 6 years and the neighborhoods around the U and the east side are pretty liberal. There is actually a large and thriving counterculture in Salt Lake (and this is coming from someone who has lived in Berkeley).

There are bars, clubs, dining, like you would find in any medium-sized city and the arts are better than most. Access to the mountains is far easier than in Denver and there are unlimited opportunities for outdoor rec year-round.

Sure, it doesn't have the diversity of SF or LA but it doesn't have the traffic and high cost of living either.

Eugene

Santa Fe

Bend, OR

Austin

I'm from Eugene and live in Dallas. Austin is a great place, with good trails. Hot in the summer but I like the heat. Santa Fe is one of America's best cities, especially for progressives and runners. Bend is the least expensive option, with a good trail scene. Laramie might also be on the list. Portland is a running Mecca. But, like Boulder, it is costly. One of the world's most beautiful cities is Vancouver, British Columbia, if you can get a visa.

Albuquerque NM

Not too big, not too small, purple state....

Cheapest cost of living out of everything you listed....

Awesome climate, 4 distinct seasons none are extreme though! Breathtaking mountain views ! Sandias top 10,600 ft!

Lot of culture! Fantastic food!

Just recently moved from the east coast to Wyoming. I've lived in the New England area all my life so it was a big decision, but one of the best I've ever made. A bit risky, I will admit. But it's absolutely amazing where I am. I'm about 30 minutes from Yellowstone and a stones throw away from the Hot Sprints. The views are beyond gorgeous. I am still getting used to just driving up my driveway...I live in the middle of a field between 3 mountains in a fork in the road.

I moved here for a job that I love. So I think that's also something important to factor in. Doesn't really matter where you live if you hate your career or the company you work for. There are not a lot of people in Wyoming but there is no income tax and TONS of things to do if you are an outdoors person.

go west young man wrote:

All of these places out west are relatively cheap in comparison to my native Philadelphia. Which of them have a good trails system/running community and also a diverse and interesting nightlife scene for people under 30? Safety would also be nice.

(ordered alphabetically according to state)

-Flagstaff

-Fresno

-Sacramento

-Denver

-Portland (OR)

-Austin

-Salt Lake City

-Seattle

Although I'm not a "hipster," I don't consider myself "mainstream" either, and I'm not very religious or at all politically conservative. For that reason, I eliminated a few places. I'm not totally sure about Salt Lake.

Still, I haven't done a ton of research yet. Please let me know if there are other places I should consider. I know this board is very fond of El Paso :)

Thanks!

My reaction:

-Flagstaff - too cold in winter

-Fresno - too crappy generally

-Sacramento - WAAAAAAAY too hot in the summer if yo want temperate

-Denver - Perhaps too col in winter though Colorado has a lot of sun that makes things nice

-Portland (OR) - The city itself is a bit dirty with a lot of homeless people...though there is great nightlife there

-Austin - A liberal Mecca in Texas, but perhaps a bit hot in summer for you

-Salt Lake City - Lot of Mormons, so if you're not Mormon, you might not fit in. Someone else said there's a liberal counter culture growing there, so if that interests you, I'd investigate that.

-Seattle - Too much rain and clouds

If I HAD to pick a town or two, I'd do Flagstaff first (because you can always go to Phoenix if you're tired of snow, and Denver second, and then for ME personally, I would live in and around Austin, but for you that might be too hot. I would not live in the other towns.

I'm from the east coast, and like you have always wanted to live out west. I've lived in Portland for a bit, Fort Collins Colorado for a bit (not on your list so i won't talk about it but cool town), and just moved to SLC a couple months ago.

I lived in Portland for a little while a few years ago. Great parks, gorgeous trees, lots of stuff going on, really good night life if you like that stuff, cheap, liberal, if you have a car you can get around to cool stuff like mountains and the coast. Really good running community. Can walk or bike anywhere in town. Only bad thing is the job market sucks there. They still have like 10% unemployment. Oh and pretty rainy in the winter.

So I just moved to Salt Lake. The whole mormon thing is weird, but in general not a big deal. Its a good small city. The outdoor recreation is unbelievable!!!

Most cities that are near mountains are still driving distance away from mountains. I'm a 10 minute bike ride from a trailhead at the base of the mountains. Its incredible! Anytime I have a couple free hours I can go hike a mountain. And if you have a car you can go up into park city, or to the awesome Antelope Island in the salt lake that has tons of hiking/running trails. And of course Southern Utah has amazing parks. winter sports here are obviously top notch. Its sunny. Its a really cheap city too. If you're looking for cheap and immediate access to outdoor recreation its hard to do better. Also unemployment is very low.

1nOut wrote:

Sacramento is okay, but every bit of the following is exaggerated at best, and the statement "Best food in the country easily" is downright insane. Plus the weather in Sac in the summer is way too hot.

So where is the food better?

I'm not talking about Michelin restaurants where idiots drop $200/pp on a meal. I'm talking about fresh and local fruits, veggies, and meats. Local craft beer, local wines. Cheap, authentic ethnic restaurants of truly every stripe. Sacramento competes very well in all those categories. Sacramento is the hub of America's breadbasket, the California Central Valley. And yes OP, you can get a damn good cheese steak here no problem. The food scene is world-class.

Flagpole wrote:

My reaction:

-Flagstaff - too cold in winter

-Fresno - too crappy generally

-Sacramento - WAAAAAAAY too hot in the summer if yo want temperate

-Denver - Perhaps too col in winter though Colorado has a lot of sun that makes things nice

-Portland (OR) - The city itself is a bit dirty with a lot of homeless people...though there is great nightlife there

-Austin - A liberal Mecca in Texas, but perhaps a bit hot in summer for you

-Salt Lake City - Lot of Mormons, so if you're not Mormon, you might not fit in. Someone else said there's a liberal counter culture growing there, so if that interests you, I'd investigate that.

-Seattle - Too much rain and clouds

Comical post. Sacramento easily has the best weather of any city on that list, especially if you're after a temperate, snow-free climate. Sure, Sacramento hits 100 for highs in July, but there is NO HUMIDITY and it cools to the 60s at night. It's not a big deal. Easy to do runs in the cool mornings and evenings. I'd venture to say that Philly summer weather is more miserable. And as for the rest of the year, it's no contest, Sac has mild temps, little rain (local media flips out even for the smallest rain storms), and tons of sunshine. Simple as that. No big tornadoes, no snow, no ice storms, no earthquakes. None, nilch, nada. Very predictable, livable, weather patterns. No wild swings. Will be 80 tomorrow. Should be perfect for a midday shirtless run. And if you need more variety you're less than two hours away from breathtaking mountains or California's coast. Just the facts.

Fresno is hotter than Sac by a small margin.

Austin is hotter + more humid (plus has dumb crap like ice storms in the winter).

Denver -- too much snow in winter.

Flag -- too much snow in winter.

SLC -- too much snow in winter.

Portland -- WAY too much rain/gloom 9 months of year.

Seattle -- WAY too much rain/gloom 9 months of year.

I have lived and traveled all over the west and mountain west and know some really great areas. I will definitely not be telling you, however, as the last thing I need is a bunch of Easterners and middle Americans moving out here and screwing up the place. The best part about the West is not having to trip over people all the damn time.

Guppy wrote:

I have lived and traveled all over the west and mountain west and know some really great areas. I will definitely not be telling you, however, as the last thing I need is a bunch of Easterners and middle Americans moving out here and screwing up the place. The best part about the West is not having to trip over people all the damn time.

And Guppy where are you from?

Grew up on Colorado but it was overrun by well just about everyone. Now off the grid more or less.

Guppy wrote:

I have lived and traveled all over the west and mountain west and know some really great areas. I will definitely not be telling you, however, as the last thing I need is a bunch of Easterners and middle Americans moving out here and screwing up the place. The best part about the West is not having to trip over people all the damn time.

A strong point. The Western U.S.A. is definitely the best part. Best scenery, best recreation, best weather, best cities, best people. In San Francisco I've noticed a lot of East Coast transplants that are really ruining the vibe. OP, if you do come, drop you Philly attitude and assimilate.

OP,

BOZEMAN Montana