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

Props wrote:

If you move outside of the San Francisco city area to other parts of the Bay Area it can be much less expensive. Plus you still have the oppurtunity to visit the city whenever you want.

This is good advice. SF is CRAZY expensive. Even some of the close cities will be expensive too. I lived in Mountain View and graduate student housing on Stanford's campus for 4 years, and both were affordable, but that was then (1989-1993), and of course to live on Stanford's campus you have to be a student there. Definitely consider the cost of living for each area. I hate winter, so Colorado for me would be out.

Fort Collins Colorado, love that place, Move there.

http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bplive/2008/snapshots/PL0827425.html

If you are looking for medium size cities/towns with plenty of outdoor recreation in Oregon, consider Eugene, Corvallis, Ashland or Bend.

like your 'you know what', everybody has one. One idiot says 'that place' is horrible, the next poster says 'that place' is paradise. Forget it.

Check out Ft Collins Colorado. It's a college town, not too big, mountains to the west, lakes, plains to the east. And it has 4 major breweries in town.

Nuff said

You might be moving away to escape winter, but keep in mind that winter in the PNW means constant rain and gray skies. Better chance for clear winter skies in CO or CA, but Bend Oregon is another choice.

How is Bend, Oregon?

I've noticed there are a lot of good runners there.

The coast of central California, where I live, is much more reasonable than Colorado. I visited Loveland, near Ft. Collins a few years ago with the intention of moving there and was appalled at the ridiculous prices, much higher than for nicer houses here. If you like crammed together 2 story houses on small lots then you would love Colorado. I did like the fresh air and wide open spaces around Ft. Collins, but the prices there are ridiculous. Also Colorado has a very high population density, much higher than here. You can't beat the mild temperature range along the central California coast. However, if you can afford it then maybe pick Colorado. Or rent in one place and live there awhile, then move to another and do the same there. Then you will have the experiences to compare.

Bend is a high desert town in the rain shadow of the Cascades. It's close to any outdoor activity you could ever want, but it has been invaded by yuppies. Home prices have shot up, but they're still comparable to a lot of other desirable cities, and probably less than most of California (which is why they are all moving to Bend). I still like it there because of the recreation and scenery, but the city itself has changed a lot over the past 10-15 years.

Check out the central cost. Much slower paced life style compared with the rest of california (particularly southern california where everyone has somewhere they need to be 10 minutes ago and traffic is a shit show). Perfect weather pretty much year around. To me this area is the perfect medium between all of them. You get a slower paced lifestyle that you would feel in colorado, the best outdoors life any of these places can offer, far better weather than OR or CO, beautiful clean air, nice beaches, and in many places a plethora of trails. If you don't mind living in a college town san luis obispo could be great for you, but you might prefer somewhere like atascadero or paso robles.

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.

My take:

Oregon - Too rainy, although the green is nice could get depressing to me.

California - Expensive and if your girlfriend thinks LA is like San Diego, try visiting first. I'd say San Diego or nothing.

Colorado - Went to Ft. Collins for NCAA Mountain Regionals in December and couldn't even see the mountains. Just a high-altitude plains city IMO. Same goes for Denver. I was born in Grand Junction, but that's a whole different story.

My 2 cents: Utah is super chill and mellow and is actually right next to the mountains. I'm in the outdoors a lot and I've never run out of options here. Currently in Southern Utah and there's tons to do. Gets cold sometimes, but doesn't rain much and the snow is amazing.

Washington and Oregon have both been invaded by yuppies. It sucks.

Try Utah or Idaho.

Bellingham, Washington is the place for you. Endless list of opportunities for outdoor recreation; sailing, kayaking, hiking, biking, running trails and bike paths all over town and surrounding rural areas, and snowsports within an hour.

Bellingham has a great little music scene and nightlife, and some very decent restaurants, but is also close to Vancouver, B.C. if you need a real city.

Mild climate. Contrary to rumor, it does not drizzle all year long. Unlike in Portland, Eugene and other inland cities, B-ham gets less of the continuous showers, but more windy storms blowing in and out. The rain comes and goes.Summers are fantastic.

Adult (post-college) population is primarily well-educated transplants. Lots of liberal, granola types, so get ready to recycle in a big way and eat locally grown organics. Job opportunities are probably not as plentiful as in SF or Portland, but nowhere near as bad as Eugene.

B-ham is a busy little city with a mellow attitude and friendly people. I sound like the Visitor's Bureau. Definitely worth looking at as a possibility.

Yes Bend has changed a lot in the past 10 - 15 years. It's gone from small minded, intolerant, good 'ol boys to a more moderate mix of conservatives and liberals. Of course that being said; Bend is still run by Westside Churchers and the good 'ol boys. While it's not big enough to overcome its conservative roots it is infinitely better than it was 10 - 15 years ago. Housing is now affordable after the bubble burst. The recreational opportunities are endless - from motorcycling to skiing to trail running to Deschutes Brewery, it just goes on and on. Since you are from Madison I would recommend Portland and then you can always just visit Bend. That way you won't get caught up in the "network" of idiots who try to make money out of nothing.Of anywhere in Oregon - Portland is definitely number 1st with Bend 2nd and the rest is up for grabs. If your gf is tired of the snow she may not take to Portland's drizzle though.

mlj wrote:

Bend is a high desert town in the rain shadow of the Cascades. It's close to any outdoor activity you could ever want, but it has been invaded by yuppies. Home prices have shot up, but they're still comparable to a lot of other desirable cities, and probably less than most of California (which is why they are all moving to Bend). I still like it there because of the recreation and scenery, but the city itself has changed a lot over the past 10-15 years.

Tacoma: it's loved and hated. I think the main aspect of it is that there is a lil something for everyone

LR thread on Tacoma:

http://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?board=1&id=2801209&thread=2800345

The city:

http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Imgs/Jpg/Rainier/Images/Rainier84_mount_rainier_and_tacoma_08-20-84_med.jpg

Narrows Bride:

http://www.deadrunnerssociety.com/images/drswc16_tacoma.jpg

I guess I'll make it fair, and put up some pictures of the gross stuff

Nalley Valley:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3079/3154781876_79ef4840f5.jpg

Hilltop:

http://blog.firstbook.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2006/05/car_large.jpg

Santa Barbara, CA

100% perfect for what you described!

santa maria

This thread is ridiculous. Like a dog chasing its tail. We have had every opinion and its opposite stated here.

Nope. Nobody suggested he should move to Iowa instead.

As long as people give reasons for their favorites, there's useful information. A simple poll to vote for the top city or state would be worthless, true.

I think it's fine that people are just listing off their favorite areas in those states. Seems that there are a lot of great cities I'm not familiar with. I've been looking up the different cities, checking out what they're about. Thanks so far everyone!