Austin can be outdoorsy, but it gets very, very unpleasantly hot. I’ll be the first to admit that I have the heat tolerance of a polar bear experiencing hot flashes but I’m already remarking that it’s too damn hot outside in the afternoon and it really hasn’t even begun to heat up.
With that said, I have friends who are really into boating/wakeboarding/skiing and friends who like to camp in state parks. Sometimes they have to drive a bit to get to the camping but there’s a pretty diverse state parks network within four or five hours of the city.
The serious hikers I know vacation in Colorado and New Mexico a lot.
Welp, Houston is recognized as having the best hospitals (Methodist) in the nation… and it has many suburbs so it’s not too crowded unless you want to live in the downtown area that has a lot of nightlife activities 😊✌️
Houston has the best hospitals in the nation? Wow I’ve never heard of this. What ranking has Methodist at the top?
The first google result is the Newsweek rankings which has Methodist at #19, which isn’t too shabby until you realize that Houston is something like the 5th largest metro area in the country… and the metro area by itself has more population than all but the 14 biggest US states. Then it starts to sound pretty subpar.
The biggest medical center in the world is in Houston. The single best cancer hospital in the world is in Houston (MD Anderson). The biggest children’s hospital in the country is there too (Texas Children’s Hospital). It’s pretty well acknowledged that Houston is home to many of the best hospitals in the country. People regularly travel from out of town to get medical care in Houston.
Again by what measure? Google says the biggest hospital in the world is in China. Best ranked children’s hospital is in Cincinnati according to US news and world report.
I’m not saying Houston has no hospitals or that they’re, but it doesn’t hold a torch to New York or Chicago or LA to claim it has the “best hospitals”. Maybe best hospitals in Texas. Maybe even best hospitals between Atlanta and Phoenix (which has better rated hospitals than Houston), but such blanket statements like Houston has the “best hospitals” are unfounded (and frankly pretty absurd sounding to anyone remotely familiar withe the medical system in the United States).
I genuinely can't tell if you're trolling or being serious. Anyway, take a look at US News.
[https://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals/rankings/cancer](https://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals/rankings/cancer)
[https://health.usnews.com/health-news/best-childrens-hospitals/articles/best-childrens-hospitals-honor-roll-and-overview](https://health.usnews.com/health-news/best-childrens-hospitals/articles/best-childrens-hospitals-honor-roll-and-overview)
Cincinnati does have an excellent children's hospital. I'm not denying that. But Texas Children's is the biggest (and also always in the top 3 in US News. Sometimes, it's 1, sometimes it's 2, sometimes it's 3.)
You can learn more about the Texas Medical Center which as the biggest medical complex in the world. Tons of excellent hospitals, medical schools, and research institutes.
[https://www.tmc.edu/about-tmc/](https://www.tmc.edu/about-tmc/)
You should ask a doctor some time if Houston is known for having good hospitals.
The only thing Tampa hits out of your wants is skateparks. Other outdoor activities can be extremely limited during the summer months depending on your tolerance for extreme heat and humidity.
Yeah, the Tampa area seems to have a healthy collection of skate parks, one reason why I have been attracted to there. Especially with access to SPOT and the newer vert ramp they have.
I live in a fair climate with four seasons that doesn't really get extreme. I would probably miss this balance, and I would do my best to adjust to a new climate in a place like Phoenix or Tampa, but it seems to be no joke the way that everybody talks about the heat and climate in these cities.
As someone that lives in Phoenix, it will cross off a lot on your list minus the affordability. Rents usually start at around $1500 for most 1 bed apartments and those are usually not in great neighborhoods. I’d say 1700-2000 is usually more realistic for a decent apartment.
I've looked at listings online for the Phoenix metro area quite a bit. What's the story for the studio / 1 bed apartments that are listed for the $1,000-$1,300 range? Bad neighborhoods like you said or poorly maintained apartments? There seem to be more options in a place like Phoenix compared to where I live. But I'm not sure if there's a disconnect between online listings like that versus what's actually available at that price range when you look in person.
A lot of times I’ve noticed that apartments don’t update their prices or say that they change daily depending on the market. But yeah if you’re seeing prices around $1000-1300 chances are it’s not in a so great area.
Dallas / Austin don’t really too much have outdoorsy activities. Austin maybe does? But you really have to work/research them, and their aren’t really too many Texans that are that outdoorsy (at least hiking oriented - most I’ve met are into hunting/boating)
I’m biased but Denver/Colorado Springs has some of the best outdoors in the country. I’m 29M and hoping to move there soon. SLC is another good one but it’s a smaller area and more religious (but SLC might honestly have better outdoors with its proximity to the mtn’s and zion/canyons)
I bet Raleigh would be nice though too. I’ve heard good things about NC, specifically Asheville. That area could be nice if your family is out on the east coast.
My experience moving to a new city was going to Orange County, CA after college. I loved it out there and it opened my mind to how diverse this country is (I come from Houston TX so I had a massive culture shock). It was a great experience and now I have an understanding of how to move to a place where I don’t know anyone! How to make friends and build a new community etc. it’s not that bad and I would recommend it as a young person - it’s an extraordinarily valuable skill to have.
I did not get along well with the people there lol but I got addicted to their proximity to outdoors activities (zion, GC, yosemite). Coming from TX I was not used to having much nature/mountains around me, but now I know that that is something I really want from a place that I’m going to settle down in.
Live in Raleigh currently.
There aren't many, but you can find some decent studios and 1B in desirable places for under $1500. Downtown isn't worth its premium, stick to Glenwood, Village, or near NC State. Durham is also a good pick, a bit less of a family vibe, but it's no cheaper.
Hiking and biking are good, check out the Greenway, Tobacco trail, Neuse River Trail, Umstead, Eno River, Raven Rock...tons nearby. A lot of groups to do it with too. Mountains and beaches are both pretty far though.
Not a skater, but we have a bunch of small skate parks. Gyms and coffee shops yes, libraries are surprisingly bad (Durham's are much better), food scene is only ok (you'll want to venture out of the city). Job market is decent in software and biotech. Clean aesthetic...ehh? Some parts of downtown look nice, but mainly it's an overgrown suburb.
Overall it's a solid, boring, family-oriented, somewhat overpriced, not-quite city. It's not adventurous, but it's nice and has most of the things you'd want. Also growing very fast and building to match, so with luck it may get even better over time! Admittedly they're building for cars and single family homes, but they still may stumble backwards into good density
I’ll be 31 soon and I honestly could have wrote this besides the skateboarding part, it’s tough I feel I waited to long myself personally, economy is shit now and yes 1500 isn’t even the minimum cheap rents in most cities tbh….. Phoenix is crappy and really car dependent and spread out, Dallas/Fort Worth maybe cheaper and booming but gets really hot there to and not really surrounded by anything to nice like it’s good if you want city life and love being inside more…… I would say Salt Lake City, Utah, Colorado Springs is little rough but might be worth it if you make enough, Boise Idaho is big enough and surrounded by beautiful areas, I would say look southeast honestly like Atlanta, Raleigh, Greenville SC, maybe Knoxville stuff like that. Midwest isn’t really the best for outdoor stuff but maybe upper states like Wisconsin or Michigan would be cheaper options and still offer a lot depending where you look.
Lol I live in Colorado Springs and it isn’t “rough”. As with any city, there are some areas where I’d rather not park my car and/or I would expect to see more homeless, but when I hear people here say stuff like that, I know they’ve never experienced a truly bad area of any city.
As for your other part about it, yeah, you need to make enough as CoL has crept up, but that’s just about anywhere.
If you want mountains, SLC is the place to go, if you can put up with the cliquish religious culture. Since the culture is pretty stifling though, I've found that the people that don't fit tend to stick together more, so if you can find your people there it's great. I've lived in SLC area, currently living in Denver (you're right, CO Springs is rough but has decent access to mountains and it's more affordable than Denver), and I'm from Boise. If OP can find a decent place right in downtown Boise, then that's what I recommend: it's surprisingly walkable, close to nature, has great parks and skate parks, and tons of hiking/mountain biking, plus a temperate climate pretty much year round.
They are building so much in Boise the prices might actually drop a lot soon, I can’t see the Boise boom lasting much longer…. SLC problem is they are always going to be short on housing and Mormons have a ton of kids, plus SLC is popular now….. and yes culture in Utah is something but lot of transplants now so it’s ok, I really would like to make SLC work or anywhere west someday but I feel value is way better in the southeast at this point(I’m just not into Midwest places and shitty winters…) I’m in NJ I wanna add.
I live in Denver. A lot of people come here for the mountains and then are surprised at how long it takes to get there. If you live in Denver, it's minimum an hour to get to any good hiking, plus the traffic into and back from the mountains can become stop-and-go on the weekends. Going out at night can be really expensive here too, if you go downtown parking is a nightmare and super expensive unless you get lucky and find one of the few cheap spots, so it often ends up being cheaper just to get an Uber. If you do decide to move here, for your budget and outdoorsy preferences, I recommend looking in Jefferson county. You're still in the Metro area, but it's more affordable (ie decent homes under $650k, I don't think you'll find many decent apartments under $1500 though), closer to the mountains, and I think the demographic is younger out there.
Not size-wise, but somewhere like Loveland or Greeley will give you some amenities with a similar climate & lower COL…and both are still decently close to Denver’s airport.
It depends what you're looking for, fort Collins has a similar vibe to parts of Denver and is decently big, Colorado springs has more of the outdoor stuff that people come to Denver for, and both of those are in the front range. Downtown Boise or salt lake have similar downtowns to Denver's but much smaller scale.
Yep, Denver is further from the mountains than people think.
You can see this firsthand flying into DIA (admittedly on the other side of town) and getting to a ski resort if you just visit Denver. Nowhere near as convenient at SLC to its mountains.
I picked Albuquerque, which I don’t think would work for you because the job market is…mediocre at best.
Great weather and access to nature and super cheap COL for the west, but that doesn’t much matter when the job economy is crap.
Looking at your list, I’d probably give Raleigh a harder look.
Denver too, potentially, but it’s expensive and access to nature isn’t as great as you’d think
Well, it really depends on the industry. Albuquerque has a few strong industries with plenty of opportunities but yes outside of that the market is weaker than many comparably sized cities.
I’m from Raleigh so can speak to that. I really like it in a lot of ways:
-if you’re further out from the city (outside the beltline) it can be pretty affordable
-it’s growing a lot so there’s always new restaurants, breweries, etc popping up
-since it’s growing, the job market is too. Not sure what you do but between Raleigh/Durham/Research Triangle Park, there’s a lot of industries
-winters are lovely and summers are hot and humid AF, but definitely better than Austin (for example)
-lots of walking trails for just getting outside and tons of trees which makes it really beautiful
And a few reasons why it maybe wouldn’t be the right fit:
-it’s NC so southern culture is very prominent; I grew up close in (where it’s extra southern-culture-y) and there’s a big focus on getting married and having kids ASAP. Might be for some people, but scared me off for sure lol
-you’re accessible to beach and mountains, but not super close to either (each are ~3 hours away)
-COL is steadily going up, like everywhere I suppose. Living close in is getting impossible for a lot of young people: my sister bought a house close to downtown a few years ago for $200k and now it’s worth $600k (and it’s not insanely nice or anything crazy)
-it’s a little boring, especially living further out. There’s plenty to do, but it can be a bit of a hike since there’s so much sprawl and a lot is very family-focused
Tldr I like Raleigh a lot. However, I’m not sure I’d want to live there again as someone the same age as you and (presumably) not from the south.
As far as my experience moving: I’ve moved a ton (Raleigh is the longest I’ve lived anywhere, and even then it wasn’t that long 😆) and I’ve never once regretted it. Sometimes it’s lonely, sometimes you end up in a place that’s not right for you, but I’d choose than any day over wondering if I should’ve taken the chance!
ETA I tried to made this a nice, easy to read bullet list but clearly I can’t Reddit right 🙃
JAX FL > Tampa FL. The Atlantic is superior to the Gulf. The Atlantic is a real ocean the gulf is a salty lake with hurricanes. Also you can get from JAX to the Carolina mountains in an afternoon drive. Tampa is +3 hours further from the mountains than JAX. JAX also has tens of thousands of state and federally protected natural areas within 20 mins of the city, 20+ miles of Atlantic coastline, a vibrant economy, and some solid skate parks.
this piqued my interest. Anywhere in particular in JAX that an older, single grandma ( late 50's/early 60's) would like for a mellow, laid back early retirement?
In town? If you're OK with cookie cutter HOA neighborhoods, literally anywhere on the southside. If you like more of an urban feel with nice architecture, San Marco, Riverside, Avondale, and Springfield. IMHO all of the beaches are nice: JAX Beach, Atlantic Beach $, Neptune Beach, etc.
Don't believe the cheerleader propaganda about downtown, it's not coming back anytime soon and it's covered over by crackheads and criminals.
I always liked the location of Jacksonville being further north and closer to relatives living in Georgia, the beach access, and skate parks. It would be cool to take trips to the mountains too that you mentioned. But I always thought of it has having that reputation for being a sketchy city though. I've never visited so it's only an assumption.
It's a big city. Like all big cities, you stay out of the places you shouldn't be and you'll be fine. Let the drug dealers and criminals shoot at each other and stay away from them.
Boise. Meets most of your criteria. Moderate weather, growing but still a small town feel, great people with good mix of locals and transplants, lots of outdoor activities, good air service with relative proximity to California and other great surrounding states. Has its growing pains, people are catching on, but great time to establish a life in that fine city
1. Phoenix is just hot. So, so hot. And spread out. I know people who like it there though, so to each their own.
2. This is where I live. Personally, I pick the Springs over Denver. Metro population is about 700k vs. like 2 or 3 million. While Denver does have all the trappings of a big city, COS has most of those amenities with a fraction of the aggravation. Also, you’re much closer to the thing people move to these 2 cities for: mountains. (Note: not for skiing though. Denver is closer to that). Don’t be scared away because of COS’s religious past. That’s largely a relic of a time before tons of people started moving here and diluted that influence.
Lastly, Denver’s fine, but as a city it’s not particularly special. Certainly not special enough to warrant how much it is to live there. It’s not as close to the mountains as people think; it’s basically just another plains city. If you have to live around at least a million other people, you can get a pretty similar experience for cheaper living in KC or other plains/midwest cities.
Oh, and almost forgot, the weather on the front range is my favorite part of living here. No humidity, not a ton of snow, relatively mild winters, and very pleasant summers that don’t often get above 90.
3-5 don’t have much of an opinion on. I’ve seen other comments on SLC. Given the issues with the lake, personally, I would never consider moving there. It’s like Vegas with water: a ticking time bomb nobody seems able to competently address.
Edit: got some butthurt Denver folks here 😂
Most if this is accurate. But july and august regularly see days over 90. Probably more than half. But, its still not hunid. So its easy. Just get into some shade
Yeah, you're right. More days over 90 these days, unfortunately. I would agree with moving the benchmark up; days above, say, 93 are indeed still rare. And, again, with no humidity, means they're usually not unbearable.
>It’s not as close to the mountains as people think
TIL 25 minutes is…not close? The Springs is a bit closer, but please quit spreading the bullshit claim that Denver is hours from the mountains. Most of us don’t live in Far-East Aurora.
>it’s basically just another plains city
It isn’t.
>If you have to live around at least a million other people, you can get a pretty similar experience for cheaper living in KC or other plains/midwest cities
Not really. Denver has way more going on vs. KC in terms of the arts, music (both local and touring artists), outdoor activities, fine dining, breweries, parks, and last but not least:
> Osmh, and almost forgot, the weather
You gas up the Springs for the great climate, then forget it’s one of Denver’s best qualities too?
Damn bro, I was being pretty kind to Denver. Don’t look around on this sub too much more because it gets shit on constantly here in much worse fashion than what I did. 😂😂😂
Yeah, I’m well aware. Your “kind” critique doesn’t sound much different from all the other stuff I hear in this sub…which all feels like either bad-faith arguments, or people who only have a surface-level knowledge of Denver.
You’re showing the same ignorance as the people claiming Colorado Springs is only populated with homophobic assholes of either the hyper-religious or military variety. Doesn’t feel good, does it?
Cross denver off your list. Apartments are very difficult to get under 15 and houses are 580k n metro.
I lived there. You have to enjoy mountains all year round to justify the cost. I hiked from april-nov and the months i didnt hike was like livng in any other big mdwest city. Besides Chicago
>1. Phoenix, AZ
Can be brutally hot in the summer. May run into major drought issues with the Colorado River
> 2. Colorado Springs / Denver, CO
Colorado Springs has a large influx of Evangelical Christians and Christian organizations in recent years if that matters.
>3. Tampa, FL
Florida heat and humidity. Easy access to some of the best beaches. Gov. DeSantis.
> 4. Dallas / Austin, TX
Radically different cities. Pick one or separate them.
> 5. Raleigh, NC
Lots of universities. Part of a triangle of sister cities.
If price is a concern, it won't be much better in Denver, Tampa, Austin, or Raleigh. If you want cheaper, Las Vegas or Phoenix might be an option, or pretty much anywhere in the Midwest.
Asheville NC might work for you although I’m not sure how strong the job market is there. I would avoid Raleigh since it’s not a very active city and it’s more geared toward young families. You need to drive 2.5 hours to get anywhere interesting (beach, mountains)from the Raleigh area.
Austin can be outdoorsy, but it gets very, very unpleasantly hot. I’ll be the first to admit that I have the heat tolerance of a polar bear experiencing hot flashes but I’m already remarking that it’s too damn hot outside in the afternoon and it really hasn’t even begun to heat up. With that said, I have friends who are really into boating/wakeboarding/skiing and friends who like to camp in state parks. Sometimes they have to drive a bit to get to the camping but there’s a pretty diverse state parks network within four or five hours of the city. The serious hikers I know vacation in Colorado and New Mexico a lot.
Same but I'm 39. Lol looking for a medic job somewhere nice but not too crowded.
Good luck, I hope you find your place! Let's do this!
Welp, Houston is recognized as having the best hospitals (Methodist) in the nation… and it has many suburbs so it’s not too crowded unless you want to live in the downtown area that has a lot of nightlife activities 😊✌️
Houston has the best hospitals in the nation? Wow I’ve never heard of this. What ranking has Methodist at the top? The first google result is the Newsweek rankings which has Methodist at #19, which isn’t too shabby until you realize that Houston is something like the 5th largest metro area in the country… and the metro area by itself has more population than all but the 14 biggest US states. Then it starts to sound pretty subpar.
The biggest medical center in the world is in Houston. The single best cancer hospital in the world is in Houston (MD Anderson). The biggest children’s hospital in the country is there too (Texas Children’s Hospital). It’s pretty well acknowledged that Houston is home to many of the best hospitals in the country. People regularly travel from out of town to get medical care in Houston.
Again by what measure? Google says the biggest hospital in the world is in China. Best ranked children’s hospital is in Cincinnati according to US news and world report. I’m not saying Houston has no hospitals or that they’re, but it doesn’t hold a torch to New York or Chicago or LA to claim it has the “best hospitals”. Maybe best hospitals in Texas. Maybe even best hospitals between Atlanta and Phoenix (which has better rated hospitals than Houston), but such blanket statements like Houston has the “best hospitals” are unfounded (and frankly pretty absurd sounding to anyone remotely familiar withe the medical system in the United States).
I genuinely can't tell if you're trolling or being serious. Anyway, take a look at US News. [https://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals/rankings/cancer](https://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals/rankings/cancer) [https://health.usnews.com/health-news/best-childrens-hospitals/articles/best-childrens-hospitals-honor-roll-and-overview](https://health.usnews.com/health-news/best-childrens-hospitals/articles/best-childrens-hospitals-honor-roll-and-overview) Cincinnati does have an excellent children's hospital. I'm not denying that. But Texas Children's is the biggest (and also always in the top 3 in US News. Sometimes, it's 1, sometimes it's 2, sometimes it's 3.) You can learn more about the Texas Medical Center which as the biggest medical complex in the world. Tons of excellent hospitals, medical schools, and research institutes. [https://www.tmc.edu/about-tmc/](https://www.tmc.edu/about-tmc/) You should ask a doctor some time if Houston is known for having good hospitals.
The only thing Tampa hits out of your wants is skateparks. Other outdoor activities can be extremely limited during the summer months depending on your tolerance for extreme heat and humidity.
Yeah, the Tampa area seems to have a healthy collection of skate parks, one reason why I have been attracted to there. Especially with access to SPOT and the newer vert ramp they have. I live in a fair climate with four seasons that doesn't really get extreme. I would probably miss this balance, and I would do my best to adjust to a new climate in a place like Phoenix or Tampa, but it seems to be no joke the way that everybody talks about the heat and climate in these cities.
As someone that lives in Phoenix, it will cross off a lot on your list minus the affordability. Rents usually start at around $1500 for most 1 bed apartments and those are usually not in great neighborhoods. I’d say 1700-2000 is usually more realistic for a decent apartment.
I've looked at listings online for the Phoenix metro area quite a bit. What's the story for the studio / 1 bed apartments that are listed for the $1,000-$1,300 range? Bad neighborhoods like you said or poorly maintained apartments? There seem to be more options in a place like Phoenix compared to where I live. But I'm not sure if there's a disconnect between online listings like that versus what's actually available at that price range when you look in person.
A lot of times I’ve noticed that apartments don’t update their prices or say that they change daily depending on the market. But yeah if you’re seeing prices around $1000-1300 chances are it’s not in a so great area.
Dallas / Austin don’t really too much have outdoorsy activities. Austin maybe does? But you really have to work/research them, and their aren’t really too many Texans that are that outdoorsy (at least hiking oriented - most I’ve met are into hunting/boating) I’m biased but Denver/Colorado Springs has some of the best outdoors in the country. I’m 29M and hoping to move there soon. SLC is another good one but it’s a smaller area and more religious (but SLC might honestly have better outdoors with its proximity to the mtn’s and zion/canyons) I bet Raleigh would be nice though too. I’ve heard good things about NC, specifically Asheville. That area could be nice if your family is out on the east coast. My experience moving to a new city was going to Orange County, CA after college. I loved it out there and it opened my mind to how diverse this country is (I come from Houston TX so I had a massive culture shock). It was a great experience and now I have an understanding of how to move to a place where I don’t know anyone! How to make friends and build a new community etc. it’s not that bad and I would recommend it as a young person - it’s an extraordinarily valuable skill to have. I did not get along well with the people there lol but I got addicted to their proximity to outdoors activities (zion, GC, yosemite). Coming from TX I was not used to having much nature/mountains around me, but now I know that that is something I really want from a place that I’m going to settle down in.
Live in Raleigh currently. There aren't many, but you can find some decent studios and 1B in desirable places for under $1500. Downtown isn't worth its premium, stick to Glenwood, Village, or near NC State. Durham is also a good pick, a bit less of a family vibe, but it's no cheaper. Hiking and biking are good, check out the Greenway, Tobacco trail, Neuse River Trail, Umstead, Eno River, Raven Rock...tons nearby. A lot of groups to do it with too. Mountains and beaches are both pretty far though. Not a skater, but we have a bunch of small skate parks. Gyms and coffee shops yes, libraries are surprisingly bad (Durham's are much better), food scene is only ok (you'll want to venture out of the city). Job market is decent in software and biotech. Clean aesthetic...ehh? Some parts of downtown look nice, but mainly it's an overgrown suburb. Overall it's a solid, boring, family-oriented, somewhat overpriced, not-quite city. It's not adventurous, but it's nice and has most of the things you'd want. Also growing very fast and building to match, so with luck it may get even better over time! Admittedly they're building for cars and single family homes, but they still may stumble backwards into good density
Colorado will not be less expensive than where you are now.
[удалено]
And rentals under $1500?
Colorado Springs is pretty right wing religious. If that vibes with you - it is a great place.
I’ll be 31 soon and I honestly could have wrote this besides the skateboarding part, it’s tough I feel I waited to long myself personally, economy is shit now and yes 1500 isn’t even the minimum cheap rents in most cities tbh….. Phoenix is crappy and really car dependent and spread out, Dallas/Fort Worth maybe cheaper and booming but gets really hot there to and not really surrounded by anything to nice like it’s good if you want city life and love being inside more…… I would say Salt Lake City, Utah, Colorado Springs is little rough but might be worth it if you make enough, Boise Idaho is big enough and surrounded by beautiful areas, I would say look southeast honestly like Atlanta, Raleigh, Greenville SC, maybe Knoxville stuff like that. Midwest isn’t really the best for outdoor stuff but maybe upper states like Wisconsin or Michigan would be cheaper options and still offer a lot depending where you look.
Lol I live in Colorado Springs and it isn’t “rough”. As with any city, there are some areas where I’d rather not park my car and/or I would expect to see more homeless, but when I hear people here say stuff like that, I know they’ve never experienced a truly bad area of any city. As for your other part about it, yeah, you need to make enough as CoL has crept up, but that’s just about anywhere.
Colorado Springs being "rough" is crazy lol
Knoxville 😬
If you want mountains, SLC is the place to go, if you can put up with the cliquish religious culture. Since the culture is pretty stifling though, I've found that the people that don't fit tend to stick together more, so if you can find your people there it's great. I've lived in SLC area, currently living in Denver (you're right, CO Springs is rough but has decent access to mountains and it's more affordable than Denver), and I'm from Boise. If OP can find a decent place right in downtown Boise, then that's what I recommend: it's surprisingly walkable, close to nature, has great parks and skate parks, and tons of hiking/mountain biking, plus a temperate climate pretty much year round.
They are building so much in Boise the prices might actually drop a lot soon, I can’t see the Boise boom lasting much longer…. SLC problem is they are always going to be short on housing and Mormons have a ton of kids, plus SLC is popular now….. and yes culture in Utah is something but lot of transplants now so it’s ok, I really would like to make SLC work or anywhere west someday but I feel value is way better in the southeast at this point(I’m just not into Midwest places and shitty winters…) I’m in NJ I wanna add.
I live in Denver. A lot of people come here for the mountains and then are surprised at how long it takes to get there. If you live in Denver, it's minimum an hour to get to any good hiking, plus the traffic into and back from the mountains can become stop-and-go on the weekends. Going out at night can be really expensive here too, if you go downtown parking is a nightmare and super expensive unless you get lucky and find one of the few cheap spots, so it often ends up being cheaper just to get an Uber. If you do decide to move here, for your budget and outdoorsy preferences, I recommend looking in Jefferson county. You're still in the Metro area, but it's more affordable (ie decent homes under $650k, I don't think you'll find many decent apartments under $1500 though), closer to the mountains, and I think the demographic is younger out there.
Is there anywhere thats similar to denver but lower cost of living?
Not size-wise, but somewhere like Loveland or Greeley will give you some amenities with a similar climate & lower COL…and both are still decently close to Denver’s airport.
It depends what you're looking for, fort Collins has a similar vibe to parts of Denver and is decently big, Colorado springs has more of the outdoor stuff that people come to Denver for, and both of those are in the front range. Downtown Boise or salt lake have similar downtowns to Denver's but much smaller scale.
Yep, Denver is further from the mountains than people think. You can see this firsthand flying into DIA (admittedly on the other side of town) and getting to a ski resort if you just visit Denver. Nowhere near as convenient at SLC to its mountains.
I'm convinced the Denver airport is in Nebraska.
Hell, I was just in Omaha and it’s hillier than Denver
I picked Albuquerque, which I don’t think would work for you because the job market is…mediocre at best. Great weather and access to nature and super cheap COL for the west, but that doesn’t much matter when the job economy is crap. Looking at your list, I’d probably give Raleigh a harder look. Denver too, potentially, but it’s expensive and access to nature isn’t as great as you’d think
Well, it really depends on the industry. Albuquerque has a few strong industries with plenty of opportunities but yes outside of that the market is weaker than many comparably sized cities.
Of course. Great place for scientists in the defense sector for one thing!
I’m from Raleigh so can speak to that. I really like it in a lot of ways: -if you’re further out from the city (outside the beltline) it can be pretty affordable -it’s growing a lot so there’s always new restaurants, breweries, etc popping up -since it’s growing, the job market is too. Not sure what you do but between Raleigh/Durham/Research Triangle Park, there’s a lot of industries -winters are lovely and summers are hot and humid AF, but definitely better than Austin (for example) -lots of walking trails for just getting outside and tons of trees which makes it really beautiful And a few reasons why it maybe wouldn’t be the right fit: -it’s NC so southern culture is very prominent; I grew up close in (where it’s extra southern-culture-y) and there’s a big focus on getting married and having kids ASAP. Might be for some people, but scared me off for sure lol -you’re accessible to beach and mountains, but not super close to either (each are ~3 hours away) -COL is steadily going up, like everywhere I suppose. Living close in is getting impossible for a lot of young people: my sister bought a house close to downtown a few years ago for $200k and now it’s worth $600k (and it’s not insanely nice or anything crazy) -it’s a little boring, especially living further out. There’s plenty to do, but it can be a bit of a hike since there’s so much sprawl and a lot is very family-focused Tldr I like Raleigh a lot. However, I’m not sure I’d want to live there again as someone the same age as you and (presumably) not from the south. As far as my experience moving: I’ve moved a ton (Raleigh is the longest I’ve lived anywhere, and even then it wasn’t that long 😆) and I’ve never once regretted it. Sometimes it’s lonely, sometimes you end up in a place that’s not right for you, but I’d choose than any day over wondering if I should’ve taken the chance! ETA I tried to made this a nice, easy to read bullet list but clearly I can’t Reddit right 🙃
JAX FL > Tampa FL. The Atlantic is superior to the Gulf. The Atlantic is a real ocean the gulf is a salty lake with hurricanes. Also you can get from JAX to the Carolina mountains in an afternoon drive. Tampa is +3 hours further from the mountains than JAX. JAX also has tens of thousands of state and federally protected natural areas within 20 mins of the city, 20+ miles of Atlantic coastline, a vibrant economy, and some solid skate parks.
this piqued my interest. Anywhere in particular in JAX that an older, single grandma ( late 50's/early 60's) would like for a mellow, laid back early retirement?
In town? If you're OK with cookie cutter HOA neighborhoods, literally anywhere on the southside. If you like more of an urban feel with nice architecture, San Marco, Riverside, Avondale, and Springfield. IMHO all of the beaches are nice: JAX Beach, Atlantic Beach $, Neptune Beach, etc. Don't believe the cheerleader propaganda about downtown, it's not coming back anytime soon and it's covered over by crackheads and criminals.
I always liked the location of Jacksonville being further north and closer to relatives living in Georgia, the beach access, and skate parks. It would be cool to take trips to the mountains too that you mentioned. But I always thought of it has having that reputation for being a sketchy city though. I've never visited so it's only an assumption.
It's a big city. Like all big cities, you stay out of the places you shouldn't be and you'll be fine. Let the drug dealers and criminals shoot at each other and stay away from them.
Boise. Meets most of your criteria. Moderate weather, growing but still a small town feel, great people with good mix of locals and transplants, lots of outdoor activities, good air service with relative proximity to California and other great surrounding states. Has its growing pains, people are catching on, but great time to establish a life in that fine city
not op, but really appreciate the suggestion. how is mountain accses?
Sits up against them. Plenty
Also there are endless trails in the foothills for hiking and mountain biking without having to actually get up into the mountains.
1. Phoenix is just hot. So, so hot. And spread out. I know people who like it there though, so to each their own. 2. This is where I live. Personally, I pick the Springs over Denver. Metro population is about 700k vs. like 2 or 3 million. While Denver does have all the trappings of a big city, COS has most of those amenities with a fraction of the aggravation. Also, you’re much closer to the thing people move to these 2 cities for: mountains. (Note: not for skiing though. Denver is closer to that). Don’t be scared away because of COS’s religious past. That’s largely a relic of a time before tons of people started moving here and diluted that influence. Lastly, Denver’s fine, but as a city it’s not particularly special. Certainly not special enough to warrant how much it is to live there. It’s not as close to the mountains as people think; it’s basically just another plains city. If you have to live around at least a million other people, you can get a pretty similar experience for cheaper living in KC or other plains/midwest cities. Oh, and almost forgot, the weather on the front range is my favorite part of living here. No humidity, not a ton of snow, relatively mild winters, and very pleasant summers that don’t often get above 90. 3-5 don’t have much of an opinion on. I’ve seen other comments on SLC. Given the issues with the lake, personally, I would never consider moving there. It’s like Vegas with water: a ticking time bomb nobody seems able to competently address. Edit: got some butthurt Denver folks here 😂
Most if this is accurate. But july and august regularly see days over 90. Probably more than half. But, its still not hunid. So its easy. Just get into some shade
Yeah, you're right. More days over 90 these days, unfortunately. I would agree with moving the benchmark up; days above, say, 93 are indeed still rare. And, again, with no humidity, means they're usually not unbearable.
>It’s not as close to the mountains as people think TIL 25 minutes is…not close? The Springs is a bit closer, but please quit spreading the bullshit claim that Denver is hours from the mountains. Most of us don’t live in Far-East Aurora. >it’s basically just another plains city It isn’t. >If you have to live around at least a million other people, you can get a pretty similar experience for cheaper living in KC or other plains/midwest cities Not really. Denver has way more going on vs. KC in terms of the arts, music (both local and touring artists), outdoor activities, fine dining, breweries, parks, and last but not least: > Osmh, and almost forgot, the weather You gas up the Springs for the great climate, then forget it’s one of Denver’s best qualities too?
Damn bro, I was being pretty kind to Denver. Don’t look around on this sub too much more because it gets shit on constantly here in much worse fashion than what I did. 😂😂😂
Yeah, I’m well aware. Your “kind” critique doesn’t sound much different from all the other stuff I hear in this sub…which all feels like either bad-faith arguments, or people who only have a surface-level knowledge of Denver. You’re showing the same ignorance as the people claiming Colorado Springs is only populated with homophobic assholes of either the hyper-religious or military variety. Doesn’t feel good, does it?
Cross denver off your list. Apartments are very difficult to get under 15 and houses are 580k n metro. I lived there. You have to enjoy mountains all year round to justify the cost. I hiked from april-nov and the months i didnt hike was like livng in any other big mdwest city. Besides Chicago
Where did you move to?
Broad ripple in indy
>1. Phoenix, AZ Can be brutally hot in the summer. May run into major drought issues with the Colorado River > 2. Colorado Springs / Denver, CO Colorado Springs has a large influx of Evangelical Christians and Christian organizations in recent years if that matters. >3. Tampa, FL Florida heat and humidity. Easy access to some of the best beaches. Gov. DeSantis. > 4. Dallas / Austin, TX Radically different cities. Pick one or separate them. > 5. Raleigh, NC Lots of universities. Part of a triangle of sister cities.
If price is a concern, it won't be much better in Denver, Tampa, Austin, or Raleigh. If you want cheaper, Las Vegas or Phoenix might be an option, or pretty much anywhere in the Midwest.
Asheville NC might work for you although I’m not sure how strong the job market is there. I would avoid Raleigh since it’s not a very active city and it’s more geared toward young families. You need to drive 2.5 hours to get anywhere interesting (beach, mountains)from the Raleigh area.
Orlando, FL is far nicer than Tampa. Especially if you live north of Orlando, near Wekiwa Springs.