Go West, young man
March 13, 2021 8:03 AM Subscribe
Where should I move in the West?
My wife and I have spent our entire adult lives east of the Mississippi. We originally planned a move to a beach town this Spring, but COVID. So now the plan is to move next Spring, and we are considering changing course and going West for a few years to explore the mountains, national parks in Utah, etc. before maybe coming back east to settle down. Or maybe we love the west and stay. We both grew up moving every couple of years so neither of us a deeply rooted hometown. Home is where we live.
Current locale: Richmond VA
Status: Empty nesters
Priorities: Sunny summers and mild winters, good access to healthcare, reasonable cost of living, big enough town to support concerts, theater, minor league sports, etc., and within a few hours of great outdoor spaces for camping and hiking.
I've sort of zeroed in on the Albuquerque area as our prime target. We are planning on a scouting trip in the fall. Where else should I be looking?
My wife and I have spent our entire adult lives east of the Mississippi. We originally planned a move to a beach town this Spring, but COVID. So now the plan is to move next Spring, and we are considering changing course and going West for a few years to explore the mountains, national parks in Utah, etc. before maybe coming back east to settle down. Or maybe we love the west and stay. We both grew up moving every couple of years so neither of us a deeply rooted hometown. Home is where we live.
Current locale: Richmond VA
Status: Empty nesters
Priorities: Sunny summers and mild winters, good access to healthcare, reasonable cost of living, big enough town to support concerts, theater, minor league sports, etc., and within a few hours of great outdoor spaces for camping and hiking.
I've sort of zeroed in on the Albuquerque area as our prime target. We are planning on a scouting trip in the fall. Where else should I be looking?
How important is culture/politics to you? Even within a given state that can make an enormous difference in quality of life.
posted by Ferreous at 9:41 AM on March 13, 2021 [3 favorites]
posted by Ferreous at 9:41 AM on March 13, 2021 [3 favorites]
My wife and I live in Eugene, OR, and other than maybe the cost of living (the housing and job markets can be tough), it checks all the boxes you list. Happy to go into more detail if it's a place you'd like to know more about.
posted by DingoMutt at 9:53 AM on March 13, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by DingoMutt at 9:53 AM on March 13, 2021 [2 favorites]
Albuquerque is probably the win, consider Taos as well.
posted by firstdaffodils at 10:04 AM on March 13, 2021
posted by firstdaffodils at 10:04 AM on March 13, 2021
One thing to consider is you say you like sunny summers, but you're also currently in Richmond. Yes, it gets hot in the summer where you are, but the level of heat (and the prolonged season of heat) is quite different in the Southwest. So you may want to consider somewhere like Salt Lake City - still mild winters (a bit colder than Richmond, but not dramatically so) and sunny summers that will be a bit more pleasant than Albuquerque (unless you're sure you really like heat).
posted by coffeecat at 10:27 AM on March 13, 2021
posted by coffeecat at 10:27 AM on March 13, 2021
I don’t know how you lean politically, but Grand Junction is pretty darn “red”. Otherwise, a great place, with amazing access to All Things Outdoors.
posted by dbmcd at 12:01 PM on March 13, 2021
posted by dbmcd at 12:01 PM on March 13, 2021
I think Albuquerque ticks all the boxes except the healthcare one (I live in ABQ currently). I think the healthcare situation is improving a little but it's still hard to find a general practitioner here and other types of care are limited. Something to check into when you are here visiting. Also regarding weather, our summers are actually quite comfortable compared to much or the rest of the Southwest. I think our winters are fairly cold, but Im super cold sensitive. Finally this is a great location when it comes to accessing all the great parks and recreationsl aces in the west!
posted by WalkerWestridge at 12:59 PM on March 13, 2021
posted by WalkerWestridge at 12:59 PM on March 13, 2021
Palmdale / Lancaster, CA, maybe? The JetHawks are up in Lancaster, and you've got all of North LA (the San Fernando Valley) to supplement whatever healthcare you can't get in the Antelope Valley. Mountains half an hour away, Sequoia a few hours, Death Valley and the desert a few hours away. Yosemite in four-five, the Pacific in 90 minutes (all times traffic dependent). I'm not sure what you define cost of living by, but the Antelope Valley is cheaper than LA. Average highs in the 90's in the summer and average lows just barely hitting freezing in the middle of winter. Culture will tend to be more in LA itself, but Lancaster has a pop of 150k and Palmdale has a pop of 150k (and they're basically the same city at this point).
posted by miguelcervantes at 6:31 PM on March 13, 2021
posted by miguelcervantes at 6:31 PM on March 13, 2021
I think you want Phoenix (which is where I live) or, if you desire something a bit smaller with access to all you've outlined above, Tucson. Phoenix has all the big ciity amenities (arts, music, museums, major sports teams) and we have a significant Mayo Clinic presence here.
posted by simonelikenina at 3:29 PM on March 15, 2021
posted by simonelikenina at 3:29 PM on March 15, 2021
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by COD at 8:06 AM on March 13, 2021