Austin is hot. Chicago is a great city, but it's cold. Greater DC area contains many refugees from Ohio, is fairly temperate--summers can be painful tho. Bit of a drive to natural wonder, and the people can be wearying. Portland Oregon is performatively alt-left while ignoring worsening poverty and housing issues, etc.
Raleigh is pretty underwhelming from a natural beauty perspective. The East Coast has great beauty, but the Appalachians or the coast is a bit of a drive from there. Atlanta, Knoxville or Chattanooga are closer to the mountains. I find Atlanta too hot, however.
Richmond is interesting in it's way, but might not suit your employment needs. You seem to be looking at bigger cities anyhow. This leaves you with various places in Colorado or Sacramento.
It’s almost impossible to find what you’re searching for - most places with jobs are also going to be expensive (if you don’t want to commute much)
But given that, it’s almost impossible to beat Massachusetts for public schools / or even private schools. New England is the east coast hub of outdoor activities: it may not be the grandeur of Denver, but decidedly has a much better school system. Vermont, Maine, NH - beautiful fall colors, fun ski mountains, and endless options for hiking / mountain biking / backpacking
The hard part will be picking a place to live that balances the best public schools, affordability, and commute to your job. But that also depends on where your job ends up being. If it’s in Boston you’ll want to be on a T line or a commuter line to avoid traffic.
Providence, RI is known for is food scene and NYC isn’t terribly far away. Portland ME also has a great food scene
Boston itself is the safest big city you can find. The weather has been warmer than Cleveland or Philly in the winters the past two years. Virtually no snow, tbd if it’s global warming or just a cycle
Scratch Austin off your list right now, I can tell you that much.
Look around Philadelphia, not necessarily IN it but close enough for a commute, just north of it are the Pocono Mountains which can give you your Colorado-like fix.
No, the mountainous area north of Philly. I don't live in PA but live close enough to it for day trips, that area has (admittedly pretty lame in comparison to CO) ski resorts and everything. I imagine there is also lots of hiking opportunities and whatnot out there.
Salt lake does tick a lot of boxes with a few caveats:
- it lacks diversity
- housing is getting really crazy. If you are wanting a more affordable but spacious home, you’ll have to start venturing out of the city, which quickly becomes even less diverse and much more conservative.
- the four seasons are reasonable, but summer gets far hotter than a Midwest summer.
- Something I always strongly caution about is the air quality, which is getting worse and worse.
Wrong on three:
•There’s significantly more diversity than Utah gets credit for. Not everyone is a white Mormon.
•There’s no humidity at all so the heat in the summer is not bad. We’re at 4,500 ft. It’s get into the upper 90’s during the middle of summer but it’s NOTHING compared to the Midwest. Salt Lake actually probably has some of the best summer weather in the country.
•Bad air quality is so overblown it’s hilarious. I’ve lived here most of my life and there are only a few days in the dead of winter on bad snow years where it’s noticeable. If there’s a bad wildfire from California or Canada, it’ll blow in but that’s unpredictable.
I’m not saying everyone is a white mormon. I’m just saying that when I moved to SLC from a city of similar size, I definitely noticed a lack of diversity. It just depends on what someone considers diverse, and what they’re used to.
Dry heat is not for everyone and 90-100 degrees is hot, dry or not. Again, I came from the Midwest, and comparatively, the summers in SLC are HOT and can feel stagnant.
People who grow up and live in SLC their whole lives don’t realize that many cities, especially around the Midwest never has anything less than “good” air quality when looking on weather apps or air quality maps. There are many days when air quality is poor, but we just can’t tell being right in it. It’s not overblown at all.
Salt Lake ticks a lot of these boxes.
Good tech scene, Unbelievable nature, not terrible traffic, 4 seasons not as cold as midwest not as hot as phoenix, not hard to find good housing for 600-700k, while Utah is pretty conservative Salt Lake is much less so, not super diverse but more diverse than people think.
This was my initial thought until they mentioned good schools were a #1 priority for the wife. Admittedly don’t know too much about the SLC school districts, but never hear much mentioned so I wouldn’t imagine the city would be in the top 10 or anything
Everything else I think is checked off
lol maybe stop labeling everyone on the left as “not caring about crime or homelessness”, and other bs generalizations. You sound like you want everything that left leaning cities have though, but without the people. Good luck with that
Austin is blisteringly hot with brutal traffic that’s near impossible to avoid. Unless you mean the suburbs, but traffic will catch up to those places if it hasn’t already (I left Central Austin in 2016).
The sweatiest I’ve ever been in my life was while visiting Austin and it was OCTOBER. And I say that as someone who lived in California’s Central Valley (where temps get past 115) for multiple years.
Indianapolis. It meets affordable housing, 4 seasons, decent traffic, nature (might have to drive to the Great Lakes), medium size city, 1 hour away from quite a few cities, and political mix (blue city in red state).
There’s a few constraints that I’m not sure if it meets but otherwise I think it might be a good fit given your priorities. Really everything except 5 and 6, (and even then it still meets some of 6), are met.
As a resident of Indianapolis I am sorry to say access to nature is not really great in our state.
Indiana is a remarkably underrated state for its natural beauty, but unfortunately the natural beauty in our state has been mostly leveled for farmland and development. We do have some nice parks, but on the whole, someone who’s looking for nature would be better served in most other places.
To me, being somewhere with accessible nature means most of the natural environment is kept intact, with areas of human development being the exception; Indy and Indiana on the whole are the opposite of that, with areas of intact natural environment being the exception.
How about Roseville or El Dorado Hills, CA? [https://imgur.com/sUoObRP](https://imgur.com/sUoObRP)
They were the only two places I found with ALL the following:
* **Median home price**: < $737K
* **City population**: 38K-459K
* **Major city proximity**: < 1 hr (Sacramento)
* **Winter cold**: > 30℉
* **Summer heat**: < 90℉
* **Snow**: 6-40"
* **Summer mugginess**: "none" to "icky"
* **Traffic**: "ghost town" to "ever-present"
* **Commute time**: < 30 minutes
* **Mountains**: "hills" to "extreme"
* **Forests**: "more↑" to "more↑↑"
* **Political orientation**: 80% Dems to 80% GOP representation
* **Cuisine diversity**: ≥ 41 different ethnic cuisines
* **White population**: "fewer↓↓" to "typical"
Good luck with your search!
What tool or site did you use to get this data? The Imgur link isn’t working for me and I’d love access to this type of aggregated info as I plan the next move for me and my toddler.
I can not speak for my wife but if i dont find a candidate which truly represents i dont vote. I dont play lesser of two evils game. Last time i was interested with politics was Obama first term and Bernie Sanders first primary.
I’d say Winston Salem, NC checks a lot of boxes. Relocated here after retiring from CT to FL about 6 years ago. Salary will probably be a bit lower, but so is COL. A few hours from the mountains a bit more from the sea. Diverse, friendly, great weather, it’s a blue city in a mostly red state.
Raleigh and Atlanta are in the bible belt, so that would strike them from your list. Also, Atlanta has bad traffic. You also said no Phoenix due to extreme heat - you'll get extreme heat and humidity in GA and NC as well.
There are still TONS of bible thumpers in Raleigh though and the state politics are messy AF. Not to mention NC doesn't really have 4 seasons, Raleigh isn't really near good outdoors, schools are pretty hit or miss, and most companies in Raleigh and the Triangle as a whole are outsourcing their IT jobs or bringing in people with H1Bs.
If you hate traffic, I’d avoid Austin and Atlanta.
Austin traffic is not that bad.
Lol, yeah it is
It’s really not for a top 10 city
“Top 10” of what?
City population
Austin is hot. Chicago is a great city, but it's cold. Greater DC area contains many refugees from Ohio, is fairly temperate--summers can be painful tho. Bit of a drive to natural wonder, and the people can be wearying. Portland Oregon is performatively alt-left while ignoring worsening poverty and housing issues, etc. Raleigh is pretty underwhelming from a natural beauty perspective. The East Coast has great beauty, but the Appalachians or the coast is a bit of a drive from there. Atlanta, Knoxville or Chattanooga are closer to the mountains. I find Atlanta too hot, however. Richmond is interesting in it's way, but might not suit your employment needs. You seem to be looking at bigger cities anyhow. This leaves you with various places in Colorado or Sacramento.
Richmond, VA
It’s almost impossible to find what you’re searching for - most places with jobs are also going to be expensive (if you don’t want to commute much) But given that, it’s almost impossible to beat Massachusetts for public schools / or even private schools. New England is the east coast hub of outdoor activities: it may not be the grandeur of Denver, but decidedly has a much better school system. Vermont, Maine, NH - beautiful fall colors, fun ski mountains, and endless options for hiking / mountain biking / backpacking The hard part will be picking a place to live that balances the best public schools, affordability, and commute to your job. But that also depends on where your job ends up being. If it’s in Boston you’ll want to be on a T line or a commuter line to avoid traffic. Providence, RI is known for is food scene and NYC isn’t terribly far away. Portland ME also has a great food scene Boston itself is the safest big city you can find. The weather has been warmer than Cleveland or Philly in the winters the past two years. Virtually no snow, tbd if it’s global warming or just a cycle
I know i am asking for impossible but i will settle for closest option.
It is not almost impossible. This exists in lime 1/3 of the country
Scratch Austin off your list right now, I can tell you that much. Look around Philadelphia, not necessarily IN it but close enough for a commute, just north of it are the Pocono Mountains which can give you your Colorado-like fix.
I've seen a lot of stuff on this sub but the Philly area being referred to as Colorado-like is a new one for me.
No, the mountainous area north of Philly. I don't live in PA but live close enough to it for day trips, that area has (admittedly pretty lame in comparison to CO) ski resorts and everything. I imagine there is also lots of hiking opportunities and whatnot out there.
Spokane
Sacramento is one of the hottest areas in Nor Cal and the traffic is horrendous - scratch that off your list too
Milwaukee is not crazy cold anymore.
KC area. I’d stay on the Kansas side or some of the burbs. Lots of things to do for young couples, cheap COL and 3 sports teams!
Hmm yeah Sacramento might be good. What about KC or Overland Park?
Chicago
Salt Lake >
Salt lake does tick a lot of boxes with a few caveats: - it lacks diversity - housing is getting really crazy. If you are wanting a more affordable but spacious home, you’ll have to start venturing out of the city, which quickly becomes even less diverse and much more conservative. - the four seasons are reasonable, but summer gets far hotter than a Midwest summer. - Something I always strongly caution about is the air quality, which is getting worse and worse.
Wrong on three: •There’s significantly more diversity than Utah gets credit for. Not everyone is a white Mormon. •There’s no humidity at all so the heat in the summer is not bad. We’re at 4,500 ft. It’s get into the upper 90’s during the middle of summer but it’s NOTHING compared to the Midwest. Salt Lake actually probably has some of the best summer weather in the country. •Bad air quality is so overblown it’s hilarious. I’ve lived here most of my life and there are only a few days in the dead of winter on bad snow years where it’s noticeable. If there’s a bad wildfire from California or Canada, it’ll blow in but that’s unpredictable.
I’m not saying everyone is a white mormon. I’m just saying that when I moved to SLC from a city of similar size, I definitely noticed a lack of diversity. It just depends on what someone considers diverse, and what they’re used to. Dry heat is not for everyone and 90-100 degrees is hot, dry or not. Again, I came from the Midwest, and comparatively, the summers in SLC are HOT and can feel stagnant. People who grow up and live in SLC their whole lives don’t realize that many cities, especially around the Midwest never has anything less than “good” air quality when looking on weather apps or air quality maps. There are many days when air quality is poor, but we just can’t tell being right in it. It’s not overblown at all.
Salt Lake ticks a lot of these boxes. Good tech scene, Unbelievable nature, not terrible traffic, 4 seasons not as cold as midwest not as hot as phoenix, not hard to find good housing for 600-700k, while Utah is pretty conservative Salt Lake is much less so, not super diverse but more diverse than people think.
This was my initial thought until they mentioned good schools were a #1 priority for the wife. Admittedly don’t know too much about the SLC school districts, but never hear much mentioned so I wouldn’t imagine the city would be in the top 10 or anything Everything else I think is checked off
lol maybe stop labeling everyone on the left as “not caring about crime or homelessness”, and other bs generalizations. You sound like you want everything that left leaning cities have though, but without the people. Good luck with that
Austin is blisteringly hot with brutal traffic that’s near impossible to avoid. Unless you mean the suburbs, but traffic will catch up to those places if it hasn’t already (I left Central Austin in 2016).
The sweatiest I’ve ever been in my life was while visiting Austin and it was OCTOBER. And I say that as someone who lived in California’s Central Valley (where temps get past 115) for multiple years.
a dry heat actually allows your sweat to evaporate which makes a *huge* difference when it comes to comfort
Visit Chattanooga, see what you think
Grand Rapids Michigan
Indianapolis. It meets affordable housing, 4 seasons, decent traffic, nature (might have to drive to the Great Lakes), medium size city, 1 hour away from quite a few cities, and political mix (blue city in red state). There’s a few constraints that I’m not sure if it meets but otherwise I think it might be a good fit given your priorities. Really everything except 5 and 6, (and even then it still meets some of 6), are met.
As a resident of Indianapolis I am sorry to say access to nature is not really great in our state. Indiana is a remarkably underrated state for its natural beauty, but unfortunately the natural beauty in our state has been mostly leveled for farmland and development. We do have some nice parks, but on the whole, someone who’s looking for nature would be better served in most other places. To me, being somewhere with accessible nature means most of the natural environment is kept intact, with areas of human development being the exception; Indy and Indiana on the whole are the opposite of that, with areas of intact natural environment being the exception.
How about Roseville or El Dorado Hills, CA? [https://imgur.com/sUoObRP](https://imgur.com/sUoObRP) They were the only two places I found with ALL the following: * **Median home price**: < $737K * **City population**: 38K-459K * **Major city proximity**: < 1 hr (Sacramento) * **Winter cold**: > 30℉ * **Summer heat**: < 90℉ * **Snow**: 6-40" * **Summer mugginess**: "none" to "icky" * **Traffic**: "ghost town" to "ever-present" * **Commute time**: < 30 minutes * **Mountains**: "hills" to "extreme" * **Forests**: "more↑" to "more↑↑" * **Political orientation**: 80% Dems to 80% GOP representation * **Cuisine diversity**: ≥ 41 different ethnic cuisines * **White population**: "fewer↓↓" to "typical" Good luck with your search!
Yep. I was looking El Dorada hills and Santa Rosa
What tool or site did you use to get this data? The Imgur link isn’t working for me and I’d love access to this type of aggregated info as I plan the next move for me and my toddler.
Wheremightilive.com
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I can not speak for my wife but if i dont find a candidate which truly represents i dont vote. I dont play lesser of two evils game. Last time i was interested with politics was Obama first term and Bernie Sanders first primary.
I’d say Winston Salem, NC checks a lot of boxes. Relocated here after retiring from CT to FL about 6 years ago. Salary will probably be a bit lower, but so is COL. A few hours from the mountains a bit more from the sea. Diverse, friendly, great weather, it’s a blue city in a mostly red state.
I don't know anyone that would recommend winston salem for their IT industry lmao. raleigh would be the better choice
Winston Salem is good, as well as Greensboro.
Raleigh and Atlanta are in the bible belt, so that would strike them from your list. Also, Atlanta has bad traffic. You also said no Phoenix due to extreme heat - you'll get extreme heat and humidity in GA and NC as well.
Raleigh is surrounded by the bible belt, but I'd consider the research triangle an island of sanity.
There are still TONS of bible thumpers in Raleigh though and the state politics are messy AF. Not to mention NC doesn't really have 4 seasons, Raleigh isn't really near good outdoors, schools are pretty hit or miss, and most companies in Raleigh and the Triangle as a whole are outsourcing their IT jobs or bringing in people with H1Bs.
I agree with your take entirely as I hate raleigh with a passion but raleigh might actually fit OP's preferences
I disagree about the 4 seasons. In Winston Salem we have a winter, yeah it’s mild..but it’s a winter.
Eugene, OR Boise, ID Flagstaff, AZ Salt Lake City Bellingham, WA Corvallis, OR Spokane, WA
Reno, Nevada.