Best place to live?

[mgroeger]

I’m looking for the best place to move my family...
Needs:
Trails (with rocks) for Jeeps, mountain bikes, and hiking.
Clean, clear lakes and rivers for swimming and kayaking.
Snow to snowboard/ski.
Enough sun and warmth but not humidity.
Trees.
Actual mountains.
...I’ve lived all over but haven’t found that forever place.
Maybe, I’m just a gypsy.

We are in the same boat.

Moab is the first choice but unless you are rich forget it. We spent time there last summer and again this winter to see how the climate was. Talked to locals and a developer and he said the reality is Spanish Valley is where growth will be for Moab region. There will be more affordable housing out there as well as Wally World, Home Depot, etc... So in the next 10 to 12 years that will be the living region for Moab.
We checked out Monticello and Blanding and were not impressed. If had to choose I'd go with Blanding.
While out there we decided to hit St. George and we were blown away, lot's of sun, off road trails, Sand Hallow Park, Cedar City is 45 mins away up in the Mountains for a little summer get away, Zion is 45 mins away and Moab is only 5 hours.
Housing was very affordable and within 15 mins you were out of the city into the great outdoors.

We drove through Veil and Silverthorne CO and were blown away but cost of living is nuts there. We loved Ouray but it can get humidity spikes there.

I can tell you that even the mountains of NC are humid in the summer all be it less than the Raleigh area. Also TN is going to be humid. Sounds like you are looking for high desert and that's why southern UT works.

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[GGolds]

I'd say one of the four corner states if the other areas mentioned aren't feasible. Just stay far away from Connecticut, this place is horrible...

Connecticut is an amazing place with just about everything you could want - history, culture, music, talent, convenience to NY and Boston. Massive amounts of hiking trails, fishing, beautiful places to day trip. Unfortunately high taxes and a tax you to death governor makes it a bit pricey. Some towns are not high in taxes at all, others are insane. Overall, I wouldn't want to be anywhere else.

 

[TreyD]

We moved to East Tennessee (Knoxville area) about 7 years ago and absolutely love it. Make way more money here, cost of living is great, mountains, lakes, and the biggest privately owned offroad Park (windrock park, 77k acres) at your door step.

 

[HDinkH]

Definitely not Northern Virginia. All concrete and people everywhere. I pay to park everywhere (Costco, Mall, Grocery store), pay to drive on the highway (unless I want to sit in traffic), liberal, crazy laws, anti gun, sirens every night, I go through metal detectors two or three times a day, etc..... sorry - I had to vent. I feel better now....thanks....(I miss Georgia).....

Right there with ya, John. I can walk to 495 from my house but probably wouldn’t make it because of the drivers up here.

 

[Mtrctylarry]

You should seriously consider Reno, NV. It checks every one of your boxes and also has the benefit of no state income tax.

Reno seems to have this bad reputation from years of bad publicity, and shows like Reno 911 didn’t help. When my son was looking at schools, UNR was his choice (snowboarding was a huge consideration for where he went to school). My wife and I were surprised when we visited as it’s a beautiful area. If you like the outdoors, it has everything you want. We were there once in April and skied for 4 days and then kayaked and hiked in shorts for 3 days; all in the same week.

We just moved out of GA (could not get out of there fast enough.... though it took 6 long years) and are back in the southwest. Reno is one of the top areas we’re considering for retirement in a few years for many of the exact needs you listed.

Before you choose anyplace, consider renting a home for 2 weeks so you get a better sense of what it’s like to live there. Talk to the locals and consider all the good and bad they tell you. Good luck.

How is the Health Care situation in Reno?

 

[HardSell]

While out there we decided to hit St. George and we were blown away,

Could see nukes from St. George being set off over in Nevada in the early 50s.

 

[Dkretden]

“Front Range”, Boulder to Denver to Colorado Springs. Take your pick. Just don’t buy the place I want.

 

[RagTopDeluxe]

What an interesting thread—love all the feedback on various areas. Hubby and I are thinking about where to live in retirement. My daughter moved to Long Beach for a boy(!) and they’re getting married latter this year. That frees us up to move anywhere. I would love a place with fewer people and the less cameras everywhere, the better. My big requirement is proximity to an airport.

If you are willing to move North of the border, Vancouver's (or BC in general) got it all.
In fact, during certain months, you can enjoy both water sports and snow sports at the same time.

Vancouver, BC is beautiful, thanks for sharing the photos. We’ve thought about Vancouver as a possibility. My father was Canadian so I can process paperwork to make my Canadian citizenship recognized. I’ve looked into it, but haven’t started the process yet. I have family in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Ontario,

Plus 1. Walla Walla, where you live, is beautiful, close to incredible nature, still reasonably affordable, and chock full of world class wineries. Seriously on the wine - Napa and Sonoma good at half the price.

You had me at wine! This area will definitely go on our list to took at.

 

[Chaosmtb]

Interesting I haven’t heard anything about the live free or die state of NH in here,I love visiting there, but my visits are short and mainly for dh Mtb at highland, haven’t looked specifically for off-roading, spoke to someone who was a nomad and settled there for his kids and we had similar interests. I had a couple run ins w “the law” but each time was pleasant and no money grabs unlike ny where I reside, I’m pretty anchored here but highly consider it, or Utah, maybe the nh’ers are keeping it secret? Haha

 

[HardSell]

Vancouver is not like rest of Canada.

.....and North Vancouver is not like the rest of Vancouver. They stay in droves there. No one's left in a 100 years. Loveliest little working class area I've ever visited...ever!

 

[HardSell]

Vancouver, BC is beautiful, thanks for sharing the photos

Do you have any photos of East Hastings street?

 

[USAFREODRetired]

Absolutely AGREE!... but, I miss Michigan!

+2 for MI (Northern Michigan, but I grew up a troll just south of the bridge.) BTW - "All Summer Long", Kid Rock wasn't wrong...

Escaped NoVA for a few years, first a brief assignment in C'ville not far from the southern entrance of the Shenandoah National Park - came really close to being a fantastic place to plant yourself. They even used to hold the big East Camp Jeep just across in Nelson County (fictional home of the Waltons) with lots of breweries, vineyards, and now distilleries. Unfortunately, many of the trails we used to ride in our Jeeps have been closed off (Crabtree Falls area, ARGH!) and the peoples keep flooding in. I-64 can be a parking lot. Forget about trying to get camping up in Sherando during peak season.

Then we went overseas for four years, and when coming back landed on that NCR flypaper again, stuck back in NoVA once more.

My first assignment in the USAF was Lowry AFB in Denver back in the late 80s. Been trying to get assigned back to CO ever since. I've seen CO change so much over the decades, but the Front Range is still my ultimate destination.

 

[Scenic Route]

Grand Junction, Colorado is a great place if you like Jeeping. We're 1.5 hours from Moad and 1.5 hours from Ouray/San Juan Mountains, and the Grand Mesa is only 45 minutes away. Big enough to have things to do without being a big city.

https://www.visitgrandjunction.com/...BMKRKyWEbOXCA8E2jI0rzyJZajG3XOuoaAk5tEALw_wcB

 

[Arterius2]

Do you have any photos of East Hastings street?

Depending on when you've visited it last, I don't think East Hasting has changed much, if not worse.

 

[HardSell]

Grand Junction, Colorado is a great place

It is! Lived there in the early '50s when a kid. Declined during the '90s, but since then exceptionally thoughtful vision has restored all the positives. Eastern slopers and Fornians may ruin it as they are relocating to ruin Montrose. Salida was the last to succumb on the East slope.

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