Best Affordable Downtowns in the West US
 

Hi, and thanks in advance for any help.

My fiance have been living in Omaha for the last couple years, and would love to return to the Western US (ex; anywhere from the Front Range of Colorado to the Pacific). We in particular are fond of the place we both went to college, San Luis Obispo, because we fell in love with it's remarkable downtown.

Unfortunately, we're not rich so there's not much hope of moving back to S.L.O. Ideally we'd like to find another city in the west that we could relocate to that has a nice, walkable downtown... but one that is relatively affordable to live in.

Does anyone have any ideas?

I'm not sure what you mean by affordable. Sacramento is affordable - compared to other cities in California - and it has a nice downtown where you can walk (or bike) but I'm sure it must be much more expensive than non-California western cities.

It's also about 94 degrees as I type this, but Omaha gets hot in the summer, too.

Portland but "affordable" is relative. How large of a downtown do you desire and what's your budget? You will find cheaper downtowns than Portland's but they will be somewhat smaller.

Don't even think about downtown Seattle unless you are willing to pop for half a mil and up.

I'm definitely thinking smaller towns - most likely not in California.

Something along the lines of Bellingham, WA perhaps. (I'm guessing...never been there).

My budget would be somewhere that I could get a 'nice' 3 bedroom 2 bathroom for 300k or under.

if youre looking for affordability between the rockies and the west coast, my instinct would tell me to stay away from the west coast.

wyoming, nevada, montana, even new mexico are relatively affordable. expensive would be key areas in cali, colorado, & utah

I love SLO (DH and DD went to Cal Poly there), and as a native Californian I can't find a comparable yet affordable place/ downtown here. You probably would have better luck in Oregon

You might like Olympia, WA. It has a more thriving downtown than Bellingham, and better weather. Much of the year there is a delightful farmers' market underway. It has a good cultural life and it is well situated for a variety of outdoor activities.

Are employment considerations important?

Thanks for the suggestion happytrails, Olympia sounds great. I'm planning a trip to the Pacific NW to scout out Oregon and Washington, and I'll definitely put it on the list of places to visit.

To answer your question, employment is not a major worry. I telecommute to my job in Dublin, CA, and my fiance is a pharmacist.

Any more suggestions?

In Washington, you want to be west of the Cascades because winters are severe in the Eastern part of the State (Yakima and Wenatchee, for instance, which also don't have interestng downtowns).

In Oregon, you would want to be on the I-5 corridor--Eugene, perhaps.

I don't know the cost of homes in any of these towns.

Is it important that you are within a hour or so of a large city--such as Seattle?

I wonder if Ventura, CA, is in your price range. It has a very walkable downtown and a fabulous location on the ocean and near Santa Barbara.

Eugene does sound very interesting, I will be sure to check it out. Can you tell me any more about it?

It is not terribly important to be within close range of a big city, so small out-of-the-way towns would be okay.

Ventura, unfortunately, is out of our price range. (Much to the disappointment of my fiance, who grew up about a half hour away in Ojai). From what I've heard they've really turned Ventura around from what it was 10 years before.

Thanks for your input happytrails!

Since a small out-of-the-way town is o.k. with you, check out Port Townsend. It has a charming downtown and much less rain than most places in Washington State--it's in a "rain shadow."

(You can compare average weather in two places at www.weather.com. Select the "Plan Ahead" option and then "Vacation & Travel Planner".)

For a more urban and big-city vibe, downtown Tacoma has come light years. Big branch of the UofW in restored buildings, great waterfront walks, the Museum of Glass and State Historical Museum, plenty of cafes, bars, restaurants, and good local transit. Lots of turn-of-the-(20th)-Century buildings rehabbed into condos and flats.

If interested in Bellingham, look at the Fairhaven historic district (near the Alaska ferry and WWU) - very nice ambiance.

If you want to be near SLO, but in a more affordable spot, Paso Robles in a good alternative. And only a half hour drive to SLO. It has a nice walkable downtown and town square/ park. A little hot in summer though.

You might also try some of the non-ski resort mountain towns in Colorado. One that comes immediately to my mind is Georgetown, about 50 miles west of Denver. Another that I like a lot is Durango. Both are charming and affordable, at least compared to the Aspens, Vails, Tellurides, etc. It's been awhile since I knew anything about their real estate prices but I would guess they'd be about the same as Olympia's.

Corvallis, Oregon
Eugene, Oregon
Olympia, WA
Tacoma, WA (parts of)

I also wanted to add Auburn, CA. Very nice and only a 2 hour drive (in nice weather) to Tahoe.

These are all great suggestions-just what I was looking for, thanks everyone!