thursdaysd

"If you didn't require warm weather..."

After too many years in NC, where the summers are too hot, too humid, and too mosquito-ridden for me, I'm seriously considering Portland or Seattle (if I don't move back to the UK). Actually, I think there may be a west coast conspiracy to pretend that the weather is bad there, it was delightful when I visited last spring, and when a friend visited this fall.

JanetKMR

Aside from the liberal aspect, I would suggest Charleston, SC. My SD & SIL just moved there largely because of some of the things you mention and they have friends moving there as well.

I have only visited once, but it is a special place and by all appearances a good place for a young family.

Christina

I've lived in several places like that, and of course I think much of the West Coast fits that bill except for weather when you get up north or cost of living in many cities in California.

Right now I live in a place like that, a suburb of Washington DC which is very liberal, and our weather really is pretty moderate now with global warming. It only usually snows a couple times a year now, but it can be in the 30s in winter in daytime. If that isn't good enough weather, you'd have to do the south but the places I know aren't that cheap and some of the desires are fairly contradictory (eg low cost of living, low consumerism, but great job opportunities and great schools).

Even if you live in one neighborhood that is liberal, I wouldn't want to live in a very conservative, Republican state like Texas as you are going to be affected by the governor and everyone else. I know people in San Antonio, and there are tons of retired military there and a lot of the area is not liberal, at least in the suburbs, I thought. The current mayor is just one point, doesn't change the whole city nor the city council (eg, Elisa Chan). Well, maybe it's for you, but I would never live in Texas which has people like Rick Perry for governor and Ted Cruz as a senator. Both senators are Republicans.

Gretchen

Tea Partiers, not Republicans.

tomfuller

Brookings Oregon has most of what you want. Some Oregonians call it the "Banana Belt of Oregon".
The warmest of the "liberal" (Democratic voting) states would be New Mexico.

Leely2

Agree with Michael. Housing is expensive in SF but otherwise this place ticks all your boxes. Many (not all, unfortunately) of the public schools in the city are excellent, too, so no need to spend on private schools. Berkeley would work as well. And Albany, Ca, directly north of Berkeley.

SusieQQ

Although I've never lived in SF, every time I've been there the weather has been horrible. Cold and dark! I had a friend who lived there who told me that she never put away her winter coat...am I wrong?

Michael

I had a friend who lived there who told me that she never put away her winter coat...am I wrong?

Yes. In fact, the weather can be wonderfully clear between winter rain storms, although these occur less and less frenquently. It obviously does not get as dark as in the higher latitudes which include NYC and north, or Portland, OR and north.

janisj

>>every time I've been there the weather has been horrible.

nanabee

Rovertd: >>Give up the criteria that your hometown be warm most of the year and suddenly you will have so much more to choose from, I wish I had done it so many years ago.>>

I think Rovertd's advice is perfect. I would be careful about living in the south if you want a more liberal atmosphere.

Again if you could consider a non - sunny climate you'd find everything on your list in Portland, Ore. It's a wonderfully liberal place to live with an emphasis on the environment, lots of great restaurants, a cool vibe, people involved in outside activities like biking to work & school, skiing at Mt. Hood, fishing, camping on the Colombia River Gorge, etc.

You can find beautiful homes for reasonable prices, almost all restaurants, coffee shops, cafes, etc are conscious of using organic produce from local farms, etc. There is a culture of local shops with mom & pop owners who take pride in the produce, food, goods they produce. It has a great art and music scene as well.

If Portland sounds like New England it is - except less traditional.

Have you ever been to San Diego? There are a number of communities that would match your desires as well as perfect weather year round. You have the Pacific Ocean, then an hours + drive away you have ski resorts up in Big Bear, or mountains in Julian, and over the mountains you have the desert, not to mention Mexico just across the border.

Michael

to get into the property market in any decent neighborhood, a large-ish family home would require north of 7 figures.

In our neighborhood, a 2 bedroom 900 sq. ft. house that must be completely renovated--i.e. torn down to the utmost allowable--will sell for $900,000 or more. Housing costs in SF are crazy, and some areas are worse than others. Berkeley is generally cheaper than SF.

nanabee

Any desirable metro area in California will be like that Michael. I know from San Diego up the coast to Orange County, into the L.A. area and continuing to Ventura, Santa Barbara, and into the Bay area you'll see home prices starting in the millions (sometimes that's for a fixer upper).

mlgb

San Diego tends to be quite conservative and there are not many "diverse" neighborhoods. The wealthy try to segregate themselves from the poor and the Mexicans, either by living in expensive coastal communities with small homes, not great for growing families, or in the suburbs like Del Mar Highlands.

I would not describe it as liberal or low consumerism.

Los Angeles County is liberal, warm, diverse, & near nature (stereoptypes not withstanding). However the combination of good schools and low prices tends to be difficult.

Depending on what you consider an acceptable price for housing, some of the South Bay communities like Manhattan Beach or Torrance, South Pasadena, or even parts of Long Beach where I live (California Heights). As mentioned above, especially by the coast there are low utility bills and farmers markets are not restricted to yuppie neighborhoods.

spirobulldog

Maybe just google Top Places to Live.

Well off, low cost of living, pride of education. Usually, you won't find those three together in the same mix.

Dukey1

You know a lot depends on YOUR definition of "low cost of living"...for example, we lived in Arlington, VA, for more than 40 years. It is about as "liberal" as it gets and the school system is excellent. Whether anybody likes it or not, the education levels inside the Beltway are some of the highest in the nation. Notice I did not say the "common sense" levels.

You do have to pay local income taxes in that area and for example, Virginia's (we looked at moving to California at one point) are about half of California's. OTOH where we now live (South Florida) the property taxes are enormously higher than they are in the DC Metro area.

I am not advocating for anywhere and I agree you are probably going to have to compromise but there's living in some so-called "liberal enclave" surrounded by a bunch of a lot-less-than-liberal communities and then there's living in a liberal state (you think the entirety of California is "liberal?' Think AGAIN.

Other things: define "close by" and what that "nature" consists of. The mountains? the ocean? national parks? within a day's drive? further?

"Diverse culture?"

I think some clarification is seriously needed.

mlgb

You think the entire state of Virginia is liberal? Or the entire state of Florida? Or even the entire state of New York?

Of course not, but at least we have Governor Moonbeam and Kamala Harris.

cferrb

Come on over to Culver City, CA. It's the LA metro area but has its own schools. Lovely little downtown, solidly Democratic, diverse, great weather, close to the beach, nice parks and all of the benefits of LA at its doorstep. Traffic stinks, but otherwise it's pretty great.

Fra_Diavolo

I think it reprehensible that at your tender age you are seeking warm climates. Leave that for your eighties, or at least seventies. Buck up! New England is where you want to be.

Underhill

Northern Virginia might suit you.

jette

Other than the snow, although they get more days of sun that Palm Springs and the cost of living, you've described Boulder CO.