I am hoping for some neat suggestions here. we want to relocate out west and are kind of stumped as which state to move to.

We are looking for :
Not horrible heat (115 UGH)
None-little snow
Low Crime
Up and coming town (prices are inflated yet)
we have no kids and love to hike, bike,etc.

Healthy living ( we are vegan so we need to be by a good organic grocery store)

We will probably rent for a year to make sure we have chosen the right spot.

We are open to California (away from the coast), Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Arizona. Colorado is out, way too much snow for us.

I am hoping for some neat places that we haven't heard of. Your time is appreciated

If I were to move west, it would be to Durango, CO. May be too much snow for you.

SW Colorado has it all! We moved here a year ago and love it! Durango is very expensive, but there are reasonable homes to be had nearby in Mancos, Cortez, Dolores.

The ski resorts {which are much higher altitude} get more snow than the towns. There is not much snow and what falls usually melts in a day.

Let me know if I can answer specific Q's. I can give you names/websites for newspapers, real estate places etc.

Do you need to work? That may make a difference?

Hope this helps...
Debi

Check out Taos New Mexico.Paul

Walla Walla, WA

Max temp in summer- mid 90s, usually

Min temp in winter- WW is in a valley. Low winds, little snow (usually. occasionally we have "bad" winters- meaning that it snows before Christmas, we have more than 4 in at one time, and it sticks for more than a few days.) Rarely falls below freezing.

very little crime- well, lock your car/house up at night, but that's it!

Up and coming- Hugely! New restuarants,revitalizd downtown, historical renovation, all mostly within last decade. No heavy traffic i.e. rush hours. WW is surrounded by wheatfields- but the town itself is flat, green, with many handsome older trees. Not much rain, few major storms, lots of sun during the summer

Healthy living- yes. but it depends- you need to seek it out. Klickers- excellent produce. Andy's Supermarket-No meat products, good vegan resource.

What do you mean by inflation? Locals crab, but homes here are still reasonable compared to Seattle area/CA. Average price of a nice home in a nice neighborhood: 250,000

Hike/Bike- Some AWESOME biking trails around town. WW is app. 5 hours from both Seattle and Portland, and two hours or less from major outdoor rec areas (Northern Idaho, Spokane, mts, Columbia and Snake Rivers.)

Good renting prospects, even better buying/building prospects.

CA will be probably too expensive/hot....in desirable areas, at least.

Nevada, New Mexico, Arizona- obviously it depends where you live but...severe weather pretty common.

Utah- any Utah res here? Correct me if I'm wrong, please.....my previous experiences with Utah has been meat/potatoes, lots of snow, and Mormonism/ ultra-conservativism.....but Utah is gorgous in some places, great for hiking/biking, and probably not too inflated, yet.

Don't think all of Montana gets extreme snow, so you might like it...

I'd definitely recommend looking at eastern WA and Central OR.....possibly more closely at Central OR- many towns would fit your criteria! And also along Columbia River Gorge....

Oh- population of Walla Walla- about 30,000, but that doesn't count outlying areas.

If you want me to go into more detail- please say so I'm tired right now so this is as much as I want to type....

And please tell us more of what you're looking for (what you cannot live with or without!)

Where are you coming from? Is your career a concern? Are you dog people? Coast or inland people? Could you live in a tiny town or do you need basic comforts- WalMart and Starbucks? Could you live in a college town? Do you need nightlife? What do you consider scenic? etc., etc.

Good luck!

I'm not sure you'll find anyplace that hasn't been discovered price wise, but you pretty much described the Rogue Valley of Southern Oregon.
The no snow part, yet having a ski area above the Valley is really enjoyable. Lots of Organic/Vegan Food and Hiking and Biking. Little crime relative to a large city.
Check out Ashland, Grants Pass & Medford, and several smaller towns in between those 3 larger places.
http://www.southernoregon.org

You may want to consider Santa Fe, NM or somewhere close by for more affordable housing. Santa Fe has 3 or 4 natural health food stores and lots of good vegan items on the menus at most restaurants. (I am mostly vegan, but sometimes eat cheese.) They also have a great farmer's market with lots of good organic produce.

The temps are not as extreme as the rest of the southwest with a little snow in the winter - lots more by the ski area obviously. (heck, it's been cooler in Santa Fe than it has been here in West Michigan this summer!) Santa Fe has a lot to offer as far as culture and nightlife, but also has some crime - mostly break-ins. But if you live just outside of the city, I don't believe it's as much of a problem. Taos, to the north, is another good option.

Where do you live now?

LOL, travel Addict. Santa Fe/ Taos DOES make the Rogue Valley seem affordable.
Meant to add these links:
http://www.ashlandfood.coop/
http://www.atasteofashland.com/

bbqboy - Santa Fe & Taos both offer affordable housing - believe it or not. Obviously, a house on the side of a mountain, with land, or near the historic areas would be expensive, but outside of that, there are many affordable houses and rentals. At first I thought it was 'out of my reach' price-wise too, but now I am finding lots of good options, and in good areas. (However, I will admit my dream of living near the historic east side has been severely shattered...)

Wow, great input! Thanks! Here is some more info you asked for.....

<<Where are you coming from?>> Ohio << Is your career a concern?>> Yep, we will both still be working. 2 Pharmacists << Are you dog people?>> Yep we sure are. We are bringing our 2 Huskies with us. << Coast or inland people?>> Well, Coastal BUT all the talk of hurricanse and earth quakes has us thinking of moving inland.<< Could you live in a tiny town or do you need basic comforts- WalMart and Starbucks?>> I can live in a tiny town but not one that eveyone is all nosey and wants to know your business. << Could you live in a college town?>> No college town.<< Do you need nightlife?>> LOL Nope, none needed here. Our idea of night life is going to Borders after 7pm . << What do you consider scenic? >> Sedona is scenic, Hawaii is Very Scenic. The only thing we just don't want to have to deal with is crime, traffic and snow...Now snow.

Thanks to everyone.

PS. opps I meant NO snow! LOL BTW Sperlins says that Durango gets 66" of snow and Taos gets 73".

Yep, the high desert DOES get snow. Still, would be my first choice.

Alb. gets snow. I don't know where you are going to go "out west" that doesn't get snow. Tucson?

Santa Fe, Taos gets a lot of snow....Taos Ski Valley, etc. Also, north of PHX in Az. Not Sedona proper but around that area, Prescott, Jenner (?), I know Flagstaff gets some snow also. Where in Ohio ? Since I am a native also.

Our idea of night life is going to Borders after 7pm .

LOL! Me too...

So to add on- DEFINITELY look at Central/southern Oregon or Columbia River Gorge. Sounds perfect for you. The coast may be even better, if you bargain hunt- OR coast is beautiful- very dramatically scenic and did you know- Oregon state beaches are the only US beaches that allow dogs off leash, everywhere, all year round? Well trained, friendly dogs at least- your huskies would love there! Look at Newport or small towns like Manzanita....and you don't need to worry about hurricanes or earthquakes on the OR or WA coasts- just rain

Since you're coming from Ohio- expect sticker shock here in the west. Extreme sticker shock in the cases of Seattle, WA and CA. But maybe since you're pharmacists, money won't be a huge issue, just finding a job.

And again look at Walla Walla, esp. if you're serious about owning a house. And WW (most of PNW, actually) is very dog friendly. Only negative aspect- WW's very pleasant, but probably not "scenic". Good job market too- although, if you both have to work, you may need to live near an urban area

You really need to road trip out here and see

Best of luck!!

You know, Prescott AZ might be someplace to check out. My brother has lived in Prescott Valley for over 20 years, and I don't think they get any snow to speak of. The town is charming and has a nice central square.

And Tucson gets HOT....or so a former HS classmate tells me...

Starrsville- most of the coast areas don't get snow....same w/ se alaska

As well as lower elevations- Pullman vs. Walla Walla WA, for example. Pullman actually got 2/3 weeks of snow/ice last winter- Walla Walla got approximately 3 days, maybe more like three hours <rolls eyes>

moosey, I know, but those weren't in the OP's list. But, then again, neither was my suggestion of Durango

I have friends who live in Wash and Oregon and love it - and I have friends who just couldn't handle all the "liquid sunshine".

I cooked a traditional southern Thanksgiving meal in Juneau one year - and then took the ferry and Alcan to the Yukon territory. Juneau was warmer that winter than Dallas or Atlanta all year. Other than cheap flights to "outside", predominantly Hawaii, I don't think I could handle the isolation of SE Alaska. Although it is beautiful, I'm not an "island" kind of person - no matter the climate.

It will be interesting to see what strikes the OP's fancy. Lots of good options!

Yep.....but her main preference seems to be out west Such a vast amount of territory.....and she wants places they haven't heard of <giggle>

I must again suggest SW Colorado. It is high desert which means that it can be in mid 90's in summer but temps drop 30+ degrees at night. It is sunny with blue skies and no humidity.

In the winter, the temps can be low [no lower than Ohio for sure] but with sunny skies, it feels much warmer.

Snow seems to be a concern. Yes in the higher elevations, snow happens. But as mentioned in earlier post...much less in town and it doesn't stick around. Last winter we had only 1 measurable snow [under 10"]. Not a typical winter but 66" in town is not that common.

Durango is expensive, as is Telluride.
The other towns I mentioned are between the 2 both geographically and price wise.

We DESPERATELY need pharmacists here in Cortez area. They are so short staffed, the hospital pharmacists work part time in retail pharmacies. And we have a new WalGreen opening soon - how they will staff that is anyone's guess. The pay here is less I'm sure than what you are used to, but the cost of living is too.

Hike, bike, water sports, healthy living with organic stores a plenty.

You dogs will love the open spaces and pets are very well accepted.

We don't have a coast but we have great rivers and lakes. We have all the shops you need locally and a trip into Durango takes 45 minutes and there are lots more shops there. We have almost all independently owned shops here {bookstore, coffee place, hardware, nursery etc}

No traffic to talk of, low crime too.

This area is just starting to take off and the housing is still reasonable with homes available with acreage. We live less than 10 minutes from Cortez and have 5 acres with property tax of less than $900 a year.


We have a terrific new Recreation center, a great hospital with terrific Dr's, wonderful parks, tons of outdoor actitivies, a great library....
Here is a link to the town...

http://www.cityofcortez.com/

Hope this helps...
Debi

my very active retired aunt and uncle just bought a house in montrose, co. they say it is wonderful, with decent house prices (compared to surrounding area and the northeast) and a great area.