Help or advice on relocation - please
 

I know everyone hates relocation questions but maybe you can direct me to a source where those questions are acceptable. I would love to get advice and insight on several different places from people who live/have lived there. If not Fodor's then where?

Don't be shy.<BR><BR>Post your question. You may get a few responses questioning the legitimacy of your question, but you'll probably hear from others who are happy to offer their opinions and insights.<BR><BR>On this board, as it is everywhere I guess, you have to take the good with the bad.<BR><BR>Besides, those who hate relocation questions can simply ignore the post.

Chuck, what a kind response. Good man!

Yes, Chuck thank you so much.<BR><BR>We are a couple (early 30's), no children, and currently in Portland, OR. We love the weather here and do not like extreme heat. We feel Portland is growing bigger and more expensive and we are getting to the stage where we want to buy a home and start a family. <BR><BR>We are considering:<BR>Wisconsin<BR>Portland, Maine<BR>Vermont<BR>Flagstaff, AZ (we have family in Phx but hate it)<BR>Michigan (not Detroit)<BR><BR>We like the idea of living close to a big city but not suberbs. Portland is the smallest city we have lived. Thinking maybe a town with a college would be good so there will still be stuff to do. <BR><BR>Any comments on these places or suggestions on something we may not have thought of would be very much appreciated. <BR><BR>Thank you!<BR>

Bindy,<BR><BR>this probably won't be much help, since I have yet to visit any of the states you mentioned!<BR><BR>But for a place to raise a family with smaller (possibly college) towns, you may want to consider North Carolina. Now, I admit I am biased--I was raised in NC. The population centers are: Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill (distinct cities, but considered a metro area); Charlotte; and Greensboro/High Point/ Winston-Salem.<BR><BR>I would recommend for consideration Chapel Hill, Greensboro, Winston-Salem or Charlotte. All have colleges. As to climate, all are roughly the same--four distinct seasons, not much snowfall. Summers are fairly hot and humid, but we like to complain about them, so objectively it's not that bad. You'll see some 90 degree plus weather in July and August primarily. But the Fall and Spring are awesome (and Winter is mild).<BR><BR>Finally, NC is actively trying to improve its K-12 public education--and it can't be that bad anyway; look at me!<BR>The real education plus is a great network of public universities (at least 12 or so), led (I hate to say it) by UNC-Chapel Hill. All of the universities are decent and cheap for NC residents.<BR><BR>Maybe you should visit. All three areas have airports, and you can drive between them very easily on interstate highways (Raleigh to Charlotte, the longest leg is probably no more than 3.5 hours).<BR><BR>Good luck!

Bindy: Consider the state of Colorado.

How about Duluth, Minnesota? It's smaller than Portland, but would be a great place to raise kids, if you can handle the chilly winters. Duluth is right on Lake Superior, so it's cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter than the rest of the area due to lake effect. It has the University of MN - Duluth as well as St. Scholastica (a small private college). It is kind of a twin city with Superior, WI, which also has a university. Duluth has an orchestra, an opera and lots of local arts. Northern MN and Wisconsin are filled w/ recreation opportunities. Minneapolis/St. Paul are an easy three-hour drive. My parents live in Duluth now and love it (my grandparents lived there, so I spent lots of time there as a kid). It's got a good small-town (but not too small) feel to it.<BR><BR>If you want something bigger, consider Minneapolis/St. Paul. I lived there for 9 years and found it very nice.<BR><BR>Good luck with your search!

It appears each of the places you listed is quite cold and has long hard winters. (Wisconsin and the upper pen of Michigan can be particularly brutal). If you like the climate of Portland, Oregon, these would not be the places to. Based on your requirements it would be somewhere in west you would want to go. I personally like warm climates and hate snow (Ilive in Gainesville, FL) so I would wouldn't like it out west but you might. I understand what you mean about "small" "city" though that is why we love Gainseville so much! I have a friend who lives in Pueblo Colorado and loves it. It is a smaller city and gets less snow than the are in the mountains and a great deal of sunshine without the heat and humidity of Fl. I would look into it if I were you. Not too far from the bustle of Denver either if you need to get to a larger city.

My word, what do you think any of those places will offer you that you can't already find in Portland? If you want to be in a college town, then head on down to Eugene! Housing in Burlington, VT, or Portland, ME, is no cheaper than the Portland suburbs, may even be more expensive if you want to a single family home close in town. Why not go to Vancouver, WA? Plenty of nice housing in the Cascade Park area. If you wanted to live life out in the country, then Vermont would make sense, but you don't sound like you're interested in a rural living experience. None of the possible destinations you've listed would offer a quality of life better than Portland already does.

I was going to suggest Burlington Vermont, but as the poster above mentioned I'm unsure its that much cheaper than Portland, Or. It is cheaper, according to my friends in Portland, OR, but the weather will also be colder.<BR>

Fort Collins, Colorado. I grew up here-went off to college and subsequently lived in Texas and California. Once my husband and I got to the point of wanting to "settle down" and buy a house, have kids--Fort Collins was the first place I thought of and we LOVE it.

Thank you everyone for your help.<BR><BR>We had considered North Carolina. I thought it may be too warm in the summer. See, this is why I wanted feedback - you can only get so much from a book!<BR><BR>Duluth sounds interesting and I don't think we could have found that one on our own. It is going on our list for further research, thank you. <BR><BR>We do love the rain here in Portland but hate the summer. It gets into the 90's and most homes and apartments have no a/c so the evenings can be unbearable. We do not think we would mind the snow though, we both love the cold. Unfortunately, Vancouver, WA is out for us as well. This area is growing so much so quickly, we feel in 5 years it will be a huge metro sprawl. We are really looking for something smaller, less traffic, more personable. <BR><BR>I know that Maine and Vermont probably have higher housing rates but we realize we can not have it all.<BR><BR>We toured Colorado in September and we found it beautiful. Somehow, it didn't call out to us. I'm not sure if it was the place or our state of mind. We were on the road 9/11 and it understandably soured our trip. <BR><BR>Thank you everyone for your help. If you can think of anything else that would be great.

Bindy, you love the rain in Portland? You're a unique! <BR><BR>And you dislike the summer heat? Our dry heat? You're going to have to go farther north than Duluth Minnesota to avoid the heat, if you can't take our dry heat in the summer in Portland. It's close to Portland in the summer, but is slightly warmer there.<BR><BR>Here are some stats: Hottest months in Duluth and Portland, July and August. July, Duluth ave high 81.8; low 60.6. Portland ave high 78.9, low 57.3. August, Duluth ave high 79, low 58.2. Portland ave high 79.1, low 57.9. <BR><BR>And, as for winter. You don't mind the snow? Try the bitter cold. January, coldest month in both cities. Duluth, average high 18.6, low -1.1. Portland, ave high 45.5, low 36.7. <BR><BR>You'd better do some serious research before leaving if you're picky about weather, especially if you "love" the rain!