I'm thinking of moving

[Isaac]

So after ~20 years in Phoenix, we're starting to think of moving to a place that's:
1) more scenic, in terms of deciduous forest and non-desert type beauty
2) has waterways, green grass and trees, and maybe even an ocean Coast
3) isn't too much more humid than AZ - somewhat is OK/expected, but we don't want to move to 'full' humidity
4) is cooler than Phoenix by at least ~14-15 degrees, which Albuquerque just barely accomplishes
5) is affordable
6) maybe has winter, but not a super long / cold one

We've ruled out Nevada due to being too much like AZ. Ruled out Colorado as having too hard of a winter. Ruled out southern California for being expensive and a bit too much, culturally speaking. Still pondering Oregon and Washington, I know I'll have a lot more humidity, but the in-between climate is appealing to me. (ruled out the major cities like Seattle and Portland for mostly-obvious reasons, but considering the smaller cities in either).

It would be nice to land on a coast, if possible, without paying too much - or within an hour.

I'm trying to figure out what Northern California is all about. You just don't hear much about it. I look on the map and the whole northern half seems abandoned by any sizeable cities to speak of. What is it like to live in the northern half of CA - excluding Sacramento and San Francisco ??

Place we are considering strongly enough to go take a trip there and check them out - Rio Rancho NM (greater Albuquerque), and Boise ID (my idea as I know a lot of tech jobs there).

For the most part, employment isn't an issue as I work from home......But it would worry us to end up in a REALLY small town, in case I ever have to look for an in person job.

Does anyone have ideas and insights - about anything, or northern CA ? I'm always interested in people's perspectives about cultural, political, or any other ramification of living somewhere. For example my brother lives close to Portland, and he confirmed it's everything it's known for, both good and bad.
I'm bit scared of moving to CA, which my wife wants, because I feel like we would encounter too many troublesome things that just make life more complicated there. We did live in San Diego for a year and I remember finding out there was no walmart supercenters there, we had to drive to El Cajon just to get ground turkey. I remember thinking this is just one small thing yet it's rocking my world........LOL

Edit - also it needs to be in the western half of the US as the eastern half is too fraught with natural disasters in the S and winter in the N

 

[Steve R.]

We've ruled out Nevada due to being too much like AZ.

Really???? We used to live in Ely, NV. Great place. Does get a bit chilly in winter. Though its been a while since we lived there, it appears, in terms of politics, both Reno and Las Vegas tilt the state towards the Democratic party because of all the California imports (who don't leave their culture behind) and the unions providing tourist services.

I'm trying to figure out what Northern California is all about. You just don't hear much about it. I look on the map and the whole northern half seems abandoned by any sizeable cities to speak of. What is it like to live in the northern half of CA - excluding Sacramento and San Francisco ??

Can't really answer that. We haven been in that area for many years. We were passing through California at the time California became a state. We have visited Eureka, CA and Crescent City, CA. We have enjoyed living in small rural towns.

Good luck with your search.

 

[Isaac]

Well ... are there places in NV that have regular trees, green grass naturally growing, rivers/lakes/streams, and rains sometimes?
It could be my ignorance of the place guiding me on that one, I just had the impression it was like another take on AZ basically..

 

[Steve R.]

Well ... are there places in NV that have regular trees, green grass naturally growing, rivers/lakes/streams, and rains sometimes?
It could be my ignorance of the place guiding me on that one, I just had the impression it was like another take on AZ basically..

Not quite. It is a high desert environment in the area around Ely. There are a lot of Pinyon Pine, Juniper, and Pine Trees on the sides of mountains reaching into the upper elevations. The valley floors contain a sage brush and rabbit brush. Much like what you would see in Albuquerque.

Great Basin Desert - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Mark_]

For "Northern California", I'd be looking north of the central valley unless you have no allergy issues. Anything in the valley is surrounded by agriculture.

I'd suggest going someplace like Redding to see if you like the area. Talk to the locals about the good AND bad. Biggest issues is wildfires.

 

[pbaldy]

I have in-laws that live in Redding. It can get pretty toasty there, though I'm not sure how it compares to AZ. Definitely gets into the 100s. I'd consider getting a little higher, either on the Sierra Nevada side or the Coast Range side. Maybe even north towards Shasta. The income taxes would keep me away from CA though; perhaps I've been spoiled by not having any.