I have to agree. I love Colorado but too much unhappy memories otherwise it would be a tie or maybe even higher than Cali on my list.
I know Texas is not on the list of most scenic , but I love Texas for many reasons. It is the best state to raise the family.
He did say 5 miles....those temps are way further than 5 miles between each report. Inland and coast are actually close in temp dude to being the closest distance. But mountain and desert are what, at the very least 2 hours out.
I see this from a lot of the replies. Im sorry I disagree. Very much. Not saying I dislike Tx but after 7 years Im ready to move. If you are not white you will meet those who dont like you for not being so. In fact I would as far to say if you are a minority Tx is one of the worse places to raise a family. Cali doesnt frown upon that and actually encourages biracial couples. The only problem is it is a rich state. Tx, one of the reason I moved down here after getting out of the Navy was because of the cost of living. I see so much **** that I do not want my kids exposed to.
I love Washington and Oregon... but also recognize the 7-9 months of grey could get tiresome. Of course, you could pull a rimrocker and live in some real small town that isn't so PNW-y on the weather front. But then, you're trading natural beauty for urban amenities. To me, some combination of the two is best. Whether that means a 90 minute drive to a larger city (eg Boulder). Or a "larger" city that is itself a natural beauty (eg Seattle). Seattle (as a city) would win hands for me but for the weather. So that moves Washington/Oregon down a bit for me. Colorado is of course amazing. It's got that beauty plus major city (Denver) thing going on. But it doesn't have the lushness of the PNW. I admit to Colorado having lost some of its luster over time with me as a very frequent visitor. It's still crazy beautiful, but it's not like the first time. Still, I know I'd love to live there. Haven't been to Vermont, New Hampshire or Maine. But for some seriously cold winters, I have a feeling I'd really enjoy those states. Truth is, I think someone could make an argument for almost any state. If you like the Rocky Mountain region, you could argue for Montana or Idaho just like you could Colorado or Wyoming. The southeast isn't getting much love - not the best fit for me either... but if you've ever been to the North Carolina coast, or the North Carolina mountains... you know what I'm talking about scenery wise. Florida has Miami, beaches, water - love it or hate it. New Mexico is like a less douchey Arizona/Phoenix. Arizona/Phoenix is like a more cosmopolitan New Mexico (its like LA had a baby with New Mexico). And of course, Texas. I grew tired of Houston, Dallas type cities a while back. Ended up in Austin. Austin has it's issues, but in the last 3 months I've been, with my 3 kids mind you, to McKinney Falls State Park, Pace Bend State Park, Lost Creek river, Barton Creek Greenbelt, and a number of other places/hikes. There are places almost in the smack middle of Austin where, at least when it's rained, you almost feel like you're walking through Zion National Park or something. The Hill Country and its myriad rivers and creeks, its wildflower season, some lakes, some wines, some food, etc. really is a thing of beauty. And the economy is great. And on a personal level, you live where your family lives. Sure you could move out of state, but deprive your kids of their grandparents, cousins, etc.? All that said, states I would live in: TIER ONE, ABSOLUTELY = Texas, Colorado, Washington, Oregon TIER TWO, PROBABLY = Montana, Idaho, Wyoming TIER THREE, POSSIBLY = Hawaii, Alaska, Northern California, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, North Carolina, Virginia (someplace like Charlottesville) TIER FOUR, NO = Everywhere else
Hmmm..What about Florida? Nobody here seems to talk about Florida? I thought a lot of people love FLA because of the beach??
I agree. Most of these people claiming Texas is the friendliest and most open are probably the same people who have never spent any considerable time out of the state. It is easy to be #1 when you only have been only one choice. I find Texas to be one of the most racist places in the country. I've lived in almost every major city along the East Coast (and 7 different countries) and every one of those states are more open to outsiders than Texas is. Texas is basically a great place if you belong to the same church or are of the same skin color as the power source. I'm proud to be from Texas, but almost everyone outside of the state has a negative opinion of the place.
Depends on how you balance that trade and where you are in life. My commute is 7 minutes by car, 20 minutes by bike. My town doesn't have a top tier pro sports team but we do have minor league baseball and hockey which are fun to go to. We don't have 5 star restaurants, but we have some really good places to eat, ranging from downtown to an isolated place along the Rogue River and all cuisines, including 3 Hawaiian places and every Pacific type you can imagine. We even have a Cajun place run by a Louisiana ex-pat who was an Army cook and his stuff is really good. Unless you're absolutely consumed by the latest fashion, we have plenty of shopping and there's always the Internet. We have an international airport, though flights mainly go to Portland, Seattle, San Fran, Las Vegas, and PHX. We have a college and the world-renowned Oregon Shakespeare Festival. I live in the largest city between Eugene and Redding, CA, a 320 mile stretch. That means that although the town population is about 100K, it serves a community of about 250K from SW OR and NorCal. So that's where I'm at. When I've been in a large city, it's too damn easy to get caught up in the race. You think you'll do all these things and maybe eventually you do, but you find yourself too tired from the daily commute or find it too easy to go shopping instead of packing the car and driving for 90 minutes to get outside the urban area to do something outside. To me, it took more effort to do stuff outside my neighborhood than it does now. You get acclimated to city life and you get acclimated to smaller town-rural life. It's just easier now to take the family swimming in a river in the afternoon and then to Othello that night then it would be to do both of those things in a large city. You also find you don't have a need to buy as much stuff. It's simpler.
California. I lived just outside San Francisco for 4 years - maybe the best 4 years of my life: Perfect weather, Great schools, made great friends, easy drive to tahoe, easy access to some of the most beautiful natural attractions (Sierra Nevadas, Yosemite, coast. Very sad to leave
by lumping these cities together tells me that you're really don't know Calif. Irvine is probably the most well-planned city in Calif, avg income per household > 120k, 20% of household has someone w an advance degree Richmond is like a ghetto ur less-than-informed comment is laughable. the best thing about food in Calif is its variety
If forced to leave Texas but was able to choose where to go...North Carolina and Washington (Seattle area) would be top of my list. NC because it would be nice to see what 4 distinct seasons are like, I really like the triangle area, the Outer Banks, and Asheville. Seattle because it's just beautiful.
I've been to all 48 continental states, and I love Texas... but Washington is easily the most beautiful. I'd move there in a heartbeat if cost of living wasn't so ridiculous and laws weren't so damned stupid.
Only been to 35 states, but I still prefer Texas, specifically Austin and Houston. San Antonio is okay, and I hate Dallas. I don't like other states so much as areas and/or cities. My favorite cities are New York, Austin, and Houston. I like Big Bend, Yellowstone, Grand Teton, the Pacific coast, and the Atlantic coast.
