West Coasters, pimp your area

J&K10910 · May 2011

I should probably post this during the week to get the most responses, but oh well. I'm bored now.

Obviously, we're going out there soon, and part of what we're doing is scouting for potential areas to move to. But we'll see mostly the touristy stuff--so tell me why (or why not) your area is a great place to live.

J&K10910 · May 2011

And, double fail because it's way early on the west coast. Ha. I'm on a roll today

anna.oskar · May 2011

I spent a few weeks in San Diego not too long ago and loved it. It was beautiful, lots of things to do and see, nice people for the most part, delicious restaurants, and lots of options for day trips and mini-vacations. I seriously considered not coming back home.

Otherwise, Sioux Falls IS to the west of you and it's got me.

J&K10910 · May 2011

Anna we DID really like SD when we were there, but we're looking to get away from the weather extremes (frigid, snowy winters, hot and humid summers). But if we loved the winter...

anna.oskar · May 2011

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_snarky-brides_west-coasters-pimp-area?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:17Discussion:cf25e9f7-5e26-4a03-8a3f-9dcc59e0d59aPost:808dbcd8-7efe-4563-b98e-d60b035a2d24">Re: West Coasters, pimp your area</a>:
[QUOTE]Anna we DID really like SD when we were there, but we're looking to get away from the weather extremes (frigid, snowy winters, hot and humid summers). But if we loved the winter... ;)
Posted by J&K10910[/QUOTE]

From what i understand, the weather when I was there was pretty normal for summer, 75-80 by day, and 65 by night. It was cooler there than here and it was August.

J&K10910 · May 2011

That sounds lovely!

anna.oskar · May 2011

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_snarky-brides_west-coasters-pimp-area?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:17Discussion:cf25e9f7-5e26-4a03-8a3f-9dcc59e0d59aPost:2a2cbb6a-c63d-4074-87d9-067dcccdbb98">Re: West Coasters, pimp your area</a>:
[QUOTE]That sounds lovely!
Posted by J&K10910[/QUOTE]

It was! I could even wear a light jacket out at night.

J&K10910 · May 2011

Psh, I don't even wear a coat in the winter here, but I bet if I lived there I'd get so used to the lovely 75-85 degree temps that 65 might make me break out a light jacket or sweatshirt

I thought it got hotter and more humid in southern California. We were looking at the Bay Area but it rains so much there (at least according to the weather stuff we were looking at online). I just looked online though and it does look like daily averages all year round in San Diego are 50-78. That's pretty much perfect for us. It does look a little bit more humid than I'd care for, but all other things considered I think I could deal.

Ok, so score 1 for San Diego. Who else has something for me? WAKE UP WEST COASTERS!! THIS IS IMPORTANT!

barrelbabe004 · May 2011

Pacific Northwest?
Are you interested in Idaho at all? I'll give you my sales pitch if you are

J&K10910 · May 2011

Idaho was not on the list, BarrelBabe, but if your sales pitch involves me getting to stare longingly at that gorgeous animal in your sig, I'm sold

No but seriously, I'll hear arguments for anywhere, really! We're mostly attracted to the west coast because of the temperatures and the outdoor recreation opportunities, but we're not really crossing ANYWHERE off the list yet (except Florida and the lower east coast, too humid and hot there for us).

barrelbabe004 · May 2011

Well in that case I'll try to pimp my state a little...
If you stick to southern Idaho the weather is a little more stable. I'm in Boise. We get some snow in the winter but not a whole lot. But we're about an hour drive from lots of snow for winter activities like skiing, snowmobiling, snowshoeing, etc.
In the summer, we have tons of hiking trails, rivers for rafting and boating, there's Lucky Peak that's about a half an hour away that is a great area for boating, swimming, etc. And Cascade and McCall are great weekend getaways. They have everything (we actually have a cabin in Cascade.)

Our economy is holding somewhat stable. But education (my area) is not a place to get into.. We have an awful Sup. of Public Instruction right now. But I think most other areas are still doing pretty good.

Pretty much everyone smiles at you as you walk down the streets or through the store. I've heard a lot of people say they've never been to a friendlier place. We also have downtown Boise with tons of night life. And 1st Thursday and Saturday 8th Street Market. Those are both fun events to get to go downtown.

I'm sure there's more. If you have any specific questions you can ask. I've lived here my entire life and I love it. I don't think we'll ever leave. We've discussed it but it never gets too far.

Oh and the Smurf turf... Which the football love does get annoying but it really does bring the city together.

Sorry for the length.

J&K10910 · May 2011

Don't be sorry for the length! It was great

Does it get very humid there? Are there many suburban/semi-suburban areas a bit outside of Boise? We definitely want to live within decent driving distance of a larger city (being from MN and WI, Boise is a pretty big city to us), but not right in or right outside it, if that makes sense. I'm seeing a couple decent sized looking towns (Caldwell?) not too far away.

J&K10910 · May 2011

We are definitely considering Washington state too, CS. I would imagine it's pretty humid there though? Does most of the rain happen in the winter? I think I'd take rain over snow for the most part. I might change my mind once I experience it, but at least you don't have to shovel rain

I do have pretty bad seasonal allergies, but I can't imagine them being much worse there than they are here. I'd imagine with all the rain, it might even be better for me there (I do better when it's raining, washes the pollen out of the air for a little while!). We're definitely loving all the outdoor recereation on the west coast. We love to camp and hike.

Ok, this is a dumb question, but are there a lot of frogs out there? I don't really do frogs. And by "don't really do" I mean they terrify the everloving shiit out of me, really quite irrationally.

barrelbabe004 · May 2011

There's almost no humidity here. It's a pretty dry heat. We're technically a desert area.
There's quite a few suburban areas... Meridian, Nampa, and Caldwell (in order from closest to furthest). You have to watch the areas that you live in Nampa and Caldwell. They are getting better and cleaning up a lot and there are some really nice areas but still some to steer clear from.

Some people even live in Mountain Home and drive into Boise every day. That's a 45 min drive... A little far for me. But there's not a whole lot in Mountain Home. There's a Wal-Mart and a few grocery stores. It's mostly there for the Air Force Base.

pirategal03 · May 2011

Do you count NC as the lower east coast? Our mountain area probably wouldn't be too hot or humid for you.

Check into Asheville. Lots and lots of recreational activities, a little bit of snow, and nice long summers. It's close enough to head to the beach or down to Atlanta or Charlotte for larger city action. It has a ton of awesome restaurants and great local foods.

J&K10910 · May 2011

I was counting NC, Pirate. We have friends in Raleigh, and the stories they tell us about it being so humid that everything feels damp were horrifying to us

But if it's not as hot and humid in the mountain areas, then it can go back on the list! I'm looking at the average temps, and that's not too bad. Plus Asheville is a good sized city for us, right about what we'd be looking for to live in or just outside of. Thanks!

J&K10910 · May 2011

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_snarky-brides_west-coasters-pimp-area?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:17Discussion:cf25e9f7-5e26-4a03-8a3f-9dcc59e0d59aPost:74df6154-30b2-4fe8-a3f8-b426b500f061">Re: West Coasters, pimp your area</a>:
[QUOTE]There's almost no humidity here. It's a pretty dry heat. We're technically a desert area. There's quite a few suburban areas... Meridian, Nampa, and Caldwell (in order from closest to furthest). You have to watch the areas that you live in Nampa and Caldwell. They are getting better and cleaning up a lot and there are some really nice areas but still some to steer clear from. Some people even live in Mountain Home and drive into Boise every day. That's a 45 min drive... A little far for me. But there's not a whole lot in Mountain Home. There's a Wal-Mart and a few grocery stores. It's mostly there for the Air Force Base.
Posted by barrelbabe004[/QUOTE]

We like dry heat! Or, we don't mind it as much. 85 and low humidity feels SO much different than 85 and 80% humidity. Blech. Yeah, I looked at Mountain Home too, which is just a little too small for us :) But 45 minutes is nothing around here. Thanks for the info!

pirategal03 · May 2011

If you're scared off of the humidity, I wouldn't go with Raleigh or anywhere down east. Wilmington is an amazing city, but it for sure falls into "hot and humid". But there's an entire planting zone difference between Wilmington and Asheville, if that tells you anything

J&K10910 · May 2011

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_snarky-brides_west-coasters-pimp-area?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:17Discussion:cf25e9f7-5e26-4a03-8a3f-9dcc59e0d59aPost:fea89e0e-5a93-4deb-9113-dbfd19233064">Re: West Coasters, pimp your area</a>:
[QUOTE]San Francisco! Cable cars, golden gate bridge, coit tower, fisherman's wharf, Chinatown, Alcatraz, union square, golden gate park, great museums, California academy of sciences, SF zoo, and much much more. A short drive from Sonoma/Napa wine country, and great hiking spots like muir woods, Mt Tam and Marin headlands. But bring a sweater and jacket if you come during summer. We don't actually get that much rain, but the fog rolls in and is pretty much a daily prescence from June to August. ETA- And I just ignored the instructions and listed why it's a great area to visit.
Posted by kodakitty[/QUOTE]

I'M SO EXCITED TO BE THERE IN A MONTH AND DO ALL THOSE THINGS.

Are there good places outside of the city to live? I mean, I'm sure there are. I don't mind a sweater or jacket for sure. Our ideal temps are anywhere from about 35ish in the winter (warmer is better, but we don't mind it too much until it gets consistently into the single digits really) up to 80 in the summer (or warmer if it's dry heat, up to 90ish then). So from what I understand, the Bay area fits the bill. (Is "Bay area" something that's ok to say around there, or is it one of those things that makes locals roll their eyes at the tourists? ha)

J&K10910 · May 2011

Oooh, you're making it sound better and better, CS. We definitely don't mind some snow, in fact, I think we'd miss it a little if there was NONE EVER, it's just being dumped on week after week for 3-4 months that gets old fast. And insignificant frog population is excellent. The little bitty ones scare me the most. They hop around all erratically by your feet, and I'm terrified they'll accidentally hop up my pants leg and get stuck in my pants. Ok, I just made myself sound like absolute loon.

Pirate, that makes sense. It's strange to me to have such differences in weather in the same state, because up here it's all pretty much the same so I don't even consider that some areas in the states we think of as "hot and humid" are probably pretty pleasant to us.

Blueyed228 · May 2011

I think the more important question is why you hatin on the East Coast?

J&K10910 · May 2011

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_snarky-brides_west-coasters-pimp-area?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:17Discussion:cf25e9f7-5e26-4a03-8a3f-9dcc59e0d59aPost:6db9aca0-c8d0-4ceb-b37e-20258cc1a940">Re: West Coasters, pimp your area</a>:
[QUOTE]I think the more important question is why you hatin on the East Coast?
Posted by Blueyed228[/QUOTE]

Sorry Blue! Pardon me while I show my East Coast ignorance (I really know nothing about it) but to us it seems like it's either too population dense or way too rural. I KNOW there are in betweens, but it's also my understanding that a lot of the East Coast (upper East Coast, at least) also gets those weather extremes we're trying to get away from.

But if you know of awesome places that generally meet our criteria, I would love to hear about them and take steps towards ending my East Coast ignorance.

J&K10910 · May 2011

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_snarky-brides_west-coasters-pimp-area?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:17Discussion:cf25e9f7-5e26-4a03-8a3f-9dcc59e0d59aPost:72fbe33f-71b7-489b-a1cb-aeeef016bb0e">Re: West Coasters, pimp your area</a>:
[QUOTE]JK, the whole time I lived here (been living here since 2006), I've only seen one itty-bitty frog. ONE! I think Western WA is perfect for you (and I'm not just sayin' that ). If you miss the snow during the winter, the mountains are within about an hour or two from Seattle so it's pretty easy to get your snow fix.
Posted by Champagne Supernova[/QUOTE]

Right, and I like that. That we could almost completely avoid the snow if we wanted to, but when we miss it it's easy to get to it! It's like weather on demand ;)

And no, we definitely wouldn't want to live IN San Francisco (nor could we afford it, I'm sure!) but it would be pretty sweet to live within day-trip driving distance.

Blueyed228 · May 2011

Im just going to throw it out there that my little slice of this planet is the best place to live in the world. But you are right. Winters are a bitch. But it keeps those California hippys away

I hear the Carolinas are really beautiful. Plus, you get Cew if you go there.

J&K10910 · May 2011

I know, I'd love to live near all the NC posters here, plus we have a good friend there like I mentioned earlier, and my cousin lives there as well. I think convincing H on that one would be tough though, and I might get the side eye if one of my major arguments is "BUT SOME OF MY KNOTTIE BESTIES LIVE THERE!" (Even if we can all agree that is the most excellent argument of them all.)

J&K10910 · May 2011

Thanks Koda! That was very comprehensive

I love the idea of lots of locally grown food. I looove farmer's markets. I also know that there is so much more fresh produce available in that area year round than there is here, which is really appealing to me. I know realistically that the bay area is probably NOT somewhere we could live, at least not at the moment, but I'm not quite willing to let it go. I feel like we could make it work if we wanted to, we just probably wouldn't be able to quite maintain our current lifestyle. A lot can change in a couple years though (which would be about when this move is taking place, so who knows what will happen!

J&K10910 · May 2011

Yeah, that's definitely something we'd look into. If the pay matches the higher cost of living we could definitely do it. It'll help if it's easier for me to get a real job there too (though by that point I'll have my graduate degree too and more experience which will help anywhere).

J&K10910 · May 2011

Interesting...I'm looking at job listings on Indeed.com for pharmacists and the starting pay is not much more than FI is making right now (sometimes less). Hmmmm...

K&J64 · May 2011

I love the idea of living in San Francisco, it's my Mecca. But two major issues 1) possibility of earthquakes (so not ok), and 2) I'm very close with my family and couldn't more across country.

I have friends who live in San Mateu and love that area. It's a very expensive metro area, I think still the most expensive in the country (unless NYC is #1 again). But it is gorgeous and clean and mild and near Napa which is the best place ever (if you're a wino like me).

musicalsunlight · May 2011

So I don't know anything about living on the west coast, but I've also heard amazing things about San Diego. I have a friend who lived there for a year and just absolutely loved it, and several well-traveled friends of mine list it as their favorite place to travel to. Seems like one of the best places in CA to live.

sherrbearr22 · May 2011

I'm in love with Portland and will likely live here for the rest of my life. I love the briges, the friendliness, the fact that you've got the mountain, beach and desert within 2 hours any direction... I also love that it's not cookie cutter, there is always something new to do and a new restaurant to try. Oh and no sales tax is friggin awesome too!

Also, if you wanted to go to a "big city" Seattle is only about 2.5 hour drive (at least the way I drive)

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