Cooler places which still have access to jobs

[EckyX]

Originally Posted by Colorado Rambler

I only just now read through your post...



With all due respect, if heat is an issue and Vermont is a lot colder than Colorado, why move here? My housemate is from Maine, so I asked him which place has the cooler summers - Maine or Cortez? After he got over his astonishment at my question, he said, "Maine, no question." I would suspect that Vermont is more like Maine than it is like Cortez.

Thanks. Vermont is a lot more humid than these areas, and that seems to do her more harm than absolute temperature, though both are important. I expect we could go higher in elevation in Colorado to find whatever temperature range we need.

Originally Posted by Colorado Rambler

I actually live in the Four Corners which includes Durango, Cortez, Farmington, etc. Durango is the only city of the three that might work for you temperature wise. However, it is a very expensive town, and the job market is highly competitive. I suggest that if at all possible, you visit Durango (in the summer) before you set your heart on it.

DO NOT MOVE TO CORTEZ OR FARMINGTON FOR THE SAKE OF YOUR WIFE'S HEALTH!

You need to consider latitude in addition to elevation. A community at 7,000 feet in the area of Colorado Springs is not the same as Cortez which is 130 miles further south than the Springs. Montezuma County (where Cortez is located) averages from 6,000 - 7,000 feet in elevation, yet the average July temperature here is 89 F. That's the average - here in the real world of climate change, Cortez's daily temps have been 4F - 10F ABOVE average. The summer monsoon which usually arrives in July cools things down to some extent. However, the trade-off is the increase in humidity. There are days when the humidity is so high that I think I've been transported back to Kentucky.

Farmington is worse. Their historical high temp for the month of July is 90 F. I just glanced at their 10 day forecast, and the average high for the next 10 days will be more like 95 F. Plus Farmington gets the monsoon as well, so the humidity will be fairly high for around here. You have the best chance of finding work in Farmington - it's a big oil and gas town where Kinder Morgan reigns supreme, but forget having any mountain views or greenery. The Farmington metro area sprawls all over the place and you need to be careful which area you decide to live in. Some places have high gang activity and/or are hostile to outsiders. I have a friend who grew up in Aztec (basically a suburb of Farmington), and I was astonished when he gave me the insider's tour on one of his visits back home.

The Four Corners is a wonderful place to live for many, but come here expecting it to be something that it's not, and it can turn into a place that you want nothing more than to escape from. Again, come out and visit in the summer before you decide on any town out here.

Me, I'd look into northern Idaho. The climate is cooler, it's as scenic as Colorado and probably cheaper.

Best of luck!

Santa Fe and Flagstaff are both further south still, and cooler. It appears there are other factors at play other than just elevation and latitude. That said, I wasn't directly considering Cortez or Farmington, they just may be places I might commute to for work.

I've been avoiding looking into Idaho do to my perception of it being highly religious and conservative, but I suppose there are probably more moderate patches. As irreligious vegetarians who don't typically vote the way the state does, I was thinking we might have a hard time in some communities. Climate is not the only consideration for where we're going, but it's perhaps one of the first ones.

In regards to price, here in Vermont (at least near where jobs are), one sees a 3 bedroom start around $2,000 per month. It's not exactly cheap. We're living in a 1BR that is really closer to a studio and paying around $1,000, and I consider it a steal for the area. That's the price of having a 20 minute commute here. We could maybe shave $2-300 off if we were both willing to commute an hour or more each way.

[SkyDog77]

Originally Posted by EckyX

Good to know.

Some "cultural" information which might be relevant:

We're both vegetarians, and seasonally grow a lot of the food we eat. Regular fast food put my father in the ground before age 50 so I'm going to pass on that idea. I think if we found some place more permanent we might move to an indoor hydroponics system to keep growing year round. We're big into making things ourselves in our free time after work and don't participate in night life whatsoever, so access to big retail and bars is a non-issue. We just need to be able to pay the bills and maintain her health.

The growing season in Colorado is very short and pretty painful with late freezes and hail storms. It’s definitely not a gardening paradise.

[EckyX]

Originally Posted by SkyDog77

The growing season in Colorado is very short and pretty painful with late freezes and hail storms. It’s definitely not a gardening paradise.

Yeah I get that. A greenhouse, hydroponics, or simply growing inside next to south facing windows can be a solution to that. We'll make it work.

[SkyDog77]

Originally Posted by EckyX

Yeah I get that. A greenhouse, hydroponics, or simply growing inside next to south facing windows can be a solution to that. We'll make it work.