Where to live in the US?

I’m envisaging where you live as largely being built out of gingerbread :)

You got me there. As you no doubt know I was speaking more in terms of the stone and wood being placed forward in the design, especially internally.

There used to be a thing we called the “brown cloud” over Denver that you could see at a distance most mornings, and I’m sure it’s still a problem but I also think it’s improved a lot (like I think it has in other cities after the Clean Air Act). Looks like Denver’s as bad as Eugene, Oregon, for air pollution, and as bad as San Francisco for ozone.

I would worry less about that and more about the housing market. Unless you have a lot of cash to throw down, living in Denver proper is apparently a nightmare as they have been in an upward swing for their housing prices for years. Some say it’s due for a bubble burst, but here’s an example:

The average price for a single-family home stands at $502,034, down 3.79 percent month-over-month. The median price decreased by 2.73 percent to $428,000, according to the report.

Also you have altitude sickness to worry about, which I understand is a lot like space madness.

You have to be careful. Jump too high, and before you know it, you’re in space.

Since legalizing marijuana, Reefer Madness is a huge problem around here, too.

Buddy of mine, back in high school, why he jumped clear over them mountains over there. Never saw him again, but sometimes I look up at the moon risin’ over the peaks, and I think to myself, “Damn you, moon, for takin’ Johnny 'way from us all like that!

On the weather in the Pacific Northwest: I agree summers there are great, but when I lived in the Bellevue, WA area for 5 years, I hadn’t realized just what a huge psychological impact the constant overcast and drizzle would make on me. 9 months out of the year, Sunny days were just really really rare, and it took a toll on me. I used to love rainy weather when I moved there, but everything should be in moderation. Constant small rain and drizzle and overcast skies just wore me down after a while. I was so happy to move out of there.

I really love the suggestion of Missoula, MT, because of all the places I’ve driven through, Western Montana is one of the best places I’ve seen in the world. I would love to take up that suggestion myself one day, if I could find work near there, especially if the weather isn’t that bad in the winters.

Colorado also sounds great. My brother lived there in the mid-90s, and our visits there were really great. But I don’t know much about the housing problem.

I also lived in Birmingham, Alabama for a while, and visited one of my brothers when he lived in Fort Wayne, Alabama. The neat thing about Fort Wayne is that it’s close to some absolutely beautiful hiking spots with lots of little waterfalls. Unfortunately it was really hot down there, so you have to be okay with sweating a lot as you walk through those beautiful trails.

I also like the suggestions of North Carolina. When I lived in Birmingham (AL), we took several trips out to South Carolina and a couple of times to North Carolina, and there’s some great beauty in those States, and fairly pleasant weather. We also took trips to Georgia a lot, and there’s some really great places to visit there. I love their giant trees in Savannah that make the place feel so different from the rest of the U.S. Being a fairly short drive away from all that, and being close to the Appalachian mountains is also really appealing. There were some really beautiful areas in the Kentucky, Virginia and West Virginia areas of the Appalachian range. And if you live in the Carolinas, that’s a pretty short drive away.

Well if you want perfect weather year-round, move to San Diego.

I’d take a couple months of chilly drizzles over brutal winters where you can’t go outside for months at a time. Not that I’m moving, the weather here isn’t great but I’m in NYC and nothing else compares.

Of all the places I’ve been, San Diego would be my dream climate and location: Beach, 65-75 high temps year round, a collection of extremely laid back people, great food, great beer etc.

Then there is the issue of affording to live there. Good god is it expensive.

I personally hate Florida.

Too damn hot, too many old people who can’t drive. Too flat.

For someone from the tundra like me, I wouldn’t be able to go outside from May through September.

Yes, the weather in San Diego is lovely all year. The coldest it gets is a sweater. It’s fantastic. Not at the top of my preferred places to live in the US, but it does have perfect weather.

And you pay for it.

It is almost certainly far beyond the budget Rob is envisioning.

Not to mention, you get stuck with the Padres as your local team.

Related to thread topic: seeking hyper leftist concrete jungle without visible trees, a complete dearth of insect life, and a veritable sea of other human beings crushing down upon me at all times. Ideally a good concert scene, too. Oh, and housing under $10,000/year <insert crying-laughing emoji cuz there ain’t no emoji button on this dumb text input pane how web 1.0 jesus>

Your obvious choice there is Bangkok.

I feel like a place that’s hitting 82F today is gonna have some insects in it.

What’s the wasp population like in, I dunno, Toronto?

Yeah, but they fry 'em up and eat 'em.

I dunno, but I’ve always heard that one night in Bangkok makes a hard man humble.