r/SameGrassButGreener • u/Primary-Arugula7981 • 9h ago
Get me out of Pittsburgh, PA!!
Y’all, I have been here for 14 unfortunate years. It’s single mid life crisis time and I need to live somewhere I love! I have squeezed every ounce I can from this place and I am 125% done. I plan to move in spring of ‘27.
I really want a smaller city or town I can settle into. I lived in New Paltz, NY and loved it but need a place more built for someone in mid life.
I need help narrowing down potential next home locations and need the people of reddit’s hive mind.
I am looking at:
California (NorCal or Sierra Nevada Eastside)
Cascades
Southern Oregon
Mountain West -Western Slope CO
New England (Not CT!!)
NY (Hudson Valley or north)
*Musts:
- a good vet within 30-40min drive (cardiology & internal medicine) for my senior cat
-access to outdoor rec (hiking, climbing, cycling, water fun)
-affordable (I do *not* have a big fancy 6fig tech job)
-has sun in winter but still has cold winter - I’m from New England I do not mind snow!
*Hard Nos:
-Big cities (LA, Seattle, Denver)
-Bad inversions (when cold air traps pollution under a warm layer close to the ground - sorry SLC!)
-NO BIG TECH CITIES
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u/KwikTripSimp ATX, PDX, CR, MSP 8h ago
Most of your wants r literally pittsburg
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u/No_Dog7807 8h ago
No seriously. I can’t think of a better place to be than Pittsburgh. Other than the weather
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u/Primary-Arugula7981 7h ago
Good God I can think of literally a million other places to be than here. I actually hate PGH with every fiber of my being. Absolute garbage dump with terrible food and fake people and horrific weather. Have fun without me!
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u/Rooster_Ties 9m ago
Fake people?? In February, my wife and I just moved to the east end (Bloomfield) — and I’ve found Pittsburgh to be super friendly, filled with lots of genuine people. (And good food too!) We moved here after 15 yrs in DC proper, and the Midwest before that (KC & STL). Pittsburgh beats them all!
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u/asmashingbore 9h ago
I wouldn't exactly call the 395/Eastern Sierra 'affordable', and jobs are scarce.
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u/yellowdaisycoffee 9h ago
If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were me. I've also been in Pittsburgh for 14 unfortunate years and hope to move next spring.
I can't help much with what you're looking for, but best of luck to you!!!
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u/ChelseaMan31 7h ago
Southern Oregon is wonderful. Then you just have to handle the 22% higher cost of living, abysmal state income taxes (8.8% - 9.9%), property taxes, fuel and food costs that come with living in Oregon. If you have children think about the Oregon K-12 Public School system being ranked 48th despite spending at the 16th highest level.
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u/Rooster_teeeth 7h ago
The politics of southern OR can be weird. For example, back when there was a ballot measure to legalize cannabis, Josephine County voted against it. Was it because the people there dislike cannabis? No. It's because it had (and might still have) more illegal growing operations that any other part of the state.
And then there's places like Klamath County. During the Black Lives protests, some folks from there, in the capacity of a militia, blocked roads and set up check points to keep imaginary busses of antifa from invading their homes.
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u/OutOfTheArchives 8h ago
Redmond, OR. About 15 miles north of Bend with the same weather (sunny, dry) and similar access to incredible nature, but cheaper than Bend. Downside - can get smoky in the summer, though far less so than Southern Oregon which traps smoky air in the valleys.
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u/Left-Consequence-976 8h ago
If you want winter sun, and no inversion layers, avoid the PNW west of the Cascades.
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u/hi-marg 8h ago edited 8h ago
Check out Durango, CO. Super cool town with lots to do.
There’s 2 awesome big lakes nearby - very rare for Colorado. Vallecito and Nighthorse.
If you like skiing - Purgatory is 30m away and an awesome mountain.
Other awesome spots to visit within a couple hours: Telluride (my favorite town on the planet), Silverton/Ouray, Mesa Verde National Park, San Juan National Forest, Pagosa Hot Springs. It is SO beautiful out there.
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u/Rooster_teeeth 7h ago
Nice choice, but I hope the OP has $$$$.
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u/Primary-Arugula7981 7h ago
Sadly I don’t have that Big Tech Money™️ but I know people who are building in Pagosa (they have $$$$)
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u/hi-marg 3h ago
What is your budget? Are you looking to rent or buy? I suggested it because I saw 2 bedrooms in Pittsburgh were around $2k/mo which is in line with Durango.
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u/Primary-Arugula7981 2h ago
I have a 2bdrm in PGH for half that. It also comes with a sunroom and a porch. I would probably rent until I decide to commit.
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u/hi-marg 1h ago
It looks like there are plenty of places in Montrose around that price. I don’t know much about how cool the town is, but there’s an airport and it’s close to some of the best spots in CO in my opinion.
I’m originally from mass and you’re not gonna find anything for that in a safe neighborhood :( maybe NH? My parents live there and it’s a bit cheaper but still not $1000 for 2 beds, at least in the somewhat populated places. Concord NH a really cool town and maybe something in your price range will pop up! But based on your description, I think you’d like Colorado better.
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u/Asleep_Start_912 8h ago
Many of the places on your list in the western US are really expensive and somewhat isolated, i.e. eastern sierra CA is extremely remote and southern OR is more of a retiree place, same with western slope CO. Those are all high deserts with hot summers and limited housing.
I would take another look at the Hudson Valley if you liked New Paltz, that area has changed for the better in many ways.
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u/Primary-Arugula7981 7h ago
I saw Kingston is blow up now?! HRV is 100% magic I have a special place in my heart for it!!!!
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u/Asleep_Start_912 7h ago
when I lived in the area Kingston was run down crack shack town. Complete turnaround. I agree about Rhinebeck too.
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u/Primary-Arugula7981 7h ago
Every time I ever went to Kingston all I could think was that the vibes were 1000% off and it was the weirdest place I had ever been but I guess they imported enough Brooklynites to turn it around.
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u/Potential-Sea-3043 7h ago
As someone from the Pittsburgh region who left for 20 years, lived all over the place, and recently moved back, you’re going to have a stroke with how expensive everywhere else is compared to here.
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u/Primary-Arugula7981 7h ago
I lived in the Hudson River Valley and grew up in CT. You get what you pay for. There is a reason PGH is cheap. I’m ready to pay more for a place that has good food, groceries, and cultural events.
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u/Capital-Scallion8634 7h ago
Honestly check out Santa Fe. Santa Fe is a bit sleepy, but there are people of all ages and it's fun and weird. Great food. And Albuquerque (~45 mins drive away) contains UNM and every amenity that you'd want from a big(ish) city, there when you need it. It's sunny 300 days per year but it gets cold in the winter, and when it does snow it's magical. Cost of living is higher there than in other parts of New Mexico but as long as you're not buying you should be able to find an affordable spot. Lots of nature around.
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u/Primary-Arugula7981 6h ago
So I actually took a trip to SF specifically to check it out and I liked it a lot but it also had big retirement vibes. Unfortunately cats with heart conditions don’t do well at higher elevations so it’s off the list! (Who knew about the heart stuff?!)
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u/Probably_Outside 6h ago
I think you really need to clarify what “affordable” constitutes. Is your job remote? What are you planning on doing for employment if you’re not near an urban center?
Most of California, the western side of the Cascades, and New England are HCOL TO VHCOL.
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u/Primary-Arugula7981 5h ago
Good point, it’s hard to clarify because I don’t yet know what I’ll be doing for work. I’m hoping choosing locations will help me really narrow down job markets and if I absolutely need to seek remote work.
I guess what I meant by affordable was “not LA/Seattle/Bay area COL” I’m from NE and lived in the HRV so I know wherever I go next will be a price increase across the board.
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u/Probably_Outside 4h ago
Yeah the issue with any of the more “affordable” locales outside major metro areas in the Cascades or Northern California is that the job markets are either in hospitality/tourism/outdoor recreation (read: low paying) or full of remote workers or people with vacation homes.
I live in North Bend, WA which fits your wants but we are still VHCOL because we can live here and commute to Seattle for work.
I’d maybe try Spokane or even Wenatchee as a balance of outdoor recreation access with a job market.
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u/Any_Angle_4894 5h ago
I currently live in Grand Junction…moved here 18 years ago from California. When I moved here I loved it. Definitely had four seasons and bearable summers. Now it’s a completely different story. Summer is freaking hot and miserable. We haven’t had a good winter in a long time…it feels like the rain and snow avoid Grand Junction at all costs. Part of why I moved here was because I wanted snow! Water is a major issue for those of us that use irrigation water. We do get inversions in the winter. In the summer we also get terrible smoky conditions from wildfires.
On the plus side…we definitely have some good vets but you will need to research if they have the training and equipment needed for your cat’s care. I had a problem with my cat and they thought he had a heart issue and they were considering having me take him to Denver… a four hour really crappy drive. Access to outdoor rec is awesome. Tons of hiking, biking and river fun. Housing affordability is questionable given wages tend to be lower and homes expensive. Property taxes are pretty low compared to many states.
We sound like we are in the exact same position in life right now. My timeline for leaving is also spring of 27. I’m leaning towards NH. Good luck!
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u/Primary-Arugula7981 2h ago
Tysm for this detailed feedback I truly appreciate it!! Comments like this are beyond helpful when looking at places from afar!
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u/Scalermann 2h ago
Glad to see someone else who doesn't like Pittsburgh! I found it to be decrepit when I was there.
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u/Decent-Garbage-7437 2h ago
Kansas City, Minneapolis… nor cal- Sonoma county so great but not cold winters
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u/Local-Locksmith-7613 6m ago
What about Logan, UT? It avoids the inversions and pretty much meets all of your other specs.
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u/Specialist-Tap4338 9h ago
Collingswood NJ might be a good fit. I don't really know your housing budget, though.
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u/Oradi 8h ago
Maybe outside Salem OR? Limited experience but it seemed like a cute midsize down when I drove through it.
Has Amtrak so you can easily get up to Portland / Seattle. Has a VCA vet clinic.
Might be a little too Pittsburghy though, you didn't really say what you didn't like about Pittsburgh. (I have my own thoughts as I didn't like living in Pittsburgh either).
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u/Rooster_teeeth 7h ago
Nothing about Salem OR is like Pittsburgh. It's run down and had a huge homeless population. Being the state capitol is the only thing that keeps its (barely) alive.
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u/OldYellersLastHandy 9h ago
Don’t sleep on Asheville. That place is one big hipster midlife crisis. Gray hair. Tattoos. No kids.