Good cities in the Northwest or Southwest US?

[Amanda.Rx]

Hello all.

I''m in pharmacy school, planning on doing a residency when I graduate in 2010. I''m from South Carolina (been there my whole life) and ready to MOVE (far away)!

My SO and I have been thinking about moving somewhere in the Northwest or Southwest. It would need to be a bigger city with good hospital systems.

Anyone have any good suggestions of cities out that way?

So far we''ve considered cities in Washington, Oregon, Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. California is probably out (simply because they have different requirements from the rest of the nation for licensure, and I''m not sure I''m willing to go through the hoops to do it).

Just thought I''d ask for experiences, thoughts, and suggestions...

 

[April20]

Hi! I''m a southern gal myself, but I lived in Seattle for six years. It was great for the first four years, the last couple years I was ready to come home. All my family is in the east, what can I say? It was a GREAT city to live in. It does rain, but some years are better than other years. I will tell you they''ve been in a ''bad'' weather patch the last couple years. It snowed all of about three times the six years I lived there and in the 2.5 years I''ve been gone, all it''s done has snow. HOWEVER, when Seattle is pretty, there''s no place prettier. When it''s gross, it''s no place grosser. If you like to ski at all, you can be snow skiing at Snoqaulamie with a 45 min drive from Seattle. At the right time of year, you can snow ski and water ski on the same day. Does it get better than that???

Portland is also a FANTASTIC city. I LOVE that area. It''s has a smaller town vibe than Seattle.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Well, I've lived in Washington all my life and can say that unless you can handle months of rain, you probably should avoid the NW. Here in the Seattle area, the weather is dreary most of fall & winter, but late spring is a bit of an improvement, and summer is amazing! These last few years, seems like July has been a bit rainier than normal, however, by August, life is WONDERFUL.

Just for clarification, you're looking at cities in Western Washington, not Eastern, right? Eastern is like walking into a foreign country once you've grown use to Western.

Anyhow, there is some nasty traffic around here, so if you're looking to work in Seattle, find housing there. If you're looking at the East Side (Bellevue, Issaquah, Kirkland), than find housing there. My personal preference is the Eastside

ETA - Any reason you're considering Utah? Someone I know lived there for a few years and as a non-Mormon, there were some issues, like her son being uninvited to parties because they didn't follow that belief system.

 

[Amanda.Rx]

I''m not really looking at one area more than another one yet. I wouldn''t be making a decision for another year. I''m just trying to get an idea of what it''s like "out west". I''ve never spend time out that way either. Wherever I go, I''d only have to comit for a year, so I''m not looking for anything permanent yet. I figure it''s just my opportunity in life to try a new area without a lot of commitment.

April- Thanks for the info! I''m not a HUGE fan of rain (but who is?). The Southeast has it''s awful humidity and stickiness. I guess anywhere you go, you''ve got to deal with unpleasant weather. Snow, on the other hand, would be a huge change, and outdoor activities are always fun!

MC- I suppose more Western Washington- I just don''t know much about the state, as a whole. Utah isn''t very high on the list... I''m a non-Mormon...I just threw it into the mix, but it would take a lot more research if I seriously considered moving there- thanks for the word of caution though!

 

[FrekeChild]

I live in Albuquerque, New Mexico (along with Skippy, and MonkeyPie might as well live here-she lives just north of the city) and it's great. I love the weather, because we have all four seasons (this includes 100 degree temps occasionally in the summer and minimal snow in the winter). And we have the International Balloon Fiesta! And red and green chile! Great scenery with lots of hiking (IndependentGal and her hubby came to NM for their honeymoon!) I think it's sunny 300+ days a year (maybe 350ish?) and lots of crazy culture that I missed when I was in NY for a year. It's very dry except for monsoon season (around 4pm during July/August it rains HARD for 15 minutes to an hour) when it gets a little sticky. As well as tons and tons of turquoise and silver jewelry. I'd love to answer any questions you might have! Linky!