Small towns you'd settle down - Western US

[Wander Woman]

Check out Cortez, CO  nice weather, not too many people or traffic lights, no college, but lots of retired Park Service people. I find the people living there to be, as a group, the nicest I've run into. A friend, whose van broke down in Cortez, later wondered what they put in the water that made everyone so nice.  Another friend went through on a motorcycle trip and bought a house while he was there, he liked it so much.

 I live in Flagstaff and it does have all you're looking for, but it won't be a "small town" much longer.  Traffic in the Prescott area is horrendous and they will be out of water sooner rather than later.
Kathleen

 

[waldenbound]

Some of my family in southern California wanted to live in the small towns in the eastern Sierras. Big Pine, Lone Pine, Bishop. That would be a nice place to live, the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada.

 

[MrNoodly]

Some of my family in southern California wanted to live in the small towns in the eastern Sierras. Big Pine, Lone Pine, Bishop. That would be a nice place to live, the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada.

Way too hot in summer, way too cold in winter for me.

 

[blars]

Yachats, OR is a nice little town, but I'd guess the real estate isn't cheap. No stoplights. Go to Waldport for gas, and Florence or Newport for cheaper groceries.

 

[muddy]

Truth or Consequences, NM and the Hill country in TX are on my list. Maybe Rockport, TX, or there abouts. That's a resort area and might be out of my budget.

Hill Country is nice, but it's getting pricier. Austin is already above the national median. That said I've looked at property prices around there for sh*ts and giggles and there's a few towns away from Austin that might be affordable. Head into the city for music and out of state for Summer...now I'm just rambling on what I'd like to do.

 

[Minivanmotoman]

Insomnia brought me here. . Great suggestions by many, thank you.
The idyllic small town, picturesque with character as painted by Rockwell, propagated by numerous Hollywood films, books and TV shows. Romanticized by many from weekend travels, visual media or nostalgic childhood memories. Perceptions and preferences are wide and varied, of course. We are all different.
Great little towns, am sure there are many. Ilwaco, WA and Tillamook, OR, with the beauty of the Pacific. Prescott, AZ with its temperate climate, Santa Fe, NM has a similar climate and much richer history and cultural scene. Everybody from Texas goes there. Boise ID has that same vibe. But these are more like small town cities I call them. Tucson AZ falls into that. Oceanside, CA has a unique climate on the coast surprisingly. Carmel and Monterrey, CA area if you could afford it like Clint can. Padre Island, TX on the Gulf Coast.

None are perfect in every respect. But great to visit, explore and experience as a traveler.
Which one is right for you? The fun is going and finding out. Turn the motor on, full it up with gas, put it in drive, and go find out for yourself.
Live and breathe the exhilaration of exploration and discovery.

 

[Dream True]

Another insomniac here . Thanks for the interesting thread. One thing I want to do while I'm on the road is decide where best to buy a home for retirement. Denver where I live is just too flipping expensive. I doubt if I will nomad forever, so where to settle down. On a beach, cozy mountain town, or desert landscape? Who knows but I plan on having a boatload of fun answering that question.

 

[SoulRaven]

Check out Cortez. ....

If you tell people about Cortez,  it won't be small anymore either! JUST KIDDING! 

Pat

 

[bullfrog]

I think as we age a lot of places that were really great become impossible to live in because our needs change. Being close to the aid we need becomes more important to us than climate or scenery. There are several examples of groups that have formed communities to address these needs such as Escapees Care center or Green Valley Arizona which was I understand was started by retired teachers and places where people with similar interests and needs seem drawn to. Maybe someday there will be ways to supply these needs at anytime any where but until then everywhere is a compromise.

 

[highdesertranger]

what you are all calling small towns I call mid size cities. for me a small town has a population under 1k and that's even big for me. highdesertranger

 

[SoulRaven]

what you are all calling small towns I call mid size cities.  for me a small town has a population under 1k and that's even big for me.  highdesertranger

I agree with you. .. my son was born in Bedford,  VA. ..at the time it was 2k..
We could walk to the hospital where he was born. ...

Nice town.

Probably bigger now.

 

[drysailor]

I'm plotting points on my map of places in the West I might consider settling down for a few years. Many of you have traveled extensively in this region, maybe you've got some ideas.
States: Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, California, Nevada, Arizona, and Colorado. Maybe even Texas... or Canada! I know...not all the West, but you get my gist.
Thanks always,
Mike (FindingHome)

If reliable, natural water and green are important, look along the Pacific coast at least 200 mi north of SF.

 

[everett ruess]

Thanks for revving this thread, I hadn't seen it before. Kind of timely for me. I think we all dream of our own Mayberry. Much better then wherever we are. Surely it's out  there. And they will accept me for who I am, and all problems will be gone

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayberry#Archetypal_small_town

 

[everett ruess]

Looks like I can post links now, so I might as well abuse it. One of my favorite movies of all time. With Don Knotts in a cameo. I feel it's worth a watch if you can get movies somehow.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pleasantville_(film)

 

[highdesertranger]

did you ever notice the only regular character in Mayberry that was married was the town drunk. highdesertranger

 

[everett ruess]

did you ever notice the only regular character in Mayberry that was married was the town drunk.  highdesertranger

Awesome. Maybe the deep symbolic message of The Andy Griffith Show was look beyond what you see- it's not working. I think Opie got it. He does great work. Still rocking it today.

 

[John61CT]

The nearest "city" to me is around 50k, not a proper city AFAIC, no decent museums for example.

My town is 20k, and don't think I could stand living in a place with only smaller ones within 30 minutes.

Unless maybe an intentional community of like-minded and kind humans, set in a temperate and truly gorgeous natural setting.

 

[everett ruess]

[font=Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]"like-minded and kind humans, set in a temperate and truly gorgeous natural setting"[/font]


[font=Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]Unfortunately, in this country that means rich people have f'd it up. If you know of one, I'd love to hear about it. Probably everyone would. I wonder if it's possible to make it. There could be somewhere out there....[/font]

 

[bullfrog]

There are still a few remote places in Utah but winters are cold though short and summers are long and hot. Best ones have no cell signal and no wifi at all. Hite Utah used to have a population of 2 and they didn't talk to each other. Now I believe it is 5. Winter you might go close to 100 miles and not see another truck when we drive from Bullfrog thru Hite to Blanding. Clinic in Bullfrog flys in a doctor on Fridays after September 30th so you can only get sick on Fridays till April. My kind of place, but previously lived in Tumbling Shoals Arkansas but once it grew to a population of 28 it got just too crowded so I got out of there. Went to the RTR a couple years ago and spent a lot of time hiding but really enjoyed being around like minded people so I guess there is hope for me yet.

 

[John61CT]

No I never imagined within the US, not just geography, but such people are thin on the ground here