Move west

Check out Grand Junction, CO. The western slope is not as crowded as the Eastern side and you have plenty of amenities near you as far as outdoor activities are concerned and it’s way cheaper than Denver metro area.

If you’re going that far, I highly recommend Vancouver, Wa area. No state income tax and you can hop over the border and do sales tax free shopping in Oregon.

Sedona

You’ll see your first small snow in September, up in the mountains. By early October, there’s a foot at higher elevations.

Snow comes later in the valley, in a cold year sometime around Halloween.

And it does get cold in winter, subzero. But it’s not cold like we experience. Its dry out west, and you can walk around in zero degree weather in a T shirt for a while.

Blue sky’s are common. You’ll see around 200 sunny days, which is close to the national average.

Montana is growing, but it’s localized. So if you drive 30 minutes west of Bozeman, you’ll see wide open terrain and amazing vistas.

Bozeman is expected to be the size of Colorado Springs by 2040, but the rest of Montana is unlikely to change much.

It’s a good place to live, and a great place to raise children.

If you’re someone who likes ethnic food, or going to plays, then your options are limited.

The people in Bozeman are mix. You have the locals who are often somewhat reserved. Then you have the outdoorsy types, who have one singular focus in life, be it hunting, fishing, or some kind of adventure sport.

There are also a lot of retirees. You’ll also meet a lot of people who just walked away from their lives on the east coast, the professional who now guides for a living. And then finally, you have the super rich with their vacation homes.

Sand Point Idaho

Avoid the bigger cities. You'll find the people there you're getting away from. Find a smaller city/larger town that has sone unique qualities.

Sedona. It's roughly 2 hours from Phoenix and 1 hour from Flagstaff, and you have to go 30 minutes to Cottonwood for the nearest WalMart, ha! The weather is amazing, it does get hot in the summer, but not nearly as hot as Phoenix AND it cools down at night, and it snows in the winter, but not as much as Flag - there are actually four very enjoyable seasons. It IS a tourist town, but it's actually not bad living here as long as you learn when to avoid the roads, which isn't as inconvenient as you might think. If you are a nightlife person it's probably not the best place for you, unless you are ok driving a little way into Flag or Phoenix.

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Northern Idaho and eastern part near Wyoming line are more my liking.

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Northern and central are my favorites. Sawtooth area is incredible

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Coeur d'Alene

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Meh. I don’t understand the hype. It’s on a lake with rolling hills, and said rolling hills are all private homes and residences. Pend O’Reille is a nicer lake.

I’ve been to both several times being that it’s only a couple hours away, and I travel to Washington on occasion. One of the prettier lakes in the Idaho panhandle is probably Priest Lake.

Where do you live? I’m over in Jackson.