Arguably not very good!
This post was removed.
Arguably not very good!
Too many crazy white nationalists and extremist republicans up in Idaho and especially northern Idaho. However, if you're into that then you will fit right in.
Southern Utah is a beautiful area and a lot of great outdoor areas and National Parks nearby. The weather is pretty good, especially in St. George, in the winter as it is at a lower elevation.. It is a conservative area, as is most of Utah. A lot of SLC retirees move to that region. OTOH, Las Vegas isn't that far away and makes for a nice break.
This post was removed.
This post was removed.
Yeah you basically just perfectly described Colorado in your description. The question is what town. Colorado Springs seems like it fits your description quite well I would say. Boulder/Fort Collins is good too if you want to put up with the college drama and increased housing price. Colorado Springs is however a good hour-90 minutes from Denver International Airport however. Colorado Springs has tons of access to mountains, skiing, and a big runner culture.
I know I'm late to the game and you've already got lots of good responses. I just want to point out that your post almost reads as a Jeopardy question for "What is Minneapolis?"
1) Medical resources in Minnesota are excellent. Lots of good clinics to choose from, and easier to find a specialist, schedule appointments, etc. than other places I've lived. Plus, there's the Mayo clinic an hour or two down the road.
2) MSP airport is accessible by light rail, and is also easy to drive to. 15-ish minute drive from most places.
3) They just hosted the cross country skiing World Cup in Minneapolis, and there are plenty of trails and frozen lakes in the Twin Cities. It may be the best major city in the US for nordic skiing. There are also tons of bike trails throughout the cities, one of the most bikeable cities in the US, and strong cycling culture. It's a very active place overall, much more so than e.g. where I lived in the Bay Area.
It's not a "running hotbed" in the sense of elite runners, but there are several great local clubs and a strong running community. There are plenty of road races, and you'll find a good training group if that's what you want.
If you're still watching this thread, I'm curious: did you have Minneapolis/St. Paul in mind when making this thread? Not saying it necessarily has to be your choice--there may be other places that also check your boxes, there are pros and cons to any city, and maybe you have other factors beyond the ones you mentioned. But it's almost eerie how precisely your checklist tracks the strengths of the Twin Cities.
Lack of "elite runners" ain't really a bad thing. Though "Minnesota Distance Elite" are as elite as anyone could want, they have as many Olympic marathoners over the past couple decades as Boulder or Flag.
I agree, MSP fits his hit list to a T.