I’m calling my dilemma a “tale of two cities.” Right now we live in a small, very nice college town in the upper Midwest. It’s got a vibrant downtown and many amenities we enjoy (bike trails, access to college facilities where my husband works), but we’ve decided it won’t be a good fit when we achieve FIRE. Our next destination is one of two places: Ames, Iowa (3 hours from where we currently live; close to family) or the front range of Colorado -- mostly areas west of 1-25, possibly as far north as Fort Collins and to the Northwest of Denver). We like university towns the best.
I've taken copious notes and spreadsheets comparing both places - COL, amenities, health care, etcetera -- and they both have their pros and cons. I would say our top ten desirables (in no particular order) are: (1) Finding a decent, smallish 1-story new(er) home on a manageable (translation: small) lot for around $400K for which we would pay cash; (2) To live in a place with a strong "town" vibe -- a real downtown, good city services, bikable/walkable that's not so much into strip malls; (3) Excellent public library; (4) Affordable access to municipal rec services -- rec center, trails, golf courses; (5) Access to health care, including good hospital in town and a decent academic medical center a little further afield for second opinions; (6) Within one hour of a major airport, that we could get to by shuttle or public transport to avoid long term parking; (7) Strong community "ethic" - a few churches in our denomination, Rotary and other service clubs we could get involved in, a university relatively close by; (8) Decent climate -- we like seasons but like to be outside; (9) Opportunities for further low-cost learning, through public library and local community colleges; (10) A bit of decent retail a bit further afield (30 minutes or so) like Costco and places we shop every 6 weeks or so but don't necessarily need in our back yards.
We already spend lots of time in Ames. It is close to family, so we get through many times of year. It meets most of our requirements except the climate (major drawback) and the Des Moines airport is not quite the Denver airport. Being within an hour of family has its pros and cons. And, on the one hand we're very familiar with it, but on the other hand it's the "safe" choice. We'll find housing in our price range (even if we build) but the existing inventory isn't great and --consistent with how we do things here -- I think we will get stuck with too much lawn. (We want less to mow.) My husband is more gung-ho about a condo. I'd like my own four walls and a small yard to do raised beds and xeriscaping. This may not be consistent with the rules in many HOAs. Many Iowans love their lawns and treat them like a crop. (I can say this as a native, who's also lived here 40 years of my 45.)
The front range meets all of our requirements, although housing will be more of a challenge. And, of course, we aren't connected there at all now so it's hard to sift through the emotions of one place over the other (the "known quantity" versus the "adventure" of starting afresh). But, where it does stand out is that we will be more content with the climate year round and won't feel cooped up all the time. Although housing may be a challenge as well, I think that we are more likely to get exactly what we want in the end (although it will cost us). We've spent several weeks over the past few years exploring the front range (we rent properties in residential neighborhoods) to try to get a feel for the place.
I'm curious how others have evaluated their FIRE destinations -- beyond the paper and pen approach? I mean, looking stuff up on the internet is easy. Really wrapping your head, heart and soul around it is hard.
