Hi everyone. I (25m) will be finished with my master's degree in social work spring of '28, and I'm looking into places I could move to once I'm finished. I current live in the Chicago suburbs and while I love the restaurants here, I love hiking and camping, and there's not much of that to do here after living here for a couple of years. I used to live in Duluth, Minnesota and loved it, but I'm concerned about being there long-term due to a hip injury that flares up in the cold. I'm leaning towards living somewhere in the southwest, but I have concerns about moving there with the trajectory of climate change right now. I'm hoping someone living there can give me their opinions, especially on drought issues and the state of the Colorado river.
What I'm looking for:
Thriving cowboy culture (I own, ride, and compete on horses)
A queer scene at least an hour from where I'm living (queer-owned coffee shops, bars, etc)
A short pollen season (I'm allergic to weed and tree pollen, grass too but it's more tolerable for me)
At least an hour from a city with over 400k residents
Land that doesn't cost $30k+ an acre
I want to be living as close to nature as possible, not 30 minutes away. I've been eyeing the phoenix suburbs but I'm concerned about the droughts there.
I want to be living near an area with a Deaf school or large Deaf community. I'm not Deaf, I just know ASL and want to keep my skills sharp.
Negotiables:
I'd prefer a mild winter. I messed up my hip a couple of years ago and more than a few weeks below 10 degrees is rough for me
I don't mind living in a more conservative area as long as it's not trump country