Green, walk/bike, near major airport, decent food, no kids
I feel like this is a typical ask here, but here goes:
40s couple, no kids. Currently live in Marin County, CA. Strongly dislike the NIBMY 65+ community (or lack thereof), the vibes (or lack thereof), shockingly high prices, the traffic. Love the access to nature, weather, and extended family close by. Hike/walk outside almost every day. Interested in kind, neighborly people, walkability, green/nature, access to outdoor recreation without being over the top (we are not extremist outdoor sportspeople). Love to have access to good food, but keep in mind that we live in a meh suburb right now with only a few options).
Job can be remote with frequent travel (currently travel a lot). Current airport commute is 1 - 1.5 hours.
We are looking to sell our house and rent somewhere for a while to see if we like it. Even if we ever come back to California, we won’t live here.
Some options identified:
Ft. Collins (visited recently) - I know this is recommended here frequently, but we actually visited and liked it, just a short visit. It’s a bit far from the airport but not impossibly so. DEN is a great location for travel across the country. Ft. Collins has good biking trails and walkability in general.
SLC - the religious/insular community aspect would certainly be different but we have done some research on areas - Bountiful is very close to the airport, and in spite of the smaller size of the city, SLC is a good airport with good connections. Bountiful appears to be really close to hiking etc. and that area/city proper would have more non religious/transplant people. Have been here before but not recently.
Atlanta, on the beltline?
Minneapolis, if we could handle the winter (???)
Thoughts and input welcome.