u/Dramatic-Crab8763

I'm in my late 20s, been living in southern NM for a year, and I don't think this is my forever place. I'm single with no children, and I plan to stay forever that way. So, if there was anything I had to plan my life around, it would be my love for scuba diving, snorkeling, and surfing. (How I ended up in southern NM is a story for another day...) I just recently graduated into my end game profession, and now with real adult money (but still some loans), I wanted to start scoping out different places and needed some ideas.

Strong needs:

• Job opportunities for public health dentists
• After reaching my savings goals+paying loans+taxes, I typically have 70-80K to play with, and need an area I can afford to live without roommates
• GREEN! The brown is getting to me...
• At least weekly access to some body of water with scuba diving attractions (wrecks, reefs, cold or tropical, ANYTHING!). 4-day weeks are typical of my job, so I can manage a 2-4 hour commute
• At least daily access to some kind of body of water for some lowkey enjoyment, whether it be for fishing, swimming, or just walking around
• At least one dedicated trail for road or mountain biking
• An open outdoorsy culture. Even though I'm heavily introverted, I'd love some outdoorsy friends!

Would be nice...

• Proximity to friends (they're in LA, SF, NYC, and SoFlo)
• Weekly access to hiking/skiing (me love mountains... but not that much)
• Somewhere with a robust healthcare system. My aging parents might follow me
• Proximity to an airport where I can catch direct flights to international scuba destinations (Mexico, Bahamas, SE Asia, etc.)
• Heavy traffic can be avoided if I leave early enough in the morning, bonus if I can avoid any heavy traffic at all
• Live music venues - willing to travel
• A politically blue area, if not the entire state
• Diversity (I'm Asian)
• More sunny than cloudy days

Doesn't matter so much...

• Temperature, as long as I can reasonably be outside with the right gear for most of the year. And I can deal with humidity/heat...
• Food scene

Places I have looked into/ChatGPT told me to...

• Sacramento, CA - Seems affordable and close to Bay Area (friends) and Lake Tahoe. But not so interesting in terms of nearby scuba diving opportunities (just Lake Tahoe)
• San Diego, CA - Ski to sea place, close to LA (friends) but scared of traffic and HCOL
• Portland, OR - Cool place with access to all types of water and hiking, a little hesitant about the cloudiness of the PNW and lack of diversity
• Portsmouth, NH - I lived in NJ/NY for a while, and had always loved New England and even the friendly but standoffish vibe (that's me). The beauty is not as grand as the West, and I wouldn't be close to any friends
• St. Pete, FL - The wild card, but I grew up in Florida and I'm so nostalgic for the tropical vibe; my parents+cousins also live in FL. The main issue would be the redness of the state, and even though I do not plan on having or raising children here, I remember how difficult it was to relate to people. A dear friend of mine lives here and swears St. Pete is "not as bad" as the rest of Florida. Is it really?