Sunset magazine names Tahoe’s Kings Beach and Chico on “best places” list

“Do you love living in the West? Then Sunset needs your help. We’ve spent months researching our big February 2014 feature on the best places to live and work in the West,” the magazine writes.

“We’ve come up with 24 great neighborhoods, towns, and cities in 6 different categories. Now we’re asking you to help us choose our 6 first place winners. What’s the best place to start a career? The best place to start a second career? The best family-friendly (but not boring) suburb? Cast your votes in our polls below—and watch for the final results in our February issue. See more HERE.

Best place to launch a career
•San Francisco, CA. Twitter, Yelp, Pinterest agree: to make it in tech, pricey SF’s where you need to be.
•Seattle, WA. SF energy and opportunity (hi Amazon!) without SF rents.
•Santa Monica, CA. Tech and digital media make this SoCal’s Silicon Beach.
•Las Vegas, NV. Sin City is now Start-Up City, with a buzzing downtown and affordable real estate.

Best place to postpone a career
•Honolulu, HI: Great weather, great beaches, and big enough you can find a job.
•Walla Walla, WA: World-class wine and reasonable housing costs.
•Carbondale, CO: As fun and beautiful as Aspen, but you can afford to live here.
•Kings Beach, CA: Skier’s paradise on Lake Tahoe’s North Shore.

Best urban neighborhood
•Sugar House, Salt Lake City, UT. Mountain views, beautiful bungalows, lots of parks, and a brand-new trolley.
•Richmond, Portland, OR. Hot restaurant scene, community gardens, and movies in the park.
•Highlands, Denver, CO. Up-and-coming neighborhood with historic homes, galleries, and easy access to downtown.
•North Boise, Boise, ID. Historic suburb offers a pretty setting between foothills and downtown, plus great schools.

Best cosmopolitan ‘burb
•Issaquah, WA (near Seattle). Charming downtown, beautiful setting—it’s a northwest suburban heaven.
•Alameda, CA (near San Francisco). Easygoing island city provides Bay Area life without the stress.
•South Pasadena, CA (near L.A.). Cute houses and great schools in a small town with easy access to L.A.
•Louisville, CO (near Denver). Affordable, family-friendly ‘burb with great outdoors access.

Best place to re-boot

•Bozeman, MT. Start your own business—and still have time for world-class skiing and fishing.
•Bend, OR. Outdoor town is drawing high-tech start-ups.
•Chico, CA. Bay Area refugees call this Silicon Valley North.
•Bellingham, WA. Business-friendly city on the shores of the Puget Sound.

Best post-career locale
•Flagstaff, AZ. Culture and outdoor adventure beckon near the Grand Canyon.
•Cambria, CA. Beach bliss on California’s Central Coast.
•Durango, CO. Colorado mountain beauty plus a terrific downtown.
•Corvallis, OR. Pretty university city close to wineries and coast.

–Sunset magazine

(photo: Jess Gibbs)

Chico is home to Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. and its Celebration ale:

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