27 replies to this topic

[purple]

From what I have heard...Oregon and Washington are very healthy states to live. They really care.

[NicoleAJ]

I actually had a very easy time being gluten free both in State College, Pennsylvania, and to some extent in Miami, FL. Surprisingly, I now live on the Central Coast in California, and I find the knowledge of celiac and the access to products to be the worst I have ever experienced anywhere that I've lived. It's nice to have a Trader Joe's around, but the local health food store has the smallest selection, and an Amy's gluten free rice crust pizza is $14, which just isn't worth it. I make frequent pilgrimages up to San Francisco to stock up on my gluten-free needs, but 6 hours round trip is a long way to go for some gluten free food, particularly with CA gas prices.

[mushroom]

I actually had a very easy time being gluten free both in State College, Pennsylvania, and to some extent in Miami, FL. Surprisingly, I now live on the Central Coast in California, and I find the knowledge of celiac and the access to products to be the worst I have ever experienced anywhere that I've lived. It's nice to have a Trader Joe's around, but the local health food store has the smallest selection, and an Amy's gluten free rice crust pizza is $14, which just isn't worth it. I make frequent pilgrimages up to San Francisco to stock up on my gluten-free needs, but 6 hours round trip is a long way to go for some gluten free food, particularly with CA gas prices.

Unfortunately on Central Coast you are kind of 'twixt and 'tween. Neither the liberal, anything goes freewheeling of SF Bay Area and North Bay, nor the hubbub, glitz and zing of SoCal. At one point we thought of retiring to Cambria, but hey, we just wanted to retire, not go to sleep! Sorry, didn't intend this to sound derogatory, but Central Coast is kinda like neither fish nor fowl and still trying to find its way, despite Cal Poly and SLO being a pretty good center of activity. (There's also getting to be some pretty good wine down there, says she who came from Sonoma.) I guess you will have to be the one to educate them on gluten free living (maybe educate a couple of the docs down there on how to diagnose celiac and the rest will follow).

[WW340]

Tulsa Oklahoma is a great place for celiacs. One of the best restaurants in town is owned and run by a chef with celiac. More than half his menu is gluten free. Almost any restaurant you go into there has a gluten free menu. Plus, there is a PF Changs, Pew wei, and all the other national chains that have a gluten free menu. They have 3 large food stores which cater to gluten free customers, including a whole foods. There are also gluten free bakeries close by.

I don't live there, but I go there often to stock up on things. My GI is there and he said that Tulsa is a hot bed for celiac, so most of the restaurants are aware of gluten free.

[Judyin Philly]

Relocating to Temecula CA
Know Jennifer had lived there and sent me some great info
anyone else other there familiar with that area.......it's South of Long Beach and more inland.
thanks Judy

[beanpot]

I think the Boston area is good. There are a lot of health food stores, and even the regular grocery stores carry gluten-free stuff. Some restaurants have gluten free options if you call ahead. And there are a lot of support groups. We have lots of Irish people here, who are in the high risk group for celiac, so manybe that's why there's so many resources.

[Takala]

On traveling- What surprised me about Las Vegas was when ordering food at the big Casino restaurants, the wait staff actually understood what I meant and it was possible to get plain, unseasoned meat and vegetable and rice and potato for dinners. My fellow conventioners were sort of amused that I was thrilled to see a request of plain rice come from the restaurant kitchen as ... plain rice. I felt so grateful. I don't normally do Casino types of things so this was a surprise. There was also a breakfast bar where I stayed that had a lot of fresh fruit and that really helped.
You know how this can go in the midwest. They are determined to put gravy or sauce on every thing no matter what.

[broncobux]

Top places I have personally been to and experienced:

1. Seattle

2. San Francisco

3. Las Vegas

4. Phoenix

5. San Diego

and Columbus Ohio is getting there! Every year I go back and it gets better and better!

[Poppy Cat]

I second that! We have lots of restaurants and shopping available. I have three gluten free pizza places within a 10 minute drive from my house! The best part is that in Vancouver Washington there is a little store that is entirely gluten free!

Jealous!

[blueeyedmanda]

I have to agree wtih Raven, anywhere that has a Wegmans near is celiac haven. I would not have had such an easy transition without that store.

[oceangirl]

Okay, I'm a bit loathe to say it because some of us like to keep Maine our own little secret, but, Portland, Me. is very good. BUT we have lots of snow and long winters and there's ice and you probably wouldn't like it here... (Heh, heh, heh.....))



lisa

[mushroom]

I like to live in a state of gluten-free contentedness, wherever that may be.

[SalmonNationWoman]

With resources like Gluten-Free Mall, Amazon an many of the gluten-free manufacturers available online, why worry about where you live based on your status? Go where you find the best job offers and adjust your gluten-free lifestyle appropriately. SF, SJ and pennisula area are good for gluten-free but also have 24/7 lifestyle bonuses that have nothing to to with gluten-free. It depends on what you want and are habituated to. I have cousin in NY that moved to SF to be with her friends from high school. She thought the Bay Area was boring and moved back to NYC. Go figure....

I know people in the tiniest places in the middle of nowhere that have great support groups and shopping; farm towns in the middle of Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas and Nebraska.

There's some pretty small, sleepy, conservative places in CA that are good for gluten-free but stink as far as jobs and lifestyle and vice versa.