Your ideal locale

[Ceezer]

Or maybe I should re-label the heading, *my* ideal locale...

It's currently 96 degrees outside right now, with the heat index in the triple digits. Its days like this (but not limited to only days like this) that I dream of packing up and relocating once my daughter heads off to college in 8 years (currently tied down by an ex-wife). It just beats me down and makes it difficult to find motivation to be outdoors. I'd love to be camping, hiking, biking or, heck, even working on my project VW, but stepping outside feels like stepping into a bathroom that has had water running on its hottest setting for 30 minutes with the door closed. I tried to take my daughter camping last weekend and we had to suck it up and drop $150 on an unexpected night's stay at a hotel because it was too hot for us to get to sleep.

I'll occasionally think about places I'd like to head to, and will pull up statistics on the area to see how we'd fit each other. So I thought I would just pose the question to spark up some discussion.

I've spent some time in Ogden, UT and love it out there. The scenery is amazing (I can take the ocean, and even enjoyed living on the Crystal Coast for 6 years, but prefer the mountains) and there are activities to do year-round. It has built such a niche for itself among outdoor enthusiasts, that they have flocked to the area and created indoor activity arenas for those days when the weather gets too bad. I just checked, it's currently 55 degrees out there!

I have a buddy that works for Lockheed and gets sent to Mountain Home, ID every few months and he said I would absolutely love that area. He calls Boise-Mountain Home the outdoorsman's paradise.

I know there are several areas of Colorado that offer similar levels of activity, but the cost of living in that state is way more than I would be comfortable paying.

Actually, I'll pose two questions:
1) What is your "dream" location based on outdoor activities? This is a no_holds_barred question, so money/population/weather/etc is of no concern.
2) What location would you choose/recommend based on the following criteria:
- An offering of activities,year-round. Hiking/biking trails, kayaking waters, fishing waters, etc
- Mild weather. Well, mild summers, at least. Mild winters would be nice, too, but I can deal with colder weather better than I can hotter.
- Population. People mean problems (crime, traffic, housing costs, etc). I grew up in a small Appalachian town of 1100 people, with the nearest town having a population of 14k and the nearest "big city" being about 35k. I don't want desolation, per se, but I like the small town feel (Greenville, SC manages to accomplish this even with a population of 6-figures).
- Cost of living. I'm a single father, and just a lowly state employee. I don't foresee hitting the lottery or landing some inheritance any time in the next 8 years, so I need to be able to support myself (which rules out places like Boulder, which has a median home value of $469k).

I guess, ideally, I'd be looking for a medium-sized city (40-60k); not too big that I feel suffocated, but with enough of an economy that there would be good jobs available.

Anxious to see what suggestions y'all come up with!

 

[blary54]

I would love to live in either Bend Oregon, or Ft Collins Co. Smaller charming cities...mild(er) weather. Great activities like skiing, hiking, mt biking year round.

I could also live in Boise Idaho. Its a pretty cool place. Bigger than 40-60k(about 200k) but it sure doesn't seem that large...Be warned there is not really anything outside of Boise. I think the closest large city is Salt Lake and its like 6 to 8 hours away. But it is beautiful out there and definitely has everything you need. It truly is a sportsman's paradise. Also I don't think the cost of living is that exorbitant out there.

I realize living in Madison, WI I have it pretty good, but I would love to live by the mountains someday.

 

[gmrv4]

I buddy of mine was asking himself a similiar question. One day he drew a 200 mile circle around Grand Junction Colorado and saw it met many of the things he was looking for.

Mountain biking and road cycling
snow skiing
active outdoor mindset in the community
reasonable cost of living
Grand Junction lies in a kind of what they call a banana belt and is has OK winters
Utah stuff is close
really great peaches and fruit
He is convinced he made the right decision 10 years ago.

 

[Ceezer]

One day he drew a 200 mile circle around Grand Junction Colorado

Does that mean he drew a 200 mile circle around his existing location and Grand Junction fell within that radius? Or he was already in Grand Junction and found that the activities he was looking for were all available within 200 miles (thus, no longer desiring to move)?

active outdoor mindset in the community

That is a good point to bring up, and something I have also considered. Being surrounded by fellow enthusiasts is going to enhance the experience, allowing me to make new friends and adventure together. It's also a form of motivation.

Blary, I think Madison is reported to be another highly active town (plus you're blessed with some awesome food & beer up there), but I understand your desire to be near the mountains.

 

[SmoovD]

West Texas is about as good as it gets IMHO. Ft. Davis has enough elevation to counteract some of the summer heat but still close enough to Big Bend, Marfa, Alpine.

 

[malocchio]

for me it would be MALTA

 

[Hank]

I am in it,

The foothills of the smokey mountains Tennessee I have lived in this area on and off for ten years and now I'm here to say

 

[Greyfox]

I am in it,

The foothills of the smokey mountains Tennessee I have lived in this area on and off for ten years and now I'm here to say

You have a neighbor right here and it is a piece of God's own green earth!

 

[Ceezer]

What part (general area; I see "East TN" in your location)? I've been wanting to get up to Johnson City for almost a decade now to check it out. People that know me tell me I'd be right at home in Boone, NC, and with Johnson City just across the border, I imagine they'd be similar in nature. While JC lacks the college town vibe of Boone, it has something Boone is lacking: an aircooled VW (one of my passions) following! What do you think of that area?

Malocchio, I visited Malta in '98 and had a blast. Very fun island!

 

[WesternModern]

The Albuquerque area is special to me. Kind of Big City, but not so much. 1 hour to Santa Fe, 4 to 5 hours to Moab or the Rockies. Somewhat mild winters, beautiful skies and sunsets. There is some suburban sprawl, but it's affordable. Lots of distinctive architecture and great food.

 

[gmrv4]

Does that mean he drew a 200 mile circle around his existing location and Grand Junction fell within that radius? Or he was already in Grand Junction and found that the activities he was looking for were all available within 200 miles (thus, no longer desiring to move)?

My buddy was in Kansas City at the time, was looking for a change, and saw that a bunch of fun stuff fell within a 200 mile circle of Grand Junction. I helped him load up a moving truck and off to Grand Junction he went. I have visited him several times over the years and wow did he ever pick a great place.

 

[KM-instructor]

I got my ideal location right where I am.

 

[Rudy Vey]

for me it would be MALTA

Interesting choice! When I was living in Germany, the last few years I always spent a couple of weeks in the winter there (Jan/Feb).
Cost was great, weather was great, but I like to fish in freshwater, and there is nothing for this in Malta.

 

[Wsamsky]

You threw out boulder so im going to comment on boulder as I have looked at moving there once i graduate. Boulder is a college town so budget housing can be had, its just about what your comfortable living in, Im sure you could find a 1 bedroom apartment or condo in a modest price range, but whats the fun in that!? I recently searched on realtor.com and found a few fixer uppers on 1-10 acres ranging from $130,000-$250,000. Another area to look into in colorado is Golden even closer to vail valley to boulder and without those annoying college kids or even dillon colorado if skiing is your main goal. Another city to check out would be Bozeman, MT its like minutes from big sky and maybe an hour and a half from yellowstone.

My Ideal locale would probably be boulder or golden but im more concerned about skiing than summertime activites. I visited boulder once and it has a nice small town feel but still has big town amenities and is close to denver and vail valley. I would like to be on 5 or more acres so I can have livestock and room for future kids and pets to play.

 

[73mountaineer]

I'm not sure where it is, but I know it's not here.
I have been lucky enough in my life to have lived in or visited many different parts of the country and been to some of them often enough to get at least a limited idea of what some of the pros and cons of living there might be. That said, I think that I would be happiest living in one of the Western/Far-Midwestern states (e.g. Idaho, Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, South Dakota, etc). I lived on the western end of South Dakota for 4 years while I was in the service & it is a beautiful area, especially in the Summer. Winters there can be brutal though, with wind chills regularly dipping to -30 or colder, so it is not ideal. Someone mentioned Boise, which is an area that I had targeted for quite a while in my job search, to no avail. I certainly miss my native WV, but I think I prefer the drier climate of sthe states mentioned above. I also prefer more wide-open spaces now.

 

[rfm2]

KM-instructor, I am envious. Beautiful! (Does KM stand for Krav Maga??)

I grew up in Boulder, CO. Was just back there 2 weeks ago. I love CO, but probably wouldn't want to live in Boulder again. It's expensive, crowded and the place has a bit of an elitist attitude that was (mostly) absent in the 70s-80s when I was there. It does offer lots of outdoor fun though. Great biking, nearby skiing, hiking, camping etc etc. BUT, if I were to go back to CO, I would pick a smaller mountain town. Telluride, Dillon, Durango...

You should look into Alaska. I live about 15 miles north of Anchorage in a place called Eagle River. Right next to Chugach State Park, close enough to the "big city" that I used to bike into work (kids and job location change eliminated that...), great hunting and fishing, and snow sports 6 months a year. There are lighted cross country ski trails everywhere. I love it up here.

 

[winston61]

anywhere but Texas in the summer time.

 

[Benaminh]

San Francisco, California, South Island, New Zealand, or the Palau Archipelago.

 

[thunder54]

SWMBO is in Spokane area right now telling me it is 72F while I am here in KS with a heat index of 103.

If I had my way I would be living in my friends old beach cottage on the North Shore of Oahu. Just outside of Haliewa about 100 yards from the beach. Actually it is Sunset Beach. Sure the surf crowd is everywhere but it sure beats seeing all the Zombies in the Waikiki area. I love to go bird hunting but I think I can give all that up if I needed to.

 

[malocchio]

Interesting choice! When I was living in Germany, the last few years I always spent a couple of weeks in the winter there (Jan/Feb).
Cost was great, weather was great, but I like to fish in freshwater, and there is nothing for this in Malta.

you know rudy,I have never been there,but I am currently living in a city ranked "the most dangerous city in california".....I have been living here 33 years,I should have sold 6 years ago,and I would have had a sweet deal..now this place is shattered.I want to live in a safe,friendly and WARM place....finland,norway,sweden all are great ,but too damn cold for my athritic bones,although they do boast 100% education and employment ,fairly honest governments that are not invading other countries to steal natural resources,and health care that is either free or affordable...malta fits most of this,plus it's WARM......I have lived off and on in gambia (coastal west africa) and tanzania ,east africa,and you can live very nice there,and safely ....looking into the future,I see a disaster coming in strong to california...