Looking to relocate...

[TheMessenger2]

Been circulating this around a little bit, just trying to gather as much info as possible...

 

yo,

 

Im looking for some advice on relocating. Currently I am living in Boston..and well...its terrible. Not to mention its at least a 1.5-2 hr drive to anything semi interesting or further if you want to get into anything super fun. I climb (trad, alpine and ice(when I can get to north conway)), I bike( Endurance XC, 'Cross, road), I ski among other outdoor enthusiast pursuits. I have only vacationed in places like the cascades, CO, AK etc. but whats its like to live there...based on you experiences from living in an area. I know this is kind of a vague post but im just trying to gather as much info from various places before i make a decision

 

--Josh

[Water]

from the midwest originally and it is great. living in portland i love that some weekends i sleep in till 10am, spend 6-9 hours hiking, climbing, skiing, etc in beautiful areas, and get to round the day out with incredible beer at the microbrewery of my choice. and the options i have as far as destination within a 2hr drive are plentiful. i can only imagine how much more convenient it would be living in hood river, bend, or leavenworth.

 

did you like visiting the cascades and colorado? if yes, then you'll probably like living here. not like enjoying a trip to a 3rd world tropical country...but wouldnt want to live there. If you live in Portland, Denver, Seattle, you'll still drive ~1.5hrs++++ for many things but they will be gobs more interesting than anything in the white mountains. and there will be some climbing and hiking and biking stuff closer than that to the big cities, and if you can manage to have income/work to live even closer like hood river, leavenworth, methow valley, bend, crested butte, etc.. you will live mere minutes and miles from vacation destinations.

 

beyond that living here is the same as anywhere else, you still work, pay bills, eat, go to the grocery store, hang out with people, deal with traffic, ride a bike, complain about the weather at times, get irritated if you don't live near a hub airport (SEA or VAN), etc.

 

i imagine living in AK is a bit more of a different animal for a whole host of reasons.

 

 

you will enjoy the outdoors more here than boston. i think your question is where in the cascades do i want to move? or where in colorado is best? or cascades vs colorado (cascades of course), etc. sounds like u dont give a rat's ass about what boston offers outside of the outdoors so i wouldnt stay there any longer than you have to.

[111]

if you like the sound of Water's post above, get used to rain and clouds if you're thinking of living west of the cascades. East is a good compromise on weather, but the urban areas are much smaller. If that isn't an issue (with working in your field for instance) slightly east of the cascades can be a good setup. Opportunities abound in the NW! I can only recommend it out here. Tons of trails everywhere, lots of local crags and a distinctly different attitude on things.

[Captain panther]

leavenworth is paradise. bellingham is fucking phenomenal too. everything you want within a short drive and some of the best climbing anywhere. bham is sweet since you're so close to squamish and leavenworth. right next to baker for skiing all year. huge biking community up there too. and close to good ice in the winter.

[DyP]

i agree that bellingham is great, but i wouldn't say fucking phenomenal. i've been living here for a year and i still have a hard time finding partners most of the time. plus, there really is no good after-work cragging to be had. nor a decent gym (yet). so for me, it's hard to stay strong year round. but hey, other than that, bham IS a wonderful place to live.

[kevino]

What will you be doing for work? That will be the biggest factor in where you can live and move to.

 

Personally, I've been living in Ellensburg, WA for the last five years. It's been great. Great weather, great location (in regards to proximity) to climbing (rock, ice and mountains) and skiing. Partners are out there, just not all online. Good luck, and feel free to ask more questions.

[cynicalwoodsman]

I'm a repeat east coast transplant from upstate NY/philly and i've lived in boulder, leavenworth, and bend.

 

Some thoughts:

 

I would imagine finding work anywhere to be quite a challenge these days, but don't let it keep you on the East Coast if you wanna climb and live in good weather.

 

B'ham would probably be best for access to the N. Cascades.

The bigger towns like Seattle and Portland offer all the things a city does such as more work opportunities but you still have to drive an hour at least, often in traffic, to get to the trail.

 

Winter weather anywhere out west is better than in NE; even on the wet side of the cascades in seattle and portland. The humidity is what kills in the winter too! But it's also the reason east coast ice is better and more dependable.

 

Leavenworth is best for the Eastern "dry" granite and as many cracks to stick gear in and slabs to sketch on as anywhere! Access to both roadside multi-pitch as well as endless alpine granite is plentiful. There's ice 'round L'worth but it's not terribly dependable.

 

Leavenworth would be my first choice if I were you. There just isn't a lot of work there. And its small and also has its share of attitude and elitism.

 

Bend has killer weather. Smith has year-round cragging. Alpine snow climbs abound in the 3 Sisters. But all the rock sucks except for the basalt in the gorge at Smith where the grades get hard and there's no multi-pitch climbs. Not really any ice near Bend.

However, from Bend, one is a day away from virtually any climbing area west of the mississippi.

 

There isn't much work in L'worth unless you work in some form of tourism, forestry, or recreation. Even then, it's competitive and clique-eee. Climbing around L'worth is de-centralized so showing up at a crag hoping to score a belay is not as easy as at Smith, which, in my opionion is an outdoor climbing gym.

 

Stay out of Boulder unless you're gonna show up with a trust fund and an attitude in which case you'll fit right in.

 

Oregon is cheaper than Washington.

 

If you like exploring mountains in winter, stay out of the Cascadian backcountry unless you have a week at a time, a snow machine, an avy beacon and avy knowlege.

 

For just ice, I'd suggest moving to North Conway and staying in New England. Aside from the rockies, nowhere in the lower 48 offers better ice than new england and the 'daks.

 

Either way, when you move, take friends with you. It can be quite a challenge bustin' a cross-country move solo. It gets lonely after a while, and mom's home-cookin' is suddenly really far away. Join the airlines' miles programs. Save money from every paycheck for airfare.

Kiss your Sawx goodbye cuz nobody cares about baseball and they're never gonna be on TV.

Even fewer have heard of the Bruins.

Good pizza will be a thing of the past.

 

Everything's a trade-off.

 

[DPS]

I live in Issaquah, Washington, a suburb 15 miles east of Seattle. My office in Pioneer Square (near downtown Seattle) is a 20 minute bus ride away. I can literally run out my front door and 9 minutes later be at a trail head with a hundred of miles of trails for trail running, mountain biking, and sometimes even AT skiing.

 

20 minutes away is rock climbing in North Bend, 30 minutes away is Snoqualmie Pass with lift serviced skiing, back country skiing, alpine rock climbing, and winter mixed alpine and ice climbing. 2 hours away is Leavenworth.

 

November through March can be dreary. This time of year makes me want to go to Joshua Tree or Red Rocks. Winter climbing in the Cascades takes a lot of effort, but it is some of the most rewarding climbing I have done anywhere.

 

As someone already mentioned, living here is like living anywhere but with good access to the mountains.

[TheMessenger2]

I have pretty good luck finding work. I went to culinary school, ran a couple of kitchens, then cooked in a couple of really hardcore kitchens. moved on to the cycling world. became a usac cer. mechanic, ridden as a cat 2 for a year or so and now working for a small domestic team and a bike shop.

 

I have been to portland ( just for cycling related endeavors) and really liked it a lot, also lived in steamboat springs, co for about a year to snowboard, climbed rainier and forker. but non of my trips were extended stays so i couldnt really get a feel for the areas. I have found is just as hard to find a climbing partner out here and spend a lot of the time soloing up stuff and then rapping down to pick up my pro. even the cycling here is not as fun. everyone is really intense and competitive. lots of bike-pathleats, guys trying to drop you 20miles into an 60mile ride. cat 4 cyclocross guys with $6000 worth of bikes, a training and diet programs, showing up covered in embrocation and getting lapped. I wouldnt say that the people involved in the climbing community mimic that but in some places its not far off.

 

Im not origionally from boston, i grew up in ohio, so i could care less about the red sox...or baseball or football or hockey for that matter...its all a little annoying if you ask me.

 

in places like l'worth and durango, co, issaqua, bend etc. are bike shops plentiful?....im figuring that their always restaurants around which usually ends up being my go to if i have to find work.

 

thanks for the imput also. I tried asking people around my neck of the wood and all they said was, "that would be a wicked bad idea kid, Warshington and Oregon are hippie states"

[DPS]

I tried asking people around my neck of the wood and all they said was, "that would be a wicked bad idea kid, Warshington and Oregon are hippie states"

 

The people around your neck of the woods probably have not spent much time in Washington or Oregon.

 

And yes, we have bike shops and in Washington and Oregon.

Edited December 25, 2010 by DPS

[genepires]

Hippie volume increases as you travel north and south of seattle and culminates in portland and bellingham. Seattle is still a Hippie area. If you hate hippies (whatever that is), go east of the mountains. zero hippie factor in all of eastern washington, especially as get away from the eastern foothills. Look at spokane for the jobs and conservative attitude.

 

 

even the cycling here is not as fun. everyone is really intense and competitive. lots of bike-pathleats, guys trying to drop you 20miles into an 60mile ride. cat 4 cyclocross guys with $6000 worth of bikes, a training and diet programs, showing up covered in embrocation and getting lapped. I wouldnt say that the people involved in the climbing community mimic that but in some places its not far off.

I tried asking people around my neck of the wood and all they said was, "that would be a wicked bad idea kid, Warshington and Oregon are hippie states"

 

what is wrong with hippie areas? And from the sound of what you say, you are looking for a hippie area. If you are really against hippies, then maybe the passive aggressive nature of the PNW is not for you. Bostonians are a special breed and probably don't fit in with most of the west coast.

 

 

I like in your post you write "waRshington". You'll fit right in.

 

 

Edited December 25, 2010 by genepires

[111]

Everyone loves Bend, OR but the unemployment rate there is something like 30%. Dont even think of moving to Bend.

[Pete_H]

If you like exploring mountains in winter, stay out of the Cascadian backcountry unless you have a week at a time, a snow machine, an avy beacon and avy knowlege.

 

 

Winter access to the mountains in the cascades might be more challenging than in other areas of the country but this statement is pretty much bullshit.

[Pete_H]

Anyway I'd move to California or Colorado if I were you. Better access to skiing and climbing and probably a lot funner than socially handicapped places like Issaquah or 11worth.

[rocky_joe]

I think people have hippie and hipster confused. For hippies, Bham and Eugene are the epicenters, also Berkley, but they're rich trust-fund hippie assholes.

 

Hipsters are nearly as poorly dressed, and much, much more pretentious in their haute-liberal views and preferred color of fixie. Also, all they drink in PBR.

 

If you don't like these people, definitely stay out of Portland, it is rank with them.

[TheMessenger2]

 

 

 

what is wrong with hippie areas? And from the sound of what you say, you are looking for a hippie area. If you are really against hippies, then maybe the passive aggressive nature of the PNW is not for you. Bostonians are a special breed and probably don't fit in with most of the west coast.

 

i dont mind hippies at all...i was merely sharing a quote. i do agree that anywhere out west will be better than the conservative overpriced nature of this place....

[genepires]

I lived in southern maine for a couple of years. I thought there were quite a few hippies living in NH and Maine, especially central to northern maine. What is the bostonian take on those birds?

 

I think I might be a wanna-be-hippie.

 

There is a town in BC near fernie, maybe it is fernie, that is full of honest to god, woodstock looking, greatful dead, dirty stinky hippies. The real deal that doesn't exist in any measurable level in the states anymore. Just some cocktail party trivia.

[Alex]

Gene, not Fernie, the town you're thinking of is Nelson, BC. You and I drove through it on the way to Gimli

 

And yes, you are a wanna-be-hippie, as you will never actually qualify for *true* hippie status with your military service.

 

I was a wanna-be-hippie once, now I'm just old.

 

As for relocating, if Canada is an option Vancouver or Canmore AB are good. Radium would be awesome if I didnt have to work. If looking in the Western US, then my options are Seattle, Bellingham, Portland OR, Lagrande OR, Bend OR, Bozeman MT, SLC/Logan area, Bishop or Jackson WY if you can find work. I'd opt for Washington over Portland OR simply because the North Cascades arent as much a drive from points in WA.

[stevetimetravlr]

La Grande? Are you serious??? What the...?

[ZimZam]

Stay out of Boulder unless you're gonna show up with a trust fund and an attitude in which case you'll fit right in.

Kiss your Sawx goodbye cuz nobody cares about baseball and they're never gonna be on TV.

Even fewer have heard of the Bruins.

Good pizza will be a thing of the past.

Everything's a trade-off.

 

Skip Boulder, it's full of D-bags. The advantage CO has v. OR/WA is the weather. Can't beat 300 days of sunshine. Nederland is a cool spot. A laid back hippie community and the only place I could find decent pizza. Hangin' out at Backcountry Pizza and sippin on Black Butte Porter/Fat Tire. Plenty of good rock and skiing. Ice can be found in RMNP. Then again I have eyes on Mazama.

[Lucky Larry]

I think people have hippie and hipster confused. For hippies, Bham and Eugene are the epicenters, also Berkley, but they're rich trust-fund hippie assholes.

 

Hipsters are nearly as poorly dressed, and much, much more pretentious in their haute-liberal views and preferred color of fixie. Also, all they drink in PBR.

 

If you don't like these people, definitely stay out of Portland, it is rank with them.

 

Port-hipster-land, Oregon. Too cool for full length pants or socks while riding in the winter; just doesn't make good fashion sense. Not to mention that a lot of bikers have as much sense as many of the drivers-- us against them tude-ness doood; on both sides. However; you could scam an accident lottery ticket if you live through it; and then ride a two wheeler wheel chair if your 'lucky'.