Best mountain towns to relocate to?

[catccc]

I know someone that just moved from the East Coast to Bozeman, MT.  It really looks lovely, but it is pretty racially homogeneous, which I don't think you've mentioned as a dealbreaker, but I think it is worth pointing out.  (It's why I wouldn't be comfortable living there, as a minority with biracial kids.)  There is a costco!  She really likes it out there.

[Bracken_Joy]

I'm surprised by the lack of Colorado responses. Maybe that's because they lack a Costco?

I'd do Steamboat Springs, Dillion, Durango, etc. in a heartbeat!

Steamboat was awesome to visit, but yeah, no Costco in that area. Seems a bit like expensive property out there, too, although I didn't look up listings.

[Debts_of_Despair]

Park City?

in THAT case, let's include Jackson and Ketchum

$$$$$$

Bozeman is also quite spendy on the real estate front

It's not that bad if you get a place outside of downtown.  Certainly no worse than SoCal.

[spud1987]

Park City?

in THAT case, let's include Jackson and Ketchum

$$$$$$

Bozeman is also quite spendy on the real estate front

It's not that bad if you get a place outside of downtown.  Certainly no worse than SoCal.

Park City is actually quite affordable as long as you aren't located right near the Main St area or the ski resorts. There are also some cheaper mountain towns in Utah nearby like Kamas, Huntsville, Heber. These areas also tend to be more diverse (read: less Mormon) than other parts of Utah. However, they are still rural so they are not going to be as liberal or diverse as any city.

[Zman]

Mariposa, CA  --- but may be smaller than what you want.  about 40 minutes to Merced and its big box stores.

But where would you ski!? Badger?

[Lnspilot]

Park City?

From another thread:

UT -  If you focus your life around Park City, the politics won't feel so conservative.  I have a few not-so-conservative minded friends that live there and love it.  In addition the state seems to have a fairly stable/healthy economy so that could help with job prospects.

As a native of Salt Lake City, I heartily recommend Utah. Park City is crazy expensive, and basically a fake resort town -- it's turned into a constructed pretend-city that is put up to look quaint for tourists.

[Glenstache]

Mariposa, CA  --- but may be smaller than what you want.  about 40 minutes to Merced and its big box stores.

But where would you ski!? Badger?

I have some good friends that live in Mariposa and have a very nice place there. I also have friends that grew up in Mariposa. Based on that, and having visited them and spent time hanging out in what Mariposa has to offer, I would not recommend it relative to many of the other offerings on this thread. It is pretty socially limited, the access to mountains is not as good for hiking, etc (primarily Yosemite is 45 in away). Skiing would also be limited, but that is not the OPs main goal. Most of the nearby stuff isn't actually all that great, though it is a lot nicer than the adjacent central valley.

[Mika M]

Bend, OR. 

Love Bend! Hope to retire there myself. Visited some relatives there a few years back; DH and I loved it so much that anytime we see jobs even remotely related to our skillset we apply to them.

[big_slacker]

As for Mammoth - I like it there a lot (was just there for awhile) but it is small and isolated from pretty much everywhere. The drive down to Bishop is easy and everything is there but if you want to go anywhere else it's a very long drive.  Therefor I think Tahoe (or the western sierra towns like Auburn, Nevada City, Placerville, Truckee, etc...) would be a better choice. Most are pretty expensive but South Lake Tahoe is pretty cheap and has a much larger city feel with all the resorts. A friend just moved to Incline Village last week and she loves it.

I should have expanded on my tahoe recommendation as well. I lived in south shore (CA and NV side) from the late 90's on. South lake tahoe has some definite cheap places to rent due to lots of snowboard bums, low paid casino workers and so on. There are also some OMFG expensive places as well due to bay area tech millionaires and so on. The best thing about it is that everyone has access to all the same awesomeness regardless of income. And there is no stigma attached to driving a beater, not dressing up and generally being frugal. For many it's just a way of life up there. There is a consignment store, budget grocery outlet and other cheap stuff.

Lifestyle is the best. Beach, hike, climb, kayak, ride, camp all summer. Ski/Snowboard all winter. Smile.

Downsides are lack of decent jobs, crappy schools and having to drive a ways if you want to do city stuff. None of those are that big a deal. Last few years I lived there I rarely even bothered with a trip to Reno since you can get anything you need shipped from amazon and others. 

[mustachianteacher]

Haven't seen Manitou Springs, CO mentioned, but I absolutely love that place. Colorado Springs is just next door, and that's your "big city," but so are the mountains. The only thing you'd want to be careful about is that some areas are very flood-prone, but that's going to be an issue anytime you live near the base of the mountains.

[Debts_of_Despair]

Park City?

From another thread:

UT -  If you focus your life around Park City, the politics won't feel so conservative.  I have a few not-so-conservative minded friends that live there and love it.  In addition the state seems to have a fairly stable/healthy economy so that could help with job prospects.

As a native of Salt Lake City, I heartily recommend Utah. Park City is crazy expensive, and basically a fake resort town -- it's turned into a constructed pretend-city that is put up to look quaint for tourists.

What is a fake resort town?  Last time I checked they had three world class ski resorts within 5 minutes of each other (a free shuttle will drive you there) and a ton of other outdoor activities.

I know things get a little crazy during Sundance and super fancy vendors will takeover existing businesses but that is just one week out of the year.

[JRB_NW]

I have a place in Bend and it is a GREAT little town. But there's a lot to consider.

The good:
Lot's of young people, cycling, kayaking, great winter sports, etc.. great vibe.. the smell of pine and juniper in the air in summer, music festivals, all the breweries.. just a great place.

The bad:
Decent jobs are scarce, long drive to a major city, housing is very expensive, winters are long and cold from the elevation.. and the growing season is short. It's cold, dry and dusty in the winter and if you're not into winter sports it will seem interminably long.. did I mention jobs are scarce and housing is expensive?

I don't live there anymore because I had something going on with my allergies - from the dry air, weed pollen, etc - that excacerbated some health issues, so I moved back to the warmer, wetter Willamette Valley.

[spokey doke]

"the smell of juniper and pine in the air in the summer" - this is just intoxicating in central OR

[Frugalman19]

There are so many great points. We have actually planned a whole vacation to drive through a lot of these towns. We drive on all our vacations, the wife's cars gets insane gas mileage. It sounds like all of southern Colorado is amazing. I'm not sure if we really want a mountain town or a town that is near the mountains. We want to be close to nature and have amazing views. Bozeman and Missoula seem pretty awesome, as well as bend.

If anyone has been to Mammoth, CA, that is the perfect mountain town. It's just crazy crazy expensive!

[Sockigal]

I lived in the resort town of Lake Arrowhead California for most of my life, but moved to Georgia about 8 years ago due to the high cost of living in California. I still have many family members and friends that live in the beautiful San Bernardino Mountains. Truth is every year hundreds of retired folk would move to the mountains with plans of living out their golden years in the splended wilderness. Most would only last 1 or 2 winters in the area before they decided it wasn't going to work. A bad, bad winter would mean losing a considerable amount of the population. After major forest fires, even more people would move. Now, the downside of moving to a resort mountain town like Lake Arrowhead: the snow, horrible driving conditions, lack of services, lack of resources, ect... I love the snow and miss it dearly, however shoveling snow (inch after inch after foot) is not all it's cracked up to be. And it's not just your stairs, it's the whole driveway, walkways, sometimes roof. Over an over again all winter long. Seriously hard on older people, even with snow blowers. Snow, means ice. Icy walkways and roads. Driving on twisty-turny mountain roads is hard in the snow, really hard in the ice, and downright scary in foggy, icy, and snowy conditions.

With that said, I would look for resort mountain areas that have lots of resources, services, and where the snow is limited. After my teens are both in college, my husband and I plan on moving out West again. We just miss our family too much. I keep looking at Bend Oregon because it has all the stuff that we loved about Lake Arrowhead and also the things we thought it lacked (Costco, TJ's, College, Flatter, Many Restaurants, Less Snow). Bend looks like a great resort town, with tons of activities. They even have a great movie theater. Looks like the snow is limited, giving you the opportunity to enjoy the snow, but not so much that it becomes difficult to deal with.

Another great option is Asheville, NC. We visit every year for a week. They get some snow, but it's not too much. The restaurants are fantastic. Seriously awesome food in Asheville. There is tons of hiking and waterfalls galore. The Blueridge Parkway stretches right through the city of Asheville. It is very beautiful! There is also a great art scene. They just built a Trader Joe's a couple of years ago. Housing is reasonable. There are some ranger stations and parkway information centers located in Asheville. Might be a good option for your wife to work. There is also the Biltmore Estate whos lands back to Mt. Pisgah National Forest. Lots of options for those who work in the forest service.

[meadow lark]

I love the Mts just outside of Albuquerque, New Mexico.  Has a (dry) Colorado look at 1/3 of the price.  Decent height - peaks at 10,000' with lots of pines.   And you're an easy 30 minutes to ABQ, which is a decent sized city (somewhere around a million).   Names of towns I like - Tijeras, Cedar Crest, Sandia Park, Madrid.  And of course Santa Fe if you want to spend more.

[RosieTR]

I used to love Estes Park, CO, although it's been thirty  years since I actually lived there. I have a lot of in-law type family connections  there, though--two of the families have built second homes and one couple has retired there. The other couple comes in from England and uses their house in Estes for vacations. The original family home was sold a couple years ago when the last grandparent died. Anyway, you've got Rocky Mt. National Park close by, and the elk herds parading through your front yards...as I'm sure you know. I don't know about a Costco...no idea.

Estes is super-close to Rocky Mountain National Park but not close to big ski mountains (the opportunities for backcountry are outstanding, though!). Costco is probably about 45-60 min away, to the north-east of Ft Collins. Property is not cheap either-if that's a big factor I'd recommend Berthoud or Loveland but those are not IN the mountains, just NEAR the mountains. It would depend on the job situation. I would NOT commute to RMNP from the plains, for example. I think some cheaper digs can be found in the canyon between Estes and the plains, but those aren't necessarily incorporated towns and you would want to do serious research on the fire and especially flood potential of whatever place you were buying or renting (a big flood in 2013 has lead to some VERY cheap deals but good luck with insurance!).
Lyons, CO and some other towns around Boulder might work too, but probably cost even more than Estes (or have the same fire/flood considerations). Costco is similiar distance, in Broomfield. Nederland and some of the other small mountain towns there have the advantage of being right by Eldora Ski Area, which isn't the best skiing but may be OK if you can just go when the snow is good.
Granby and/or Grand Lake may have more affordable housing with a position at Rocky Mtn National Park, but getting to a warehouse store like Costco would take the better part of a day. And no downhill ski area nearby at all.
One relative of ours lived in Avon, which had access to Vail, but wasn't cheap either. Cheaper than Vail, though. No Costco anywhere close. If you were willing to forgo the Costco thing, think about Leadville, CO. Ski resorts are close enough to access but not super close, meaning property values are not astronomical.
As for Durango, not sure if there's a Costco anywhere closer than Albuquerque. Property is expensive, but there are some other towns around that may be affordable. No idea on the job situation, though.

[Bracken_Joy]

I used to love Estes Park, CO, although it's been thirty  years since I actually lived there. I have a lot of in-law type family connections  there, though--two of the families have built second homes and one couple has retired there. The other couple comes in from England and uses their house in Estes for vacations. The original family home was sold a couple years ago when the last grandparent died. Anyway, you've got Rocky Mt. National Park close by, and the elk herds parading through your front yards...as I'm sure you know. I don't know about a Costco...no idea.

Estes is super-close to Rocky Mountain National Park but not close to big ski mountains (the opportunities for backcountry are outstanding, though!). Costco is probably about 45-60 min away, to the north-east of Ft Collins. Property is not cheap either-if that's a big factor I'd recommend Berthoud or Loveland but those are not IN the mountains, just NEAR the mountains. It would depend on the job situation. I would NOT commute to RMNP from the plains, for example. I think some cheaper digs can be found in the canyon between Estes and the plains, but those aren't necessarily incorporated towns and you would want to do serious research on the fire and especially flood potential of whatever place you were buying or renting (a big flood in 2013 has lead to some VERY cheap deals but good luck with insurance!).
Lyons, CO and some other towns around Boulder might work too, but probably cost even more than Estes (or have the same fire/flood considerations). Costco is similiar distance, in Broomfield. Nederland and some of the other small mountain towns there have the advantage of being right by Eldora Ski Area, which isn't the best skiing but may be OK if you can just go when the snow is good.
Granby and/or Grand Lake may have more affordable housing with a position at Rocky Mtn National Park, but getting to a warehouse store like Costco would take the better part of a day. And no downhill ski area nearby at all.
One relative of ours lived in Avon, which had access to Vail, but wasn't cheap either. Cheaper than Vail, though. No Costco anywhere close. If you were willing to forgo the Costco thing, think about Leadville, CO. Ski resorts are close enough to access but not super close, meaning property values are not astronomical.
As for Durango, not sure if there's a Costco anywhere closer than Albuquerque. Property is expensive, but there are some other towns around that may be affordable. No idea on the job situation, though.

I went through Leadville this summer. Shockingly adorable. All our high mountain towns are "rough", to put it nicely, but Leadville is actually quite charming. Wish I could have stayed longer. At least in the summer, there was lots I saw going on nearby- lots of horseback riding trails, whitewater rafting, etc.

[bognish]

Leadville can get kind of weird and is really high, so you will get snow flurries 12 months of the year. Salida CO is a bit lower. Its more of a river town in the mountains, not really a ski area too close. That would be my first choice in CO. Durango is a little bigger and lower elevation. Montrose CO is a nice desert town on the edge of the desert. None of these would be great ski towns, but that makes then cheaper and there is endless mountain access.