Best "off the beaten path" places to live?

Hey guys, I'm wrapping up my orthopedic surgery residency in SoCal soon and have another year in a trauma fellowship starting this summer. I'm starting to look for jobs for after and have always assumed I'd be moving back to Colorado or somewhere else in the Rockies. However, it seems that the market for orthopedic surgeons is very saturated out there (as probably a lot of professions these days). There's basically never positions available and when I do learn of opportunities out there, they don't seem to be as good quality in terms of benefits/pay/lifestyle (relative to other ortho jobs) since it's such a competitive job market, and of course the cost of living seems to be getting quite high out there. 

Meanwhile I see tons of job openings in random parts of the country that are in high need for someone like me and are advertising amazing jobs that sound perfect in terms of my professional interests, pay, and lifestyle. It's starting to make me open my mind to other possibilities, however I don't know anything about some of these areas (ie St. Cloud or Duluth MN, Appleton or Wausau WI, or random towns in Maine, etc)

I'm looking for a decent sized town (don't want to be way out in the middle of nowhere and also don't want to be in a big city, perfect sized town would have a Level II trauma center nearby to suit my professional interest in doing a lot of trauma and arthroplasty), affordable, good place to raise a family (nice people and good schools), good access to the outdoors (not climbing as much these days so doesn't necessarily have to be a climbing hot spot, but I at least need some wilderness access, good mountain biking/trail running, and hopefully at least some climbing of course!) 

Can anyone recommend some good spots, maybe in the Northwest, Northeast, or Midwest, or anywhere else that would be cool outside of the typical hot spots? Thanks! 

Maybe Wenatchee WA, or Boise, ID. Spokane is maybe a little big but I have fun outdoors when I visit family there. 

You do not want to live in St. Cloud, MN. Trust me.

Duluth, MN would be better place. Much more opportunities for hiking, climbing and beautiful scenery. Lots of cool historical significance in the Duluth area as well. Check out that north shore climbing and the Superior Hiking Trail!

Duluth is an amazing town, as long as you are okay with cold winters (good ice climbing around), and lack of tall mountains. As t thumbs mentioned, there is tons of opportunity for mountain biking, single pitch climbing along Lake superior, Great hiking, cross country skiing, canoeing in the boundary waters. It would be a big adjustment from Socal but a cool place to live for a few years and a solid outdoor community.

I would not recommend Wausau or Appleton if you want local climbing, or a climbing community. 

The Boise area is no longer "affordable". Housing has gone from crazy to insane, so cross this end of Idaho off the list. 

I think the crux to thriving in the Northeast is embracing winter. Not sunny mild Colorado winter. Real, suffery, can't feel your fingers and toes winter. You can layer, you can find fun things to do, but it's not for everyone. And given we have this thing called rain a flexible schedule helps if your passion is weather dependent. ie I think it's harder to thrive as a rock climber with a typical M-F 9-5 because there's a non-zero chance most of the weekends in a given month will be rained out. And the skiing is just ok (at least you're not living in the South!). That said, if you like ice climbing, small towns, educational opportunities it's a great place to live. I love Maine and did fellowship there. Burlington is a good spot too. 

If I could not live in the Northeast I like the Bellingham, WA area a lot. Bend, OR is cool too. My buddy moved to Boise, ID a couple of years ago and it seems to be the new hotspot.

Western WA is not at all off the beaten path, even Bellingham. Hit Wenatchee or Spokane like people have said.

Mountain biking? You might want to be sure you're not the only good ortho in the area. Just kidding. 

The Duluth idea is intriguing. It's not something I would have thought of despite some years in north Minnesota. It is a nice place. But know going in, it can be below zero (F) there, although the lake can moderate the temps a little compared to inland. Look at it this way. There's nothing between you and the North Pole...     Car essentials: A 120V plug-in engine heater, and remote start. And don't be surprised when the flat spot on your tires go thump-thump down the road 'till they get ironed out. Actually, to be honest, that only happened to me once in Winnipeg. That place makes Duluth look like Miami.

Curly mentioned the Boundary Waters. I always thought that lake paddling was lame until I went on a trip up there. F'n amazing. A lifetime of exploring to do. Just know this: be in your tent by sundown, or the skeeters will kill you. Kill as in dead. Your body will be found sucked dry of every last drop of blood... The odd thing is, at least in my experience, they're no trouble in the daytime. And you haven't lived until you hear a bull moose trumpeting from across the lake. Then there's the business of portaging your boat and all your supplies across the bridges of land that separate many of the lakes. Just think of it like you're hauling the pig on a big wall, but when you're done you get to float on a beautiful lake, not hang there like meat in the hot sun dying of thirst... Of course, you'll need more than a couple of days off at a time to make use of that resource.

Good luck on your search. It looks like you have a lot of good options.

Spokane has a level 2 trauma center. I would give the climbing a B+ for hard sport and bouldering, C- for trad. If you are willing to drive 2-4 hours the trad jumps to A+ or world class. Alpine climbing is also good within a 2-6 hour drive, you have the Selkirk, WA Pass, Enchantments, Valhallas (Canada), Bugaboos (Canada) 

Look up in NorCal. Humboldt county. Mountains and ocean right there.

I love living in Maine. The northeast certainly has opportunity for off the beaten path adventure. But it's northeast adventure, and that's not for everyone.

Consider the Southeast. Morgantown, WV. Chattanooga or even Nashville, TN. Asheville, NC. Some might consider these "hotspots" but they aren't anywhere near the level of Denver or SLC. With cost of living down there, you will live quite comfortably on even the lowest paid orthopedic salary. Considering settling down there myself after my medical training is done, but that is like a couple decades away. Currently on mountain project avoiding Step 1 studying.....

If you don’t tell anyone else, Pocatello Idaho is great. Super afordable and look at the crags in a 3 hour radius. Even better the desert is 5-7 hours away. 

I could tell you but I’d have to kill you 

New Paltz.

Old lady Hwrote:

The Boise area is no longer "affordable". Housing has gone from crazy to insane, so cross this end of Idaho off the list. 

OP is an orthopedic surgeon moving from SoCal. From that perspective Boise will probably seem pretty affordable. It is all relative.

Wenatchee, Spokane, and Boise are all good suggestions for the NW corner of the country.

JCMwrote:

OP is an orthopedic surgeon moving from SoCal. From that perspective Boise will probably seem pretty affordable. It is all relative.

Wenatchee, Spokane, and Boise are all good suggestions for the NW corner of the country.

Hey, thank you for softening your reply from earlier. It's appreciated!

Here's the problem with Boise:

Screenshot of my house assessment. Under 800 s.ft., in a poor ish part of town. Built in 1950, kinda needs some TLC.

Okay, still a bargain, right?

Except people are showing up the instant a house is on the market, cash in hand from way more expensive places, and bidding properties up. Houses are selling at twice the assessment, and fast.

Okay, our ortho is likely still good.

But?

If you're just an average person? With an average joe job?

Well......

It took me 15 years to get from about 6.50 to 16 an hour, and I left work only a year and a half ago. Minimum wage is the federal one. You'd be hard pressed to find jobs anyone can walk into that pay $20. 

OP has trauma II as a priority. The other trauma II centers in Idaho, beside Boise, are Pocatello and Idaho Falls, if one is amenable to small cities with real winters. Maybe Coeur d'Alene, too?

If the OP could make a living with level III, then there are some smaller places that could be super fun, like Ketchum. Twin Falls just got a III rating, too, and I think it's an underrated town. 

Btw, Seattle is one of the places that's fueling the Boise housing mess, right after CA. It didn't slow at all in 2020, if anything, it sped up. Rents went up faster here than anywhere in the country too.

I really like it here, but it's no longer undiscovered. 

Off the beaten path? Well.....yes. It is the most isolated metro area in the lower 48.

Best, Helen

I am currently in Spokane. The climbing is meh at best unless you drive 2 hours. The climbing near Burlington VT is much better imo. I would aim for Wenatchee to be closer to the cascades. 

Chad Millerwrote:

I could tell you but I’d have to kill you 

HAHA!

On a side note, I don't think I would call our city "off the beaten path". I-70 is right there.

Yeah, Spokane climbing def sucks..lol.  But I heard St George UT is nice.  

Marty Stevenswrote:

HAHA!

On a side note, I don't think I would call our city "off the beaten path". I-70 is right there.

All of the cities listed in this thread are near a major road.  More importantly most people just drive right past. More outdoor fun for us.