Yet another “Where do I move?!?!?” Thread (solved)

Math Bertwrote:

"I'd never live in LA, the traffic is awful"

[5 pages later]

"How about I just sign up for a 1 hour (each way) commute everyday??"

Take a stab at what the difference might be between i405 in LA and state routes 140/170 between a mountain town in CO and a small city in northern NM. Would also not be intended as a permanent solution

In any case... Durango sounds like it would be my ideal, but jobs are scarce. Maybe I'll just keep an eye out and in the meantime if Golden is too overcrowded I'll set my sights on Grass Valley or adjacent. Or maybe Tucson, but based on the variable reviews I definitely need to visit for myself, first. Thanks for the help, those who were helpful

i70 and i25 (CO) are some of the most awful roads on the planet. 

More likely to die driving in bad weather in remote areas?  IDK man car time is car time, that's why I bike to work and mention it whenever possible. 

J Ewrote:

What makes it so bad to work there?

It is extremely blighted, has an extremely high rate of substance abuse and violence, revolves around the petroleum industry, and people in that part of NM  tend to have their own peculiar way of doing things. It is hard to describe, but you should probably check out the Bloomfield to Shiprock corridor in person.

Strange that you would consider the Four Corners but not Abq/Santa Fe with your requirements. 

Haven't read this whole thread so I might be re-stating things but here's some thoughts on Tucson.

Tucson is honestly great, all things considered. 

- It's growing rapidly - housing has been difficult to find and getting more expensive, but still much cheaper than national average, and way way cheaper than other cities with decent outdoor access and other amenities.    

- The gyms are OK - I've been to gyms all across the country and the gyms here are really behind in terms of facilities. The newest gym (Rock Solid) has good training/system walls but is bouldering only, and they set very a 'modern' style (lots of volumes, etc.).  Even after a big remodel a couple years ago, the rope gym (R&R) is already wayyy undersized and underappointed.  It's packed every night of the week with team kids running rampant.  Poor training space, no yoga, no kid space, not great for beginners, small bouldering area, bad layout, no community space/place to work.   Etc.   The other bouldering gym (Bloc, same company as R&R) is OK.  They have a very well appointed training space, moon board, and a great spray wall.  IMO their regular walls & layout really suck...all the walls are basically the same angle (5-15 deg overhung) and there are basically no aretes/corners, which makes for boring setting since there aren't any angles to play with.    But...given that you can climb outside year-round, having a perfect gym isn't as crucial IMO.    Plus it wouldn't surprise me if one of the big gyms moved in some time in the next few years. 

- The scene in general here is stellar.  People are friendly, it is generally easy to find partners that are in your zone, and climbing-centered community events are ramping back up (after a couple dead covid years). 

- The crag options are pretty mind blowing if you expand your driving range to 2 hours, can have fun climbing all styles, stay flexible (the heat will force your hand), and don't get too strong (not too much in the 5.13 and above range).

- Long-term, climate related issues might become more stressful.  Heat, fire, drought, water issues (we get most of our water from the Colorado). That should be a concern if it isn't. It is a desert and it's going to get more intense in the coming decade(s).

My biggest complaints with Tucson have to do with the general layout of the city/road systems.  It can be frustratingly slow to get 10 miles across town, since we don't have any real freeway system.  That, and the fact that it seems to be a very transient population - people move here for a few years and then decide to leave.  Makes keeping climbing partners & friends for more than a few years difficult.  

Cheers and good luck.

Dan Booklesswrote: I'm a nurse. 

So you’re just proving my point for me then? RN’s make like $80-100k in Bend  

Also nothing wrong with living with roommates, but arguing that Bend is affordable if you believe it hard enough is laughable. Redmond is even starting to price the middle class out. Both places are super rad, for sure, I agree…but, it’s expensive to live there no matter how frugal you are. 

J Ewrote:

Take a stab at what the difference might be between i405 in LA and state routes 140/170 between a mountain town in CO and a small city in northern NM. Would also not be intended as a permanent solution

In any case... Durango sounds like it would be my ideal, but jobs are scarce. Maybe I'll just keep an eye out and in the meantime if Golden is too overcrowded I'll set my sights on Grass Valley or adjacent. Or maybe Tucson, but based on the variable reviews I definitely need to visit for myself, first. Thanks for the help, those who were helpful

Okay, my wife’s sister lives in Nevada City and has rental properties in Grass Valley. Unless you are planning to commute to Auburn, Sacramento or Reno, work would be hard to find. There is a climbing gym, but it is tiny and not very good. Politics in Grass Valley lean conservative, but not so much in Nevada City. If you plan on buying, fire insurance is very hard to get. As for a lively dating scene, I suppose so, but you may have to settle for the odd rando trimigrant chick. However, it is a beautiful area and we love to visit. 

Molly Mulcahywrote:

- high cost of living that is just getting more and more expensive by the year. Good luck finding a food truck that sells anything under $12-15, on top of the 20% percent gratuity they expect for handing you your food. 

That's pretty much the norm across the country. Remember that the food truck owners need to pay for a lot more than just food.

• insurance
• fuel
• truck maintenance
• workers fully burdened salary
• taxes
• licensing fees
• possibly commissary fees
• packaging
• ...and finally, food

https://squareup.com/us/en/townsquare/food-truck-cost

J Ewrote:

Or maybe Tucson, but based on the variable reviews I definitely need to visit for myself, first.

I can't imagine moving anywhere without first having visited, and long enough to really get a feel for what living there would be like.

The last thing I would do is move somewhere sight unseen based on an MP recommendation. No, strike that 'last thing' - it's something I'd never do.

I moved to SLC from Boston sight unseen and I don’t regret it. If you do your research and know what you want, I’d say it’s not insane to move without visiting first. Especially if moving for climbing from a climbing poor location, like Boston, or in OPs case Florida. Anywhere is a climbing upgrade from Florida 

Jack Bushwaywrote:

I moved to SLC from Boston sight unseen and I don’t regret it. If you do your research and know what you want, I’d say it’s not insane to move without visiting first.

I disagree. SLC always looked good on paper for our eventual move west when we lived in CT, but based on our visits for climbing, skiing, and off-roading, we never could have moved here in the 80's or 90's. The demographics and cultural attitudes were far too intense then. The 2002 Olympics brought about a huge change - one that we noticed even after moving here in 2000.

Marc801 Cwrote:

I disagree. SLC always looked good on paper for our eventual move west when we lived in CT, but based on our visits for climbing, skiing, and off-roading, we never could have moved here in the 80's or 90's. The demographics and cultural attitudes were far too intense then. The 2002 Olympics brought about a huge change - one that we noticed even after moving here in 2000.

Everything looks good when you live in CT or anywhere in the east. 

By time the Olympics came, SLC already had a fork in its ass!

Folks were already leaving by 2000

Not Not MP Adminwrote:

So you’re just proving my point for me then? RN’s make like $80-100k in Bend  

Also nothing wrong with living with roommates, but arguing that Bend is affordable if you believe it hard enough is laughable. Redmond is even starting to price the middle class out. Both places are super rad, for sure, I agree…but, it’s expensive to live there no matter how frugal you are. 

I'm not arguing that Bend is affordable, it's decidedly not affordable.  I'm arguing that people (rock climbers and otherwise) should decide where they want to live based on lifestyle, amenities and personal values, not cost of living.  Why do so many people live under staircases and in hobbit holes in NY and SF...cause they are willing to sacrifice so they can live in the city.  Why should OP live in flagstaff, bend, bozeman or boulder and potentially spend a third to half their income on housing...because it's worth it!

(For the record, my cost of housing doubled moving from Portland to Bend and I'm pleased as punch none the less!)

Dan Booklesswrote:

(For the record, my cost of housing doubled moving from Portland to Bend and I'm pleased as punch none the less!)

I assume you don’t have kids?

Jared E I tried to send you a PM/email but I don't know if it went through. Try to PM or message here if you have questions on Grass Valley / East of Sac. I'm familiar with the area.

Marc801 Cwrote:

I disagree. SLC always looked good on paper for our eventual move west when we lived in CT, but based on our visits for climbing, skiing, and off-roading, we never could have moved here in the 80's or 90's. The demographics and cultural attitudes were far too intense then. The 2002 Olympics brought about a huge change - one that we noticed even after moving here in 2000.

Makes sense - I get bothered by UT politics and the like now, I can’t imagine in the 80s and 90s!

highaltitudeflatulentexpulsionwrote:

I assume you don’t have kids?

Nope, got my vasectomy like a responsible feminist.

Dan Booklesswrote:

Why do so many people live under staircases and in hobbit holes in NY and SF...cause they are willing to sacrifice so they can live in the city.  Why should OP live in flagstaff, bend, bozeman or boulder and potentially spend a third to half their income on housing...because it's worth it!

Then why do most of these people end up leaving after a while? Maybe it was never worth it & they just didn't know any better?

Frank Steinwrote:

Okay, my wife’s sister lives in Nevada City and has rental properties in Grass Valley. Unless you are planning to commute to Auburn, Sacramento or Reno, work would be hard to find. There is a climbing gym, but it is tiny and not very good. Politics in Grass Valley lean conservative, but not so much in Nevada City. If you plan on buying, fire insurance is very hard to get. As for a lively dating scene, I suppose so, but you may have to settle for the odd rando trimigrant chick. However, it is a beautiful area and we love to visit. 

I grew up in Nevada City. I'd second most of this^. Politics tends to be sort of on either end of the spectrum. A funny thing: I tend to find people from Nevada City won't lump themselves in when someone says "are you from grass valley?" whereas people from GV will accept being lumped in as from NC.

Sean Andersonwrote:

I grew up in Nevada City. I'd second most of this^. Politics tends to be sort of on either end of the spectrum. A funny thing: I tend to find people from Nevada City won't lump themselves in when someone says "are you from grass valley?" whereas people from GV will accept being lumped in as from NC.

I guess I should clarify I’m not married to grass valley specifically, but have been pretty much convinced (pending a visit) that that region is the place for me. Concerning politics, it could not be worse than florida. It’s close enough to sac that I’m not overly concerned about the liveliness/dating scene of the particular town I end up in. My profession pays well and rent is lower than SoFlo so that’s not so much a worry. Gotta compromise on some things to get true year round climbing