Battle of the states! Help!

I actually did a lot of due diligence on both Denver and SLC since my wife and I recently had a kid, and want to get out of MA.

One thing no one has mentioned is the lackluster schools (both public and private) in SLC. I am not trying to offend anyone; just reporting my findings and something you should investigate if education is a priority. SLC would have been our top choice if we did not have a kid.

Denver 'burbs have better schools and more jobs if you are in anything tech related.

Our top choice is actually now Raleigh, NC. The area has far less climbing, but seems to have the best overall quality of life. Feel free to tell me why Raleigh sucks since we are still open to other areas :-)

I've never lived in eastern Washington, but based on a year in Eugene and what friends tell me about BC, I'd say brace yourself for dreary, rainy winters if you choose Bellingham.

The Fat Kid wrote:Feel free to tell me why Raleigh sucks since we are still open to other areas :-)

idk why you'd leave MA for Raleigh. Is it cheaper? Raleigh is the same old boring southeast suburbia.

Two friends of mine were in the same situation as you. They chose SLC as the only choice once they finally scouted the place. One even placed a bid on a house the first day visiting.
Each one of them will tell you the same thing: "I love it here in Utah, but YOU will hate it! Stay away, and tell everyone else to stay away as well. (Laughing) I want it all to myself".

Salt Lake City

So far, everyone on this forum has made some excellent points about each area. If you choose SLC, my fellow "East Coast" transplants will be happy to welcome you into our tribe.

The Fat Kid wrote:I actually did a lot of due diligence on both Denver and SLC since my wife and I recently had a kid, and want to get out of MA. One thing no one has mentioned is the lackluster schools (both public and private) in SLC. I am not trying to offend anyone; just reporting my findings and something you should investigate if education is a priority. SLC would have been our top choice if we did not have a kid. Denver 'burbs have better schools and more jobs if you are in anything tech related. Our top choice is actually now Raleigh, NC. The area has far less climbing, but seems to have the best overall quality of life. Feel free to tell me why Raleigh sucks since we are still open to other areas :-)

My brother and sister in law live in Chapel Hill. They raised two boys there. Both of them are doing well in college and are good people. We head down there every Christmas. It seems like a great place to raise a family.

If I wasn't making a small fortune off the repairing the buildings in Washington DC and hated snow I would move there.

I'll add another vote for the Salt Lake valley, having moved here from Connecticut 15 years ago. It's changed a lot (for the better) even in that time.

David Barbour wrote: idk why you'd leave MA for Raleigh. Is it cheaper? Raleigh is the same old boring southeast suburbia.

My wife and I were looking at Belmont, Lexington, and Winchester (all have great schools) when considering staying in MA; $1 million doesn't buy you much in those areas.

We are not originally from MA, so we don't have much keeping us here, and we are both OVER the New-England winters.

Bill Kirby wrote: My brother and sister in law live in Chapel Hill. They raised two boys there. Both of them are doing well in college and are good people. We head down there every Christmas. It seems like a great place to raise a family. If I wasn't making a small fortune off the repairing the buildings in Washington DC and hated snow I would move there.

I have heard good things about Chapel Hill too.

It is funny how quickly our priorities changed after having a kid!

Edit to Add: In-state tuition to UNC is another big selling point for moving to NC.

The Fat Kid wrote: My wife and I were looking at Belmont, Lexington, and Winchester (all have great schools) when considering staying in MA; $1 million doesn't buy you much in those areas. We are not originally from MA, so we don't have much keeping us here, and we are both OVER the New-England winters.

If it were me, I'd research Asheville, Charlotte, and Chapel Hill, in that order, before moving to Raleigh. Based on proximity to good climbing, culture, and good ol' boy avoidance.

Andre H. wrote: Wow! THE Dow Williams posts on Mountain Project. He's right up there with Peter Croft for professional athletes who I look up to. You know how I know Croft is a professional athlete? He's listed on companies websites, climbs 5.13+, has countless first ascents, and was the leading climber of a generation of yosemite climbers. You know how I know Dow Williams is a professional athlete? He tells us. #justbecauseyoucanonlyclimb510doesn'tmeanyouresponsoredby510

You like to make fun of Dow every chance you get, huh? Dow's comments were helpful to the OP.

The Fat Kid wrote:Our top choice is actually now Raleigh, NC. The area has far less climbing, but seems to have the best overall quality of life. Feel free to tell me why Raleigh sucks since we are still open to other areas :-)

Raleigh is a fine city with a good job market and lots to do, but it should never be on a climber's top choices list.

Raleigh is a couple of hours from Moore's Wall (great climbing) and Pilot Mountain (some decent climbing), but most other crags in the state are 3-4+ hours away.

I'll agree with my friend David and suggest Asheville and Charlotte as better choices. Asheville is in an ideal location, but the job market is scarce for most professions. Charlotte has a good job market, many good school districts (although some bad ones too), and is 2-2.5 hours away from pretty much every crag in the state. Also, the New is 3 hours and change from Charlotte, making weekend trips easy.

Joe Virtanen wrote: I'll agree with my friend David and suggest Asheville and Charlotte as better choices. Asheville is in an ideal location, but the job market is scarce for most professions.

This is my issue - I'm hoping to get to Asheville, but not exactly sure I'll find decent work there, based on the local economy/current job listings/etc.

Adam Burch wrote: This is my issue - I'm hoping to get to Asheville, but not exactly sure I'll find decent work there, based on the local economy/current job listings/etc.

I moved to Denver without a job. Definitely wouldn't do that for Asheville.

David Barbour wrote: I moved to Denver without a job. Definitely wouldn't do that for Asheville.

Indeed. Trying to work something out with my current company, work remote-style. We'll see. Trouble there is - what if they go under? I'll have to get a job at a farmer's market?

Joe Virtanen wrote: Raleigh is a fine city with a good job market and lots to do, but it should never be on a climber's top choices list. Raleigh is a couple of hours from Moore's Wall (great climbing) and Pilot Mountain (some decent climbing), but most other crags in the state are 3-4+ hours away. I'll agree with my friend David and suggest Asheville and Charlotte as better choices. Asheville is in an ideal location, but the job market is scarce for most professions. Charlotte has a good job market, many good school districts (although some bad ones too), and is 2-2.5 hours away from pretty much every crag in the state. Also, the New is 3 hours and change from Charlotte, making weekend trips easy.

David Barbour wrote: If it were me, I'd research Asheville, Charlotte, and Chapel Hill, in that order, before moving to Raleigh. Based on proximity to good climbing, culture, and good ol' boy avoidance.

I have heard that Ashville is awesome... If you are independently wealthy or retired. Unfortunately, at least one of us will need to find a job.

It is tough to find the "perfect" location, so thanks for the tip on Charlotte!

Joe Virtanen wrote: Also, the New is 3 hours and change from Charlotte, making weekend trips easy.

It's also not that much further from the RDU area, same thing for the red... If you are heading westward, being in Charlotte saves you about 1.5 hrs one way, which is nice, but not a huge game changer. On the other hand, there are more high tech jobs around RDU, the gyms are way better/modern & if you have kids, the schools are better, especially the closer to college age they are.

David Barbour wrote: idk why you'd leave MA for Raleigh.

I dunno, but probably for some of the same reasons a bunch of carpetbaggers have move to Raleigh?

The Fat Kid wrote:Denver 'burbs have better schools and more jobs if you are in anything tech related.

The Denver burbs may have better schools, but the more tech related jobs thing is not the case. At best its a wash, but there are huge numbers of tech related jobs in SLC and shortages in nearly every skill set. One positive LDS influence is that even the tech companies are very family friendly here. I'm a Java developer, and I essentially never work more than 40 hours a week, and that isn't unusual here.

reboot wrote: It's also not that much further from the RDU area, same thing for the red... If you are heading westward, being in Charlotte saves you about 1.5 hrs one way, which is nice, but not a huge game changer. On the other hand, there are more high tech jobs around RDU, the gyms are way better/modern & if you have kids, the schools are better, especially the closer to college age they are.

Inner Peaks just opened a new location in Charlotte and it's pretty badass.

innerpeaks.com/southend/

I would agree with Andrew about tech jobs here vs Denver. I have family in Denver and currently live near SLC and work as a developer(mostly python stuff). SLC has a great tech market with quite a few companies here.

Not too many people talking up Denver here

Probably because they are all sitting in traffic