Pick my new hometown!

[joshman1204]

I am considering a move to a new place and would like some ideas from the OOT crew! I want to be within 1 to 2 hours of a major ski resort and also within 1 to 2 hours of a large city but I dont want to live in a large city. I was thinking something at the base of the mountains in cali but I dont know any of the towns out there.

[PoBoy321]

Where do you live now? Northern New Jersey or Southern New York State could fit the bill, but I don't know if you're an east coast or west coast guy.

[lighterjobs]

des moines, iowa

i hear good things

[touchfaith]

Are you from California already? If not, we have no towns available for residence at this time, however, I do have some visual aids if you are interested.

[swede123]

There's some good options in Colorado. Colorado Springs, Fort Collins or any of the suburbs of Denver would cover all your criteria. One downside is mediocre poker.

Swede

[joshman1204]

I am in waco texas (shithole) right now.

I have never heard much about the east coast ski resorts is the only reason why i didnt consider them before. I will give those a look also.

Thanks

[joshman1204]

Another downside is that you are really stuck in colorado without much else to do but mountains. If im not mistaken even from mammoth in cali it is only like a 4 or 5 hour drive to a beach and maybe even less than that.

[swede123]

Well, it is a ways from the Ocean. But there are reservoirs around if you like to waterski and stuff. There's deserts, prairies, great mountains to hike, and much else. I know what you're saying though, it's not a great place if you like going to the beach.

Swede

[smokingrobot]

nort jersey has mt creek, which is one of the better snowboarding resorts on the ast coast (ignoring the north & east like vermont et al)

intrawest turned that place around.

[joshman1204]

Its not that the beach is a priority but I would just like to be close enough to something other than the mountains. Skiing in the winter is #1 priority and then summer I would like to be somewhat close to the beach.

I always used to dream about moving to colorado but now that I get closer to actually moving Cali keeps sticking in my mind for some reason.

[cbfair]

Flagstaff, AZ. 7000 ft. elevation, at the base of a good sized mountain with decent skiing (AZ Snowbowl, 30 min. from town). 2.5 hours from Phoenix, 4 hours from Vegas and 2.5 hours from Laughlin. It's close to Sedona, painted desert, grand canyon, Lake Powell, Zion National Park, etc so there are plenty of outdoor recreational activities available.

Flagstaff has a moderate climate with lots of snow in winter. and generally, if it's not raining or snowing, the sky is clear blue, a nice change from the days of overcast those in the midwest/east become used to.

It's also a college town so there's usually plenty to do.

[joshman1204]

sweet I will add it to the list of places to look at. I never thought of skiing in arizona!

[imported_anacardo]

Does Northern Arizona U a "college town" make?

That said, I've been through Flagstaff, and I like it.

[cbfair]

Thats a good question and I guess it's a matter of perspective. While ASU is huge, Phoenix definately isn't a college town. NAU is much smaller but so is the surrounding town. I went to school at NAU, so it feels like a college town to me, though others have ample ground to argue otherwise.

All the same, I hadn't been there in 10 years and spent two days and a night there last week. It's a great town in beautiful surroundings and I want to move there; maybe someday I will.

In fairness to the OP, the economy is stable but not booming and largely based on tourism. I'd definately look into the job market before relocating.

[joshman1204]

Yea this economy is unfortunetly going to be one of the ibggest factors of the move. I am in the banking business so most places have banks its just wether they want to pay me what I want to make /images/graemlins/grin.gif

[PorscheNGuns]

I eat at George O's when I go there...good food I guess

-Matt

[jokerthief]

[ QUOTE ]
Another downside is that you are really stuck in colorado without much else to do but mountains. If im not mistaken even from mammoth in cali it is only like a 4 or 5 hour drive to a beach and maybe even less than that.

[/ QUOTE ]

Trust me, Colorado doesn't want your Texas ass.

[IHateKeithSmart]

Eastern burb's/outlying areas of Portland, OR. Right on the way to Mt. Hood, where you can ski/snowboard year round.

[zephed]

Easy, southern California.

[w_alloy]

You could try Girdwood or Eagle River, Alaska. The resort you would attend would be alyeska, with one of the best double diamond (and possibly longest) runs in th US. Also great groomer skiing/snowbaording, if you like that. Not much jibbing though. It is consitently rated in the top 25 resorts in the country. The town it is in is gridwood, whcih is a total hippy ski town (with everthing that goes with it), but everyone has a good attitude. Has about 2k people. It is small, but is about 30-40 minutes from anchorage with is a good small-mid sized (300k people) city. Eagle river is a on the other side of Anchorage, and has about 30k, and is a better place to raise a family etc. Alyeska is about 70-80 minutes drive and anchorage is about 15-30, depending on where you live. It is half on the chugach, one of the best heli-skiing ranges in the world. There are nice mountainside houses with phenomanal views, still pretty much in town for very cheap.

[jokerthief]

Alaska? Are you nuts?

[ChipWrecked]

'Girdwood' otherwise known as 'Goodweed'.

OP, Sacramento is about 100 miles from Tahoe and about 100 miles from <strike> ThinMan </strike> the Bay Area.

Relatively cheap by Cali standards.

Which means the median home price is almost a half million [censored] dollars.

[w_alloy]

Its not for everyone, but some people like it for various reasons.

[Bukem_]

I was once on a mission to find since such a place. Unforunately, it doesn't really exist.

I was very pretty obsessed with snowboarding for awhile, and lived in Crested Butte and Alpine Meadows(though I rode as Squaw) for a few years. Also lived in summit county for a summer.

So... Summit county,CO very nice area, decent skiing, ok "professional jobs", close to major city, very cold, windy, and really not that much snow.

SLC Major city yes, good terrain, I haven't been there to ski, but from what I hear it gets hyped for good snow by tourists and magazines, but snow is really light, and doesn't do much for big mountain skiing.

Tahoe I live here now, its beautifiul, and squaw goes off. Squaw is easily top 3 in North America. Reno isn't much, but its a city and its close. Even bad snow years in tahoe crush most other areas good years.

Southern Cal BIg city, weak skiing.

Flagstaff decent for city and skiing dont know enough to really say.

Jackson and Crested Butte: no city. Otherwise very good.

BC Hard to get permit to live, otherwise very good(maybe best).

[dcasper70]

Check out eastern Massachusetts, within the 495/95 belt.

Plenty of industry, considered silicon valley east. Banks up the wazoo. Tons of skiing/beaches within 2 hours. Boston suburbs. Foxwoods is a 90 minute drive. Tons of pseudo-legal charity poker and home games.

Couple areas that are nice middle class towns:
Framingham/Natick/Wayland
Newton/Waltham
Reading/Wilmington
Braintree

[beta1607]

I recommend moving to Tahoe - but on the Nevada side for tax reasons.

[joshman1204]

I currently goto BC twice a year for the skiing but I dont think I want to live across the border.

how far is it from tahoe to places like san fran and LA?

[beta1607]

Tahoe is like 3-4 hours from SF and probably 8 hours from LA. The Lake there is awesome to go boating on during the summer.

[joshman1204]

Sweet so if i could find a town between tahoe and san fran then I could be 1 1/2 hours from either a beach or a ski resort!

are the beaches in san fran any good?

[Patrick del Poker Grande]

[ QUOTE ]
Sweet so if i could find a town between tahoe and san fran then I could be 1 1/2 hours from either a beach or a ski resort!

[/ QUOTE ]
This is silly. Now you'll be driving 1.5 hours for anything you want to do. Live by Tahoe, then you can ski whenever you want and then you can go to SF on the weekend or overnight just the same.

[beta1607]

[ QUOTE ]
are the beaches in san fran any good?


[/ QUOTE ]

No they are cold and shitty - good beaches are in SoCal.

Also look at the areas near mamoth mountain, closer to good beaches it that ends up matering to you

[joshman1204]

I live in waco now and drive 1 1/2 hours to either austin or dallas to do everything now so that is the norm for me. But i get you point.

[touchfaith]

http://img301.imageshack.us/img301/7893/welcome9nk.jpg
http://www.vincepinto.com/misc/trespassing.jpg

[pokerdirty]

near ski resorts in the winter....very close to the City....sounds like

http://www.unipa.it/premiocestelli/album/image13.jpg

da BRONX for you! (south south bronx) /end J.Lo song

[JihadOnTheRiver]

Sacramento is a two hour drive away from everything in the world. Woods, Skiing, larger party cities, etc... Its got a decent night life and the housing prices are not too ridiculous.

-JOTR

[Cancer Merchant]

Try the outskirts of Sacramento if you want a smaller city within an hour or so of skiing and SF. Further up in the hills are Auburn and Placerville, both smaller towns which are pretty nice. They, like everything else, are getting crowded though.

In the south, I hear Barstow is becoming quite the town.

[naphinfitos]

Western Mass- 3 Hours from Turning Stone, Springfield is a medium city (150,000), also 1.5 hrs from Boston and 3 hrs from New York City. Probably 10 places to ski within 2 hrs including Mount Snow, Stratton, Killington.

[montechristo]

denver. no wait, cali. yeah, cali. go there. not denver.

[Patrick del Poker Grande]

[ QUOTE ]
denver. no wait, cali. yeah, cali. go there. not denver.

[/ QUOTE ]
Yeah. Denver sucks. Doooooooon't come to Denver and don't tell anyone they should come here. It's an aweful place.

[loose passive]

Try around Placerville in El Dorado county California. It is like 1.5 hours to Tahoe and a little more than 2 to San Francisco. Oh and there are a bunch of wineries there as well.

Placerville - Google Maps (http://maps.google.com/maps?q=placerville,+ca&spn=0.987347,1.435089&hl=en )