Choosing where to live.
Not knowing where we will be next year is starting to take its toll. On me, on my family, probably on my performance at work. I obsess about it.
"Where do we want to live?"
I have my list. My goal is to find a community that maximizes the number of things on that list. Polly has a list, but it is much shorter, or contains secret elements that I don't know. Her list, as far as I can tell is:
1. Access to grandbabies.
2. Church members in adequate numbers that we don't practice our faith on an island, or in a fishbowl.
That is a short list.
My list is more complicated. It has lots of items, and the those items change in relative importance as the seasons of the year, and my life, change. I like the outdoors- that has always been and will always be true. I find that I get depressed fairly quickly if my senses are deprived of the outdoors. The sound of the wind through the trees, the smell of woodsmoke and pine, the simultaneous sensation of a warm sun on my back and cool grass under feet. As Polly is my witness, I even like the smell of an occasional skunk. I am not a "city boy". The videos further define what activities I enjoy and to which easy access is important.
Too many people make me nervous, but I am not a hermit either. (Three deer just ran past my window on campus. It is the middle of the day and school is in session). Towns less than 100,000 people, but more than 10,000 seem just about right. I am also a bit of a foodie, so that not big, not small town needs to be within driving distance to a real city so I can eat decent food once-in-while. I am a conservative, but I appreciate what liberals bring to the table. Mostly I like genuine people, who are sincere and actually want to make your friendly acquaintance. I think I can connect with a homeless, but honest ex-con drug addict better than I can some uptight veneered professional. I have yet to meet a ski-bum or traveling river guide that wasn't immensely likable.
I like the arts, so it would be nice if a world class exhibition came to town once in a while. Original prints of some of Ansel Adams's most iconic works are currently at the Museum of Art here in Missoula and that is a good example of what I'm talking about. I don't need the Moscow Ballet's Nutcracker Suite.
When it comes to climate, a nice balance of hot sunny summers with mild snowy winter would be nice. Throw in a fall with crisp nights and gorgeous foliage and wet green springs and that would just about be perfect. The problem with places like Moab, Durango, or St. George is that we don't like the desert. Is the Midwest the only place with hot sunny summers AND lots of grass and trees? Plus, we want to grow food without building a greenhouse. I know that Vermont and New Hampshire look nice in the calendars, but I don't much else.
Go to VentureThere for more videos.
Brody Leven, eaten by Tahoe pow from Brody Leven on Vimeo.
So.... What cities fit that bill? Oddly enough, Missoula fulfills almost all of my requirements, but the access to grand babies is a problem. Our airport is lacking cheap flights anywhere, including SLC. It is too far of a drive to make it a weekend.. so while I would be happy staying in Missoula, its not the end of the world if we leave.
Cities that I currently think about (a lot)
Park City Utah has an almost perfect climate, world class outdoor sports, a vibrant arts scene, etc. and Salt Lake City is a surprisingly cool city. However, it doesn't have any (recreation) lakes close by, plus it is very expensive to buy a house and I won't commute more than about 10-15 minutes. There is also the post-persecution Utah vibe thing I can't figure out. It might make me mental.
Wenatchee and Leavenworth WA. Good mountain biking and skiing. Lots of lakes close by. Weather = awesome and Seattle is only 90 minutes away. Housing is cheap and cost of living is low. Crops grow like mad. Only problem is an apparent lack of cultural pursuits.
Hood River OR/White Salmon WA. 20 miles west of here, it is a rain forest and 20 miles east it is high desert, but the weather in Hood River is perfect. No lakes, but the Columbia River is like a hundred mile long lake with good fishing and recreation. Skiing at Mount Hood and other places is convenient, It has an awesome collection of galleries, restaurants, and shops. Cost of living is pretty high though and it is definitely on the smaller side so jobs don't come up all that often.
Coeur D' Alene, ID. Probably my first choice right now. I can't really think of anything its missing from my list other than it is really hard to find a pharmacist job there. Everyone who graduates from Missoula and Pullman want to move there so even though no pharmacy school is there, the market is saturated.
So why did I post this long boring post? Mostly just so I can gather my own thoughts and try to constructively manage the process. Any ideas of cool cities would be appreciated.
"Where do we want to live?"
I have my list. My goal is to find a community that maximizes the number of things on that list. Polly has a list, but it is much shorter, or contains secret elements that I don't know. Her list, as far as I can tell is:
1. Access to grandbabies.
2. Church members in adequate numbers that we don't practice our faith on an island, or in a fishbowl.
That is a short list.
My list is more complicated. It has lots of items, and the those items change in relative importance as the seasons of the year, and my life, change. I like the outdoors- that has always been and will always be true. I find that I get depressed fairly quickly if my senses are deprived of the outdoors. The sound of the wind through the trees, the smell of woodsmoke and pine, the simultaneous sensation of a warm sun on my back and cool grass under feet. As Polly is my witness, I even like the smell of an occasional skunk. I am not a "city boy". The videos further define what activities I enjoy and to which easy access is important.
Too many people make me nervous, but I am not a hermit either. (Three deer just ran past my window on campus. It is the middle of the day and school is in session). Towns less than 100,000 people, but more than 10,000 seem just about right. I am also a bit of a foodie, so that not big, not small town needs to be within driving distance to a real city so I can eat decent food once-in-while. I am a conservative, but I appreciate what liberals bring to the table. Mostly I like genuine people, who are sincere and actually want to make your friendly acquaintance. I think I can connect with a homeless, but honest ex-con drug addict better than I can some uptight veneered professional. I have yet to meet a ski-bum or traveling river guide that wasn't immensely likable.
I like the arts, so it would be nice if a world class exhibition came to town once in a while. Original prints of some of Ansel Adams's most iconic works are currently at the Museum of Art here in Missoula and that is a good example of what I'm talking about. I don't need the Moscow Ballet's Nutcracker Suite.
When it comes to climate, a nice balance of hot sunny summers with mild snowy winter would be nice. Throw in a fall with crisp nights and gorgeous foliage and wet green springs and that would just about be perfect. The problem with places like Moab, Durango, or St. George is that we don't like the desert. Is the Midwest the only place with hot sunny summers AND lots of grass and trees? Plus, we want to grow food without building a greenhouse. I know that Vermont and New Hampshire look nice in the calendars, but I don't much else.
Go to VentureThere for more videos.
Brody Leven, eaten by Tahoe pow from Brody Leven on Vimeo.
So.... What cities fit that bill? Oddly enough, Missoula fulfills almost all of my requirements, but the access to grand babies is a problem. Our airport is lacking cheap flights anywhere, including SLC. It is too far of a drive to make it a weekend.. so while I would be happy staying in Missoula, its not the end of the world if we leave.
Cities that I currently think about (a lot)
Park City Utah has an almost perfect climate, world class outdoor sports, a vibrant arts scene, etc. and Salt Lake City is a surprisingly cool city. However, it doesn't have any (recreation) lakes close by, plus it is very expensive to buy a house and I won't commute more than about 10-15 minutes. There is also the post-persecution Utah vibe thing I can't figure out. It might make me mental.
Wenatchee and Leavenworth WA. Good mountain biking and skiing. Lots of lakes close by. Weather = awesome and Seattle is only 90 minutes away. Housing is cheap and cost of living is low. Crops grow like mad. Only problem is an apparent lack of cultural pursuits.
Hood River OR/White Salmon WA. 20 miles west of here, it is a rain forest and 20 miles east it is high desert, but the weather in Hood River is perfect. No lakes, but the Columbia River is like a hundred mile long lake with good fishing and recreation. Skiing at Mount Hood and other places is convenient, It has an awesome collection of galleries, restaurants, and shops. Cost of living is pretty high though and it is definitely on the smaller side so jobs don't come up all that often.
Coeur D' Alene, ID. Probably my first choice right now. I can't really think of anything its missing from my list other than it is really hard to find a pharmacist job there. Everyone who graduates from Missoula and Pullman want to move there so even though no pharmacy school is there, the market is saturated.
So why did I post this long boring post? Mostly just so I can gather my own thoughts and try to constructively manage the process. Any ideas of cool cities would be appreciated.
I think you guys should move to Park City, or even Springville or Mapleton. They are smallish towns, but you're close to SLC and even closer to Provo.
ReplyDeleteBecause Provo is a college town, there is tons of art, food, and a surprisingly diverse sample of people.
We have openly gay members in our ward, lots of people from other countries, and an array of filmmakers and artists.
I think you'd hate living somewhere like Orem, but it's not so bad in Provo.
The winters are snowy, the falls are lovely, summer is really hot and the growing season is pretty lengthy. You live close to Utah lake, which is decent for recreation, and within a half hour drive of several other, better lakes.
Plus, mountains, skiing, and lots of pretty hikes and bike trails.
I don't know... Sounds like everything on your list and mom's list can be found in Provo area.