Best Cities To Work And Live For Hiking

[DayTrip]

. Was in Vegas.. what a nasty place.

We LOVE Las Vegas....but just for 3-4 days once a year. The food, drinking and entertainment options packed into such a concentrated area are unmatched. And everyone is in a great mood, fun, friendly. But I can't imagine living there. We've stayed 6-7 days once or twice and by day 5 you just want to get out of there.

 

[DayTrip]

I have talked to a few folks over the years that cashed out where they lived and bought a house with apartments for cash in an up and coming area recreation area. They live in one apartment and then rent the others out which covers their housing expenses and then they work service jobs on their schedule. The well off folks who own the high end homes still need their septic systems pumped, their wells fixed, their sidewalks shoveled, their heating systems tuned up and their firewood supplied. Take a look at the Conway Daily Sun any day at the classifieds, you will see plenty of ads for home services and I expect that many are doing this as one of many side hustles. I have known folks in the Conway area that need to have several jobs and hustles to pay the rent.

The key to this is having one spouse work a job that has access to medical benefits and carry a big cushion in case the economy hits a rough patch. Of course with the new limitation on real estate taxes and mortgage interest deductions the entire second vacation home market may be up in the air, I expect its going to drive the market to Air B&B rentals but someone still needs to keep the clean and maintained.

I guess other locals like Chris Daily, J&J and Jeremy could add a lot to the discussion as they could live anywhere but elect to live in the whites.

Excellent points. I would expect (hope) that selling our home here in CT would get us into a multifamily in one of our target areas and lessen the need to find top notch employment.

 

[iAmKrzys]

I would go back to Colorado springs if I decided to move West again. You have access to a lot of hiking midweek, close by. I used the Barr trail out of Manitou Springs (cool adjacent town) to train. The trail summits Pikes Peak in a long 13 miles, but there is a camp (Barr camp) at 7.5 miles at about 10.5k. doing that hike 3 times a week kept me acclimated for the 14ers on my days off. Some like Denver, but I'm just not into big city living. The climate is very good too. Average 300 sunny days a year.

When I was going to visit Colorado Springs few summers ago I mentioned this to a friend and he related a story how they were hiking Pikes Peak and asked a ranger if he knew what the weather forecast was for next day. Reportedly the ranger shrugged his shoulders and said "Same as every day - sunny in the morning, thunderstorms in the afternoon."

 

[iAmKrzys]

Bozeman, MT is another city that has popped up numerous times in our searches.

Last September when hiking in Wind River Range we met two guys who graduated from Montana State University - one with degree in physics and another one with a degree in engineering. Both subsequently moved to East Coast. When I asked them why, the answer was pretty quick - there was only one employer in Monatana - Montana Power Company. I guess the job situation may be somewhat different in retailing but you may want to explore this a bit more before you decide to move. Also, you may want to ask yourself how comfortable you are hiking in grizzly country - many people don't mind but I feel pretty uneasy.

 

[ChrisB]

Excellent points. I would expect (hope) that selling our home here in CT would get us into a multifamily in one of our target areas and lessen the need to find top notch employment.

Not sure how the market is now, but a few years ago shortly after the mill closed Berlin NH had some very cheap housing available. Peakbagger would know the present situation, but I recall seeing decent homes for sale for well under $100k.

Quality employment remains an issue, however.

cb

 

[peakbagger]

The market has picked up a bit but yes good older homes can be had in the 50 to 100 K range in Berlin. They are usually older family homes on small lots. The city and state has been supporting the rehab of numerous apartments for 10 years and the city has torn down a lot of the worst buildings but there is still a surplus of housing. Hidden away in the neighborhoods are some of the old managers homes including some John Calvin Steven Shingle style homes (that go for big premiums in southern maine) that got converted to apartments. There is a small but growing number of refugees from the Conway area that commute over the notch to work and a few of them have now laid out climbing routes on the Mt Forist ledges. Where else in the region can someone walk to the base of major climbing area from their house that is not overrun? Even though Issacsons Steel is still vacant, another steel fabricator moved to Berlin and is expanding rapidly, there is also another specialty fabricator in Groveton that is also expanding rapidly. Both businesses are pulling skilled folks up to the area as they can actually afford to own a home and dont have to put up with long commutes. There is regional hospital in town as long as the White Mountain College. Many of the folks moving up into the area to work tend to hunt, fish, snowmobile and use ATVs so its good fit. The city has been working with the state to rebuild the major roads through town and has put in lot of walking paths including a new one along RT 16.

The federal prison has never been able to fully staff up, realistically the young people they try to recruit can get a better deal with a military career. The federal prison workers tend to move around every three to five years, they are encouraged to move around the country in order to work up the career ladder although some do seem to hang around for longer. The managers and supervisors have a guarantee that the fed will backstop their home sale price when they move and they tend to buy newer lower maintenance homes so that market is bit stronger.

Should the Balsams development ever get going, Berlin is the logical population center to supply labor, I wouldnt be surprised if a shuttle bus gets setup to ferry workers if it makes it (I expect we will know by spring) . I expect folks with the right hospitality skills will be in demand. The local community college already has training programs to support the industry.

Berlins biggest problem is its image, The pulp mill hasn't run since 2006 yet many people still associate it with the smell of a pulp mill. The biomass boiler that eventually replaced it has far less impact on the area but its still a visual presence. The town hasn't gentrified yet so the average person from outside the area is waiting for the early adopters to make it cool. Its an old working class town like many other pulp and paper towns, it just happens to be a lot better located than the typical paper towns in rural Maine. I expect many folks buy the image and would rather pay the penalty to live in the Conway region and put up with 20 miles of strip development along RT 16 and 302. Sure the nightlife is better in that area if you can afford to pay for it after writing a much bigger mortgage payment. Plenty of low wage/ no benefits jobs in the tourist industry but plan on working a lot of them or rolling the dice and buying a business and hope you can find someone responsible to work for you.

 

[Grey J]

I lived in north Florida for 8 years. Pretty place, not at all like south Florida. Gentle rolling terrain, big live oaks, palmettos, and lots of fresh water springs. Great canoeing on spring fed rivers like the Santa Fe near High Springs. However the hiking is mostly flat. And it does get cold. Its cold there now. Asheville NC is a place to consider with the highest peaks in the east within reach. Chattanooga is known more for its rock climbing opportunities than its hiking but there are many interesting hikes nearby. The Cumberland Plateau consisting mostly of long relatively flat ridge tops is not known for peak bagging however since there are not that many delineated peaks.

Whoops, that was intended as a partial reply to Stan's post #5 that mentioned north Florida.

 

[weatherman]

I am hopefully going to be taking a trip to Denver in June with my wife (unrelated to any of this) so I am hoping to scope out some of the state while there (likely just lots of driving around only but at least I can get some idea of what it is like). My wife has a friend whose daughter moved to Denver 3 years ago and her uncle lived in Colorado Springs, but over 30 years ago so I don't know how relevant any of his feedback is now. I've never been at altitude either so hopefully I can also get some feel for whether or not it bothers me depending on where we are able to go in the time we have. Colorado certainly has the wide variety of options we'd be looking at for work, entertainment and living.

Born and bred in southern New England, moved from the Worcester area in 2010, now a Coloradan x 7 years. Who knows if and when we'll move back but I do miss it some! Have to say that my biggest adjustment was coping with the traffic when we arrived. Unless you have chronic lung disease, hiking < 8000 feet elevation should be a non-factor after the first few weeks. The sun is nice; seasonal affective disorder is nonexistent. They don't plow the roads here much when it snows, banking on the sun melting it. This works mostly, except when it doesn't....

My $.02: Three critical factors. Tolerance for lots of people; cultural things; and job availability/diversity. The Front Range has many people, many cultural opportunities, and many job possibilities, including one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country and a high minimum wage. Cost of living is high- not as high as Boston or NYC but comparable to the nicer parts of Central MA and CT.

Co Springs is up and coming, and the cost of living is going up too. Politics are pretty conservative, so infrastructure isn't the greatest, but it is close to lots of hiking.

Telecommuter? Don't care much about opera and national-class theater? Can't stand traffic? Then avoid the Fort Collins to Colorado Springs corridor. Bozeman might be the better choice, or SLC, or Salida CO, or Durango, or Glenwood Springs, or even Grand Junction. We have neighbors who moved to Bend, OR a few years ago to escape the busy-ness here, but they just moved back here because it was TOO quiet for them there.

Like a wide variety of great restaurants? Have a flexible work schedule, so you can commute and hike/camp off-hours? Don't mind traffic jams? Like to see Broadway-bound shows before they get there? Denver might be a good choice, just know that you and many thousands of others will be driving west to compete for camping spots every weekend of the summer. I-70 is not unlike I-93.

 

[DayTrip]

Born and bred in southern New England, moved from the Worcester area in 2010, now a Coloradan x 7 years. Who knows if and when we'll move back but I do miss it some! Have to say that my biggest adjustment was coping with the traffic when we arrived. Unless you have chronic lung disease, hiking < 8000 feet elevation should be a non-factor after the first few weeks. The sun is nice; seasonal affective disorder is nonexistent. They don't plow the roads here much when it snows, banking on the sun melting it. This works mostly, except when it doesn't....

My $.02: Three critical factors. Tolerance for lots of people; cultural things; and job availability/diversity. The Front Range has many people, many cultural opportunities, and many job possibilities, including one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country and a high minimum wage. Cost of living is high- not as high as Boston or NYC but comparable to the nicer parts of Central MA and CT.

Co Springs is up and coming, and the cost of living is going up too. Politics are pretty conservative, so infrastructure isn't the greatest, but it is close to lots of hiking.

Telecommuter? Don't care much about opera and national-class theater? Can't stand traffic? Then avoid the Fort Collins to Colorado Springs corridor. Bozeman might be the better choice, or SLC, or Salida CO, or Durango, or Glenwood Springs, or even Grand Junction. We have neighbors who moved to Bend, OR a few years ago to escape the busy-ness here, but they just moved back here because it was TOO quiet for them there.

Like a wide variety of great restaurants? Have a flexible work schedule, so you can commute and hike/camp off-hours? Don't mind traffic jams? Like to see Broadway-bound shows before they get there? Denver might be a good choice, just know that you and many thousands of others will be driving west to compete for camping spots every weekend of the summer. I-70 is not unlike I-93.

Some good points. Colorado certainly seems to have a lot of +'s for a lot of things. Those additional details will be helpful as we look further into areas. I'm hoping our friends in Denver can provide us with some local intel if we get an opportunity to go out there in June, i.e. up and coming areas, taxes and what not.

 

[ChrisB]

Some good points. Colorado certainly seems to have a lot of +'s for a lot of things. Those additional details will be helpful as we look further into areas. I'm hoping our friends in Denver can provide us with some local intel if we get an opportunity to go out there in June, i.e. up and coming areas, taxes and what not.

Colo is also reaping a windfall on taxes related to the pot economy. That probably bodes well for infrastructure spending and stability of state and local govt.

cb

 

[weatherman]

Colo is also reaping a windfall on taxes related to the pot economy. That probably bodes well for infrastructure spending and stability of state and local govt.

cb

Except for a very weird amendment to the state constitution passed in 1992 called the "Taxpayer's Bill of Rights" that stipulates, among other things, that the state cannot keep a windfall. It must return tax revenue over a certain amount each year to taxpayers. So in lean years, they must cut services, and in good years, they can't save for lean years. Go figure.

 

[Mike P.]

We'll miss you Day Trip. As other mentioned it depends on what changes you want to deal with and what you like about being here. Hate cold and snow, then hiking outside of Phoenix and Scottsdale is an option. We were in Sedona last August and 105 in a dry heat is still hot, but the sunrise and sunset hiking was great.

While I was not converted from mountains to the Grand Canyon, I can see how people go out there and then spend all their recreation time there.

CA has some great selling points but depending on where you are, it can be very hot, the ocean can be cold, and fires and earthquakes can be issues along with traffic. When looking at the various places to retires, some people focus on taxes, other on climate, some on culture. Do you want easy availability to the arts? College towns are usually good and diverse places and place that are walkable are nice too. (This group probably has a higher measure of what's walkable)

You need to be thorough in your soul searching of what you want and be flexible enough that you can change your mind if the idea of moving isn't as nice as actually moving.

 

[DayTrip]

We'll miss you Day Trip. As other mentioned it depends on what changes you want to deal with and what you like about being here. Hate cold and snow, then hiking outside of Phoenix and Scottsdale is an option. We were in Sedona last August and 105 in a dry heat is still hot, but the sunrise and sunset hiking was great.

While I was not converted from mountains to the Grand Canyon, I can see how people go out there and then spend all their recreation time there.

CA has some great selling points but depending on where you are, it can be very hot, the ocean can be cold, and fires and earthquakes can be issues along with traffic. When looking at the various places to retires, some people focus on taxes, other on climate, some on culture. Do you want easy availability to the arts? College towns are usually good and diverse places and place that are walkable are nice too. (This group probably has a higher measure of what's walkable)

You need to be thorough in your soul searching of what you want and be flexible enough that you can change your mind if the idea of moving isn't as nice as actually moving.

I haven't rented a Uhaul just yet so you'll have to endure my stupid questions for awhile longer.

It has been an on again, off again thing now for several years. The biggest hang up right now that has stopped us from moving forward has been family. My father died in 2011 and my younger brother in 2016 so it is just me and my mom. Siblings on that side of my family have splintered off and bickered since my grandmother died awhile back so leaving my mother alone has been a huge deterrent to moving. My wife's family is more scattered and she is used to minimal visiting, etc so that is less of an issue. My wife and I are also in our late 40's now so the pull of youth and lack of responsibilities is long gone and makes generating real momentum for a location change hard to gather despite a strong desire to do so.

 

[sierra]

I haven't rented a Uhaul just yet so you'll have to endure my stupid questions for awhile longer.

It has been an on again, off again thing now for several years. The biggest hang up right now that has stopped us from moving forward has been family. My father died in 2011 and my younger brother in 2016 so it is just me and my mom. Siblings on that side of my family have splintered off and bickered since my grandmother died awhile back so leaving my mother alone has been a huge deterrent to moving. My wife's family is more scattered and she is used to minimal visiting, etc so that is less of an issue. My wife and I are also in our late 40's now so the pull of youth and lack of responsibilities is long gone and makes generating real momentum for a location change hard to gather despite a strong desire to do so.

The only reason I moved back here from CO, was to care for my mother. She was alone and although my siblings helped, not to the level that I thought was needed. I didn't mind being away from family while out west, but when it comes to a parent in need, I'm all in.

 

[DayTrip]

The only reason I moved back here from CO, was to care for my mother. She was alone and although my siblings helped, not to the level that I thought was needed. I didn't mind being away from family while out west, but when it comes to a parent in need, I'm all in.

Yes indeed. As an aside, can you recommend any 14ers in the Denver area (say within a 2 hour drive or so) that would have relatively easy trail head access (rental car, easy to find, etc) and are not particularly demanding from a technical point of view. I'm expecting to be in Denver the last weekend in June and was hoping to squeeze in some sort of hike to check out the area and more importantly see how my body handles the altitude. I have a 14er Guide so I don't need crazy details, just a peak suggestion. Or if you know of something else noteworthy in the area that would meet these criteria. I figured I'd try to do a 14er only because I don't know if I'd ever be there again so the novelty of having a 14er on my hiking resume would be cool I guess but it doesn't have to be one. Any other worthy tourist attractions in the area (from a hikers perspective) would also be appreciated.

You can send me a message versus posting here if you prefer. Thanks.

 

[weatherman]

Yes indeed. As an aside, can you recommend any 14ers in the Denver area (say within a 2 hour drive or so) that would have relatively easy trail head access (rental car, easy to find, etc) and are not particularly demanding from a technical point of view. I'm expecting to be in Denver the last weekend in June and was hoping to squeeze in some sort of hike to check out the area and more importantly see how my body handles the altitude. I have a 14er Guide so I don't need crazy details, just a peak suggestion. Or if you know of something else noteworthy in the area that would meet these criteria. I figured I'd try to do a 14er only because I don't know if I'd ever be there again so the novelty of having a 14er on my hiking resume would be cool I guess but it doesn't have to be one. Any other worthy tourist attractions in the area (from a hikers perspective) would also be appreciated.

You can send me a message versus posting here if you prefer. Thanks.

Don't really need a 14er, and June is a bit early for some (though there is so little snow right now you could walk up most of them!!!), but closest/easiest would be Bierstadt, Grays and/or Torreys, and Quandary (near Breckenridge). Evans and Pikes Peak also, though there is a road to the top for those two so less appealing, and Pikes is long. People talk about Longs, but it is way harder than some others, with some very significant exposure. Lots of non-14er possibilities too. Thing is that in June in most years you have deep snow between about 11000 and 13000 feet.

Also, do yourself a favor and acclimatize for at least a few days. Feeling like $&!t on a 14er when you've been at sea level till 2 days before (a good bet for most people!!) has little to do with how you'd feel trying one after a few weeks in Denver.

 

[DayTrip]

Don't really need a 14er, and June is a bit early for some (though there is so little snow right now you could walk up most of them!!!), but closest/easiest would be Bierstadt, Grays and/or Torreys, and Quandary (near Breckenridge). Evans and Pikes Peak also, though there is a road to the top for those two so less appealing, and Pikes is long. People talk about Longs, but it is way harder than some others, with some very significant exposure. Lots of non-14er possibilities too. Thing is that in June in most years you have deep snow between about 11000 and 13000 feet.

Also, do yourself a favor and acclimatize for at least a few days. Feeling like $&!t on a 14er when you've been at sea level till 2 days before (a good bet for most people!!) has little to do with how you'd feel trying one after a few weeks in Denver.

Yes. I really need to figure out how to get acclimatized somehow, get a hike in and not have my head split in half. I'll be with the wife and mother-in-law for pretty much the whole trip so I don't know how this is all going to work out. Sierra also recommended pretty much the same peaks you did so I'm going to shoot for Bierstadt if I'm able to squeeze a hike in. Thanks for the suggestions.

 

[Technetium]

The area near Lewiston, ME is my personal target. 2 hours to White Mountains, Acadia, Boston, and Baxter, 45 minutes to the Maine coast. Housing costs are stupidly low (we're talking under $100k for a house with 3-4 bedrooms and in great shape) compared with anything closer to Boston.

When I was considering moving out west, I was looking into Dubois, Lander, or Pinedale, all in Wyoming, which are very small cities/towns. Big enough to find a job and have all amenities covered, likely very low housing costs, and in short driving distance to what I consider the most beautiful mountains in the lower 48, the Wind River Range.

 

[tomcat32]

I have moved from originally PA to Maine 8 years. Now in Colorado the last 3.5. If you are moving to make a living it's going to be different than moving for a lifestyle and you have to be able to make the distinction. You are going to struggle if you are used to amenities in paradise because it can get expensive and jobs are scarce. I live close to Salida Colorado and live modestly to be able to hike and mt bike. It's not a cheap area and jobs are very scarce. You have to be creative. I love the area and wouldn't even think about living in the Front Range. I live at the foot of the Sangre de Cristos with 13ers rising from my back yard. A lot of the places listed here have the same high cost low job offering issue. If I moved again out west it would be to somewhere like western Montana. You can find cheap housing but jobs are tough but you are surrounded by many A list locations on and off the radar.

 

[skiguy]

I have moved from originally PA to Maine 8 years. Now in Colorado the last 3.5. If you are moving to make a living it's going to be different than moving for a lifestyle and you have to be able to make the distinction. You are going to struggle if you are used to amenities in paradise because it can get expensive and jobs are scarce. I live close to Salida Colorado and live modestly to be able to hike and mt bike. It's not a cheap area and jobs are very scarce. You have to be creative. I love the area and wouldn't even think about living in the Front Range. I live at the foot of the Sangre de Cristos with 13ers rising from my back yard. A lot of the places listed here have the same high cost low job offering issue. If I moved again out west it would be to somewhere like western Montana. You can find cheap housing but jobs are tough but you are surrounded by many A list locations on and off the radar.

IMO this is an excellent summary. It’s about the lifestyle not the living. If you want to play and not pay be prepared to have multiple irons in the fire. Many folks that live in outdoor recreational areas have multiple jobs and much of the time work seasonally. The cost of living these days makes it a lot harder to be a ski bum or dirtbag climber. It can also take awhile to establish oneself. Turn key situations are rare. Much of the time folks come and go only to land up back in the city. The only silver lining these days is if you are able to telecommute and even then that can be part time which still has to be offset with a brick and morder job. IMO it’s a whole lot easier to do it in your 20’s and scratch your way up than to wait until mid life.