Want your opinion (St. Paul: ski resort, house, job market)

[Alaskapat528]

If we should decide to leave, where do you suggest we go? We don't like large, crowded cities but we don't want to live in the boonies either.

It has to be somewhere where the job market is decent, wherever that is. Just looking for opinions.

[akravenlady]

How about Rice Lake, WI? I've got a great house I can sell ya! Nice small town community, an hour away from a much larger city and 2 hours away from Minneapolis/St. Paul International airport. Nice hospital, new large Marshfield Clinic, small mall, other new shopping stores like a super Walmart, Kohl's, Shopko (like Target), Menards (like Lowe's), nice restaurants (if you like chain restaurants) like Appleby's, big resort/fishing area just to the north of here with many many lakes/rivers. Then there are many small taverns with small eating area's with usually great food. Duluth/Lake Superior just 2 hours to the north (Duluth is a great area)...I could go on and on, lol.....BTW, my house is a lovely 1923 arts and crafts bungalow. :-)

[gobrien]

That sounds nice akravenlady! I love Shopko btw. I'm not moving though.

[akravenlady]

Awww, shucks...

Originally Posted by gobrien

That sounds nice akravenlady! I love Shopko btw. I'm not moving though.

[roadfamily6now]

I'd say Montana but then you asked about job..... so, I dont know.

[gobrien]

I'd say Texas but you don't want large crowded cities, and I assume the jobs would be in the cities.

[Nephler]

Marquette MI. If you work in any type of medical field, jobs are there, it's the only large hospital in the UP of MI. You'd have to like snow though, I mean lots of snow, more then this area has ever seen. Oh, and you must like the winds like we are having today also.
Sitting on Beautiful Lake Superior, largest fresh water lake in the world, with miles, miles and miles of remote shore line.

[warptman]

Eat my schwartz...Wabasha Wisconsin!

[bmw335xi]

Boulder, Colorado...google it.

I love that entire area. The scenery is beautiful, the city is small, but thriving. The downtown area has a lot of nice outdoor cafes. You are literally steps away from great hiking. There are more private businesses than box stores unlike the Mat-Su Area. The architecture is beautiful. People seem to be very active, there's always people jogging, hiking, and walking. A friend from Australia went there once with me and even she loved it lol. It really is the perfect small town seen in movies where you'd think...no place like that exists. I can't comment on the job market, but Denver is only 30-40 minutes away.

[ShipOfFools42]

Originally Posted by Nephler

Marquette MI. If you work in any type of medical field, jobs are there, it's the only large hospital in the UP of MI. You'd have to like snow though, I mean lots of snow, more then this area has ever seen. Oh, and you must like the winds like we are having today also.
Sitting on Beautiful Lake Superior, largest fresh water lake in the world, with miles, miles and miles of remote shore line.

I was going to suggest Marquette. It's on my short list for sure. But you beat me to it!

The U.P. is an incredible place. The Porcupine Mountains (though they will look like very small hills to anyone who has lived in Alaska or other mountainous areas) are very beautiful, and there is a very serene feeling across the entire U.P. I would consider it to be one of the most beautiful places in the lower 48. The greatest thing about it is how pristine it is. It is a very undisturbed wilderness, unlike most of the lower 48.

I don't know specifics about jobs, but they are there. It is the type of hostile winter environment that drives some people out, similar to Alaska. My friend who lives in Calumet says that there are jobs to be had, and while they might not be the best jobs, they are there at least. Michigan's U.P. is definitely on my short list of places to relocate to.

Also, regarding Boulder, I don't think that would fit the whole "jobs/affordable housing" thing. In Boulder, jobs are very scarce, and housing is very expensive. It is certainly a beautiful place, almost idyllic, but it's a very difficult place to make a living. The whole state of Colorado has long been invaded by people trying to "escape" from somewhere else, and it has driven up the cost of living. The Front Range cities have more jobs than Boulder, but they are still very competitive there. The rest of the state, pretty much forget about it unless you know someone and/or want to work at a ski resort, but then again, ski resort jobs are temporary, leaving you with nothing in the winter. I only say all this because there was a period there where I was strongly considering Colorado, and I did a lot of research. Not saying it's totally impossible, just saying you just might need a miracle to live comfortably in Boulder.