Are mountain towns "isolating"?

[5thIndian]

Be realistic but go for it.
I tried to find a recent article I read in the Denver Post about education budget cuts for you, but can't find it. It was a disheartening read for those hoping to land a teaching job in the near future and also for those who currently have a job and may be cut. Currently Colorado is trying to get stimulus funds tho, but the jury is out yet on whether that will happen. All this is to say, be careful. Even if you are lucky enough to be selected for the job, you may be the first to go if cuts happen. I am also considering a move west and am a teacher. I am realistic though and doubt I will actually get a teaching job there, so I am honing other skills in preparation and planning on living more frugally there. Even in the best economic climate, competition is fierce for ANY professional job, and I am not sure if Winterpark is the same as the other mountain towns, but in any preferred town, it is even worse. -- On the other hand ...if you have no kids, a good hubby, an adventurous spirit and positive attitude, I would say, go for it! Visit Winterpark, and talk to people. Many of the people working in these resort towns are very educated but happy to be hugging toilets, and driving shuttle buses just to be there, they often work hard tho to make ends meet. One family guy I met on a visit was typical, had 3 jobs.

[wanneroo]

Things might have changed as I got out of Colorado before the GFC hit in 2007, but in the ski towns often they are looking for teachers for the local schools. The reason being it's hard to recruit teachers in those transient very expensive towns. For a young teacher it's more doable but most people don't want to be making those wages and still living in a tiny condo they may or may not own at the age of 45 or 50, working extra jobs at night and during the summer and facing the prospect of when they retire having to move anyways to survive.

Usually I find the breaking age for people in ski towns is around 30 years old. At that point you either have gotten a really good professional job with a partner that has the same to survive there or you move on to a "regular" town where you can have a normal life with a regular house and backyard. Or you just end up bumming still living in employee housing at 50.

[jchasse]

Originally Posted by 80skeys

...Social networks and friendships may be more difficult to establish simply because there's less venue and fewer people.

I'd suggest it depends on the town. Nothing could be further from the truth in our 6 months in durango.