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Thread summary:

Seeking friendly affordable small mountain towns, good health care, school districts, friendly people, low crime rates, love snow and four seasons, construction, nursing and teaching employment

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Old 12-20-2008, 05:32 PM
 
129 posts, read 487,500 times
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Hi everyone,

I know you are sick of the same ol threads asking the same old questions.But here's what we want:

Mountains
smallish town (Flexible on this as long as crime is low)
low crime
affordability
LOVE snow and all four seasons
friendly and willing to accept others
good healthcare and schools
I really want to live in a town that has a lot of festivals and outdoorsy things to do.

My husband works in construction, but can do a few other things as well. I am finishing school and will work as either a nurse or a teacher.


I appreciate you taking the time to read and answer my questions!

Last edited by Bo; 12-20-2008 at 07:32 PM.. Reason: Updated thread title to make thread easier to find with search.
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Old 12-20-2008, 05:37 PM
 
Location: Fort Worth/Dallas
11,887 posts, read 36,797,628 times
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Sounds like you are looking for somewhere in Montana or Wyoming. Perhaps New Mexico?
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Old 12-20-2008, 05:51 PM
 
Location: New Hampshire
2,257 posts, read 8,134,242 times
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This could apply to a lot of areas. What's "affordable" for you? What's your definition of a smallish town? And do you want big mountains like the Rockies, or smaller mountains like the Appalachians?
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Old 12-20-2008, 06:03 PM
 
Location: Twin Cities, Minnesota
3,940 posts, read 14,666,641 times
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Oh boy! I get to brag about my town again!

Rapid City, SD has about 80,000 people, it's at the foothills of the Black Hills and next to some of the most pristine and fun National Parks and Forests in America. There is so much to do in any season. You can ski, snowboard, ice climb, snowmobile, and sled all winter long and then in summer you can swim, boat, hike, mountain bike, rock climb, and waterski whenever you want. Rapid City is only a 20 minutes drive from most lakes and trails in the Black Hills.

Rapid City is very affordable and has an excelent healthcare system that heads a 3 state area. There are great public schools, private schools, and after school programs and there are so many sports leagues to choose from. There are tons of festivals, concerts, plays, and events that cover all four seasons. Hockey is getting really big here and Rapid City now has 3 ice rinks and a huge aquatics center.

It's really a place to consider!

Rapid City, South Dakota - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Visit Rapid City - Black Hills of South Dakota

Rapid City Journal | Front |
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Old 12-20-2008, 09:33 PM
 
129 posts, read 487,500 times
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That wasn't the title of my thread, lol...I almost couldn't find it.

But anyway, thanks for all the great replies so far. I have always dreamed of Wyoming and Montana, but everytime I begin to research there, it seems waaay outta my budget. Can you suggest any affordable places? And when I say affordable I mean rent not higher than around 1200, or a house under
300K.Is that even possible?

And I never thought about South Dakota! But after reading some of the other threads and going to some of those sites, it sounds really nice!! Can you tell me though about natural disasters there, like floods, tornadoes, etc... It looks like yall are really getting one heck of a winter storn right now! Is that common place, like every year or just every few years?

Thanks so much for all your help! I know our new home is out there! Thanks yall!
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Old 12-21-2008, 02:42 AM
 
Location: SUPER
77 posts, read 270,476 times
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Yeah, all the attractive towns in Montana and Wyoming are wayyy expensive.


.. well, I could think of Butte, Cheyenne, Kalispell, Laramie. Those cities are large enough to have some lower priced real estate.
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Old 12-21-2008, 03:01 AM
 
Location: Twin Cities, Minnesota
3,940 posts, read 14,666,641 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by goingreene View Post
Can you suggest any affordable places? And when I say affordable I mean rent not higher than around 1200, or a house under
300K.Is that even possible?

And I never thought about South Dakota! But after reading some of the other threads and going to some of those sites, it sounds really nice!! Can you tell me though about natural disasters there, like floods, tornadoes, etc... It looks like yall are really getting one heck of a winter storn right now! Is that common place, like every year or just every few years?
$300K will buy you a mansion in Rapid City. You can get a 4 bedroom, 3 bath for $200K easily. Rent on a 3 bedroom, 2 bath townhouse with a yard and garage is only $875.

Most natural disasters in South Dakota are tornadoes and blizzards. Rapid City doesn't get tornadoes but blizzards aren't unusual in the springtime. Our high altitude and warmer 'dry' climate brings in unusually mild temperatures so when it does snow, it melts right away and it's very sunny. The Black Hills get about 300 days of sunshine per year. Right now it is DANG COLD outside. The high today was like 5! That's pretty unusual because winters here tend to be very mild.

We don't get earthquakes nor tornadoes and the flood in 1972 was due to a dam burst so floods never happen either. We just get extreme temperature changes and the occasional forest fire.
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Old 12-21-2008, 03:27 AM
 
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
34,565 posts, read 57,493,759 times
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I hadn't thought about Rapid City either, but it is a good choice, I'd look into Custer while you are in the neighborhood (and Newcastle WY)

I also like Sheridan, and Powell, WY. Grand Junction, Loveland, and Berthoud CO, Bozeman, Missoula, Whitefish, MT. Sandpoint and Moscow ID, Colville, Kettle Falls, Dayton, Cashmere and White Salmon WA. LaGrande, Hood River, and Roseburg, (Winchester) OR. These are just the ones on the top of my head, There are many places I do not know of but hope to find one myself. I want a college of some type nearby, as well as an indoor lap pool. It won't be Rapid City for me, as I like something a bit smaller. But everything comes at a price. I also like to be close to an international airport, and it is nice to be 1 hr from Beach or Mtns for summer evening trips to cool off. (I just can't handle 100" of rain and 'independent' people (not rude, just not overly friendly... not some place I would like to survive a depression or terminal illness. SD, WY, CO would be great for that, and WY has good funding for schools, not sure of SD)
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Old 12-21-2008, 02:57 PM
 
129 posts, read 487,500 times
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Danny, Hi again and thanks for the info! When you say the snow melts right away, is it there long enough to enjoy it? Like with sledding or building snowmen or whatever? Here in NC it could snow all night and be gone by 11 that morning.

And Jan, thanks for the other cities to check into. I was just wondering which cities you were talking about that are full of the "independent people".
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Old 12-21-2008, 08:10 PM
 
48 posts, read 183,086 times
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Saint Marys, Pennsylvania sounds like a great place for you to check out. Saint Marys has a population of roughly 15,000 people, has 2 excellent school systems, large parks with many recreational opportunities, all 4 seasons and many large companies to choose from for employment.
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