the NEXT last best place?

[calicokate]

Duh, sorry, you wrote 100 miles to the mountains and I missed it. Whoops!

[truckingbronco]

Originally Posted by calicokate

Thanks Mtnlady...so are you happy with Boise over Montana? I feel for your kids...it was the same story growing up in IF. So do you find you're still able to connect with people and have a solid group of friends? I am of course not adverse to befriending the LDS but I kinda know those friendships will only go so deep...and I would probably be hard pressed to find a female friend my age who would have time for hangouts between raising a big family!

How far is it to the woods and mountains in Boise? I don't find the foothills very attractive but I'm glad there's trails there for close-proximity fun. And if you could expound a bit on what kinds of things Boise has to offer that Montana doesn't I'm curious! (I mean, I'm sure it has a lot that we don't but I'm just not sure what!)

I'm currently in Boise and it's not bad, although I prefer MT. The LDS thing isn't much of an issue except in certain pockets located mostly in the suburbs.

The Northend (the neighborhood just north of downtown) is a great neighborhood and has a Missoula vibe and a lot of younger people.

The foothills are pretty ugly to look at but offer a lot of hiking/biking activities. True mountains are about 30 miles away but they're not as rugged or scenic as the area around Bozo. The tradeoff for the brown foothills is the mild weather, it's been in the forties and fifties for the past month and below zero is unheard of. With that said, the locals are soft and love to ***** about the weather. They also drive like old ladies on snow. Summer is hotter than MT but not bad.

There is a great park system downtown and a river that runs through the heart of town with miles and miles of bike/running path. A lot of festivals in the parks in the summer.

As far as things that Boise offers that MT doesn't (I think the metro is about 650k)? I guess more jobs and people and the things that come with that (concerts, festivals, better airport, shopping, etc). The weather is also better nine months of the year and the outdoor recreation is a close second to MT. It's also cheaper and has more jobs (although the economy is currently in the toilet here, too).

Boise has Boise State, but it's more of a commuter school so it doesn't have that college town vibe, which may be a good or a bad thing for you. There's a few other colleges in town, too, but honestly you won't even know they exist unless you attend one.


Politically speaking, Boise is pretty moderate and may lean slightly to the left but the suburbs and the rest of Idaho are blood red.

[GLS]

Originally Posted by calicokate

Anyone want to give me some advice? Self-employed unmarried 20 something girl here, loves current homebase Bozeman but is last holdout in circle on either moving away or going the marriage and babies route! Plus, the winter grey is doing me in. PLUS, feeling a bit of a small-town career ceiling. Plluuuuss I really (really) cannot afford a house here, ever. A pervasive sense of time to keep on keepin' on has settled in.

Still, I can't help but thinking...is there such a thing as better than beautiful, friendly, uncrowded Montana??

I have loved the sense of community, outdoorsiness, attempts at cultural outlets (I mean, for a town so small...I think we do pretty well with our co-op and cultural center, film festival, etc.), natural splendor, uncrowdedness, safety here. And I've also liked living in my former home bases of Seattle, Portland, Eugene and Ashland for the funky & fun factor (but the first three rain WAAAAY too much and are a bit TOO big and the last one was pretty much Bozeman with more California transplants.) I've lived on the East Coast and miss all the culture but can definitely skip the stress.

So the question...where to? I've considered Boise (is it too boring/religious?) and Denver (cool but too big), Boulder (too $$$!), Bend... I'd like a cool outdoorsy younger town, with a large creative class (important in my field), a funky vibe, and SUN! *really important...need sun.* (otherwise I'd move to Missoula)...and the family's in the West so I'm leaning (but not completely settled on) the West. Things that would be big bonuses: walkability, bike-ability, lots of ethnic/vegetarian/vegan restaurants, hiking trails nearby, pottery studios, that kinda stuff.

I know no place is perfect but where's a good contender I may not have thought of? And no worries if it isn't on Outside Magazine's Top 10 Lists or something...I could go for the next "undiscovered" cool place!

Thank you all.

You have given us an extremely difficult task. Some of the the criteria you provide are almost mutually exclusive of others. For example, a location with ethnic/vegan restaurants usually implies a big city, but you like "uncrowded Montana". I will assume that you prefer somewhere in the Western US, although many parts of Africa would fit the ethnic food & uncrowded requirement.

You don't specify what you are "self-employed" at, but it sounds like you are "artsy-fartsy" and I mean that in a good way. Unless you can run your business over the internet, most small rural towns like I am in part of the year (Ronan, MT) are difficult for struggling artists.

If we factor in your youth, zest for life, and strong desire for sun, I am going to recommend you consider the California Sierra Foothills. I spend Winter here in Northern California in the middle of wine country. There are art galleries, music festivals, and people making a living creating jewelry and painting. I would suggest you research Grass Valley/Nevada City, northeast of Sacramento about 90 minutes. It provides what I refer to as "pseudo-isolation". There are numerous hiking and biking trails, young people with similar interests as yourself, and you can find housing in pockets of rural areas just outside of town. You are also close enough to the big city of Sacramento for any kind of shopping or restaurant you want.

On the negative side, the economy, bureaucracy, and bizarre politics of California sucks. However, you shouldn't rule out specific geographic areas within California without researching them. You can still get great weather, an enclave of artistic people, rural setting, and be relatively close to family easily accessible by plane.

Objectivity and thorough research should provide you with success. Good luck in pursuing the next exciting chapter of your life.

PS I have chosen Ronan for the "next exciting chapter of my life". Kind of
tells you a little about how old I am.

[NW Crow]

Given what you've said I'd also look into Boise fully.

If it is not hip enough maybe look at Sante Fe.

Chico CA is another option. Similar to what you have and Ashland in many ways but more sun.


One source of info on the Idaho outdoors
Stueby's Outdoor Journal

[calicokate]

You guys are awesome! Thank you so much for thinking hard about a complete stranger's somewhat existential plight. This is great information and I really appreciate it.

And yes, it is a super difficult task to find the Perfect Golden Place...I do kind of want it all but of course you can't always have it both ways. I feel like I was so lucky to discover an anomaly in Bozeman (a town of 30,000 but we have 12 locally owned coffeeshops, you can find soymilk here, and it's not super redneck or super "Aspen")...that it made me wonder what other anomalies are out there!

I just realized I could BUY a cute early-century house in the North End for what I am paying on rent in what most folks here consider am uber, uber-cheap "studio hovel." And I'm in advertising/journalism and it looks like there is quite the network of creatives in Boise.

I hadn't considered California at all...but a semi-secluded area near mountains sounds sweet! I will investigate. Is it affordable?

I'm sure Ronan is an adventure. Part of one of my jobs is to find cool things about little-known places in Montana...give me the scoop and I may do a write up on your town! Then again, you may not want me to...you know what happens when places get discovered.

Thanks so much all!

[Threerun]

Western North Carolina. Very trendy, outdoorsy, mixed cultural activities, decent job opportunities, decent sun, warmer winters and not too far from the beaches and mega employment centers in the triangle.

[calicokate]

Whoa, would not have thought of Carolina! Although I think I've heard good things about Asheville...looks like it's by a giant forest, which is sweet. I would at least love to check it out...are there any towns you'd recommend? Thanks!

[Rickers]

If this conversation strays too far from Montana (North Carolina for example) the moderator will step in and remind us that this is the Montana board.
The OP mentioned Ronan. Living on a reservation can certainly be an adventure but the Flathead rez is not your average Indian reservation at all.
It's not much different than off the rez and much of the rez is in a rain shadow.