Moving to Moab, need some help/suggestions (Kanab, Castle Valley: fit in, for sale)

[ROCK!]

I am currently living in Colorado, and I have had enough. It's time for a change, and I have decided Moab will be my new happy place. Im looking for a job doing sign work, or 4x4 fab. Im also looking for a house to rent for a couple years until I can buy. I've looked for a rental agency, and just can't seem to find what Im looking for. Anyone know of a good place to start? Maybe someone is hiring? I have worked in the sign industry for the last 15 years, and I own a fab shop on the side. Here's a pic of my Jeep, if it's not Jeep I built it!

[kansan-at-heart]

Hi, Rock!
You have probably already read my post in the Living in Moab forum so there is no point in my providing that information again. As you already know, rentals are almost impossible to find here, even in slow times, and with the five builing projects currently underway, anything remotely resembling rental property has been grabbed up long ago. The only possible option is to find someone with a house that has been for sale for quite a while who MIGHT be willing to rent, and unless you have VERY good credit, you would certainly have to have a legitimate and secure job here before someone would let you do that. That is the reality of the Moab picture. I can appreciate your desire to move here, but housing is prohibitively expensive--both for newcomers and for those who have lived here for a while and seen taxes go up and up. There is a school leeway vote coming up in the June 22nd primary election and if that passes, it will be more difficult for all homeowners (especially those on fixed incomes) and small businesses to pay the additional taxes and things can only get worse. Moab has lots of relatively young, well-educated people (many artists among them) who are willing to live in Moab very modestly because of its appeal, in general, but unless you are willing to do so, you had better not plan to move here in the foreseeable future.

[West Texas Resident]

I currently live in El Paso, Texas and plan on moving to a smaller town, Moab being at the top of my list, in the spring of 2011. Living modestly, which was identified as a near necessity in a previous post, is not an issue. I do, however, would like to be able to earn a living in my field of expertise. I will finish graduate school, masters degree in kinesiology from the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), in December of this year and hope to have a career in the fitness industry (I haven't narrowed it down to specifics yet). As a very active (athletically speaking) and terminally quixotic individual, I am confident that I would fit in with the community. My current job is lab instructor for undergraduate Fitness Programs at the university (2 1/2 years). I would appreciate any information that could be provided regarding my anticipated relocation to Moab. I would especially appreciate if anyone could direct me to businesses or small employers who might be able to use my skills. Thanks in advance.

[lisamikefoster]

Wow....I love Moab, but couldn't fathom living there or having to try to make a living there. It's a tourist town, so the vast majority of jobs are service industry oriented. The cost of living is pretty high, and you are a few hours drive from any amenities should they not be found in Moab.

In short....great town to visit and play in...but tough town to make a living in.

[ROCK!]

Thanx for all the advice, I've been checking into things a lot and am at the point of giving up. Like you said, housing is impossible to find/AFFORD, and the job market is worse. To bad I guess, maybe some other time. I just wanted to get out of here, I live in a great town but Im at my breaking point. My job sucks, people here only care about them selves, and housing is terrible. Not as bad as Moab though, Good luck finding a garage hahahaha! I called 5 places about rental houses and not one of them had any thing with more then a car port!

[Social Democrat]

Have you checked out Kanab? Real estate seems to be much more reasonable there, better weather and just more of a "real town" feel than Moab. Moab just seems too thrown together - just my humble opinion while Kanab has more of a permanent feel to it - again just my humble opinion. You get a lot more tourist traffic there as major parks are nearby; Grand Canyon to the south, Lake Powell to the southeast, Bryce and Zion to the north & west.That may fit very well with your skills and you still have the small town vibe. Check it out!

[kansan-at-heart]

Glad to see some responses here, in addition to mine.

Destination Moab--it IS possible that you could find some work here. We have a good fitness center but it will soon receive competition in the form of a "gym" of sorts that is going to be included with the new city swim center now under construction. We have a number of quasi-related businesses--massage therapy, rolfing, etc.--here that cut THAT particular pie into fairly slim pieces. Again, because people in those businesses are here for the "place" and not the money, and are (so far) willing to live very modestly, it seems to work out for them. It seems unlikely that there is a business that would hire you here--you would just have to open your own office and I don't know how well that works in your particular field.

Your description of yourself as "terminally quixotic" gives me the feeling you would fit right in. If you read my lengthy description of Moab in the Living in Moab forum, you know that we have a really interesting diversity of people and lifestyles here.

Kanab is a beautiful place and, as Social Democrat says, has more of a "real town" feel. I imagine the flip side of the real town feel is that you remain an "outsider" longer. Moab's population is much more "flexible" and accepting than most other smaller Utah communities. Kanab is fairly strongly LDS (Mormon), much more so than Moab. That might not be a problem for you--but for some people it apparently is. I'm non-LDS but have lived among Mormons in several communities and they make great friends and neighbors--especially those in the southern part of the state.

Rock. it does seem like there are lots of places here with no garages. A carport is sufficient in our climate for protection from winter weather which (except for this past winter, when temperatures got below zero and stayed there for days) is pretty mild. Many places don't even have carports! Don;'t give up on Moab totally--if the economic picture stays depressed, there might eventually be a lot of places available, as so many local builders built speculatively. Some even had to sell their own homes and move into ones they built to sell, when the market fell apart. Also, so much of our construction has gone into second homes and lots of those may be on the market before too long--who knows? It IS a great place to live and if living here matters enough to you that you might be willing to try any number of lower-paying jobs to get established, it might be worth it to you. Sorry I can't be more encouraging at this point.

[ROCK!]

Thanx for the replies. I would love to move, but at this point I think Im gonna have to stay here a little while longer. I couldn't do the Mormon thing, I don't want kids hahahaha! Also, I need a garage. I have tons of equipment, and non of it could sit out side. Not only would it be ruined, it could very easily be stolen. Not to mention the 7 vehicles I'll be bringing with me hahaha! I have looked at other towns that are close, and that would be fine. Im an outsider no matter where I go so no problem there. Im just concerned with work, and housing. Everything else will come in time. I think I'll stay here for another year or so, save more money, and try again later when Im better prepared.

[Bwill__]

I'm a Utah native I've lived all over the west including Castle Valley a little town outside of Moab. I'm currently living on the Oregon coast but my wife and I are thinking about relocating back to the Moab area. My wife is waiting to hear back from a company in Moab regarding a job opportunity and I am able to work anywhere I have access to my laptop, so jobs aren't an issue. I am however having a hard time finding anywhere to rent. As stated in previous post I can tell I'm not the only person with this problem but I'm convinced there has to be something. Any help with leads on apts., condo's or small homes for rent would be appreciated, thank you.

[kansan-at-heart]

Bwill--
I guess no one else is going to write to you, so I will, though you may have stopped checking. I mentioned in an earlier post that there was a lot of construction going on in Moab--new elementary school, new bridge, new vo-tech building at the high school, new hospital and new swim center. With the exception of the swim center, the other projects have been completed and most of the workers who came from elsewhere have undoubtedly moved on (I'm not sure how many people were in that group, however). This means that there MAY BE more rentals available than previously. I know of two people who recently found rentals--but they are still expensive--one was $700 a month for a very substandard, small place; the other was closer to $1000 for a manufactured home with essentially no yard. Both required first and last payments and cleaning deposits. As I mentioned to another poster, you would need to work with a realtor or Moab Property Management (check for websites) and unless you and/or your wife has an actual job secured, your chances of renting something are essentially nil. But you know most of this if you have lived here before.

Good luck to you!