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Things that are important to us in a place to live:
-close to an airport (preferably a major airport) in order to be able to fly to Oregon/Mass at a relatively affordable price
-mountainous area (we can't live anywhere flat)
-small town/small-town feel
-access to mountain biking, hiking, and skiing opportunities
-dog-friendly
-four seasons
-lakes/ponds that freeze over in winter for skating/ice riding (not the most important)
-near tracks for motorcycle track days (again, not the most important)
I'd love any ideas for places to live that have some of the qualities listed above, and specifically if anyone has any opinions about Durango or Asheville areas.
Thanks!
Quote:
Originally Posted by march2
The best balance (the key word being balance) of what you're looking for, I'd say Asheville.
I agree. Asheville has it's own airport and does have decent service at affordable prices. It definitely captures the small town feel and more so in neighboring towns like Hendersonville, Black Mountain or Brevard (my favorite). Besides skiing locally at Wolf Laurel you can get to the Beech Mountain/Sugar Mountain slopes in
about an hour and a half. Mountain biking and hiking is everywhere in/around Asheville. The area is the epitome of dog-friendly and don't know of anywhere else "more friendly". It's one of the few areas of the country that seems to receive four solid seasons, all about equal in length with the summer and winter extremes of heat/cold or precipitation not severe. Freezing over of lakes/ponds is not going to occur as a result and don't know of any motorcycle tracks in the area.
I agree. Asheville has it's own airport and does have decent service at affordable prices. It definitely captures the small town feel and more so in neighboring towns like Hendersonville, Black Mountain or Brevard (my favorite). Besides skiing locally at Wolf Laurel you can get to the Beech Mountain/Sugar Mountain slopes in
about an hour and a half. Mountain biking and hiking is everywhere in/around Asheville. The area is the epitome of dog-friendly and don't know of anywhere else "more friendly". It's one of the few areas of the country that seems to receive four solid seasons, all about equal in length with the summer and winter extremes of heat/cold or precipitation not severe. Freezing over of lakes/ponds is not going to occur as a result and don't know of any motorcycle tracks in the area.
I've looked a little bit into the towns surrounding Asheville and it seems like that might be a good idea. Brevard really stood out to me! I'm wondering if these towns outside of Asheville have nice communities/downtowns of their own? It would be nice to live outside Asheville but still be in a smaller town with amenities.
It's great to hear how dog-friendly and friendly in general Asheville is!
Beech and Sugar are tiny and have a very short season. Bolton Valley, the little ski area closest to Burlington, is way bigger.
The OP hasn’t said what they do for a living. Most mountain towns are totally reliant on tourism. Unless they have skills that translate well to tourist towns, it can be a hand-to-mouth existence. Chittenden County has much more of an economy and isn’t at all reliant on tourism.
The problem with western mountain towns is the California exodus. Housing prices have been driven up. There’s lots of competition for jobs.
I'm a speech-language pathologist and my partner works in the behavioral field in schools but also has his CDL.
I'm a speech-language pathologist and my partner works in the behavioral field in schools but also has his CDL.
That's transportable enough where somewhere like Salida CO might work if there are any job openings. It has a pretty Vermont-ish vibe except the refugees don't come from New York and Boston. You'd starve in the service sector. You're close enough to Denver (outside of rush hour) that you have access to the inexpensive DEN-BOS and DEN-PDX flights. You need to have two carriers with nonstop flights or airfares tend to be really expensive. Monarch doesn't get the destination resort business since it has no slopeside lodging and it's three little distinct peaks with center pole double chairs & 1000' feet of vertical. I really like the place. Salida is more of a summer place. Rafting on the Arkansas River is the big local draw. It's not exactly "close" to DEN but Durango isn't exactly a major airport. In the Carolinas, Charlotte is the major airport for the mountain towns and it's something of a fortress hub so you don't get the two airlines on your city pairs.
I'd take a look at some of the following- Flagstaff, AZ; Sedona, AZ; Knoxville or Chattanooga, TN (but Knoxville may be a bit too big for what y'all are looking for). Best of luck!
Cataloochee in NC is a pretty area and has skiing nearby also.
ehh, Maggie Valley and any of the towns around Cataloochee make Boone look like a cosmopolitan metropolis in comparison. That area is beautiful, but very remote, doesn't seem to fit what the OP is looking for. (Also, Cataloochee is much smaller than Beech/Sugar, but closer to Atlanta).
That's transportable enough where somewhere like Salida CO might work if there are any job openings. It has a pretty Vermont-ish vibe except the refugees don't come from New York and Boston. You'd starve in the service sector. You're close enough to Denver (outside of rush hour) that you have access to the inexpensive DEN-BOS and DEN-PDX flights. You need to have two carriers with nonstop flights or airfares tend to be really expensive. Monarch doesn't get the destination resort business since it has no slopeside lodging and it's three little distinct peaks with center pole double chairs & 1000' feet of vertical. I really like the place. Salida is more of a summer place. Rafting on the Arkansas River is the big local draw. It's not exactly "close" to DEN but Durango isn't exactly a major airport. In the Carolinas, Charlotte is the major airport for the mountain towns and it's something of a fortress hub so you don't get the two airlines on your city pairs.
Salida looks like a really neat town. Thanks for suggesting it! I think another big thing, especially when it comes to Colorado, is being able to find affordable housing.
I like Grand Junction, but the airport is rinky-dink and expensive to fly out of. That being said, if OP is willing to consider Junction, then somewhere in the Black Hills (Rapid, Custer, Hot Springs, Hill City, Spearfish, Sturgis, or Deadwood-Lead) is a wild-card.
I'd check out Canon City, Colorado. It's a little milder in the winter. It's an hour or so from Colorado Springs and a couple hours from Denver, but it's located close to both the Sangre de Cristo and Sawatch ranges.
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