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My boyfriend and I (23 and 20 yo) are deciding where to move to. We currently live in Sonoma County, California. I am going to college, and I am looking for a good 4 year university with a major in public health (or similar), and my boyfriend is looking for a job as a sheriff recruit/cadet. We so far have looked into Colorado (denver area), Idaho (pocatello), Montana (bozeman/butte), and Wyoming (Laramie/Cheyenne). I am looking for good input on any of these states with the best places to live/work. We love small towns, looking to eventually own land with horses and such. We are tired of living in an over-populated area, with tons of traffic and the cost of living is ridiculous. Right now just renting for a while. Like I said, small towns, lots of outdoor recreation, cost of living low, law enforcement job openings and a university. Cold weather does not scare us! We are open to other states too, the ones I listed are just the ones we have looked into. Please help! We are getting a little discouraged trying to find a place that works for both of us (not many places hiring sheriff/police cadets), we don't currently have the money to visit all of these places to help make our decision.
My boyfriend and I (23 and 20 yo) are deciding where to move to. We currently live in Sonoma County, California. I am going to college, and I am looking for a good 4 year university with a major in public health (or similar), and my boyfriend is looking for a job as a sheriff recruit/cadet. We so far have looked into Colorado (denver area), Idaho (pocatello), Montana (bozeman/butte), and Wyoming (Laramie/Cheyenne). I am looking for good input on any of these states with the best places to live/work. We love small towns, looking to eventually own land with horses and such. We are tired of living in an over-populated area, with tons of traffic and the cost of living is ridiculous. Right now just renting for a while. Like I said, small towns, lots of outdoor recreation, cost of living low, law enforcement job openings and a university. Cold weather does not scare us! We are open to other states too, the ones I listed are just the ones we have looked into. Please help! We are getting a little discouraged trying to find a place that works for both of us (not many places hiring sheriff/police cadets), we don't currently have the money to visit all of these places to help make our decision.
We appreciate any info you have!!
I haven't lived in Colorado or Idaho so can't comment on those states, but I have lived in Montana and do live in Wyoming. I would caution against living in the Bozeman area. I went to college there and I found that town to be the most phony and pretentious town I've ever lived in. The cost of living is high and the wages all over Montana are some of the lowest in the nation. In the seven years I lived in Montana after high school I ended up with only debt to show for it. Butte is a more rough-and-tumble kind of a town and might be a better bet as I think the cost of living is quite a bit lower than Bozeman. I've heard Montana Tech is a good school. I don't know what kinds of majors it has though.
I haven't lived in Cheyenne or Laramie, but Wyoming generally has much better wages than Montana and no state income tax which is a huge plus. The only university in Wyoming is the University of Wyoming in Laramie. Cheyenne is about 50 miles away and that road can get very dangerous in the winter to commute due to high winds. One nice thing about the University of Wyoming is that there are outreach centers all over the state and a lot classes can be done online and via video conferencing. I think Casper has a sort of satellite campus to UW so that might be worth a look as well, it's a town of about 50k and is a very nice place to live IMHO.
Both states have plenty of outdoor activities available.
I spent a lot of time around Sonoma as a teenager. My parents had a cabin in Mariposa
The first limiting factor I see from your post is the "4 year university with a major in public health". While I do understand that you do not want to be thinking of one move now and a second move later on, you may need to. You may need to locate which universities offer the major first, and then decide from that list. You can always move after you get your degree.
You are from California. Surely you are familiar with the term 'drought'. You hear it weekly in the local news. Drought-prone regions live or die based on the municipal 'water stress' they are seeing each season. Even though you do not mention anything about gardening or farming, I can not in good faith, suggest that you move to any location without considering if they have water.
Pocatello, Idaho: Do some research on INL. Hundreds of old decommissioned nuclear reactor cores and materials are stored there. Two of the old nuclear reactors that I worked with on sit in Idaho, upwind of Pocatello. Just a bit of information for you to consider.
I like small towns and rural community. Fortunately vast regions of our nation are rural and provide for lots of outdoor recreation, along with a low cost of living.
We found what we wanted in Northern and Central Maine.
I would venture to say they are all equally pretty.
OD
The truth is a mountain meadow is a mountain meadow no matter where you are. They are all pretty. You should move somewhere where you can make a living first. Scenery should be a secondary priority.
Since you both wish to work for government Colorado is the place to go. Furthermore, the cosmopolitan attitude you will encounter is very similar to California. You'll be right at home but with a lower COL.
The Denver metro area (including Boulder and Fort Collins) is where I would suggest your focus be. There are three programs for you to choose from in Public Health (or similar programs) as well as dozens of municipalities and state/federal agencies that are potentially hiring law enforcement officers in the area.
My boyfriend and I (23 and 20 yo) are deciding where to move to. We currently live in Sonoma County, California. I am going to college, and I am looking for a good 4 year university with a major in public health (or similar), and my boyfriend is looking for a job as a sheriff recruit/cadet. We so far have looked into Colorado (denver area), Idaho (pocatello), Montana (bozeman/butte), and Wyoming (Laramie/Cheyenne). I am looking for good input on any of these states with the best places to live/work. We love small towns, looking to eventually own land with horses and such. We are tired of living in an over-populated area, with tons of traffic and the cost of living is ridiculous. Right now just renting for a while. Like I said, small towns, lots of outdoor recreation, cost of living low, law enforcement job openings and a university. Cold weather does not scare us! We are open to other states too, the ones I listed are just the ones we have looked into. Please help! We are getting a little discouraged trying to find a place that works for both of us (not many places hiring sheriff/police cadets), we don't currently have the money to visit all of these places to help make our decision.
We appreciate any info you have!!
If you want my advice - live wherever your heart desires, try to live in a more than a few places if you can. Before you have children (if you plan on that), have a mortgage (if you plan on that, you should not) etc. etc. - try to see it all, live cheaply and frugally. Two modest young people are easy to feed, clothe etc. cheaply.
If you want my advice - live wherever your heart desires, try to live in a more than a few places if you can. Before you have children (if you plan on that), have a mortgage (if you plan on that, you should not) etc. etc. - try to see it all, live cheaply and frugally. Two modest young people are easy to feed, clothe etc. cheaply.
My $.02
She never said they wanted to live cheaply; she implied just the opposite. Like everyone else, they wish to lives their dreams. Why shouldn't they?
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