I live in the Southeast US and vacation in the Rocky Mountain region every summer. Every time I visit, I always end up wishing I lived there full time- I think of all the fishing and skiiing I would do. Has anyone here actually tried this move or do you know someone who has?
Does moving to a different/more scenic region of the country really improve one’s quality of life or, after a while, does someone in the West just get used to the scenic beauty?
Well, I live out west having previously lived in the east (of Canada). The skiing, camping, hiking really is great; however, it’s a bit like anywhere else - if you hate your job, or have a bad marriage, or poor health it probably doesn’t much matter where you live.
That being said, if you enjoy an active lifestyle and being outdoorsy, living around these parts really enables it. One of my friends from here moved back to Toronto and bemoans the fact that it’s much harder to be active there, and the men aren’t nearly as cute. ;)(Seriously - the youngish fellas around here tend to look like mountain dew ads - apparently most of the fellas she meets in TO are ‘pale, pasty and podgy’ to quote her).
My brother and I each moved to Colorado from NYC in the late 1970s, early 1980s. He stayed, I eventually moved back east. He’s in perpetual awe of the natural beauties of the Rocky Mountains, the flyfishing, the mountain vistas, the endless forests, the elk in his yard…I can get my fill of it visiting him for a week or two at a time.
My brother and I each moved to Colorado from Chicago in the late 1970s early 1980s. He stayed but I eventually moved back east. He’s in perpetual awe of the natural beauties of the Rocky Mountains, the City of Boulder, the mountain vistas, the endless forests, the drunken students in his parking lot. I can get my fill of it visiting him for a week or two at a time.
I moved out west from NC to L.A. when I was 18. NC was much more “scenic”. I only came here because of the entertainment industry.
I moved from Maryland to Idaho last year. Unfortunately I don’t ski, because I work at a ski resort. But I have yet to get used to how beautiful it is here. The day I don’t look or walk outside and think, “Wow,” is the day I need to pack up and move on.
I’m not really outdoorsy but a lot of people around here are. You can do almost anything either here or within a couple of hours. But this is an expensive area. Very expensive. I get by and got lucky finding the place I live. I think the scenery is worth the tradeoff, though.
I don’t think I’ve ever lived anywhere with such distinct seasons. And winter is my favorite. I’m weird that way.
Whatever you do, do not under any circumstances get stuck partway there. My trajectory from the Southeast to the West fell a little short and I landed in Oklahoma. Close does not count in this field of endevour.
That’s my big concern- I’ve never had to deal with a really cold winter. I’ve always heard stories about Californians buying homes in Montana in August and selling them in April after they go through a Montana winter.
But I was visiting Bozeman this summer and I just could not stop being amazed at how gorgeous it all was. Lawyers (my profession) earn very little in Montana, though so somewhere like Colorado is probably more realistic professionally.
I grew in in Pennsylvania but moved to Denver by way of Kentucky, Kansas & Alabama.
Colorado has one of the lowest rates of obesity in the country in part due to the year-round recreation that’s here. Lots of my coworkers go the mountains on winter weekends to ski and mountain/road bike in the warm months. I’ve been here 12 years and I’m still stunned at times by the beauty of my commute to work. It’s a great state to live in.
I have a view from my cubical (if I stand up) that spans 200 miles of front range centered on Long’s Peak.
Something to consider, though, is that once you start living someplace, it’s not like a vacation. On vacation you have fewer demands on your time. There are weekends that I’d like to go to the mountains to play but I have to do work on my house or do the grocery shopping or do all that other “life support” stuff - the stuff you have to do just do keep your life in order. You won’t get as much recreation time living here on a per-day basis than when you’re on vacation. If you have children, of course, you have even less recreation time.
Denver itself is a big city and has all the problems that a big city offers. The closer to the mountains you get, on average, the higher the prices get and the longer your commute gets. “Living in the Mountains” is a goal that a lot of us have but few of us can manage.
I know people that have lived here all their lives and haven’t been twenty miles west of Denver (where it really starts to rise) - it stuns me that all this beauty in so nearby is of no interest to them. On the other hand, I’ve got coworkers that will ski nearly every weekend in the winter.
In large part - it’s what you make of it.
My wife and I moved to central WA about a year and 1/2 ago (after 6 years in Indiana). Prior to that, we lived in NJ for about 6 months (transitioning at my parents house from undergrad to graduate school), and Honolulu before that. I’ve also lived in Texas and grew up in NJ.
The Pacific Northwest is easily my favorite area of the country so far. Different weather, different attitude, fantastically beautiful. Higher cost of living, since we’re out in the sticks, but if I had my druthers, I’d be here (or hereabouts, anyway) the rest of my life.
I hadn’t lived anywhere with a real winter since I was six. But I’ve handled it fine. There was a good bit of swearing on Christmas Day when I had to clear nearly two feet of snow off my car, but where I am, that was a somewhat unusually big storm.
I’d much rather have that to deal with than swampish summer heat and humidity, though. Ick.
I moved here to Arizona from NC, having never even visited out west. I had no idea what it was going to be like, and when I pictured Tucson, I pictured flat brown empty land with big cracks in it, like the typical “desert” image. I was surprised to see that it’s not like that at all, it’s a “living desert” with lots of green and trees. My first thought on getting here was to wonder why exactly would people have ever settled here- the plants can and will hurt you, there’s no water, and the sun is 25 feet away from Earth from May to October. But after 12 years here, I can see the appeal. The scenery is beautiful, but in a much different way than say, Asheville, NC, the sunsets are marvelous, and it’s usually in the 70’s during the day in the winter. I do miss the east and Asheville in particular, but I love it here, too.
It really seemed to me like the east and west are vastly different in regards to almost everything- the land, the climate, the people, etc. But you get used to it and soon you’re part of it. The human being can get used to almost anything- adaptability is a biological imperative, after all.
Not to mention that Montana does not have any professional reciprocity; if you want to practice law there, you’ll have to sit for the bar exam. If it were me, whether I had to take another one of those mothers would definitely influence where I moved.
Definitely- Colorado does appear to have reciprocity with Texas, which is one of the states I’m admitted to. So realistically that’s the Western state where I’d move to if I overcome my hesitancy to take a chance like moving across the country.
Grew up in NJ, college in VT, day after college -> Colorado! I’ve pretty much been here ever since. The winters are far less brutal than the northeast because of the dryness, though considerably longer. People often travel in April and November for mud season. From where I live, the desert with great hiking and biking is less than 2 hours away. But I love the huge snowstorms followed by clean blue skies.
I would be a fat, tv watching slug if I hadn’t moved here, I swear. The beauty almost forces you get up and go. Not to mention being surrounded by people whose job #1 is to be outside as much as possible. I love it. I can’t imagine living anywhere else.
Not sure what I’ll do when I’m too old for winters at 10,000 feet.
What others have said is true, though. It won’t solve all your problems, and it’s hard to make a living. There are always sacrifices you make to live in these places.
I moved to Tucson from NE Ohio and grew up in the Southeast. Like Alice The Goon, I’ve had a hard time understanding why people would have settled here, and to be honest, I’d like to leave. 
I can’t imagine 12 years here , and a large part of that are the people. I just don’t get them - it’s definitely a different attitude than other places I’ve lived.
I realize that Tucson is just one part of the west and I might like other areas much better - but the area does have a definite beauty to it, and I am often completely awed by the natural beauty in the area.
I’m already a “westie” but I spent a year in Vancouver which, in Canada, is the epitome of “The West” and the recreational options were mind-boggling: Arguably the best skiing/snowboarding in the world: an hour and a half north. World-class rock climbing: 45 minutes north. World-class mountain biking: The north side of town. And the seas from Puget Sound to Alaska offer some of the best sea kayaking in the world as well. Hell, you can jog 365 days a year if you want, the weather is so mild.
Of course the rent is nuts, it rains too much, and the traffic is a bit silly… but yea, I loved it.
The quantity of clothing you own will go up, as will the bulkiness. Coats, boots, grippers, gloves, scarves, headbands.
If you partake of outdoor activities, your bank account will take a hit for skis, boots, poles, fishing gear, tents, bags, stoves, etc.
Your heating bill will, at a minimum, double.
You may want to purchase an AWD vehicle.
Your mucous membranes will turn into the Mojave Desert in the winter and probably your nose will bleed. Your fingertips may painfully crack and your elbows turn into 40 grit sanding pads.
Yeah, go for it.
[quote=“alice_in_wonderland, post:2, topic:482524”]
Well, I live out west having previously lived in the east of canada QUOTE]
We live in calgary having moved south from Fort McMurray, which you can imagine with the name Fort is way up northern Alberta. Calgary, at 1 million is by far the largest place i have lived. Nice to be close to the mountains but I do miss the thousands of square miles of empty bush.
Anyway to respond to the OP getting away from the cities is very cool. Life style change, I still like being able to get a case of beer anytime I want, but you will get used to it. Small town, small government, look after yourself and your neighbours pretty much covers it.
Joe
Actually, lots of us live here. I assume if nobody had tried it, we wouldn’t be here.
When I went east to visit, for instance, my kid at college, I noticed scenic beauty in that part of the country, too. I don’t think of myself as living in a state that’s more scenic than any other state.
