I know off topic posts can be annoying on here but I'm in a place that needs immediate help and respect the opinions on here.

I've brought it up before but I am now currently in that spot of sink or swim. As in either I find a place to move to and hope the house sells enough to get there or we loose the house and are forever poor in this town that is incapable of change or growth. I've been waiting on finding an open door, the past year I've kinda needed since my father past, but we need to get going, there is no option on it. The well has run dry so to speak.



You know, I have ideas of what I would like but I'm not even going to list them. I just want to hear what people think would be a great place to live. I do need a city, not a small town. And I cannot afford to scout it out first (which is really uncomfortable to me as I'm very good about 'feeling' a place and if I want to live there, the idea of showing up somewhere and not liking it but being stuck there then is not a happy one, lol) so the more you can tell me of your opinion the better for me.



So where do you guys think? ( I can give you lots of details on my work and what I'd like, but I'd like to just here opinions straight up regardless of any of that right now)


Thanks, it's appreciated.

 

Stephen,

Well, its always a crap shoot. There are a lot of places right now that are a buyers market as far as homes are concerned. I know that Las Vegas, NV and Pheonix, AZ have tons of homes that are sitting empty and can be bought for a song. I'm sure its similar elsewhere.
Family is another thing to keep in mind. There are times where I wish I was several hundred miles away from my family but in reality I acutally like being close to them.

There are tons of nice places to live. How big of a city do you want to be in? Do you want to hassle with weather? what industry are you in?

I'm in Albuquerque, NM. Its a decent place to live, we have all 4 seasons, crooked politicians, and nothing but bad news on the local news stations, etc

You have a lot of options
Bobby

 

What do you consider a "city", population-wise? 250k, a million? I assume you mean just not a jerkwater town in the middle of nowhere. So maybe a small town/suburb near a large metropolitan area (where housing would be cheaper)?

I don't think you can move to the East after you've lived in the West. Personally in your situation I'd look down I-25 about 400 miles, to the Front Range in CO. It's not necessarily booming but it is too big an area and population to go belly up. Lots of horses (aren't you a ferrier?) and ag businesses. Housing isn't too bad until you get within commuting distance of Denver or Co. Springs, although Ft Collins isn't cheap.

 

I'm a blacksmith, a lot of what I can do I can sell on the net like Damascus knives (link in my signature to some), some of it like railings though tend to be local, but it's not so dependent on where I live.

My mother and brother are in the same boat and will have to make this move too. My mother was looking to get back into the dental tech field. My brother is extremely good with people and has bartended famously in the past but is looking for more. Family is very important to all of us and we plan on sticking together in this.

I had previously lived in Colorado Springs, I went back there a couple months ago and it felt like my past, not my future. It's hard to explain but it wasn't home. I've lived in Portland, OR and got to go back there a couple years ago, but that place doesn't feel like home either and the lack of sunshine was extremely depressing when I lived there. I've lived in the Phoenix, AZ area, but I'm not sure I want to live in the desert again, my brother is allergenic to many things there and we had to move for his health.


Right now I'm stuck in the middle of no where. Denver is about a days drive away and is the closest city. I've never really been a small town person, too active. I don't have to live in the city so to speak as long as I'm around it and can drive in it normally. I usually consider suburbs to part of the city (if you can't see where one ends and one begins, it's the same place to me, just a different section. In Wyoming there are miles upon miles of nothing but wild grass inbetween places)


There has been a couple places I've thought of but nothing really gets me excited. Austin, TX might be nice but I'm unsure of many things about it, and they are things that will make or break being able to live there. Living in Sheridan has cost me certain luxuries that I'm use to in a move, like having the time to find a place or the money to check it out first.

In the past direction has always been pretty obvious. And we where able to go scout out the town, get a feel for it, maybe even find a place to live. This move at the moment is a lot like packing everything you have, putting your last dime into gas for your truck and picking a direction and really hoping by the time you're out of gas you've found where you'd like to be, not able to turn around and go the other direction if you change your mind half way through.

So yeah, a bit of predicament, I mean after all I'm posting for help on a truck forum, lol.

 

Stephen,

When I travel around I always wonder if the places I visit are places I could live in. I'm not a big fan of the entire Colorado Front Range......too many people. I do like the southwest part of Colorado and I think I could live in Cortez. Montrose is also a nice place. Durango isn't bad but a little too touristy. I haven't been to Grand Junction in ages but it used to be a nice place.
Working down into New Mexico, Farmington area is growing and not too bad, a bit industrial with lots of oil and gas work. Albuquerque and surrounding areas are good, farther south theres Las Cruces which is a decent plact but might be a bit warm for you.

I was out in Arizona last year, we went and spent some time in the Flagstaff area. Falsgstaff is cool but gets a bit more winter than I like. Sedona is near there and is gorgeous but might be a bit snooty and touristy. I really like Prescott, AZ and could probably live there pretty easy.

Like Ross said, anything too far east is probably out of the question after living in the wide open Wyoming.

I've only been out in the hill country in Texas a few times and only in Austin once (last summer for a wedding). I like it down there and Auastin seemed like a pretty cool place...lots of stuff happening all the time.

Bobby

 

There is western ND, plenty of work but not place to live. Don't move to northern MN, getting to be to damn crowded as it is and city people paying 4 times more than a place is worth, building mansions that they vaction in twice a year while driving up property taxes. I have a good friend who believe it or not lived and worked in Sheridan, WY and moved here. He would go back in a heartbeat if he could.

 

Yeah we get a lot of people moving here from MN and ND, lol not sure I want to go somewhere that everyone wants to come here after being there.

 

Except within Duluth city limits.

 

What I meant by "suburbs" is like the many smaller towns scattered on the outskirts of Denver, but distinct from them, like Longmont, Loveland, even Greeley. Close but not too close. A place you could own some land, not a 1/4-acre slot.

But it sounds like you've been there and done that for every place I'd consider, with your criteria. I agree with Bobby's assessments, lots of nice places but all have something wrong with them. Then again, the winter in Flagstaff might seem downright mild to you after Sheridan!

 

Well I must say I like the Colorado Area. Grand Junction Montrose area seems pretty nice as does the front range. I do agree that once you live out west it is hard to move east. That said I currently reside in central Florida and it is kind of nice being able to work outside in January.

Paul

 

Lived and worked in Duluth for awhile. I wasn't a fan of a place where they have to drive uphill backwards to salt and sand the roads, lol. I hear the rez is trying to expand its boundaries within the city not also. Oh and don't forget the school board hiring Supt. without a license.

 

I live in Houston and just can't recommend it. If I were moving I would go the Albuquerque. It has a diverse population with lots of variety, close to the mountains and arid land, and without the snobbery of some of Colorado and Santa Fe. My brother is lucky enough to live there and make a living.

 

I absolutly love where i live,and so do everybody that moves here, Paradise calif. Its a town of about 30k, next to Magaila that also has about 30k people, its 15 miles from Chico wich has a population of about 60k. Paradise is in the foothills, with pinetrees snow a couple inches one a year, i chain up maybe 1 or 2 days a year.Not alot of work here in paradise but if you work off the net ? Chico is a university town in the valley some work there with a skill. Chico is a beautiful old tree lined streets, population growing. 100 miles from Sacramento. Personaly i would not move ANYWHER without a visit, there is to much at stake. there is lots of rereation close by, bass fishing at lake oroville, off roading. salmon, striper , steelhead in saramento river that runs through chico. Its not a big city area, work availability is poor, but its a great place to live. Lots of farming in the county, and surounding counties. Have you thought of going to Googel maps, where you can get a satelite view of any area, you can zoom in and actually see the areas. good luck

 

Another thing i just thought of incase you havent, you may be abel to pull up local newspapers, or visitor center from anplace you may be considering on the net to get the flavor of each place. May be silly, but im just trying to help.

 

The grass is always greener ...

Buy a trailer and tow it around until you find what you want. I agree with Jim, it would be foolish to move somewhere without knowing what you're getting into.