It's time for me to move, but to be frank I have no idea where to. This is a pretty weird move and I'm not so much looking for places to check out but rather what people would suggest.


I'm a blacksmith artist. Here's some pictures of my work, easier than explaining, lol : Stephen67's deviantART Gallery

I'm not the only one making the move, my parents need to find a new place as well. They are Dental Technicians (they make crowns, bridges), my fathers been doing it for close to 40 years now and would love to find some Dentists that appreciate the quality levels instead of ordering cheap ones from China.

My business is pretty flexible, I can basicly do it anywhere but it would be nice to find an architect to work with.




About a decade ago I lived in Colorado Springs. The weather, landscape and size are what I would consider ideal (it was about 500,000 pop back then). Unfortunately it's a military town which makes it almost impossible to have your own business there if you're not military. Works wonders if you are in it though.

Right now I live in north Wyoming. Winters are far too cold (-30), and summers still get to 105... sometimes we have 70 degree temperature swings in the same day, 40 is common in spring and fall. It's very hard on a person. The town I live in is simply way too small for me, I'm rather active. I'd like a larger city, but I don't want to live some place with millions people, that's too big for my tastes. I've done it before (Phoenix for 7 years). Not saying I wouldn't check out larger cities like that, but places like Philadelphia and New York City are far, far too large.

I also don't want to live in the desert again.

For a while I was thinking Austin, TX, but thats not going to work out. And again, desert. I'm a forest and mountains kinda guy.


Everywhere I've lived before won't work again, plus there is too much to see to go back to the same place twice
Places I've lived:

Bozeman, MT
Mesa, AZ
Tempe, AZ
Scottsdale, AZ
Colorado Springs, CO
Portland, OR
Sheridan, WY


I've been told to go east quite a bit. I don't want to live in California (nothing wrong with it, just not me).


So where would you suggest to go?

 

mountians and forest, no desert, virginia?

 

northeast.....

 

To me it sounds like your being kinda picky. Have you ever been to new york? Not all of new york is big and they do have some pretty country up there. But no one can tell you where to go its all up to you.

Also your gallery was great, nice work.

 

lol I have a right to be picky, I prefer to say I'm aware of my needs, lol :P

By New York I meant the City. I'm not saying it's not awesome, just too many people for my tastes.

And thanks

The problem with some options back east is the difference in taxes and housing costs and so on. For example in this town $200,000 will buy you a really nice house, in some places in CA a million bucks won't even buy you a shack.

 

Austin, TX ..... Desert? No desert anywhere near Austin.
Austin is green, hilly, has a lake, lots of deer, good real estate buys, The University of Texas and artists. You should check it out.

 

I agree. The Austin / Round Rock (Dell Computer campus) area would likely be very open to your work...and a lot of cosmetic surgery going on down there as well....oral and other wise. Good chance that it would be a good place for your folks, too.

Still good money in Austin.

 

Check out the lower mainland in british columbia canada. There is tons of artists and people of the likes out there in vancouver.

 

It's not that I don't like Austin, but it's a closed door. I've been in contact with a couple of artist groups in the area and it looks like there is a bunch of restrictions and legislations moving in. A great deal of artists are leaving the area because of it. Amoung other more critical things.


Weather is pretty critical, we've all been in some serious car accidents *all caused by other people...* and weather can really effect you in a lot of ways.



This is going to sound odd, but I pretty much already know what the place is going to be like, I just don't know where. Personally, my ideal 'what are the chances of finding that' type location would would a house near the mountains, in the forest with land that turned to reds, oranges and yellows in the fall, a place to fish in my back yard, some hundred+ year old barn to use as my shop, and still close enough to a city where I'm not out in the middle of no where and having to take day trips to even shop. (lol had enough of that the past 8 years). Yeah I know that's a bit of a dream, but why not? Who knows? It could happen, even if I'm not expecting it, lol

 

Sounds like a great place you have in mind, I can only hope you put a few pennies away for a place like that!

 

Check out Kansas

 

Sante Fe, NM

Eastern Oregon, check out Sisters and there abouts.

Eastern Washington/N Idaho. Maybe not so artsy...and cold in the winter...

NW Nevada, where they have trees.

Flagstaff or thereabouts AZ.

Atlanta GA area

NC SC, if you like hurricanes and humidity (anywhere in the east methinks)

BTW, my house is not a shack!

 

Or Missouri.

I live in one, and work in the other.

Not a lot of mountains around, but we've got everything else you've mentioned.

 

check out the appalachian area

 

New England, or the Ozarks of Missouri.

Sheridan is not a bad town. I would not hesitate to live there. Except for the temps I would think about something in the Iron Range of Minnesota. But you would have to tollerate cold.