View Full Version : Looking to move to Pacific Northwest, some questions
sneekyjesus
12-07-07, 09:32 PM
Hi everybody, I'm graduating from college this spring (fingers crossed) and I'm planning on moving out west from the beast that is the east. I'm not really sure where I want to move to, Idaho sounds really nice, but I know I want to live close to mountains so I can try to get into backcountry snowboarding. So, my questions are: wheres good? Is it hard to find work out there? I'm thinking of part time, flexible schedule work (I'm a dishwasher now but I'm gonna try to get on the line at my restaurant for the spring). How bout info on ski or climbing clubs in your areas? In general I'm hoping someone can suggest towns to me, that hopefully aren't gigantic cities, are near mountains, and have access to some nice road riding as well. Thanks everyone
-Mike
donnamb
12-07-07, 10:13 PM
Bend, OR?
sneekyjesus
12-07-07, 10:25 PM
I dunno, is it good?
mike_khad1
12-07-07, 11:05 PM
Bend Oregon, The Sisters Oregon, Government Camp Oregon
donnamb
12-07-07, 11:45 PM
I dunno, is it good?
Yeah, it's a nice town. Lots of stuff going on and excellent snowsports.
BengeBoy
12-08-07, 10:01 AM
Some Washington options:
1. Bellingham, Wash. University town, very close to Mt. Baker for snowboarding, access to Puget Sound for kayaking. Under 4 hour drive to Whistler, BC. Little bigger town then Bend, but easy access to Seattle, Vancouver, the San Juan Islands and the rest of British Columbia.
2. Enumclaw, Washington. On the far Southeast edge of the Seattle metro area. Part rural, part small town, part suburb. Easy access to Crystal Mountain for skiing and boarding, easy access to Mt. Rainier national park for hiking and mountaineering in the summer. You can join the annual RAMROD ride around Mt. Rainier. Enumclaw is more "suburban" than the other options but if you're really interested in the snowboarding, check out the information on backcountry-snowboarding at Crystal Mountain; it's a big back-country area there.
stringbreaker
12-08-07, 10:15 AM
If you move to Encumclaw or Bellingham be prepared for lots of wind in the stormy season and as my daughter said when she was attending WWU "people in Seattle don't know what rain is till they have lived in bellingham. FYI
sneekyjesus
12-08-07, 10:32 AM
Rain is a pretty big turnoff as far as a locale is concerned.
East Hill
12-08-07, 10:37 AM
Sounds as if you don't want to live on the west side of any of the mountains in either Washington or Oregon then! So, perhaps Bend in Oregon, or Roslyn in Washington?
But if you don't have rain, then you have heat, so it's a tradeoff.
East Hill
BengeBoy
12-08-07, 11:51 AM
Yes, you will get rain if you live West of the mountains. Since you're a boarder, though, you have to think, "If it's raining in town, it's snowing in the mountains." A rainy day in town = powder on the slopes.
East Hill mentioned Rosyln. I was going to mention that as well. Very interesting, funky little ex-mining town now getting populated with second homes and some tourism. Your local snowboarding option would be Snoqualmie Summit and Alpental ski areas to the West...you are about 90 minutes from Seattle. Your road riding options would be from Roslyn to the East, lots of snowmobiling, hiking, horseback riding, camping options in the area as well. Cle Elum, another option, is just a few miles away. In general I suspect you would find a little less to do than in Bend.
However, if boarding is your priority I don't think the snow/slopes are the quality of Crystal, Mt. Baker or Mt. Bachelor.
FlowerBlossom
12-08-07, 12:27 PM
Depends too if you're picky about the snow. Snow around here tends to be heavy, getting lighter more inland. Lots of trade-offs to consider. Most places with restaurant jobs might also have higher cost of living. All nice places, though.
KingTermite
12-08-07, 01:23 PM
I haven't spent any time in Idaho, but driving through when I moved out here 6 months ago it looked very nice. Yes, they had plenty of mountains too.
The puget sound area has a lot to offer. I would stay out of King county (Seattle) though. A little north to Snohomish or Skagit county's is probably a good compromise. Good size cities, not too huge, close to mountains and beaches. I like it. Economy is good.
2wheeled
12-08-07, 07:52 PM
Maybe Leavenworth might be worth checking out. Great hiking, mtn biking and Steven's Pass is just a hop, skip and a jump from there.
http://www.leavenworth.org/
East Hill
12-09-07, 06:22 AM
The puget sound area has a lot to offer. I would stay out of King county (Seattle) though. A little north to Snohomish or Skagit county's is probably a good compromise. Good size cities, not too huge, close to mountains and beaches. I like it. Economy is good.
Hi EasyEd!
Welcome to BF!
East Hill
dbikingman
12-09-07, 09:11 AM
I might suggest you look further east then what has been mentioned. Those locations and Bend are nice. Bend, I believe has the longest ski season. But, the cost of living is higher. Are you willing to live in a rural area or what are your other requirements. Spokane and north has some great senery close to several ski areas. I don't know much about Idaho, but I believe typically the wages are lower then in Washington. Spokane has a wide assortment of restaurants if that is the work you are looking for and if you are in a chain restaurant then you might be able to find the same restaurant to work in. Just additional info for you.
sneekyjesus
12-09-07, 09:53 AM
bikingman, Idaho has been the focus of my idea along with Montana and Wyoming because of the mountain ranges that pass through them and the quality of the snow. i wouldn't mind living in a rural area as long as it had access to reasonable housing and work. Concerning Idaho in particular, I just received this email after posting some questions on craigslist:
Idaho is the worst place to work. We know of many people just hanging on
here, working typical crapy Idaho jobs paying lousy wages and with no benefits.
Just ask all the police officers who have transfered out of Idaho to
Washington, Oregon or Montana. Just ask all the teachers who have transfered out of
Idaho so they can make a livable wage. Don't let Idaho be the trap it is for
so, so many. Once you get stuck here, it is very hard and expensive to
leave. Some people get lazy and just put up with it. We will be moving out of
Idaho for that one reason alone, not to mention high taxes, high rents, high
crime rates and a long list of health reasons. Remember this. . . . Idaho is
controlled by the rich, iron fist of the Republican party . . . the same rich
party that forced RIGHT TO WORK down the peoples throats, and that equates to
lousy jobs. RIGHT TO WORK, WRONG FOR AMERICA! Do yourself a favor and go
someplace, anyplace else and make a good life for yourself. I have seen it
over and over for the thirty years we have been stuck here. We are planning
our escape from this crazy place and then we will look back on it as ....IDAHOLE
..YESTERDAYS MASHED POTATOES. Just our .02cents
BengeBoy
12-09-07, 11:41 AM
Sneekyjesus,
I would suggest you figure out what kind of community you really want to live in:
1. Truly rural. In the West, that likely means jobs are scarce. Often it's a former mining or logging town and jobs are tough, unless they are close to or making a transition to....
2. Tourist town. Lots of these. More jobs, more to do, but higher cost of living. If you have a service job, you'll either have to find a roomie, live modestly, or commute in from a more rural area (or possibly all 3). But plenty of opportunity to "move up" over the years if you have outdoor skills or are smart/reliable/hard-working enough to become a restaurant or shop manager or owner.
3. Medium-sized city with access to the outdoors (e.g., Spokane, Bellingham, Bozeman, Missoula). More jobs, more to do, maybe a bit bigger place than you're thinking about..might need to drive further than you originally hoped. But you can "live in the city" during the week, and be in the outdoors on the weekend.
4. Bigger city. Seattle, Portland. Same as number 3, with a bit more of a drive.
Life is a trade-off. I don't know of many rural places with plentiful jobs, high wages for unskilled workers, low cost of living and great outdoors activities. You're going to have to make that trade on your own.
Finally, your final comment that you passed along mentions a lot of facts, among them: right to work laws, Republican control of local communities, wage rates, tax rates, cost of living, and public sector salaries in Idaho vs other states. All of those are factual statements that can either be verified or refuted in a day's worth of research on the Internet.
BB
sneekyjesus
12-09-07, 12:46 PM
I've been assuming I'd have to make a tradeoff, which is why I've been wavering between tourist towns and medium-sized cities. I really need to find out which of the medium sized cities are closest to accessible skiing, on or off resort and provide access to good road cycling, or which tourist towns are recommended.
donnamb
12-09-07, 01:09 PM
I've been assuming I'd have to make a tradeoff, which is why I've been wavering between tourist towns and medium-sized cities. I really need to find out which of the medium sized cities are closest to accessible skiing, on or off resort and provide access to good road cycling, or which tourist towns are recommended.
Bend has all of these things.
Dogbait
12-09-07, 02:08 PM
Bend (http://www.el.com/to/bend/) is a city of about 77,000. there are a lot of restaurants, both in town and at the various resorts, if you want to work in the food industry. There are many Cycling (http://www.hutchsbicycles.com/ride.php) opportunities, both on and off road.
And the local scenery is nice. This is Mt Jefferson seen from Smith Rock State Park, about 20 miles north of Bend.
http://www.pbase.com/billd9/image/44022293.jpg
Bekologist
12-09-07, 08:28 PM
it's all good, sneekyjesus. try Bend, you'd like it.
sneekyjesus
12-09-07, 09:15 PM
a lot of people are hyping bend. no ones really defending idaho, or for that matter wyoming and montana and some of the smaller cities and towns. i'll be doing the transamerica trail next summer, east to west, so when I get to the northwest I'll start looking at some of these places that have been recommended. thanks for all the input so far everyone
donnamb
12-09-07, 09:44 PM
It's the economy.
sneekyjesus
12-09-07, 09:56 PM
Well, I'm not looking to start a career, surely there must be a lot of tourist towns with adequate part time jobs.
unixpro
12-09-07, 10:05 PM
Tourism isn't real big in Eastern Washington, Northern Idaho, or Western Montana. My MIL lives in Bonners Ferry, Idaho, which is just a few miles this side of the Canadian border. Her area is very depressed. Very few jobs, more applicants than positions, and businesses closing all the time. They do have a very nice ski resort and a theme park in the area, but as far as I know, the Native American Casino is the only place doing any decent business. She makes regular trips into Montana (Libby and vicinity) and down into the Spokane area, and things just don't get better except around the bigger towns.
Spokane does have Fairchild Air Force Base, so at least it has a stable long-term economic base.
BengeBoy
12-10-07, 08:33 AM
Sneekyjesus,
Bend is a good option.
In Montana, an option for you to consider would be Bozeman, Montana. The boarding/skiing area nearby is at Big Sky, Montana. I don't know what the road-biking in the area is like, but every other summer and winter activity you can imagine is there; you're close to Yellowstone and the Grand Teton parks as well.
A Wyoming option might be Jackson...though the cost of living is high. Some people work in Jackson but live over on the other side of the mountains on the Idaho side (Victor, Idaho). There are ski areas at Jackson Hole and on the Idaho side. Plenty to do in the summer and winter.
Your idea of visiting these places by bike is a good one, but it would add lots of miles to your trip to hit them all. Since you're thinking of settling down in this area, how about planning a big mega-trip around the Northwest by bike? You could easily rack up several thousand miles making a loop of Montana, Wyoming, Oregon and Washington...and even more if you loop in some of the possible areas in BC.
BB
MillCreek
12-10-07, 09:24 AM
Butte, Bozeman, Missoula and Great Falls in Montana are all very nice and are large enough to have a decent economy.
Depending on what your employment needs are you might look into Wenatchee, Chelan, and Winthrop in E. Wa. or Sandpoint and the corridor down to Couer d'lene. A lot of these places have been leading the country in home price increases [Bend/Wenatchee] but also have the best employment possibilities.
Altamont
12-13-07, 08:21 PM
I live in Bellingham. if I were you I'd move to Bend. despite what Stringbreaker said, it actually rains less in Bham than in Seattle. for someone starting out its just too expensive here and there's not many good jobs. people have to live out in the county (read jungle) to afford a place, and it really does rain if you go a few miles inland. the only thing you give up is the sea kayaking, which is what I mostly do. Bend has it all, plus the better climate and Mt Bachelor.
norsehabanero
12-14-07, 06:10 AM
yakima is good middle of the state lots of restarants 1/2 hour away from white pass(skiing) mountains all around and mtn or rock climbing
Good Washington options are: Oregon.
Good Washington options are: Oregon.
And good oregon options are: California..
Rollfast
12-17-07, 04:58 AM
Hi everybody, I'm graduating from college this spring (fingers crossed) and I'm planning on moving out west from the beast that is the east. I'm not really sure where I want to move to, Idaho sounds really nice, but I know I want to live close to mountains so I can try to get into backcountry snowboarding. So, my questions are: wheres good? Is it hard to find work out there? I'm thinking of part time, flexible schedule work (I'm a dishwasher now but I'm gonna try to get on the line at my restaurant for the spring). How bout info on ski or climbing clubs in your areas? In general I'm hoping someone can suggest towns to me, that hopefully aren't gigantic cities, are near mountains, and have access to some nice road riding as well. Thanks everyone
-Mike
Did you forget Brundage Mountain near McCall? Bogus only has tubing right now. There's Tamarack also, and that's pretty much a full-year resort like you'd expect Sun Valley to be.
Kuna and Eagle are fuming about growth issues/etc.
Nampa/Caldwell are getting too crowded and violence in Canyon and Ada Counties isn't like Detroit but Channel 7 would have you wonder.
Yes, it can be hard sometimes to find jobs but you are talking to somebody living in the Treasure Valley and we have vocational and university training from two universities (BSU and U of I), ITT Tech, Apollo College, medical assistant training, nursing classes at community college and University levels and in Boise alone just a TON of fascinating places around town to work.
You know, just looking over websites and asking a lot a questions to folks couldn't help half as much as coming down on your soon to be free/somewhat free time and taking a tour of Southern Idaho and taking highway 95 up to Lewiston which also gets you into nice towns like Grangeville, Cambridge, Council, Weiser...along the Salmon and Little Salmon, Riggins (kayak paradise). even the weed flowers are gorgeous in the spring and I should know I DROVE it twice and stopped all I wanted to the second time as I had nobody to get there with me that time. 95 gets you as close as you can get to both Canada and Heaven. It's somewhat narrow though as are many of the small suburban highways around Canyon and Ada counties, so remember that on your bike.
Make it your vacation and you have Montana, Washington State and Oregon to ponder or do remember Nevada is a few miles from Twin Falls off I84.
Weiser has their fiddlers' festival in June and IT is as hot as the weather.
Boise has a cycling criterium race in the summer, also the Gene Harris Memorial Jazz Series is not only one event but now a series of events during the year.
Yes, we've got "that football team" and "that blue turf" and we also have NBA Developmental League Idaho Stallions, ECHL Idaho Steelheads' hockey plus an ice arena I think in Mountain Home, Sprint cars and stock cars at Meridian Speedway...lots of rodeo action...Arena Football League AFL2 team Boise Burn.
Around Idaho City is probably where you could find the snow sporting you'd like but snow is not much anywhere this year in Idaho, it's unusually mild--even for a mild year.
Unless you settle in around 95 below Grangeville and Payette you will be in the thick of it as 95 is really the only Idaho highway that has very few connection to other highways or even the interstate highways. If you settle between Payette and Weiser there is a lot of farmland and open space but farther out will be a challenge to transportation/gas costs as the economic center of the Treasure Valley still lies in the Nampa/Caldwell/Boise metro zone, plagued by a commuter crush like most other area with 300,000 people in a three county area. There are still many spead out places now but it's been forecast that population density might triple by 2050...that is longer than I think I'll live though.
Not to say it's no fun, it's not as much of a bicycle world as it needs to be and the pollution has been a big problem this last year after the fires (the fires alone made the alerts happen and I think people do really care about gthe quality of their health and lives).
Like anything, you must experience Idaho. I suggest you seek some folks out to plan a tour with maybe some Idaho members and not just because you've read a pamphlet.
Congratulations on the completion of the first stage of higher learning forthcoming! Please come and do your postgraduate studies and have one hell of a fun time.
PS I could tell you how much I prefer the area I live in to other places I adore also but we should all meet you anyway, no?
rideon7
12-17-07, 08:07 PM
Hi everybody, I'm graduating from college this spring (fingers crossed) and I'm planning on moving out west from the beast that is the east. I'm not really sure where I want to move to, Idaho sounds really nice, but I know I want to live close to mountains so I can try to get into backcountry snowboarding. So, my questions are: wheres good? Is it hard to find work out there? I'm thinking of part time, flexible schedule work (I'm a dishwasher now but I'm gonna try to get on the line at my restaurant for the spring). How bout info on ski or climbing clubs in your areas? In general I'm hoping someone can suggest towns to me, that hopefully aren't gigantic cities, are near mountains, and have access to some nice road riding as well. Thanks everyone
-Mike
Sandpoint, Idaho? (lots of snow)
Fargo, North Dakota (lots of snow)
Chicago (lots of snow, lots of dishes)
It's a tough call!
FlowerBlossom
12-17-07, 09:27 PM
As for Montana, yes, nice places, but cost of living is high, esp in Bozeman. Bend will be equally high; lots of Californians moved and/or invested north. It's now much more developed than it used to be. Sprawl.
For this reason, "it's the economy" is so very true.
If you look at the recent reports, California's economic bubble is about to burst. Schwarzenegger is finding out that his policy of no tax increases is only adding to the deficit, and the housing market there is likely going to take a down-turn or has started that way already.
Rollfast
12-18-07, 02:30 AM
Sandpoint, Idaho? (lots of snow)
Fargo, North Dakota (lots of snow)
Chicago (lots of snow, lots of dishes)
It's a tough call!
Is it really snowy there yet in Sandpoint? We might have a White Christmas if the ice cream plant explodes....
Is it really snowy there yet in Sandpoint? We might have a White Christmas if the ice cream plant explodes....Must be; it is over the hump where I'm at. I'm still waiting for enough to make it worth firing up my plow truck though.
Check out McCall or Driggs, Idaho for something a little less 'known'. Bend is very nice. I've had some friends live in Jackson Hole (and Sun Valley) for a year or two out of college - but those are serious tourist towns.
Most of the middle-sized college towns near the Rockies have a great vibe as well. Logan, Utah was cheap and pretty cool for a few years (I did grad. school there). Missoula, Bozeman, even Flagstaff.
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