Thinking of moving west

xjmatt · 06-02-2004, 08:25 AM

So I grew up in New Mexico, lived there for 8 years, but then moved east in 1987 and have been an east coaster ever since. Now I'm thinking of heading back. I wouldn't be making the move for at least a year or two from now but I'm starting to do my homework now.

My girlfriend and I are very active outdoors people. We rock climb, backpack, mountaineer, mountain bike, white water and flat water kayak, ski, and of course go jeepin. Right now we are looking at Nor Cal, Utah, Washington, and Oregon. My girlfriend's first suggestion was that we move to Moab UT, and people wonder why I love this girl, but what kind of jobs can be found in Moab? She is a nurse, and I am a computer systems administrator. So no matter where we go aside from being in reach of the great outdoors we need a close by hospital and a company that needs technical people.

So what do you west of the rockies people think? Where is the best place to live and play on that half of this rock?

JKNIPE2000 · 06-02-2004, 08:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xjmatt

So I grew up in New Mexico, lived there for 8 years, but then moved east in 1987 and have been an east coaster ever since. Now I'm thinking of heading back. I wouldn't be making the move for at least a year or two from now but I'm starting to do my homework now.

My girlfriend and I are very active outdoors people. We rock climb, backpack, mountaineer, mountain bike, white water and flat water kayak, ski, and of course go jeepin. Right now we are looking at Nor Cal, Utah, Washington, and Oregon. My girlfriend's first suggestion was that we move to Moab UT, and people wonder why I love this girl, but what kind of jobs can be found in Moab? She is a nurse, and I am a computer systems administrator. So no matter where we go aside from being in reach of the great outdoors we need a close by hospital and a company that needs technical people.

So what do you west of the rockies people think? Where is the best place to live and play on that half of this rock?

vegas man, plenty of STD's to treat and plenty of electronic slots that need people to rig them

UtahJeepin · 06-02-2004, 09:34 AM

I like utah.. has all that "Best Snow on earth", Moab, The Unitas (great hiking,camping) some of the best Fly fishing. and cost of living is low. But I will be moving out east soon. (not looking foward to it) I grew up in Hawaii California Washington and Utah and have never been to the east. Moab is a really small town. But only 3-4 hours from salt lake

skylinerider · 06-02-2004, 10:06 AM

Well, as another Utah guy here, I can say this is a great place if your active in outdoor things, and jobs for nurses here are great (well they are all over out west). Utah has some of the best rock climbing, skiing/boarding, camping and jeeping anywhere. We even have some good kayaking as well.
My wife is a nurse (RN) and she is making about $19 an hour, and that is just for a little hospital.
And if you do move here give me a ring and we can go climbing.

Dr Gutiemouth · 06-02-2004, 11:17 AM

OHIO!

you can...uh...hmmmm, u said u like to mt. climb and mt. bike so you can head down to the flats....um..wait..nm

like boats and fishing? go on the lake....uh...the rock hall too...um...like being bored? move to ohio!

WhiteWater · 06-02-2004, 05:01 PM

Well of those 4, Utah is going to give you by far and away the best wheelin' and rock climbing - including canyoneering! I'm not sure what the kayaking is like there though as most of the floats I have done there have been for camping and scenery. Oregon, Washington, and Nor-Cal have some great floats and you can add sea kayaking into the mix along some pretty dam#ed impressive coast line. I suspect the wheeling will be better in Cali but don't know for sure. Cali has the climbs in Yosemiti and down in the desert by Josua Tree. And all three will give you the opportunity to do some mountaineering. Note of caution though, the big mountains are glaciated so if you've never done it before, go with someone who knows what they're doing.

Moab is a tough place to find work so if that's where you want to go, consider Grand Junction. It's not that far from Moab and the likelyhood of finding work is a whole lot better. It can get hotter than a demons fart though!

xjmatt · 06-03-2004, 10:13 AM

When I move west I DEFINITELY will be looking up some people to do some wheelin and rock climbing with! It sure sounds like Utah wins the vote though. That is where we have been focusing our search so that's cool. How is Provo? Everything I can find makes it sound like a really great place to live and its a short drive to Moab as well as lots of other good play spots.

I have done some glacial travel so I know how dangerous that can be. Most of the mountaineering I have done has been in the north east where the peaks are not as high but the weather is fast changing and unforgiving. It's hard to find mountaineers on the east coast, I'm sure I'll find more willing and able people out west.

Thanks for all the input I really appreciate it. As we put this plan together over the next year I'm sure I'll be looking for more opinions. I don't know anybody in Utah so it's great to get some thoughts from people who live there! Thanks again.

mbaucom · 06-03-2004, 11:12 AM

Sure Utah is a quiet place to live, but I'd move to Reno, Nevada! Lots of desert driving (blm land), and your only about 2 hours from the Rubicon. Three hours and your at the coast. It's quiet, gambling if your into it, and prices are a whole lot cheaper than crossing the Sierras into Sacramento. Houses in Sacramento are way and I mean way too high. I really don't know what the work situation is like in Reno but I've traveled thru there hundres of times and I like it. Friend of mine lives in Sparks and he loves it.

UtahJeepin · 06-03-2004, 12:15 PM

Well I live in provo..What you have to realize about provo is it is a college town. BYU has 30000 students and UVSC has around 30000 also... Very low crime rate... lots outdoor stuff to do nearby. So If you don't mind a lot of college kids (mind you mormon kids who don't drink or have raging parties) . It is summer now so it is not crowded but when school is in session it gets crowded. I like it

BluesMan · 06-03-2004, 02:12 PM

Lived in Price, Utah 1980 to 1982, tons of great trails and such down that way.

IdahoSpud · 06-07-2004, 07:22 PM

I know you didn't mention it but have you considered Idaho? I think you'd find that it offers everything that you're interested in. I'm probably a little biased (since I've lived here more than anywhere else) but I think that Boise is the greatest city. It's big enough that you have the amenities of a city but it's still small enough that it retains "small" town values. Our crime rates are low and outdoor activities are minutes away. I live for snow skiing so having a mountain 16 miles away with season passes that are around $200 is heaven. There are a ton of rivers and lakes nearby and it's just a couple of hours to the coast. I read a few years back that Boise is one of the most wired cities - probably a good place for tech jobs. And we've got two large hospitals in Boise with satellite facilities in surrounding areas as well as some other large hospitals in surrounding towns. I'm not sure where in Washinton you're looking at but I lived in Seattle for a few years and my parents still keep a place there. I absolutely love it but you do have to deal with big city issues there - horrific traffic, sky high housing prices and in some areas, high crime. Really, though, I don't think that you can go wrong with any of the areas that you're looking at so far. I think that you'll find that they all offer great outdoor oportunities and friendly people.

06-02-2004, 09:34 AM	#3
UtahJeepin Registered User Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Provo,UT Posts: 105 Profile Gallery Classifieds My Jeeps	I like utah.. has all that "Best Snow on earth", Moab, The Unitas (great hiking,camping) some of the best Fly fishing. and cost of living is low. But I will be moving out east soon. (not looking foward to it) I grew up in Hawaii California Washington and Utah and have never been to the east. Moab is a really small town. But only 3-4 hours from salt lake __________________ (>°.°)>04 Sport Blue <(°.°<) Stock D44 -(at least I have that) ______ \|::===\| [u]\|====\|[/u]

06-02-2004, 10:06 AM	#4
skylinerider Registered User Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Utah Posts: 362 Profile Gallery Classifieds My Jeeps	Well, as another Utah guy here, I can say this is a great place if your active in outdoor things, and jobs for nurses here are great (well they are all over out west). Utah has some of the best rock climbing, skiing/boarding, camping and jeeping anywhere. We even have some good kayaking as well. My wife is a nurse (RN) and she is making about $19 an hour, and that is just for a little hospital. And if you do move here give me a ring and we can go climbing. __________________ skylinerider™ SKYLINERIDER.NET If you can't taste the sarcasm try licking the screen.

06-03-2004, 10:13 AM	#7
xjmatt Registered User Join Date: May 2003 Location: Denver, CO Posts: 840 Profile Gallery Classifieds My Jeeps	When I move west I DEFINITELY will be looking up some people to do some wheelin and rock climbing with! It sure sounds like Utah wins the vote though. That is where we have been focusing our search so that's cool. How is Provo? Everything I can find makes it sound like a really great place to live and its a short drive to Moab as well as lots of other good play spots. I have done some glacial travel so I know how dangerous that can be. Most of the mountaineering I have done has been in the north east where the peaks are not as high but the weather is fast changing and unforgiving. It's hard to find mountaineers on the east coast, I'm sure I'll find more willing and able people out west. Thanks for all the input I really appreciate it. As we put this plan together over the next year I'm sure I'll be looking for more opinions. I don't know anybody in Utah so it's great to get some thoughts from people who live there! Thanks again. __________________ 95 XJ sport 4.0L geared 4.10 AX-15 with an NP231 JB SYE with a High Angle CV driveshaft RE 4.5" lift 33x12.5x15 ProComp AT's on AR 767's JKS QD's RE HD trac bar & frame mount Disc's on all 4 corners, stopping fast is so nice Rusty's Airtube with K&N and Hella 500's on an ARB Bull Bar

06-03-2004, 11:12 AM	#8
mbaucom Registered User Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: 2C Idaho Posts: 56 Profile Gallery Classifieds My Jeeps	Sure Utah is a quiet place to live, but I'd move to Reno, Nevada! Lots of desert driving (blm land), and your only about 2 hours from the Rubicon. Three hours and your at the coast. It's quiet, gambling if your into it, and prices are a whole lot cheaper than crossing the Sierras into Sacramento. Houses in Sacramento are way and I mean way too high. I really don't know what the work situation is like in Reno but I've traveled thru there hundres of times and I like it. Friend of mine lives in Sparks and he loves it. __________________ [COLOR=darkslategray]89 Cherokee Laredo 4.0[/COLOR] All stock and lovin it!! [COLOR=blue]Blue Jeep Club Member #67[/COLOR] [COLOR=red]International[/COLOR] [COLOR=white]Jeep[/COLOR] [COLOR=blue]Club[/COLOR] #[B]8[/B]

06-03-2004, 12:15 PM	#9
UtahJeepin Registered User Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Provo,UT Posts: 105 Profile Gallery Classifieds My Jeeps	Well I live in provo..What you have to realize about provo is it is a college town. BYU has 30000 students and UVSC has around 30000 also... Very low crime rate... lots outdoor stuff to do nearby. So If you don't mind a lot of college kids (mind you mormon kids who don't drink or have raging parties) . It is summer now so it is not crowded but when school is in session it gets crowded. I like it __________________ (>°.°)>04 Sport Blue <(°.°<) Stock D44 -(at least I have that) ______ \|::===\| [u]\|====\|[/u]

06-02-2004, 05:01 PM	#6
WhiteWater Registered User Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Denver Posts: 86 Profile Gallery Classifieds My Jeeps	Well of those 4, Utah is going to give you by far and away the best wheelin' and rock climbing - including canyoneering! I'm not sure what the kayaking is like there though as most of the floats I have done there have been for camping and scenery. Oregon, Washington, and Nor-Cal have some great floats and you can add sea kayaking into the mix along some pretty dam#ed impressive coast line. I suspect the wheeling will be better in Cali but don't know for sure. Cali has the climbs in Yosemiti and down in the desert by Josua Tree. And all three will give you the opportunity to do some mountaineering. Note of caution though, the big mountains are glaciated so if you've never done it before, go with someone who knows what they're doing. Moab is a tough place to find work so if that's where you want to go, consider Grand Junction. It's not that far from Moab and the likelyhood of finding work is a whole lot better. It can get hotter than a demons fart though!

06-07-2004, 07:22 PM	#11
IdahoSpud Registered User Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Idaho Posts: 14 Profile Gallery Classifieds My Jeeps	I know you didn't mention it but have you considered Idaho? I think you'd find that it offers everything that you're interested in. I'm probably a little biased (since I've lived here more than anywhere else) but I think that Boise is the greatest city. It's big enough that you have the amenities of a city but it's still small enough that it retains "small" town values. Our crime rates are low and outdoor activities are minutes away. I live for snow skiing so having a mountain 16 miles away with season passes that are around $200 is heaven. There are a ton of rivers and lakes nearby and it's just a couple of hours to the coast. I read a few years back that Boise is one of the most wired cities - probably a good place for tech jobs. And we've got two large hospitals in Boise with satellite facilities in surrounding areas as well as some other large hospitals in surrounding towns. I'm not sure where in Washinton you're looking at but I lived in Seattle for a few years and my parents still keep a place there. I absolutely love it but you do have to deal with big city issues there - horrific traffic, sky high housing prices and in some areas, high crime. Really, though, I don't think that you can go wrong with any of the areas that you're looking at so far. I think that you'll find that they all offer great outdoor oportunities and friendly people.