Ideal ski towns for the future factoring in all issues?

[deadheadskier]

Saving grace of Laurels and Canaan Valley(+Timberline+Whitegrass) is that they actually get snow but yes cannot be compared to new england haha

It wasn't just the skiing that sucked in comparison to New England, it was the culture.

Shitty food, no entertainment and extreme poverty everywhere. I found it horribly depressing. About the only redeeming quality I found in the area is it's fantastic for whitewater. Beyond that I can't see why anyone would willingly choose to live in Appalachia unless they were born there.

 

[PAabe]

Pitt has a pretty good vibe now but I'll believe you that much of the rest of the rust belt and Appalachia is downright depressing. WV is beautiful to visit though.

Are any areas of upstate NY doing alright or is it all pretty rust-belt ish? There has been mention of like Saratoga Springs and Figer lakes but is there much of an economy besides tourism and education?

 

[KustyTheKlown]

not exactly update but the hudson valley is vibrant and has been for years now. its crazy expensive and even more so since covid. people who could afford to do so snatched up the homes. towns like beacon, hudson, kingston, cold spring, hyde park, peekskill. all bustling with food, beer, shopping, culture, access to nature. $$$. newburgh and poughkeepsie, to an extent kingston, haven't gone full on expensive yet, and have room to run, imo.

further upstate, i mentioned in the other thread, i think troy can be a great little city.

middletown on 17 has potential. equilibrium brewing has pumped some life into downtown.

i'm less familiar with places further north and west. lake placid is chill. i hear saranac is great. my friends mom lives in plattsburgh and we sometimes crash there before driving to jay or stowe. its fine i guess. its far. finger lakes region is nice, as is ithaca.

 

[Ski2LiveLive2Ski]

I grew up in the Poconos. Scranton is a dump. Don’t go there.

Still some nice spots in Poconos here and there. Just avoid the drugs and needles all over. Farther north you go the better. North Pikr Co. Wayne Co. I mean it’s middle of fuck all up Wayne Co. can ski elk. And have 100 acres and no neighbors.

Binghamton NY wouldn't be a bad place to be for PA/NY skiing. 45 min from Elk or Greek Peak and 2 hrs from Belleayre or Plattekill - 4 pretty nice places an easy distance for a day trip. And probably a fair amount going on locally as a college town.

 

[cdskier]

Are any areas of upstate NY doing alright or is it all pretty rust-belt ish? There has been mention of like Saratoga Springs and Figer lakes but is there much of an economy besides tourism and education?

Finger Lakes is a mix and quite diverse depending on where you are. The wine industry is growing fairly rapidly up there (and is an area I personally find quite appealing and intriguing. If I could take what I know now and go back in time, I'd have been very interested in a career path in that area instead of what I do now). Technically even Rochester is part of the Finger Lakes, so you do have a lot of tech stuff too.

Here's an article from a little over a year ago related to economic development in the Finger Lakes:

'LEADING THE WAY': Finger Lakes serves as prime example of what Upstate can do for NY economy | Fingerlakes1.com

'LEADING THE WAY': Finger Lakes serves as prime example of what Upstate can do for NY economy

fingerlakes1.com

 

[gladerider]

Oh you're right next door, I'm in Cranford.

didn't realize i had so many of my neighbors here all these years. i'm in new providence.

 

[Hastur]

Damn this thread is turning out to be pretty depressing. Scranton, Binghamton?

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Gary Indiana or Detroit

 

[jaytrem]

didn't realize i had so many of my neighbors here all these years. i'm in new providence.

Who knew Union County was such a hot spot for AZ??? Must be the ideal distance for ski areas, beaches and NYC.

Edit: of course it can't compare Gary Indiana

 

[mikec142]

Oh you're right next door, I'm in Cranford.

It was a sad day when A Toute Heure and 100 Steps closed. We get take out from Old City Grill and Ambeli all the time.

 

[jaytrem]

It was a sad day when A Toute Heure and 100 Steps closed. We get take out from Old City Grill and Ambeli all the time.

Indeed. Luckily we did get to ATH for our anniversary right before COVID. I did notice a Japanese place moved in when I drove by this week. Sounds like 100 Steps might be back one of these days.

 

[PAabe]

Scranton just hasn't been discovered yet. Up and coming ski town just like Aspen after the mines left. Cash in your $GME and $MTN earnings and invest now! We can get Les Otten in on it and turn the whole Lackawanna valley into the next big mega-resort and use a few small traverses to connect to Elk!. Close commute to NYC! Renowned cultural instutitions such as Steamtown NHS and Lackawanna coal mine tour! Low property values! Fabulous shopping at the Steamtown mall! World famous polka music! Set the gentrification trend and profit! I am an idiot flatlander and this is certainly not financial advice

 

[Smellytele]

i havent been to either place, but i would bet that mount bohemia on the upper peninsula of Michigan disagrees with that canaan valley claim

*this is not an endorsement of moving to Michigan for the skiing. but i'm told there's 1000 vert of legit gnar with massive lake effect*

Went to Mount Bohemia 2 years ago. Had a blast. the trails all have natural snow - no snow making. I drove 12 hours each way from Cleveland. Slept one night in the mini van and 1 at their hostel. Met this crazy ski patroller guy who actually skied with me and some other guy on closed trails. Also no grooming for the most part either. All spring sunny bumps and trees.

 

[JimG.]

not exactly update but the hudson valley is vibrant and has been for years now. its crazy expensive and even more so since covid. people who could afford to do so snatched up the homes. towns like beacon, hudson, kingston, cold spring, hyde park, peekskill. all bustling with food, beer, shopping, culture, access to nature. $$$. newburgh and poughkeepsie, to an extent kingston, haven't gone full on expensive yet, and have room to run, imo.

further upstate, i mentioned in the other thread, i think troy can be a great little city.

middletown on 17 has potential. equilibrium brewing has pumped some life into downtown.

i'm less familiar with places further north and west. lake placid is chill. i hear saranac is great. my friends mom lives in plattsburgh and we sometimes crash there before driving to jay or stowe. its fine i guess. its far. finger lakes region is nice, as is ithaca.

My middle son Peter lives and works in Ithaca. That's another area we are considering retiring to but I'd prefer to be closer to the much better skiing in the ADKS and VT.

 

[raisingarizona]

I live in NJ and have had this feeling growing and growing for quite some time. I just have absolutely no idea where I'd want to go. Really the main thing keeping me in NJ is family connections (parents, grandmother, brother is 30 minutes away in Rockland county NY with his wife and my nephew, only 3 hours from my sister and her family in Baltimore, etc). I do also enjoy all the great BYOB restaurants we have in NJ around me. But that's about it.

I've had a 45 mile commute to work (from north jersey to central jersey) for over 15 years now. Before the pandemic I was up to working 2 days remotely from home and only had to make the drive 3 days a week. Now after not doing that commute at all for over a year, I don't know how I can go back to it. There's so much more time in the day when I'm not spending 2+ hours a day driving (and not having to deal with all the idiots on the road has reduced stress significantly as well).

And now since early January I've been living in the Mad River Valley and love the peace and quiet. It has been an incredibly relaxing couple months so far. I still don't think I could live here year-round though. Fun during ski season, but I think I'd be a bit bored and somewhat lonely the rest of the year.

Not really ideal for skiing, but the Finger Lakes is one place I could see wanting to live.

Ah, I replied to you about living in a mountain town in the wrong reply!

off seasons can definitely feel lonely.

 

[chuckstah]

A related question
- places to live where you can day trip (under 6hr roundtrip) to both skiing at least 1000' vertical and warm-enough-to-swim ocean beaches

Really only 3 options in the US

1. Philly-NJ-NYC region (fair to good skiing, nice beaches)
2. Boston region (very good skiing, beaches a bit cold)
3. LA region (best beaches and I believe best skiing of any of them - but I have never skied there)

I live in NJ so at least have access to both. And can be at a beach in 45 min and be booting up at Blue Mt in 95 min or at Hunter in 170 min.

From my southern NH location I can be at Crotched in under an hour. They claim 1000 vert, but it's less. 1:15 to Sunapee with legit 1400 vertical.
For beaches it's under an hour to Hampton and a couple other beaches, or just under 2 hours to Cape Cod. I really want to relocate further north, but beach access is certainly a factor.

 

[snoseek]

I like to hit the beach a few times a summer when the water is actually warm. Around here thats pretty much late july and August. The food is the best part. The shitshow is the worst.

With that said I could easily get further inland to Vermont or Northern NH, spend more time on the lakes, which in my opinion is just better, warmer and more relaxing. A couple daytrips or even an overnight with the family who is solidly planted in Coastal NH when I get the urge.

 

[raisingarizona]

Damn this thread is turning out to be pretty depressing. Scranton, Binghamton?

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Gary Indiana or Detroit

Yeah, wtf? I thought this was about mountain towns. The thought of spending the rest of my skiing years at Montage makes me want to hang em up for good.

 

[raisingarizona]

Went to Mount Bohemia 2 years ago. Had a blast. the trails all have natural snow - no snow making. I drove 12 hours each way from Cleveland. Slept one night in the mini van and 1 at their hostel. Met this crazy ski patroller guy who actually skied with me and some other guy on closed trails. Also no grooming for the most part either. All spring sunny bumps and trees.

The UP is a rad area.

 

[downdraft]

A friend and former client spent vacations his last few work years looking for a place to retire out west. He settled on Grand Junction, CO. Never been, but he is very happy there and he tells me cost of living is low. Powderhorn is nearby and has high ratings for a smaller, less crowded, no frills Colorado area. Several major ski resorts within 2 -3 hour drive as I understand it.

 

[cdskier]

Ah, I replied to you about living in a mountain town in the wrong reply!

off seasons can definitely feel lonely.

Missed that and had to go back and look for it....

And two hours a day eventually adds up to being a good chunk of your life Jim. It sounds like you’ve got a good thing figured out now. Ski towns definitely feel lonely during the off seasons and there isn’t much to do while waiting for the snow to melt.

And found it! Current situation is only temporary. And only works right now due to our offices still being closed so being able to work remotely full time. Although to be honest there's not necessarily much value in forcing us all to go back to the office. The majority of people I work with aren't physically in my office anyway. My office is in NJ. My current manager is in Germany. Some of my colleagues in my dept are in our offices in MA or PA. Other people I work with are in numerous other countries around the world. So at least for my role, working remotely isn't that much different than working in the office. Of course I have no idea if management will see it the same way. I suspect eventually they'll want us back in the office to some degree.