Why would you not move out West?

[mister moose]

There's nothing like the green of the Green Mountain State, or the explosion of color in the fall.

You can't beat it for charm, either. Find me a village that compares to a New England village in the west. Can't do it.

The gold aspen in the fall.

Cripple Creek, Alma, Fairplay are quaint, with western flavor. Crested Butte, Breckenridge, and Aspen all have an authentic core from 100 years ago. But there is no western version of Sturbridge Village or Chester village green. The dynamics of the west are different, building materials and land acquisition and topography was different, and villages grew in different ways.

 

[trackbiker]

I would rather flip the question upside down and ask why you would want to move out west? If your only answer is skiing (as mine surely would be) then I think there is more to life than just that and those are the things that keep me here.

Riv, I agree 100% with your post and others who mention family, job, and culture differences. Skiing is for most people 4 months out of the year. Yes there are other outdoor activities the other 8 months but we have them here as well. But YOU do have to get out there. The skiing is best in the west.
Otherwise; nice place to visit, wouldn't want to live there. There are exceptions but it is mostly tract housing, chain restaraunts and stores.

 

[Geoff]

So why are people automatically assuming UT or CO? Northern Cal and the Pacific Northwest have some sick skiing as well, but also have beaches, big cities, whatever. Pretty much just leaves career (plenty of work, but if you have a career going in the East it's a different story) and family on the table.

Have you ever been to the beach in the Pacific Northwest? It's like Penobscot Bay. You don't go in the water without a wet suit. When you're sailing, you wear Polartec and gloves in August if there's any kind of breeze.

The sailing in northern California is lousy. Other than San Francisco Bay, there are no harbors and nowhere to go. A friend of mine owns a Swan that lives in a marina right below the Bay Bridge. They get pretty big wind and it's fun day sailing but there aren't many places to go. The marina fees are unbelievable. $500/foot is pretty typical and it goes up from there.

 

[dmc]

I feel more comfortable around people from the northeast and in particular New York..

 

[Dr Skimeister]

Q: Why would you not move out West?

A: Pizza with pineapple on it.

 

[Geoff]

I took a very hard look at moving to Tahoe in 1999. I was working at trying to finagle a telecommuting job where I'd have to cover Silicon Valley a few days per week but mostly could work out of my home. In the end, I decided I didn't want to live in a resort town.

My business card says Denver. I could move there in a minute if I wanted to. I'd rather have the setup I have now where I'm 1/4 mile from salt water. 10 minute walk to my boat slip. Spend 4 months telecommuting out of Killington. My travel pattern is very Comcast-centric and those 1500 mile Denver-Philly flights are brutal if you have to do them every week. I'm 40 minutes from the airport in the flatlands and 2 hours from the airport leaving from Kmart. If it's a weather disaster, I can still get to Philly by Amtrack or drive. Yeah, the skiing isn't anything like elsewhere in the country but I have many other things going on in my life.

 

[jaywbigred]

I am no big fan of the ocean, so long as there are lakes and rivers around. If it weren't for family ties and the realities of my career, I'd be gone to Wyoming instantly. That, and the bar exam reciprocity issues.

 

[drjeff]

The one thing I find when my wife and I ask ourselves maybe a couple of times a year "why don't we just move out West?" is aside from all the forementioned, family/job/season/etc all ready mentioned, is we're Eastcoaster's, and while in the big scheme of things we might like taking say a 2 to 3 month long vacation to the West, the bottomline is we chose to live on the East Coast because we WANT to

 

[jrmagic]

forget about moving out west... I don't think I would ever live more than 30-40 miles from NYC because of family and work and the ocean. My kids love it here as do I. We travel almost 200 miles North on winter weekends and vacations to hit the slopes and in the warmer months we drive 75 miles East to the North fork of LI to enjoy the beach and our boat.

 

[gmcunni]

other than employment (and i haven't checked in a long time) it would not be hard to convince me to move out west somewhere. Denver seems nice the few times i've been there but the west is a big place and i'm sure there are many other wonderful places to live. Tahoe can be had in 3ish hours from CA Bay area.

my wife on the other hand would want nothing to do with moving, at least at this point in life.

 

[ta&idaho]

I've lived in the Rockies, the West Coast, the Northeast, the Southeast, and the Mid-Atlantic, in cities big and small, and nowhere comes even close to matching the range of recreational opportunities of Northern California. Amazing skiing, surfing, mountain-biking, hiking, golfing, and much more within a 3-hour drive of one of the most dynamic cities in the world, with a climate that lets you enjoy it pretty much all year long. If I could move my job out there, I would in a heartbeat.

 

[bigbog]

Yep, I like it better here for all the reasons cited above: proximity to the ocean, family, cities, etc.

But here's another: the same moisture that brings us that heavy wet snow (and yes, I'll say it, ice) keeps it nice and green in the summer. There's nothing like the green of the Green Mountain State, or the explosion of color in the fall.

You can't beat it for charm, either. Find me a village that compares to a New England village in the west. Can't do it.

I love Vermont. And I ain't leaving.

But WHAT IF, for some reason, your publicist said that they want you to become a Rocky Mtn woman/family...for the next book SkiDiva...eh'!!!???? ...:lol::lol::lol:

ta&idaho:
N. Calif. is beautiful! I'm an outdoors fiend as well....

 

[SkiFanE]

My liberal leanings and inability to keep them to myself would get me ostracized in no time ("pinkie commie fag"), unless I move to No. California. But CA is bound to be hit with a deadly earthquake soon and the state is a mess and it's brown and ugly.

My choice would be to have a second home out west and the funds/times to take a bunch of week long trips. I don't think I'll ever leave New England, even when I retire.

 

[tarponhead]

Love NYC. But I would seriously think about living in Montana or the northwest. Spent a lot of time out there with a flyrod in my hand....but never did meet a left coaster who could cast anywhere near as good as the fellas I hung with at Sandy Hook,,,,

Can western skiers ski ice and not complain?

 

[goldsbar]

Job/$$$ as many have mentioned. Public schools in the NE are generally the best; NJ is very good for this. Great food everywhere. Other recreational activities rank pretty high in NJ: great road cycling, good to very good mountain biking (a few very different places to choose within 30 minutes), world class rock climbing in New Paltz. In reality, I don't want 75 ski days/year. It would get boring.

 

[caddis]

Left New England to attend college in Montana. Best time of my life, but hard to find a career. Lived in the Pacific Northwest.... loved it.

One thing’s for sure you really start to miss New England Girls. There is just something about them?
There is nothing like New England hospitality.
Unless it's nationally televised good luck watching the Patriots/Red Sox and I missed St. Catherine Street :-o

Things I didn't like about the west. I was tired of the question "Where are you from?"
also hate the "NOT CAL & NOR CAL" stickers, and the whole "NATIVE" crap.

Who gives a shit!!!! Shut up and ski

The fishing and skiing were pretty awesome though :sad:

 

[deadheadskier]

So why are people automatically assuming UT or CO? Northern Cal and the Pacific Northwest have some sick skiing as well, but also have beaches, big cities, whatever. Pretty much just leaves career (plenty of work, but if you have a career going in the East it's a different story) and family on the table.

ever taken a dip in the pacific?

I found the water in San Diego in August to be colder than Southern Maine waters.

 

[dmc]

Things I didn't like about the west. I was tired of the question "Where are you from?"
also hate the "NOT CAL & NOR CAL" stickers, and the whole "NATIVE" crap.

Similar to the "Dont Jersey Up Vermont" bumper stickers your see in VT

 

[caddis]

ever taken a dip in the pacific?

I found the water in San Diego in August to be colder than Southern Maine waters.

old orchard feels like the gulf compared to CA/OR/WA. Although beautiful it's f...ing cold. I think the water in Alaska might be warmer?

 

[caddis]

Similar to the "Dont Jersey Up Vermont" bumper stickers your see in VT

:uzi: don't get me started. Might be true but really :roll: