Crossroads, relocating.

[kestral]

Not strictly a long distance hiking question, but related.

I’m at a crossroad in my life, need to relocate. The area I’m currently living in has grown up exponentially around me, cow pastures and farms replaced by subdivisions, malls and roads. Been here about 35 years, so I’m a ‘stayer’. Need to relocate to an area that’s cooler, much closer to or in the mountains, near to beautiful hiking, not super ritzy or pricey. Livable home for 2 around $200k in safe neighborhood, or outskirts of town. Ideally no yard, stand alone home for privacy, little maintenance, able to lock and leave for trips hiking or just traveling. Keeping it in the USA.

So , if this was you, where would you go? Why? Retirement age is coming on strong, and I’m a stayer, so would like this to be a last move if possible. Grew up in upstate NY, snow belt, so I’m used to weather.

Thanks for your input, hope to meet you all out on the trail.

[TNhiker]

asheville.......

boone........

knoxville........

chattanooga..........


or out west........

[Coffee]

I'd consider small trail towns in Colorado. Salida, Lake City, and Leadville seemed to me to be nice spots to live, not touristy, and I can't imagine they would be expensive. I've daydreamed about living in those places. I love the Sierra Nevada as well but the cost of living in California is anything but reasonable. Perhaps consider the western outskirts of Reno instead, although the Tesla factory and SF Bay Area tech money has reportedly juiced housing prices around there.

[Coffee]

See, now I'm daydreaming...

https://www.zillow.com/homes/for_sal...71_rect/14_zm/

[Slo-go'en]

Berlin, NH - A decent house will run about 75K to 100K in town. You can't get much closer to the mountains, but you best like winter!

[saltysack]

I'd consider small trail towns in Colorado. Salida, Lake City, and Leadville seemed to me to be nice spots to live, not touristy, and I can't imagine they would be expensive. I've daydreamed about living in those places. I love the Sierra Nevada as well but the cost of living in California is anything but reasonable. Perhaps consider the western outskirts of Reno instead, although the Tesla factory and SF Bay Area tech money has reportedly juiced housing prices around there.

Hit the nail on the head! Wish I could talk my wife into buying the Leadville Hostel......


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[Venchka]

Too many folks ahead of Y’all in line for Colorado or western North Carolina.
Pinedale, WY was really nice once upon a time. Folks got priced out of Jackson and the oil companies moved in.
Wyoming. Maybe. Before it gets ruined. Might be too late.
Good luck.
Wayne

[Dogwood]

You're in the wrong state if you want to hike mountains. You're in a city that's a boater's, tennis player's, golfer's, restauranteur's, arts fanatic, paradise.


Four Corners area. Not yet overly crowded, multi sport regions, paddling, biking, climbing, air sports, fishing, forests, Mts, deserts, canyon red rock solitude, real estate agents and gentrification haven't yet driven up med home prices to the stratosphere in some towns, still four seasons, opps for living off grid or frugally downsizing to a Tiny House if an Empty Nester, within 500 miles of so many NP's too long to list here,.. I like the Oregon coast, little bit inland if I can afford it in a smaller town. Bend OR is an outdoor location paradise but the med home value has soared;biz opps for what I do are solid though. Always liked being in Bend when bro was trying to get an Olympic spot training there. Behind the REI is a paddling course where you can demo a boat.


I can't do one place because no one place has enough diversity, jobs, culture, mental stimulation, etc. Looking to get out of GA to AZ(like Taos), NM(like outskirts of ALB and Santa Fe) or SE UT(Moab, Outdoors Industry Job or running a small Guiding Service biz) while maintaining the PT small HI residence. Couple more yrs of hard work and much less allowing to be internet distracted and I'll be fine to retire as a young man as a FT adventure bum. I'll still do some work but smaller projects mostly for fun, philanthropy, and to stay professionally current.


Alpharetta is just a part of Atlanta sprawl. The character has changed drastically over the last 20 yrs with few farms left, many pretentious McMansion and Condo subdivisions(good for the businesses I'm in though), very few true Georgians and less southern hospitality folks left, grid lock, not as woodsy as might initially be supposed....Family members, which I sometimes have to limit being around, and biz connections, is why I've stayed as long as I have.


There's an assumption CA and HI have to be exceptionally expensive to live. Neither state has to be if you don't require living upto typical US big screen materialistic highly consumptive norms. Avoid the big known inside the city limits locations...largely the ones I just listed. Research the outskirts.


Expat or dual citzenship. Costa Rica still has $200 k opps. I have a outdoors bum friend who lives massively frugally in Vietnam spending his retirement living largely on interest with his wife traveling and adventuring. Busted his arse at Microsoft for two decades and lived super frugal. Had the money to parachute out at 42 yrs. Another work associate who I became friends with when I briefly worked at Home Depot is retiring in his early forties a millionaire adventurer. And it isn't just because he was employed there during HD's huge growth period. He lived with his parents on a family compound until he married in his early 30's when he then built a separate small sparse 900 sq ft home on the family compound. Another LD backpacking outdoor buddy travels from country to country taking on different outdoor related jobs. He's hiked, dived, paddled, surfed, climbed, rappelled into, mountaineered, spelunked, ate more different "stuff", and slept in more different places than anyone I know. He makes me almost envious.

[saltysack]

I'd consider small trail towns in Colorado. Salida, Lake City, and Leadville seemed to me to be nice spots to live, not touristy, and I can't imagine they would be expensive. I've daydreamed about living in those places. I love the Sierra Nevada as well but the cost of living in California is anything but reasonable. Perhaps consider the western outskirts of Reno instead, although the Tesla factory and SF Bay Area tech money has reportedly juiced housing prices around there.

Hit the nail on the head! Wish I could talk my wife into buying the Leadville Hostel......


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[bigcranky]

Central North Carolina: Greensboro, Winston-Salem, Burlington/Elon, even down toward Salisbury. Lots of choices for urban vs rural vs suburban, closer to the mountains if you want, etc. Housing prices are very reasonable, weather is mostly decent, taxes depend on that rural/urban choice but are generally low. Two hours to the AT and lots of decent hiking choices, four hours to the beach. Easy access to the interstate and to a decent regional airport in Greensboro. Excellent medical care options, decent cultural options depending on what you like. Friendly people for the most part, like anywhere else

[hikeandbike5]

I'd consider small trail towns in Colorado. Salida, Lake City, and Leadville seemed to me to be nice spots to live, not touristy, and I can't imagine they would be expensive. I've daydreamed about living in those places. I love the Sierra Nevada as well but the cost of living in California is anything but reasonable. Perhaps consider the western outskirts of Reno instead, although the Tesla factory and SF Bay Area tech money has reportedly juiced housing prices around there.

salida is crazy freaking expensive (seriously, look at zillow), and leadville is in the midst of a housing boom.

[Venchka]

Central North Carolina: Greensboro, Winston-Salem, Burlington/Elon, even down toward Salisbury. Lots of choices for urban vs rural vs suburban, closer to the mountains if you want, etc. Housing prices are very reasonable, weather is mostly decent, taxes depend on that rural/urban choice but are generally low. Two hours to the AT and lots of decent hiking choices, four hours to the beach. Easy access to the interstate and to a decent regional airport in Greensboro. Excellent medical care options, decent cultural options depending on what you like. Friendly people for the most part, like anywhere else

Hickory, Lenoir, Morganton. If/when the new highway is finished through Blowing Rock the mountains will be very handy. The Greensboro airport ROCKS!
Eastern Tennessee is similar. Johnson City, Elizabethton, Greenville. Away from the nonsense in Gatlinburg yet convenient to the AT & Smokies.

Chama, NM. I love this place. A real supermarket so you don't have to drive a 100 miles for groceries. Roasted hatch chilis in the supermarket parking lot during harvest. Wilderness Areas out the wazoo within an hour or two. Skiing all around: Taos, Angel Fire, Red River, Wolf Creek. Archeological sites nearby. Trails, trails, & more trails. CDT about 10-15 miles away. https://www.trulia.com/for_sale/Cham...-250000_price/
And a steam train!
Wayne

[Ashepabst]

Eastern Tennessee is similar. Johnson City, Elizabethton, Greenville. Away from the nonsense in Gatlinburg yet convenient to the AT & Smokies.

and no state income taxes in Tennessee. Tellico Plains is a neat little town, and convenient of lots of fun hiking.

[Venchka]

and no state income taxes in Tennessee. Tellico Plains is a neat little town, and convenient of lots of fun hiking.

I drive from Cleveland, TN to Johnson City off of the interstate system. Very nice & peaceful. Takes forever but not stressful. A Dollar General every 5-10 miles. Supermarkets are scarce.
Wayne

[daddytwosticks]

Western North Carolina (I'm partial) or eastern Tennessee. Like someone mentioned, Asheville is a very cool little city.

[Traveler]

Washington State is typically on lists of State that are beneficial for retirees. The variety of things one can do there is huge, never mind the mountains being second to none and more trails than is possible to hike in a lifetime.

[Pringles]

Someone suggested Wyoming... . I am watching the sun rise over the Bighorn Mountains. If I walk out to the street and look left I can see the Pryors and the Beartooths. If I walk to the corner, I can see the Absorkas. In two hours I can be at two entrances to Yellowstone (which is crowded if you choose to go to Old Faithful or Mammoth, but not so much if you walk 100 yards on a dirt path--the paved paths are another story). I can be at Bighorn Canyon, for water activities, in a little over an hour. It takes about 4-5 hours to get to the Tetons (through Yellowstone). Lots of houses are less than $200,000 (lots are more, too). Winters are cold but relatively snowless--but I came from Michigan's upper peninsula. No income tax. You have to buy bear spray... two cans. For me, it's 30 miles to Walmart (I know, lots of folks hate Walmart) and an hour and a half to Target or, well, I don't know the names of other stores. Amazon Prime is my friend.

Pringles, in Wyoming

[saltysack]

salida is crazy freaking expensive (seriously, look at zillow), and leadville is in the midst of a housing boom.

Price is relative....a 50’x100’ piece off dirt is going for + $500,000 here....hope it keeps going up till I can sell and get the hell out of here...


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[Coffee]

Price is relative....a 50’x100’ piece off dirt is going for + $500,000 here....hope it keeps going up till I can sell and get the hell out of here...
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Much of urbanized America is in the midst of another housing bubble. I did look at Salida and Leadville and prices were higher than I thought they should be but still nothing like urban America. Lake City, probably my favorite trail town in Colorado (that I've been to so far) seems very reasonable. Of course it is very remote.

[saltysack]

Much of urbanized America is in the midst of another housing bubble. I did look at Salida and Leadville and prices were higher than I thought they should be but still nothing like urban America. Lake City, probably my favorite trail town in Colorado (that I've been to so far) seems very reasonable. Of course it is very remote.

Ironically I just posted a question about getting in/out of lake city from CT....I hope to visit it this sept.


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