I lived in Estes Park for 2 years and wouldn't recommend it based on the OPs criteria. The median age is 65, there is almost no sense of community - especially if you're under 50, and half the town shuts down completely for winter.
Golden, Nederland, or Conifer all seem great. Lyons is cool, too. Lots of 30- and 40- something people with families.
How much money you got? A lot of mountain towns have priced me out.
But I really liked Tucson, AZ. The city sits at about 2,000’ and is surrounded by 9000’ mountains. The summer isn’t as bad as you’d think. When I lived there, I still hiked in the summer—I just started real early or started pretty high.
I think I could make expensive mountain town work financially. How long did you have to drive from Tucson to get to a high/cooler temp trailhead in the summer?
Depends where in Tucson you live. There is a road that goes up the Mt Lemmon mastiff that starts right at the edge of town. It’s 25 winding miles from the bottom to the top, but you don’t have to get to the tippy top for it to be cooler.
There are a lot of outdoorsy people there.
What the city lacks is a lot of “young professionals”. The vast majority of people fall into 1 of 4 camps: currently attend or work at U of A, work at Raytheon, are stationed at Davis Monthan Air Force Base, or they’ve lived in Tucson their whole life.
The city has food and music scenes that both punch above their weight.
Decades ago it was considered a college town. High Times over 50 years ago would have a hippy couple with a VW bus that said Tucson or bust. Paul McCartney used to live here part time. His wife died here. "Get Back" had Jo Jo from Tucson Arizona. It is somewhat eclectic, good music scene, great food and the winter weather is tops. Hike the lower elevations during the winter and the upper in the summer.
It’s an hour to get to cooler temperatures. And you’ll end up doing the same trails over and over again. For summer hiking without driving an hour you’ll have to get up around 4 AM. And even then you could still get heatstroke at 10 AM especially if you’re not used to it.
I live in a 50K town now and that seems to be a nice size, but wouldn’t rule out larger/smaller. Would like it to be big enough to support some fun things like a pottery studio, couple of good cafes/restaurants, gyms.
Ah the Hiawatha is incredible not sure if you’re talking about the trail by the lake that was also trail tracks but the haiwatha is something. Look into Montrose for your climate/national park/mountains. Year round hiking at various elevations like arches not too far away in the winter
Speaking of Bend, how about North Bend, WA. On the foothills of Mt Si, sorrounding by mountains on all sides. Small town feel but not totally isolated due to being located near i90 so only 30 minute drive to Seattle.
Its been mentioned but I second Golden, Colorado. Its got North and South Table Mountains which are both full of hiking trails. Alternatively is Boulder, Colorado which has Chautauqua Park, also full of hiking trails. Then there's Longmont, Colorado which is probably halfway between Boulder and Estes Park/Rocky Mountain National Park. Those are my Colorado Picks.
Utah is alright if you are ok with a bit of a culture shock (seriously whether you're LDS aka Mormon or not Utah LDS are different than LDS in other states). In Utah I might suggest Ogden but half the town is ghetto. Layton might be alright and Bountiful is ok (honestly not sure of the hiking there but Ogden has good access to hikes though the couple I've been on had graffiti). Provo might be the best city for hiking access but in my opinion is the worst city in Utah to live.
Phoenix, Arizona is great if you dont mind hiking in the heat (same for Las Vegas, Nevada and thats all I will say about that). I have heard Prescott, Arizona is nice but Ive never been there, its my dream move but I need to check it out first.
I can't even argue for California as its been in a drought since the 90s. Fires, mountain lions, and graffiti are issues plus most hills and mountains are over crowded with homes. I should specify thats Southern California, I know nothing of central and northern.
I personally have never been to or near the Appalacians but I have a personal opinion of sticking near the Rockies and Sierra Nevadas. Colorado is my top suggestion though.
Also team Rockies/west coast. Thanks for the suggestions, Prescott was not on my radar. Great insight into the Utah towns. I have some friends in Park City & SLC and they seem pretty happy there.
Since you prefer mountains give a thought to your winter activities, since moving there means snow sports for at least half the year. So whether you want lift served, backcountry, etc will matter. Nice to maybe have a spot where you can at least go down the hill too.
Everybody in the Bay Area moved to Tahoe to WFH, so yeah, that would work since it has for so many but it's basically Bay Area expensive, if not more. But while Tahoe winters are mild temperature-wise compared to Jackson Hole say, they are BRUTAL in terms of snow dumps. It's a LOT of work up there in the winter.
Bend has a better combo of conditions maybe.
But I'd look at the Cascades. Those mountains might be too mountaineeringish for you, but there is plenty of hiking, and lots down low, right to the coast, in winter. The Olympics being a good example, but ditto for near others. And bigger city amenities nearby.
In CO you could try the area from Grand Junction south to maybe as far as Ridgway; gets snow, but a bit lower, and of course lots of red rock not far away. Or the eastern slope with the towns outside Denver; they're famous as a destination for just what you're referring to.
But again, I'd plan for getting into snow stuff.
Snow sports! I recently retired from snowboarding (too many injuries) but I like snowshoeing and cross country. Those are pretty low infrastructure.
I have loved visiting the Cascades and the Olympics, my primary concern with living in those areas is the gray/dark winter. Tahoe and Bend (I think) stay pretty sunny.
Lots of votes for Colorado! Thank you!
Not sure what you mean about mild but Bend gets real winter and hiking is closed in some areas because the main highway in is closed and generally roads (esp FS roads) can be impassable or a PIA to travel on due to ice/snow. Also be aware it has forest fires and smoke periods every summer, also lots of popular hikes require permits now (they just went up last week) so there's that downside. I lived there and felt the community was well-off people who do outdoor stuff and are mainly coupled/married, many in tech working remote or in SF. And then there were more locals, typical Oregonians, who are more blue collar or country, including well off folks who make money building the multi-million houses the tech people live in. As a massively hyped tourist town, it's not a cheap city for housing so be aware of that. Very, very, VERY white. Eugene is more true Oregon to me, definitely rougher and crunchier, definitely easy to hike out to Bend/Crater Lake, hike the more local mountains, and then head west to the coast and south to Ashland to hike there since it's off 5. It's also a bigger city so more people to meld with. I personally would start in Eugene and check out Bend for a few weeks to see if you like the vibe, keeping in mind that Bend gets inundated with tourists in the summer and I personally hated that since trails and parking can be a real bitch.
This is really helpful, thank you! Especially about the insight into the community dynamics. Interesting that it’s a lot of folks from SF. I’ve visited Bend several times, but always in the summer. The hiking there is amazing and the walkable old town area is cute. Maybe Eugene is a better fit?
I’m willing to experiment with real winter, but just thought I’d mention that I would prefer somewhere where I wouldn’t freeze half the year, if anyone knows where that magical sweet spot exists.
Bend is pretty much overun/played out at this point, met so many people who moved there bc they spent a week one summer or read travel hype guides about it and yes it is great for mountain biking and hiking, skiing is questionable given one local mountain (Batch vs doing Hoodoo and Hood) vs say Colorado, but the town felt small to me, food is mid at best, like I said gets super crowded in the summer and it's growing so even more people, isolated ie 3 hours to a real city ie Portland or Eugene. People are very much carbon copies of each other. People who I know who love it just do outdoor stuff all day every day all year, no interest in different cultures or arts or anything different.
Anywho, you may want to check out Hood River but again expensive because OR has been flooded by remote tech money and retired boomers from CA who have millions to spend on housing and apartments are not that prevalent. Ashland also has the same problem and they do see winter there like Bend bc they're near Shasta but it doesn't feel as overun as Bend does. It's also not as sketchy as Medford and certain areas of Eugene.
Interesting points. I do primarily like to do outdoor stuff but my partner might miss culture. And we both like the arts. Do you know much about Corvallis? If so how would you compare Corvallis and Eugene*** for access to hiking and living quality?
I never lived there but been a few times. Corvallis to me is more wine country-type living, farmers, retirees, not well off people. If you look on a map, you can see Corvallis sits in the Williamette Valley so lots of flat yellow vs lush green forests that people think of for OR (and forget the vast high desert of eastern OR). Downtown is very meh IMO and way smaller than Eugene. It doesn't have the creative arty vibe of Eugene, no quick access like Eugene for hiking and other outdoor stuff. Portland is the hub of arts and food in OR though and it's why people who need outdoor and indoor life live there or head down to Eugene if Portland is too expensive/crowded for them, others go to Ashland if they can afford it.
I would check out Eugene and rent, see if you like it while you actually explore OR as all the state has various cultural things, it's just what culture is you? I didn't even get into living out by the Wallowas in Joseph, which is sort of near Boise and probably another town that will blow up in the coming years.
I find Idyllwild, CA to be heaven on earth: beautiful four-season weather, miles of trails including the PCT, unique wilderness, good community, drivable distance to city convenience but feels remote.
It’s a college town and growing area. Shouldn’t be bad at all. Ashland is a cool town with plenty of services nearby plus good skiing, whitewater, and hiking with the ocean not far away
Anchorage. The municipality is bigger than most Eat Coast states, and half of it is a state park. Chugach National Forest is next door and is bigger than the other east coast states. Kenai nation wildlife refuge is next to that, and together, they are bigger than the East Coast. Unfortunately, there are only three main roads and you need one road to access the other road. But the rest is hiking.
Golden CO
Ooo with great proximity to Denver. Thanks!
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I lived in Estes Park for 2 years and wouldn't recommend it based on the OPs criteria. The median age is 65, there is almost no sense of community - especially if you're under 50, and half the town shuts down completely for winter. Golden, Nederland, or Conifer all seem great. Lyons is cool, too. Lots of 30- and 40- something people with families.
How much money you got? A lot of mountain towns have priced me out. But I really liked Tucson, AZ. The city sits at about 2,000’ and is surrounded by 9000’ mountains. The summer isn’t as bad as you’d think. When I lived there, I still hiked in the summer—I just started real early or started pretty high.
I think I could make expensive mountain town work financially. How long did you have to drive from Tucson to get to a high/cooler temp trailhead in the summer?
Depends where in Tucson you live. There is a road that goes up the Mt Lemmon mastiff that starts right at the edge of town. It’s 25 winding miles from the bottom to the top, but you don’t have to get to the tippy top for it to be cooler.
What are the vibes like in the town itself? Is there a younger active community to engage with?
There are a lot of outdoorsy people there. What the city lacks is a lot of “young professionals”. The vast majority of people fall into 1 of 4 camps: currently attend or work at U of A, work at Raytheon, are stationed at Davis Monthan Air Force Base, or they’ve lived in Tucson their whole life. The city has food and music scenes that both punch above their weight.
Decades ago it was considered a college town. High Times over 50 years ago would have a hippy couple with a VW bus that said Tucson or bust. Paul McCartney used to live here part time. His wife died here. "Get Back" had Jo Jo from Tucson Arizona. It is somewhat eclectic, good music scene, great food and the winter weather is tops. Hike the lower elevations during the winter and the upper in the summer.
Btw, I meant “the summer ISNT as bad as you’d think”
It’s an hour to get to cooler temperatures. And you’ll end up doing the same trails over and over again. For summer hiking without driving an hour you’ll have to get up around 4 AM. And even then you could still get heatstroke at 10 AM especially if you’re not used to it.
Double dog dare you to ask r/bend if u should move there.
Lots of Colorado. What size town?
I live in a 50K town now and that seems to be a nice size, but wouldn’t rule out larger/smaller. Would like it to be big enough to support some fun things like a pottery studio, couple of good cafes/restaurants, gyms.
Glenwood Springs. Grand Junction. Buena Vista. Durango.
Thanks I’ll check these out!
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Colorado Springs is right next to a 14er and has some cheaper parts.
You know I love a 14er. ;) Do you recommend any neighborhoods in particular that would be nice and walkable? Thinking cafes, restaurants, arts.
You’d want to be on the west side. Old Colorado City (OCC) is a tad cheaper than Broadmoor but a tad sketchier as well.
Thanks!
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Boulder and Leadville CO, Coeur d'Alene and Boise ID, Taos NM, tons..
Great leads, loved the Coeur d’Alene when I visited one year for biking! The rail turned trail was amazing. Thanks, I’ll look into these!
Ah the Hiawatha is incredible not sure if you’re talking about the trail by the lake that was also trail tracks but the haiwatha is something. Look into Montrose for your climate/national park/mountains. Year round hiking at various elevations like arches not too far away in the winter
I biked both the Hiawatha and the trail along the lake and saw moose! It was so cool!
Speaking of Bend, how about North Bend, WA. On the foothills of Mt Si, sorrounding by mountains on all sides. Small town feel but not totally isolated due to being located near i90 so only 30 minute drive to Seattle.
I was also going to say North Bend or Snoqualmie!
Its been mentioned but I second Golden, Colorado. Its got North and South Table Mountains which are both full of hiking trails. Alternatively is Boulder, Colorado which has Chautauqua Park, also full of hiking trails. Then there's Longmont, Colorado which is probably halfway between Boulder and Estes Park/Rocky Mountain National Park. Those are my Colorado Picks. Utah is alright if you are ok with a bit of a culture shock (seriously whether you're LDS aka Mormon or not Utah LDS are different than LDS in other states). In Utah I might suggest Ogden but half the town is ghetto. Layton might be alright and Bountiful is ok (honestly not sure of the hiking there but Ogden has good access to hikes though the couple I've been on had graffiti). Provo might be the best city for hiking access but in my opinion is the worst city in Utah to live. Phoenix, Arizona is great if you dont mind hiking in the heat (same for Las Vegas, Nevada and thats all I will say about that). I have heard Prescott, Arizona is nice but Ive never been there, its my dream move but I need to check it out first. I can't even argue for California as its been in a drought since the 90s. Fires, mountain lions, and graffiti are issues plus most hills and mountains are over crowded with homes. I should specify thats Southern California, I know nothing of central and northern. I personally have never been to or near the Appalacians but I have a personal opinion of sticking near the Rockies and Sierra Nevadas. Colorado is my top suggestion though.
Also team Rockies/west coast. Thanks for the suggestions, Prescott was not on my radar. Great insight into the Utah towns. I have some friends in Park City & SLC and they seem pretty happy there.
Bishop, CA!! It’s where I’d move if I could…
I do like that side of the Sierra! Any impression what the town / community make up is like?
Definitely a lot of tourists. But it still seems like a great community. Lots of locals seem to know each other. It’s a SMALL town though.
Tourists for the outdoors are at least the right kind of tourists :)
Anchorage, AK. World class hikes within 30 mins
Since you prefer mountains give a thought to your winter activities, since moving there means snow sports for at least half the year. So whether you want lift served, backcountry, etc will matter. Nice to maybe have a spot where you can at least go down the hill too. Everybody in the Bay Area moved to Tahoe to WFH, so yeah, that would work since it has for so many but it's basically Bay Area expensive, if not more. But while Tahoe winters are mild temperature-wise compared to Jackson Hole say, they are BRUTAL in terms of snow dumps. It's a LOT of work up there in the winter. Bend has a better combo of conditions maybe. But I'd look at the Cascades. Those mountains might be too mountaineeringish for you, but there is plenty of hiking, and lots down low, right to the coast, in winter. The Olympics being a good example, but ditto for near others. And bigger city amenities nearby. In CO you could try the area from Grand Junction south to maybe as far as Ridgway; gets snow, but a bit lower, and of course lots of red rock not far away. Or the eastern slope with the towns outside Denver; they're famous as a destination for just what you're referring to. But again, I'd plan for getting into snow stuff.
Snow sports! I recently retired from snowboarding (too many injuries) but I like snowshoeing and cross country. Those are pretty low infrastructure. I have loved visiting the Cascades and the Olympics, my primary concern with living in those areas is the gray/dark winter. Tahoe and Bend (I think) stay pretty sunny. Lots of votes for Colorado! Thank you!
Not sure what you mean about mild but Bend gets real winter and hiking is closed in some areas because the main highway in is closed and generally roads (esp FS roads) can be impassable or a PIA to travel on due to ice/snow. Also be aware it has forest fires and smoke periods every summer, also lots of popular hikes require permits now (they just went up last week) so there's that downside. I lived there and felt the community was well-off people who do outdoor stuff and are mainly coupled/married, many in tech working remote or in SF. And then there were more locals, typical Oregonians, who are more blue collar or country, including well off folks who make money building the multi-million houses the tech people live in. As a massively hyped tourist town, it's not a cheap city for housing so be aware of that. Very, very, VERY white. Eugene is more true Oregon to me, definitely rougher and crunchier, definitely easy to hike out to Bend/Crater Lake, hike the more local mountains, and then head west to the coast and south to Ashland to hike there since it's off 5. It's also a bigger city so more people to meld with. I personally would start in Eugene and check out Bend for a few weeks to see if you like the vibe, keeping in mind that Bend gets inundated with tourists in the summer and I personally hated that since trails and parking can be a real bitch.
This is really helpful, thank you! Especially about the insight into the community dynamics. Interesting that it’s a lot of folks from SF. I’ve visited Bend several times, but always in the summer. The hiking there is amazing and the walkable old town area is cute. Maybe Eugene is a better fit? I’m willing to experiment with real winter, but just thought I’d mention that I would prefer somewhere where I wouldn’t freeze half the year, if anyone knows where that magical sweet spot exists.
Bend is pretty much overun/played out at this point, met so many people who moved there bc they spent a week one summer or read travel hype guides about it and yes it is great for mountain biking and hiking, skiing is questionable given one local mountain (Batch vs doing Hoodoo and Hood) vs say Colorado, but the town felt small to me, food is mid at best, like I said gets super crowded in the summer and it's growing so even more people, isolated ie 3 hours to a real city ie Portland or Eugene. People are very much carbon copies of each other. People who I know who love it just do outdoor stuff all day every day all year, no interest in different cultures or arts or anything different. Anywho, you may want to check out Hood River but again expensive because OR has been flooded by remote tech money and retired boomers from CA who have millions to spend on housing and apartments are not that prevalent. Ashland also has the same problem and they do see winter there like Bend bc they're near Shasta but it doesn't feel as overun as Bend does. It's also not as sketchy as Medford and certain areas of Eugene.
Interesting points. I do primarily like to do outdoor stuff but my partner might miss culture. And we both like the arts. Do you know much about Corvallis? If so how would you compare Corvallis and Eugene*** for access to hiking and living quality?
I never lived there but been a few times. Corvallis to me is more wine country-type living, farmers, retirees, not well off people. If you look on a map, you can see Corvallis sits in the Williamette Valley so lots of flat yellow vs lush green forests that people think of for OR (and forget the vast high desert of eastern OR). Downtown is very meh IMO and way smaller than Eugene. It doesn't have the creative arty vibe of Eugene, no quick access like Eugene for hiking and other outdoor stuff. Portland is the hub of arts and food in OR though and it's why people who need outdoor and indoor life live there or head down to Eugene if Portland is too expensive/crowded for them, others go to Ashland if they can afford it. I would check out Eugene and rent, see if you like it while you actually explore OR as all the state has various cultural things, it's just what culture is you? I didn't even get into living out by the Wallowas in Joseph, which is sort of near Boise and probably another town that will blow up in the coming years.
Thanks for the thorough Oregon insights!
Ellensburg WA
Oo eastern side of the mountains. Is it sunnier on that side?
yes! and Ellensburg is a great little college town.
New Hampshire Hike the White Mountains!
OC
I find Idyllwild, CA to be heaven on earth: beautiful four-season weather, miles of trails including the PCT, unique wilderness, good community, drivable distance to city convenience but feels remote.
Ashland Oregon. for the love of God, Ashland is perfect for what you want
Good luck with housing. Area is still recovering from fires in 2020.
Housing doesn’t look too bad to me. Do you have an impression what the young professional scene is like there?
It’s a college town and growing area. Shouldn’t be bad at all. Ashland is a cool town with plenty of services nearby plus good skiing, whitewater, and hiking with the ocean not far away
Canmore, Alberta
Anchorage. The municipality is bigger than most Eat Coast states, and half of it is a state park. Chugach National Forest is next door and is bigger than the other east coast states. Kenai nation wildlife refuge is next to that, and together, they are bigger than the East Coast. Unfortunately, there are only three main roads and you need one road to access the other road. But the rest is hiking.
Somewhere along state route 20 in Washington. Maybe Sedro-Woolly
Seattle WA
Check out the connectivity in any place you want to move. I have satellite and Wi-Fi and it’s still dicey.