Asheville hasn’t lost its vibe like Boulder not even close (yet)Do you have experience with Asheville? It’s one of my “places to go within 8 hours of CBus list. Is it as amazing as I think it is? Or has the vibe been lost like in Boulder?
Asheville hasn’t lost its vibe like Boulder not even close (yet)Do you have experience with Asheville? It’s one of my “places to go within 8 hours of CBus list. Is it as amazing as I think it is? Or has the vibe been lost like in Boulder?
If those are your European cities I’d add Helsinki to that list. I had a chance to spend a couple days in Finland last year and loved it. If I could figure out how to do an ex-pat job with Deere in Tampere I’d be all over it.Amsterdam, Reykjavik, or Brussels internationally,
Domestically, probably somewhere in Colorado.
Some awesome towns over the years I’ve been to where I could live:
Ames
Hood River, OR
Ft Collins
Traverse City
Nashville (before it got really Vegasy)
Now an overall compromise could be Kansas City. Affordable, just enough of winter, lots of distinct neighborhoods, plus it’s Hilton South.
Hood River is a special experience for beer lovers... And all the other stuff as well.
PNW. Specifically, somewhere around Sedro-Wooley, Washington. Close to mountains, the San Juan Islands, Canada & Seattle. Not too cold, not too hot. Beautifully green.
If you like an outdoor life, that region is gorgeous. Or at least, it was when I lived in Washington. We liked going up into the Ross lake area.KC, how familiar are you with that area? Company I work for is bidding a rehab job on the Lower Baker Dam (30 minutes east) and I'm considering trying to get on to that project. Just curious about the area if you have any experience. That area looks decent. Small-Medium town, but close enough to Seattle or Vancouver that it's not isolated, and it looks like most of the amenities / errands / stores are right there along 5 so it's not a 45 minute drive to get groceries.
Do you have experience with Asheville? It’s one of my “places to go within 8 hours of CBus list. Is it as amazing as I think it is? Or has the vibe been lost like in Boulder?
Sedro is a nice small town. I live in Mount Vernon, about 15 minutes from Sedro - my kids have friends there, and we often make the short drive. If you can't find something there, you can definitely find in in Mount Vernon/Burlington. I'd probably compare Sedro to Boone, and Mount Vernon to Marshalltown. We haven't really ever NEEDED to go to Seattle for anything, but we go probably once a month for cultural or specialty stuff. There's also Bellingham to the north, about 100k people with the state's 3rd largest public university. A lot like Cedar Falls, but with more Canadians. Both are in the Skagit Valley, a relatively flat/agricultural area with the Chuckanut Mountains to the north and Cascades to the east. Baker Lake is a nice park, and Hwy 20 is one of the main ways to get into the Cascades in this area.KC, how familiar are you with that area? Company I work for is bidding a rehab job on the Lower Baker Dam (30 minutes east) and I'm considering trying to get on to that project. Just curious about the area if you have any experience. That area looks decent. Small-Medium town, but close enough to Seattle or Vancouver that it's not isolated, and it looks like most of the amenities / errands / stores are right there along 5 so it's not a 45 minute drive to get groceries.
Forgot to ask when the job will be done. If its between June and October, you should absolutely get out here. Summers in this area are the best in the entire world. November to April is pretty grey and damp. The mountains are still green and gorgeous, but the weather really puts some people off. May and June are a crapshoot. We're on the edge of the rain shadow from the Olympics so it's not as bad here as it is further south.KC, how familiar are you with that area? Company I work for is bidding a rehab job on the Lower Baker Dam (30 minutes east) and I'm considering trying to get on to that project. Just curious about the area if you have any experience. That area looks decent. Small-Medium town, but close enough to Seattle or Vancouver that it's not isolated, and it looks like most of the amenities / errands / stores are right there along 5 so it's not a 45 minute drive to get groceries.
Ames, Iowa
My wife and I returned to Ames after a 30 year absence to attend my son’s freshman orientation. Turning off of Duff and traveling down Lincoln Way I had the feeling that I had just returned home. Ames is a special place.
Just did a quick check and a $250k home in Portland you’re looking at $2600 a year and in Austin it’s $4950 a year (and I’m sure it doesn’t include that 11% hike that just happened).