Logan Utah, USU opinions

[SuperChief]

Looking at grad school in Logan right now. I have read some of the logan threads already, but was wondering some things.

Anyone know anything about the USU landscape architecture program and or anything about river stream restoration or watershed management opportunities there? I was thinking of taking my GIS experience there and seeing if i can find work for a year to establish residency.

Is housing reasonable in Logan? looks like I could afford a home there but would ultimately like to find a house to buy with an an acre or two not wihin the city limits.

I think the BC skiing is going to be pretty good but what about lift serve?

Does Beaver do lift serve DH biking? Or am I going to have to let go of the idea of buying a full on DH bike and get into something that pedals uphill.

[Buzzworthy]

My wife graduated there.

Don't know much on the programs anymore. A few GIS companies in the area too.

I lived in Cove. 18 miles north of Logan proper. Rented a house on 10 acres, 2 car garage, 2 bath, 3 bedroom, loft, woodstove, garden and beach area with firepit for $650/month, but that was a KILLER deal as we stayed there 7 years.

Want to live within 30 minutes, you can look all the way to the boarder. Smithfield, Richmond, Newton, Amalga, ............


Beaver, don't know about lift served biking. You will love the skiing though. Not a huge place, but you can find those south.

I got my 5" Ironhorse for around here. Works uphill, and fine on the Solitude DH. You will want both though for the weekends to Moab, so I am told. Haven't ventured there yet.

[Twoplanker]

Looking at grad school in Logan right now. I have read some of the logan threads already, but was wondering some things.

Anyone know anything about the USU landscape architecture program and or anything about river stream restoration or watershed management opportunities there? I was thinking of taking my GIS experience there and seeing if i can find work for a year to establish residency.

Is housing reasonable in Logan? looks like I could afford a home there but would ultimately like to find a house to buy with an an acre or two not wihin the city limits.

I think the BC skiing is going to be pretty good but what about lift serve?

Does Beaver do lift serve DH biking? Or am I going to have to let go of the idea of buying a full on DH bike and get into something that pedals uphill.

I live in Logan. Housing is a steal and the market seems somewhat protected from the bursting real-estate bubble that's affected other places. My house has appreciated about $80,000 since I bought it two years ago.

There are lots of financially troubled properties in the area - spec home builders that can't sell. If you have the capital or can get the credit to buy one and sit on it, it's a good investment.

BC skiing is virtually limitless and untapped. You will have to compete with the slednecks a bit, but why fight them? You'll need your own sled to get to the real goods.

Beaver is a fun little resort. The terrain is -meh- with some entertaining sidecountry options. They've built a new lodge for this season.

[SuperChief]

Really, 80,000 for a house in a college town with a ski area? We own in WV and would sell to get out there, was wondering what an 800.00 to 1000.00 dollar mortgage would buy. From the threads I've read I'm sold on getting there, it just depends on how well I take the GRE's what kind of job my socialist worker wife can get, and me getting a GA position or work in the GIS field until I'm a resident.

I'm ok with sleds, owned one til I moved to left virginia, just need to get confident with avy terrain travel and get some fat skis again.

Looking pretty cool, I hope I can make it happen, I want to get back to the snowcountry by next winter, that 48" dump in MT has got me all riled up, thank god we have a biking season that lasts here.

[Buzzworthy]

Just as a reference you will understand, 2P's house would be the equivalent of a 600K+ house on Cheat Lake. Don't know what he paid, but am sure it was less than half that. And his house is PIMPIN!

For $1000 month mortgage, you could do very well in Logan on a large fixer upper or a smaller new construction or jump on the foreclosed stuff.

The only thing you may miss is the boating season, though Logan has it's share of boaters. And Fall. Nothing beats fall colors in WV.

You have Beaver, a fun area, smaller. For $500 or less for a pass (what did you pay 2P?), can't go wrong. Then you have 2 larger resorts in Ogden, 1hr+ away, then add another hour and BCC, LCC. Beaver is WAY better than Wisp.

When I first came through Sardine Canyon and the view of Cache Valley opened up as the wife was driving us in, I said with jaw dropped, "we get to live here????". I will remember that vision for the rest of my life. It is truely a beautiful area.

The Herald Journal is the local paper and has an online version too: The Paper

And if you live north of Logan, it will be only a 20 minute drive to Idaho (La Tienda, THE REAL BEER STORE JUST INTO IDAHO!

[Twoplanker]

Really, 80,000 for a house in a college town with a ski area? We own in WV and would sell to get out there, was wondering what an 800.00 to 1000.00 dollar mortgage would buy. From the threads I've read I'm sold on getting there, it just depends on how well I take the GRE's what kind of job my socialist worker wife can get, and me getting a GA position or work in the GIS field until I'm a resident.

I'm ok with sleds, owned one til I moved to left virginia, just need to get confident with avy terrain travel and get some fat skis again.

Looking pretty cool, I hope I can make it happen, I want to get back to the snowcountry by next winter, that 48" dump in MT has got me all riled up, thank god we have a biking season that lasts here.

No, I said that my house was assessed at $80k (this year) more than I paid for it two years ago. Of course, that's not necessarily market value, but the point being that the housing market here in Logan is good and has not suffered the fate of other markets around the coun try.

[Twoplanker]

Just as a reference you will understand, 2P's house would be the equivalent of a 600K+ house on Cheat Lake. Don't know what he paid, but am sure it was less than half that. And his house is PIMPIN!

Meh... my house isn't anything special. It won't be featured on Cribs anytime soon.

[donutlynx]

Chief -

I looked at USU and interviewed there about 3 years ago. I thought that Logan was okay, but Logan Canyon and Beaver can be fun places to hang out. Not a fan of the red air days, but whatever. I thought that it could be tolerable for a few years.

I also have a contact there in the field you are interested in. PM me for details.

[Buzzworthy]

Meh... my house isn't anything special. It won't be featured on Cribs anytime soon.

Sorry SC, 2P is right. He lives in a dump.

Just giving a reference point of the kind of house versus an area outside Morgantown he is familiar with.

[SuperChief]

Maybe I should keep quiet, Logan sounds like Shangri La to me right now. I love WV, but I think the driving force to my hedonism is snow. West Virginia burns coal so we can ski, therefore i scare the shit out of myself in a kayak 'cuz I feel dirty partaking in area winter sports. (Really its just expensive and the conditions are mostly shitty.) Props though, to the kickass paddling and biking season here.

Sounds like it's time to plan a trip this winter.

Guess I better get the undergrad thing outta the way.

send some correspondence to the division @USU.

Hope it all lands on a good snow day.

[bagtagley]

C'mon, you don't want 2 more years of the Yuillmeister? Fletcher is always hiring GIS lackies.

Utah has a pretty solid GIS community, though most of it is concentrated in Salt Lake and Utah counties. Spend a year in SLC getting your residency and skiing/working, then head up to Logan when it's time for school.

Lemme know if you have any specific questions about GIS in the Valley.

PS, the SL County Surveyor will have a Tech opening within the next couple of weeks.

[geomorph]

I know the question pertains to Logan, but the Pocatello/Idaho Falls area also has a pretty vibrant GIS community, with lots of work centered around the INL in Idaho Falls. Also, ISU has a good program in GIS. Poky also has really cheap real estate and is a quick drive to JH, SLC, and has some decent skiing right outside town at Pebble Creek. Just something to think about.

[mock1]

I worked a couple of years at the Forest Sciences Lab in Logan. I left Logan in 1980 but Logan area has never left me. Good choice to grow.