Help Me Find This Place

**ill-advised strategy** · 05-31-2009, 02:13 PM

This place has:
*good skiing
*a hockey scene
*affordable housing and US citizens can buy there
*decent motorcycling
*reasonable employment opportunities and US citizens can work there
*a normal male to female ratio
*Few if any police

Does this place exist?
I ask because I'm stumped.

**backcountry1pr** · 05-31-2009, 02:23 PM

Originally Posted by YetiMan

This place has:
*good skiing
*a hockey scene
*affordable housing and US citizens can buy there
*decent motorcycling
*reasonable employment opportunities and US citizens can work there
*a normal male to female ratio
*Few if any police

Does this place exist?
I ask because I'm stumped.

Gunnison CO-

Skiing=Crested Butte
Hockey=New indoor arena in Gunnison. Active Gunny/CB town leagues
Houseing=Cheaper than living in CB. Overall cost of living is still higher than other ares
Motorcycle= Your a cruiser guy right? If so, then yes
Employment=Depends on what you do/want to do
Girls to Guys=Depends on how old you are. College ration is about 4/6, town is prob similar. You loose quantity here, but often gain quality (in terms of athleticism, etc)
Police=Few, your bigger concern here is the damn Highway Patrol

My .02

**BobMc** · 05-31-2009, 02:49 PM

Salt Lake City, UT

**Downbound Train** · 05-31-2009, 02:54 PM

Anywhere in Minnesota...

Oh, you said skiing too....

Nevermind

**ill-advised strategy** · 05-31-2009, 03:08 PM

you know what bob...

nevermind

**ill-advised strategy** · 05-31-2009, 03:09 PM

I lived in Almont. unaffordable housing + lack of employment + few women + rocky, crowded, low-snowfall skiing = fail.

**ill-advised strategy** · 05-31-2009, 06:40 PM

that's about what I figured. doesn't exist

**BeanDip4All** · 05-31-2009, 06:54 PM

Originally Posted by YetiMan

This place has:
*good skiing
*a hockey scene
*affordable housing and US citizens can buy there
*decent motorcycling
*reasonable employment opportunities and US citizens can work there
*a normal male to female ratio
*Few if any police

Does this place exist?
I ask because I'm stumped.

i vote new hampshire!

lots of nice parts, but you might really like around the north conway area.

skiing- cannon, wildcat, suckmyass (attitash) mt washington, CHEAP skiing at black, day trips to sunday river, etc
hockey- crazy hockey people up there, GO UNH!
affordable housing- extremely cheap cost of living, plus no income taxes
motorcycling- you've got tons of scenic rides and also a HUGE motorcycling scene a short trip down 16 in Laconia
employment opportunities- hmm, this area might be lacking depending on what industry you're doing. maybe live in southern NH and commute to Mass (i know a bunch of people that do this, it's a tax win), also some people live on the eastern side of NH and commute to portland maine
male to female- well, if you end up around UNH you're going to have 70% females to 30% males so that's good odds

not sure about the rest of the state, although never really noticed it skewed one way or the other.
police- i don't think there are tons because the state is relatively poor, however the highway patrol is pretty aggro as tickets to weekenders is a big revenue source. so if you're talking more town cops and not staties on the highway i think this fits your criteria.

**ill-advised strategy** · 05-31-2009, 07:03 PM

do you think it would be worth a few thousand dollars to go take a look at it?

My instinct tells me the skiing is going to give me a frowny face...what with the having zero steeps and no snow and all.

regardless, I hadn't really seriously considered NH at all, so thanks for the input. It's on my radar anyway.

**Brock Landers** · 05-31-2009, 07:06 PM

agreed w taco except for the 'go unh' thing. area skiing is ok, day or wknd trips to Northern VT arent too hard either

**Trackhead** · 05-31-2009, 07:15 PM

Afghanistan:

*good skiing-Endless
*a hockey scene-you could certainly start a league.
*affordable housing and US citizens can buy there-mud huts are cheap
*decent motorcycling-with a dirt bike
*reasonable employment opportunities and US citizens can work there-Poppies.
*a normal male to female ratio-In burka's
*Few if any police-Stay in the hills, you'll be fine. But drinking alcohol might get you beheaded.

**boltonoutlaw** · 05-31-2009, 07:22 PM

Originally Posted by YetiMan

This place has:
*good skiing
*a hockey scene
*affordable housing and US citizens can buy there
*decent motorcycling
*reasonable employment opportunities and US citizens can work there
*a normal male to female ratio
*Few if any police

Burlington, VT

*good skiing = Stowe, Jay Peak, Boogerschuss
*a hockey scene = UVM
*affordable housing and US citizens can buy there = Check
*decent motorcycling = Route 100 & Route 2
*reasonable employment opportunities and US citizens can work there = Check
*a normal male to female ratio = Burlington equals Girlington, i.e., surplus of hippy college girls
*Few if any police = Pretty chill coppers

**Shorty_J** · 05-31-2009, 07:32 PM

Calgary might qualify.

Skiing within 3 hour drive (that a maggot would care about): Lake Louise, Sunshine Village, Fernie, Castle Mountain (hidden gem here), Kickinghorse.
Skiing within a days drive: too numerous to mention... a lot of world class.
Touring options: Holy crap!
Women to men ratio: pretty good depending on your scene. Fair number of outdoorsy types as well.
Housing: recent market correction makes housing potentially affordable... I just bought a house last month. Fairly certain Americans can buy here, but not 100% certain.
Motorcycle: not too much first-hand knowledge of this, but there are a fair number of them on the highways so it must be decent.
Employment: A little tight right now as we're a boom-bust town, and right now it's more towards bust, but specialists can still do well. NAFTA has a lot of allowance for cross-border workers with the proper forms, skills, etc.
Hockey: recreational or entertainment? Recreational, I have friends that play, but I had heard that ice time can be tough to find... not sure if that's changed. Entertainment, this town is obsessed with the Flames... the game atmosphere is good times.
Police: Downtown = lots, highways = far fewer (except on long weekends).
You didn't ask, but weather: I once heard that Southern Alberta was declared the mildest climate in Canada. Not too hot in the summer, and while it will get stupid cold a couple of times in the winter, overall it's pretty mild.
Exchange rate: currently = 1.09 CDN/USD... historically 1.20 CDN/USD.

**backcountry1pr** · 05-31-2009, 07:33 PM

Originally Posted by YetiMan

I lived in Almont. unaffordable housing + lack of employment + few women + rocky, crowded, low-snowfall skiing = fail.

Well yes, if you like living in a deluxxx condo, need to work at a fortune 500 company to get job satisfaction, need women who bleach their hair blond and think shopping is a workout to get off, and like to ski at flat, shitty, and even MORE crowded, resorts, than this area is a fail.

However, i think its more likly that you=fail.

Or just move to Burlington and be a new age hipster.

**ill-advised strategy** · 05-31-2009, 07:42 PM

Originally Posted by backcountry1pr

However, i think its more likly that you=fail.

from your area mls:
"Gunnison - Houses for Sale
$0 to 150K
All display options:
0 listings found in the Combined MLSes"

yeah, I'm failing.

I lived there for 2 years. I'm familiar with the situation. I got hassled by cops, skied shitty snow constantly, witnessed the typical ski town 5 to 1 male to female ratio, and had to live outdoors for an extended period of time because the best job I could find didn't pay enough to rent, let alone buy.

Sorry if that bugs you over at the marketing dept for CBMR or whatever it is you do that has you pimping it so hard.

**ill-advised strategy** · 05-31-2009, 07:48 PM

as for canada, if I could live and work in canada I'd already be somewhere like Mackenzie BC.

I don't think I get to legally live and work up there.

**Woodsy** · 05-31-2009, 07:54 PM

Originally Posted by backcountry1pr

Well yes, if you like living in a deluxxx condo, need to work at a fortune 500 company to get job satisfaction, need women who bleach their hair blond and think shopping is a workout to get off, and like to ski at flat, shitty, and even MORE crowded, resorts, than this area is a fail.

However, i think its more likly that you=fail.

Or just move to Burlington and be a new age hipster.

you have no idea who the fuck you are talking to so shove your attitude up your ass.

J,
you have some tough criteria, but bean dip aont too far off, exept its EC skiing...
have family there now and its alright.
your kinda people

as much as it has NEVER been my scene, DT denver may work if you can deal with the drive.
also

not sure what the hockey is like but Seattle area is $

good luck, let me know if I can help

**BFD** · 05-31-2009, 08:01 PM

Anchorage,AK but the riding is lacking. Not many choices for roads. I would agree with Yeti. I spend way too much time on this site. There hasn't been anything posted around Crested Butte that got me interested.

**leroy jenkins** · 05-31-2009, 08:01 PM

Originally Posted by backcountry1pr

Well yes, if you like living in a deluxxx condo, need to work at a fortune 500 company to get job satisfaction, need women who bleach their hair blond and think shopping is a workout to get off, and like to ski at flat, shitty, and even MORE crowded, resorts, than this area is a fail.

However, i think its more likly that you=fail.

Or just move to Burlington and be a new age hipster.

Even after having barely met yeti man, this comment is so full of accidental win, I actually lol'd.

Yeti is indeed, all of those things.

J, I'm not sure about the hokey thing, but I don't think anywhere on the planet exists that meets all those conditions. I guess its just a matter of which ones you're willing to be more flexible on.

Aspen would meet all of them very well, except the affordable housing thing, and there's not a big hokey scene that I'm aware of, although I know there is some.

Maybe somewhere in Montana? Again, I'm not too sure about the hokey scene, and the m/f ratio isn't that greatest (although it seems much better within certain circles, like skier chicas), but other than that it I bet you'd like Bozeman.

**jwolter7** · 05-31-2009, 08:11 PM

You must like reading fiction?

Sorry, that place only exists in dreamland... If you find your Utopia... don't tell anyone!

Other than the;

-challenging and rewarding employment for US citizens
-affordability
-and woman

it's easy to find.

But then again every lifestyle has some draw backs... such is the ying and yang of life!

**ill-advised strategy** · 05-31-2009, 08:16 PM

I think any of the big cities with skiing have a hockey scene too, as a function of midwesterners and new englanders being there to ski and bringing the game with them.

I'm thinking more along the lines of rural-ish without a police presence and with cheap land/homes where I can live my junkshow dream....meaning when I see the $500 truck I buy it and put it in the yard. Where I can drink vodka and get firewood and nobody is going to get weird about it. If my yard is tall and my temper is short it's nobody's business but my own. etc etc.

Actually, another few criteria would be:

cold winters-cold enough for outdoor ice.
Water.... rivers, lakes, ponds, etc.

Really here I am:
1)Gunnison: add Decent snow, Cheaper housing, more women and fewer cops.

2) Big Bay Michigan: add skiing.

3) Port Angeles WA: add skiing, add hockey, fewer cops.

4) Taos, add decent snow, cheaper housing, fewer cops, and water.

5) Northern Vermont: seems like a maybe I guess. I wonder about working there and housing costs.

6) Mackenzie BC: add ability to legally immigrate.

7) Alaska: add motorcycling and affordable housing.

8) In all my travels, the 2 places I really liked the most in terms of people and overall atmosphere (that, of course, have no skiing or hockey or winter) were rural alabama and rural northern california (ft. bragg, eureka, crescent city, willow creek...). I'd like to know if there's a place that's like that...only someplace with a cold winter.

I posted this thread today because it was slow at work and I found myself thinking about the criteria vs. what I know and being stumped.

I've been to every US state except VT, ME, NH, AK, and HI. Those first 4 seem to be very common suggestions when this topic of conversation comes up. Maybe I'll have to find a way to take a trip to those places and see what I see.

The sheer volume of people I see coming out to where I've lived from VT/ME/NH to ski, then getting all excited over average ski days out here makes me really apprehensive about the skiing there. The fact that those people are almost always super cool is quite the selling point though.

**beaterdit** · 05-31-2009, 08:21 PM

Originally Posted by backcountry1pr

Well yes, if you like living in a deluxxx condo, need to work at a fortune 500 company to get job satisfaction, need women who bleach their hair blond and think shopping is a workout to get off, and like to ski at flat, shitty, and even MORE crowded, resorts, than this area is a fail.

However, i think its more likly that you=fail.

Or just move to Burlington and be a new age hipster.

This is good stuff!

I guess you've never met Yetiman.

J you've got a tough proposition. The EC is def a cool scene as far as Women, personal freedoms, jobs, hockey; everything except the skiing. I know you EC peeps will defend the skiing to your deaths but really once you've spent mutiple seasons in the Rockies, let alone at Snowbird, it just doesn't cut it.

SLC has it all to me except for the whole police state thing. I guess I'm far enough below the radar now that it doesn't really bother me much. But then I'm not much for the weed anymore (not saying you are) and I don't really get out much, except up to the canyons.

The other thing is, I made a descision after getting in trouble years ago in CO that I wasn't gonna give the Man anything on me anymore. Maybe I admitted defeat but I just like the security of knowing they can't fuck with me. It's really meant minimal sacrifice for me.

Well good luck man. Interesting thread, I'll definitely be following.

**BFD** · 05-31-2009, 08:34 PM

If you want a place where you can park junker vehicles in your yard with cheap housing look no further than Wasilla, AK. Your dream come true.

**SawtellPeak** · 05-31-2009, 08:46 PM

Have you looked at Spokane? Not great in each category of your criteria, but definitely affords ample opportunity in each. For the short time i was there, I regret not taking advantage of the close proximity of Red Mtn as much as I should have. Schweitzer may not be known for steeps, but plenty backcounty.