Durango or Bellingham???

[ShoNuff]

Considering relocating to Durango or Bellingham. We left Bham for work 7 months ago and are in the Tri-cities Washington. Can't take it anymore. Bellingham is a slam-dunk. Lived there for 8 years. Know it, love it. If only there were just a few more sunny days there. Enter the curve ball, a job offer in Durango. Married, kids prolly coming in a few years. We bike, ski and climb. Help a brotha out. Any input on Durango? Can it hold a candle to the PNW (when the conditions are right)?
Gracias.

[Edgnar]

Search JONG. This was in the top 5 threads in the PR and has been on the front page there for like, 2 weeks.

http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/s...-place-to-live

[ShoNuff]

Search JONG. This was in the top 5 threads in the PR and has been on the front page there for like, 2 weeks.

http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/s...-place-to-live

done plenty o' searching albeit not recently. admittedly i've spent no time in the PR. thanx for the link phukstik . some good info in there. pretty big decision, i guess i was hoping someone out there might've had to make the same decision. it is a small world afterall. leaving riding between bham and pemberton? shudder the thought...

[bagtagley]

Keep the hate in the padded room.

Sho, you know and love Bellingham, why mess with a good thing?

[ShoNuff]

Keep the hate in the padded room.

Sho, you know and love Bellingham, why mess with a good thing?

the force is strong with you, thanks for the simple sound advice. quick trip to durango next week just to get the flavor...

ed - shouldn't have taken offense. my apologies and thanx again fer the link.

[fish]

mt baker will blow up soon so go with durango

[stradissimo]

I've lived in Durango for the last 8 years.

I moved here for the mountain biking. It's a cross country kind of town. If you like massive amounts of singletrack, it's hard to beat Durango. There isn't too much in the way of free riding or stunts.

The backcountry skiing is awesome, as long as you don't mind driving to Silverton to get to it.

I'm having trouble with the income thing. Money is hard to come by here. Even the rich people hang on to it with desert hardened fists. If you have a good job it's pretty comfortable, but if you lose the job there's a good chance you won't be able to get another one.

[White Chocolate]

You have asked a silly question. See you on Galbraith soon.

[ShoNuff]

strad - good info for sure, thanks. i'm flying in for an interview and have a day or two to rip around in the rental and check out the town. gonna go take a peak at some of the climbing options and sample the breweries. i have faith that the biking is excellent, good to know the xc/epic flavor a bit more though.

wc - bham is just missing 2 things: a bit more sunshine and better local climbing. squamish and index are outstanding, but to have some decent cragging in town and more bouldering would be sweet. the mtb front is rock-solid. galby, cknut and the deeper whatcom co. trail options can't be beat. plenty o good riding year round.

thx for the input. the thread edgnar turned me on to is full of excellent info. i have really solid job offers in both towns, we really can't go wrong. just tough to think about leaving such an awesome community of friends in bham. durango seems like there should be a pretty good contingency of folk balancing work and play.

cheers.

[beaterdit]

Dude try something new, go to Durango. You saw my post in the other thread but to have a "really solid" offer in Durango is close to a once in a lifetime opportunity. If you don't like it you can prolly find something else in 100 other towns including B-ham with larger job markets. Do it before you have the kids to see if you like it.

Like I said, great opportunity to try a different, awesome place, don't pass it up.

JONG.

[Danno]

Durango will be a SHOCK to you. The dry desert is really so different from the wet PNW. I have lived in both, and much prefer the dry sun, but that doesn't mean you will. Are you prepared to be 750 miles to the nearest ocean?

I would pick Durango in less than a heartbeat, but that doesn't mean you should.

the biking is epic, the skiing is epic (but quite different than your skiing), I'm not a climber but I don't think Durango climbing is great but places with great climbing aren't that far. Moab a short drive for all that has.

[hitek79]

I've been to Bellingham a few times, and I've been to Durango a few times. Both cool towns and it would be hard to say which is better, but I will say this. After living in the PNW for 2 years, then moving to Colorado, I could never move back to the PNW even though I loved it out there. The weather is just so much better in CO. It's hard to beat 300 days of sunshine a year.

[jqualls]

I was born and raised in Durango but also went to Chiropractic School in Portland and now I am back in Durango. I love it here but I might be a little biased. I enjoyed the Northwest while I was there but it does not compare to Durango mainly because the climate. It is pretty hard to find a place where you can do most any outdoor activity any time of the year. Even mid winter you can take a short drive for climbing or biking in the dessert. I also really missed the blue bird ski days while I was living in the Northwest. There is nothing like skinning in a T-shirt mid winter after a big dump. The climbing around Durango is great especially if you climb 5.11 or better which I cannot but I find plenty of climbing near Durango, being able to climb trad also opens up a lot of climbing. A 2-2.5 hour drive gets you to Moab or Indian creek for some amazing climbing and biking. The only problem I have with Durango is fitting everything in especially in the summer. The jobs can be a bit hard as well. I grew up with it so I am use to the lifestyle but it can be tough. If you want to be close to the ocean Durango wont cut it for you, but I prefer fresh water over the ocean anytime. There are some great lakes and rivers in town and nearby with rafting, kayaking, boating, jet ski, fishing, cliff jumping etc.

[fish]

good luck finding a job in bellingham

[ShoNuff]

thanks for all the great info. you have been uber helpful. i have been in durango all week and while the weather hasn't cooperated, i have enjoyed the area. i approached several climbing areas and squeezed in some bouldering between storms. the riding looks great. i would definitely miss the trails in the pnw, but wouldn't be bored with the trails here by any stretch.

fish - work in bham is not an issue for me. we are extremely networked in that town. the main sticking point for us. it is hard to leave such great community.

cheers.

[Danno]

All of Colorado has been socked in this week. But if you like sunshine and weather that generally cooperates with outdoor plans, I have never been anywhere with weather as good as Durango.

[BaNosser]

[ShoNuff]

^^^well said my friend. been there, done that...