Bend, OR vs Provo, UT vs Orange County, CA

**mefa30** · 03-19-2016, 11:00 PM

I am a engineer that recently got laid off. I live in Newport Beach CA, previously I lived in Eden and Worked in Ogden UT. I got transferred to CA.

Theres a lot of stuff to do in CA, people are friendly/ outgoing/ open. I can MTB year round and ski at Big Bear.

However, CA is congested and hot (anything above 70F is hot for me), not really into board sports.

Im looking for a job where I have a good work/ life balance. When I moved to UT for a job and lived in Eden, I envisioned going skiing/ biking every weekend. Reality is that I never skied or biked when I lived there and I was at work all the time on call.

Im having a tough time picking a job:

Option 1: Provo UT

Pros: Im stoked on the job, nearby Alta and Sundance, not hot year round, not congested, good MTB.
Cons: Im not LDS, people not outgoing/ friendly, have bad memories of working in Ogden, UT.

Option 2: Bend OR

Pros: Mt. Bachelor, people somewhat friendly/ outgoing (not as much as CA though), not congested/ hot, small town.
Cons: Not a lot of engineering jobs in the area and would likely have to move if I lost the job. Pays $15k less then Provo UT per year.

Option 3: Stay in CA

Pros: People friendly/ outgoing, lots to do.
Cons: Housing expensive, congested, HOT

If I wasn't so scared about job security, I would pick Bend. I really like the Provo job.

Thanks for any help.

**zion zig zag** · 03-19-2016, 11:05 PM

If you had a bad time in Ogden then Provo will blow your mind.

**mcski** · 03-19-2016, 11:09 PM

If Ogden bummed you out, Provo might not be a good fit. Still you could try it for a yr or two and move if not. What kind of engineering? How old are you? Young Mormons can a dating issue (marriage fever) but after their first divorce it's game on.

**basinbeater** · 03-20-2016, 12:06 AM

I live in Utah and you would have to pay me A LOT to live in provo. Fuck that place. + you are closer to the desert...

**Flyoverland Captive** · 03-20-2016, 12:51 AM

Anything above 70F is hot for you? Shit, you will die in Bend.

**BmillsSkier** · 03-20-2016, 08:40 AM

Have you considered Shermer, IL?

**Skidog** · 03-20-2016, 08:58 AM

You don't have to live in Provo to work there. Not that the close proximity stuff is much better, but closer to American fork canyon would be better than Provo proper.

Provo does have Google fiber. Downtown's pretty nice, and you could probably have trails to yourself every Sunday.

**mefa30** · 03-20-2016, 09:02 AM

Originally Posted by Flyoverland Captive

Anything above 70F is hot for you? Shit, you will die in Bend.

I was thinking of working in Provo and actually living in Heber, Draper, American Fork, etc.

**mefa30** · 03-20-2016, 09:03 AM

Originally Posted by zion zig zag

If you had a bad time in Ogden then Provo will blow your mind.

How so?

I did notice some issues with Provo:

1) People are very closed.
2) Almost everything Sunday is closed.

I would only be working in Provo and live nearby.

**mefa30** · 03-20-2016, 09:04 AM

Originally Posted by mcski

If Ogden bummed you out, Provo might not be a good fit. Still you could try it for a yr or two and move if not. What kind of engineering? How old are you? Young Mormons can a dating issue (marriage fever) but after their first divorce it's game on.

Im in my early 30s and am a Industrial electrical engineer.

Ive heard LDS chicks are easy and hot, but I think they have a lot of baggage.

**liv2ski** · 03-20-2016, 09:31 AM

So you can't find a job up around Sacramento and live east up the 80? I think everyplace you mentioned is above 75 in the summer, so ac will be your friend.
I love CA and leaving it would be super hard for me. I think I could live up the 80, as closer to Tahoe has it's benefits and maybe once retired, north of Tahoe up the 89 to get further out with property.
Hell, are there any jobs for you around Reno? Hot in the summer, but likely the same as the spots you mentioned and it is a nice town with great access to everything I need without the weirdness that is much of UT.
And how about maybe Eugene Or? Not so damn hot, likely jobs for you, cooler temps, skiing may be a bit further away, but it is really beautiful up that way.

**El Chupacabra** · 03-20-2016, 09:35 AM

Originally Posted by liv2ski

So you can't find a job up around Sacramento and live east up the 80? I think everyplace you mentioned is above 75 in the summer, so ac will be your friend.
I love CA and leaving it would be super hard for me. I think I could live up the 80, as closer to Tahoe has it's benefits and maybe once retired, north of Tahoe up the 89 to get further out with property.
Hell, are there any jobs for you around Reno? Hot in the summer, but likely the same as the spots you mentioned and it is a nice town with great access to everything I need without the weirdness that is much of UT.

You can tell who lives in So Cal when highways are referred to as "the___".

But to complain that Newport Beach is too hot... you're going to be disappointed everywhere else. Maybe not if you move next door to stfu's 140-mph wind mountain.

**Tippster** · 03-20-2016, 10:04 AM

Maybe Montana Mt. towns?

**TWINS** · 03-20-2016, 10:23 AM

Why not San Diego ?
Cooler climate and cheaper housing.
Not much farther drive to Mammoth/Big Bear and lots of industry.
That's where I would go.

**zion zig zag** · 03-20-2016, 10:43 AM

Originally Posted by mefa30

How so?

I did notice some issues with Provo:

1) People are very closed.
2) Almost everything Sunday is closed.

I would only be working in Provo and live nearby.

What did you not like about Ogden? Maybe I'm wrong, but if you answer like I suspect you will, then Provo will have most of those problems multiplied by a factor of 10.

**Sirshredalot** · 03-20-2016, 11:06 AM

Originally Posted by mefa30

I was thinking of working in Provo and actually living in Heber, Draper, American Fork, etc.

This sounds reasonable to me. But if living in Eden and working in Ogden was not your style, then I don't see how living in Heber and commuting to Provo would be an improvement. I mean, if you really are on a 9-5, the access to biking and skiing from that area is great, but on paper the same statement applies to Eden. Depending on which shop you've got the offer from down there, your boss might be a riding buddy of mine.

On the other hand, quality of life is probably better in Bend and you don't have to deal with the lds thing while dating. You're youngish, single and employable, so if that job goes away and you have to move for work in a couple years, is it that big a deal? That's probably where I would go if I were you.

I'm assuming all 3 gigs would look just as good on your resume. So run away from the oc cost of living and crowds. Fuck that.

**mefa30** · 03-20-2016, 12:23 PM

Originally Posted by Sirshredalot

This sounds reasonable to me. But if living in Eden and working in Ogden was not your style, then I don't see how living in Heber and commuting to Provo would be an improvement. I mean, if you really are on a 9-5, the access to biking and skiing from that area is great, but on paper the same statement applies to Eden. Depending on which shop you've got the offer from down there, your boss might be a riding buddy of mine.

On the other hand, quality of life is probably better in Bend and you don't have to deal with the lds thing while dating. You're youngish, single and employable, so if that job goes away and you have to move for work in a couple years, is it that big a deal? That's probably where I would go if I were you.

I'm assuming all 3 gigs would look just as good on your resume. So run away from the oc cost of living and crowds. Fuck that.

My job in Ogden was salary. That will never happen again. I would get calls from mechanics to fix a issue and I told them over the phone how to fix it. They would make some excuse for me to come in. I would drive into work at 2am and follow the same steps I said over the phone while the mechanic that called me in is in the shop watching Netflix.

I thought I had it made to live cheap in Eden at Moose Hollow and make good money in Ogden. However, I was working 12 hour days on a regular basis in addition to being called in the middle of the night/ weekends. When I lived in Ogden, I didn't ski or bike one day. I was either at work or tired from work.

Downside with the Bend job is its the only gig in town, that scares the hell out of me. It pays $15k less, though I learned the hard way that I would rather be happy with my job then make more money. My favorite job ever was being a lifty at Deer Valley in 2008.

Fuck these surfers, they are chill guys, but do they ever sleep or have jobs? The surfer guy above me is up at 2:30am, 5am, 11pm, 8pm, noon, etc. just yesterday. Seems like they are either surfing or making noise at their apartment. If I stay in the OC, I'm moving further inland like to Tustin or Irvine. Never had this issue when I lived in or visited ski towns. People usually sleep at night so they can wake up early and get first tracks.

I liked Eden. Though at Valley Market in Eden, you need to check the dates of everything. Lots of expired food there. The plan to take advantage of living in Eden just didn't work out. I could have just slept somewhere at work.

The company in Provo is more on the R&D side versus manufacturing, which is why I'm stoked on it. The place is closed at night. All the top managers are from BYU, so most likely I won't be working on Sunday worst case.

**mefa30** · 03-20-2016, 12:30 PM

Originally Posted by TWINS

Why not San Diego ?
Cooler climate and cheaper housing.
Not much farther drive to Mammoth/Big Bear and lots of industry.
That's where I would go.

I do a lot of work at a Qualcomm plant in San Diego. Frickin hot down there. Not a lot of engineering jobs (I don't do chip or RF design, so working for Qualcomm isn't a option). I think people in San Diego county are not as open/ friendly as the OC.

**Brock Landers** · 03-20-2016, 12:36 PM

Move in with Benny in Summit County.

**mefa30** · 03-20-2016, 12:38 PM

Originally Posted by liv2ski

So you can't find a job up around Sacramento and live east up the 80? I think everyplace you mentioned is above 75 in the summer, so ac will be your friend.
I love CA and leaving it would be super hard for me. I think I could live up the 80, as closer to Tahoe has it's benefits and maybe once retired, north of Tahoe up the 89 to get further out with property.
Hell, are there any jobs for you around Reno? Hot in the summer, but likely the same as the spots you mentioned and it is a nice town with great access to everything I need without the weirdness that is much of UT.
And how about maybe Eugene Or? Not so damn hot, likely jobs for you, cooler temps, skiing may be a bit further away, but it is really beautiful up that way.

Sacramento is a good idea. I need to look more into the area. Is it less crowded then the OC? How are the people there?

I thought about living in Truckee and working in Reno. It would be a similar commute to living in Eden and working in Ogden, UT. Need to look more into that.

I interviewed and got a job in Eugene when I was told my job is moving to CA. I liked the company and downtown Eugene is neat. They took me to a good pub downtown that I liked. I turned it down because outside of downtown its mostly farms/ mills. Its also far away from skiing. Didn't have the same vibe as Bend.

**mefa30** · 03-20-2016, 12:50 PM

Originally Posted by El Chupacabra

You can tell who lives in So Cal when highways are referred to as "the___".

But to complain that Newport Beach is too hot... you're going to be disappointed everywhere else. Maybe not if you move next door to stfu's 140-mph wind mountain.

Saying "the" before a freeway is something that I picked up since moving here. I also say bro, dude and sweet a lot. Words I never said before moving here.

Don't get me wrong, I can manage to live in weather hotter then 70F, just not year round. I'd like a break from being hot. My AC has been on since moving here. I never turn on the heat.

Last summer I spent a week DH MTB at Mt Bachelor (sweet) and SkiBowl (lame amusement park on Mt Hood with hikers on the trails). I was hot and had to constantly refill my hydration pack, but I was too focused on biking to bitch about it.

Two things I like about Sundance in Provo is that the season pass is only $150 and by looking at the trail map, hikers are not allowed on the bike trails. I think its a bad idea to have people bird watching on a DH MTB trail.

Im originally from the upper midwest, so I don't need "epic" (to use Vail terminology) sized mountains. Sundance, Mt. Bachelor, etc. is plenty for me.

**mcski** · 03-20-2016, 01:02 PM

How about a job in SF? You will NEVER worry about the heat here that's for sure.

PS - SoCal invented freeways. They get to say "the"

**Tippster** · 03-20-2016, 01:28 PM

If you think SD is hot you're gonna have an eye-opening experience in SAC.

**TahoeJ** · 03-20-2016, 01:45 PM

Doesn't like the heat. Sacramento is definitely not the place - it's hot as shit there.

If you can swing living in Truckee and working in Reno you should jump all over that IMO. Bend is cool too but hotter of course. It is a dry high desert heat, though, so not that bad.