Best outdoorsy (near) college towns for adult life

[MarcusBrody]

What are the best college towns (or towns with colleges) to live in as a (married) adult?

I currently live in Western Mass and will for the next two years. The academic hiring cycle being what it is, though, I need to start thinking about where I might go if I don't stay on here, so that I can start meeting with people at my discipline's big annual conference in August.

I like where I live now. It's got pretty darn good mountain biking close by. The drive to VT isn't bad for skiing (and the winter before last I toured locally several times a week). It's got above average cultural offerings for smallish towns because of all the colleges. MMP's mom runs the farmer's market in town. Schools are ok, etc.. I want to move somewhere at least as nice, though I of course would prefer skiing closer, mountains bigger, etc.

My outdoors criteria ranking:
1. Not frigid (otherwise my wife will be)
2. Skiing
3. Mountain biking (skiing is my favorite, but I for an otherwise perfect situation I'd leave it for a place with really good mtb)
4. Hiking/flatwater paddline

My other life ranking:
1. Schools (just had a kid)
2. Walkabilty (I'd love to be able to walk/bike around the place
3. Cultural offerings (this will likely be largely taken care of by the college)
4. Affordability - I won't be on a ski bum salary, but not on a hedge fund stipend either.

So what's out there that I might not think about? Places like Boulder and Burlington are obviously on my radar, but I'm sure there are tons of towns out there (esp. with less well known colleges) that I might never have thought of. I want the lone professor at East Mountain Slope State Community College, Trailshead Branch to be really impressed that I know so much about his fine institution when I "randomly" bump into him.

So where would you go if you had to move somewhere offering academic employment?

[Benny Profane]

Saratoga Springs.

[BmillsSkier]

If you can handle the south I'd say Athens, GA - UGA. Lots of culture, great food, very cool town. Lots of outdoor activities, MTB, 45 mins to the AT/ North GA mountains/National Forest, mountain streams fishing/paddling, 30 mins to Oconee National Forest and Lake Oconee, sick golf. You could tell your wife it's the opposite of frigid.

Too far south, maybe UNC-Asheville?

[Harry]

Missoula MT or Bozeman MT

[The SnowShow]

Fort Collins? Golden?

[LightRanger]

Not being frigid being an important qualifier, I'd look at places like University of New Mexico (Albuquerque), Northern Arizona University (Flagstaff), University of Nevada Reno, Southern Oregon University (Ashland), University of Oregon, Portland State/UP, Seattle area schools, and places in Utah.

[RootSkier]

What field are you in? This might affect the responses.

[4matic]

I'm a Southern Oregon alum. I love Ashland and the campus is a gem. The Ashland public schools are also great experience. Not many jobs there and the mountain has really struggled with low snow for many years. When I was there they routinely got 30 feet.

If skiing is your #1 priority along with other outdoor activities Tahoe is nice but Reno schools are allegedly some of the worst.

Flagstaff sounds like a good choice. I just personally hate anything desert.

[hatchgreenchile]

Check out the Grand Valley towns. Mountain biking will be much easier than skiing, but the skiing isn't that far away.

[Danno]

Durango (may be too expensive, but you mentioned Boulder, which is even more expensive)
Gunnison (ok, fails on the frigid scale, but otherwise fits really well)
Grand Junction

[dtown]

Boise

[BmillsSkier]

Middlebury?

[muted]

Missoula MT or Bozeman MT

Bozeman is frigid. One bad winter and the wife will be PISSSED.

Ashland is a great idea, the mountain biking there is awesome and probably a lot cheaper to live there than Missoula, Boulder, etc. Snow issues? Sounds like the east coast where he is from.

No clue why anyone would recommend a Utah town. Logan would be cool, sure, but it often has the nations worst pollution.

Grand Junction is cool for downtown walking, world class biking nearby, and Ok skiing.

Boise, Yakima. Bellingham.

[MarcusBrody]

If you can handle the south I'd say Athens, GA - UGA. Lots of culture, great food, very cool town. Lots of outdoor activities, MTB, 45 mins to the AT/ North GA mountains/National Forest, mountain streams fishing/paddling, 30 mins to Oconee National Forest and Lake Oconee, sick golf. You could tell your wife it's the opposite of frigid.

Too far south, maybe UNC-Asheville?

I've thought about UNC Asheville before. Seems like a really cool place and is driveable from where my parents live (though not close).

Missoula MT or Bozeman MT

Pretty much the dream, but might be a hard sell on the climate front for the wife. If I ever actually managed to get a job there, I think she would go for it in the end, but she'd be grumpy for a good bit of the year. It's not exactly warm where we live now, so she'd survive (though most of my gifts for her now are down or electric heat based).

Not being frigid being an important qualifier, I'd look at places like University of New Mexico (Albuquerque), Northern Arizona University (Flagstaff), University of Nevada Reno, Southern Oregon University (Ashland), University of Oregon, Portland State/UP, Seattle area schools, and places in Utah.

I was thinking NAU. I was reading something about it the other day and wondered what other similar places were out there that I hadn't thought of.

Thanks to all.

[Timberridge]

Rutgers Camden

[Sirshredalot]

I will skip the obvious spots (I.e. Places with well known flagship state university campuses).

Durango would be my first choice given your criteria. Grand Junction would be nice. So would Bellingham, WA. Reno, NV?

[Danno]

I was thinking NAU. I was reading something about it the other day and wondered what other similar places were out there that I hadn't thought of.

NAU is a good choice. That said, I think Ft Lewis in Durango is a WAY better choice if you can get a gig there.

[KQ]

I'll throw in for Washington. Each with a varying degree of what you're looking for in a community:

Central or Eastern Washington University. Gonzaga, Whitworth, Whitman

Complete Wikipedia list here:

List of colleges and universities in Washington

[Peruvian]

WWU in Bellingham, WA. Dartmouth
Johnson State in VT

There are just too many really. many college towns will offer the culture and general hops essential you seek. Just find one in or near the mountains.

[stuckathuntermtn]

Bozeman is a dry cold. And sunny.
Missoula is damp and grey all winter, although not usually terribly cold for more than a week around the New Year. The greyness gets to some people.
The biking and skiing are ok. Not Bozeman. Missoula is a much better town than Bozeman, and only a half hour from Montana!
That said, it's going to depend on your field: UM in Missoula is more Liberal Arts, psychology, forestry, PT, Law, etc. MSU in Bozeman is Engineering, Ag, Biology, Geology, hard sciences.
They both have business schools and other programs.
If you're just looking for that college town vibe like Burlington or Amherst, or Berkeley, Missoula takes it.

[fatnslow]

IF you can get a job at either a CC or OSU extension campus Bend, Oregon is tough to beat for outdoor life style.

[Gerome]

Mammoth is an 8 hour drive away, but UC Santa Barbara is all time. Climate and outdoor activities, decent (only because the trails are rocky) mountain biking with up to 4k vert, good surf, and great town.

[nickwm21]

Chico State

+1 for Chico. Classic college town, extremely focused on the school. Very affordable. Great MTB in town and Downieville and other foothill riding is close. Skiing is an easy day trip; 2 hours to Sugar Bowl and summit backcountry, 2.5 hours to Squaw/Alpine, 1.5 hours to Lassen backcountry, etc....

UC Davis or Sac State work similarly if you live up the hill a little in Folsom/Roseville/Rocklin etc...

[nickwm21]

Mammoth is an 8 hour drive away, but UC Santa Barbara is all time. Climate and outdoor activities, decent (only because the trails are rocky) mountain biking with up to 4k vert, good surf, and great town.

6 hour drive. Beware.... the women in Santa Barbara are the best looking in CA and the cost of living is insane.

[bodywhomper]

pacific beach, san diego