Ok may I ask what your price range is roughly?

I agree that Durango is a good option and one we've thought about. Expensive but not crazy like Telluride. Just wish they still had direct flight to/from Houston.

jja79 said:

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I need to spend some more time in Prescott but I'm pretty committed to relocating To Arizona at some point in the near future.

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wife's sister lives in prescott. I'd move there tomorrow if the opportunity presented itself. We've spent a decent amount of time there in the past 6 months. It ain't cheap though.

JustPanda said:

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Ok may I ask what your price range is roughly?

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Depends on what I could sell our house down here for. But let's say 750k to 1mm.

You could afford in GWS for that price or Ridgway. You could get a lot in Newcastle.

TX04Aggie said:

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Flag is fairly expensive as well, but a cool hippy mountain town. Stay away from St George, it is terrible and people should stop moving there…. /sarcasm. St George will be on my top of list when I can finally get to bug out of Texas for good as well. Also, Prescott Arizona is pretty great as well.

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I'm in Flagstaff right now. It's snowing like crazy in town. This season has been crazy. I thought 2019 was good, but this is next level.

Do you live up there? Didn't you live in the SE Valley in the past? I was in Chandler/Gilbert last week looking.

If I wasn't married with 2 kids I'd live in a yurt near Missoula.

jja79 said:

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Do you live up there? Didn't you live in the SE Valley in the past? I was in Chandler/Gilbert last week looking.

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Just drove up this afternoon to snowboard tomorrow and maybe Thursday. I live in Gilbert.

My uncle lives in Blanchard, Idaho. He loves it. Small unincorporated town about 8 hours from Boise and an hour from Spokane.

ChoppinDs40 said:

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I've thought about Bend, OR, Boise, ID, Bozeman (probably too expensive), Glenwood springs or Pagosa Springs, CO. Maybe Gunnison? I think Utah is out because of LDS. Maybe even around Tahoe area.

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Hood River, OR.

We made the same move: lifelong in Houston, wanted mountains/seasons, and moved to Portland. I'm in consulting (office change) and my wife is in healthcare. Portland because spouse got an offer at the hospital here.

But Hood River is the dream. On the Columbia. East (30 min)- dessert and no rain. West (30 min) - waterfalls and PNW weather. South (30) min for skiing at Meadows/Timberline. Sount (5 min) vineyards, orchards, tulip/flower fields, etc. West (2.5) hours for Cannon Beach/Astoria on the coast. Bend, Seattle, Leavenworth, PDX not too far. Rainier, Olympics, Baker, Crater, etc. national parks not foo far away.

Bend OR and Durango CO are the two that immediately come to mind.

Been there when we visited Portland/Sun River a few summers ago. I could actually pick back up kite surfing since I sold all my gear a few years ago…

Wife's family lives in Sandpoint ID. About 45 minutes north of Coeur d'Alene. Hour and a half to Spokane airport.

Everything you're looking for is there. Snow skiing at Schweitzer, Lake Pend Oreille for all water activities. Kayaking. Hiking. Backpacking. More public land than you can imagine. Not as cold as Montana in the winters. Cold but not Montana cold.

Sadly, it's been discovered and housing costs today are ridiculous.

The only reason we don't live there is because our grandkids are in Texas.

Why not just move in Texas? Everything is here except snow skiing. Fredericksburg or somewhere around hill country - there is nice tourist kind of area in the middle of great state parks to go hiking, fishing, sailing, water sports etc.

No long cold winters.


You have probably thought
By moving to those areas talked about - You will have to spend a lot in clothing, car equipment (chains, heaters), garage equipment - snow shovels, wood storage, oil storage, etc. State income tax will be a small issue as well.

P.s. I came here from Connecticut and I will never leave - I love Texas and will live in Texas till I die but I can always visit the other parts of United States. I lived in a small town and now live in Houston. I want to go back to small town as I am not fond of Houston.

They mountains are just a different vibe. The hill country is nice but it not the same as looking out at a snow capped 14er.

I don't think I could live somewhere without skiing and rafting.

Exactly - if this guy is trying to relocate somewhere pretty with terrain.. Texas is low on list. The hill country is "pretty", but only because there isn't much to compare it to in the state. People around the world don't think the hill country is anything noteworthy.

What about Reno or Carson City NV? Super close to Tahoe and lower taxes. On the CA side of Tahoe places like Grass Valley, Placerville, Murphys, Arnold, or Sonora are close to Yosemite and Tahoe whole being under 1.5 hrs from Sacramento to fly. Disclaimer: never been to Reno or Carson City but have been to all the CA towns listed.

whoop1995 said:

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Why not just move in Texas? Everything is here except snow skiing. Fredericksburg or somewhere around hill country - there is nice tourist kind of area in the middle of great state parks to go hiking, fishing, sailing, water sports etc.

No long cold winters.


You have probably thought
By moving to those areas talked about - You will have to spend a lot in clothing, car equipment (chains, heaters), garage equipment - snow shovels, wood storage, oil storage, etc. State income tax will be a small issue as well.

P.s. I came here from Connecticut and I will never leave - I love Texas and will live in Texas till I die but I can always visit the other parts of United States. I lived in a small town and now live in Houston. I want to go back to small town as I am not fond of Houston.

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Washington has no state income tax. Oregon has no sales and low property tax. We do have a winter set of tires, but ok. Wood storage? Heating oil storage? We do have natty gas piped up here to heat our homes, dude.

Oregon coast, the entire way > anything in Texas.

Skiing is a priority for us.

Distinct seasons and a real fall were a draw for us. You really have to hunt for some color in Texas. We have a legit fall, vs. fall = 90 deg with a prayer for a cold front in Houston.

Big Bend is cool, but it's very low on the impressive natty part list. I have Rainier, Olympic and Crater within a few hours. The outdoors of TX just don't compare to PNW and that's why we moved.

The only trash thing in Oregon is Mexican food. Thank the good lord for Matt's BBQ and Tacos. It is the singular safe haven in PST.

That's the truth about Mexican food in the pnw. The only time I went out for it, the "beef fajitas" were over cooked to the point of inedible, had 3 tiny pieces of "beef" and the question was white (which queso Blanco fine, but this wasn't that) and congealed while sitting on the table.

whoop1995 said:

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Why not just move in Texas? Everything is here except snow skiing. Fredericksburg or somewhere around hill country - there is nice tourist kind of area in the middle of great state parks to go hiking, fishing, sailing, water sports etc.

No long cold winters.


You have probably thought
By moving to those areas talked about - You will have to spend a lot in clothing, car equipment (chains, heaters), garage equipment - snow shovels, wood storage, oil storage, etc. State income tax will be a small issue as well.

P.s. I came here from Connecticut and I will never leave - I love Texas and will live in Texas till I die but I can always visit the other parts of United States. I lived in a small town and now live in Houston. I want to go back to small town as I am not fond of Houston.

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the problem with the move inside Texas is this...

the allure to Texas' beauty is "wide open spaces" - vast swaths of rolling hills or plains or "mountains" (lol) in the hill country.

This allure has led to the extreme run up in prices of desirable land.

For example, I have a running MLS search and realtor (Gabe Bock, actually) that's looking for 10-30 acres of land within 1 hour of College Station. We're talking, practically, middle of nowhere. Plots of undeveloped land (some not even fenced) in Leon county (out near North Zulch, Normangee, etc.) are anywhere from 10-30k an acre.

I don't have "family land" to enjoy these wonders even though every single person in this state seems to have someone that owns 250 acres with a cabin, deer blinds, etc.

I have a work colleague that just married an Aggie from Caldwell. Dude had never held a gun in his life until he married her. Now? he has access to 1k+ acres of hunting land west of college station and west texas - his first ever SHOT AT a deer was a 14pt buck that's getting shoulder mounted. Talk about hitting the jackpot.

Anyways, what I'm trying to say is... to be able to enjoy this state's beauty and get a little slice for yourself, you've got to shell out some serious money.

When's the last time you looked at land in the hill country? lol rough terrain that has no value for anything other than some elevation and "views"

I can go buy 10 acres of land in southern colorado for less than 5 acres in the hill country.

Lol this thread cracks me up. Lots of yeah this place is nice but…… fact is all the nice places are expensive now and not hidden gems. If you want to check a lot of boxes you will have to pay for it.

Just because Flagstaff was mentioned and threads are always better w/ photos, I'll add these that I snapped on Wednesday:

Looks like the world renowned Texas hill country.

Nothing like the hill country

let's not pile on him. He came from CT.

Most of the northeast is just forested sprawl of never-ending city... even if from small "burgh" to another.

ChoppinDs40 said:

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let's not pile on him. He came from CT.

Most of the northeast is just forested sprawl of never-ending city... even if from small "burgh" to another.

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All I was trying to say and guess I didn't articulate it well enough was it is a different lifestyle in making a move from Dallas Texas to a place in the mountains. Remote at that suggested by op in further posts. In the original post it said you went skiing twice a year which is resort area and quite different than housing in the area. The original post also said stayed summers which are quite different than winters.

I agree the scenery is beautiful in those areas and I am not discouraging anyone to go nor picking on anyone that lives there but I am cautioning to be prepared for the difference that is all.

I don't want you to be this guy below


A SOUTHERNER MOVES UP NORTH


Dec 8 5:00 pm - it's starting to snow. The first of the season and
the first one we've seen in years. The wife and I took our hot
buttered rums and sat by the picture window watching the soft flakes
drift down, clinging to the trees and covering the ground. It was
beautiful!

Dec 9 We awoke to a lovely blanket of crystal white snow covering
the
landscape. What a fantastic site. Every tree and shrub covered with a
beautiful white mantle. I shoveled snow for the first time in years
and loved it. I shoveled both our drive and sidewalk. Later, a city
snowplow came along and accidentally covered our drive with compacted
snow from the street. The driver smiled and waved. I waved back and
shoveled our drive again.

Dec 10 It snowed an additional 6 inches last night and the
temperature
has dropped to about 11 degrees. Several limbs from the trees and
shrubs snapped due to the weight of the snow. I shoveled again.
Shortly after, the snowplow came by and did his trick again. Much of
the snow is now brownish-gray.

Dec 11 It warmed up enough during the day to create some slush which
soon became ice when the temperature dropped again. Bought snow tires
for both cars. Fell on my ass in the driveway. $145
to a chiropractor but nothing broken. More snow and ice expected.

Dec 12 Still cold. Sold the wife's car and bought a 4X4 in order to
get
her to work. Slid into a guardrail anyway and did considerable amount
of damage to the right rear quarter pane. Had another 8 inches of that
white **** last night. Both vehicles covered with salt and crud. More
shoveling in store for me today. That goddam snowplow came by twice
today.

Dec 13 2 degrees outside. More ****in' snow. Not a tree or shrub on
my
property that hasn't been damaged. Power was off most of the night.
Tried to keep from freezing to death with a kerosene heater which
tipped over and nearly burned the house down. I managed to put the
flames out but suffered 2'nd degree burns on my hands and lost most of
my eyelashes and eyebrows. Car slid on ice on the way to the emergency
room and was totalled!!

Dec 14 Goddam mother-****in' white **** keeps on coming down. Have to
put
on all the clothes we own just to get to the ****ing mailbox. If
I ever catch the son-of-a-***** that drives the snowplow, I'll chew
open his chest and rip his heart out. I think he hides around the
corner and waits for me to finish shoveling and then comes down the
street about 60 MPH and buries our drive again. Power still off.
Toilet froze and part of the roof has started to cave in.

Dec 15 6 goddam more ****in' inches of ****in' snow and ****in' sleet
and
****in' ice and god knows what other kind of white ****in's **** fell
last night. I wounded the ****in' snowplow ******* with an ice axe but
he got away. Wife left me. The car won't start. I think I'm going
snow-blind. I can't move my toes. More ****ing snow expected tonight.
I'm moving the **** back to Texas!!!

My consulting firm offers fully remote accounting client service work if this is something you are looking for. Send me a pm and we can connect. I had a controller on my team move from Austin to small town Maine. We have another living in small town Alabama.

Quote:

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Most of the northeast is just forested sprawl of never-ending city... even if from small "burgh" to another.

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May I suggest you check out the New England states? (Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine). I think you'd be surprised how some areas are quite remote, in spite of being rather close to metropolitan areas.

I grew up in Connecticut, 65 miles from NYC. I could walk out the back door of our house and spend hours out in hundreds of acres of woods. It wasn't till I lived in Texas that I realized homes were built that close to each other.

We live in Colorado and love it here but Hood River sounds awesome. I miss the Texas rain, it never rains in Denver.

Yeah I was gonna say he should consider NH or Maine (depending on how much he hates winter and snow)

Wrong board



Though since I'm here I will say I lived in NH on the NH, Maine, Mass border for a summer and fall and I really loved it. Looking for another contract in the area again. Lots of hiking, water falls, easy day trips to boston via bus or train for ball games or whatever. Rye harbor is there as well. I also lived in Tacoma and Seattle for a year and I really think if your looking for mountains and outdoors you really should look at Vermont, NH and Maine.

You are spot on in my opinion.

Last summer, my wife and I flew into Boston...took the Amtrak to Portland, ME, then boarded a small ship and cruised the Maine coast. I fell in love with Portland, and can see why half their population is from somewhere else.

I spent a summer on the ME side of the maine/NH border. Absolutely love it up there. Afternoons sitting in the Saco drinking cheap beer...doesn't get much better.

Absolute no thanks to the NE.