Relocation?

[advenus]

My girlfriend and I are heading out for 3 months on a winter trip to explore new towns/regions on the west coast with the thought of moving. We have lived in Vermont now for 15 years. Though we love it and there is no place like VT both socially and politically, the 5-6 months of grey and cold winter are starting to get really hard. So we search... We are looking for towns that still have character and that have not been "walmarted". Independent towns and small cities that still have a sense of neighborhood and local support are what we like. Thriving local businesses, good food, and active people who care about where they live are important to us. We are not looking for strip mall "Americana". Beautiful regions with access to wilderness are important. Any suggestions in CA (both coastal and mtns), CO, OR WA, UT would be appreciated. Also, since we will be living out of our 89 westy, we are looking for camping ideas and options in these regions as well. Thanks for any advice and tips in advance.

[madspaniard]

If I were in your position I'd check the town and area of Hood River in Oregon, just sitting on the border with Washington.

[tschroeder0]

Durango Co...camping everywhere.

Boulder and the towns to the west of Boulder (Nederland)

[mysticalclimber]

Banff

[kirsplat]

Leavenworth, WA

and I 2nd a vote for Hood River, Oregon.

Chris
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86 Syncro|EJ253|Carat

[GWTWTLW]

[ccisco]

Hood River is great...But be sure to check out Eugene before deciding....Are you traveling in a Westy?

[ccisco]

Since you will be living in your Westy, then you most likely will be traveling in it....

[Rhinoculips]

My favorite small town is Port Townsend, WA. What a fantastic place. It's an old port town(i.e. - a rich maritime tradition abounds), with a great vibe, good folk, its on Puget Sound and a real since of community. Not to mention a good music scene(check out Wasufu, a local band if you get the chance), amazing micro-brew pubs, views of the mountains of Olympic National Park, the Straight of Juan de Fuca and Vancouver Island is just a hope skip and a jump away! I spent a year living out of my '89 Westy in P.T. while attending the Wooden Boatbuilding School. LOOOOOOOVED IT!

Check out
http://www.enjoypt.com/index.html
www.ptguide.com

One of my favorite events is the Kinetic Skulpture Race. The vid below is not the greatest, but gives a little into the event.

Link


I miss it so much! Hopefully,I will be moving back next summer.
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[Lanval]

Note ~ grew up in the kind of towns you're talking about:

Springfield/Eugene, Oakridge, Dexter, (all OR), Walla, Walla, Yakima, Dayton, (all WA).

There are about a billion towns in OR/WA that fit your requirements. You might try Pacific City, OR on the coast (a friend runs the superb brew pub there), Brownsville, OR (filmed "Stand by Me" back in the 80's ~ town still looks the same), Eugene, OR for the university wanna-be Berkeley vibe, etc.

A bit more about your likes/dislikes might be useful... I assume you ski? Do you like the ocean/beach? How far do you want to be from civilization? Do you want to know your neighbors? Do you want to have neighbors?

Towns are like husbands and wives ~ gotta pick your own, and beauty's in the eye of the beholder, I think.

For my money, BTW, in/around Eugene/Springfield is the best bet if you're into getting outdoors. If you don't want to live in an actual city, there are a number of nice small towns right around there.

Caveat ~ hope you like rain/gray skies...

Best,

Lanval

[advenus]

"more about your likes/dislikes might be useful... I assume you ski? Do you like the ocean/beach? How far do you want to be from civilization? Do you want to know your neighbors? Do you want to have neighbors?"

Wow. Thanks for the input and great suggestions everyone. I lived in Eugene for a summer in 92 so I was able to explore some of the mentioned areas. I can't wait to return. The NW is gorgeous but I worry about the grey factor. The lack of sun here really bums me out in the winter so I can only imagine there. Having lived with -20 degrees, raw grey skies and snow for years, I am happy to take a break, so having access to snowy mountains is more important than living in them. Basically I am tired of being cold. We both are avid horticulturist (my business is an organic berry farm) so living somewhere where we can grow food and wine is essential. Having a strong sense of community is important. We like it where people are involved. I like to know my neighbors but not necessarily see them. Ideally we would be on the edge of a town or small city so that we would have quietness with access to amenities. We love to bike and camp so the ability to recreate from home is essential. Moving water is nice ( streams, rivers, lakes and oceans) Many friends have suggested San Luis Obispo Ca, Durango Co, and the Mendocino Ca region. Hope that helps with further explanation and thanks again for all of the input.

[jkeller]

You don't like cold and you don't like grey...that's a tough one. Anywhere I can think of has either one or the other of those conditions in the winter - especially in the NW.

Most of the intermountain west (west of the Cascades and Sierras) is cold and gets a lot of snow but can have spectacular winter sunshine to go along with it.

Let us know what you decide, maybe I'll move there too.
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[madspaniard]

better weather can be found in Northern California. Mendocino, Bolinas, Calistoga.

[laterPeter]

I'd agree with the Eugene/Springfield area reviews... close to almost everything, University diversity, cultural options, food... but also grey & rainy (not as much as Portland but still)
then there's Central Oregon... More sun, less city (Bend being the closest large "city") Rivers, Lakes, Mountains, outdoor activities abound...
Prices on housing here seem to be dropping to realistic rates... nearly.
later,
Peter
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"anyone have a screen for the window in the sliding door for an '85 Westfalia?"
1985 Westfalia 1.9 Automatic

[woggs1]

[MsTaboo]

If you don't like wet, cold, and gray stay away from the Pacific NorthWest!
I lived there my whole life, still scrapping the moss from my back.
People travel to western Washington in late summer, see the blue sky and "Wow we gotta move here!" then the gray sets in. Its not that it rains all the time, there are places that receive more annual rainfall, it is the mist! If it just rained and got it over with it would be nice. But no, the moisture just hangs in the air! Low coastal clouds. Damp.
In the summer we don't tan, we rust!
Like to ski or snowboard? Its no wonder the NW produced some of the strongest ski/snowboarders. Cascade concrete is what we call our snow.
Cost of living has gone through the moss covered roof! So many yuppie/grunge wanna-be moved there you can't find a decent priced house anymore.
All of that is why I moved.
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[PNW Westy Owner]

You might want to check out Ashland, OR.

With the exception of Eugene, HR and maybe part of Bend, none of those other Oregon towns are going to share the same politics of Vermont.

Ashland is progressive, is in the incredible Rogue Valley, will have more sunny weather (though not like central OR) and also more weather extremes (hot and cold). And it has a well established arts community and other cultural stuff to take advantage of.

The other place to see.consider might be the Methow Valley up in the Northern Cascades of WA. Twisp, WA and another town that escapes my memory are there.

My $.02

[shorepig]

My vote is in for Hood River, Oregon, or right across the Columbia River in White Salmon, Washington. My #2 would be for Morrow Bay, Cali. I've lived in Hood River out of my westy many summers in a row. It is a haven for mtn biking, kiteboarding, and windsurfing....yes..WIND surfing....it's damn windy there in the warm season, so unless u like to get blown away, and enjoy the challenging driving conditions (in the wind) stay clear. Otherwise, the people are beautiful, the atmoshere is healthy, and the windsurfing is the best in the USA...well...besides Maui, of course!

[ccisco]

Lanvel, I just want to point out that it is actually Berkely that's full of Eugene wanna be's not Eugene being full of Berkely wanna be's...Seriously, if you are into organic farms, there's a good amount of them around here, and Saterday Market during the summer/fall is full of organic produce....Ashland and the surronding area is for sure nice as well, I'm from the East Coast (moved to Eugene in 1983, and have not been east of the Rockies since)....The small towns around here are nice, but very conservative, for the most part, but Oakrige sits right next to the Cascades, and is very beautiful...Of course, we have had our share of clear cutting over the years...I'm more into Oregon than Washington and Cali , only because 95 % of the Oregon coast line is public ownership, meaning people can't put up private sea walls and block access,, Etiher way or wherever, the Northwest sure beats most things back east ( a lot less population density)....
Take care

[madspaniard]