Looking for a place to live...

[mezz250x]

Me and a friend of mine are looking at moving out west next summer sometime. Just starting to do some research now as to where we should move to. We are looking at Colorado, Wyoming, or Idaho. There are three factors that will decide where are moving to.

1: How far from good riding are we living?
2: How much is housing/cost of living in the area?
3: What is the Job opportunity?

The main idea with me moving out there is to try something new, and to be close to the mountains. Im sick of driving 15+ hours to get to good riding. So, being close (around an hour), is a key factor in deciding where were gonna live.

Both of us are machinists so it would be nice to be close to a bigger town or at least somewhere that has machine shops. This is all we've ever done for work so we are somewhat limited on job possibilites. But i guess im game to try something new also.

Also we're looking at more than likely renting a house for a while to make sure moving out there is gonna work out. Prefferably would like to be in a rural area not buried in town somewhere, NEED a shop/garage also. Not gonna be wrenching on sleds in the front yard. So an appartment is probably not an option.

Anybody with any advice speak up, your input is appreciated, thank you.

 

[SledFreakM1000]

Southeast Idaho

I currently live in Pocatello Idaho and absolutely love it here. I think it would possibly be a fit for what you are looking for. Population is not too big and not too small. Cost of living is very cheap. There are mountains in almost every direction you turn. Riding, hunting, fishing, camping, its all great and all close. West Yellowstone, Island Park, Franklin Basin/Logan Canyon are all within 2 hours. All three places are in Snowest top fifteen places to ride in the west. It might be worth checking out!! Also Northern Utah might be good also. I spend a lot of time in Logan UT and it is worth checking into also in my opinion. Idaho Falls is just north of Pocatello and might also fit your needs and wants. Thats three places i think you should look into....
good luck with whatever you decide.

 

[dogtownbutcher]

as long as you're NOT from California, North Idaho is great

 

[Boondockin800]

as long as you're NOT from California, North Idaho is great

X2, we got more than enough Californians here!

 

[Cat Kid]

Pocatello is within 2 hours of Logan? I spent the summer in Twin Falls/Burley area and I thought it was further than that.

Mezz, if you are at all interested in any aspect of the Dairy industry, it is huge in The Twin Falls area. There are all kinds of niche jobs to get into cattering to the commercial dairy facilities out there. I was on the south side of twin doing an internship this summer and wasn't just too excited about the surrounding area as far as riding goes (but the locals told me awsome riding wasn't far away). If you land on the north side of the magic valley (towards Jerome or Gooding) then you are pretty close to some serious hills.

 

[SledFreakM1000]

Yeah Logan is actually only an hour and a half from Pocatello, its exactly 100 miles from my driveway in Poky. Then to get to the riding in the canyon is another 20 miles so it is about exactly two hours to the parking lot of Tony grove(in my opinion the best place to hillclimb)

 

[Cat Kid]

Logan canyon is one of my favorite places to ride. Is there anything good to ride between Pok and Twin or is it just better to go up stanley way if you want to ride north of I84?

I second the no more californians, I think the whole time I was in ID this summer I met only 4 born and raised Idahoans. Everyone else was from somewhere else....

 

[hymark860]

Check out www.wagstaff.com Im a machinist and we are busy till 2010. They have a few machinist positions open.

Wagstaff is in Spokane Washington. I live in Post Falls, idaho there are lots of places to ride within a hour or so.