SWriverstone Posted February 26, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 26, 2009 I'm not sure if it fits the $30K-$40K metric, but I decided it was a good place for my retirement. It's a college town (Plymouth State University). Permanent population about 6K, University roughly doubles that. Located on Interstate 93, about 20 miles from Loon Mountain and Waterville Valley. I have at least 3 feet of snow in my back yard at the moment. Cannon Mountain is about 30 miles up the road, and several other ski areas are within a 2 hour drive. I think whitewater is available nearby, but I'm not really qualified to judge.The college town aspect is really a bonus. It means the small town can support a hospital and plenty of dentists and doctors. You also get a great town library and the occasional cultural activity if you are so inclined. It also supports more shops and restaurants than you might otherwise find. We even have a super walmart. Here's a pointer to the chamber of commerce page. http://www.plymouthnh.org/ Hmm...yes, that looks to be pretty well-located too! I love NH...even though I like VT's politics better, NH has better scenery (the White Mountains are awesome!). Scott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Gendzwill Posted February 26, 2009 Report Share Posted February 26, 2009 If you haven't been to Nelson, do yourself a favor and rent out the movie "Roxanne" with Steve Martin and Daryl Hannah -- it was filmed in Nelson, BC. Absolutely beautiful.Yeah, I was going to mention that. Good movie, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allee Posted February 26, 2009 Report Share Posted February 26, 2009 I have heard Rossland, BC is one of the nicest towns in Canada. If you have kids, they have a very highly regarded high school. It is also just a few miles from the US border so you don't get homesick.Red Mountain is the local resort and they have cat skiing galore. I was going to say that when I went to Rossland, it looked like the sort of place where if God was going to give the world an enema, he'd put the tube. Trail is about 20 mins away and looked like it might have a few more options, but unfortunately, all we got to see of Trail was the hospital. I do have to agree that Red Mountain would ROCK on a powder day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Gendzwill Posted February 26, 2009 Report Share Posted February 26, 2009 By all accounts, Red is not so much a carving hill, it's more known for steeps, trees, etc. Never been there myself, always wanted to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin A. Posted February 26, 2009 Report Share Posted February 26, 2009 bikers are one aspect of why I hate some of NH.I ride "JAPCRAP!" and people will talk **** at gas stations. ME has some of that too but generally people are way less bitter in western ME than NH. I don't know why this is....... Tell me about it. Driving around some places up north, you can feel people staring at you when you're in an import. Never had anybody give me **** at gas stations though. Maybe I look unapproachable or something? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D-Sub Posted February 26, 2009 Report Share Posted February 26, 2009 Here you go, Scott http://www.findyourspot.com/ I've done some research on this, too, as I'd like to live within a short drive of a good hill, but not be unable to sit down. Wenatchee, Washgington comes up a lot. Mission Ridge is about 20 miles away? Maybe less. EDIT: Someone already beat me to it on find your spot dude...forget bishop. UGLY. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Gendzwill Posted February 26, 2009 Report Share Posted February 26, 2009 Took the survey, my top places were St. George, Utah and Fort Collins, CO. But then I said I wanted a medium-sized place. 7th on my list was Billings, Montana which looks surprisingly affordable, average house price 162K. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b0ardski Posted February 27, 2009 Report Share Posted February 27, 2009 north idaho sucks, tell all your friends, don't come here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Pushee Posted February 27, 2009 Report Share Posted February 27, 2009 Hmm...yes, that looks to be pretty well-located too! I love NH...even though I like VT's politics better, NH has better scenery (the White Mountains are awesome!).Scott Scott, don't worry about the politics. If it's liberal you want, NH seems to have moved that way recently (see 2008 election results), and being a college town, Plymouth is more liberal than some other parts of the state (but I still like it here anyway). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
two_ravens Posted February 27, 2009 Report Share Posted February 27, 2009 Driggs, Idaho is also central to some very nice boating: Teton River, Bitch Creek, Snake, Gros Ventre, Greys.... Then there is Columbia Falls, MT - near Whitefish. I haven't made it up there in the winter, but there is quite a crew of carvers in the area plus good powder opportunities. I did get to partake of some super boating last summer on the Middle and North Forks of the Flathead. Don't know real estate prices, but it had a bit of that redneck/white trash look that usually means lower prices. p.s. Buena Vista and Salida, CO are right next to what I consider to be the best squirt boat run on the planet, Brown's Canyon of the Arkansas - just in case someone ever pays you enough to get in one! There's even a c-squirter who shows up there occasionally! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D-Sub Posted February 28, 2009 Report Share Posted February 28, 2009 'tha hell is a squirt boat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gecko Posted February 28, 2009 Report Share Posted February 28, 2009 'tha hell is a squirt boat Click on the pick for info Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWriverstone Posted February 28, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 28, 2009 A squirt boat is a kayak with sufficiently low volume (compared to your weight) that it "floats" you a few inches underwater. :) And it's considered really cool to dive to the bottom of a river in one and pop up 20 yards downstream. LOL Though I paddle the predecessor of the squirt boat (a slalom C1) you couldn't pay me enough to run whitewater in one! :) Scott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
two_ravens Posted February 28, 2009 Report Share Posted February 28, 2009 If you look at my profile you will see a photo of me running Zoom Flume in Brown's Canyon in a squirt boat. Ummmm... not exactly the line I had intended in a class IV- rapid. :o I usually stick to class II or easy III's. I'll see if I can find a video link tomorrow. Tpalka posted a nice squirt vid link on here somewhere awhile back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gleb Posted February 28, 2009 Report Share Posted February 28, 2009 I took that quiz and they gave me Jackson, wyoming and I noticed the average house is $900,000!!!! holy ****! Aspen was on that list too, but the average house is only $634,000. Never knew wyoming could be so pricey. Durango, Co was #1 on my list. Most of the places were in CO and Montana. Definitely have to keep this site in mind. Thanks for the link! Southern, NH is a pretty sweet place to live. Boston is like an hour or so away, there are a bunch of good mountains within reach, but the winters are much less predictable than utah or colorodo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
two_ravens Posted March 1, 2009 Report Share Posted March 1, 2009 Here are a couple of squirt boating video links. Can't find the super cool underwater Japanese video that was around a couple of years ago, but these will give you the idea: OK, back on topic - Gleb, most of Wyoming isn't expensive, just Teton county where Jackson is. Wyoming has no state income tax, so very wealthy people buy 2nd, 3rd, 4th, or 5th (etc.) homes here and claim it as their tax home. Lots of empty mansions here. Don't know where we are at currently, but most years Teton county has the highest per capita income in the US, though most of the people who actually live and work here are just barely scraping by.... But I do know a recent pharmacy school grad who just moved here and is doing fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gleb Posted March 1, 2009 Report Share Posted March 1, 2009 OK, back on topic - Gleb, most of Wyoming isn't expensive, just Teton county where Jackson is. Wyoming has no state income tax, so very wealthy people buy 2nd, 3rd, 4th, or 5th (etc.) homes here and claim it as their tax home. Lots of empty mansions here. Don't know where we are at currently, but most years Teton county has the highest per capita income in the US, though most of the people who actually live and work here are just barely scraping by.... But I do know a recent pharmacy school grad who just moved here and is doing fine. Thats kind of what NH is for one of our family friends. They have a condo across the street from Loon mountain (my main mountain). They're never there and use it for tax purposes. All their cars are registered to NH and what not, even though they spend 50 weeks a year in Mass. Wyoming, Utah, Colorodo, Montana and Tahoe are on the top of my list of places to move to after graduation. Where ever people need drugs, I can work there!:) Now all I gotta do is graduate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boarderboy Posted March 1, 2009 Report Share Posted March 1, 2009 I know I included Marlinton in my Snowshoe rant as one of the "picturesque, declining, Rust Belt towns" that made the drive interesting. That probably wasn't fair. Drive-throughs in recent years have revealed a revitalizing, if modest, main street, a couple of outdoor recreation suppliers, and there's a damn beautiful river flowing right through the middle of town. And since you're a self-employed writer, why the need for a $40K job? I'll bet even Marlinton has broadband. And finally, of course, Buzzard Peak is only about 40 minutes away. When it snows up there, which it often does, many of IntraWest's unsightly scars are camouflaged, if only temporarily. I'd rather re-retire in Burlington, Vt., of course, but as a cheap alternative, I'd check out Marlinton. Must go cut wood, as my town appears to be on the verge of the near-impossible - two 4" + snows in a single winter. The Second Coming can't be far behind. regards BB p.s. In my 30-plus years of documentary making, we had a saying. Actually, we had several, but this is the one that applies - "If you see Paradise on the tube, it's too late to go there." pax Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r_starr Posted March 2, 2009 Report Share Posted March 2, 2009 Important criteria: • cannot be a big city; must be a small-to-mid-sized town • cost of living must be reasonable (meaning you could live comfortably on $30K-40K annually) • town must include at least one good coffeehouse and one good bookstore • broadband Internet access must be available Mandatory criteria—must be 30mins or less from the following: • at least one good whitewater river • at least one good carving resort • mountains at least 3,000' high • many miles of great bicycling/motorcycling roads in the area Scott, I believe that about anywhere in the Lake Tahoe region would meet your "mandatory criteria," and that certain areas could also meet your "important criteria." It's always exciting to find a new place to live so I know you're enjoying your research. Rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrapster Posted March 2, 2009 Report Share Posted March 2, 2009 Look around in western Mass. There's a lot going on here. For affordability, Greenfield or Turners Falls would be good choices for bigger towns that haven't "turned" yet, but have promising signs of life. They're minutes from the VT border, minutes from Berkshire East (our fair mountain), and minutes from the Deerfield River and Zoar Gap (site of the Wildwater championships a few years back.) Plus, you have easy access to a number of fun college towns (Northampton, Amherst, Keene/Brattleboro), and Boston and NYC are within a few hour's drive. The smaller hilltowns are also chock with writers. I'm always surprised at who I meet in very unassuming locales. It would be great to have another carver in the area! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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