Good places to live?

Getting back to Seattle/Portland. Don't underestimate the effect that the 5 or 6-month long rainy season has on folks here. I moved up here three years ago from sunny SoCal and was miserable the first winter. I just wasn't used to dreary, drizzly, gray fall/winter days. I've gradually grown to accept the weather and adapt to it. I never got depressed like some people do, but I did get cabin fever!

I'm convinced that one needs a hobby to make it through the winter here. I'm planning on getting back into skiing and doing more traveling this winter. Otherwise, I'll go crazy and end up buying a used rally car or something.

But aside from that, I really do like the area. Lots of good people and lots of cool stuff do and many opportunities to explore. And I'll go out on a limb and say that the Pacific Northwest is the epicenter of rally in the USA.

I love the PNW part of the USofA. It's too bad there are so many tree hugging liberal hippies there...

We have more days of t-shirt weather in town and deep powder an hour away than probably anywhere in the USA. Or you can go an hour in the opposite direction and beat on your rally car for fun/cheap.
We had 8 inches of snow last week. I'm wearing shorts and a t-shirt today.

i need to look at Denver a bit more too, i really dont know much north of Monument. The springs will always be my first, so ill always opt for that first, but Denver seems more "happening".

The Springs is too right wing and 'focused on the family' for me to be able to handle it for more than the time it takes for Pikes Peak. That means alot coming from someone raised in Wyoming.
Things I like about Denver.
Public transportations (sometimes)
Always something to do.
Avs, DU, Rockies, Broncos, Rapids, Mammoth and more.
Music.
Food.
I-70 and proximity to ski areas.
People.
Bike and scooter friendly in town.

In my opinion, there is no sense in living anywhere but within bike distance of downtown or five minutes from work. I know people that live 30 miles from downtown and work downtown and that just seems retarded to me. I'm either going to enjoy living near or in downtown or I'd just move to a small mountain community.

my issue is, finding work that pays in a small mountain community! Once i get back from this unspecified location in southwest asia, i plan on making a vacation to Colorado, likely after N. Nevada Rally. I might have to see if you can tour guide me.

I hear that! There were two jobs last winter. One in Steamboat Springs, one in Vail for Biostatisticians. If Abbey didn't own a company here we may have considered it. I'm working on getting to the point where I can work from home full time. Right now I'm working from the shop and setting up the new JD bender so I can start on some cage work.

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NoCoast
The Springs is too right wing and 'focused on the family' for me to be able to handle it for more than the time it takes for Pikes Peak. That means alot coming from someone raised in Wyoming.
Things I like about Denver.
Public transportations (sometimes)
Always something to do.
Avs, DU, Rockies, Broncos, Rapids, Mammoth and more.
Music.
Food.
I-70 and proximity to ski areas.
People.
Bike and scooter friendly in town.
.

Dont forget the guy/girl ratio at the local universities. As well as ridiculously cheap season passes for said ski areas. under 400 for a 5 mountain pass last time I bought one

well i am married so im not too worried about ratios

Yeah, but it's always nice to have cuter women around.

Passes are cheap!
$650 full Epic. Unlimited Vail, Beaver Creek, Keystone, Breck, and A-Basin in CO, and Northstar and Heavenly in Tahoe.
$500 Epic Local. Unlimited Keystone, Breck and A-Basin. Restricted (no holidays) for the two in Tahoe. Ten restricted days at Vail and Beaver Creek.
$400 Summit. Unlimited Keystone and A-Basin. Restricted Breck.

$500 Rocky Mtn Super - Unlimited Winter Park, Mary Jane, and Copper Mtn plus 6 days at Steamboat.

Just for comparison.
Steamboat season pass is $1240.
Jackson Hole is only $1600.

What kind of jobs/careers are you and your wife in?

well right now im in the AF but likely getting out. I have a Bachelors in Applied Science in Air traffic control, but i cant do actually air traffic anymore due to a medical thing (has never been an issue, but rules is rules..) Might continue it to a Masters in the management end of it. Could still get some related aeronautic job. Im probably going to go back to school to finish another degree, likely Civil or mechanical engineering like i was in school long ago for. I MAY also get a German degree for giggles.

My wife is a disabled vet so we get a decent monthly payout from that. She is finishing some school for teaching. But we are planning on having kids so she will likely handle a larger portion of that.

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Gravity Fed
But we are planning on having kids so she will likely handle a larger portion of that.

If she's handling it, you're doing it wrong!!!
It takes both of you or you'll never have kids.
And quit bragging about her handling "a larger portion".
It ain't the meat, it's:
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John Vanlandingham
Sleezattle, WA, USA

Vive le Prole-le-ralliat

www.rallyrace.net/jvab
CALL +1 206 431-9696
Remember! Pacific Standard Time
is 3 hours behind Eastern Standard Time.

i try to avoid saying she will be a stay at home, but we both agreed it likely the only way to make it work for awhile since we cant afford babysitting or day care. Which is fine, i like the idea of raising on our kids. More of an error in tongue.

I would love to be a stay at home dad.

my biggest question is still what the hell to do with my ATC experience if i cant do ATC. I could argue that i can manage the hell out of something under stress i suppose.