Best mountain towns in America to live semi-cheaply and enjoy the outdoors?

Casper, Wyoming is a bigger town so there's more to do (about 55,000) but still is has the small town feel. About 5,500 feet and Casper Mountain is only 15 minutes away (8,500 feet).

Los Angeles, CA, track capitol of the world, is a mountain town.

Smalltownboy wrote:

Casper, Wyoming is a bigger town so there's more to do (about 55,000) but still is has the small town feel. About 5,500 feet and Casper Mountain is only 15 minutes away (8,500 feet).

lol, if you're recommending Casper I highly suggest you get out more and travel a bit. My god.

Try Banff, Alberta

youknowit wrote:

He said mountains, not 1,600 foot buttes

so true. sometimes i wonder if people on the east even realize whats out here

I've dreamed about moving to a mountain town myself, and if I were making the move tomorrow it'd be to somewhere along the eastern Sierra, from Bishop to Lone Pine. It still gets cold in the Owens Valley in winter (average low temps in the 20s), but not Wyoming cold (single digits), and not too much snow to hassle with.

In terms of accessibility (numerous 7500-10000 foot trailheads with good roads to the top, all connected by the high speed 395), weather (no daily afternoon thunderstorms), scenery (nicknamed the Range of Light for a reason), and rock quality (if you like to climb or scramble), I think it's really hard to beat the High Sierra in the lower 48. And of course you would have the added bonus of being right next door to Death Valley and the endless Basin and Range province if you appreciate those fantastically wild and untraveled desert mountains, or if you want to go hiking instead of snow shoeing or skiing in the winter.

Only potential downside could be the comparatively greater population of outdoor enthusiasts you'll have to share the mountains with, but it's not THAT crowded, and you can still easily find solitude in the more remote reaches of the range.

But as another poster mentioned your specific interests in the mountains could help make the decision...if you're a rock climber I'd say Sierra hands down, but if you're more of a mountaineer or skier the Cascades or Rockies would likely be better. If you just like to hike and camp, then you probably can't go wrong with any of those places, just maybe consider if you really like a very long, snowy winter of the northern Rockies or if you'd prefer a longer summer and fall season like in the Sierra.

Good luck man, I hope you get out there and live the dream!

Southwestern Colorado and all the small towns along the highways (that aren't overpriced ski towns, unless you're ready). Gunnison could be good. Montrose. Glenwood Springs. Durango. Etc. I'm really not that into Colorado as "a place to move and start a new life in" (because there are way too many people here doing that), but... there are good options if you want a brief escape, etc.

Skiing is what makes mountain town expensive-- not the mountains themselves.

Santa Fe and Pecos New Mexico are warmer than Salt Lake City and worth a look.

Beautiful, but also super-expensive.

Markus Injenia wrote:

Try Banff, Alberta

Pretty much all mountain towns are going to be cold in the winter, that comes with the territory. Bozeman, MT gets exceptionally cold during the winter months, but its bearable. I would definitely look into living in that area, it is not that expensive if you get an apartment with roommates or don't mind living in something relatively small and low key, which it sounds like you're okay with. There will be countless outdoor activities available, the people are friendly, and there's not many other places as beautiful. I've been to a lot of places and Bozeman is still my favorite. I highly recommend checking it out!

None of the places you mentioned were east coast, so I figure Asheville is out (A-ville is definitely warmer in the winter than Boone). If you want warmer winters, I think PNW should be where you look. Ashland, OR or surrounding areas might be a good fit?

if your looking to be on the east coast in Pennsylvania

Altoona / Johnstown / State College areas (Blue Knob)

Bloomsburg / Lockhaven area's

Mansfield

Scranton / Wilkes-Barre / Pocono Mountain area

+1 for Cloudcroft, NM. Alamogordo (pop. 30,000+) is 20 miles away and El Paso (pop 600k+) is an additional 90 miles away.

It's a ski area, so you might be able to rent your place out in winter and rent an apartment for 3 months in Alamogordo.

seven-springs PA

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&biw=1440&bih=767&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=7+springs+map&fb=1&gl=us&hq=7+springs&cid=0,0,2092669015212893825&ei=gPe8T5eZNYa26QH4xdll&sa=X&oi=local_result&ct=image&resnum=9&ved=0CBEQ_BIwCA

What's wrong with Casper?

Smalltownboy wrote:

What's wrong with Casper?

A dead little boy? Who thinks that's an appropriate character for a kid's cartoon?

POD

Greatest of all time wrote:

I've dreamed about moving to a mountain town myself, and if I were making the move tomorrow it'd be to somewhere along the eastern Sierra, from Bishop to Lone Pine. It still gets cold in the Owens Valley in winter (average low temps in the 20s), but not Wyoming cold (single digits), and not too much snow to hassle with.

+1 I grew up on the east coast and went to school in a rural mountain town in Appalachia, but have fallen in love with the Eastern Sierra. I live in LA now and go up as often as I can. Crowds are easy to avoid as soon as you hit the backcountry. Bishop has world class bouldering and the Palisades region of the Sierra is the best Alpine climbing in the lower 48. If you need a job, I would guess your best bet would be to setup shop near Mammoth.

This is the High Sierra bible:

Southwest New Mexico definitely has a great climate. Statistically, Silver City has warm winters and relatively cool summers. The sun shines 330 days a year. If you end up in towns such as Mimbres, Glenwood, Cliff, Gila, Pinos Altos, be sure to thank me. The Gila Wilderness is 330,000 acres, founded by Aldo Leopold. It is never more than 20 minutes away.