The truth is, not everyone in a ski resort town is a millionaire, and for those of us who are not, I would not say that we are truly suffering either. Personally speaking, I can think of quite a few scenarios that would be worse than living in an expensive ski town, but then again … I really do love the mountains.
There are going to be trade-offs made … wherever you decide to live. In choosing a beautiful resort town, you are going to be dealing with a high cost of living. Housing is no doubt the toughest issue we face, and if you have been researching western ski towns, you have probably been reading all about it. I am the last person to say that this is not a major issue, but also believe that you should not immediately cast off the idea as an impossible dream.
These thoughts come to mind as job seekers inquire whether or not it is actually feasible to live in a ski town these days. Recent college grads with fewer responsibilities may have an easier time making the transition, but that does not mean that families can not and do not make the move. They can and they do. I recently met a young professional couple with two children that moved to this area from Las Vegas because they were seeking a slower pace, a smaller town, and wanted to raise their kids here. They bought a house in Alpine, Wyoming, work in Jackson, and they are happy.
If you take a look at the forum discussions I have linked to in the past, and visit sites like City-Data.com, you can clearly see how everyone’s priorities and level of comfort varies. To determine whether or not a mountain move is for you, evaluate your current financial situation, continue to research the towns, the jobs, and spend a little extra time doing some soul searching to discover what is truly important to you. Maybe you are ready for a change, or perhaps it is just time for a visit. Either way, at least you have explored your options.
Sometimes it is even just a simple thought or comment that will immediately put things in perspective. As I contemplated a few changes myself recently, a friend put it to me this way, “My only regrets are the things I didn’t do” and quite frankly, that was all I needed to hear.
Great article Amy. You sum it up well. It can be trade off to live in the mtns. But if you are passionate and willing to work on your ideas there are solid opportunities to make your dreams come true. I am lucky to have made the choice to move to the mountains. It scares me sometimes to think of how close I was to not making this decision. It makes me shiver to think about still being in my corporate job and I lived in Boulder which is a great place.
Thank you Jon.
How grim it would be if no one followed their dreams … I too lived in Boulder for a short while, but once a friend brought me up into the mountains, I had one of those ‘aha’ moments, and there was no turning back. It took me a while to get here, but I was definitely pretty determined to make it happen.
Thanks for the reassuring article. Im considering the move to jackson(or surrounding area) to work and live and the living situation seems a little daunting. Any ideas on where to start up a search for apartments as someone who lives there?
Now is a good time to be looking for rentals.
You can get an idea from the rental classifieds at http://jacksonholenewsandguide.com/ as well as jacksonholeradio.com. I would be happy to give you some guidance on finding housing. E-mail me through the “contact us page” if you would like to talk about this some more. Amy
