Moving from the City to the Mountains
As many yuppies near retirement and buy vacation homes in the mountains, many of them ask themselves, “Would I be happy living in the mountains all year round? How different could it be from living in Cleveland?” Let there be no mistake; living in a mountain community has a number of differences from living in the city and is not for everyone. Although you may enjoy your two weeks skiing in the Rockies every Christmas, making the high country your permanent home could either be the best move of your life or the worst.
Depending on where you decide to settle, you may have to give up a number of your creature comforts with a move to a resort. While many mountain resorts do have Starbucks and other large-chain retailers, many do not. If you feel the need to run down to the mall every Saturday morning to see what’s on sale at Macy’s, this may not be the right choice for you. In most small resort communities, there’s no Home Depot, fast food strip malls, drugstore chains, 16-screen movieplexes, ballet schools or other luxuries that you’ve become accustomed to. There is however, the opportunity to become an active member of a small community. There’s a chance to adopt a whole new way of life that includes bumping into friends at the Post Office and the grocery store. And if you’re into outdoor activities, this is the place for you.
The first thing when contemplating a move to the high country is whether or not you’ll need to continue working. If you’ve been careful with your portfolio and can afford to retire, then the move will be much easier without the stress of having to find a new job. Keep in mind, however, that many mountain communities do not have all of the same healthcare facilities that you have at home. To see a specialist, you may need to drive over two hours each way for a 15 minute appointment. I heard of a retired woman who moved her entire family up to mountains, only to leave two months later when she discovered that she couldn’t find a medical facility that took her health insurance. Since she had a pre-existing medical situation, she was forced to move back home where she could get the treatment that she needed.
If you do need to work, consider your options with an open mind; a very open mind. It’s rare that you’ll be able to find a good paying job doing the same thing that you did in the city. Most people that continue working while living in resort communities end up making radical career moves; often for the better. When I worked in the Information Technology industry in Los Angeles, that’s all I did. Since moving to Vail, Colorado, I’ve not only continued in that industry, but I’ve also taught skiing, drove resort shuttle busses, driven for a company that offers four-wheel drive and rafting tours and worked for the US Forest Service. And I’ve love every minute of it.
The cost of living is another big factor to consider. When I moved from Los Angeles to Vail, I was already used to very high prices for food, rent and gasoline. If you’re coming from the Midwest, you may be in for a shock. The cost of living in most resort communities is typically higher than elsewhere; even large cities. To make things worse, most jobs in resort communities pay less than their cosmopolitan counterparts. Where I live, the cost of living is over 30% higher and jobs pay 30% less. This means that people living in Eagle county have to make up for the 60% discrepancy by living more simply, taking one or two extra jobs or both. If you’d like to get an idea of the cost of living for a resort community, check with your local librarian or visit http://www.infoplease.com for a comparison of price indices in different communities across the country.
Do you like cold whether? Everyone enjoys the snow decorating the trees at Christmas, sitting in front of a roaring fire at your hotel and romping through a blanket of freshly fallen snow. But, if you live in the high country, you could have to put up with snow for over six months of the year. Those wonderful memories at Christmas quickly get replaced with the reality of having to shovel out your car before driving to work every morning, constantly clearing a path to your front door, cleaning out the fireplace and splitting a cord of wood every fall. Even resorts with the least snowfall can expect at least 200 inches every winter. Many in Utah and British Columbia can get over 700! Where I live, the temperatures aren’t extreme. It only gets down to 25-50 below zero a couple of months of the year. It’s enough to send anyone packing.
But, there are benefits to living in the high country; a lot of them. I’ve been a skier for over forty years and could never get enough days on the hill. When you include airfare, hotels, meals, lift tickets, ski school and partying, an average 7-day ski vacation can cost over $2,000 for just one person. I could never afford that. Since moving to Vail, I haven’t paid for a lift ticket in over ten years. Locals always seem to find ways to ski cheaply (or for free), know where the best prices are for restaurants and never pay full price for ski equipment or outdoor gear. You’ll also have an opportunity to get introduced to a number of new experiences that aren’t open to city dwellers.
Have you ever plunged through Class III whitewater rapids? Rock or Ice climbed? Gone snowshoeing or cross country skiing? How about snowmobiling? These are all relatively inexpensive activities that you could be enjoying while living in the mountains. Try doing those in Houston!
And if you need one final argument in favor of living at a mountain resort, remember this: many people seem to enjoy a much healthier lifestyle living at high altitude. Colorado, Utah and Washington State report the lowest figures for adult obesity in the country. A recent study has also shown that Greek villagers living at 3100 feet above sea level lived longer and had lower instances of coronary heart disease than their flatlander counterparts. You just don’t find many overweight rock climbers!
Living at a high altitude resort may or may not be right for you. But if you’re adventurous and willing to explore a new lifestyle, it may be the most important move of your life.
