Douglas...that is what I love - a misty/cloudy day in a green forest or on the beach! It smells SO good and the air is so crisp/clean tasting. The colors just pop.

I already live where I would like to live. And I telecommute, so life is good.

Not too populated and surrounded by the San Jacintos and ranges south, San Bernardinos, Litte San Bernardinos. Not often the most under-used areas, but I know there the non-peopled places are.

Sarah,
I been following this thread and just realized I love Freezerbagcooking and watching your TrailCooking series on my ITouch.
I would have used PM but yours is not up.

Yes the inches per year around here are higher than those for the "rainy" northwest. I guess the concentrated rain does conversely mean more sunny days but I'll take a misty dewey drizzly day anytime over an inch per hour dumping I mean you ever try to do anything in a downpour? other than stay kinda dry

It rains @ 80 inches per year on the southeastern facing Blue Ridge scarp. This year on the OBX we've had about 70. I've seen trails turn into mini class 5 rapids and minor one hop streams into torrents crossed at some peril.

Well its like chocolate and vanilla. I wouldn't want to live on the SE side of the Olympic but Seattle and Portland and etc get a stupidly bad rap on the rain. Like Sarah notes all that moisture makes all that green!

Ditto all the votes for the Seattle area. North is Canada, East is the Central Cascades, south is Mt. Rainier, West is the Olympic Peninsula. There are places I would like to visit and explore, but the Pacific Northwest is where my heart is.

I live half the week in Seattle (I'm down to working just 3 days a week starting this month - hooray!), and the rest of the time at the foot of Lichtenberg Mtn. Mr. B picked the Cascades to live in because, according to some websites, it gets more snow than anywhere else in the world. He likes snow. Unfortunately, he doesn't like backpacking in it. He says he bought the cabin so he wouldn't have to do dumb things like winter backpacking. I took my avatar picture by the kitchen window.

Kathleen. He loves that snow because no yard work! Smart!

I dunno. He spends an awful lot of time shoveling snow!

"I had a chance to move back to Bishop with a good job, but my wife voted no."

They sure do know how to spoil a guy's good time, don't they. ;}

"-Four epic 20 mile hikes with around 10,000 feet difference from base to summit. (Owens Valley floor to Whitney, Williamson, and White Mtn plus Badwater to Telescope Peak)"

Which route gets you up and down Williamson in 20 miles? George Creek? Or?

Actually, Seattle is my second choice. If I could talk my wife into it, I'd be in Bishop yesterday. Dave T had me pegged.

Edited by ouzel on 01/14/2010 17:52:26 MST.

I would have to second that, esp. if you include the "greater" Bay Area. All kinds of places to go within 6 hours.

But, it is expensive.

I feel really blessed to live in Santa Barbara. There are day hikes within 10 minutes drive. There are backpack trips within 40 minutes drive (unless I decided to start at one of the day hiking places.) There's remote, rugged wilderness where you can hike and see nobody and no footprints except for bear and mountain lion for days. There are places you can hike to where you can see the ocean and channel islands looking one direction and the snowy peaks of the High Sierra looking in the other. It's expensive here, though. You have to adjust your standard of living way way down.

Kathleen, I am jealous!

Central California: Lost Coast, four hours; Mount Shasta, five hours; Northern Sierra, three hours. No snow unless I want to see it. And... The Governator is termed out.

I must back Ryan on this one Central Vt is a great place to be. Very central for outdoor activities with excellent social/cultural opportuntities for such a rural area. I do love the wilderness factor of the Western Maine mountains and the Baxter area but its tough to make a living and a long drive from anywhere.

This opinion of course is limited the area to the northeast as I consider it home. Going by pure staggering majesty of landscape, wilderness acreage, and trail miles we just cant compete with the many western gems.

Edited by gvolpe on 01/15/2010 07:12:11 MST.

Near an airport.

I mentioned Inyo County, CA with "-Four epic 20 mile hikes with around 10,000 feet difference from base to summit. (Owens Valley floor to Whitney, Williamson, and White Mtn plus Badwater to Telescope Peak)"

Tom said:
"Which route gets you up and down Williamson in 20 miles? George Creek? Or?
Actually, Seattle is my second choice. If I could talk my wife into it, I'd be in Bishop yesterday. Dave T had me pegged."

I wasn't thinking round trip for these hikes, but Williamson via Williamson Creek is incredibly direct.

Back to the subject at hand- Depends on how big a city you need to ply your trade, but San Francisco has a lot going for it. If you like the desert, LA is well situated with deserts, mountains, and ocean close. Plus plane flights to anywhere.

Worldwide though... if I had no roots it would be hard to decide.

I lived in the Puget Sound area for five years and agree- candyshop. Unfortunately I was a resident at the time and couldn't get out much. But you have forests, mountains, and the ocean all readily available, including several outstanding parks and wilderness areas. I took up sea kayaking. The region is pretty friendly to folks engaged in outdoor pursuits- even if you hate hiking if you move to Seattle it is mandatory that you take it up. I think it's a clause in the lease agreements, or something. Also, flights to Alaska are cheap. GREAT skiing, too. Whistler-Blackcomb is an easy drive, and possibly the best skiing in North America. (It consistently ranks #1 or #2 in all the skiing magazines.)

So, if you can't live in Bozeman or somewhere else a bit off the beaten trail, the SeaTac corridor is probably the best LARGE metro area I can come up with. And, since you work in computers there is the nest of the antichrist- Redmond.

At one point I toyed with the idea of retiring to Sequim. It's in the rainshadow of the Olympics so it isn't quite as rainy as the rest of the area. And I LOVE the Olympic peninsula.

Anywhere in the Front Range corridor probably works: Pueblo, Colorado Springs, Denver, Boulder, Cheyenne. I am now in Colorado Springs, so I guess in general I've had good luck with my postings. The problem with Denver proper is that so many people in the area hike that the closer dayhikes can get annoyingly crowded on summer weekends. So, I guess I'd pick elsewhere in the Front Range, ideally. Boulder is VERY nice, allowing easy access to hikes a bit too far north for the Denver weekend hordes.

Hawaii? I lived there about three months, once. The hikes are short, but spectacular. And, obviously, there are other attractions. The Na Pali Coast is on my life list, as is hiking Haleakala from the summit to the sea. (There is a route, but it crosses a short bit of private ranch.) Someday I'm going to figure a fun route in Volcanoes NP or elsewhere on the Big Island, too. Bonus- military members and retirees can rent cabins right in the park, at Kilauea Military Camp. It's an MWR facility about 200 meters from the lip of the caldera.

I truly don't understand all of the people who say they couldn't live in Hawaii because they'd get "island fever." I think they are all insane. I could live there happily.

I could name many more, but these are the only ones with which I'm very familiar.

And, I have to agree- you live in QUEENSTOWN and it's not good enough? What gives?

Edited by acrosome on 01/15/2010 09:02:39 MST.

Hey Guys, how about some places besides the States? Adrian did ask about cities around the world.

Somebody mentioned Connecticut, and I have to agree! Connecticut is pretty good if you're a hiker and an IT guy... in that you have:

1. Major financial services commercial zones - therefore lots of solid (if a little dull) IT opportunities
2. Two hours by train or car to Boston or New York City (more exciting opportunities)
3. Nice suburbs with good public school systems located around Hartford, some of the top universities in the world right here in the state (Yale, Wesleyan, ...), a great state university system with many campuses
4. A brand new urban/suburban trail system (the east coast greenaway), which winds through many of the smaller cities and towns... almost complete throughout the state
5. An historic network of "blue blazed" hiking trails (maintained by the Conn Forest & Park Association), mostly stays away from heavily built up areas, but has some gorgeous ridge hikes and country walking
6. An excellent, well maintained and supported state park system (although no national parks except this little piece of #7 below)
7. A few sections of the Apalachian Trail
8. Easy driving to Whites, Greens, Vermont Long Trail, Adirondacks, Presidentials, ...
9. Nice public beaches, many with hiking trails
10. Manageable provincial airport (BDL) has direct links to major cities around the US, plus a few international routes - you can be in Montana, Colorado in 5 hours, California or Texas in 8 or so
11. "European" style politics, very pragmatic and centrist (right wingers have been heard using "Connecticut Republican" as an insult!), I feel quite at home here as a British Social Democrat, but have many conservative friends who are right at home here too

Downsides?
1. Well, it is a bit dull in Connecticut. Lots of insurance people live & work here.
2. It can be a little expensive (but generally higher professional salaries make up for that - has the highest per-capita income in the US).
3. The state itself is NOT very high in terms of altitude, I think the highest point is <3,000ft.
4. People think it is dull, so be prepared for "why did you want to live THERE???"...

Just my 2cs. I think this is a great place to live.

Peace, James.

Punta Arenas

I can't imagine living in the east...sorry. I'll take a relatively unpopulated state with lots of mountains and rivers, like Idaho. But we would prefer that nobody actually move here.