Looking for the perfect town to retire in a la "Northern Exposure"

Laura

Laura

freespirittraveler
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Oct 1, 2012
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Okay, it's times like these (end of the year) that I start thinking about not working. I'm lucky enough to have an early retirement option at my job and my boyfriend and I have always wanted to retire in a town like the fictional Cicely, Alaska of "Northern Exposure" (if you don't remember that show, I feel really, really sorry for you!) Anyway, I have 8 1/2 years to find that perfect little quirky mountain town. The real town that show was based on is Talkeetna, Alaska but I've been there and it's really touristy now, plus Alaska winters are too severe. So where is the next closest thing? I think I'll find it in the four corners somewhere. I'm looking for someplace small, outdoorsy, and quirky (you know, where people are tolerant of each other, lots of interesting, out of the box people live there).

So far here are the suggestions I've gotten either from personal experience or friends:

Springdale, UT (my friend that lives there assures me it's really quirky).
Moab, UT
Flagstaff, AZ
Torrey, UT

I've heard Cortez, CO is awesome but have never been there.

Ruled out: Escalante, UT, Cedar City, UT.

What do you guys think??
 
Fine question... there are a few small towns in Utah I wouldn't mind but I think you'll get a mixed bag of tolerant outdoorsy folks and closed-minded locals. I guess that's the case anywhere, but I think especially in some small Utah towns. I think I'd look at western Colorado myself. I've heard Carbondale is nice.
 
I like Cooke City, MT...but it's crazy small and you have to use a snowmobile to get to the grocery store in the winter unless you want to drive all the way through Yellowstone!

I'd put Silverton, CO, on the list if it weren't for the dang tourist train coming in for two hours three times a day in the summer.

I like Springdale, too, but that's crazy overrun by tourists, isn't it?

I'm eligible for an early retirement in 9 years, also, and I keep an ongoing list on my phone of cool towns!
 
Springdale and Torrey are both highly seasonal as well...
 
Torrey has the advantage of not being near quite as popular of a park. How about Escalante or Boulder?
 
Good ideas everyone! Yeah, I've heard Carbondale is extremely cool also. Will have to put that one on my list to check out. Heard Missoula, MT is awesome but that's a little far north for me. I fell in love with Boulder CO when I was there but it's probably one of the few places more expensive than San Diego. Boulder UT I've only passed through. Every time I've been in Escalante UT it's seemed a little too, well, redneck. Springdale has seemed too touristy when I've been there but my friend who lives there assures me there's another side and lots of interesting locals. Kanab is on the maybe list-good for its location but may be a little too religiously conservative (though my friend who grew up there is anything but). I spent a week in Moab last winter and had a blast-was getting local discounts by the time I left. I agree Nick, western CO definitely needs to be explored!

Outside magazine comes out every year with the coolest small towns in America as well. Keith, care to share any of the towns on your phone?
 
Palisade or Fruita Colorado

Sent from my DROID X2 using Tapatalk 2
 
Here's my list as it stands now, in no particular order. Some of them made the list from some weird confluence of events, and may not be that good after all. And some of them are just the closest town to areas that I liked.

Gunnison/Crested Butte, CO
Cooke City, MT
Red Lodge, MT
Dubois, WY
Lake City, CO
Cashiers, NC
Hendersonville, NC
Kalispell, MT
Marble/Redstone, CO
Weaverville, CA
Bozeman, MT
Missoula, MT
Clark, CO
Lake Granby Village, CO
Ennis, MT
Buena Vista, CO
Fairplay, CO
Ketchum, ID
Pinedale, WY
Roan Mountain, TN/NC
 
IntrepidXJ said:
I hear Colorado City is nice ;)
Click to expand...

After we find the perfect town we'll spread the word that Colorado City is where it's at. :lol: I've been there with my Kanab friend and the sheriff really does follow you through town.

I remember going through Fruita, CO and thinking it was charming, but Grand Junction is a pit!

Crested Butte CO is another one for the list, I heard it was the best mountain biking town in the US.

Keep 'em coming, it's going to be fun exploring all these places :D
 
IntrepidXJ said:
Really? I love it here! This was my first choice for a city that I wanted to move to...but I didn't wait for retirement since none of us are guaranteed tomorrow...I'm living my life now :)
Click to expand...

Maybe I didn't see the right parts. I spent a few days there a couple years ago and couldn't get out fast enough-lots of run down areas where I was. It's also too large for what I'm looking for.

Agree with the living life now philosophy and do that myself, but if I work this current job until 55 I can retire with lifetime health benefits and a pension from my organization (in addition to my own savings) and I won't have to worry about money for the rest of my life. Probably worth sticking around a few more years :D And living in San Diego until that time isn't exactly hard ;)
 
For sure you want to pick one place as your main base. But....I think it would be nice to have a few places to be comfortable at. It would be hard for me to completely leave Steamboat Springs with all the friends, skiing and everything else. Strong ties after almost 40 years.
So.. my list is, more, where I'd like to be at certain times of the year.
Mid April-May; Boulder, Utah. For Capitol Reef and Escalante
End of July- August: Vancouver Island, BC Canada. Time split between the west coast, central mts and northern towns.
September; San Juan Islands, Washington. SJI,Orcas or Lopez. The ferry makes it really easy to get between any of them.
October: Kanab or Page, Az For Zion, the south end of GSENM, Lake Powell, Sandhills and Grand Canyon.
End of December- January: Xcalak, Quintana Roo Mexico. This is the southernmost end of the Yucatan. 7 miles north of Belize. Snorkel, bonefish ,warm water, shorts, and fresh seafood everyday.
Fill in the holes back at Steamboat.
I can dream, can't I ?? :wavespin:
 
That's my plan, too! I can't be still for too long...I want to spend my year chasing Fall around the world!
 
Salida, CO or Driggs, ID both are cool towns IMHO. A few years ago Driggs was #1 on the Outside mag list
 
If you want a nice Mountain Town, Pinedale Wyoming is great. More lakes then you could shake a stick at. I love Kanab Utah, that's where I would like to end up, with a summer home in Pindale.
 
Missoula is a great place, although much larger compared to the smaller places you are considering. If I ever move back to Montana, I'd like to live in Whitefish. Just a stones throw from Glacier.
 
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