It's time for a change

Well it's looking like architecture up here in the Great White North of Duluth, MN is nearly dried up. It's time to expand my horizons and look out of state for new career opportunities.

Why am I telling you this, for recommendations where I should move to of course! ;)

Now I know that living on the North Shore of Minnesota isn't a climbing mecca but it has a nice blend of great backpacking, kayaking, and decent climbing. I'm hoping to look for places that have these same amenities within a a couple hours drive.

So far I've begun my search for new work in Colorado and Montana but I need some more suggestions.

So what say you all, good places to live, work, and play for a talented architect who's into backpacking and climbing?

You could start with this:

cities with the most building activity

Be careful! If you leave Duluth for very long your brains will thaw, you will then suddenly realize it's freakin' insane to live in northern Minnesota.

My wife has family in Duluth so I have to visit occasionally. Froze my butt off in August! When it does get warm mosquitoes the size of hummingbirds every where. And the winter HOLY SH*T!!! makes Alaska seem "temperate".

To your question Montana is amazing, all your favorite activities mostly in utter solitude. Unfortunately, there's probably already more architects here than the market will support.

Good Luck!

Pfft! The mountains of Montana are way colder than Duluth MN!

Call me crazy but if I could I'd say in Duluth for I love the climbing, cross country skiing, and backpacking in this nice big-little city (90,000 people).

I am looking at firms in Billings though. So far I've found 17 of them that I could send my resume to. ::fingers crossed::

The Northwest Arkansas area has everything! Backpacking, climbing, boating, and canoeing. A LOT warmer than you might be used to though. I lived there for four years during school and it was a great place!

Having lived in both Duluth and Bozeman, I can tell you that Duluth is in fact colder. Also MSU churns out hundreds of architects, so the market is pretty flooded.

Good luck.

Southern NH may not be a bad area to look. Lots of everything on your list including mind numbing cold. Basically Boston Metro area as far as housing, people, etc. real estate is expensive though.

Salt Lake City is the place. Or, if you are really cool, you could live in Ogden.

Step one pull a map out. Step two, find mountains. If you have never lived near a real mountain range then you have no idea of the endless possibilities for outdoor adventure.

Oh I live near stubby mountains up here on the North Shore; the Sawtooth Mountains. They're only a couple hundred feet tall though so they're more like foothills but still very nice and fun!

CritConrad wrote:The Northwest Arkansas area has everything! Backpacking, climbing, boating, and canoeing. A LOT warmer than you might be used to though. I lived there for four years during school and it was a great place!

I've been through Arkansas and it was hot, also great! North Carolina sounds like it could be a good place as well for climbing, backpacking, and work.

Thanks for all the info! Keep it coming!

Joe Manlove wrote:Having lived in both Duluth and Bozeman, I can tell you that Duluth is in fact colder. Also MSU churns out hundreds of architects, so the market is pretty flooded. Good luck.

Yeah that can be an issue.

Although I have ten years experience and the student's they churn out aren't even licensed yet so my fingers are crossed. There are a couple of firms in Billings (not Bozeman) I'm looking into.

Thanks for the info!

Nathan Stokes wrote:Southern NH may not be a bad area to look. Lots of everything on your list including mind numbing cold. Basically Boston Metro area as far as housing, people, etc. real estate is expensive though.

I'd second Nathan here. Southern NH isn't a bad place--mountains are close, and we have a relatively good economy (unemployment is around 5%). Boston is a quick drive away, and has all the opportunities you'd find in a large city.

Plus, everyone moves out West from the Midwest, so much so, that's it's almost a cliche. Be unique--head East.

jeffozozo wrote:Salt Lake City is the place. Or, if you are really cool, you could live in Ogden.

It would be nice but Utah's architectural job market appears to be almost flat lined. :(

Jay Knower wrote: I'd second Nathan here. Southern NH isn't a bad place--mountains are close, and we have a relatively good economy (unemployment is around 5%). Boston is a quick drive away, and has all the opportunities you'd find in a large city. Plus, everyone moves out West from the Midwest, so much so, that's it's almost a cliche. Be unique--head East.

I'm looking into that right now! Thanks!

Edit:
For now all I can find are positions in Meredith, NH , South Berwick, ME , and Burlington, VT.

Chad Miller wrote: I'm looking into that right now! Thanks! Edit: For now all I can find are positions in Meredith, NH , South Berwick, ME , and Burlington, VT.

I believe the common scheme is live in Southern NH, work in Boston Metro area, or the outlying exurbs.

Burlington VT is a huge college town (7 schools) and IBM and from what friends say the cost of living is exorbitant relative to the surroundings.

Meredith would be a great location. Rumney is 20 minutes away, Cannon is one hour away, and North Conway is about one hour away as well.

Regarding cost of living, I would say NH is comparable to rural areas in WI, where I'm from. There's no sales tax or income tax here, so there's that.

Nathan Stokes wrote: I believe the common scheme is live in Southern NH, work in Boston Metro area, or the outlying exurbs. Burlington VT is a huge college town (7 schools) and IBM and from what friends say the cost of living is exorbitant relative to the surroundings.

How is the general commute for doing that, regarding living in southern NH and driving/other options to Boston metro?

Chad Miller wrote: I'm looking into that right now! Thanks! Edit: For now all I can find are positions in Meredith, NH , South Berwick, ME , and Burlington, VT.

All of those are relatively close to what you are looking for. There's climbing in VT for sure, Burlington is around 2-2.5 hours from Rumney. South Berwick is less than 2 hours from Conway, but very close to the ocean. My girlfriend used to live in Berwick and just moved in with me a couple of months ago. Jay filled you in on Meredith. Maine has both sales and income tax, NH has neither. Maine's income tax is also one of the highest in the nation as well, last I knew. BUT, just because you work there doesn't mean you have to live there either...

Oh, and Jay, I'm a Midwesterner (from IN) that moved east!

Dan Felix wrote:Oh, and Jay, I'm a Midwesterner (from IN) that moved east!

We're a rare breed, that's for sure.

for the multi-sport enthusiast (backpacking, kayaking, climbing) the NW is pretty dang solid. Idaho, oregon, washington. No idea what the job market is like though...