Living in Bishop

I was hoping to hear people's opinions about living in Bishop. I have a job offer there and am going to visit this weekend. My wife and I are climbers and skiers and I've always dreamed of living somewhere that would allow both within an hour's drive. However, Bishop seems tiny, and perhaps not the most fun place to live. Thoughts? Comments? Advice?

I think you need to consider your priorities. If they are climbing and skiing, it sounds like a pretty fun place to live... If you crave nightlife then maybe not.

I (kindof) just moved from La Jolla to Bishop a couple months ago, and I have to say that this place is WAY better than La Jolla.. but that's just like.. my opinion, man. There really is no comparison between the two places in terms of climbing and skiing, or anything else really, they are completely different..

Kindof amazing that you found a job up here.. I would move based on that factor alone, because when is that ever going to happen again?! Gotta take them opportunities when they come, y'no'wat'ah'mean man?

If you got a good job in Bishop take it. There will be a huge transition to the slower life but realistically thats a good thing. There are plenty of interesting good people around.

Thanks RyanO, I certainly know what you mean. Finding this job wasnt easy and took a good bit of luck. Plus the job itself is great in many ways (reasonable pay & good time off). I suppose my two biggest concerns about living in Bishop would be 1) finding like-minded, similar aged folks to myself to hang out with and 2)easy access to an airport for visiting family when the need arises. We don't necessarily need a happening nightlife or 15 different sushi restauraunts, but meeting good people and still being able to visit family are certainly priorities. At the moment, the latter seems like more of an issue than the former.

I lived in Bishop in total for ~2 years, and have had friends there dating back >15 years. You are lucky to have found a job there, and to have a significant other that will keep you out of the incestuous dating pool.

Airport-wise, Mammoth is the closest one with commercial flights. Flights get canceled a fair amount in the winter usually due to high winds. You also have Reno, Burbank, and Vegas as the next closest.

There's a good community of climbers and non-climbers of varying ages and political leanings. For entertainment Owens Valley Research Observatory and White Mtn Research station have interesting (seasonal) research talks. There are occasional outdoor talks and film series like Banff and Reel Rock. Mostly people hang out at friends' houses in the evenings if they're not outside.

Restaurants are not too exciting, so you learn to import ingredients and cook if you want anything more than mediocre. Groceries are on the pricier side, but there is a natural foods store, Mexican grocer, and Manor Market in addition to the giant Von's. There will be a new brewery (Mountain Rambler) this spring.

Of course any negatives are tempered by the huge outdoor playground in your backyard.

Fossana, thanks so much for your sincere and helpful reply. I had heard about the Mountain Rambler too, sounds like it will be a great addition to the community. Didnt realize there was a natural food store, that is encouraging to us!! Thanks again!

Cully, feel free to PM me if you have more questions.

I should also put in a plug for the independent book store (Spellbinders) and coffee roaster (Black Sheep), and for the friendly service and made from scratch cuisine at Burger Barn.

-Michelle

Been living here for 2 years, I love it, but there isn't another place in the US I want to live. There are plenty of cool people here, and you'll get to know all of them in short time if you climb a lot. Going to vegas for flights is great cause there's more great climbing and biking to do.

If you aren't into Podunk-small-town life you may hate it, but only if you don't love climbing.

Are you able to say where the jobs at?

You have a job lined up, and your wife is on board. What have you got to lose? If you hate it there, move back. La Jolla will still be La Jolla.

I don't live in Bishop, but +1 for the Sierra, Black Sheep, and I almost drove up and back from Lone Pine last weekend before heading back to San Diego just to get some grub/bread at Schats. Seriously considered it.

Good luck!

+1 to plantmandan's comment. People spend years trying to find a stable, full-time job in Bishop.

I've always wanted to live in Bishop. But then again, I've never understood what makes big cities appealing. I'd take outdoors activities over 'urban' activities everytime. The distance from an airport could suck, but you're only three hours from Reno, which is one of the more convenient airports I've been to, especially if you figure out how to get free parking

fossana wrote:+1 to plantmandan's comment. People spend years trying to find a stable, full-time job in Bishop.

agreed. I always hear the worst thing about Bishop is the lack of work. Sounds like you have that figured out. As long as you don't prefer cities to country, it should be amazing. What is "fun" to you? Climbing and outdoors are my kind of "fun".

Wow, thanks so much for the information guys. Very helpful and certainly gives me some perspective. I didn't realize how hard it was to find employment in Bishop. I'll leave the details of the job itself out for now as its not official just yet. We are actually driving there from La Jolla tomorrow to see Bishop for the first time. Planning on doing some climbing at ORG, exploring Mammoth, and spending some time in town. Thanks again for all the insight.

"Living in Bishop is like being in the ninth grade."

Seriously, if you can get beyond the small-minded conservative christian obama-hating locals, 100 degree smoked-filled summers and seasonal mule fetishes then Bishop ain't that bad.

I climb in the owens gorge all winter and tuolumne all summer. Four hours to Reno or Vegas (the nearest reasonable airports). And hats off to Mountain Rambler (our soon-to-open brewpub) for potentially providing a long-awaited and much-needed community gathering place.

Oh yeah, rent is high and real estate is over-priced, but the view is outstanding.

Welcome to town.

IMO , One attractive thing about living in Bishop is being close to Death Valley and the desert . DV is a fascinating, complex place that I love to explore , 4x4 trails , old mines , crazy weird hot springs in the Saline Valley , and plenty of solitude if the hustle and bustle of Bishop gets to you .

Be sure to put that on your list of activities , especially in the winter when it's nice and cool ...

vincent L. wrote:hustle and bustle of Bishop gets to you

Yeah, that's a huge problem.

plantmandan wrote:You have a job lined up, and your wife is on board. What have you got to lose? If you hate it there, move back. La Jolla will still be La Jolla.

I totally agree. I live in LA and have found over time that I am kind of a big town kind of guy, particularly given my career choices. But life is uncertain. Even if you burn out after a couple of years and need to move on, at least you had that two years playing in that huge, awesome backyard.

RyanO wrote:WAY better than La Jolla.. but that's just like.. my opinion, man.

+2 If you meant this to be a Big Lebowski quote!