Hey guys,
I currently live in Portland, OR and there is a job opening in Durango that I am interested in. I enjoy scrambling, multiday backpacking, kayaking, intro rock climbing and skiing in my spare time. I am from a small town in Texas originally and have always thought that a smaller town with a good mountain scene might be a good fit for me, especially if my wife and I decide to have children. I love Portlands laided back go your own way personality, entertainment/food/beer, and the Cascades/Olympics. While I know I am a bit biased, a think the wilderness areas and national parks in northern Washington are argueably some of the finest in the lower 48. I love the temperate rain forests that open up into beautiful and heavily glaciate alpine in the NW. I feel like I have it really good in Portland, but want to seriously consider a possible move.
Durango is much smaller and obviously would not offer as much in the way of entertainment as Portland, but would open up a lot of new backcountry options for me (San Juans, better skiing, equivalent kayaking, near equivalent backpacking/climbing, and having the desert SW in striking distance would be an improvement for shoulder season trips. Durango would also get me within a long day of driving from my family in central Texas. Durango is also a bit more expensive per prelimanary cost of living searches, but fairly equivalent if my pay says roughly equivalent. I have not spent much time in Colorado other than family ski trips as a child. I have heard that Durango is a bit touristy and possibly a bit elitest/smug, but I am sure their are a lot of good folks there as well. I dont know exactly what it is that I am asking, but any thoughts on the Durango area, espcially compared to the NW would be greatly appreciated. I think I will submit my resume and see what the company has to say, it never hurts to explore a new option. Looking forward to your opinions,
Safe Climbing, Matt