Ideal living locations

[teleclub]

Don't think anyone's mentioned the Wasatch yet as ideal living but there are some advantages to living in one of the smaller towns in Utah's Wasatch. It's a small steep range and you can be "up there" quicker from town than some mountainous areas with long approaches. I live in a small steep canyon right outside of town. My older house borders Forest Service territory next to a trail head heading up (too steep to ski up but good skinning up high if you carry skis for a while). Wild enough that I have mountain goats at my back door sometimes (and deer most days in the summer) but work is only 2.5 miles away down the canyon. Ski lifts and good powder 11 miles from my door down canyon and up the next. Alta is 40 min away around the corner; Park City 40 min away around the other corner. BC trail heads everywhere. Pros include good snow, good access, not remote, metropolis nearby, if you can call SLC a metropolis. Cons include not remote enough, not rural, and metropolis nearby. Serious con includes almost constant serious avalanche danger so route selection is key. Pros included good cycling in three seasons with easy commuting and riding from the house as long as I'm ok with a 20%+ grade climb home.