My whole point is to seek out places where non-wealthy people can do it. Think smaller, think out of the way, think less development. No cell service at the ski hill, dirt road to drive up there, etc. etc.
Season pass is less than $1000, everyone has duct tape on their ski gear, etc.
It may not be popular to say on this site, but there is an issue with living in places like that though... if you're not white, it's going to be really rough going for you, even in "blue" states. I say this as a non-white person who grew up in rural America. The racism is off the charts, you will experience it in every facet of your life, which is really unfortunate because there are a lot of beautiful rural locations in this country that would otherwise be inhabitable if it weren't for that major issue.
Also, cool blog!
Heck, there are a TON of incredible ski resorts that are in a town of less than 10k just North of the border
https://www.mensjournal.com/adventure/best-small-ski-resorts...
They're no Rocky Mountains, but the Porcupine Mountains are up there and still pretty nice. And Lake Superior is right there also, as well as a bunch of waterfalls. And at night you can see the Milky Way.
Some places to ski up there: https://localfreshies.com/upper-peninsula-skiing/
Not a lot of jobs up there though, that I could tell. If I moved up there I'd have to work remote for sure.
Although some places up in the UP seem pretty close to that. Ironwood, MI for example, has 4 ski resorts within 15 miles of it, and doesn't seem to have a whole lot else happening there (we stayed there as a base of operations to go to the Porcupine Mountains though).
From Wikipedia: "While originally an iron mining town, the area is now known for its downhill skiing resorts, including Big Powderhorn, Black River, Snow River, Mount Zion and Whitecap as well as its cross country skiing at the Wolverine Nordic Trail System and the ABR Nordic Center."
And salaries are also lower. People don't move to the big city because they want to live there. They go there to study and then to make money so that they can afford any kind of real estate in their home town.
> Everyone just finds whatever job that enables them to do those things, and the priority is life, not work.
The condition of your quote above is that you already own real estate, which isn't true for but a few from the younger generations. Or that you live with your parents until you're 60 years old. Other than that, the deal is "get the hell out" and you're only welcome back if you can purchase some real estate.
It's true what you say about working online though, but then suddenly the whole world is open to you.
Yes, they are. But it's fine because we've all stepped out of the rat race, and the goal of our lives is not simply to earn more money, or as much as possible. The goal of our lives is to live more, so that's what we do.
None of my friends has a new car, or phone, or even a TV. We all have used skis and duct tape on our clothes. We are not "rich" in the money sense.
We also don't work much, and ski and mountain bike a lot.
> The condition of your quote above is that you already own real estate
Not at all. Of all the 30-somethings I know that live here, none of them lived here more than 5 years ago, they all bought in the last 5 years.
Houses here cost a lot less than bigger cities, and it is completely possible to buy a house on a single income. My partner works 4 days a week and bought a 4 bed/2 bath house less than 5 minutes walk from the main street. She saved for the deposit herself, and met the mortgage requirements on her single income.
> suddenly the whole world is open to you
Well, yes. That's why we choose to live in a quaint little mountain town where we can ski for half the year and work as little as possible.
Most people aren't in the rat race because they have an insatiable greed. They are there because they are desperate to have a roof over their head. If they can sort it out, almost everybody will be cool with chilling with a barbecue and riding quads in the woods instead of preparing a powerpoint to suck up to the boss.
> Not at all. Of all the 30-somethings I know that live here, none of them lived here more than 5 years ago, they all bought in the last 5 years.
That's what I'm getting at. You and your friends moved in because you could. You either had some real estate money from elsewhere to use to get established, or big city salaries to pay for cheap real estate there. The people born there who don't have real estate have to get the hell out (not because of people moving in), and go to a big city to try making some wealth to one day purchase real estate.
If you're born in a small town you usually have no chance of making enough money in the small town to purchase for a home in the small town you were born. So people move away, and then when they are finally established money-wise some 20 years later, they've lost connection with that small town they were born in, and instead shop around for where to live.
Out perspectives are different because I used to be in the rat race, and I used to believe it wasn't possible to get out, and I didn't understand how or why people could ski half the year and not work much and still make ends meet.
I've been doing it myself now since 2009 (taking years completely away from work to drive around the world even) and so I not only understand that it is possible, I live it first hand every day.
> A new phone is less than a months rent, so is a TV. A new car is cheap compared to real estate. So those things are far from a marker of wealth.
I think this is one of the major things that people don't understand when it comes to saving money, spending less and working less. This is where the whole "Don't drink a coffee every day and you'll be set".
The reason I bring up those things is because I literally don't earn enough money to have them. If I had those, I would have to work more. I'm right on that line. And for me, not having them means more freedom from work, so I choose not to have them. So do many, many other people in this little mountain town.
> Most people aren't in the rat race because they have an insatiable greed. They are there because they are desperate to have a roof over their head. If they can sort it out, almost everybody will be cool with chilling with a barbecue and riding quads in the woods instead of preparing a powerpoint to suck up to the boss.
In my experience, while that sounds like it makes sense, it is not true. I give talks and seminars about how I'm able to spend less, take years off work and have grand adventures around the world. I go into great detail about the financials of it all, and what a person would need to do to be able to afford something similar.
Then without fail I have ten people tell me to my face they can't afford it, while making car payments, phone payments, using every streaming service, eating out 5 nights a week and whatever else. People want all those conveniences, and going to work "full time" is the only way to get it. So they do. They don't want to cook their own food, chop their own firewood and buy used things.
> You either had some real estate money from elsewhere to use to get established, or big city salaries to pay for cheap real estate there
No we did not. We had neither of those things. We didn't hack the market in any way. Everyone works a pretty ordinary job for this area, and they can afford an ordinary house for this area. Again, in the same way we don't have car payments, none of us has a big new house either - because we don't want those things.
> The people born there who don't have real estate have to get the hell out (not because of people moving in), and go to a big city to try making some wealth to one day purchase real estate.
That is not true at all. The dental hygienist who cleaned my teeth today has lived here her whole life. She's just turned 40, has a 4 year old, bought a house a few years back.
You're on the outside not understanding how it actually works, and I get that. It made absolutely no sense to me either, and I spent years thinking "I wish I could do that.. too bad I can't". But actually I could.
I feel like this is the standard Reddit meme that is on the front page every day that says "You're telling me I have to go to work, commute, grocery shop, cook, clean, maybe have half an hour to myself and do it all again tomorrow? Shoot me now". If you choose that life, then yes, that's correct. But there are other choices out there.
A significant number certainly do.
Cities are the only place that some people have a chance of finding like-minded people.
More like the opposite.
Perhaps you think that because you live outside a big city and so you’re experiencing sampling bias
I think it comes down to if you live to work, or work to live.
I moved to a small mountain town (10k people) that is bursting with 30-somethings who don't want to live the city grind anymore. People live here because skiing, mountain biking, hiking, camping and paddling are the life priority. Of course also pot lucks, dinners, parties and social events.
Everyone just finds whatever job that enables them to do those things, and the priority is life, not work. Working online is so common place now you can still earn a good salary if choose.
Hardly anyone works five days a week. Tons of people only work six months a year (ski the rest of the year!)
25 minutes from a great ski hill (that has no cell service), 5 minute ride to world-class mountain biking, 5 minute walk to a stunning lake for swimming/paddling.
Houses here cost 1/3 or 1/4 of what they do in a big city.
Think about the kind of life you want to live, and make it a priority.