Bend, OR vs Provo, UT vs Orange County, CA

[mefa30]

I am a engineer that recently got laid off. I live in Newport Beach CA, previously I lived in Eden and Worked in Ogden UT. I got transferred to CA.

Theres a lot of stuff to do in CA, people are friendly/ outgoing/ open. I can MTB year round and ski at Big Bear.

However, CA is congested and hot (anything above 70F is hot for me), not really into board sports.

Im looking for a job where I have a good work/ life balance. When I moved to UT for a job and lived in Eden, I envisioned going skiing/ biking every weekend. Reality is that I never skied or biked when I lived there and I was at work all the time on call.

Im having a tough time picking a job:



Option 1: Provo UT

Pros: Im stoked on the job, nearby Alta and Sundance, not hot year round, not congested, good MTB.
Cons: Im not LDS, people not outgoing/ friendly, have bad memories of working in Ogden, UT.

Option 2: Bend OR

Pros: Mt. Bachelor, people somewhat friendly/ outgoing (not as much as CA though), not congested/ hot, small town.
Cons: Not a lot of engineering jobs in the area and would likely have to move if I lost the job. Pays $15k less then Provo UT per year.

Option 3: Stay in CA

Pros: People friendly/ outgoing, lots to do.
Cons: Housing expensive, congested, HOT


If I wasn't so scared about job security, I would pick Bend. I really like the Provo job.


Thanks for any help.

[zion zig zag]

If you had a bad time in Ogden then Provo will blow your mind.

[mcski]

If Ogden bummed you out, Provo might not be a good fit. Still you could try it for a yr or two and move if not. What kind of engineering? How old are you? Young Mormons can a dating issue (marriage fever) but after their first divorce it's game on.

[basinbeater]

I live in Utah and you would have to pay me A LOT to live in provo. Fuck that place. + you are closer to the desert...

[Flyoverland Captive]

Anything above 70F is hot for you? Shit, you will die in Bend.

[BmillsSkier]

Have you considered Shermer, IL?

[Skidog]

You don't have to live in Provo to work there. Not that the close proximity stuff is much better, but closer to American fork canyon would be better than Provo proper.

Provo does have Google fiber. Downtown's pretty nice, and you could probably have trails to yourself every Sunday.

[mefa30]

Anything above 70F is hot for you? Shit, you will die in Bend.

I was thinking of working in Provo and actually living in Heber, Draper, American Fork, etc.

[mefa30]

If you had a bad time in Ogden then Provo will blow your mind.

How so?

I did notice some issues with Provo:

1) People are very closed.
2) Almost everything Sunday is closed.

I would only be working in Provo and live nearby.

[mefa30]

If Ogden bummed you out, Provo might not be a good fit. Still you could try it for a yr or two and move if not. What kind of engineering? How old are you? Young Mormons can a dating issue (marriage fever) but after their first divorce it's game on.

Im in my early 30s and am a Industrial electrical engineer.

Ive heard LDS chicks are easy and hot, but I think they have a lot of baggage.

[liv2ski]

So you can't find a job up around Sacramento and live east up the 80? I think everyplace you mentioned is above 75 in the summer, so ac will be your friend.
I love CA and leaving it would be super hard for me. I think I could live up the 80, as closer to Tahoe has it's benefits and maybe once retired, north of Tahoe up the 89 to get further out with property.
Hell, are there any jobs for you around Reno? Hot in the summer, but likely the same as the spots you mentioned and it is a nice town with great access to everything I need without the weirdness that is much of UT.
And how about maybe Eugene Or? Not so damn hot, likely jobs for you, cooler temps, skiing may be a bit further away, but it is really beautiful up that way.

[El Chupacabra]

So you can't find a job up around Sacramento and live east up the 80? I think everyplace you mentioned is above 75 in the summer, so ac will be your friend.
I love CA and leaving it would be super hard for me. I think I could live up the 80, as closer to Tahoe has it's benefits and maybe once retired, north of Tahoe up the 89 to get further out with property.
Hell, are there any jobs for you around Reno? Hot in the summer, but likely the same as the spots you mentioned and it is a nice town with great access to everything I need without the weirdness that is much of UT.

You can tell who lives in So Cal when highways are referred to as "the___".

But to complain that Newport Beach is too hot... you're going to be disappointed everywhere else. Maybe not if you move next door to stfu's 140-mph wind mountain.

[Tippster]

Maybe Montana Mt. towns?

[TWINS]

Why not San Diego ?
Cooler climate and cheaper housing.
Not much farther drive to Mammoth/Big Bear and lots of industry.
That's where I would go.

[zion zig zag]

How so?

I did notice some issues with Provo:

1) People are very closed.
2) Almost everything Sunday is closed.

I would only be working in Provo and live nearby.

What did you not like about Ogden? Maybe I'm wrong, but if you answer like I suspect you will, then Provo will have most of those problems multiplied by a factor of 10.