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Chaco Taco
01-22-2007, 15:04
Just curious for those of you that live in trailtowns. How is it to live so close. Hows the employment picture. Im a cook going to school to be a teacher and am looking at towns near the trail as possible destinations for moving next year. I would especially like to hear from Lone Wolf about Damascus.

RiverWarriorPJ
01-22-2007, 15:16
Same interest here.....been 2 Damascus a few times & may have a job at 1 of the outfitters there (come April).....i guess i'll do some extended tent camping till i find a roof...lol.....but 1st, because of the posts here on WB, i gotta check out Erwin, Tn.....sounds KooLer than Damascus.....good luck....see ya in the RealEstate office..
z
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LupeLeah
01-24-2007, 10:50
I am looking forward to my first visit to Damascus. Would to go before trail days to get a feel of the area prior to the crowds arriving.

Lone Wolf
01-24-2007, 10:54
Just curious for those of you that live in trailtowns. How is it to live so close. Hows the employment picture. Im a cook going to school to be a teacher and am looking at towns near the trail as possible destinations for moving next year. I would especially like to hear from Lone Wolf about Damascus.

there's no real work in damascus. abingdon or bristol which are close by, would have more opportunity for work.

Almost There
01-24-2007, 11:01
As a teacher I can tell you right now, that your possibilities of landing a teaching job would be slim, as there aren't many schools in low population areas...on top of this the pay is quite often "considerably" less than in higher populated areas. The nice thing is that teacher salaries are available to the public and you can find them usually online. Good Luck though!

Forrest
01-24-2007, 19:37
While there are certainly fewer teaching jobs in small population areas, sometimes they can be the jobs that are available for beginning teachers as smaller population centers can have more trouble filling openings. It really depends on what you are planning to teach. If you are planning to teach math, science or special education then you will find more openings and fewer candidates. What do you plan to teach? Will you be fully licensed? That usually helps.

Forrest

RiverWarriorPJ
01-24-2007, 19:59
If all else fails......CowBoys always has a "HelpWanted" sign in the window....

Lone Wolf
01-24-2007, 20:07
If all else fails......CowBoys always has a "HelpWanted" sign in the window....

$5.50 an hour plus ****ty hours

neighbor dave
01-24-2007, 20:15
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showpost.php?p=308733&postcount=4

:-? anybody can cook "hushpuppies",and dere ain't no skoolin' down dere!:p

now iffin yer tawkin' about opnin' up a meth lab?? dumasskiss iz da place!!!;)
p.s. couldn't resist!!!

RAT
01-24-2007, 21:42
DammAssKiss is one of my favorite places (not just becaz of the meth labs) lol, but Erwin (which has Ms.Janet who takes in hikers, Wolf doesnt cater to hikers, lol ) is much closer to Johnson City which is a real town with lotsa jobs, stores etc so you may want to look there first. Heck, Erwin even has a Wally World now !! But if ya like the small town life (like I would rather be living) then Big D is your town, but you will have to commute to find work. Good luck in whatever you choose !

RAT

Gray Blazer
01-24-2007, 21:49
Johnson City area is nice. Someone asked about Robbinsville in another thread. Their question and mine too was basically is Robbinsville, NC a trail town? Does anybody ever talk about it?

Lone Wolf
01-24-2007, 21:50
Johnson City area is nice. Someone asked about Robbinsville in another thread. Their question and mine too was basically is Robbinsville, NC a trail town? Does anybody ever talk about it?

hikers rarely go into robbinsville.

Gray Blazer
01-24-2007, 21:56
hikers rarely go into robbinsville.
That's what I was wondering. Is there a reason or is it further away from Cheoh Gap than I remembered? Seems like a decent place to get a hitch. Maybe everybody supplies at NOC and then Fontana so there's no reason.

Lone Wolf
01-24-2007, 21:58
Maybe everybody supplies at NOC and then Fontana so there's no reason.

correct. pretty much it.

Fly By Mike
01-24-2007, 22:00
I have two homes - both in trail towns. One in Egremont, MA only a few miles from the trail and the other near Millinocket, ME with a view of Katahdin from my bed. I love both places. If you want work the Berkshires in MA in the summer is the place to go. Millinocket is pretty depressed right now and not much in the way of work there but its a great area to live and hike and you can buy a decent house there for less than 40K.

Gray Blazer
01-24-2007, 22:04
Since I've never thru-hiked, I assumed that every town within a few miles or more (Gatlinburg is several miles off the trail and everyone seems to try to hitch there) was a trail town. How many real thru-hiker AT towns are there? Is there a list?

moxie
01-24-2007, 22:11
Hot Springs was looking for a police chief the last time I was there. Wingfoot could always use a good public relations person. If you want to settle further north perhaps Dartmouth could use another professor. The Walmart in Perisburg may need a person to stand at the door and say, "Welcome to your friendly Walmart" over and over. If you smoke you could get a job as a tester at that large cigarette filter factory just north of Perisburg. Monson needs someone to shut out the only street light at 8pm every night. There must be alot of jobs in trail towns.

rafe
01-24-2007, 22:11
Since I've never thru-hiked, I assumed that every town within a few miles or more (Gatlinburg is several miles off the trail and everyone seems to try to hitch there) was a trail town. How many real thru-hiker AT towns are there? Is there a list?

Quite a few... Hot Springs, Damascus, DWG, Dalton, North Adams, Hanover, Caratunk. Monson used to be on the trail. Towns like Kent are a short walk away. Towns like Gorham can be reached via blue-blazes. Towns like Andover ME end up being havens because of the slackpacking opportunities. I'm sure I missed lots more cool trail towns. These just come to mind...

Elf
01-25-2007, 00:16
Lowspark, do you want to be close to the trail to be with other hikers, or do you want to be near it so that you can spend time hiking?

In Pennsylvania a teacher has a good chance of finding a job well within an hour's drive of the trail, in places like Chambersburg, Harrisburg, Reading, or Allentown. Finding a job specifically in a place to work as a teacher directly on or within walking distance of the trail, like Duncannon or Palmerton, would be much harder.

peakbagger
01-25-2007, 14:03
Gorham NH is another spot to consider. There are two school systems in the area (Randolph, Gorham Shelburne coop and Berlin NH system) plus a small Vocational technical college. It is a resort area so there are usually seasonal jobs availlable (no benefits). If you are into trailwork, both the AMC and RMC run paid summer trail crews. There is cheap (but old) housing up the road in Berlin NH. Entry level teacher pay in northern NH isnt great, so there is usually a demand for new teachers.

The down side is that it was -17 F in Berlin NH this morning so if you dont like the cold for a few months per year, than you may want to look elsewhere.

Nean
01-25-2007, 14:46
Living close to the trail is a nice way of always feeling connected to it.:sun
I have lived 5m from Grafton Notch in Maine,
15m away from Delaware Water Gap in Pa.,
within a few hundred feet in Harpers Ferry,
on the trail in Hot Springs,
and Neel Gap,
and the trail crossed our driveway near Allen Gap in N.C.;)
Now out west, we're much further- about 35m,:eek: but there is much more work in this trail town.
You may find it easier to find work as a cook in many small towns.:o

1Pint
01-25-2007, 14:54
....Millinocket is pretty depressed right now and not much in the way of work there but its a great area to live and hike and you can buy a decent house there for less than 40K.

Are you for real? Seriously? $40K for an okay house? :confused: Dang! And I thought Ohio was affordable! Hmmm... gonna hav'ta take a look at Millinocket after the trail. :)

dperry
01-25-2007, 20:58
As a teacher I can tell you right now, that your possibilities of landing a teaching job would be slim, as there aren't many schools in low population areas...on top of this the pay is quite often "considerably" less than in higher populated areas.

True. . .on the other hand, the cost of living is also usually less in less populated areas, as Fly by Mike points out when talking about houses in Millinocket.

Desert Lobster
01-26-2007, 02:27
Just punch in Millinocket, ME at realtor.com and check out the house prices.

rafe
01-26-2007, 10:35
Interesting thread. Retiring to a trail town is my fondest dream. The wife adds the stipulation that it be a college town. But that puts the location way too close to Baltimore Jack. Life's full of hard choices. Plus of course I can't help but note that the cost of living is always 100% inversely related to the availability of decent jobs. One of us would need to keep working, just for the health insurance.

Fly By Mike
01-26-2007, 16:43
Are you for real? Seriously? $40K for an okay house? :confused: Dang! And I thought Ohio was affordable! Hmmm... gonna hav'ta take a look at Millinocket after the trail. :)

I wish more hikers would make it home. Its a great place and despite the high unemployment since the mills laid off a lot of folks some years ago, there are still some opportunities there - particularly for hikers and there is also a pretty big white water rafting business there. There is no store to buy hiking gear for example and all SOBO's go through there to start. There is no regular shuttles and yet there are lots of trailheads that hikers use. There is no regular re-supply service. The only bus to anywhere is at Medway and a shuttle to Bangor Airport from Millinocket would surely do well in the summer if someone started one. And I have even more ideas if anyone wants to move there. The AT Hostel and Cafe has just sold and apparently the new owners are well liked and should do well. If you want a buy a cheap house let me know. I'm not a realtor but I know a lot of houses for sale - some even less than $40K.

Chaco Taco
01-27-2007, 14:54
The reason i ask is because Im just too far away from the mountains. I have thought about Asheville. Really good music scene and good schools, both college and city schools. I would really like to move away from Chapel Hil and settle in the mountains either NC, TN, Va

Lone Wolf
01-27-2007, 14:57
The reason i ask is because Im just too far away from the mountains. I have thought about Asheville. Really good music scene and good schools, both college and city schools. I would really like to move away from Chapel Hil and settle in the mountains either NC, TN, Va

Asheville ain't for me, too liberal, but I do like it in small doses. Was there last weekend for music and I'm going again in a month for more. Food food too. found a great Thai place. Lotsa beer.

Fly By Mike
01-28-2007, 01:14
You would like Maine, Wolf. Bangor folk festival and liberals that talk like republicans and vice versa. Lotsa beer and good home cookin'.

Chaco Taco
01-28-2007, 15:02
Asheville ain't for me, too liberal, but I do like it in small doses. Was there last weekend for music and I'm going again in a month for more. Food food too. found a great Thai place. Lotsa beer.

Yea, The Highland Beers are freakin awesome.
Who did you go see?

Lone Wolf
01-28-2007, 15:12
Yea, The Highland Beers are freakin awesome.
Who did you go see?

The Machine, a Pink Floyd tribute band

Chaco Taco
01-28-2007, 17:51
The Machine, a Pink Floyd tribute band

They are here next weekend. Pretty damn good show I hear

Desert Lobster
01-28-2007, 17:54
And those few Maine conservatives like me!!!

ASUGrad
01-29-2007, 15:28
Asheville is really expensive

Pearisburg is really cheap, especially if you look in nearby Narrows or Pembroke. It's about 25 minutes to Blacksburg where Virginia Tech is located. By cheap, I mean you can pick up a decent house for $80k in Narrows.