The PersistentIllusion editorial board spent a lot of time in Estes Park, Colorado this past week.  It’s a small, touristy town that is trying it’s darndest to be the next ‘it’ skiing town.

The only problem with being a tourist town is that you hate chumps tourists but you still want their money.  As someone from Orlando, I immediately recognized the veiled hostility beneath the veneer of lackluster customer service. 

What stumped me was that fact that a person who hated tourists would stay in a tourist town.  At least in Orlando you could go places to get away from them, there were other things to do.  But Estes Park?  All tourists, all the time or the town is dead.

I got to talking to one of the locals about it and, to my astonishment, people stay in Estes Park because that’s where they were born.  That’s it.  They’re afraid and they don’t know anything else.

If you were born in Estes Park, you probably aren’t a custom-artisan anything.  No glass blowing; no professional photography; no bison burger restauranteur.  Which leaves you the service industry which, frankly, you can do anywhere for about the same amount of money.

So what’s a bitter, small town denizen to do?

1.  Make a decision!  You are moving.  Now all you have to do is work out the when, where, and how.

2.  Scope out the area.  Pick a place that is within 3 hours driving distance of your current location.  3 hours in every direction gives you a lot of options and you can make several day trips to get yourself comfortable with the city.  It also gives you the flexibility of getting all your arrangements taken care of before your move. 

You’ll probably be going bigger, but beware!  If you are from a small town, you may not truly understand the scope of crime in a bigger area.  Make sure you do not live on the south side of any city.

3.  Craigslist, Career Builder, and the local paper.  Start looking at the jobs available in the town you wish to move to.  Get familiar with the industries and types of places which hire the most.  Know that, no matter where you go, you can always wait tables or work retail. 

4.  Find your recreational home.  People tend to go to the same restaurants, movie theaters, and clubs.  Test the waters in your new place and find a place, or places, that feel right to you.  Since I love to dance and eat, I always check out the clubs and restaurants before I move.  I need sushi and salsa before I’ll move anywhere.  Make sure you have whatever you need before you move.

5.  Get involved.  If you are worried that you won’t meet anyone, don’t!  Meetup.com and volunteerism are great ways to meet people.  You also have the opportunity in a larger city to meet with more people who share your hobbies and interests.  No worries.  There are cycling clubs, hiking clubs, politics specific clubs, investing clubs, and even sci-fi and :cough: Star Trek clubs.  I met lots of people by hanging out at my local bookstore.

6.  The Great Adventure.  If you are scared, go for it!  This country was founded by people who took a leap of faith to travel by wagon to places they had never seen.  Moving is the number one way to shake up your life and routine.  The best part is, if you hate it, you can still move back with a better appreciation of the town you grew up in.