Find me a good place to live for cycling

[.RJ]

Originally Posted by joosttx

I would suggest an attitude adjustment before searching out a new place to live. You seem very negative.

Product of my environment, most likely. The customer site where I work these days is a terrible place to spend my time. But the commute is short and the money is good.

Anyone here live or lived in Bend, Or?

[Mzilliox]

Originally Posted by SoCalSteve

Wow, thanks for stereotyping!!!

I assume you have met every person who lives in socal so you can make this well informed decision.

I didn't mean it as a blanket statement, thats where im from too. There are asshats in every place, thats my point. there is also quite a lot of people in so cal. But when someone says they are trying to get away from the rat race... i feel like adding maybe so cal is not the place to go to avoid a rat race. Maybe chill some? Isn't that what Cali is about? here's a beer sheesh. you'd think i trumped in your cheerios

[.RJ]

Originally Posted by Mzilliox

i feel like adding maybe so cal is not the place to go to avoid a rat race. Maybe chill some?

Can you explain further? I'm drawn to the idea of great weather year round, and I know east-coast transplants that have moved out there have had a bit of a culture shock at work, in a good way - they had to dial down the intensity a bit.

[huck*this]

Originally Posted by .RJ

Product of my environment?

Anyone here live or lived in Bend, Or?

I was going to recommend Bend although jobs don't seem to pay as well. I'm also in the IT field.

[Kirk007]

Having lived in Seattle for most of the past 3 decades I wouldn't recommend it. If you live in the City proper, the riding is far from optimal unless you put your bike on a car and drive, and even then the outlying areas are getting more and more crowded. I guess for some the idea of driving to ride is not much of an issue but for me, it drives me crazy (in part because driving around here is a very frustrating and time consuming endeavor).

The weather sucks 9 months out of the year (but as things are going, that statement is true about a lot of places). March is shaping up to set yet another new record for monthly rainfall, as did February and the most recent climate science indicates that this more intense wet weather pattern may be the new normal not just la nina/el nino variability.

It is incredibly expensive - reaching San Fran levels; higher than DC/NVa. What was a $500,000 house 5 years ago is now around $1M and $400K gets you a tear down cottage. Rents are correspondingly high - $1800-3000 for a two bedroom place.

You can live outside the City proper and have slightly lower housing costs and more open space but if your job depends on getting into the city then you are dealing with horrendous traffic and its getting worse. Seattle area is growing by leaps and bounds in terms of population but planning and the ability to deal with growth in terms of infrastructure lags sorely behind.

I wouldn't move here; indeed we are looking to leave the City to a more rural environ as soon as I am less tied to a downtown job.

[joosttx]

Originally Posted by .RJ

Product of my environment, most likely. The customer site where I work these days is a terrible place to spend my time. But the commute is short and the money is good.

Anyone here live or lived in Bend, Or?

“When you turn the corner
And you run into yourself
Then you know that you have turned
All the corners that are left.”
―Langston Hughes

I have lived all over this country and part of the world. What I noticed is the negatives are always about the same. ANd that you have the most control over those.

[Mzilliox]

Originally Posted by .RJ

Can you explain further? I'm drawn to the idea of great weather year round, and I know east-coast transplants that have moved out there have had a bit of a culture shock at work, in a good way - they had to dial down the intensity a bit.

again, relativity, you are probably right as far as west coast being more laid back than east coast. but I can't help but feel that "keeping up with the Joneses" attitude when i go back to visit. Its a very image conscious area, not my cup of tea at all, if you want laid back west coast, there is no city better than Portland. and the bike culture puts almost any to shame.

but yeah, if you like really hot weather, its there in socal. so are the people, so is the money, so is the cost of living, pollution, and so is the competition.

[velofinds]

If I were starting from a blank slate, I might look into San Diego. Tacos, beach, canyon -- sounds pretty good to me if you don't mind having the same season year-round.

[.RJ]

Originally Posted by joosttx

I have lived all over this country and part of the world. What I noticed is the negatives are always about the same. ANd that you have the most control over those.

Yep, I 100% agree. And if I go seeking out assholes no matter where I am I'll find them.

Apologize if I come across negative, but, I do think its time to move somewhere a little more laid back atmosphere in general.

[Ralph]

Just to show how people have different ingrained biases about certain areas of USA......I am retired, and can live anywhere in USA I wish.....and have visited about every area in USA in most seasons.....and I wouldn't consider living anywhere else (as a home base) than NE Central Florida. Around here....gently rolling hills, lots of long bike trails for commuting or getting you out into rural areas. Some 15% hills just west of me out in the country. Year around cycling....little hot in summer months, but I get out early, get done by 10:30 or so....then hit pool. Organized rides about every day. Road, Crit, Cross racing in season. Big national teams train here in winter. Job prospects probably not as good as some colder places. I love Colorado also....especially Ft Collins......but man....I hear about how good the weather is....and don't believe a word (except mid summer to early fall)...I've been there in summer, fall, winter and spring (mud). Winters are still cold, and last a long time. Good cycling friend of mine just moved to here from Denver...retired lawyer. You couldn't pry him out of here.

NO state income tax, and I bet almost everyone out there thinks where I live is like Disney....or their last beach trip. It isn't. No place is perfect all the time. (BTW....I could live on San Juan Islands off Seattle....been there also)

Point is.....go for the job prospects, rewarding career and prosperous family is more important than cycling. Lots of good cycling places with good career prospects... if me.....that's how I see it.

[john903]

joosttx well said I like your style. To the OP maybe it is just time for a good old fashioned road trip. Seek out an area that has been suggested and stay for a week or so. What might happen is you come home refreshed realizing you have everything you need right where you are and you just needed a well deserved vacation. By the way I like North Carolina up in the mountains. If you like the Northwest it is great, but you have to also like our grey and rainy days too. I am starting to wonder if it will ever stop raining and the sun come back out and I have lived in Washington for 20 years.
Have a great day.

[Tickdoc]

New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Texas....All would have appeal to me. I like the laid back New Mexico style, lots of hills, decent weather. Southern Colorado is nice...Pueblo, Canon City, Duraqngo....so Many fun places to live. I'm not much on big cities....unless I live in the small cities around the big cities, and I prefer mountains to beaches....but that is me....languishing here in the flatlands.

[.RJ]

Originally Posted by john903

Seek out an area that has been suggested and stay for a week or so. What might happen is you come home refreshed realizing you have everything you need right where you are and you just needed a well deserved vacation.

Yep, we do this fairly frequently, and try to seek out new places to go every year - I've lived & traveled around the country enough to generate some biases on where I'd like to go, but its interesting to throw the discussion out to a group and see what else they come back with. Perhaps there is something I'd missed that we ought to go check out, and sometimes things arent as rosy as they seem for living there vs visiting for a week. Cycling & outdoors is important, but so are job prospects and plenty of areas that mix both of them well.

[Ken Robb]

Originally Posted by blakcloud

I would suggest Huntsville, Alabama. Yes, I stereotyped it before I got there and boy did I change my mind. Small city but plenty of good cycling. Lots of hills to train, mountain biking and cyclocross. You never get the snow that you did in your neck of the woods. You can ride all year around with just a little discomfort.

I have been in around Fairfax Virginia at least a dozen times and Huntsville reminds of very much of Fairfax.

Housing is still affordable and available. Homes that would be about a $800,000 dollars in Toronto, sell for about $300,000 in Huntsville and surrounding area. As for jobs, there is the Redstone Arsenal and of course NASA which might be good for your wife.

The downside of Huntsville is flying in and out of the airport. It has the most expensive tickets to fly in the country, so many fly to Nashville and take the shuttle into Huntsville (this is what I do). They also don't sell Powerball which means driving to Tennessee. Tornadoes can also be troublesome. I had the rare privilege of seeing my first Tornado as I was driving from Nashville to Huntsville and it was pretty scary.

Check it out online, it might be a contender.

I was going to suggest Huntsville too. I had so much fun while I was stationed there for 26 months that I seriously considered staying after my discharge from The Army. I think it only snows every other year and you already know what Summers are like. Heck, they may be easier than D.C. due to slightly lower humidity.
Riding in SoCal has great weather and pretty good off-road/gravel opportunities but there aren't very many quiet country lanes to ride. I don't think cyclo-cross events are common. We have a cross course on the UCSD campus where there used to be monthly races but I don't think there is even one anymore. OTOH, the course is about a mile from my back door and I enjoy riding it for fun.

I wonder if there would be job opportunities for you guys around Vandenberg AFB. Living in Ventura or Santa Barbara Counties might be good.

[YesNdeed]

Originally Posted by Tickdoc

...but that is me....languishing here in the flatlands.

Oh man, but Tulsa Tough! It's the "Best weekend of racing" agreed an anonymous New Mexico racer. Never partaken, myself. Looks fun though.