#31
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Saratoga Springs, hands down. Learn to ski at Gore.
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#32
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The riding is definitely good here. I've been riding around the same area for 20 years, although I lived in NH for about 5 years out of the last 20 as well. Drivers are pretty good and there's lots of great routes, clubs, racing, etc.. But it is not as hilly/mountainous as I'd like. It's definitely not Florida and it's possible to average 1000ft of climbing per 20 miles by working at incorporating as many hills as possible into a route but it's nothing like living in the mountains. For me I can ride to Mt. Wachusett and it takes 100 miles round trip to do so roughly. And that's a "starter" mountain, the ride itself gives you more significant climbing than the mountain does. It's not so great I do it every year. When I lived in NH I would climb Pack Monadnock a great deal, it was within a 40 mile ride if I took a direct route and I could work it into great 50-70 mile rides. Ever since I moved back to Massachusetts I had said I would ride up there to climb it. Turns out it was 111 miles round trip and I had to take some of the same (very direct) routes on the trip out and back just to do it in that distance. Haven't done it again, it was about the toughest solo ride of that length I've ever done and I haven't been fit enough to do it again in the last few years. But that was what it takes to get to something real. (That ride was 6100ft of climbing) OP never said whether he needed to be able to find work in a great cycling location. If you can work remote or don't need to work at all then a lot of the better locations open up. If you have to work jobs are obviously VERY good in Middlesex County. Last edited by benb; 10-15-2021 at 10:19 AM. |
#33
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#34
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To the OP: What are the other parameters? What else are you looking for?
Anyways, I'm partial to the area in MA west of I-495. The Bedford guys can have their traffic, though traffic is relative. Anytime I get close to rte 128 (Concord, Dover, etc), I find the traffic a real pain. Just what I'm used to out here past I-495. I'd like to repeat the suggestion of the Northampton area. The riding is excellent. You can stay in the valley for flattish rides. Go just a bit west and you hit the hills, very little traffic, dirt roads and great scenery. There's a reason the Jeremy Powers Grand Fundo ride and D2R2 are perennial favorites. With all the colleges, the area is vibrant with lots going on, good restaurants, arts, music, etc. Real estate can *ahem* be pricey, depending on where you're coming from. |
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Hello friends -
All your responses have been fascinating. I stated my original questions broadly so as to hear a wider range of thoughts. But yes, most definitely a bunch of other parameters. I turned 70 this year, and my wife just retired, so that's part of our thoughts too. So we're also looking for things like: * A lively center, with street life. I don't want NYC anymore (or any other large US city), moved away in 2006, but don't want suburbia anymore either. * Relatively flat compared to much of Westchester, where we are now. Age matters. * A network of trails for connecting places. We like avoiding too many cars. * Not far, too, from unpaved roads which are typically quiet and are much fun with our gravel bikes. * The ability to minimize car use for things like grocery shopping. * A state we feel comfortable in. We're increasingly seeing that the state you live in here in the United States can greatly affect your life. So in fact, Northampton has been on my radar since I've started this quest. We've been there a few times, cycled there too, although it was a while ago. And we like the idea of being in a college town, in this case a locus in a college area, for a few reasons. But I wondered where else, hence this thread. We will have to explore more. Smiles, Dave, who says one advantage in downsizing would be translating a NYC suburban single family home to a Northampton condo for instance Quote:
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#36
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That being said, driving in CT is awful due to traffic. |
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We semi-retired in Barrington RI, 1/2 mile from east bay bike path. Live on it daily, or pieces of it. Flat around here, but my back issues have really hampered my strength. Did a beautiful ride down in the Westport area today. Food is fantastic, both north (Providence) as well as south (Warren, Bristol, Newport). Yes we are in flood plain, but by the time global warming really hits, we will be dust. Other area you may consider is south of Portland ME, cape Elizabeth. Scarborough is wonderful town.
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#38
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-Robin |
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As for the OP, hearing more about your wants when relocating, I'll reinforce that I think Northampton would be a good fit for you. (And probably better than the more town-like feel of neighboring Amherst.) It's got a much livelier downtown feel than most any other place of its size that I've ever been to. You've got access to great riding that's pretty flat if you stay north/south, and pretty hilly if you go east/west, generally speaking. Portsmouth, NH and Portland, ME have lively downtown scenes, but I can't comment on the quality of riding in those areas. As previously mentioned, Burlington, VT could be a good choice for you too. Other folks talking about Saratoga Springs have me curious to visit it... Good luck with the quest! |
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How do state taxes vary?
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#41
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https://taxfoundation.org/publicatio...rden-rankings/
This is a good place to start. Obviously it can depend a lot on your specific mix of income, assets, and consumption. In generally, New York has the highest taxes, New Hampshire has the lowest, and most of the other states are pretty similar.
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#43
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So dangerous there…… |
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Virginia is the southern most part of the Northeast. Charlottesville area seems quite nice, good university town, excellent healthcare, mountains in one direction and relatively flat riding in the others, trail network, and decent roads compared to the snowy north. Some excellent restaurants within an hour. Bit far to Dulles ( 90 minutes or so). Limited real experience there, couple visits with only one short stint on bike.
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Winters can be tough. It can be cold, much colder than downstate, but, hey, you always can look down on Saranac Lake, which is usually ten degrees colder than anywhere else when it gets bad. But, you're that much closer to the ADK and Vermont for skiing. I used to live in Saratoga, miss it a lot. It's the nicest small city in upstate NY, including Ithica, which is cool, but is surprisingly sketchy in some neighborhoods, and a little isolated. Saratoga is about 3 hours to NYC, Boston, and Montreal. Albany airport, about an easy half hour south, is an excellent second tier airport that Southwest serves.
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It's not a new bike, it's another bike. Last edited by Mr. Pink; 10-17-2021 at 09:30 AM. |
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