Where should I move?

[Starfish]

Do you LOVE where you live (or have lived before)?

I have the opportunity to move in the next year or so, and I would love to hear why your area (in the U.S.) is cycling nirvana and a great place to live & work!

I love a dry climate, lots of sunshine, snow OK in winter, mountains, and at least one big body of water (large river, lake, etc). Prefer small/medium town with access (maybe 1-2 hour drive) to larger town/city. And, I want a GREAT place to be a roadie (and maybe a place to learn X-country biking, too). I'm more of a western U.S. kind of girl, but who knows?

I would love to hear from the wonderful TE women!

[KnottedYet]

Eugene, Oregon.

[pooks]

Estes Park, Colorado would be my choice.

[Starfish]

Pooks...details, details!! :)

[Starfish]

Knot...Eugene does not have a dry climate...does it? Or, is that an incorrect stereotype I have?

[Trek420]

Don't tell anyone about what I think is the most beautiful part of CA; Sonoma County.

Small towns I'm thinking Sebastapol, Healdsburgh, Pt. Reyes, Fairfax whoops, that's in Marin county let's go back to Sonoma ... Petaluma, Calistoga ... you might like Santa Cruz to the south of the Bay ....lots of small towns to choose from.

Snow aka the Sierras and Tahoe not too far away, got everything else you need.

[pooks]

Well, Rocky Mountain National Park is my favorite place to camp, and I'd love to live in Estes Park (right there at the national park entrance) which is about an hour from Boulder, which is another way cool place, and not much farther to Denver.

It's dry in the mountains. The only thing not so available is the large body of water, though there are mountain lakes and streams all over.

Chasm Falls:

http://planetpooks.files.wordpress.com/2006/08/chasm-falls.jpg

And cyclists riding up Fall River Road in the park:

http://planetpooks.files.wordpress.com/2006/08/cycling-old-fall-river.jpg

[KnottedYet]

Knot...Eugene does not have a dry climate...does it? Or, is that an incorrect stereotype I have?

Well, drier than around here!:D

www.eugene-or.gov

[Starfish]

Pooks, thanks!

Trek420, I LOVED the visits I have done to Sonoma. Are there mountains visible from there? It has been awhile since I've been...

[Starfish]

Well, drier than around here!:D


Is there anywhere that isn't? :p Hey, I lived in Seattle for 10 years!

[KnottedYet]

Pt. Reyes, Fairfax whoops, that's in Marin county let's go back to Sonoma

you threw those in for my benefit, didn'tcha? sneaky, sneaky.

[SadieKate]

Does X-country biking mean mountain bikiing or touring on a road bike?

If XC mtbiking plus all your other criteria, Bend, Oregonia.

The dry side of the Cascades with mountains on one side and flat on the other. Fabulous mtbiking, road biking, skiing, water sports, etc. ,etc., etc. Distilleries, breweries, Washington pinots within reach. What's not to like?

That's where I'm headed.

[SadieKate]

Trek420, I LOVED the visits I have done to Sonoma. Are there mountains visible from there? It has been awhile since I've been...Oh yeah, those mountains we were all recently arguing about whether you need a triple to ride.

[KnottedYet]

Is there anywhere that isn't? :p Hey, I lived in Seattle for 10 years!

I grew up here, and actually like the rain. But my nearest-and-dearest isn't a rainy kind of critter. So I've a feeling I'll be living somewhere drier someday.:( but I'll manage.:(

[LBTC]

Vernon, BC

Okay, I know, that's not in the US, but it *is* gorgeous, pretty small, long dry summer, snow in winter, nestled between 3 lakes, large cycling community of every kind, world class x-c skiing, plus downhill skiing, and a great road climb in the summer to get up to the hill, easy access to high altitude training, nice flowers, nice people, and, holy cow, in the spring the city sends a chipper around to chip the branches you've pruned in your yard....and they even rake the grass!

It's a great place to live!

What do you do for work?

Hugs & butterflies,
~T~

[smilingcat]

Leucadia Ca.
Cardiff by the Sea, Ca.
Encinitas, Ca.
Carlsbad, Ca.

All in San Diego County. I luv Leucadia cause its bit funky old sorta like Santa Cruz minus all the Marijuna farms :D

Coastal route is really beautiful with long straightaways without lights. some rollers and at Torry Pine, there is a good climb. People are all friendly. Can't remember a time when someone didn't wave a hand or say something to you. Number of pro tri-athletes call the area home and cyclist there tend to be really good. Lots of clubs, cycling and other kinds too. Belly up tavern in Solona Beach, Croche's in gas light district of SD... About an hour away is Julien known for apples and apple pies. They even have a year round Christmas store. Last I heard, they managed to keep McDonald from setting up shop in downtown area.

Even the drivers are nice toward cyclist. Mostly sunny, occasional rain (others might call it misting). If you want to train on a hill you could do the Palomar Mountain ride. Oh Julien has a mtn bike event and a road event. Pretty hard core though... Lots to do besides the Zoo, Wild Animal park, sea world. They even have a Shakespearian playhouse. And its really good located in Bolboa Park. Lovely place.

And I've lived in lots of places. Overland Park, Ks; NY, NY; SLC, Ut; Carlsbad, Oceanside, Tustin, Newport Beach, Costa Mesa, and my current home Hermosa Beach Ca. I think SD is the best place... although we want to move to Oak Harbor or Coupville on Whidby Island Wa. My housemate owned her first home in Oak Harbor.

Oh you wanted dry. So far this rain season (starts in Oct. or there abouts.) we have had a total of 2 to 3 inches of rain. And the rain season will be over about now. No rain till next October.

Too much of good thing gets to be bland sunny today with high of 80. tomorrow sunny with high of 80. day in day out... well right now its bone chilly 65.

Shawn

[Trek420]

Pooks, thanks!

Trek420, I LOVED the visits I have done to Sonoma. Are there mountains visible from there? It has been awhile since I've been...

Depends on what you mean by mountains, hills really but here's a typical photo from Santa Rosa Cycling Club.


I grew up here, and actually like the rain. But my nearest-and-dearest isn't a rainy kind of critter. So I've a feeling I'll be living somewhere drier someday.:( but I'll manage.:(

Hey it rains here ;-) Rained today, even.

[roadie gal]

Truckee, Ca, near Lake Tahoe. Beautiful scenery, great road and world class mountain biking. Close to Sacramento, Sonoma, San Fransisco, but not nearly as hot (80 as opposed to over 100 degrees). Skiing in the winter... Who could ask for more?

[Trekhawk]

Truckee, Ca, near Lake Tahoe. Beautiful scenery, great road and world class mountain biking. Close to Sacramento, Sonoma, San Fransisco, but not nearly as hot (80 as opposed to over 100 degrees). Skiing in the winter... Who could ask for more?

Ooooh Truckee. Check out the link below for a couple of shots of a ride I did from Truckee to Tahoe and back. Its sooooo pretty. Have to have your shovel handy in winter though.:D
http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=11132

[anakiwa]

Consider Vermont- I think we've got everything you were looking for. (And er um plenty of snow in April as well.) If you need a really big city, you wouldn't like it here, but if you're into small cities Burlington and Montpelier have a lot going for them. I'm within 1-2 miles of a really neat downtown- and I go running/biking on endless dirt road networks without having to drive to get there.

[MINIskirt]

have you tried to Find Your Spot?

http://www.findyourspot.com/


It's a quiz that matches you to places that meet your criteria. You might want to give it a shot! ;)

[maillotpois]

I love where we live: Marin County, CA.

We are 15 minutes to San Francisco across the Golden Gate Bridge and 3 - 4 hours to Tahoe. And we're smack dab in the middle of cycling nirvana: farms, cows, ocean views, hills, dirt trails for the MTB'ers. We live on the side of Mt. Tamalpais, which is a beautiful small mountain overlooking the sea and SF Bay.

In spite of being so close to a wonderful big city, much of Marin is very small-towny. My 11 year old daughter can walk around town by herself without a worry. And a huge percentage of the county is designated as either open space land trust or agricultural use.

Oh - and BJ Hunicutt from MASH lived in my town! You know, with Peg and the kids. :cool:

Of course the cost of living is tough. It took us 7 years living in DH's parents' house to finally be able to afford to move out on our own. But there are areas in the northern part of the county, or next door Sonoma County which Trek referred to, where it's not so expensive as Southern Marin.

[mountainchick]

I grew up in Fort Collins, CO...stones throw away from Estes Park, Denver, Wyoming, etc.

I wish I could go back now, I miss CO so much. I'd vote for CO (just not Denver or Co Springs)...

Tahoe/Truckee is good too!

And BTW...CO has just as many sunny days as San Diego :) San Diego is nice (lived there too) but it doesn't beat CO.

[mountainchick]

So I did that spot, and my first match was Wisconsin...I never would imagine myself there! Only mountains for me baby!

[spazzdog]

Austin Texas - The hill country. Colorado River runs through the middle of town. Lake country to the north. The very roads Sir Lance trains on.

Not to mention great music, great food and its a college town, techno center so supposedly lots of jobs.

I lived there in the 80's and get back there on occasion. Love the place!

spazz

[teigyr]

I agree with Smilingcat --- San Diego County has some beautiful riding. I am from California and while I don't miss some aspects of it, I used to go down there to ride all the time. I know that Torrey Pines hill well :D

San Luis Obispo area is really pretty as is Paso Robles. I've done a lot of great riding up there, also.

I like the Santa Barbara area. There are some fantastic coastal or inland cities with moderate temperature, rolling hills, and wineries to boot! (Of course Sonoma is great too.)

That is so exciting that you have this opportunity! I kind of did it when I moved to Seattle and while I don't regret it, I miss the California weather.

[CyclaSutra]

Lots of reasons to move to Wyoming:

• No state income tax
• Our open container law doesn't kick in until July 1, so until then, you can enjoy a beer on the way back from the ride if you're the passenger (partial ha-has, but seriously, the get-the-heck-outa-our-life-you-governmental-types attitude is prevalent)
• Lots of sun, all year long, hardly ever any fog, a few rainy days
• Skiing in the winter, biking in the summer. We have a lot of summer tourist traffic, but there are back roads to avoid it.
• Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone... in the spring and fall, they close some roads to cars and let bikes rule!
• New Center for the Arts has a theater, dance company, art association... lots of culture here
• D-R-Y ... when I moved here I had oily skin. No more!

Check out our chamber of commerce: www.jhchamber.com
or my place of employment: www.jhnewsandguide.com

It's spendy, but worth it, I think! Good luck, starfish...

[Thorn]

So I did that spot, and my first match was Wisconsin...I never would imagine myself there! Only mountains for me baby!

Hrrrmmppphhhh....no dairy cows for you?!:) Contrary to stereotypes, there is actually some great cycling in the southwest corner of the state. The area has a lot steep rolling hills. No multi-mile long inclines, but plenty of steep killers (much harder, I thought, than the hill country of Texas). It is very similar in terrain to areas in northern England. The rest of the state? Pleasant, but flat...

That said, I also used the website and it kept saying Oregon. While I like the idea of transferring to a temperate climate, I want sunshine!

[spokewench]

Durango Colorado or Flagstaff Arizona. Both are very similar, Durango has more water than Flag. Flag looks like piney mountain forests, but does not have any rivers, or permanent lakes. Durango has a river that runs through it. Great road riding, better mountain biking - both towns are college towns. Both are beautiful. check them out

[GLC1968]

Greensboro, NC :D

It's all rolling hills with mountains 2 hours west and the beach 3 hours east. Raleigh/Durham and Charlotte are each only 1 hour to 90 minutes away. The climate is temperate. Light snow in the winter, but we can definitely ride year round. Nice mountain biking, even better road biking, not too much traffic... We have multiple awesome bike shops and quite a decent-sized biking community. The Blue Ridge Parkway (recently written up as the best biking highway in the US) is less than an hour away.

Plus, it's WAY cheaper than anything you'll find in CA. :p

http://home.fuse.net/kwadams/viaduct5.jpg

http://z.about.com/d/forestry/1/5/7/e/blu_ridge_pkw.jpg

[pooks]

You can bike on that without getting run down by cars? Gorgeous.

[Starfish]

You guys are SO great! I logged off last night, came back this evening, and WOW, lots of responses! :)

I have actually been through a lot of the towns and areas you have all mentioned, from CA to WY to CO to TX. Not SC or VT though! And, I have not yet tried the website to find my spot...I will do that! Some of you mentioned places that have been favorites of mine on travels, from Sonoma to Bend to Ft. Collins to Jackson to Durango, etc. I have to say, I am afraid they all might be a little pricey for me. Maybe it will be SC, here I come!

These responses are wonderful to read, and the pictures are so fun to look at. Keep 'em coming, women. I SO appreciate these forums!

Oh, and someone asked me what I do for work...well I've gone through a few iterations. Currently I am doing life coaching and workshops, as well as running a grant-funded after school program for at-risk kids. However, I also have a number of higher-ed HR & grant admin years under my belt, and some non-profit fund raising background. I love the coaching & kid work...might even consider a teaching certificate.

I'm really starting over after an unwanted divorce last year and the deaths of my parents this year. Everything is up for grabs as I move toward my dreams. The one thing I know is that I have always hated this climate (coastal western WA)!:rolleyes:

Thanks for listening! And, keep the ideas coming! :)

[Starfish]

Oops, I meant NC, not SC! :o

[Wahine]

It's a secret, so don't tell anyone.

The Gorge. I'm in White Salmon Washington, 1 hour from Portland, 45 min from skiing Mt Hood, 30 min from x-country skiing at Mt. Adams. World class kayaking, windsurfing, mtbiking....

The Columbia is large enough for water sports and generally warm. April to October you're warm to hot and generally dry. Nov to May you have varying degrees of cloudiness and rain. Much less rain than Seattle or Portland tho. If you want dryer you just head east by 15 min to half hour and you get a much larger percentage of dry and sunny days.

Here's some climate data:

http://www.wunderground.com/NORMS/DisplayNORMS.asp?AirportCode=KDLS&SafeCityName=White_Salmon&StateCode=WA&Units=none&IATA=DLS

You can come visit for a weekend sometime if you like. I'm only about 5 hours away.

[mountainchick]

You can always come to Japan ;)

[Starfish]

Wow, Wahine, nice offer. Might do that...if so, will PM you. I went to school in Pullman, and loved that climate. I always had the stereotype that the gorge area is super windy all the time. That true?

I have driven up and down the gorge and environs on my way to Pendleton, Bend, etc, but confess I have not spent time there.

[Starfish]

Oh, and here is what FindYourSpot.com tells me. Anyone have comments on these places...biking related or otherwise? I have driven through or vacationed a little in a number of these places...

Utah: Salt Lake, Tooele-Grantsville, Moab, Cedar City, Springville, St. George, Provo-Orem, Ogden

Colorado: Grand Junction, Ft. Collins, Durango, Colorado Springs, Estes Park

Arizona: Prescott, Fountain Hills

Idaho: Coeur d'Alene, Moscow

Wyoming: Sheridan, Cheyenne

Montana: Great Falls, Helena, Dillon, Bozeman, Livingston

[Wahine]

Wow, Wahine, nice offer. Might do that...if so, will PM you. I went to school in Pullman, and loved that climate. I always had the stereotype that the gorge area is super windy all the time. That true?

I have driven up and down the gorge and environs on my way to Pendleton, Bend, etc, but confess I have not spent time there.

It's pretty windy in the summer. That's why it's the windsurfing capitol of North America. But the wind generally follows the river and typically remains along a length of the river about 20 miles long. So on really windy days, you can travel farther east or west, north or south and get away from it. I just go windsurfing instead of riding my bike. It's better to make the wind your friend instead of fighting it. It's very zen.:rolleyes:

[Starfish]

It's better to make the wind your friend instead of fighting it. It's very zen.:rolleyes:

Aaaaah...you are the one they call Yoda, are you not? LOL

[Wahine]

Aaaaah...you are the one they call Yoda, are you not? LOL

If you're curious:

http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showpost.php?p=173120&postcount=24

Minor thread hijack. Back to the regular programing.

[Starfish]

Oh, I don't know...an actual resident Yoda must have some impact on an area's livability! (That, or all that wind is doing a number on your skin, by the pic...) :p

[Aggie_Ama]

Austin Texas - The hill country. Colorado River runs through the middle of town. Lake country to the north. The very roads Sir Lance trains on.

Not to mention great music, great food and its a college town, techno center so supposedly lots of jobs.

I lived there in the 80's and get back there on occasion. Love the place!

spazz

A shout out to my hometown! I was born and raised in Austin, left for college and then ran home.

The climate is exceptional all year round. Okay the summers are dang hot, but we can ride all winter. Snow is just a freak event and the town shuts down.

The hill country is challenging and quiet road riding. I live on the cusp of the hill country and we can ride out our door and 15 minutes later be out on country roads with little traffic.

Although we do have several colleges here, the colleges don't rule the town. You really have to get downtown to be immersed in the college kids- thank god! I left my college town because I was done with college life. Job market is good but competitive because the people who move here for school seem to stay.

Oh and the food- YUM! Who can't love Chuy's? Lance does!

[Trek420]

You can bike on that without getting run down by cars? Gorgeous.

I wanna ride that. :)

[GLC1968]

You can bike on that without getting run down by cars? Gorgeous.

Yes, indeed! But bring your climbing gears...it's rarely ever 'flat'.

Actually, I've found that a vast majority of the drivers in NC are very bike considerate. This seems to be even more true in the mountains. :)

[IFjane]

Yes, indeed! But bring your climbing gears...it's rarely ever 'flat'.

Actually, I've found that a vast majority of the drivers in NC are very bike considerate. This seems to be even more true in the mountains. :)

There is only one thing GLC forgot to mention......humidity. :eek: :eek: :eek:

But....the BRP is gorgeous, the speed limit is only 45 mph & it's a fun ride. Read about it in the Bicycling Mag. ("Best Road in America")

[michelem]

Folsom, CA. We moved here from the Phoenix area of AZ about a year-and-a-half ago and we love it. The American River Bike Trail boasts a 64 mile round-trip paved trail: http://www.trails.com/tcatalog_trail.asp?trailid=BGS057-026
We have Folsom Lake right here, and we are about 90 minutes from Lake Tahoe. Lots of bike clubs, such as Sacramento Bike Hikers and Folsom Peleton, even the Bodacious Biking Babes whom you may have read about in Bicycling Magazine (I've yet to meet any, but I may join if I do!). We moved here for my job, but my husband found work as a supervisor for a grant-funded after school program for at-risk youth (through a neighboring school district) - small world, huh? He was a licensed professional counselor in AZ, but the CA licensing requirements are completely different and a real bear. You did say that you want a dry climate though . . . it is rainy in the winter. Last winter I thought it would never stop raining and there was lots of flooding. This winter it was relatively dry and we are hearing the good ol' conserve water warnings because we aren't going to get the benefit of good snow run-off. Another drawback to this area is that it is BOOMING. Folsom is still a relatively small town, but developers are snatching up every bit of available land. We don't yet have a mall, but they've begun groundbreaking. I hate shopping and crowds, so this is not my idea of fun. But, if you live and work in Folsom as I do, you can bike to work on the many paved trails within the city limits. Oh, and the cost of living is outrageous. California property taxes are ridiculous! It was very hard for us to go from a $700 per month house payment (which included property tax, homeowner's insurance, etc.) to on 3x that amount for a smaller house with a much, much smaller lot (in AZ our house was 1350 sq. feet with a .20 lot). This is with a 50% down payment.

You can read more about Folsom here:

http://ci.folsom.ca.us/

[GLC1968]

There is only one thing GLC forgot to mention......humidity. :eek: :eek: :eek:

But....the BRP is gorgeous, the speed limit is only 45 mph & it's a fun ride. Read about it in the Bicycling Mag. ("Best Road in America")


I guess some would say that there is some humidity here... I moved here from Tampa, so this place seems pretty arid to me! :D

[IFjane]

I guess some would say that there is some humidity here... I moved here from Tampa, so this place seems pretty arid to me! :D

'Nuff said, GLC! I can see why you think NC is comfortable. :)

Virginia is about the same - travel to the northern end of the BRP & I am located just east of the Skyline Drive. Wonderful roads, great traffic (for the most part).....great cycling, lousy humidity

[Kano]

Boise, Idaho.

Hills/mountains nearby if we want them, winter nearby if we want to play in it, 250+ days of sun a year, very little rain, a humid day is like 30%,

It just doesn't get better!

Karen in Boise

[Starfish]

Boise, Idaho.

Hills/mountains nearby if we want them, winter nearby if we want to play in it, 250+ days of sun a year, very little rain, a humid day is like 30%,



I do like Boise...is the wind just sometimes, or more or less always?

[Kano]

Wind in the Boise area? Well, yeah, sometimes -- we had some today, and lots earlier this week. Not enough to keep us from riding usually. Seems like the whole country's in a windy pattern lately -- and we're joining right in!

Karen in Boise

[Starfish]

I am so grateful for all your wonderful replies! I did FindMySpot.com, or whatever that site was, and when I can remember to find my list, I will put it on here in case any of you live there and can fill me in on the towns!