Question - a bit out there

So, kids are leaving the nest and mama bird wants to fly away too.

I'm looking for a town/city in the West where I can ride to work, shopping etc. Or where I could ride to the train station (I'm done with busses) to go to the job.

Good weather (that is ...not rainy like Seattle) lots of sunny days.

Not hilly like Seattle.

And then, of course, the kicker - someplace where RE prices and cost of living aren't too high.

I work for a community bank (e.g. I'm not a high-roller) and I'm also an online finance professor, blogger and writer and plan to work for a few more years (I'm 52) and then become self-employed writing, teaching, consulting and
executive coaching.

Any and all suggestions welcome. TIA!

I want to go live in Bicycle City in SC. Maybe some day when it's more developed we can retire there. Maybe you should just go there and try it out for me and tell me what it's like. ;)

http://http://www.bicyclecitysc.com/

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Originally Posted by Tri Girl

I want to go live in Bicycle City in SC. Maybe some day when it's more developed we can retire there. Maybe you should just go there and try it out for me and tell me what it's like. ;)

http://http://www.bicyclecitysc.com/

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Wow! It's a great vision. Hope they build it soon and that it's replicated elsewhere. Thanks for posting this.

Bicycle City looks awesome. I would totally move there.

Bicycle City looks awesome. Unfortunately (for me), it's smack dab in the middle of uber-red state South Carolina. That's a dealbreaker for me. :(

Yeah, I'd like to build something like that out west.

South Carolina (or anywhere east of the Rockies) is too far for me, due to elderly parents and other relatives on the West Coast.

So, any other ideas?

I love where I live now, but the hills (while they make for a good work-out) are not always bicycle-friendly for regular commuting/shopping type of cycling. I think if I were to relocate I'd be looking at Fort Collins, CO. When we were there during my daughter's college visits, it seemed like a really bike-friendly town. 300 days of sunshine. And perhaps you could teach some finance classes at Colorado State University.

Ft. Colllins Facts

Ft. Collins Average Housing Prices

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Originally Posted by emily_in_nc

Bicycle City looks awesome. Unfortunately (for me), it's smack dab in the middle of uber-red state South Carolina. That's a dealbreaker for me. :(

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yeah, the next state I move to is going to be very blue. So I guess I'm moving to the west coast some day. ;)

Hah! I was about to suggest Seattle... :D

How about the south end of the East Bay area? Fremont, Hayward, Dublin, Niles?
(San Francisco-ish, easy bike and BART access to the universe, not so expensive, flatter)

ETA: I know where you can get a recently remodeled 2-bed townhouse with fenced private patio a couple miles from two BART stations (one north, one south) with bike routes to each. For rent or for sale. Easy bike distance to Coyote Hills park on the Bay, along a MUT.

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Originally Posted by KnottedYet

Hah! I was about to suggest Seattle... :D

How about the south end of the East Bay area? Fremont, Hayward, Dublin, Niles?
(San Francisco-ish, easy bike and BART access to the universe, not so expensive, flatter)

ETA: I know where you can get a recently remodeled 2-bed townhouse with fenced private patio a couple miles from two BART stations (one north, one south) with bike routes to each. For rent or for sale. Easy bike distance to Coyote Hills park on the Bay, along a MUT.

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Thanks Knotted. I love a lot about Seattle but get gloomy from the weather. I grew up in Alabama so Seattle is too cold and wet.

I am a planner so it's not an immediate move. I also have to sell my house here first...not an easy task. I do have family in SF so near there would be good. I also have family in SLC, Boise and Nevada.

Sacramento: Flat, yes. (Light) rail, yes. Affordability, maybe. Climate, out of the washing machine into the pressure cooker.

Las Vegas: Flat, yes. Rail (non tourist), no. Affordability, yes. Climate, hot and dry.

Los Angeles suburbs: Flat, available. Rail, in places. Affordability, maybe. Climate, nice.

South SF Bay area (as mentioned above by Knot): Flat, available. Rail, in places. Affordability, maybe not so. Climate, nice.


The desires for affordability and rail based transit are probably mutually exclusive.

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Originally Posted by emily_in_nc

Bicycle City looks awesome. Unfortunately (for me), it's smack dab in the middle of uber-red state South Carolina. That's a dealbreaker for me. :(

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Pardon my ignorance but what does this mean? South Carolina is a left-leaning state politically? Red is generally used to refer to the left over here.

Thanks.

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Originally Posted by Sardine

Pardon my ignorance but what does this mean? South Carolina is a left-leaning state politically? Red is generally used to refer to the left over here.

Thanks.

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It's just the opposite here in the U.S. Blue states = liberal/left/Democrat. Red states = conservative/right/Republican.

Thanks indysteel. Now I get it.

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Originally Posted by Groundhog

I also have family in SLC, Boise and Nevada.

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Why not SLC? I have really enjoyed my visits there. Other than the giant hill up State St. to the capitol, it seems relatively flat. There were tons of cool bike shops that I visited as well. Plus there's mass transit and things to do and the weather is quite nice (although I've never been in Winter). I have considered moving there myself, but I have a feeling I will end up in Madison, WI or back in Houston by summer next year if I decide to move. Too hard for me to be away from family out here in west Texas, I think.

I always thought I would like to retire in the Austin, TX area. I am in California and it is pretty expensive. The Sacramento area is one of the less expensive places in CA. I live more towards the Sierra Mountains, northeast of Sacramento. But, I lived in Sacramento for 25 years. Sacramento is flat, bicycle friendly and not the cowtown it used to be in years past. There is a light rail system that is mediocre, but if you live in an area it services, it is reliable and bike friendly. Hot in the summer, but most nights are very cool due to delta breezes. Winter lows are in the 30's-40's, but no snow and generally pretty dry. Spring is warm and a wet mess. Sacramento is generally conservative politically but battles with San Francisco that is pretty liberal.

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Originally Posted by RubyTuesday

I always thought I would like to retire in the Austin, TX area. I am in California and it is pretty expensive.

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Austin is getting pretty expensive these days too. I had lot of friends who wanted to go there after graduation but their job market is so saturated in my field right now that only a few were actually able to do it and they had to give up a lot for those jobs and they're living pretty tight money-wise. My parents want to go there when my father retires in a few years but they are reconsidering because there is no way my brother nor I could afford to be close by.

Sure is a nice part of Texas though. Not too humid, not too dry. Lots of stuff to do, especially if you like live music and good coffee. Much, much better than west Texas, haha!

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Originally Posted by westtexas

Why not SLC?

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Also über-red...

ETA: although the city less so than the state as a whole.

What about Tucson?

Relatively inexpensive, and if you choose your location wisely, possible to rely on a bike pretty exclusively- if you can avoid midday trips between June and September. I am able to make it through a 10 mile commute once a week even in the summer- but afternoons can be a little bit brutal at times. If you were more centrally located, it would be possible.

We have a good bike lane system, though not as good as somewhere like Seattle. Warmer than Colorado in the winter....

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Originally Posted by Groundhog

I also have to sell my house here first...not an easy task. I do have family in SF so near there would be good. I also have family in SLC, Boise and Nevada.

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What a coincidence....

I've got my finger on a place in the East Bay. I want a house in Seattle. (I grew up here, so I like the gloomy weather and the hills, etc.)

Wouldn't it be handy if we could just trade? ;)

How about Denver?

700 miles of bike trails/lanes in Denver, 300 days of sunshine, 30,000 riders showed up for bike to work day. We do get snow but they plow the bike trails. Light rail in various parts of the area. Not sure if housing is considered reasonable as we moved from the midwest and thought our 1960's house was pricey.

Lots of outdoor activities in the mtns. hiking, biking, skiing, snowshoeing.

How about the other side of Colorado?

Grand Junction isn't too big. Not too hot, not too cold, but dry with lots of sun. Economy is so so but the outdoorsy stuff is amazing.

I ride and commute pretty much all year round. Public land starts right at the edge of town. And the Colorado River runs right through it all. Utah is 25 miles away.

OK, thanks everyone. Y'all are very helpful.

SLC, Tuscon, Denver, Grand Junction, Fort Collins, Sacramento, East Bay/SF, and Las Vegas all sound like ideas.

Just got back from Boise. They have really done a lot to expand their bike trails. Their roads are wide and mostly flat. You can tell by how many cruiser bikes are around. People don't NEED gears, it's flat! and dry!

I was very impressed by how bike-able it is there.

Check out Eugene, Oregon.

Wonder if Eugene, OR gets as much rain as Seattle area. But it would be a place that is bike friendly, has good transit and all services, culture and university/college, that I would choose if was in the US not too far from Pacific coast..as a place to retire or scale down to part-time.

Besides, Groundhog, the Amtrak lines is efficient to get you back up north or go further south.