Considering moving within US, What city/area would you suggest?

[cindysue]

You know when you go to Sparwood to look at the Biggest Truck in the World that your ski vacation has gone sideways.

LOL - but sorry - what a bummer! Guess we'll just have to see how the weather is a month from now. Thanks for the update!!!

[Trek420]

cindysue "I've heard great things about Vancouver also. Never been there myself but it is on my list."

I love Vancouver, but if cost and job was no object I'd choose Victoria. Just a ferry boat ride from the big city, Vancouver and much better weather. Canadians feel free to chime in on which is best. Both seem bike/ped friendly.

[bikerHen]

OK, since it was mentioned, I'll put in my two cents for Spokane, WA and Coeur d'Alene, ID which is just across the state line. Housing is still affordable, great place for outdoor anything, lots of good road riding and mountain biking and we have an airport. We moved here 18 years ago to get out of So. Cal. and we never looked back. It has been a great place to raise a family. Don't know much about the job market. I would say good if your in the medical field and we are getting a few more high tech industries in the area plus there are a number of universities in the area. We do get winter, but every year there seem to be less snow and more wet. Today is just beautiful! But of course I'm at work. Daughter and I are planning a road ride tomorrow if the weather holds All in all I'd say check us out. And yes, I could use another road rider to play with too! BikerHen

[profàvélo]

The key qualities we are looking for are:
1. Jobs - employers in area
2. Weather - Seattle's rain probably keep that from being on the good list, and Wyoming wind as well.
3. Bikable - roads available. Where ever we live our house MUST be situated such that we can ride out of garage door and get in a decent 20 mile ride. I have managed to manufacture that in Phoenix, as I have only two heavy trafficed miles to Pecos Road.
4. Good for raising kids. We're planning on kids in the next few years.
5. Air quality. IT's the reason I started this line of thought.
6. Overall livable, low crime rate, ample entertainment
7. Decent airport within 1 hour. I travel enough that this is a consideration. Consider however that I think Madison's airport is serviceable.
8. Outdoor and indoor (in case it is a cold area) tennis courts.

Other thoughts. I love rolling hills, trees and greenery and lakes. If our new community was near/in all of that. I think I would be in heaven.
Oh housing costs! Yeah, I suppose that helps a LOT! We're not looking to spend more than $300,000 on our next home. In fact, the closer to $200,000 it is, the happier I would be. (More money for the bike, you understand.)

Anyway, so the country is ours to discover, suggest an area we should consider moving to and why.

Look into Greenville, SC. Reasons:
1. Michelin headquarters and BMW plant are here; I think the employment front is pretty good.
2. Weather: cycling year-round, winter not too harsh, but definitely four seasons. I think people play tennis year-round, as well, and there are both indoor and outdoor courts.
3. I ride out of my driveway (north side of town) for rides of any length (20 to 65, generally). You can choose rolling, hillly, or you can find some big climbs (e.g. a six-mile climb up Caesar's Head). Not really any flat riding. George Hincapie (and others) rides from downtown out to those same routes, so that is possible, too. I can be really out in the country in under 15 miles. (I have to say, it's pretty cool to run into George out on the road. He's quite friendly.)
4. There are good public schools, but some are better than others. Verify before buying a house. Otherwise seems kid-friendly to me--there's a children's museum and theatre company--but I don't have children yet, either.
5. I'll have to check on the air quality, but my unofficial evaluation of it is "good". We don't generally talk about staying inside due to bad air.
6. High quality of life. Interesting and fun downtown that has been revived over the last 15 years. Peace Center for the Performing Arts brings in national and international performers. Atlanta is not too far away if you need a big-city fix (2 1/2 hours down I-85). Seems to have low crime rate.
7. Nice, smallish airport, Greenville-Spartanburg. Much nicer to fly in and out of than Atlanta, but often more expensive to do so.

Other: G'ville is at the foot of the mountains, close to Asheville, NC (1 1/2 hour) and the Blue Ridge Parkway. Only about 4 hours from Charleston, SC, which is beautiful, and the beaches there. Large, active cycling community that is growing. Housing is reasonable, I believe. Our brick 3 BR/3 BA ranch in an older neighborhood (the house was built around 1970) with lots of trees was around $150,000 three years ago, but I wouldn't stay in this neighborhood if we had children older than elementary-school age. There are some nice lakes close by. The only downside, for me, is the conservative nature of most residents. I work at a university with other like-minded (read: liberal) people, so I can tolerate it.

I just talked myself into staying here for quite a while! Based on your requirements, I think you should check it out. In fact, you could sign up for the Assault on Marion in May, see what the riding is like.

[Crankin]

I laughed when I read your thread. I also left the valley for similiar reasons. Twenty years ago I was using a nebulizer every four hours for my asthma and my then preshchoolers couldn't play outside for most of the year. We moved back to the Boston area, where i grew up and I never regret it. I don't see how you can ride there! I know the Boston area is too expensive for what you want to spend on housing, but there are places where you can enjoy being outside, have four seasons, and you can ride right from your door. Don't rule out places that have winter. I never did any sports as a kid, and now i cross country ski and snowshoe pretty much right out of my door (or within a 20 minute drive). Cold and snow are what you make of it, and part of dealing with it is getting outside in it.
Good luck!

[massbikebabe]

I'm with Robyn...

Even though I bi^c# about the snow, I love New England. I love the seasons and the nightlife and the fact I can be in the great state of Maine in under one hour

If I had to leave, I would head to New Mexico and live with Corsair. The sceanery (?sp), the weather, and the taco's would suit me just fine!!


karen
I don't like Coors Beer either

[tatormc]

I'm glad you've marked Houston off your list. I'm 25 and lived there all my life until Febuary of 2005. My hubby and I moved to Oklahoma City as he is from here and all his family is still here. Most of the key qualities you mention are the same that we had. I really love it here. We moved to a town right outside OKC called Mustang. I can ride from the house on mostly quiet country roads. OKC is big enough to have all the things I like but not huge like Houston was. Aiport is 20 minutes away. Cost of living is cheap. Well there's my plug for my city....

[SadieKate]

http://money.cnn.com/best/bplive/index.html#search

CNN and Money Magazine did a cool project on places to live. Lots of data here.

Just a brief review of Median Home Prices:

Benicia - $433,395
Boulder - $366,051
San Diego - $480,801
Boise - $162,804
Las Cruces - $144,946
Spokane - $118,287

This isn't to say that outlying communities don't have better prices.

[luv'nAustin]

I guess you'd just have to look at my name tag to see how I feel about Austin!

I lived in Scottsdale for two years (just moved here eighteen months ago) and besides my friends, and the daily hiking I did on Camelback or The Peak, can't say I miss much of anything else! You should see that brown cloud from the top of those mountains... it is enough to make you wonder how much damage you've just done to your body. Must have done something to the brain too as I kept returning each day for more!

There are so many nice places to live, your decision won't be an easy one. I've also enjoyed living in Boulder, Pleasanton & Diablo (near San Jose and SF) and Minneapolis. I wasn't much of a rider until I moved to Austin, so I can't really compare them to this environment, but the riding is great here, especially if you like a little bit of a hill challenge in your route.

Good luck and have fun researching!

[Grog]

Hey CindySue:

Pretty far from Fernie unfortunately, about 10 hours drive if not more. You must be flying to Calgary, right?

I don't ski much but it's supposed to be wonderful up there. Don't miss Kicking Horse, too.

And if you drive down to Vancouver let me know I'll find you a bike!

[luv'nAustin]

I know that there are plenty of other cities that suffer from the brown cloud syndrome. Unfortunately, they are often in beautiful settings and sometimes it is a direct cause of the surrounding mountains holding the pollution in the "bowl" and not allowing it to escape into the atmosphere. It was often mentioned in the news (during certain times of the year) when we lived in Denver and Boulder.

I have a friend in Diablo that refuses to run on busy roads becuase she fears that the exhaust does more harm than the exercise does good.

Perhaps we should be wearing masks? Gosh, that would be pretty funny, can't imagine how I could suck in enough air to get me up a hill with a mask covering my mouth. I could just see it coming untied and sucking it down my throat as I gasp for more air! Guess I'm letting you all in on my level of fitness.

[SadieKate]

Funny that this topic should come up today as a friend, the MadCyclist, also sent me this article about diesel fumes.

http://www.sacbike.org/sacbiking/Diesel.htm

[Lenusik]

I love the Carolinas idea and also hear that Boise is great. Thank you for all your help. Will appreciate more suggestions.

[Embellina]

As a Midwestern transplant (raised in Duluth, Minn. and school in Chicago), I'm baffled by your husband's desire to leave Phoenix. The beauty of living here is that you'll never be cold again! But lately the pollution has really bothered me, too, and I can understand why you want to move.

I'd consider Raleigh, N.C. I was looking at a job there a while ago and the city was really attractive to me. Incredibly educated population (think the research triangle) and very active community (lots of bike trails). North Carolina has gorgeous topography, plenty of hills and real seasons!

[snowtulip]

I second Corsair's New Mexico suggestion. I keep thinking I'm going to move to Colorado, but I love New Mexico weather. We have mountains and desert, a river...lakes if you move to some other areas of the state. We have a booming IT market (Intel, Sandia Labs, Los Alamos Labs, Phillips, etc).

I put on my 2006 goals list to join Corsair's ladies ride, so you'd have two people to ride with. Although, I don't road bike, but Corsair is a maniac road biker.

$200000 will get you a swank house in ABQ. I paid $80,000 for mine and I have half an acre!

Crime's a bit of an issue, but all growing towns have problems.