Moving out of NH...maybe

[UngaWunga]

If you have to move out of the NE area, where would you move?
I trying to find a place with tons of biking and climbing areas, AND where I can actually make a living (software). Idaho and Oregon keep on popping up on my radar....

So, if you could move anywhere in the US of freakin' A, where would it be?

[RideDaEpic]

Oregon sounds like a good pick, but the weather may be a bit of a bummer, ie. good amount of rain (but that means snow in the winter). Check out Winter Park area in Colorado.

[Scott O]

Boise is an unbelievable town. There was a great article about it in National Geographic Adventure magazine a month or two ago. Tech jobs, relatively inexpensive housing, and immediate access to top notch outdoor activities. Weather is great too compared to New England, or Portland, OR.

[radair]

Oregon sounds like a good pick, but the weather may be a bit of a bummer, ie. good amount of rain (but that means snow in the winter). Check out Winter Park area in Colorado.

Depends where in OR; the east side is a desert, very reliable dry weather. ID would definitely be worth checking into, as would UT and CO. Depends what you want in the winter, also.

[MTBME]

I don't like hot and humid weather so the Pacific Northwest looks pretty good to me. But I do like Colorado and the southwest (New Mexico). If I moved down the east coast, I don't see myself going any further south than North Carolina. Nice mountain biking in that area and you have the high tech industry.

[peterdbikes]

Asheville NC area is pretty nice. Very similar trails with more climbing. I don't think I could leave NH but I seen a lot of areas in W. VA, VA, NC that I like. Basically anywhere in the Smokeys.

[GandALF2]

Unga,

I just returned from a trip to Idaho (see "Idaho Pics" thread) and I agree with Scott O. Boise is a pretty nice town. Nice folks out there too. Thre are many trails in the foothills surrounding town and if you want some really remote stuff you can drive a few hours in almost any direction. There are probably plenty of work opportunities for a tech geek there too. It's about the size of Manchester.
You may also want to check out Bend, Oregon. We rode there a few years back, during 9/11 as a matter of fact, but it has some outstanding riding as well. It is in the "high desert" area of Oregon so there is very little rain like there is west of the Cascades. It also has a fairly young, outdoors oriented population. There's a small college there that I can't remember the name of. The now famous Mackenzie River trail is nearby and must be ridden. It's about the size of Concord.
Durango, CO is another great place. The riding is stupendous. There are a fair number of pro riders that make it their permanent home. It's about the size of Portsmouth.
Ditto on Asheville, NC but it can get hot and sticky there in the summer. There's a lot of other stuff to do there too, kayaking, horses, hiking, etc. It's about the size of Concord.
A town that often goes overlooked but has a huge bike culture is Flagstaff, AZ. Very outdoors oriented and it doesn't get the insanely hot weather that you would get in say, Phoenix. The base elevation there is around 7000'. There are some outstanding trails there for some really nice rides and if it's too cold you can head an hour down the road to Sedona for some nice red rock rides. There ain't a bad view in that town. "Flag" is about the size of Concord too.
There are lots of resort towns such as Park City UT, Crested Butte CO, or Sun Valley ID, that have great riding but the job opportunites can be spotty in such locales. The housing prices in those areas can make the Boston market look absolutley cheap!
If I could convince my wife to move somewhere west of the Mississippi I would be gone in a New York minute. I'm actually planning a full on family vacation with the next summer for three weeks with the hope that I can provide her with some inspiration. Picture Chevy Chase in a Winnebago!

GandALF

[Scott O]

Holy crap! Why the hell do I live in New England?

[kernel crash]

"Why the hell do I live in New England"

That would make a nice bumper sticker, after Duval Patrick gets elected.

[Superb Man]

Alf--leave Petersham??? Is that possible for you (we hope not!)?

Guys-New England Rules--especially the portion just outside the metro-bubbles-I love Western Mass and I lived a lot of places before finding it--I know others haved their beloved locales as well (NH being among them).

The last few weeks of weather (discounting today) have really driven home what New England Bike Culture is all about. Plus-there's more to it than just biking (a man with a young family has a multitude of other yardsticks by which to measure the sum of where he is living afterall).

With all that said-the other places on the short list of life destinations for residence:

Sante fe, New Mexico (or Albuquerque)-The high desert and the sangre De Cristos-deep rooted ancient colonial// pre-colonial cultural imprints,High art and great, great, great cuisine and Taos Ski Valley due north-plus all those stellar southern Colorado destinations are only a good days drive away. did I mention the 320 plus days of sunshine??

Santa Barbara/ Santa Cruz-hell any near coastal/ coastal towns between San Francisco and the Northern outskirts of LA--C'mon, is this even a question-yeah politics is screwy there, and cost of living beyond measure--but the living is so damn good--anyone who's been just knows-from the stunning coastal / big forest beauty, outdoor enthusiast opportunities, Man- california, even with all of it's institutional and cultural frustrations (and the earthquakes) is still worth it, well worth at that. It's the one area where you can do it all-the usable/ accessible Pacific (!) Coast makes all that much better (I mean, really-Boise over Santa Barbara?-please!). Yeah-it's not cool or kitsch to plump for California any more-but frankly, if given the option to live anywhere-Bend et al just don't stack up to California.

Oh Kernel-save it for the Political Forums---Unless Healy and Patrick are going to have a bike-off.

Liam

[TrailBate]

Asheville NC area is pretty nice. Very similar trails with more climbing. I don't think I could leave NH but I seen a lot of areas in W. VA, VA, NC that I like. Basically anywhere in the Smokeys.

NC is where I'd go. I love the heat and humidity, and I'd give my right nut to never see snow again. (I know, careful what you wish for....)
I may be moving to VA in January. God willing....

[joshG]

http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=225109

[jh_on_the_cape]

Having lived in CA for awhile, and spent some summers biking in the rockies, I really think it is a good thing for a New Englander to live out West for a while. I certainly miss aspects of it, but I came back East. Never thought I would! If outdoor recreation is your #1 priority, move west now. Biking, climbing, skiing, hiking, windsurfing, surfing... all SO much better. SO much open space and a culture of outdoor recreation.

I decided I wanted a balance of career/family/etc.

Bottom line: there are great places and total crap places to live on both coasts. I live on the Cape and it is great. I would take it over downtown Oakland any day. And I would take San Rafael (lived there a year) over Boston Burbs any day.

All the places listed are great. I went to Berkeley and that is a fantastic area, but expensive. I spent some time in Flagstaff and it is awesome. Lake Tahoe, awesome. Oregon, washington... all awesome. Durango, awesome.

Go for it!

[heckler]

And being in VT the season is mid May to November; just 6.5 months plus it's 4 hours away. Sigh. I don't think we are the worst place for mtn biking but are no where near the best.

It's a good thing New England kicks ass in many other ways!

Every time I head out the door and hit the trails of the Fells in 7 minutes of ride time I smile. Within an hour of my house there have got to be well over a dozen parks to ride at. And that is the ones with miles and hours of riding. I am not counting the Belmonts and such.
Add 30 minutes and you are on the Cape or way up in NH.

I think about how far people have to drive to get to riding in MOST other parts of the country. Live in LA? forget about riding to anything. And when you do DRIVE to the trail head you get to climb for a few hours to turn around and come back? Sure Moab is lovely but does anybody actually live there so they can ride whenever they want? not many. And those that do probably can't afford much in terms of equipment. That is a destination, not a residence (So I hear). Now Durango! There is a place I could live. If I could find a job.

I moved back east from Boulder just over 20 years ago because living on mac and cheese and PB&J sucked. Sure there are better places to ride, and ski, and hike, etc but to have what we have along with being able to find work? The Boston area is tough to beat. Well, they could add a couple hours of daylight. That would be nice.