Living Car Free - A good city to live carfree

After moving to WI from Carson, CA my girlfriend decided she just can't take our snow and cold. She keeps asking to get a car, and since she doesn't have a license it would be ME who would be the one driving everywhere, which I don't consider an option. I work from home, and she can transfer her job almost anywhere, so we are probably going to move in the spring to a more car free friendly environment. She would like to move back to CA, but I am not a fan of CA, or at least the L.A. area. Shes not convinced yet of the benefits of bike riding yet, and prefers public transportation. We would like to move somewhere that still has the four seasons, but without the extremes. i wouldn't mind Northern California, but to me it seems like their is too much legislation on everything in CA( i'm a gun collector), so I would really rather avoid it. What do you guys suggest as a good community to move to and live car free? It would be nice if it was somewhere that isn't huge, has a good public infrastructure, maybe a progressive college town, a place with community doings, a good art scene, farmers markets, or even better, co-ops or a community farm project. Someplace like Portland, without the hype maybe? Someplace not so well known but still very cool? I know its a tall order, but any suggestions are welcome. Please include links to share with the GF if possible. Thanks!

SANTA CRUZ, CA!

Got the Silver for bicycle friendly communities.

I'm from Santa Cruz, so I'm biased. They've designed the town for cyclists to really get around, and to go from one side to another, you don't evenhave to go on any busy main streets at all. Plus the ocean AND the SC mountains (recognized in Bicycling Magazine as a trip to be had a few months ago) are all right there.

Serious road riding, MTB'ing, downhill, BMX, or just plain ol' beach cruisers is well represented. There are bike shops strewn across the city.

seattle ain't bad

Philly is a pretty good town to bike in. it still gets cold but the heat island effect keeps the snow and ice away. There are a number of quality farmers markets and there are a few people pushing urban agriculture.

I've heard both Santa Cruz and Sacramento are good cycling cities, but I'm hesitant to move to CA because like I said, I collect firearms and CA laws really arent the friendliest for that hobby(note to everony: please dont let this start a gun debate here though!)

After moving to WI from Carson, CA my girlfriend decided she just can't take our snow and cold.

Where in WI? Depending on where you are, it might not be just the snow and cold... It is substantially darker here, and I get pretty nutty without my lovely sun lamps. If she's got a mild case of Seasonal Affective Disorder, she might have similar troubles. Also, a *lot* of WI small towns are hard to manage on foot or with just public transit. You really do need a bike to fill in the gaps, but riding in snow can be pretty scary at first. And walking on ice is no picnic if you're not used to it...

As far as nice places to be car free... Los Angeles is actually great. The transit system is quite good, and there are *sidewalks*. The farmer's market system means many neighborhoods have farmer's market access every day of the week. It isn't the most bike friendly city, but you don't *need* the bike either.

seattle ain't bad

a little bigger then what We're looking for, but I was looking at Bremerton and Aberdeen


Philly is a pretty good town to bike in. it still gets cold but the heat island effect keeps the snow and ice away. There are a number of quality farmers markets and there are a few people pushing urban agriculture.

I've heard Philly was the sh*t numerous times, but I'm kind of concerned about the crime and stuff i hear about. Whats the average low temp. there?

I've heard both Santa Cruz and Sacramento are good cycling cities, but I'm hesitant to move to CA because like I said, I collect firearms and CA laws really arent the friendliest for that hobby(note to everony: please dont let this start a gun debate here though!)


WUT?! YOU KILL ANIMAL BABIES!!!

Just kidding. :lol:

Yeah, gun laws are real strict here. You probably wouldn't be able to get things as easily, if at all.

Where in WI? Depending on where you are, it might not be just the snow and cold... It is substantially darker here, and I get pretty nutty without my lovely sun lamps. If she's got a mild case of Seasonal Affective Disorder, she might have similar troubles. Also, a *lot* of WI small towns are hard to manage on foot or with just public transit. You really do need a bike to fill in the gaps, but riding in snow can be pretty scary at first. And walking on ice is no picnic if you're not used to it...

As far as nice places to be car free... Los Angeles is actually great. The transit system is quite good, and there are *sidewalks*. The farmer's market system means many neighborhoods have farmer's market access every day of the week. It isn't the most bike friendly city, but you don't *need* the bike either.

Good responses, thanks! We live in on the border of Brookfield and Waukesha, so we have access to both Waukesha and Milwaukee bus lines, as well as the coach lines bus (though I'm deffinetly not going to try to move her up to my property in Juneau Co.!). Its not too bad here for me, but i wouldn't mind to see somewhere a little different. She could have SAD, I hadn't even considered that, but she isn't much for sunny weather, though CA overcast is different then what we get here. L.A. is a bit too big and spread out for my tastes, and the lack of being bike friendly really is a concern to me. I triend to convince her we should move to Madison since there is so much more going on to distract her, but she really wants to get out of WI I think.

WUT?! YOU KILL ANIMAL BABIES!!!

Just kidding. :lol:

Yeah, gun laws are real strict here. You probably wouldn't be able to get things as easily, if at all.

lol, actually, I've never been hunting and I'm a vegetarian (I'd kill and eat an animal if I had to survive, but don't see the necessity otherwise or for sport, but opinions are like @$$holes), I actually got into collecting because my Dad (also not a hunter, just a wacked out Nam vet/retired navy seal) was pretty sick with lukemia for quite awhile before he died and his gun hobby was one of the few things he was still able to do that I could share with him, so for me its more about the nostalgia I think.

Columbus, OH

not even joking

State gun laws are pretty good-state law trumps any city laws.

We're fast becoming a great bike town, the MUPS were plowed better than the roads today. Public bus service isn't bad and is actually improving. They just passed the first levy in a few years and are working hard to put more buses and drivers on the road, expand routes and service hours. By and large the city (Old Columbus, which is a pretty wide swath) is pretty bikeable with pretty flat roads, a very decent grid system in most parts that allow you to veer off from the main roads. The city is working hard to upgrade the bike infrastructure, expand and connect the MUPs. We are moving closer to a statewide rail system that would connect us to the 4-5 major metro areas, eventually Indiana and Chicago to the west, Pennsylvania to the east and hopefully restore Amtrak service to Columbus.

Arts scene? O yeah. We have the Columbus College of Art and Design, our city council adopted the moniker "Indie Arts Capital". College Town? The Ohio State University, Capital University, Otterbien, Ohio Weslyan, Ohio Dominican, CCAD, Franklin University, DeVry and Columbus State. In addition there are a few branch campuses for other Ohio schools.

We have some great little farm markets, at least one co-op I know of and the North Marker (the last remaining public market space).

Winter isn't bad, especially compared to WI. If you need any more info send me a PM.

ETA some links:

Columbus Underground, great way to catch up on the local scene (http://columbusunderground.com/phpBB2/index.php?sid=2a886e53fc4aa954b3a98b00c2a34c05)

Consider Biking, local advocacy group and message board (http://www.considerbiking.org/site/)

Columbus RetroMetro, good resource for Columbus urban living (http://www.columbusretrometro.com/)

Clintonville Community Market (http://www.communitymarket.org/)

North Market (http://northmarket.com/)

Xing Columbus, local transportation blog (http://xingcolumbus.wordpress.com/)

Indie Art Capital of the World (http://walker.columbusunderground.com/?p=244)

Central Ohio Transit Authority (http://www.cota.com/)

a little bigger then what We're looking for, but I was looking at Bremerton and Aberdeen

I can't speak for Bremerton (heard its nice) but Aberdeen is a pit. If you want seasons it is going to be the wrong place. Seattle has the reputation, but its really out toward the coast (like Aberdeen) that is 10 months of no sun. Coming from Aberdeen is probably 90% of why Kurt Cobain killed himself, the other 10% just got more attention. No Aberdeen! :lol:

thanks for the info. on Columbus, I had heard it was decent, but my memories of Ohio are from when we went to the rock-n-roll hall of fame and I remember driving through everything seemed so desolate and had an abandoned feeling. I've also heard good things about Bloomington, IN.

Check us out, Columbus is doing far and away better than our rust belt neighbors. There is a lot going on downtown, some great condo and retail projects and a lot of emphasis on revitalizing that area. A variety of neighborhoods to fit individual taste that are located on bus lines scattered through the city.

Gallery Hop (http://www.shortnorth.com/Hops.html) is something else the check out.

I ditched my car about 2 weeks ago and it's been pretty easy. I think the longest wait for a bus was 25-30 minutes, but that was on the far end of a route. If you don't mind walking or biking, it's pretty easy to get on a main line with shorter head ways that will get you close enough for an easy walk or bike ride.

what the average low temp. In Columbus?

Depends on the season and year. Quick google search shows 20 degree is the lowest average, in January. It'll dip below that on occasion, but rarely past single digits. Weather is pretty mild here. I have Canadian relatives, so winter is pretty skewed for me. We get a few bad winters here and there, but it usually comes all at once. Like our "blizzard" or the ice storm in the past few years.

sounds like a possibility, Ill shoot you a PM if I have any more specific questions, thanks!

sounds like a possibility, Ill shoot you a PM if I have any more specific questions, thanks!

No problem. I'm 23, born and raised here, and have pretty much have only good to say about the city. We're moving in the right direction here.

[QUOTE=rotharpunc;7986944]a little bigger then what We're looking for, but I was looking at Bremerton and Aberdeen
[/QUOTE

If you're not interested in Seattle, but still interested in the Puget Sound area, take a look at Bellingham, or maybe Port Townsend. (I've thought a about moving to PT a few times.) Aberdeen is a sh*thole, and not at all suited for a car-free lifestyle. Bremerton isn't that great either, unless you enjoy living in ugly box-store towns next to large military installations.

BTW, it does tend to rain a little here, so that might be something to think about.

Check out Denver, or Fort Collins if you want something smaller (anywhere along the Front Range, really)... we have four seasons, but the winters aren't too terrible, nor are the summers. TONS of sunny days in the year, and pretty much everywhere is bike friendly (not every area of every town/suburb, but a lot of them!)

I love it here... and there's TONS to do... from the clubs downtown to camping/hiking/riding/skiing/whatever in the mountains.

You might check out Northwest Arkansas. Northwest Arkansas is the seventh-fastest growing MSA in the country. You'd find hunting, bicycling, a relatively undeveloped area, yet because of the University there in Fayetteville, you have good football and a more cosmopolitan air than most of the state. In Bentonville you have Walmart headquarters, the huge new Walton art museum and many of the large businesses of the state. And nearby Eureka Springs is the hippie capital of Arkansas but it also is home of the Great Passion Play.

Bicycle Coalition of the Ozarks (http://bconwa.com/content/view/16/1/)

Fayetteville (http://www.accessfayetteville.org/)

Bentonville (http://www.bentonvillear.com/)

Eureka Springs (http://www.eurekasprings.org/)

How mobile are you?
I've been in NL for a year. Don't know if I can ever go back to North America.
Public transit? Like a blanket. Cheap, fast, and everywhere.
Bike lanes? How would you like your own road?
Trouble learning foreign languages? The Dutch speak better English than we do.

Just throwin' it out there.

NL would be awesome, but I do not think my girlfriends ability to transfer her job, or the resources I need for mine, would transfer quite that far, also like Copenhagen as a consideration one day.

DC's ok for car free but you might like the Virginia side of the river for the gun laws. Arlington might be better for a gun collector. The NRA headquarters is out in Fairfax but not a very bikeable area. The NRA head quarters used to be downtown, they had a nice museum but they moved a few years ago.

There are some areas up the potomac where you can physically bike to hunt, take the C&O path, but you have to have your gun cased somehow when you're on the path. One of the avid bike commuters at my previous job was also an avid hunter- he was always giving me venison and some kind of partridge. Very tasty.

You might check out Northwest Arkansas.
I lived a year out in Cass, Arkansas about 20 miles north of Ozark, Arkansas. That is some beautiful country there. Waking up every morning in those Mountains was amazing all my allergies I suffer in the city just went away when I was there. Kind of bummed when I finished the Job Corp program and had to move back to Houston. Maybe when this recession passes I might look into moving out to Little Rock.

SANTA CRUZ, CA!

Got the Silver for bicycle friendly communities.

I'm from Santa Cruz, so I'm biased.

College/tourist/whatever! COLD today- 60+degrees, but it's been in the 70s (but it IS winter!). Tour de California coming in February, Markleys Gun Shop & Range 14 miles south (yep- Santa Cruz County). Trouble is only about 14 bike shops, only 54 miles of designated bike paths, Silicon Valley made Santa Cruz its bedroom (so the commuting is horrendous). I stayed here 50+ years mainly for the climate, bikes, recumbents, velomobiles.

Having been a bicycle Commuter in both Santa Cruz CA, and currently in Portland Oregon, I'd say come on up to Portland. The bicycle amenities are awesome and as far as Ive ridden it, public transit is pretty good too (though bringing your bike on the MAX (lightrail) during rush hour can be difficult at times, it gets overcrowded with bikes.). Bike parking at events can be difficult at times too. I'd have to say though, that's an awesome problem to have! :D

It doesn't get super cold, rain can be a problem but armed with fenders and a decent jacket and life is sweet in the PNW!

You might check out Northwest Arkansas. Northwest Arkansas is the seventh-fastest growing MSA in the country. You'd find hunting, bicycling, a relatively undeveloped area, yet because of the University there in Fayetteville, you have good football and a more cosmopolitan air than most of the state. In Bentonville you have Walmart headquarters, the huge new Walton art museum and many of the large businesses of the state. And nearby Eureka Springs is the hippie capital of Arkansas but it also is home of the Great Passion Play.

Bicycle Coalition of the Ozarks (http://bconwa.com/content/view/16/1/)

Fayetteville (http://www.accessfayetteville.org/)

Bentonville (http://www.bentonvillear.com/)

Eureka Springs (http://www.eurekasprings.org/)

Yep, great place to live. Let me know if you need any details on the area.

Kev

I live in Port Townsend and I bike almost every day. I also serve on the Non-Motorized Transportation Advisory Board for the city. It is a great town but doesn't have good transit connections to Seattle or anywhere else for that matter. Small, hilly, arty, port town with drivers that mostly go the speed limit of 25 mph so is good for biking. We get much less rain than Seattle and the mountains are right there but you almost have to drive to get to them.
Maybe you could consider selling the guns and start collecting bikes. They are more useful and less chance of having thieves break into your house to steal them. There is only one gun range here and more and more 'no shooting' areas because of growth.

philadelphia's pretty great as long as you are not planning on biking through center city on a daily basis.

Columbus, OH

not even joking

Columbus OH?!!

No one has yet mentioned two premier towns for car free living, both where I have personally had the experience--Ann Arbor, MI and Boston, MA. Both are culturally vibrant, high density living but with nearby wide open spaces and country roads, and good mass transit. Maybe not the best weather year round, but still rideable through the charms of all four seasons.

Columbus OH?!!

No one has yet mentioned two premier towns for car free living, both where I have personally had the experience--Ann Arbor, MI and Boston, MA. Both are culturally vibrant, high density living but with nearby wide open spaces and country roads, and good mass transit. Maybe not the best weather year round, but still rideable through the charms of all four seasons.

:D

For the OP, I doubt MA gun laws would be ideal. Ann Arbor... well if you want good football to watch :innocent:

(I kid, I kid...)

Another to check out with OH is the 3C/Ohio Hub (http://www2.dot.state.oh.us/ohiorail/Ohio%20Hub/Website/ordc/index.html) project that we are cautiously optimistic about.

If you are already in the midwest, there are some great choices if you don't want to head all the way to the coasts.

Whoa you're from Carson!?!? I'm amazed. I live in Carson also! I ride all the time, everyday. To and from school and everywhere in between!

I'm originally from WI, but my GF is from Carson and i've spent some time out there with her.

Ahh, great great. Yeah it's great that she'd want to move somewhere more city-like than Carson. It's nothing but a giant suburb for the most part. Though Long Beach is a pretty nice city to go car-free if returning to CA is ever one of the options.

I'm still mostly shocked to see the words "Carson, CA" on this forum!

Check out Denver, or Fort Collins if you want something smaller (anywhere along the Front Range, really)... we have four seasons, but the winters aren't too terrible, nor are the summers. TONS of sunny days in the year, and pretty much everywhere is bike friendly (not every area of every town/suburb, but a lot of them!)

I love it here... and there's TONS to do... from the clubs downtown to camping/hiking/riding/skiing/whatever in the mountains.


You must not have read the latest memo. It says that Colorado is full. :innocent:

don't worry about the crime in philly. most of the violent crimes are drug related and issolated in the poorest parts of the city (very unfortunate but true). the majority of the city is a nice place. Center city can be pain in the @$$ to ride in but is is only like 6x15 blocks so its easy to just drop in to the part you want to get too. the coldest it gets in the winter is the 20's. that usually happens for a week or two at most. lately the winters have been very mild.

If the OP doesn't like the weather in Madison, I don't think he'll like Columbus or Ann Arbor any better. Columbus gets less total snow--but they get those horrible winter storms that often track through the Ohio valley. AA would probably be warmer by a little bit, but just as much snow as Madison. And the economie in MI and OH are something to consider.

Ohio economy, yes. Columbus is a different animal. We've never been a one industry town, as Cleveland and Cincinnati have largely been. State capital, so quite a number of government jobs, service industry and the like. Fairly recession proof here, though we get hit a bit from time to time. Our current situation is about the worst I've seen it. Yet we still managed to pass a number of bond packages in November for needed improvements.

As far as winter, it's all in personal preference. We get some bad storms, but not nearly to the extent or extremes of other locations.

thanks for the info. on Columbus, I had heard it was decent, but my memories of Ohio are from when we went to the rock-n-roll hall of fame and I remember driving through everything seemed so desolate and had an abandoned feeling. I've also heard good things about Bloomington, IN.

as an indiana native i'm going to have to support bloomington.
fantastic arts scene, amazing bike community.
very, very, very friendly town.
It's very grassroots. Lots of local stores, markets.
Great if you're vegetarian (I am too), there are a lot of options, and it's very easy to live vegan there (if that's an option for you)
very beautiful area.
bloomington really sounds like your kind of town, it's relatively small (i've heard that the student population is 2/3 of the population of the town)

you wouldn't even know you're in conservative indiana!

Center city can be pain in the @$$ to ride in but is is only like 6x15 blocks so its easy to just drop in to the part you want to get too.

very true, if you're north of vine or south of locust it's a LOT easier to get around... really just a narrow crosstown 'strip' of blocks that are a huge pain... now if we could just get motorists and/or their passengers to stop yelling "use the bike lane a**h***!" on roads that have no bike lane i'd be a lot happier.

Mishawaka, Indiana. Notre Dame/ South Bend is just next door, but dont try to work in the RV industry, Elkhart is our other "next door" and its imploding over there!

my favorite is the bike / bus only lane on chestnut and walnut that is always full of cars.

Boston and Ann Arbor both get too cold, I wish it wasn't so for Boston, I have family in that area. The reason I mentioned Bloomington is that I read an article about it in Mother Earth News regarding their bike and urban farming projects, and I have family not too far away in the Carbondale, IL. area, so it seems like a nice possibility.

You might check out Northwest Arkansas.

:roflmao2:

Key west FL.
Sacramento CA


My choices not to hot and not to cold.
Flagstaff AZ
Colorado Springs CO
Vancouver BC
Santa fe NM

I know a number of places I would not nominate, but I won't go there...

I wouldn't mind if you did, as long as you added why

Sacramento is pretty cool actually, if you settle in Midtown and avoid the massive suburban sprawl. Lots of gun shops here (Sac is less liberal than SF). If you want more of a seasonal weather effect, and a smaller community, head north and stop in one of the following:

Eureka-Arcata, CA
Eugene, OR
Corvallis, OR
These are all great small-med size towns with universities and all the amenities that brings.

If you keep going north you will come to Portland, you know all about that (I like it too and have a home there).

I'm in San Francisco with a bike only and I really like it....I know you are a gun collector, and I think if there were a place where gun laws would be super-mega-ultra-gay this is it. Although there isn't really anything here to hunt, there is a shooting range though. Nevertheless a really cool city where having a car is almost impractical. The cost of living is high, and you would have to ride amongst hipsters on neon colored fixed gear bicycles with matching bar tape and shoe laces (you could shoot them).

just a thought