sportridertex

I'm from the Dallas/Fort Worth area, and I've had it with the HEAT/HUMIDITY, I've been in DFW area since 1981 and ever summer I say " that's it" last summer in Texas, but I never seem to leave. Well I sold my house 2 weeks ago, so I'm a free man, I am MOVING.


I'm heading to Portland on July 16th, house hunting. I bicycled all over downtown Portland last fall, LOVED IT.

HogWild

Big thumbs up on the Talking Heads quote!

To the OP, I'm in Temple every other weekend and I can see why you'd want to leave. Heavy traffic, narrow roads, very few decent restaurants (except for Schoepf's BBQ in Belton). Seems like pretty decent road riding once you get away from the interstate.

It may not suit everyone but I like living in San Angelo (about 3 1/2 hours west of Temple). It's hot in the summers but low humidity. Mild winters, <20 inches of rain per year. We're 90 miles from the nearest interstate (or comparably sized city) so there's less traffic. Like most small towns it seems a little too in-bred sometimes, but there's a thriving music and arts community and a decent university. Pretty decent cycling both in town and out, and some good mtb at the state park.

Probably not a major lifestyle change though going from one small town in TX to another.

I'm sure you'll bloom wherever you're planted....

c~

bicyclerampage

southeastern ma. fairly flat swampy area humid in the summer, threat of EEE and west nile virus in the summer the last few years. cold humid in winter sometimes snow most times slush that turns to ice. lots of pricks that hate cyclists. cost of living is high. uhhhh it rained 26 out of 30 days in june... but im all sunshines and smiles on my bicycle.

mikeybikes

Sad day . There's plenty of room for you here too, despite what they tell you.

I like Colorado, however, I've never lived anywhere else to compare it to.

Denver is plenty bike friendly. I daily see tons of bicycle out during my commute.

The job market here also isn't too bad. Cost of living is can be high though, depending where you live.

My favorite place I lived in CO was Golden. Unfortunately, lack of a job forced me to move to Denver, which is my second favorite.

Weather is wonderfully unpredictable. Case in point. Weatherman said sunny day. I'm looking out the showroom windows right now at 3pm, it is very very dark outside.

IMO, just don't live more than ten miles from your workplace, and you'll do fine.

RedWhiteandRed

Seattle, NYC or Austin TX.

Maybe Eugene Oregon?

Santa Monica?

I would take Seattle.

AndrewP

Montreal. The infrastructure sucks, but the city has style and lots of bikes. Its on an island which limits urban sprawl. It helps if you can speak french, but I manage with only limited french.
https://graphicdesign.jobshark.com/Mo...phicDesign.cfm

squirtdad

Maybe you can work out work from home deal...then you could almost live anywhere. Otherwise maybe checkout orgs that are located in areas you like, that would use you skills....Ie Outside magazine as an example.

EvanWCbus

Columbus, Ohio ain't bad. I wouldn't be surprised if our bike friendliness is among the highest in the midwest. The city is doing a lot to make itself more bike friendly. There are big plans for it in the future. In terms of climate, yes, there can be lots of snow in the winter, but not for very long periods of time. It's usually one month or so of downright cold, and then it wavers off and gets milder. Summers are WONDERFUL though. Spring too.

However, Ohio is currently in a budget crisis and I imagine finding a job would be difficult. The saving grace is that Columbus has by far the best economy of any city in the state. It is also the most progressive, and it specializes in more modern industries compared to our dying brother to the north, Cleveland.

wharfrat

Save me a spot on a park bench...killer cost of living and all...I wanna come your way!

Rmagers

You may want to consider Louisville Ky. Winters are not ussually too bad and it is a great bike city. Check out www.Louisvillebicycleclub.org. They have rides every day/evening. They ahave some bike lanes for in town riding or you can ride through the country and enjoy rolling hills, the Ohio river or horse farms depending on where you go.

starla

Louisville is somewhere I have always wanted to visit It's definitely on the list.

divtag

Would the weather in Louisville be much different than Texas? My dad moved to Texas (Cedar Park/Austin) three years ago for the cheaper housing. He is looking for anyway possible to move out of the heat and humidity. I visited twice, went back for the second time to give it the benefit of the doubt. I don't visit anymore and never plan to step foot in Texas again. Cracker Barrel is good, BBQ is good, still never ever ever going back to Texas.

lshaped

come to Detroit- you will never live anywhere that will make you pedal faster than the city of Detroit!

BlueMeanie

Check out the Seattle area...seriously.

buck65

Some of the cities around Los Angeles are quite nice for cyclists. The weather is almost always enjoyable, the job market is good, and the weekend recreational opportunities are tremendous. You just have to know which areas to avoid. Some decent cycling-friendly cities in the LA area include:

Glendale
Pasadena
South Pasadena
La Crescenta
Arcadia
Montrose
La Canada
San Marino

All of these cities have easy access to public transit into Downtown. The list also represents a diverse level of housing/rent prices.

canyoneagle

I am no stranger to wanderlust. I've moved more times in the 21 years since I graduated (from Texas A&M, BTW) than I can recollect, and I've lived in 4 countries and numerous states east, west, north and south. One thing that I've really learned in the process is that most of us have a "resonance" to a certain landscape.
-Some of us resonate with the open skies, dry air, forested peaks, and desert valleys of the Intermountain West.
-Some of us resonate with the lush woodlands, moist air, the nurturing embrace of the dense woods, and the narrow, steep valleys of the Northeast and appalacians.
-Some of us are called to the vast, rolling grasslands and riparian woodlands of the midwest.
- Some of us long for the cool coastal breezes and mediterranean climate, where the mountains meet the sea on the west coast
- Some feel a tug to smell the fragrant air amongst the coniferous forests of the northwest.
- Some are at home in the moderate winters and hot, moist summers (and the incredible thunderstorms that come with them) and extensive woodlands of the deep south.

In all of these, there are heavily urbanized areas, small towns, and villages that have some of the signature of the landscape.

If you are able, Explore! Take a few months and allow yur wanderlust to take you where you feel pulled, then try something new. Travel light, take simple jobs for basic sustenance and perhaps some freelance design work that doesn't tie you down.
When you find "home", you will KNOW it!

Good luck, and please keep us posted!

canyoneagle

..........and of course, there are other continents to explore, too

coldfeet

Whattt!? Those dogs in TEXAS?! You gotta move to Calgary Alberta. OK, it's 30C and sunny right now, but that's pretty rare. We do get Summer, but it's usually milder than that. The dogs will love the Winter. Prep right, and you will to. Unemployment currently at just over 6%. I'd offer you my spare room, but I have this image of my big cat going nose to nose with the Pyrenees.

We have a lot of bike paths, and the connections are improving. I ride 18km to work, and 80% is on paths by the river.

dedhed

Madison, WI

https://www.city-data.com/city/Madison-Wisconsin.html

starla

They are indoor dogs. Pyrs are quite numerous around here, primarily as working dogs (guarding sheep, etc.). Both of mine are rescues, though, and just hang out with me.

urban rider

Don't even think about Detroit, Michigan the former motorcity. As a matter of fact stay out of Michigan! Although, Ann Arbor, Michigan has been voted a bike friendly small city. Unfortunately Michigan has a high unemployment rate and Ann Arbor can be expensive.

Rocartfe

I think you should really look at a smaller town. Maryland has a lot of small towns with local companies. The area close to the bay has nice scenery and pleasant weather. Flat wide roads with big shoulders. If you get a sudden urge to climb mountains they are 3 hours away by car and big rolling hills are less than 2. Taxes are not too bad if you stay away from waterfront property.

fishtoes2000

The city of Detroit is a fine choice so long as you can find a job. There are opportunities for design. Some designers I know are now working in the local film industry, which has gotten huge in Michigan due to our new generous tax credits. I can put you in touch with them, if you're interested.

There may be some job opportunities with the College for Creative Studies (CCS). They're going through a massive expansion right now.

There are a lot of artists moving to Detroit now given our low cost of living. But you don't have to go super cheap on the housing. You can get great deal on a Mies Van De Rohe townhouse in Lafayette Park, which the dogs would love. Here's a video of it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OROh-5c92Ag

And the city of Detroit is a great place to bike. I was riding in Austin last year just thinking how much I'd rather be riding in Detroit. We just don't have that much traffic. It's not uncommon to be the only user on a four-lane one-way road. (Biking conditions in the Detroit suburbs vary from average to terrible -- unless you're on a trail. Ferndale is above average.)

MijnWraak

Plymouth, MA!. well, okay the roads suck for bicyclists, but google Hollywood East. will be plenty of job opportunities in a few years.

alicestrong

Why don't we cyclists just pool our resources and take over the whole of Detroit? Buy up all the cheap homes and start mass producing bicycles...