[jmvar]

If you could live anywhere within North America where would you live? Following the criteria below:

1. good DH accesibility-chairlift/shuttle trails within 1 hr. drive that are leagal trails

2. good XC trails-gotta climb every once in a while

3. good snowboarding-goes somewhat hand in hand with #1 due to chairlifts, not too picky, I learned to snowboard at whitetail in Maryland, if you guys saw this "moutain" you would laugh.....

4. decent night life-not the seniors bingo night at the local fire house

5. decent quality of life- I live in Prince Geores Co. in Maryland....keep your eyes open and your wallets in your front pocket...

Couple of places I have been that I would really like to live:

Montreal.....went there Jan. 2001 and loved it. went snowboarding at a place that was like an hour outside of Montreal, night life was good, lots of good looking women, It was great.

Lake Tahoe.....man that place is nice....went Dec. 2002 on a snowboarding trip. It was the least amount of snow they had seen in a long time but I still had a great time....and I hear of guys on this board riding during their lunch breaks!!?!??!?!?! gotta love that...

lets here 'em...

 

[profro]

Knoxville, TN or Asheville, NC.

Both are close or are in the mountains.

Great DH trails, not some many lift assisted but shuttlable. Windrock, Wolf, Pisgah, Sugar, Beech, etc.

College towns, so nightlife is good.

Both have good quality of life with plenty of outdoor attitudes and the weather is mild with occasional cold days in the winter, but the humidty can be tough during the summers.

 

[oly]

Seattle fits many of those criteria.

Bellingham is also a decent place i hear..... and its a few hours closer to Vancouver......

 

[buildyourown]

Gotta represent Seattle here.

4 hours from whistler!

Lotsa college kids at the U
(Have you ever been to U village on a weekend? I think that is were the breed all hot women)

Reasonable cost of living (it aint cheap, but you can afford a nice place on a working man wages, unlike Cali)

Tons of XC trails and some pretty awesome freeriding

Good cascade concrete to snowboard on

No income tax.

I know everyone is going to get mad at me because this place is getting crowded as it is so:

It rains here 9 months of the year so you better like riding in the mud and rain. The upside, you can ride all year long.

 

[PoserNewbie]

Hmm...I have lived in several cities in North America and I have to say that it is hard to beat Vancouver based on your criteria:

1. Good DH accesibility/XC trails:

- 2 mountains within 30 minutes of downtown to do shuttle runs (Cypress mtn and Seymour mtn)

- Selection of good trails ranging from beginner to extreme on Mt. Fromme if you feel like climbing (also within 30 minutes of downtown).

- Within 1-2 hrs from downtown you can be in Squamish or Whistler to get some more excellent riding (XC to DH).

2. Good snowboarding:

- Within 30 minutes of downtown (Cypress, Seymour and Grousse)

- Within 2 hrs (Whistler)

3. Nightlife:

- I heard its pretty decent although I'm pretty much out of it for a while now.

4. Quality of life:

- Excelllent if you have a decent job (pretty much the same everywhere)

 

[neversummersnow]

NOT Colorado, its never sunny here, the nightlife blows, there is zero riding, and the people are really really mean. Don't even look at it.

 

[Zark]

Great thread

For me some more requirements are needed

1: must be in USA (as cool as Canada is, work visas are hard to get)

2: can't rain too much

3: Good supply of decent paying high tech jobs

 

[DamienC]

Former Seattlelite throwing in another vote for either Seattle or Vancouver for all the same reasons given above. I like that both cities are perched at the confluence of mountains and water. Personally if I had equal opportunities to go live in either, Vancouver would probably win out for it's more extensive selection of Chinese eats and proximity to Whistler.

 

[kidwoo]

Originally posted by neversummersnow
NOT Colorado, its never sunny here, the nightlife blows, there is zero riding, and the people are really really mean. Don't even look at it.

Glad I'm not the only one who thinks that.


If you like tahoe, think Reno, NV or Auburn, CA. Tahoe is a hassle to find real work but is easy driving distance from Reno/Carson City area. Work is also really easy to find. There's year round biking and almost year round skiing.

Anywhere in north america though?

I'd say somewhere between Vancouver and Whistler if you can handle the winter time dampness.

 

[Matt D]

Originally posted by Zark
Great thread

For me some more requirements are needed

1: must be in USA (as cool as Canada is, work visas are hard to get)

2: can't rain too much

3: Good supply of decent paying high tech jobs

I would add to that:

4: Not deserty (For instance, I couldn't see riding in Co. Springs or Fruita for more than a vacation)

5: Seasons are good

 

[Zark]

Originally posted by Matt D
I would add to that:

4: Not deserty (For instance, I couldn't see riding in Co. Springs or Fruita for more than a vacation)

5: Seasons are good

Meh
I don't mind deserty and seasons are overrated Just my opinion though

I think I'll find myself near Auburn, Ca if I ever find some real work up there. That or get really fed up with the hot women in SB

 

[Jm_]

maybe new mexico or southern colorado around Durago...

 

[Joey]

I've lived in Colorado (no offense, but you guys can keep Boulder all to yourselves), So. California, Vegas, Alaska and checked out tons more and I would definitely go the Vancouver route if you can swing it. Work visas are hard to get though. Seattle is a close second.

 

[Ice Bullit]

I would have to say Bellingham just north of Seattle. They are building a DJ park there and it is just a couple hours drive to Whistler and your still in the US. Thats my vote.

 

[Jm_]

Originally posted by Acadian


That is one of the reason why I'm building a new trail bike...I want to start exploring more singletrack. I can't believe I've never ridden trails in Tahoe like Mr. Toads, etc... Time to mix up the riding a bit...

It's required that you ride that trail if you live in california!

Start from Heavely and ride the TRT to it though for the full effect.

 

[mental]

This one's easy...

Well, I'm of course a little biased, but here's some thoughts...

1. Squamish - a little blue collar and red neck, but cost of living is relatively low (compared to Whistler and Van) Riding is spectacular and can be done year round as can the skiing.

2. Nelson, BC - low cost of living, great riding and shuttles but nearest lift accessed riding is 2-3 hours drive.

3. Calgary AB - tons of work to be found, great cost of living and quality of life. Again a good 2-3 hour drive for good lift accessed riding (although with the World Cup coming, Canada Olympic Park will have a great slopestyle course and though small, there's some good riding for the "after work" crowd)

4. Vancouver, BC and Seattle, Wa - Lots of work, a little pricey but there's great riding just a short drive in virtually any direction.

 

[thomas]

although i might get flamed now: what bout san diego? big bear is not too far away, is it? just been chillin and ridin down there for a couple of days and it is pretty much one of my fav cities all round the world (i am from austria, europe). loved the city centre (it actually has one; unlike la). really liked the (shuttleable) trails in and round alpine. do not know bout house/rent prices, guess it is pretty steep?
I lived in thousand oaks for a year, which was nice, but a long ass way up to big bear (weekend fun gettin into traffic congestions at 2 am in la on a freaking sunday). t.o. was nice for trail ridin, but nightlife sucked. house/rent prices are just freakin crazy high!

Thomas

 

[math2014]

Awesome post.

Ok, i am Greek (so what? we dont want Greeks in the states ...). I ll be having a PhD in finance after some time... and i am looking into moving to the USA or Canada... and i was wondering where i could get a high-end finance related job, in a city that fullfulls all the above mentioned criteria...

I am looking at

LA
Vancouver
SF
Seattle.

Basically i am CA biased cos i hate rain! I live in the UK, but i was born and raised in mediteranean climates... any ideas? Is LA a good choice? (this includes Santa Bawbawa and all closeby cities).

 

[PoserNewbie]

Originally posted by Acadian

Seattle crossed my mind...but again, I HATE rain!

In all honesty, the Bay Area is pretty cool!! Close to a lot of trails, it's not too hot, not too cold, doesn't rain much.. Ya the DH trails are not the best in the winter, but you can always go to Bootleg, Santa Barbara. In the summer you have NorthStar, Auburn, Downieville, etc...

That is one of the reason why I'm building a new trail bike...I want to start exploring more singletrack. I can't believe I've never ridden trails in Tahoe like Mr. Toads, etc... Time to mix up the riding a bit...

Hey Luc, read his requirement, must be within 1hr of driving.
I think you're lucky if you can get out of traffic within 1hr in the bay area.

PS. It is actually fun riding in the rain/wet. It tranforms the same trail into a completely different animal when ridden in the wet.

 

[Silver]

If you don't like rain, cross Seattle off your list.

 

[Transcend]

Originally posted by neversummersnow
NOT Colorado, its never sunny here, the nightlife blows, there is zero riding, and the people are really really mean. Don't even look at it.

Keep the plan alive brother!


Keep the bastards out..I'll be back in a few months, so don't let it get too crowded k?

 

[neversummersnow]

Fraser....I...uhhh..don't know what you're talking about

...ummm..it really really does suck here, I mean on top of there being no riding, there are NO races here...ever...don't listen to anyone else

and like I said, there is no riding anywhere.... the 2 hour ride of all singletrack I just got back from out my backdoor existed only in my head...plus its raining here like always right now....

:devil:

Listen to everyone else, nobody rides bikes in Colorado and you're an outcast if you do. This is the last place you'de ever want to be.

 

[El Santo]

Originally posted by jmvar
If you could live anywhere within North America where would you live? Following the criteria below:

1. good DH accesibility-chairlift/shuttle trails within 1 hr. drive that are leagal trails

2. good XC trails-gotta climb every once in a while

3. good snowboarding-goes somewhat hand in hand with #1 due to chairlifts, not too picky, I learned to snowboard at whitetail in Maryland, if you guys saw this "moutain" you would laugh.....

4. decent night life-not the seniors bingo night at the local fire house

5. decent quality of life- I live in Prince Geores Co. in Maryland....keep your eyes open and your wallets in your front pocket...

Couple of places I have been that I would really like to live:

Montreal.....went there Jan. 2001 and loved it. went snowboarding at a place that was like an hour outside of Montreal, night life was good, lots of good looking women, It was great.

Lake Tahoe.....man that place is nice....went Dec. 2002 on a snowboarding trip. It was the least amount of snow they had seen in a long time but I still had a great time....and I hear of guys on this board riding during their lunch breaks!!?!??!?!?! gotta love that...

lets here 'em...

Fitting all your criteria, Los Angeles, hands down. I don't know of any other place with a better mix of diversity of trail types, with easily accessible backcountry trails, better weather, better nightlife, hotter women, or better cost of living.

The San Gabriel/San Bernardino/Los Padres/Santa Monica/Verdugo mountains are directly in and around LA, collectively giving LA the largest wilderness next to a major metropolitan area in the contiguous US. There are everything from 4000' XC climbs to crazy gnarly DH chutes to be had.

My job is taking me up to SF after 7 years in LA. I am a San Franciscan at heart, but will sorely miss the Socal trails and my riding buddies.

My $0.02

 

[Transcend]

Originally posted by neversummersnow
Fraser....I...uhhh..don't know what you're talking about

...ummm..it really really does suck here, I mean on top of there being no riding, there are NO races here...ever...don't listen to anyone else

and like I said, there is no riding anywhere.... the 2 hour ride of all singletrack I just got back from out my backdoor existed only in my head...plus its raining here like always right now....

:devil:

Listen to everyone else, nobody rides bikes in Colorado and you're an outcast if you do. This is the last place you'de ever want to be.

I'm comin home liek it or not fool. I'm just gonna find me a trustafarian girl to ride anyways.

 

[jmvar]

Listen to everyone else, nobody rides bikes in Colorado and you're an outcast if you do. This is the last place you'de ever want to be.

sorry neversummersnow, my dad just moved to Newark, CO. I plan on visiting him, see you this summer.....

 

[Jm_]

ahahaha, los angeles.....

 

[neversummersnow]

Originally posted by Transcend
I'm comin home liek it or not fool. I'm just gonna find me a trustafarian girl to ride anyways.

Yea, that's the ticket for sure....I think Boulder is the place if that's your goal......more trustfunders there to keep focused on...its unreal

 

[Kornphlake]

Anywhere in so cal outside of the deserts is about the same. Better plan on speaking a second language if you are considering affordable housing, trails are dusty and dry as are the plants. There are lots of trails and lots of people who ride but it's really not any more special than anywhere else. I'd look at utah if riding and skiing were the only real reasons for living. Pay is about 70% of what it would be in california, but housing costs are a little lower and you won't have to learn a foreign language, unless mormon is a foreign language to you (mormon language dictates that night life is pretty subdued.) SLC has some traffic on it's 2 freeways but all in all it's a walk in the park compared to So Cal. Winters in Utah are cold and damp but there are a few days when you can get out and ride in the snow most weeks. Moab is closer to SLC than any other major city, Deer Valley has races all summer long, Virgin has the Red Bull Rampage each fall. If the culture wasn't so wierd (being an active mormon myself it was still wierd) I wouldn't mind living in utah.

 

[HippieKai]

seattle for "grown ups"
and bellingham for college kids or young adults
North Van would be kickin too but then you would have to be a maple lover

 

[Transcend]

Originally posted by neversummersnow
Yea, that's the ticket for sure....I think Boulder is the place if that's your goal......more trustfunders there to keep focused on...its unreal

You're tellin me. It's insane. My old roommate wants me to move back to hawaii with him tho. Fun place for a month or 2, but Im sure i would get bored.

 

[dfinn]

my vote goes to tahoe as long as you think you could find work. I got lucky and found an IT job in Reno, and the commute isn't so bad. Tons of trails. Good snowboarding. Just about every outdoor activity known to man. Depending on where on the lake you live there can be quite a bit of night life too.

 

[Jm_]

Originally posted by Kornphlake
Anywhere in so cal outside of the deserts is about the same. Better plan on speaking a second language if you are considering affordable housing, trails are dusty and dry as are the plants. There are lots of trails and lots of people who ride but it's really not any more special than anywhere else. I'd look at utah if riding and skiing were the only real reasons for living. Pay is about 70% of what it would be in california, but housing costs are a little lower and you won't have to learn a foreign language, unless mormon is a foreign language to you (mormon language dictates that night life is pretty subdued.) SLC has some traffic on it's 2 freeways but all in all it's a walk in the park compared to So Cal. Winters in Utah are cold and damp but there are a few days when you can get out and ride in the snow most weeks. Moab is closer to SLC than any other major city, Deer Valley has races all summer long, Virgin has the Red Bull Rampage each fall. If the culture wasn't so wierd (being an active mormon myself it was still wierd) I wouldn't mind living in utah.

It's BYOB too

 

[Kornphlake]

Originally posted by Jm_
It's BYOB too

yeah bring your own beef for all the barbecues you'll be having with your neighbors.

 

[gborden]

Originally posted by kidwoo


If you like tahoe, think Reno, NV or Auburn, CA. Tahoe is a hassle to find real work but is easy driving distance from Reno/Carson City area. Work is also really easy to find. There's year round biking and almost year round skiing.

uhhhh RENO!! Carson !! are you ****ing with me! those are like the ****iest places on the earth! North Shore pride biznatch! **** nevada and all south shore.

aurburn sucks too. If your gonna live out of Tahoe you might as well live down by the bay or down in Santa Cruz. San Fran and Santa Cruz are cool, really awsome surf in that area and good mtb trails.

 

[kidwoo]

Originally posted by gborden
uhhhh RENO!! Carson !! are you ****ing with me! those are like the ****iest places on the earth! North Shore pride biznatch! **** nevada and all south shore.

aurburn sucks too. If your gonna live out of Tahoe you might as well live down by the bay or down in Santa Cruz. San Fran and Santa Cruz are cool, really awsome surf in that area and good mtb trails.

..............oh my goodness


did you just pop?

I think I have some band-aids

 

[Motionboy2]

Fruita colorado...I think it has everything except for the regular night life

 

[gborden]

Originally posted by kidwoo
..............oh my goodness


did you just pop?

I think I have some band-aids

haha, well I guess I just couldn't believe anyone would recomend Reno. Most of my friends and I think of Reno as purgatory (spl?) or something, but living their actually does make sense for a lot of people when you think about it. They have some pretty decent trails that are open year round and you are close to Tahoe. Its not for everyone though, personally I couldn't deal with the casinos and Nevada weirdo's (not everyone but their are a lot of em) for very long.

 

[xy9ine]

Originally posted by Ice Bullit
I would have to say Bellingham just north of Seattle. They are building a DJ park there and it is just a couple hours drive to Whistler and your still in the US. Thats my vote.

bellingham is a cool little town. the beer @ boundry bay is amazing. definately worth a field trip.

 

[kidwoo]

Originally posted by gborden
haha, well I guess I just couldn't believe anyone would recomend Reno. Most of my friends and I think of Reno as purgatory (spl?) or something, but living their actually does make sense for a lot of people when you think about it. They have some pretty decent trails that are open year round and you are close to Tahoe. Its not for everyone though, personally I couldn't deal with the casinos and Nevada weirdo's (not everyone but their are a lot of em) for very long.

Once you've not been 18 for a while, your perspective changes on things.

Reno is decent because it's close to Tahoe as well as multiple mountain ranges and you don't have to deal with shoveling snow. You can ride on said snow in winter and ride the lifts at northstar and kirkwood in the summer with your bike. I spent every weekend this winter down there building/improving a dirt jump spot and and a DH trail. The ONLY problem I ever ran into was motorcycles riding them. Try that in the bay area and see how long your work lasts.

I for one have never had a bag thrown over my head, been stuffed in van and dragged inside a casino. Reno is not vegas by a long shot. Don't like casinos? Don't go there. I've also never been called biznatch by anyone in reno.

What season are you here anyway? Do you come with your parents or something? Reno is a much easier place to find meaningful work and an affordable house. So is auburn for that matter.

 

[jmvar]

So what's up with all you Montrealians!?!?!?!??!?!?!!!!

What else can you guys tell me about living in Montreal?

I got the tourist perspective when I was there.....