[djjohnr]

Some things you need to consider-

1) Do you mind dealing with snow during the winter (ie do you love snowboarding skiing just as much)

OR

2) Do you mind a **** load of rain (PNW)

3) Are you looking for a city with nightlife etc, or more of a mellow mountain town kinda vibe

 

[Windowlicker]

Santa Cruz County.

 

[bikenweed]

Flagstaff seems to have a cost of living equally as expensive as CA at $550-$650 a month avg. room rent.

Where else in northern AZ is there a half decent job market but is still in the trees and high(ish) elevation?

 

[pelo]

The Alps. Easy one.

 

[Jm_]

Flagstaff seems to have a cost of living equally as expensive as CA at $550-$650 a month avg. room rent.

Where else in northern AZ is there a half decent job market but is still in the trees and high(ish) elevation?

True, but you can't compare Flag with all of california, many places in california are far more expensive than that, and california is huge with many different parts, some redneck out in middle of nowhere parts, and so on...

 

[El Spazmiestro]

Boulder, Colorado. For Obvious Reasons.

yea boulder is actually not all that great. its really annoying living here with these great mountains but no trails. you have to drive at least half an hour or so for trails.

 

[bikenweed]

Northern AZ, Northern NM, Southern OR, UT, CO:

Where (specifically) would you move if you're looking for:

great moto trails, good XC mtb trails, half-decent job possibilities, and almost year-round riding conditions?

I'll be there in 3-5 weeks.

 

[blue]

It really does depend on what you're looking for...you can't beat Salt Lake, Flagstaff, Boulder, or Santa Fe for larger towns essentially in the mountains. If you love to ski epic in the winter and ride epic in the summer, Salt Lake is easily one of the best places in the US to do it. Living is relatively cheap, you can find a crappy 1 bedroom place for $500/mo or so, and a very nice one for $800 or so with riding 10 minutes from your door by bike. Room rates are lower. The university in SLC is a big public research school if you aren't picky about where your degree comes from.

That said, if you don't like skiing or boarding too much, it probably isn't the place for you. It's cold as hell in the winter, there's Mormons everywhere (their womens are teh hawt, though), and you might experience some culture shock if you venture out into the suburbs.

For year round riding California coast FTW...one of the biggest reasons I moved from Salt Lake to Santa Cruz. Biggest downsides here are the cost of living (I pay the same amount for a mediocre room in Santa Cruz as I did for a bomb-ass apt in Salt Lake) and the lack of "real" elevation nearby. The hills are beautiful, but if you like to climb there's nothing huge to kick your ass on.

Southern Utah and Phoenix area AZ also have year round riding, but the heat in the summer is just too much for my tastes.

 

[tuumbaq]

thats a no brainer IMO...ever heard of a town call Whistler??? If not well ,pretty much every trails/bike park out there is inspired from it.

Oh and once you've moved there you wont care about going back to school anymore. Neither will you care how big your house and your car is...cause all you really need is a bed and a bike.

On top of all that you even get a **** load of hot girls on holiday that wants to party all the time...what else would you need?

 

[bpatterson6]

yea boulder is actually not all that great. its really annoying living here with these great mountains but no trails. you have to drive at least half an hour or so for trails.

DH isn't that close by. Epic XC is, THE FIX their DJ's and pump track are, Gunbarrel DJ's, and the OHV Area where people train for DH is. Train for 4x/BMX fairly close by in Berthoud, Fort Collins, and Dacono. Keystone, Sol Vista, etc aren't that far away. 1.5hrs at most. Boulder is a cool place IMO.
I live in Denver. You have to pack up and have to drive a 1/2hr to get to a trail. Boohoo. I drive over an hour now to get to a trail. I'd happily move to the Boulder area given the chance if my commute wouldn't suck everyday.

 

[Spokompton]

If the quality of weed matters, then BELLINGHAM is by far the best weed and biking friendly place to live.