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C

Compilot

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My wife and I are in the process of researching where we want to live in the next 6-12 months and would like some honest suggestions and opinions on good areas for what we want. We are visiting Austin, TX in April and Central OR in May. This what we are looking for in our next area:


-Lots of outdoorsy things to do

-quality state/national parks within an hours drive

-within 30-40 mins of a medium sized town/city

-mountain bike trails

-affordable (median home price less that $300,000)

-friendly people

-not near a beach

-Not in a oppressively humid environment in the summer. Heat is OK, heat and 90% humidity is not

-property tax rates are reasonable

-Nothing in CA, CO, or the Northeast
 
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Central Oregon FTW! I looked for years for a place to retire to and when I drove into Bend I knew I was home. If you haven't researched it and visited yet then by all means do so before any final decision is made. Ive been here just over two years and love it. The Cascades offer endless hiking, and skiing , if your into that is a short 30 minute drive. A very friendly and beautiful place for sure. Love it. BTW, the rain stays mostly on the other side of the mountains. Central Oregon is considered high desert. 3600ft.
 
Central OR is beautiful. Bend is a neat town, good micro brews.
Very close to mt bachelor, excellent fishing and mountain biking.
Pic from my sig is from a small spring fed creek just south of bend.
I would love to live there if I could work out a job transfer to the area
 
That's why I live where I live. I can ski 15 minutes away. I rode over 1500 miles of mtn bike trails last season. World class whitewater is 20 minutes away from the house. I don't rock climb anymore but its here too. We get several feet of snow every winter yet warm weather is only 3 1/2 hours away in South Carolina. I live in one of the least expensive places in the US too.
 
Forgot to mention the biking, my other fav thing to do. We got the second highest rating for being bike friendly in America. 90% of the cars on the roads are driven by bikers also, so there is some definite politeness regarding bikers on the roads. It is in the works to complete the Deschutes river trail from Tumalo all the way to Sunriver. An awesome ride with no detours once finished. If sharing the road with bicycles is annoying at all Bend would not be for you, because they are everywhere. I have to smile at winter bikers in the snow going to and from work and errands. That's just to cold for me. Even with studded tires. To slippery still. But its the way it is here.
 
Austin has equally oppressive heat and property taxes. I've spent at least a few weeks in all 50 states thanks to years of work travel, no friendlier people than in TN, NC or SC. TN has no state income tax, the eastern half of the state provides easy access to many national and state parks. Lots of mountain biking within this "triangle" area. I always did weekend stays in OR and WA out of pocket, it was too beautiful not too. Good luck!
 
I grew up in Bend so my opinion is obviously biased but I would move back there in a minute if my job allowed. (In Portland, OR now). Only thing missing is the 30-40min access to a real "city" as Portland is 3.5hrs away.
 
Might want to look at the four corners/western slope area. Meets all of your criteria.

I have lived in Austin, TX during one summer and it's not fun.
 
I love Austin but I wouldn't qualify it as "affordable," as far as housing costs, except maybe compared to CA or NY or something. Property taxes in TX are generally considered higher than some other places (it's how they fund the public schools) but no state income tax. It's also hot in the summer, but not humid like Houston and points further east. I personally like my summers hot - it may not be perfect SoCal weather out there, but neither is central OR, I can assure you. I think you'll have a much better idea after visiting both places - they're quite different not only in terms of climate but also culturally. Austin, while not a "big city" is MUCH more urbanized than most of OR (Portland excepted). Incidentally, I go back and forth between settling down in Austin (a place where I've already lived for several years) and Corvallis, OR (to be closer to the wife's family, but also a neat place in it's own right). Usually Austin comes out ahead for me.
 
Las Vegas NV..

Ski in the morning, drive 45 mins to Lake Mead and water ski there.
About an hours drive to Bryce Canyon in Utah.
Not many mosquitoes.
Great restaurants.
24/7 town
 
Compilot said:
-friendly people
Click to expand...

I would say around Salt Lake as it fits all of your requirements to the tee, all but this was one. I am from originally from LI, NY, I have been here most of my life. I am just astounded how horrible people drive and behave in their cars out here.

It is not that people aren't nice. There just happens to be ten more than too many of this certain type that does stupid shit in right front of you. You give them that are-you-stupid-look, they just smile back and wave, or worse ignore the fact that they just about killed themselves.

If you have to commute, for some reason people park and drive 50mph in the left "passing" lane and pass at 85mph in right lane.

Forget about using your turn signals, most seem to think this is the I-am-going-to-be-an-ass-and-speed-up-to-not-let-you-in signal, more often than not when you happen to be in a merge lane.

If you leave a "safe" distance between you and the driver in front of you, that is just a red flag for someone to pull in front of you, slow down and turn, PARTICULARLY when there is no one behind you.

Not sure how half these people got their drivers licenses.

If you happen to work in the service industry, don't expect to receive proper gratuity for said services.

Oh and we have a really stupid state slogon... "Life Elevated" hmm, yeah ok, elevated on what...LOL , whatever was wrong with "Greatest Snow on Earth"?

If you can deal with the above silliness it really is a great place to live. :)
 
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Compilot said:
-Lots of outdoorsy things to do

-quality state/national parks within an hours drive

-within 30-40 mins of a medium sized town/city

-mountain bike trails

-affordable (median home price less that $300,000)

-friendly people

-not near a beach

-Not in a oppressively humid environment in the summer. Heat is OK, heat and 90% humidity is not

-property tax rates are reasonable

-Nothing in CA, CO, or the Northeast
Click to expand...
Welcome to Western Canada!
 
Sounds odd, but Bloomington, Indiana matches every single thing you listed. Amazing mountain biking, really healthy road and cyclocross cultures, national forest to the south, state forests to the north, west, and east. It's a quaint college town, has all 4 seasons (something I miss now that I live in west Texas again), and is pretty affordable compared to Austin.
 
Bay33saw said:
Las Vegas NV..

Ski in the morning, drive 45 mins to Lake Mead and water ski there.
About an hours drive to Bryce Canyon in Utah.
Not many mosquitoes.
Great restaurants.
24/7 town
Click to expand...


did I mention legal brothels and tons of strip clubs????:banplease:
 
I'm just bitter because of the hating on CO but what does this have to do with 4runners or off roading in 4runners? :toilet:
 
well based on your criteria ND has none of the following :

1. Lots of outdoorsy things to do (if you count hunting, ice fishing, fishing)
2. quality state/national parks within an hours drive (that's why you see tandem 26+ ft campers with a boat behind them heading to he lakes)
3. within 30-40 mins of a medium sized town/city (we only have 6 major cities spaced about 100-400 miles apart, and our state pop. is roughly 700k or less)
4. mountain bike trails (we don't have mountains, just hills)

we do have the following :

5. affordable (median home price less that $300,000)
6. friendly people
7. not near a beach (land lock for at least 1200 miles unless you count the great lakes)
8. Not in a oppressively humid environment in the summer. Heat is OK, heat and 90% humidity is not (we are lucky if we get in the 90's, but then again we do get into the -40's wind chill)
9. property tax rates are reasonable (if you follow rule #3)

had to add some humor :)
 
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