Help me decide where to live please...

[fmmobley 0]

My wife and I end our Peace Corps service in May of this year. We had sold our house and quit our jobs before leaving the country so don't have a particular place we have to return to. So where should we live?

On our return we plan a big roadtrip across the country to visit some recommended places.

Things I would want:
proximity to a good DZ
a lot of outdoor activities available
cycling friendly
not too hot... not too cold

Any ideas?

... Marion

[Squeak 17]

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My wife and I end our Peace Corps service in May of this year. We had sold our house and quit our jobs before leaving the country so don't have a particular place we have to return to. So where should we live?

On our return we plan a big roadtrip across the country to visit some recommended places.

Things I would want:
proximity to a good DZ
a lot of outdoor activities available
cycling friendly
not too hot... not too cold

Any ideas?

AZ or if you can do the winters CO

You are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky)
My Life ROCKS!
How's yours doing?

[skymama 37]

What type of outdoor activities; do you ski and snowboard, kayak and hike, surf and swim, mountain climb or do you like it all? Do you want to be able to skydive all year 'round? What is your range of not too hot and not too cold?

She is Da Man, and you better not mess with Da Man,
because she will lay some keepdown on you faster than, well, really fast. ~Billvon

[Andy9o8 2]

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AZ..

LOL, What part of "not too hot" does the mouse brain not understand?

[Squeak 17]

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AZ..

LOL, What part of "not too hot" does the mouse brain not understand?

I live in the driest state on earth Not to hot might mean something different to me

You are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky)
My Life ROCKS!
How's yours doing?

[monkycndo 0]

I'm a California boy through and through. I'd suggest San Diego or the SF Bay Area. Plenty of DZs in those spots, great cycling and lots of outdoor activities. And decent variation in the climate depending where you live in the areas.

50 donations so far. Give it a try.

You know you want to spank it
Jump an Infinity

[NoCoSkyDiver 0]

Fort Collins Colorado has been ranked as the top places in America to live in national magazines. It also seems to fit most of your criteria. Winters can sometimes get a little cold, but it was in the 60s and a great jumping day yesterday! If you want a bigger city, you can look at Denver.

[grimmie 186]

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I'm a California boy through and through. I'd suggest San Diego or the SF Bay Area. Plenty of DZs in those spots, great cycling and lots of outdoor activities. And decent variation in the climate depending where you live in the areas.

Yup, what monkey said. Skydive, surf, snowboard...all in one day here. Lots of bike trails, road and mountain.

[Remster 30]

Well, this Canadian isn't finding Tucson too hot... Too often anyways! lol

Seriously, yeah, for about 1 month of the year, it's hot. But, it' not Phoenix hot. We really almost never go over 110 (I know, that's still hot).

I cycle a lot (road). The road scene is amazing here. There's also a pretty vibrant mountain scene if that's your thing, with a 24 hour race held every year. I cycle through the year, going to work 2-5 times a week, even in summer. Yeah, riding at 5pm is hot then, but that tells you is manageable. I'll take Tucson's month of 100ish temps and dryness over FL or coastal TX humid 100 anyday.

Lots of great hiking around town. Eloy just up the road.

The one major thing missing is that Tucson is not really a city, more like a giant town. Downtown is getting much much better now tho, with quite a few new pubs and good places to eat.

And you can't beat never having to shovel your driveway.

Housing took a hit in AZ, including Tucson, so it's fairly cheap.

Economy, depending in what industry you want to work in, is variable.

Remster

[JohnMitchell 16]

I'll chime in for the Pacific Northwest. We have two turbine DZ's, with my favorite being in Shelton, WA. All of Puget Sound, the ocean beaches and the Olympic Peninsula rain forests are there for your recreational pursuits. The Summers are mild, rarely getting into the nineties. The job market is pretty good and housing is not bad.

The downside is half the time the weather is unsuitable for jumping. Our rainy reputation is well deserved.

[FlyingRhenquest 1]

I've lived in a lot of places, but so far I've been in Colorado the longest and don't seem to be inclined to move again. I live in Longmont, about 10 minutes from the Mile Hi dropzone and about an hour from the Sky Venture Colorado vertical wind tunnel. There's a nice rec center here, it's not too long of a drive to get to skiing, and if you live down on the plains the fires haven't proven to be a problem so far. Though you still get a lot of smoke from them.

It gets up to the mid 90s in July/August, but most of the year it's pretty mild. We do get a bit of snow in the winter, but it was sunny and 61 yesterday and the dropzone was packed! Probably going to be about the same today (I"m going to go look shortly.)

I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

[JerryBaumchen 1,363]

Hi Marion,

***Peace Corps service . . .
proximity to a good DZ
a lot of outdoor activities available
cycling friendly
not too hot... not too cold [url]


You two will fit in perfectly in Portland, OR.

I seem to remember reading that it is the most bike-friendly city in the US. And that Peace Corps thingy, welcome to Portland.

And when the first ever survey of the Most Liveable City in the US was conducted, Portland was #1.

Anything else?

JerryBaumchen

[jackwallace 3]

RV. Why stay in one place. Live and work at different DZ's and move with the weather. I lived in one ten years and as soon as I can sell my house, I'm going back at it. Set up residence in one of the 9 no tax states and off you go.

U only make 2 jumps: the first one for some weird reason and the last one that you lived through. The rest are just filler.
scr 316

[ryoder 1,590]

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Any ideas?

"..in a van...down by the river."

"There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones.

[wmw999 2,447]

Consider North Carolina; it's really, really pretty, nice people, low cost of living, and there are several DZs in the state.

I'm not from North Carolina, and have spent only two nights in the state. But given your criteria, I'd put it high on the list.

Wendy P.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[DrewEckhardt 0]

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My wife and I end our Peace Corps service in May of this year. We had sold our house and quit our jobs before leaving the country so don't have a particular place we have to return to. So where should we live?

On our return we plan a big roadtrip across the country to visit some recommended places.

Things I would want:
proximity to a good DZ
a lot of outdoor activities available
cycling friendly
not too hot... not too cold

Any ideas?

Boulder, CO.

Nearest skiing/snowboarding is 45 minutes away; turbine DZ 15 minutes; there are 40,000 acres of open space for 80,000 residents; it's definitely cycling friendly; and although it gets cold over night average daily highs in the einter are 45-50.

It's not cheap but compares well to other places that people want to live.

[skybytch 273]

Northern California - Bay area east to the Sacramento area. Several great dz's within an hour or so, close to all sorts of outdoor activities (snow, water, hiking, air), bicycle friendly, decent weather. And nice people too.

[davjohns 1]

Sounds like central Florida to me. If you are willing, I would think winters in the Orlando / Tampa area and summers somewhere more North.

I know it just wouldnt be right to kill all the stupid people that we meet..

But do you think it would be appropriate to just remove all of the warning labels and let nature take its course.

[Andy9o8 2]

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Northern California - Bay area east to the Sacramento area. Several great dz's within an hour or so, close to all sorts of outdoor activities (snow, water, hiking, air), bicycle friendly, decent weather. And nice people too.

And the world's most perfect social values. Just sayin'.

[fmmobley 0]

Thanks for the input, please keep it coming...

So far I have heard suggestions in AZ, CO, CA, WA, NC, FL and OR.

OR: Portland was already on our list of possibles: How many months out of the year can you jump there?

CO: Was also on our list of possibles: thanks for the suggestions of Boulder and Ft. Collins, we will visit them.

CA: Was on our list to check out. You think we would like Northern more than Southern California? Should I be concerned about the state of the economy in CA and the possibility of higher taxes to cover the huge deficits there?

NC: Was on our list. I would love to hear which cities in NC are recommended.

FL: I am afraid FL is off the list. Unfortunately my wife says it is too hot.

WA: Not sure about Washington. It all sounds great, but you say you can't jump half the time. If I could get 100 jumps in a year I would be satisfied. Is that possible there?

A few more criteria... We don't want a congested city with long commutes, but we don't want a city that is too small either. We would kind of like it if there was a nice size university nearby. Outdoor activities we love are skydiving, cycling, hiking, skiing and tennis.

... Marion

[The_Don 0]

Just remember to stop in & visit before you settle down some where!

I am NOT being loud.
I'm being enthusiastic!

[NWFlyer 2]

The weather in Portland is not drastically different from that in Western Washington. Western OR & WA are very similar gray rainy climates that have a relatively moderate temp range - usually not much below 40 or above 80, while Eastern WA & Eastern OR are much drier and have hotter summers and true winters. But, I think based on your criteria of lack of congestion/traffic, you might prefer the Portland area over Seattle - Portland's a smaller city and the public transportation infrastructure is much more developed.

In both Western WA & Western OR, you can jump year round and the DZs will operate year-round, but with lots of crappy weekends between October and April. Summers in the Northwest are pretty spectacular, though.

As for taxes in CA ... well, it's been a state with high taxes for a long time - it's not like the current budget issues have really changed that much. OR has no sales tax, WA has no income tax. You could live in the Portland suburbs in WA & get the best of both worlds.

Northern CA vs. Southern CA - in both cases, you're dealing with huge, sprawling metro areas - assuming you guys are going back to work, then I think living close to where you work is a critical component of quality of life in those regions, otherwise you deal with commute hell every day. The Bay Area has better public transit overall than Southern California (but you still have to be thoughtful about where you live/work to take advantage of it) but there's pockets of it in Southern California too. Outside of the Bay Area in Northern California (Sacramento/Davis area) congestion is more manageable, but it's very car-centric.

And if you come to check out the Bay Area, you've got a place to stay.

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

[JohnMitchell 16]

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WA: Not sure about Washington. It all sounds great, but you say you can't jump half the time. If I could get 100 jumps in a year I would be satisfied. Is that possible there?

I easily get 200 jumps a year as a weekend jumper (and instructor) with other family commitments. Portland. Oregon is going to be only somewhat better, but still have similar issues.

[adamUK 3]

Ah hell, get your arse to the UK. Weather like coastal WA and the rest of Europe's just short (and cheap) flight away.

[skymama 37]

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FL: I am afraid FL is off the list. Unfortunately my wife says it is too hot.

I live in Central FL and I wasn't about to tell you to move here. She's right, it IS too hot! I would love to move to NC (Asheville is a beautiful area), but I'm not sure how close it is to a dz.

She is Da Man, and you better not mess with Da Man,
because she will lay some keepdown on you faster than, well, really fast. ~Billvon