# I want to move out of Florida, but where to?



## Mellowyellow01 (Apr 13, 2012)

I want to get out of Florida and find a state that has year round riding, XC/ AM, I used to live in the Northwest but the constant rain was dreadful, loved the area just not the weather. Since I now live in Florida I love the blue skys and mild winters but I need hills!! So can you all help me find somewhere with good riding and good weather?

Year round ratings
Weather 1-10
Trails 1-10
Hills 1-10

I would even consider moving out of country
Looking forward to your responses!


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## AZ (Apr 14, 2009)

Arizona and New Mexico both have areas with fantastic year round riding opportunities.


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## likeaboss (Jan 1, 2012)

I rode year round in Maine this year:thumbsup:

Year round riding is fun but why not move to an area where you can experience some great winter activities like skiing or boarding?

Weather 8
trails 8
Hills 8


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## LuckySomer (May 1, 2008)

Utah if you can deal with the local culture. Colorado if you can't. Epic riding is accessible year around in either if you don't mind a little driving. I'm 30 minutes of over a hundred miles of trails. Check out Utah mountain biking club site which documents a large portion of the trails.


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## leaguerider (Sep 6, 2010)

Florida sucks and it will be underwater sooner than you can say Koch.


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## Mellowyellow01 (Apr 13, 2012)

An improvement??








LOL California has some awesome weather and nice hills, but all the social negatives are not even worth considering moving there


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## SDD74 (Jun 22, 2012)

I hear there is great riding in Las Vegas. If you can handle the heat
If I was to move anywhere I think Colorado would be my choice.


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## Mellowyellow01 (Apr 13, 2012)

I am looking and into the Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona Most of it seems like a high desert, so trying to find some woods/ forests near there.


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## El Train (Apr 21, 2007)

treilley said:


> I rode year round in Maine this year:thumbsup:
> 
> Year round riding is fun but why not move to an area where you can experience some great winter activities like skiing or boarding?
> 
> ...


Dude, Maine is a 1 on the weather scale. Who are you kidding? I grew up there and it is terrible weather.


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## AZ (Apr 14, 2009)

Mellowyellow01 said:


> I am looking and into the Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona Most of it seems like a high desert, so trying to find some woods/ forests near there.


Much forest in all the states you list, have a look around.


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## SS Hack (Jan 20, 2012)

Head west young man.


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## sandmangts (Feb 16, 2004)

Mellowyellow01 said:


> An improvement??
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I live in San Diego and we do have some great trails but some recent fiscal and environmental ******baggery has severely limited legal access to some truly epic riding. Not to mention the "social negatives" you mentioned however those really depend on where you live.

I came from N.C. and I can say that if you plant yourself somewhere close to the middle of that state you have some really great options as far a riding goes. Weather is generally mild although humid but being from Florida you should be used to that. Winters will be cold but not North Dakota type cold. And the state has pretty good job opportunities and the economy is not so bad. 
Weather= 7
Riding, trails = 7
Hills, depends on where you are.


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## SS Hack (Jan 20, 2012)

Don't come to California. The "social negatives" will destroy your life and your family will be ashamed of you ... you might even turn "liberal", gasp!


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## peanut09 (Apr 13, 2005)

Mellowyellow01 said:


> I am looking and into the Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona Most of it seems like a high desert, so trying to find some woods/ forests near there.


This is what is hard for me living in CO. I moved here from FL. CO is a better option then New Mex or AZ and I would consider it a good alternative from somewhere like WA or FL. Personally I like the West side of NC but work was the driving factor for me so I ended in CO.


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## Doc D (Nov 16, 2006)

Texas

San Antonio; Job market is doing well, cost is living is reasonable and the riding is pretty good year round. Great trails in town and excellent trails from within 30 minutes to 1.5 hours away. It's called Hill Country for a reason. I lived there for 2 years, I do miss it.

Dallas; Suprisingly good riding, but the metroplex is a little too big for my taste, i live in the burb which is good for riding, but bad for socialization and my type of entertainment. I'm leaving soon and I will definitely come back to visit the trails.

Austin; My next stop, Great in town trails, shares the same awesome out of town trails as San Antonio with a few more being closer. Great bike culture, kind of due to a guy who wore yellow a lot. For me the people make it the place to be, very fit and outdoorsy crowd...and mellow. Great beer everywhere! Job market sucks as far as I have seen.


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## Jerry Del Cannon (Jul 28, 2012)

What do you do for a living? Move to where you can find a job but also has great MTBing opportunities. Personally, I've lived in NOVA for all my life. Many good trails in the DC Metro area, MORE-MTB.org is the local organization, and there are plenty of jobs. For now, the mandatory budget cuts if Congress and Prez can't get their acts together will make it difficult for many in this area.


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## Mellowyellow01 (Apr 13, 2012)

Appliance repair and home repair. Pretty much could do that anywhere there is over 100k people. I just have to save up go on vacation in that general area for a couple weeks and see if I like any of it.


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## Lawson Raider (Jul 24, 2006)

Grand Junction, Colorado is my dream location.....Moab 1 1/2 hours away and GJ is plum full of sweet trails.


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## emdog4 (Jun 3, 2012)

Interested in this as well. My wife and I are thinking about relocating to Colorado (or somewhere else) from SC to get into more MTB and outdoor activities. Everyone one this thread is mentioning States, but what about specific cities? Thanks


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## El Train (Apr 21, 2007)

Been in Bozeman, MT area for 10 years and love it. Came from New England. TONS of outdoor stuff. Small town vibe. College town so a little more going on. World class skiing, mtn bike, fishing, hiking, etc. Awesome. Gotta like skiing or something though for the winters...


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## digital_exhaust (Sep 22, 2010)

Pretty much anywhere on the Western Slope in Colorado. Outside of the higher elevations, the winters are pretty mild, and the summers are outstanding. 

The riding..... well


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## SS Hack (Jan 20, 2012)

digital_exhaust said:


> Pretty much anywhere on the Western Slope in Colorado. Outside of the higher elevations, the winters are pretty mild, and the summers are outstanding.
> 
> The riding..... well


And the employment opportunities ... ?


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## digital_exhaust (Sep 22, 2010)

SS Hack said:


> And the employment opportunities ... ?


Depends on where you wind up and how willing you are to commute. Skilled trades are almost always in demand, but in many cases it's seasonal work and may require travel.

Check the Western Slope Co CL and you'll see there is work available for those with HVAC, plumbing, light electrical etc., but it does require a lot of flexibility and willingness to travel.


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## AtotheZ (Nov 16, 2007)

I do year round in Texas, south side Dallas to be exact. Lots of good trails down here and there are tons more around and even a little west in Fort Worth. Got the itch for something different spend the weekend in Austin which is a 3 hour drive. It does get hot sometimes though, 108 yesterday but it gives me a reason to dust off the trainer.


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## A Ton of Clay (Jul 30, 2012)

Flagstaff, Arizona if you want cooler temperatures and lots of snow in the winter. They get a surprising amount of snow but warmer riding climates are just a few hours away such as sedona and phoenix. 

I want to move to Flagstaff


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## A Ton of Clay (Jul 30, 2012)

Also the dry heat of Arizona isnt nearly as draining as high humidity.


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## Jwind (Mar 1, 2006)

There isn't a better place for riding then the Colorado Plateau. Awesome desert tech, epic alpline riding and Colorado's Western Slope is super close. Almost always sunny. Some areas get hot in the Summer, but as year round riding goes, it's pretty good. 

Down side is, the American SW is sparsely populated and for the most part the economy sucks. This is why places like the front range, PHX and SLC are experience such growth.


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## B1KER (Jul 19, 2006)

Sacramento, California - Close to Tahoe (Skiing & Riding), Ridiculous amount of riding. Weather is tame in the winter. Just rain. Not too hot in the summer. If it is, you are riding next to water. Rivers for boating, floating, fishing, etc. Plenty of lakes for the same reasons. Downtown is really bike friendly. You can go do fun xc type of trails or easily go to the lifts and get your downhill on. International airport if you want to travel and since it's norcal you don't have the same issues as the southern part of the state.


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## SS Hack (Jan 20, 2012)

mtbg33k said:


> Sacramento, California - Close to Tahoe (Skiing & Riding), Ridiculous amount of riding. Weather is tame in the winter. Just rain. Not too hot in the summer. If it is, you are riding next to water. Rivers for boating, floating, fishing, etc. Plenty of lakes for the same reasons. Downtown is really bike friendly. You can go do fun xc type of trails or easily go to the lifts and get your downhill on. International airport if you want to travel and since it's norcal you don't have the same issues as the southern part of the state.


It sounds like the greatest place on earth.


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## B1KER (Jul 19, 2006)

I've bounced around a lot in my life. So far this place seems to have everything I want. You could ski one day and be on a boat wakeboarding the next. Then go to the ocean the next day and still not be driving more than 2 hours in any direction. I was in the bay (SF bay area for those who aren't locals) and started talking to someone on the lifts one winter. At the time the home prices were outragous down there so it was an easy decision to come up here. The only other place that I've considered was Boise, ID. But at the end of the day there is still too much within a few hours of this place to consider going elsewhere. As you know there is a tremendous amount of riding in the bay area/sacramento/tahoe area. Oregon and Washington is pretty apealing but the weather there definitely is not as nice as it is down here.


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## SS Hack (Jan 20, 2012)

mtbg33k said:


> I've bounced around a lot in my life. So far this place seems to have everything I want. You could ski one day and be on a boat wakeboarding the next. Then go to the ocean the next day and still not be driving more than 2 hours in any direction. I was in the bay (SF bay area for those who aren't locals) and started talking to someone on the lifts one winter. At the time the home prices were outragous down there so it was an easy decision to come up here. The only other place that I've considered was Boise, ID. But at the end of the day there is still too much within a few hours of this place to consider going elsewhere. As you know there is a tremendous amount of riding in the bay area/sacramento/tahoe area. Oregon and Washington is pretty apealing but the weather there definitely is not as nice as it is down here.


Don't forget super cheap houses too!


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## rich67 (Mar 21, 2010)

Right there with ya, bud. I left So Cal about 19 years ago, and miss the hills. I live in Florida as well. Career is keeping me here, but I retire in about 8 years, so I'll be heading west. Eyeing the Sedona area and Flagstaff area. Great MTB'ing there, and within a quick day's drive to other places as well. I just want to jump on my bike at my driveway and ride to the trailhead. Sedona is the place for that.


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## SS Hack (Jan 20, 2012)

rich67 said:


> Right there with ya, bud. I left So Cal about 19 years ago, and miss the hills. I live in Florida as well. Career is keeping me here, but I retire in about 8 years, so I'll be heading west. Eyeing the Sedona area and Flagstaff area. Great MTB'ing there, and within a quick day's drive to other places as well. I just want to jump on my bike at my driveway and ride to the trailhead. Sedona is the place for that.


Life is too short to live in a flat state.


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## Scott In MD (Sep 28, 2008)

Was: Florida. Is: Fountain Hills, Arizona. I miss hurricane swells at A-Street and Gator games but not much else. I ride out my garage door on to World class trails and miles of safe rolling-hill roads. 

Weather 7
Trails 9
Hills 9
Jobs/COL 8

Tulsa was a nice place to live, too. Better riding than you might think, but not the place you'd relocate to for the riding. I could live in Sacramento in a second.

I know the CW is Boulder, but only if you dig winter sports more than riding perfecta-mundo weather all Winter. And Tuscon? No mountain lakes for swimming nearby.


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## ColoradoTravel (Sep 16, 2012)

*Colorado*

You have to move out to Colorado it is a great state for great mountain biking you can not do it year round like in Florida but almost year round more then 200 days a year that is for sure. Check out everything you can do in the state of Colorado. You will be able to mountain bike in Colorado for years with out getting bored of the paths there are to discover.


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## DrNickels (Jan 7, 2008)

Moved from Ohio to western SC/eastern Georgis area. Like being 2 hours from the beach and a few hours from the mountains. Other option if I ever move again is Albuquerque NM.


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## wmac (Sep 29, 2010)

I just moved from FL to Nashville three years ago. Booming economy, year round riding, fantastic trails, great MTB community. No mountains, but the hills are fun. This is the healthcare hub, entertainment/music sector is growing and all the tech jobs that go along with those industries. Nissan, Bridgestone. Dollar General, Deloitte and lots of other large companies here. I expect more soon - no state income tax.


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## SS Hack (Jan 20, 2012)

wmac said:


> I just moved from FL to Nashville three years ago. Booming economy, year round riding, fantastic trails, great MTB community. No mountains, but the hills are fun. This is the healthcare hub, entertainment/music sector is growing and all the tech jobs that go along with those industries. Nissan, Bridgestone. Dollar General, Deloitte and lots of other large companies here. I expect more soon - no state income tax.


If there are no mountains, can there be "mountain biking"?


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## wmac (Sep 29, 2010)

We call it "Hill Biking" around here


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## SS Hack (Jan 20, 2012)

wmac said:


> We call it "Hill Biking" around here


I like it, it has a certain understated British sound to it like "hill walking" for hiking or backpacking. Good show! Of course you do really have mountains in your state anyway.


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## wmac (Sep 29, 2010)

Chattanooga and Knoxville have the closest things related to "Mountains." The trails within an hour of Nashville have maybe 200 ft of ascent at a time. On the road, maybe 300. But they are jolly good fun!


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## JohnMorris (Nov 28, 2012)

Well as of me the best place to travel to next to Florida is the great city of NY, with the perfect condos and apartments in the vicinity and the best neighborhoods in the New York Chelsea Apartment in the Griffincourtcondos.com.


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