Y-not
Well-Known Member
Escape from LA to end up in LA........
So you moved?..... How's that going?
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Escape from LA to end up in LA........
BonsaiNut
iMTB Rockstah
Moved to the Charlotte area. Live on a big lake. Our monthly costs dropped 50%. Electricity costs 1/5th as much, car insurance costs 1/2, internet and cell phone unchanged, no water bill, etc. 4.5% flat income tax (falling to 3.99% in 2025). 6.75% sales tax. 0.6% property tax. Can't stress how nice it is to have good well water and unlimited "free" water out of the lake if I wanted to irrigate something - which is generally not necessary. North of the gator line. Four hours from the coast - so I can get there if I want to vacation, but am far enough away that hurricanes don't generally impact us. Four seasons - with a short hot humid summer (avg July high 90) and a short winter where not a single day stays below freezing (avg January high 51). Otherwise a long spring and long fall and eight months out of twelve with glorious weather. Purple state - politically. More libertarian than conservative. Small government - people mind their own business - vibe. Republican house, Democrat governor. Highly educated Charlotte and Raleigh/Durham areas. Rest of the state mostly rural with a lot of agriculture.
Local mountain biking is good - but it is trail riding on hills versus "mountains". That said, there is plenty of tech if you go looking for it. Plenty of cardio to be had as well - which is what I'm mostly interested in. One hour drive from bigger hills - which is the Appalachians but still more like the Saddleback mountains than the San Gabes. Huge benefit - almost all bike trails are one-way direction of travel single track and are designed as loops. You can ride for hours without seeing a single other biker.
Local mountain biking is good - but it is trail riding on hills versus "mountains". That said, there is plenty of tech if you go looking for it. Plenty of cardio to be had as well - which is what I'm mostly interested in. One hour drive from bigger hills - which is the Appalachians but still more like the Saddleback mountains than the San Gabes. Huge benefit - almost all bike trails are one-way direction of travel single track and are designed as loops. You can ride for hours without seeing a single other biker.
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scan
iMTB Rockstah
Thanks for getting us back on topic for those who have MOVED. There's another thread on commentary about likes and dislikes about that "other" place where you haven't lived.
Y-not
Well-Known Member
Our story is that of a Gypsy tribe, so I will give you the Readers Digest version. We have been on the move for about 40 years in California experiencing almost all that there is in this state.
Rowland Heights (city), 1st ~ 14 years.
Fresno (city), 2nd ~6 years
Madera County ( haunted farm) 3rd ~ 5 years
Fresno County ( gentlemans ranch) 4th ~ 4 years
Coarsegold (mountains for me) 5th ~ 11 years
Next move:
SoCal on the beach for the spousal unit.
The adventure continues and the stories are amazing.
Rowland Heights (city), 1st ~ 14 years.
Fresno (city), 2nd ~6 years
Madera County ( haunted farm) 3rd ~ 5 years
Fresno County ( gentlemans ranch) 4th ~ 4 years
Coarsegold (mountains for me) 5th ~ 11 years
Next move:
SoCal on the beach for the spousal unit.
The adventure continues and the stories are amazing.
herzalot
iMTB Hooligan
Ouch! Raaaaawwwwr! Pretty strict guardrails there! I checked the rule book. It says that if you have direct knowledge of a place that has been mentioned in this thread, you are allowed to share that direct knowledge. Article IV, SS 4-9.
Redman
iMTB Rockstah
Since all of yous are waiting for me to chime in 
... here you go.
Two year stay in Hendrson, NV. Great riding all year round. Bootleg is legit, other places are great too. Vegas area is LA in the desert, so we bounced after two years.
Now in Preston, Idaho for two years.
So some people have moved for career reasons, retirement, economics. I'm curious to know how that's going. And just to guide the discussion:
1. As always, no politics.
2. Are the trails as good as you expected?
3. Has the weather weather affected your riding in good or bad ways?
4. Socially have you been able to make new friends or do you really miss the old ones? Did you move to be near other family or grandkids?
5. And for our significant others, how do they like the move, regrets?
6. Was there anything you didn't think about before the move that you wish you knew beforehand?
1. Politics rule... nothing close to Cali. Open carry is all you need to know.
2. Trails are better than expected. But, not as close as Henderson. Same drive time for me when I was in Cali. There are trails within 10 minutes of me, but they're shared with moto's. etc. So, I generally avoid them. Pocatello (1 hour drive) to the northwest has superb trails with a lot of them being mtb specific. Logan down in Utah (45 minutes south) has good stuff too, especially if you go into Logan Canyon (extends drive time by 15 mins minimum). And, then you can drive 1-1/2 hours south to Ogden/Weber which is off the hook. With bike parks. etc. And, finally SLC (2 hour drive) trails are, well you know. I ride mostly in Logan and an occassional rip in Pocatello. Oh yeah Jackson Hole is just over 3 hours north. Haven't been there but heard it is as good as anyother resort town.
3. The weather absolutely affected my riding in bad ways. We have full blown winters up here. The past two winters I stop riding around late November early December. And, start up again late March early April depending on how quickly everthing melts off. BUT! There is a benefit to the winter and that's called SNOWBOARDING. I have reignited my love for smashing fresh pow turns. And, the area I live in has some of the best pow I've ever tasted. Also, LOTS of backcountry riding is done around here. Looking to get into that this coming winter. As I made a friend that is a native to the area and does it more than resorts. So he has promised to introduce me to that this coming winter.
4. Like a few others have mentioned about LDS, it is very prominent up here. That is a hurdle no matter how you look at it. I've pretty much always ridden solo, so not much different than SoCal. I have made some riding friends, but chose to ride alone. Mostly because of logistics. Moved away from all family. No grandkids.
5. My wife and kids love it and don't want to move again. My only negative is not having enough good trails with 10-15 minutes. Other than that I love small town living, less than 6000 people. One grocery store, two traffic lights and NO STARBUCKS
6. Not really. We thought we wouldn't survive in a small town without having ALL the necessities less than 10 minutes away. After being here (in town) for two years we are considering moving out into the country more. Where our closest neighbor could be a few pastures/fields away.
... here you go. Two year stay in Hendrson, NV. Great riding all year round. Bootleg is legit, other places are great too. Vegas area is LA in the desert, so we bounced after two years.
Now in Preston, Idaho for two years.
So some people have moved for career reasons, retirement, economics. I'm curious to know how that's going. And just to guide the discussion:
1. As always, no politics.
2. Are the trails as good as you expected?
3. Has the weather weather affected your riding in good or bad ways?
4. Socially have you been able to make new friends or do you really miss the old ones? Did you move to be near other family or grandkids?
5. And for our significant others, how do they like the move, regrets?
6. Was there anything you didn't think about before the move that you wish you knew beforehand?
1. Politics rule... nothing close to Cali. Open carry is all you need to know.
2. Trails are better than expected. But, not as close as Henderson. Same drive time for me when I was in Cali. There are trails within 10 minutes of me, but they're shared with moto's. etc. So, I generally avoid them. Pocatello (1 hour drive) to the northwest has superb trails with a lot of them being mtb specific. Logan down in Utah (45 minutes south) has good stuff too, especially if you go into Logan Canyon (extends drive time by 15 mins minimum). And, then you can drive 1-1/2 hours south to Ogden/Weber which is off the hook. With bike parks. etc. And, finally SLC (2 hour drive) trails are, well you know. I ride mostly in Logan and an occassional rip in Pocatello. Oh yeah Jackson Hole is just over 3 hours north. Haven't been there but heard it is as good as anyother resort town.
3. The weather absolutely affected my riding in bad ways. We have full blown winters up here. The past two winters I stop riding around late November early December. And, start up again late March early April depending on how quickly everthing melts off. BUT! There is a benefit to the winter and that's called SNOWBOARDING. I have reignited my love for smashing fresh pow turns. And, the area I live in has some of the best pow I've ever tasted. Also, LOTS of backcountry riding is done around here. Looking to get into that this coming winter. As I made a friend that is a native to the area and does it more than resorts. So he has promised to introduce me to that this coming winter.
4. Like a few others have mentioned about LDS, it is very prominent up here. That is a hurdle no matter how you look at it. I've pretty much always ridden solo, so not much different than SoCal. I have made some riding friends, but chose to ride alone. Mostly because of logistics. Moved away from all family. No grandkids.
5. My wife and kids love it and don't want to move again. My only negative is not having enough good trails with 10-15 minutes. Other than that I love small town living, less than 6000 people. One grocery store, two traffic lights and NO STARBUCKS
6. Not really. We thought we wouldn't survive in a small town without having ALL the necessities less than 10 minutes away. After being here (in town) for two years we are considering moving out into the country more. Where our closest neighbor could be a few pastures/fields away.
Obsidian
iMTB Rockstah
Since all of yous are waiting for me to chime in
Two year stay in Hendrson, NV. Great riding all year round. Bootleg is legit, other places are great too. Vegas area is LA in the desert, so we bounced after two years.
Now in Preston, Idaho for two years.
1. Politics rule... nothing close to Cali. Open carry is all you need to know.
BonsaiNut
iMTB Rockstah
I guess I would add the following to my experience living in NC. All the above I researched before I made the move. Here are the things that surprised me:
Cons:
(1) Road infrastructure severely lacking. Highways, secondary roads, surface streets. All are extremely crowded and very narrow. Forget bike lanes - there are no shoulders. The main highway that goes from Ohio down to SC through Charlotte has two lanes on each side. The small town I live outside is seeing population that is expanding four fold - and as far as I can tell not a single new road or road expansion is in the works. Some congested areas have been promised infrastructure investment for more than 40 years (the project has been sitting in the NC DOT strategic plan that long... with deadlines continually being moved out).
(2) ABC state. ABC stands for "alcohol beverage control" state - which basically means that the state controls all hard liquor sales. I normally drink beer - but the fact that I can't pick up a bottle of rum at my local Costco is jarring. You can buy booze here - including top shelf whiskey, tequila, etc - but expect to have to go to a special store to get it, and pay as much as 40% more than the same bottle across state lines in a non-ABC state.
(3) Churches / bible belt. I don't have anything against organized religion, but it is noticeable here when many stores and restaurants are closed on Sundays. The bars close Saturday nights at midnight, and no alcohol can be sold or served between Saturday midnight and 10AM on Sunday morning. I find myself actually having to plan my week around not having certain things available on Sundays. On NFL Sundays it is funny to see the people lined up in the local grocery store waiting for 10AM so they can pick up a case of beer for their game day BBQ.
(4) Lack of diversity. I miss having all of the different ethnicities and cultures that were all over SoCal.
Mixed:
(1) People take a VERY relaxed attitude towards property and property rights. If there is a vacant lot next to someone, they will use it to park vehicles on, dump yard waste, whatever. Generally speaking, no one cares what you do on your own land - including firing firearms - as long as you are safe and don't unnecessarily bother your neighbors. 4th of July here is something else - where every other house is having their own display. I live in a nice community with a very narrow list of unapproved uses - things like "no cars on blocks in your driveway" and "no one can live in a camper on your property" and "no farm animals". This can be good (if you own a lot of land and/or want to put up a greenhouse) or bad (if you have to look at your neighbor's run-down property every day).
(2) I live next to Mooresville, which is the center of the US NASCAR industry. Lot of skilled jobs on race teams, in auto service, auto customizations, after market parts, performance modifications, etc (pro). Lot of hyped up peeps driving muscle cars and jacked up pick-ups on the streets (con). I was worried people were going to be hating on our Tesla - but actually there are a ton of Teslas here and people don't seem to care any more. They seem to appreciate the speed more than they care about the EV aspect.
Pros:
(1) People are super friendly.
(2) Much more family and local history focused. First people we had drinks with were talking about a couple of Revolutionary War battlefields like "oh you just go down to Cowan's Ford and cut behind the old mill and you'll be there in no time!" A lot of place names are named after families... and the families still live in the area. "Sherill's Ford", "Amity Hill Road". Even the town of "Troutman" is named after the family - many members of which still live in the area. "Fort Dobbs" is a reconstructed pre-Revolutionary War fort about 10 miles from us that dates from the French and Indian War. History is everywhere here in a way I wasn't expecting. Daniel Boone's parents are buried in the next county - and he spent a third of his life (as a young man) in the area.
(3) Charlotte is a brand new big city. The population has almost tripled since 2000. The entire downtown is new, clean, fresh. They wisely put in light rail and there are tons of options if you want to live close to the city center on a light rail line. Downtown is awesome - with everything you expect from a downtown. International airport with direct flights to Europe - and a major American Airlines hub.
Cons:
(1) Road infrastructure severely lacking. Highways, secondary roads, surface streets. All are extremely crowded and very narrow. Forget bike lanes - there are no shoulders. The main highway that goes from Ohio down to SC through Charlotte has two lanes on each side. The small town I live outside is seeing population that is expanding four fold - and as far as I can tell not a single new road or road expansion is in the works. Some congested areas have been promised infrastructure investment for more than 40 years (the project has been sitting in the NC DOT strategic plan that long... with deadlines continually being moved out).
(2) ABC state. ABC stands for "alcohol beverage control" state - which basically means that the state controls all hard liquor sales. I normally drink beer - but the fact that I can't pick up a bottle of rum at my local Costco is jarring. You can buy booze here - including top shelf whiskey, tequila, etc - but expect to have to go to a special store to get it, and pay as much as 40% more than the same bottle across state lines in a non-ABC state.
(3) Churches / bible belt. I don't have anything against organized religion, but it is noticeable here when many stores and restaurants are closed on Sundays. The bars close Saturday nights at midnight, and no alcohol can be sold or served between Saturday midnight and 10AM on Sunday morning. I find myself actually having to plan my week around not having certain things available on Sundays. On NFL Sundays it is funny to see the people lined up in the local grocery store waiting for 10AM so they can pick up a case of beer for their game day BBQ.
(4) Lack of diversity. I miss having all of the different ethnicities and cultures that were all over SoCal.
Mixed:
(1) People take a VERY relaxed attitude towards property and property rights. If there is a vacant lot next to someone, they will use it to park vehicles on, dump yard waste, whatever. Generally speaking, no one cares what you do on your own land - including firing firearms - as long as you are safe and don't unnecessarily bother your neighbors. 4th of July here is something else - where every other house is having their own display. I live in a nice community with a very narrow list of unapproved uses - things like "no cars on blocks in your driveway" and "no one can live in a camper on your property" and "no farm animals". This can be good (if you own a lot of land and/or want to put up a greenhouse) or bad (if you have to look at your neighbor's run-down property every day).
(2) I live next to Mooresville, which is the center of the US NASCAR industry. Lot of skilled jobs on race teams, in auto service, auto customizations, after market parts, performance modifications, etc (pro). Lot of hyped up peeps driving muscle cars and jacked up pick-ups on the streets (con). I was worried people were going to be hating on our Tesla - but actually there are a ton of Teslas here and people don't seem to care any more. They seem to appreciate the speed more than they care about the EV aspect.
Pros:
(1) People are super friendly.
(2) Much more family and local history focused. First people we had drinks with were talking about a couple of Revolutionary War battlefields like "oh you just go down to Cowan's Ford and cut behind the old mill and you'll be there in no time!" A lot of place names are named after families... and the families still live in the area. "Sherill's Ford", "Amity Hill Road". Even the town of "Troutman" is named after the family - many members of which still live in the area. "Fort Dobbs" is a reconstructed pre-Revolutionary War fort about 10 miles from us that dates from the French and Indian War. History is everywhere here in a way I wasn't expecting. Daniel Boone's parents are buried in the next county - and he spent a third of his life (as a young man) in the area.
(3) Charlotte is a brand new big city. The population has almost tripled since 2000. The entire downtown is new, clean, fresh. They wisely put in light rail and there are tons of options if you want to live close to the city center on a light rail line. Downtown is awesome - with everything you expect from a downtown. International airport with direct flights to Europe - and a major American Airlines hub.
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Redman
iMTB Rockstah
I'm considering one, but snowboarding.
Hey, I was working in Asheboro for about a month. While I was there I rode at SanLee, kind of in between Raleigh and Fayetteville. Also, rode at the US National White Water Center. That place is freaking awesome! Lots of trails to choose from. With 99% of them being under the tree canopy. And, the white water area is bad ass. They need a place like that in every state. I was really bummed when I found out I wouldn't have time to go back again. Have you been to either of the those spots?
scan
iMTB Rockstah
Nice report on the area!
scan
iMTB Rockstah
This question for @BonsaiNut
BonsaiNut
iMTB Rockstah
We go to the Whitewater Center regularly - it is amazing. Make sure you check out the ropes courses - or do the inverted rock climbing over the pools. Tons of fun.
I live 1.8 miles from Lake Norman State Park with 31 miles of single track and 6.5 miles of restricted running trail (no bikes). That is my home park - and I ride, run and hike there regularly. I also bike Mountain Creek park on the other side of the lake - which has 19.5 miles of single track that is punchier and more technical - with a couple of black diamond trails that require you to be able to navigate some big air.
Then there are a couple of more parks that are within an hour of me, including Kerr Scott (https://wilkesboronc.org/visitors/attraction-maps/mountain-biking-trails) and Fonta Flora (https://trails.nc.gov/state-trails/fonta-flora-state-trail). Fonta Flora will be 100 miles when complete, though right now the section along Lake James is done (6 miles) and is a great out-and-back. Also if you are at Lake James you should consider hiking Linville Gorge Wilderness which is located on the north side of the lake (https://www.alltrails.com/parks/us/north-carolina/linville-gorge-wilderness).
Then of course there is Dupont State Forest (https://www.mtbproject.com/directory/8013359/dupont-state-forest) and Pisgah National Forest (https://www.mtbproject.com/directory/8012591/pisgah-national-forest#sub-areas) with their networks of trails just little farther to the west. I don't know how many miles of trails they offer, but I'll be working to find out
I have not gotten to San-Lee, which is on the other side of Uwharrie National Forest. I've got family that live in Cary, and my brother-in-law out there is a mountain biker so maybe I should ask him to meet up
Also your point about the tree canopy is worth repeating. I ride here even on the hottest days - because all my biking is in the shade.
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We moved for my partner’s job a year ago. Trails are fantastic, better than expected. The weather has been a mixed bag, great for riding most of the year but a bit too rainy in spring. Socially, it’s been hit or miss. Made some new friends but definitely miss the old ones.
Mikie
Admin/iMTB Hooligan
It's always a mix of emotions when you make a big move like that. The trails being better than expected is a huge win, though! And yeah, the weather can be a bummer, but at least it's not all bad. As for the social aspect, it's tough to leave behind old friends and start over, but it's great that you've made some new connections.
scan
iMTB Rockstah
Share about your gear!
Danimal
iMTB Addict
which trails are you riding that you like? what do you lie about them, and pics please!
Danimal
iMTB Addict
their gear is made by Invidia.....LOL
da big hills
iMTB Rockstah
Still in discussion with wifee. I live in paradise but the mental impacts of living in the state is difficult.
da big hills
iMTB Rockstah
Even Mikie misses the place so.........