Best Place to Live and Mountain Bike... Small and Large Town.

Cyclotourist said:
This topic got me thinking where I would want to retire to, and I'm kinda' thinking I'd like to stay put. May I humbly put in a plug for my town, Redlands, CA. 70,000 population, so neither small nor large. What it has are fantastic schools, a full-service community hospital, and nearby Loma Linda Medical Center. A big tech employer (ESRI), and lots of retail and some light manufacturing. It has a pre-war, walk-able downtown with fantastic local restaurants. Victorian, Crafstman, and Mid-Century Modern architecture homestock. Three breweries and one distillery. The Redlands Bicycle Classic, Hangar 24 Airfest, multiple community events happening all the time, year round. Ontario airport is a half hour drive, and an hour of driving (mid-day) gets you to Big Bear, Newport Beach or downtown LA.

As for the more bike-related portion, we have two knowledgeable and deep-rooted bike shops. A bike community co-op. Miles of bike lanes, with green lanes, sharrows, and buffered lanes. Relatively flat central core for errands and bike commuting. Open space is managed by the bike-friendly Redlands Conservancy, with 26 miles of designated trails in city limits. More riding at Crafton Hills and Hulda Crooks within a five mile distance (easy to ride to, or drive over if that's how your roll). Beyond that, the vaunted SART in Angelus Oaks is a 30 minute drive, door to door. Sycamore Canyon in Riverside is 20 minutes. For racing, there is Rim Nordic in Running Springs, a 30 minute drive, Southridge in Fontana is 20, and Bonelli is 40. All this and near 365 days of ride-able weather. Some of them are hot, so you go early in the day. Some of them can be wet so you wear wool and mount fenders. But all are ride-able if you want without a whole lot of drama!

We don't have hundreds of miles of trails you can go on forever with like Bend or Prescott, but it is a great cycling community, with enough to keep you spinning, and plenty of things to do when you aren't.
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Sounds great. Now...if you guys would just complete the SART to the beach! :bang::cool:
 
Interesting thread that hits close to home. Greg and I are in the search to find our retirement spot - would love to stay in SoCal but the reality is we won't be able to afford it.
Summer - Hood River, OR (but need to evacuate for winter)
Winter - will be visiting the Carolinas in the fall to check out the scene. Greg went to Asheville and really liked it so now I get to check it out.
Also Prescott is nice but like Flagstaff it does get some snow so winter riding may be compromised.
Where ever it is I really don't want neighbors ...
 
If budget is not a concern in this fantasy game:

Small Town: Laguna Beach. The trails, the restaurants, the architecture, the beaches, the very responsive city government, the people, the local shops and shopping, the history, the climate, the dirt.

Big City: Orange County. Pretty good variety, and it has the FLOOP!

But I am a bit biased.
 
H2oChick said:
Interesting thread that hits close to home. Greg and I are in the search to find our retirement spot - would love to stay in SoCal but the reality is we won't be able to afford it.
Summer - Hood River, OR (but need to evacuate for winter)
Winter - will be visiting the Carolinas in the fall to check out the scene. Greg went to Asheville and really liked it so now I get to check it out.
Also Prescott is nice but like Flagstaff it does get some snow so winter riding may be compromised.
Where ever it is I really don't want neighbors ...
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Hah! You sound like Cathy. She wants to be in the sticks at the end of a dead end road. Fence, Guard Dogs, Moat, Alligators, Draw Bridge, etc...
 
BeyondTheLens said:
Surprised no one had said Mammoth, CA yet... it has its small town vibe and is great for both summer and winter. I guess since we're all from CA we may just take it for granted, but that would be my choice.
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The politics of California drive me to leave California. Plus this place is too expensive to retire in. I can always visit Mammoth, but it would be tough to afford there, well ... for me. lol! I love me some Mammoth however.
 
Aside from mountain biking climate is very important to me. I grew up in the Northwest and have had my fair share of rain. 30 years in SoCal has spoiled me. Also Jennifer says she does not want to have to shovel snow to get out of the driveway!
 
I'm not close to retirement but still think about this a lot. If I can ever change things up so I can work remotely, then it's on! Priority for me would be a central location that allows me to easily get to many other destinations, lots of public land nearby, and some decent mostly year-round local riding. Location/riding season/affordability is a pretty big compromise at most places so I may go the seasonal migration route. Major metro area not required, just a place big enough to have decent shopping/services and a regional airport nearby.

For Summer/non-snow season - places like Durango, Truckee/Tahoe, Bozeman would all work well. Lots of others with great riding but less access to other areas.
For winter - Phoenix, Tucson, almost anywhere in Socal or AZ would work.

A few places would be a decent compromise on year round riding/accessibility, you may not be able to ride locally year-round but it's not too far a drive to cooler places in summer or rideable trails in winter. Prescott, Flag, Sedona, St George, Reno, Grand Junction, Kernville would all work. San Diego is great year-round but it would be nice to be further north so I don't have to drive through the rest of Socal to do road trips! Fewer people would also be nice, that and affordability are the main reasons to leave Socal.
 
BeyondTheLens said:
Surprised no one had said Mammoth, CA yet... it has its small town vibe and is great for both summer and winter. I guess since we're all from CA we may just take it for granted, but that would be my choice.
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You couldn't pay me to live there. I hate snow and temp extremes. :gag:

But it would be a nice place to visit.
 
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My friend is looking to relocate from Heber to Flag and is having sticker shock. The cat was out of the bag some time ago. Add a ski resort and wham-o, whatever the traffic from Phoenix will bear. Too many other nice parts of central AZ to elbow into Flag.

Mammoth, holy shite, I thought everyone was leaving?

@Cisco Roots: Congrats, brother! Exciting times!!! :thumbsup::thumbsup:


I don't think one place to "retire" is gonna cut it. Too much yearly compromise. Gotta have a summer and winter pad. Or a motor home or trailer like them people in Quartzite...
 
Mikie said:
We are thinking the same thing mike. Two lots with an out building each, and a traveling home. One for winter, one for summer.
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Yes!! Less commitment. If one place becomes less desirable for whatever unforeseen reason, you sell a piece of dirt instead of that "forever" home you put so much into that you can't afford a second place. Location, baby! Buildings are overrated. :thumbsup::thumbsup:
 
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