Where to retire

[saddle up]

Ok. What is the best state in the union to ride in? Pro's and con's for sure. I live in Oregon, but I an just plain flat tired of the rinky dink rain.

I'm thinking of Nevada or the high plains desert of somewhere.????
PS I'm getting close to retirement, any thought and suggestions will be appreciated.

[motoman]

Hey saddleup........familiar with where your area, and I don't have webbed feet. Normally I would'nt do this as it seems that half of Calle and half of east coast has found it, but western slope of Colo. is where it's at. Ride all year round(drive less than an hour to ski, come back and ride bikes, street or dirt.), some of the best 'twisty' riding, and at over 10,000ft. elev. to boot, or rolling flats, or just plain flat for flat out top-end.............choices are endless aside from the supurb bike riding. Whatever interest you may have, it's HERE.

[mro]

No ocean in Colo....

Would normally say here in SF Bay Area.
Best all around weather in the USA period.
CA has every type of terrain...the Sierras, deserts, foot hills, great beaches and mountains right to the ocean.

Two major problems tho
One is too many people, so I seldom go anywhere on a holiday.
Second is cost. (Main reason why middle and upper class move out)

Can live out in the "boonies" but then loose the great weather. Winter I like riding local hills/mountains and down to the coast. Spring, after some of the snow has melted like to run up to the Sierras. Flat out beautiful. Not to say there’s's not really nice places in other states...just not as diverse, weather can suck etc etc...

With that said I've been thinking of moving and leaning towards Florida as my other hobby is fly fishing. Would be cool to be able to fish in my back yard or travel just minuets to other spots. Salt water fly fishing is my favorite. My father past away recently and we regularly took trips to Alaska, Mexico and Belize. Best part of the trips had been the company so have not been planing to go out of the state fishing anymore.

mro
btw, should a posted this in Members Lounge

[lucidian forge]

anywhere around the four corners area would be good for year round rides, colorado has the best rides that i have found with the north west being a close second.

[motoman]

Four corners area NOT a good choice................grew up there, and trust me, you won't be riding winter months. North western part of state even a worst choice as far as foul winter weather. Anywhere here in the valley is very nuetral as far as any drastic weather................and have all the conviences of a large city, and right on the I-70 corridor.

[Jerry]

have lived in Colorado, Oregon, Arizona, and Wisconsin. All have pros and cons, but I opted for Colorado. Am also, though I don't often admit it, a California native...born in Mt. Shasta, northern part of the state, so maybe mountain living comes naturally.

Like Motoman I live on the western slope of Colorado, along I-70. While SoCal probably has better weather, Colorado has a great deal of diversity and decent weather most of the time.

Keep in mind I also snowmobile and 4x4, riding is a large part of my hobbies but by far not the only one.

Here in DeBeque we get snow in the winter, ususally not more than a couple inches that melts off within a couple days. With my lowers on the bike I can generally ride some days every month, and I don't own a heated vest or any particularly special cold-weather gear other than a good pair of lined leather gloves.

Suumers can get hot; we are currently in about the 10th or 11th day of 90 deg F high temperatures, a couple of those close or at 100 deg. F. Winters get below freezing, but very few days below zero.

Nice thing is that you are not far from a variety of landscapes and recreational activities. Ride your bike, go off-road, hike the Continental Divide trails (Canada to Mexico, if you are really into it) or attend a huge variety of local events. If you get tired of 100 deg temps, head for the top of Grand Mesa (about 30 - 35 minute ride for me) and go from about 4,900 foot elevation to just under 11,000 feet at the top. Temps wll drop 20 - 25 degrees in the 35 minute ride.

You have to get used to driving / riding more than in some places. For example, Moab, Utah, is considered a day trip, but from my place there and back is about 250 miles, not counting any riding you do around the Moab area. I like to get down to Silverton or Durango, angain about a 300 mile round trip depending on the route you take. If you are used to 100 miles a day, then the Western Slope may not be the best choice. Distances are often measured in hours rather than miles. Denver is a couple hundred miles away by interstate, you can get over and back in a day but is probably better to plan an overnighter if you want to see any thing.

FWIW, I ride about 112 miles a day just to get to and from work. many of the folks I work with drive about the same, a few go farther.

Costs....are getting higher, as they are most places I've seen. We bought a corner lot with an oversize 2-car garage but the house is a double-wide, price was $150,000.00 last July. Closer in to the larger cities the price goes up quite a bit. Taxes are not to bad, gas in town currently at $3.199 for regular unleaded. Utility bills run in the $70 - $80 range in summer, can be over $100 in winter. No central air but we do have a roof-mounted swamp cooler (evaporative cooler) which does the trick on these hot days.

Anyway, I like Colorado, even though we get the occasional fire and blizzard, but there is a lot to do and see, places to visit and festivals to attend if you so wish, and transportation is decent. Particularly if you tasts also include winter activities, Colorado has a lot to offer. If riding is your main hobby it may not be as attractive, but is still a viable retirement option..

[motoman]

Well Jerry, your not a NATIVE, but you got here as fast as you could.

[malber]

It would depend on what kind of riding you prefer. Do you like cruising long distances? Technically challenging twisties? Lots of scenery? Rural? Year round riding? There are so many great places in the US I've seen and have read about that I couldn't choose.

[MAXIMAN]

Hmm I can name several places:

Alpine, Texas

Ely, Nevada

Cody, Wyoming

The wonderful thing all these places have in common?

F E W P E O P L E !

[malber]

Yeah, until you start telling people to move there.

[MAXIMAN]

Exactly. Maybe they'll flood those places and leave me here alone.

[mro]

originally posted by Cody
Exactly. Maybe they'll flood those places and leave me here alone.

Baby boomers have been moving or retire outa CA CA land.
Over 33 million legals still here

I've been giving out your address as a nice place to relocate


mro

[joshua]

Seems like Tucson is full of retired folks. Well, mostly in the winter. We have on average 360 sunny days a year! But you have to be able to withstand 108 degrees. That's been the high for a few days this week. The low hasn't been below 72 for 2 or 3 weeks!