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Best City/State to live in for wheeling, work, fun, etc.????

2K views 49 replies 8 participants last post by  GP'n 
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#1 ·
I am considering moving out West somewhere to get away from Indiana. I would like to go somewhere where I can have the top off almost every day, where the cost of living isn't outrageous, good wheeling, other things to do, good place for a computer guy to get a job, NOT California, and where it NEVER snows. Any ideas?
Aaron

 
G
#2 ·
Sounds like you just described Phoenix to me. The climate changes dramatically once you get north of Phoenix to Flagstaff. The elevation of Phoenix is like 2,000, and it never snows there. Flagstaff has to be up at 4-5,000 and they have an almost real winter up there. Personally I'd love to be there, but, if you don't like snow then that is out, plus the technical jobs there are nothing like Phoenix. Phoenix has plenty of computer jobs, the city has a fair amount of stuff in it and there is great wheeling everywhere. The city is geographically huge, buy eastern standards. (I call the whole thing phoenix, instead of mesa, scottsdale, tempe, etc.. since it is the same city) I bet it takes an hour to drive through the thing on the highway. The worst part is that in the summer the heat is just opressive. You can leave the top off all year except for the cool winter mornings with little worry of rain or cold. Except for the late summer when it rains alot for some reason. The only others I can think of are Tucson and Austin, TX. I hear Austin has just gobs of tech jobs. Tucson, is right at the foot of beautiful mnts, a bit cooler then Phoenix since its higher up, smaller and easier to live in, but the tech jobs and entertainment are a little bleak.


Mike
Tucson, Arizona
 
G
#4 ·
I've lived in Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, and now Nevada I personally liked Arizona best for four wheeling ther is every type of wheeling there and trailes are never crowded. You should be able to find a computer job in Pooenix with out a problem. But you will have to put up with smog checks on your Jeep if you live in Phoenix.In some of the smaller cities like Prescott you don;t have to put up with that crap

 
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#5 ·
You're asking alot. Phoenix is a nightmare, like LA at 125 degrees. Tucson is a little better, but not the job opportunities.
If you want to put up with a little cooler weather in the winter, Albuquerque would be the place. Personally, I think the 4 corners
area is heaven on earth, we get snow in the winter here in Farmington, but overall you can't beat the weather, the summers are
downright pleasant, and the winters are cold, but fairly dry. BTW, jobs are tough here, but, last year San Juan Co., NM, which is
where Farmington is, accounted for 60% of the state's growth.

Brad
ORC Land Use Section Editor
http://www.off-road.com/land
 
#6 ·
"NEVER snows" pretty much describes Portland. Lots of wheelin' all over the state and in southern Washington. Portland has tons of tech jobs, I'm in school for mechanical engineering so I pay attention to what's in my neighborhood. OK it's true, you won't be able to have the top off everyday, but I think you still might like it here. Great summers, very mild winters, surfing, rock climbing, hiking, wind surfing, good night life.

Chad

 
#7 ·
If you dont eliminate California as a choice, Fresno Ca would just about fit the bill. With access to some awsome four wheelin. In addition to the hundreds of trails you have never heard of, including one of the most beautiful trails I have ever been on "Big Shuteye Lookout Trail"(Rivals Yosemite for vistas and granite boulder domes, and the trail weaves through the whole scene). There is also Dusi Ershim, Swamp Rt, Coyote and Red Lakes,......, Also only about 4 or 5 hrs away from Rubicon, Fordyce, and 2 hrs from Sledge Hammer, Jack hammer and Wrecking Ball.

Jeff
89 Wrangler
If at first you dont succeed, your replacement will try and try again.
 
G
#8 ·
All I can say is that LA would be perfect if it weren't for the outrageous cost of living, BS emissions crap, and weirdos. I used to live in Huntington Beach and I absolutely loved it. I think it rained twice in 3 years. Although when it rained it rained for a week. How much does it cost to live in Fresno compared to Indiana though? I could expect a bit of increase but if it is double like LA is then no way.
Aaron

 
#9 ·
Yes i loved LA.. lived in Newport Beach for 6 years.. and i am working on going back.. top off 9 months the year.. perfect weather.. awesome wheeling.. i didnt mind the cost of living.. its not that bad.. just have to look around... there is a full spectrum of living conditions out there... i am on the coast of north carolina now.. and its worse than l.a. cause there is no diversity..

survival is instinct, but living takes guts
 
G
#13 ·
You should try Winnepeg, Manitoba /wwwthreads_images/icons/laugh.gif!

Seriously, Albuquerque is nice & I really thought Ft. Collins, CO was nice. Cold at night in Winter, but much of the snow blows right over them (tucked up against the foothills) to pummel Greeley & Cheyenne. Leaving a humid state like IN, you'll be amazed how much the temp varies from hour to hour in a dry spot like the Southwest - especially at altitude.

TEX

/wwwthreads_images/icons/wink.gif Got Mud?
http://G.U.M.B.O. Mud Racing
 
G
#15 ·
Kind of off the origonal topic, but I drove out to San Diego once to make up my one and only trip to California. What is the deal with those bumpy highways? It seemed that those concrete slabs that make up the highways went up and down and were at the resonant frequency of my Jeeps suspension and it made me feel like I was going to bounce right off the road? Personally I though California was a huge let down. I grew up back east hearing about sunny California and all the easy going laid back people. All I found after I came over the mountains was millions of mostly unattractive houses crammed into every available piece of ground, a million highways going all over the place and drivers who were anything but laid back. I'm sure there are less populated areas up north that are much better, and have a lot better senery. As far as I'm concerned though, any benefits of living on the coast of southern Cal seem to be far outweighed by, ridiculous gas prices, opressive emissions laws, high cost of living, and way too many people.

Mike
Tucson, Arizona
 
#17 ·
No, Im not from Fresno. I work for a Large Construction Co. as a Project Superintendent. I was in Oakhurst, Ca.(20 miles No. of Fresno/ 16 miles So. of Yosemite),last year from Feb - Oct last year to develope a piece of property and build a Drug Store for one of our major clients. I move wherever and whenever the company needs me to go. I am currently in Reno, Nv, the 4 wheelin is good but its pretty cold in the winter.

Jeff
89 Wrangler
If at first you dont succeed, your replacement will try and try again.
 
G
#18 ·
I guess its all what you want. If you like the beach and lots of urban entertainment, then you'll hate Tucson. The phrase, "something is always going on", definately does not describe this place like it would a city in southern Cal. The night life around the University of Arizona is pretty good with all the college kids, and most young people in their 20s going there. I lived in Boston last year and its nothing like that. I could go down to beantown and spend days finding stuff to do and see, but downtown Tucson is non-existant. However the cost of housing is less then half of eastern Mass. For me though, I could spend everyday of the year in the widlerness hiking, jeeping, or just relaxing and never step foot in the city and be happy so I love it. The mountains are so close and since I live on the edge of town I can almost air down in my garage before going on some trails if I wanted to, and hundreds of beautiful hikes and awesome climbs are minutes away with the town boardered by 3 peaks that are over 9,000 feet. They say the job market is picking up here, but since I have only been here 10 months I don't know for sure. Phoenix is a big place and might seem like a hot LA, to those who have been to LA (not me), but since you are looking for places with good tech jobs whatever it is might be a trade off. If you liked southern LA alot then you might actually be happier dealing with higher cost and other negatives there, then being in a cheaper place that you might not like as much. Who knows. I'm only 24 so what the heck am I giving advice about where to live anway?


Mike
Tucson, Arizona
 
G
#19 ·
LA is the best place to live overall. You can find inexpensive but decent housing, if you don't mind driving. When it hits 100, and your top is off you'll sweat sitting in traffic... /wwwthreads_images/icons/wink.gif but we like the soaked armpit look, right? /wwwthreads_images/icons/smile.gif

What kind of high-tech? Service? sales? tekkie?

http://www.obsessiveoffroad.com
If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything...
 
G
#21 ·
Yeah, my one friend back in Baltimore says he is gets traffic tickets in the mail that is a picture of his car running a red light that some computerized camera took.


Mike
Tucson, Arizona
 
G
#22 ·
What about the female type in Tucson? Many of them? Quality? I am trying to be nice here. I am a tekkie I guess. I work for Broadwing/IXC/ITC/Cincinnati Bell/? on site for Alcoa right now supporting 200 users and 12 servers in a mixed NT HP/UX environment. I am bored with NT and studying/playing with Cisco.
Aaron

 
#23 ·
/wwwthreads_images/icons/tongue.gif Hmmmm....I lived in Fresno in the early seventies, and it was a great place to live. Hot, but a very dry heat, close to lots of good recreation, affordable housing, and you could buy anything you needed at the right price. I went back a few years later and I COULD NOT believe I was in the same city. TOTALLY screwed over by the "South-of-the-border" influence....grafitti everywhere, gangs, TONS of crime. Most of the bigger valley towns in the southern part of the state are looking like Tijuana, and crime is rampant. So...if you come to CA, you had better like "diversity"...(translated: "PERVERSION"). The Mexican-Democrap-homosexual alliance is busy implementing the homosexual agenda, and when they aren't doing that, they are helping the Scumbag lock up all the national parks. I'm a fourth-generation native californian; and have lived in quite a few CA locations; and the bottom line is this: High living costs.....and fees for EVERYTHING.....like our 1980 FWD pickup is $119 for license renewal.....and that's just ONE item.....TONS of immigrants underfoot, many of them driving like maniacs with no insurance, and liberals, liberals, liberals. We DO have ONE big growth industry though....PRISONS...one out of every four inmates is from .....SOUTH-CENTRAL LA.....does that tell you something. In LA even the freeway signs have to have barbed wire around them and they STILL get gang grafitti. I for one, am SICK AND TIRED of seeing my state screwed over by uncontrolled growth and illegal immigration. They build claptrap subdivisions on irreplaceable farmland, build more and more freeways so you cannot ever get off the pavement, and anywhere there are good jobs is a mass of urban congestion. Indiana? It sounds better all the time. When the weather is good here in CA, you think: "Wow! This is a GREAT place to live!" But BE READY for a slew of negative factors which are only getting worse. We are OUTA here in two years.....going to middle America, where them white folks still lives, it's too cold and miserable for immigrants from the pacific rim and south of the border, and you don't have to S#IT money just to live. If it sounds like I'm negative, prejudiced, and racist, it's because I'm old enough to remember CA before we got "successful"./wwwthreads_images/icons/smile.gif

CJDave
Quadra-Trac modified by the crack moonguy/wwwthreads_images/icons/wink.gif/wwwthreads_images/icons/smile.gif/wwwthreads_images/icons/tongue.gif transfer case team.
 
G
#24 ·
Well I won't hold anything against you. I lived in Mountain View off of El Camino Real when I was younger and the neighborhood was 90% NOT white. Needless to say I was beat up repeatedly for my lunch money, bicycle, shoes, and even for a pencil once. Not much fun for a 10 year old. My parents were doing the best they could at the time. I have nothing against NON whites but I have never lived in a 90% white neighborhood and been treated like that. Although if I wasn't white I am sure that might be different. Anyway when I lived in that area there was a nice guy that had a White CJ7. He used to let me wax it and he would take me to some offroad park a few hours away once in awhile. He even let me drive it in low range on the trails. He had a crazy friend who had a Chevy Blazer race truck that liked to scare me half to death and another friend with an Isuzu trooper that used to get stuck on everything. I remember laying in a little stream near the entrance to the offroad park and cooling off at lunch time. Not everyone is CA is bad. I might not enjoy wheeling today if it weren't for those guys. Most of the guys here are from CA. Not to mention more trail supporters there means more people to help save them. I know there are more people there that could care less until the trails are gone but I care now. Indiana is nothing like what you described. I will admit that the people here are the nicer than anywhere I have ever been. When I moved here from Clearwater, Florida 2 years ago someone at the gas station said "Hi" and all I could think of is whether or not it was a gay guy hitting on me. Everyone here says hi. It is kinda nice. By the way does anyone know what place/offroad park I described above?
Thanks,
Aaron

 
G
#25 ·
Yup, totally different here in the Midwest. You don't notice immigrants, although they're certainly here. But, the melting pot seems to be working a little better here. Unfortunately, the lines between black & white are drawn pretty clear in the bigger cities & in the poorer parts of the skankiest small towns (white trash vs. black trash). But, the Mexicans & Bosnians are working their way into society nicely.

Had an interesting article in the St. Louis Post Dispatch over the weekend about a pair of Mexican-American communites in our area. One area was this really run-down slum & the former Mexicans have moved in & are fixing the place up. Still not as nice as it once was in the 50's, but much improved over 10-20 years ago. The second area has historically had a large population of former Mexicans. This area is going through a very interesting time. The "new" Mexicans aren't getting along that well with the "old" Mexicans apparently. The "old" Mexicans are disgusted with the loud music & poor English skills of the "new" Mexicans. The mayor of this town says it's really funny to hear someone named Gonzales, or Lorenz complaining, "What are we going to do about all these Mexicans?!". I suspect it's just growing pains due to a rather large & recent influx of immigrants and that the situation will work itself out, as is normally the case around here.

TEX

/wwwthreads_images/icons/wink.gif Got Mud?
G.U.M.B.O. Mud Racing
 
G
#26 ·
I never knew squat about the crap that goes on at the Mexican boarder when I was back in the Northeast. Its like a war here. They should call it the Mexican front. I drove down to Nogales a few months after moving here with some friends and walked across the boarder to see what it was like. Talk about a life changing experience. I never new there was a huge wall along the boarder. On the US side there were BP (boarder patrol) guys in their big suvs and some of them had like chain link armour welded to the outside. They look like something that the A-team would build. Lately its gotten so bad that people are starting to call for the guard to start assiting the BP agents since it gets pretty rough down there and the BP agents quit because they're not trained infantry. Then the poor famers that live right on or near the boarder are all mad 'casue the BP has to have a zillion guys patrolling all over their land. The figures for drugs and immigrants seized at or near the boader just by the Arizona athorities is mind boggling. It must be a tough job to be a BP guy cause I see their Ford Expiditions that get wrecked, parked in their station on the way to work, tires ripped right off, all kinds of body damage, and some that were obviously rolled in the desert at high speed 'cause the roofs are caved in and the thing is covered with dust and dirt. The boarder situation such a mess I can't even belive it. If you ever drive route 10 between San Diego and Yuma they have a check post with guys in cammo suits and an APC parked in the road checking cars.


Mike
Tucson, Arizona
 
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