Wow! Lots of great ideas!! Thanks for all the comments and suggestions! Yes, I know my list is perhaps overly comprehensive, but I might as well list everything and then later, prioritize. Let's just say - before I bought my house I looked at probably over 100 houses before this one (which I knew was the one the minute we walked in). At least I have time to check a lot of places out and don't have to make any decision in the near future.
This weekend here (Nashville) was the kind of weekend that I actually like living here - bike ride, post-ride coffee and breakfast, partying before concert (and make two new bartender friends who also are big Preds fans), concert w/+55,000 fellow fans, sleep in, coffee, yoga, dinner out. Open water swim would have been on the schedule except for getting to bed after midnight last night.
One other consideration is somewhere I already know people. Moving for work from NorCal to Nashville and not knowing anyone pretty much sucked, so I don't really want to do that again. Thankfully due to tri and cycling, I know people all over the U.S. and the world.
Again, thanks for all the ideas! Making a spreadsheet.
Responding in order....
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Personally, I live over in Knoxville,
Too small, too many trees (TN allergies have killed me for 6 years and the Vanderbilt ASAP clinic hasn't been able to help; I'm a desert/beach person), airport doesn't work for me. I'm not a small town person and I'm allergic to orange (ha).
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Texas. Nevada. Tenn. Florida.
Austin and Nashville are definitely on my list and maybe, Las Vegas. Nashville + monthly winter visits to Miami Beach might work.
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SF, but the City has become a sterile universal studios version of itself over the last 10-15 years.
Man, I totally agree with you! Even in the 6 years I've been gone it's changed, and not for the better. My friends there have started to leave.
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Greenville, SC, & coastal towns up and down Florida
Is Greenville where George Hincapie lives?
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Does it have to be in the States?
No, but I'm not sure how I would feel being away from my little people (grandniece and grandnephew, currently age 4 and 7 and they live in Kansas City). I love France and Paris is the one place that I've felt I was meant to be. A Bay Area friend has bought a place in southwest France and loves it, plus Ian and Julie of Pyrenees Multisport love it there. Portugal - I know a number of triathletes there, so that would be a plus. I've never been to Spain but have heard good things about it.
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You mentioned weather in Phoenix is a plus. Have you been there in summer!?
Went to grad school at ASU, so yes, I've been there in the summer. Lived there two full years and loved it.
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Look at Albuquerque & Sante Fe, Las Cruces, Tucson, Prescott, CO Springs.
Santa Fe, Las Cruces, Prescott - I think too small. Tucson is definitely on my list to check out. CO Springs maybe - at least they have a velodrome, but winter might be a no.
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Really to the OP for what you are looking for I don’t think exists in the US seriously.
I'm sure you're right so some compromise will need to be made. Just not sure what weights more than something else quite yet. And you're right - upstate NY is a no. NYC, yes if I had unlimited money and could live in a big apartment in Hells Kitchen.
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I think if you took out the part about reasonably priced housing, the coast of CA would check all of the other boxes
I'm thinking more the Sac/Davis area maybe. But I'm thinking California is out, though it will be a frequent place to visit.
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Hey clm, I suggest you look into the areas of Queensland - from the Gold Coast to the Sunshine Coast including Brisbane.
Hi Scott! Australia is on my list of places I want to visit and I've heard great things about "God's Country" aka Queensland. I have a big birthday next year so maybe a trip there is in order.
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Nashville. Pretty pricy right now but you'd find a solid place for around $400k
$400K in the urban core??? No way. My townhouse has gone up nearly 2.5 x in value since I bought it and I would not live outside of the urban core. And, like Joel said - I'm already here! BTW - NAC is the best - I love that pool but if only we had an outdoor pool. Didn't you win the Rivebluff tri last weekend? I was there doing the aquabike - first multisport race since total knee replacement surgery.
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Portland OR or Seattle
Weather issues with both and cost of housing. Though very big pluses it that both have velodromes and great people at the velodromes. My old cycling coach lives in the Seattle burbs so I've spent time there. Not for me.
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Smaller town just east of the Cascades, either OR or WA.
Too small and isolated I think.
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In TX for tri scene I'd go Dallas & cycling would be Austin!
Have't spent much time in Dallas, so I'll have to check it out. And I know a couple of triathletes there. Austin is very high on my list, though TX property taxes kill me (looking at my house - moving it to Austin, the property taxes would go from $3,500/year to probably over $10K/year)! We have offices in Houston and Austin so I get there regularly and am signed up to do that Oilman race in November.
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First thing you need to do is define what size airport you require (regional, international, direct flights to Europe, what?) and what "close by" means. Then you have to say whether the South is OK if the area is not southern. AKA, I live in Tampa and it is distinctly not southern in parts. I am thinking you would be a good fit for downtown St Petersburg if you could tolerate the summer here. BTW, I can't stand even flying through Nashville airport.
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To the OP, HuffNPuff is correct in that downtown St. Petersburg, FL fits the bill. It meets all of your requirements except the gravel scene.
An airport with a decent Southwest hub and easy flights to SD/LA/SF/NYC. Close means right there (30 min). When I fly home to see Dad, it's a good 90 minute drive from MCI to home. That is too far. Tampa is definitely high on my want to visit list. Need to check the hockey schedule and fly down. I was going to come last January for the NHL ASG, but work messed that up.
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You have previously lived in Phoenix, and it would meet a lot of your requirements, but two things:
Yeah, I lived on the Tempe/Scottsdale line near Papago Park. I haven't been there for quite a while (to spectate IM AZ), so I need a return trip.
clm
Nashville, TN
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