globe9

I currently live in New Orleans(been here all my life...33 years), but I've had it with the politics, the slow recovery, the high real estate prices for gutted homes, etc. etc. etc. It really sucks to live here(with the exception of Mardi Gras) so I've decided to move. I recently got into biking and want to move to a city where commuting is fairly easy to do and where the majority of the citizens accept it and won't treat me like a loser just b/c I'm over the age of 15 and am riding a bike for purposes other than fitness. I would also like to do a lot of trail riding and hike in the great outdoors. 4 seasons would also be great. I know this may seem like a lot to ask for. I don't want to move to the West Coast, although Northern Cal, Oregon, and Washington are beautiful, the real estate prices there are insane! I've been thinking about Austin, TX or maybe somewhere in Tennessee, North Carolina, Northern Alabama, or Northern Georgia. Anyone have any suggestions?
Thanks!

UmneyDurak

Nürnberg.

MacG

You should take a good long look at Minneapolis. We have some great infrastructure, tons and tons of bike culture, and the people are pretty friendly too.

You can find reasonably priced housing within a few miles of the downtown core, and it is actually easy to commute by bike into the neighboring cities and suburbs. I'm living in a south suburb and commuting a few miles to another south suburb right now. At the end of the month, I have a lease starting on a house in south Minneapolis near Hiawatha and Lake Street. I'll be riding down the bike lanes on Minnehaha Avenue, through the park, past Fort Snelling, and across the Mendota Bridge (MN55) over the Minnesota river to get to work. There are friendly and safe bike facilities nearly the whole way, which is quite typical of the more urbanized areas in the region.

Cyclists are still a minority and there are moron drivers to deal with, but I am told that it is FAR better than most other large cities where cyclists almost need to ride on the sidewalk to avoid being killed by disgruntled motorists. Minneapolis has one of the highest percentages of bicycle commuters in the country, so there is a good precedent set and the majority of motorists know how to safely deal with bicycle traffic. Life is good up here.

bkrownd

Or its "better half", Saint Paul.

cycle life

You guys forgot chicago

MacG

Saint Paul doesn't have anywhere near the bike culture that Mpls does; trust me on that one! There are reasonably nice facilities and whatnot, but most of the cyclists you will see and meet in St. Paul are recreational or even lower than that. There doesn't seem to be an abundance of dedicated and serious cyclists like you find in Minneapolis. But I still love St. Paul for many other reasons.

And Chicago is less friendly and always super windy for some reason (I'm told).

rydaddy

Sacramento. The "bubble" is slowly leaking. Its a buyers market. I need not say anything about the bicycle friendliness.

Tapeworm21

I commute in Berkeley,CA. Great city to commute in. I have more problems with pedestrians than I do cars.

gulfcoast

Considering you list places, I think Austin is a wonderful bike friendly commuter town. Portland Oregon is also an excellent choice to consider. What it really comes down to is a place that feels right to you and provides you with the positive life you are co-creating. Ask questions, but also get out there and exlpore them for yourself.
Perhaps the dream is dreaming us................................

UmneyDurak

Ah yes pedestrians.

Eggplant Jeff

You need to give us an idea what "insane" real estate prices are. Here in Philly (which is a pretty nice city to commute in IMHO but I haven't tried very many cities) you can get a nice row home in a decent section of town for probably $200-250K. Depending how flexible you are about things like "nice" and "decent section" they go down to basically nothing... you can probably buy a dump for a few K.

Compare that to Manassas where I used to live, where brand new ( = flimsy constructed) row homes go for $400K. In MY eyes, Philly is very affortable. Compare it to my brother-in-law who lives a little north of Atlanta (definitely NOT within bike commuting distance though) and bought his single-family house for like $50-60K... and Philly seems exorbitant.

ryanz4

From what I've seen and read within in the USA, thats NOT in the west coast, I'd say Minneapolis. It seems pretty decent.

The city I live in, St. Catharines, though in Canada is a great city for commuting in. Hundreds of cyclists ride each day to work, school or shopping. Plus here, cars are very aware of cyclists on the road.

legot73

Having lived in Madison, WI Minneapolis, MN and St. Paul, MN, my vote would be for Minneapolis. Of course, the whole package depends heavily on what else you're looking for, but Minneapolis has not only the bike culture and useful "everyday" cycling infrastructure, but an abundant variety of industries and employment. Geographically, the metro area is enormous. There are many nice "suburbs" that are just as close to downtown as Minneapolis proper (I like St. Louis Park), but there are many that were considered "up north" when I was a kid. Winter is cold, but I like winter there better than wet and windy Great Lakes winter.

globe9

>>>>>You need to give us an idea what "insane" real estate prices are.<<<<

Insane to me is a 1500 sq ft home regular old brick ranch style for $500,000 on up. I don't make a fortune(about 30K a year) and could swing a home for $150,000 on down. Outside of Austin I've seen 1600 sq ft fairly new homes in the $110K to $120K range.
I'd love to live in San Fran. but I know of people who have spent $1,000,000 on just 1st floor of a 3 story house that they then had to share with 2 other families...that to me is insane.

modernjess

+1 Minneapolis, (I'm very partial to my town of St. Louis Park, a first ring suburb) I work downtown and I commute year round from SLP. I would argue I have one of the BEST bike commute routes of any city in the country. If you could see it and ride it you'd know.

PROS:
- You want 4 seasons? We definitely have that.
- You want affordable housing? We have some of that. (less so in the last few years but still there)
- You want a cycling friendly community? I'd say we have that for sure, a lot of riders, a lot of amenities.
-The ecomomy is fairly broad based so we're somewhat insulated from the dips and highs of other parts of the country. And employment opprotunites are consistantly strong.
-Incredibly beautiful in the summer, and the state is big and full of amazing outdoor rec opportunites.

CONS:
-The winter.
-The drivers are the worst, but I've found over the years that many are developing a respect for cyclists.
-The winter.
-Flat for the most part, you have to be creative to become a good climber around here.
-Did I mention the winter.
-We've become a purple state.

I can't speak to some of the other cities you might be considering, I can only tell you my experience living and biking in Minneapolis. With that said I'd say it's a pretty solid place to live if your a cyclist.

SonataInFSharp

I vote for Minneapolis, too, for all the reasons mentioned.

Don't worry about the winter THAT much. After I had a chance to live in other places besides Minneapolis, I realized that I miss our winters and they aren't THAT bad after all.

Biking here is amazing. I never am harrassed by cars (I live in downtown Minneapolis and have biked out in the suburbs), so when people on this forum complain about being harrassed, I honestly have no idea what they are talking about.

jyossarian

NYC! 'nuff said.

vulpes

It sounds to me like you're describing Colorado Springs, CO. The main drawback is that the area is pretty conservative, Republican and Religious Right, also a large military presence. If those things bother you, you might consider Boulder, a stones throw northwest of Denver. The Springs is a city of about half a million, but it's pretty spread out. Boulder is more an overgrown college town. Lots of cyclists there.

noisebeam

I think a larger factor is not what city, but where in any given city you live and to where you commute to.

Al

bikedaddy

I like to think Fort Collins is a nice compromise between Boulder (very liberal) and the Springs (very conservative). Great bike trails and bike lanes on most roads. I very very rarely ever have problems with cagers here.

sweetnsourbkr

Portland, OR is famous for its proactive attitude and initiative towards alternative transportation.

fatguypikespeak

Colorado Springs is an awsome place to commute! Lots of bike lanes...lots of bikers....and the #1 healthiest city in the USA so I think the general population is pretty nice to us bikers...On any givin day I would say I see at least 15-20 other bikers and on the week-end.....well there are literally hundreds. As far as the culture goes... The west side, Old Colorado City, and Manitou Springs are the furthest from conservative places and they are all here in the springs

badhat

+1 for fort collins

very affordable, close to denver, great bike scene, great commuter infrastrucure and bike advocacy, and as great a variety of recreational riding terrain as you'll find anywhere, you're within 100 miles of the highest paved mountain pass in the US, and a handfull of otherwise classic climbs and endless miles of deserted rolling backroads to a number of really great relaxed MUPs that crisscross all over town.

the weather is fantastic and definitely gives you 4 distinct seasons, and i bike commute full time even in the dead of winter and it hasnt yet been too cold (couple of sub zero F days a year in a bad year), though this year was a banner year for snowfall.

the economy is a little stale at the moment, but its starting to pick up a little, thats really the only negative i can think of. its half college town, half sleepy suburb, so its diverse enough politically, if not ethnically.

CliftonGK1

Seattle and the metro Eastside are like that, too. Here in Redmond, there's 3 new condo/townhome complexes going up. $350K will get you into the smallest unit of either condoplex, at just shy of 500 sq.ft. That's not a typo. Just under five hundred square feet for $350,000. The 1100 sq.ft. units go for around $575K.

mparker326

What do you do for a living?