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Best U.S. commutes to/from work

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Best U.S. commutes to/from work

Old 01-22-22, 11:25 AM
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ebikenomad
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Best U.S. commutes to/from work

Any thoughts on some of the best bike commutes in the US to work?

Looking for up to a 15 mile one way trip from outside a metro area into a downtown where
there is safe (or reasonably safe) access for bike commuters.

Flexible with relocation. Also, weather is a consideration (have lived in Mpls - nice trails, but eff dat)

Looking for protected bike lanes or safety lanes where you can cruise at speeds above 20 mph (excluding metro area)

Tax favorable states obviously more attractive.

Thoughts/experiences appreciated.
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Old 01-22-22, 01:44 PM
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White Oak Bayou Greenway services downtown Houston. Trail is 13 miles long and is being lengthened substantially this year.

Texas has no state income tax. Tax revenue comes from property and sales taxes.

Snow is rare. Be aware of areas that tend to flood.
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Old 01-22-22, 08:26 PM
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Tax favorable states and bike infrastructure are not mutually exclusive...it goes by city. But then you're probably in the heart of the one gerrymandered deep blue district.

We have a great bike network here in California's elbow. There's a bike trail from Davis to West Sacramento, and another from Sacramento through Folsom, with branches all over. About half of the suburb artery streets have good bike lanes and most of the rest have bad ones or sidewalks. Downtown is full of bicycles. The corridor is definitely east-west though with bridges across the south fork American river bottlenecking north-south
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jededi...Memorial_Trail

There's also a variety of local cyclocross and xc mountain bike racing, and some local frame builders like Steve Rex and Ventana. We've had NAHBS here twice. Tahoe and SF are day trips.

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Old 01-23-22, 09:04 AM
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Colorado Springs has made great strides in its bike infrastructure...and you can't beat the scenery!
https://www.bikecoloradosprings.org/

I commuted here for 28 years and it keeps getting better.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...5TfAHK4EOymjDg

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Old 02-10-22, 01:20 PM
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OP. are you going to find a place and then look for housing and jobs that are at the ends of a specific route?
Thats bold.
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Old 02-11-22, 07:44 AM
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^^
I was wondering the same thing.
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Old 02-11-22, 11:31 AM
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In north San Diego County there are nice bikeways parallel to Hwy 78 (Oceanside to San Marcos) and Hwy 56 (Del Mar to Poway). My own commute is about 15 miles along Coast Hwy 101 from Encinitas to the UCSD / Sorrento Valley / UTC / Golden Triangle area. (Various jobs over the decades, all clustered in what is one of San Diego County's largest employment centers.) Others can address commuting in south county, which can also be good. I am simply not familiar with all of the details there.
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Old 02-12-22, 11:16 AM
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My commute in Madison WI is great -- about 4 miles, half on sleepy neighborhood streets, the other half on paved bike paths. I encounter very few cars. Typical local commutes are like this. The city continues to add bike infrastructure as roads and intersections get rebuilt. My house is in a walkable neighborhood, walking distance of shops. Terrain is flat enough. There are a lot of neighborhoods where you could live car-free or car-lite if you wanted to. Bus service exists but is not super extensive. The central neighborhoods are livable, and housing prices have risen but have not gotten insane like some of the bigger cities. There are some decent employers that are centrally located due to the presence of the university, hospitals, and state capitol. Due to the huge job-hopping trend, I have a lot of new colleagues at work, and they're all finding suitable housing within a couple miles of work.

Not so great if you live in the outskirts, but improving due to construction of new bike paths.

Of course my commute has a great job on one end, and a great wife on the other. You can't have those. But you can work out something similar if you have similar lifestyle.

Winter is fine, bike paths tend to get cleared of snow before roads, I think because it involves different equipment.

There are in fact a lot of people who can choose a job after choosing where to live, e.g., if they are in a "fungible" profession like nursing or computer programming. I did the "move and then find a job" thing once, and it worked out fine.
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Old 02-12-22, 02:24 PM
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I took a long look at a non-"fungible" job in Madison, some years ago. Seemed good. But I also have a wife at the other end of my ride, and she's from Socal... she exercised her veto on grounds of climate.
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Old 02-13-22, 07:28 PM
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My commute is hard to beat. Redondo Beach to Baldwin Park (West L.A.). 16 miles on pretty quick bike paths along the beach and a river trail with 1.5 miles of shared roads on the ends.
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Old 02-20-22, 10:23 PM
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Katy Tx to Houston via Energy Corridor

I am partial to my commute because I've done it for years and love it. I live in Katy Texas and commute to Energy corridor via George Bush Park and Terry Hershey Park.

My commute is combination of bike lanes, dedicated hike/bike paths and small portion of road.

LOVE IT
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Old 02-20-22, 10:39 PM
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Portland, OR has the 17 mile long Springwater Corridor from Boring, OR into SE Portland. Plenty of bike lanes from various directions.
Seattle has nice bike infrastructure as well. A bit more rainy perhaps.

Weather is beautiful in the summer. Winters have a lot of 45F and rain.

Taxes? In Oregon it's no sales tax and Washington it's no Income tax. Some people play the border crossing game but that seems like a lot of work to avoid paying for infrastructure I use.
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Old 02-21-22, 11:45 AM
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This thread still makes me chuckle. The OP hasnt even logged in since the initial post and the question was just so goofy.
Who picks a route to ride and then figures out where to live and work based off the end points of the route?
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Old 02-21-22, 04:57 PM
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Originally Posted by mstateglfr
This thread still makes me chuckle. The OP hasnt even logged in since the initial post and the question was just so goofy.
Who picks a route to ride and then figures out where to live and work based off the end points of the route?
A bored college senior with no life and no job offers?
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Old 02-23-22, 12:41 PM
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Some people follow their careers. Some people follow their hearts. Although their hearts usually go to NYC or Hollywood or Paris. Not where there are the best bike lanes but also no taxes
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Old 03-04-22, 01:14 PM
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never give up your dream job, for the girl of your dreams
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Old 03-04-22, 01:49 PM
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I think most guys bring a girl with or find one when they arrive :-)

I’m losing some friends from Sacramento this month. The wife got a promotion that moved her from Sac to Portland. The husband is full time WFH so he’s fine with it. They did choose the house they bought with her bike commute in mind… more like a couple miles on a townie cruiser on a nice day than the Best Cycling Experience though.
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Old 03-04-22, 02:00 PM
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It will all depend on your job, and commuting preferences.

I commuted to "Pill Hill" in Portland a few years ago.

Basically roll out of bed. 1/2 mile to get to the bottom of the valley, then it was straight up the hill. The road was a bit narrow for the main climb, but survivable. Then a loop around the top of the hill and down to the destination. No days were too cold for the climb (except for a couple of days of freezing rain).

Overall, I don't think the distance was that far, but it was a good hearty climb to start the day.

The alternative route which was probably better for going home was on Terwilliger which had several rolling hills, and good bike paths.
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Old 03-10-22, 07:33 PM
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The best commute in the US is definitely not in New York City. I'm amazed that so many of us do it. It's like doing battle. Sometimes it energizes me, and sometimes it makes me livid. Well, there are good reasons to prefer it to other modes of transit, if you take this city as a given.
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Old 03-16-22, 03:29 PM
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Best commute I've had was in Davis, CA. The town's mascot is a bike! It's actually faster to bike somewhere than drive sometimes hahah
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