What's the best U.S. City and Why?

[The_Veg]

As anybody from the great state of Texas can tell you

What'chu tryin' to say Jon?

 

[dancogan]

I really do not know.

However, I have always thought San Diego might be the best place for those who can afford it. Year 'round riding weather, never too hot or too cold, and beautiful scenery.

That bike would make anyplace look beautiful!

 

[PGlaves]

Interesting question. Best City in which to live? Best City to visit?

I like towns and rural areas; not cities. Purely from a (former) professional perspectives, the "best" cities still have a robust, diversified tax base and don't have an empty, blighted, core at the center. Nor are their first ring suburbs industrial slums. They have good mass transit systems and well behaved and managed traffic. They have continued to reinvest in infrastructure so that they don't have craters in their streets from too much traffic, nor from ruptured 100 year old water lines. They have vital, well working school systems with a cadre of good teachers and hordes of concerned parents.

What City might that be? I don't know. The vast majority of large US cities have well deserved bad reputations. A few have good reputations. Some are somewhere in between.

As a City Planner for 30+ years we always pondered why humankind persisted in building urban settlements that work poorly and which people dislike. As a motorcyclist who pretty much lives on the bike all summer I can say that when traveling I go to great lengths to avoid cities. Since there are jobs there (in some of them) they are where lots of folks have to work. But they are not good places for touring motorcyclists as far as I'm concerned. I prefer two-lanes, mountains, small towns, and the countryside. YMMV

 

[The_Veg]

I prefer two-lanes, mountains, small towns, and the countryside. YMMV

Yep, there's the rub. I love all that too, but I also want theatre and Indian and Thai restaurants and a large and diverse dating-pool and plenty of opportunity to make career and job changes without having to move, and also some hope in hell of being able to afford to live there. But then I also want to be able to get out into some twisty country and be home in the same day, and be able to do it all year.
I'm not sure that such a place exists.

 

[osbornk]

Yep, there's the rub. I love all that too, but I also want theatre and Indian and Thai restaurants and a large and diverse dating-pool and plenty of opportunity to make career and job changes without having to move, and also some hope in hell of being able to afford to live there. But then I also want to be able to get out into some twisty country and be home in the same day, and be able to do it all year.
I'm not sure that such a place exists.

Sometimes you have go make a choice. When my Harley riding friends ask me why I ride a BMW, I simply say "It was a choice-do you want to look good or get there?"

 

[BUBBAZANETTI]

Yep, there's the rub. I love all that too, but I also want theatre and Indian and Thai restaurants and a large and diverse dating-pool and plenty of opportunity to make career and job changes without having to move, and also some hope in hell of being able to afford to live there. But then I also want to be able to get out into some twisty country and be home in the same day, and be able to do it all year.
I'm not sure that such a place exists.

it doesn't. i feel like i had a pretty good mix of both worlds living in a prosperous little new england college town, but the one thing that is usually sorely lacking is jobs. way too many educated, driven people to compete for the small number of jobs.

like you said, rural areas lack culture, or at least diversity. i think i'd have gone nuts if i stayed living in a town like the one i grew up in. i'm in a city now because it's important for me to meet people from all over, experience new sights, sounds and cultures and make connections that will aid me later in life. do i miss the winding country roads and the peace and quiet of cross country skiing in the woods of western massachusetts? you bet i do. i haven't been on my bike in months and i've hardly seen a snow flurry this year, but like others have said, there's trade-offs. i have the rest of my life to live somewhere more rural again. and i'll probably appreciate it a whole lot more later in life when the excitement and 24 hour lifestyle i live here loses its charm.

NYC is alright, i lived in Boston as well, another alright city. I think if i do settle in an urban area at a later point in my life though it'll be in a western city. All the ones i've visited and spent any real time in were appealing because they seemed to be in much better proximity to the outdoor activities i like. NYC is huge, but a little too huge, sometimes I look at the subway map in my bathroom and realize that i'm buried in a sea of humanity, right in the very middle of the five boroughs. I'm not sure its a feeling that i enjoy 100 percent.

 

[redclfco]

We live in a little town about 19000 people in what could be located in anywhere, USA, but what makes it a cool place is the small town has two upscale universities St. Olaf and Carlton; they add so much to the in terms of culture, energy and of course, buying power!

Take a agricultural based small town, throw in a healthy mix of higher education, students and related services, add in a world class clean industry called Malto Meal, and you have a great place to live. Lakes and the Mississippi add the final color to the landscape!

This town is one of many of these towns across the USA, I am sure!

But the kicker is our little town is 50 miles, 40 minutes from the Twin Cities!

Just far enough to stay the little burg, but close to mall and restaurant and sports mecca and higher paying employment just down the road! Great acts and all the trappings of a large city.

When my little building industry related company went south last fall, I threw out a few resumes, and got picked up faster than I thought. The economy keeps on keeping on...


Upside? Great company, good pay. Downside?
I commute 45 minutes one way. At least it is a bike commute for the better part of the year!


I have a feeling there are other small towns all across the land, just do your research!

 

[PGlaves]

We live in a little town about 19000 people in what could be located in anywhere, USA, but what makes it a cool place is the small town has two upscale universities St. Olaf and Carlton; they add so much to the in terms of culture, energy and of course, buying power!

Take a agricultural based small town, throw in a healthy mix of higher education, students and related services, add in a world class clean industry called Malto Meal, and you have a great place to live. Lakes and the Mississippi add the final color to the landscape!

This town is one of many of these towns across the USA, I am sure!

But the kicker is our little town is 50 miles, 40 minutes from the Twin Cities!

Just far enough to stay the little burg, but close to mall and restaurant and sports mecca and higher paying employment just down the road! Great acts and all the trappings of a large city.

When my little building industry related company went south last fall, I threw out a few resumes, and got picked up faster than I thought. The economy keeps on keeping on...


Upside? Great company, good pay. Downside?
I commute 45 minutes one way. At least it is a bike commute for the better part of the year!


I have a feeling there are other small towns all across the land, just do your research!

Northfield is a nice place, indeed!

 

[ALLANCOOK]

I know, but I'm not tellin'.

 

[kbasa]

It's apparent that some of us like cities and some don't. 3

When Tina and I retire, we're actually looking at San Diego or Palm Springs.

 

[kbasa]

Yep, there's the rub. I love all that too, but I also want theatre and Indian and Thai restaurants and a large and diverse dating-pool and plenty of opportunity to make career and job changes without having to move, and also some hope in hell of being able to afford to live there. But then I also want to be able to get out into some twisty country and be home in the same day, and be able to do it all year.
I'm not sure that such a place exists.

Well, that would be someplace like SF, PDX or San Diego.

One of the things we'll need when we get older is access to decent health care. Living near a big city is going to be a requirement. But I like living near one for all the reasons The Veg listed. Unlike Paul, I actually like visiting cities when I'm touring. When we were headed to Oshkosh back in '93, we stayed in downtown Chicago for two days and had a magnificent time. Sears Tower, White Sox at Comiskey, museums. We had a ball and still like to travel like that.

Different strokes...

 

[franze]

In no particular order........Austin, TX Bend, Oregon, Santa Barbara, CA, Moab, UT , Boulder, CO Ely, MN Cocoa Beach, FL Boston, MA Outer Banks, NC


But, I also agree with Gail. I like the city in my rear view!!!!

 

[tessler]

Well, that would be someplace like SF, PDX or San Diego.

One of the things we'll need when we get older is access to decent health care. Living near a big city is going to be a requirement. But I like living near one for all the reasons The Veg listed. Unlike Paul, I actually like visiting cities when I'm touring. When we were headed to Oshkosh back in '93, we stayed in downtown Chicago for two days and had a magnificent time. Sears Tower, White Sox at Comiskey, museums. We had a ball and still like to travel like that.

Different strokes...

We travel like that too (generally speaking... now that we have the mountain house, we've spent all of our vacation time there in '07).

Having grown up in the big city and lived our whole lives here we've always loved the opportunity to see other metropoli more so that simply a weekend in the woods or hiking backcountry (which we've done plenty). We've had wonderful trips to SF, LA, Chicago, Boston, Montreal, DC and even Philadelphia for their culture, sights and restaurants (and Philly rules in the restaurant category! this from a NYer!).

 

[scqtt]

Memphis is great

Head injury?

 

[dancogan]

...One of the things we'll need when we get older is access to decent health care. Living near a big city is going to be a requirement....

Actually there are plenty of good alternatives to a big city where you can still get top quality health care. Any university town with a decent medical school will usually offer top notch medical care, lots of cultural activities, but few of the big city hassles. That's why we enjoyed living near East Lansing, and again down here in Ann Arbor. I imagine there are lots of places like that: maybe Ft. Collins, CO, State College, PA, etc.

 

[scqtt]

Lots of neat places mentioned, but for me too many people.

I lived in Cape Girardeau Missouri for 7 years, it was pretty hard to beat.
less than 40K people with a small University.

It is about 100 miles from any city of any real size so Cape in not a bedroom community for a big city. It is a small, self contained, town.

St. Louis or Memphis are less than 3 hours away so it is easy to do the big(ger) city thing if you need to.

Missouri is a big state with less than 5 million people. 2 million of those are in St. Louis & KC. Thes rest of the sate is sort of empty & very beautiful.

Awesome motorocycle roads (that are not crowded) in South MO & North AR.

Great BMW shop GrassRoots.

Cheap cost of living, cheap housing.

Park 50ft. away from the front door of the airport in Cape (airport parking is free too) get through security in 30 seconds (seriously) take a 20 minute flight to St. Louis and skip all the big city airport stuff. About $50 roundtrip when combined with another flight.

Awesome 40 minute ride to the best ribs on the planet. 17th Street Bar & Grille, Murphysboro IL.

 

[bmwdean]

When I started looking for a winter residence, these were my top questions:

1. In the United States or Canada.

2. Great all-winter-season riding weather?

3. Neat riding roads nearby?

4. Nationally renowned BMW motorcycle dealer?

5. Top-notch health care and hospitals?

6. A university town with all those amenities, including tuition-free class auditing for geezers.

#1 meant looking at the southern U.S. from Florida west to California. Florida: too flat and too crowded. Alabama or Mississippi: hurricanes and bible-belt culture not appealing to me. Louisiana: who likes hurricanes? Texas: home of George Bush? Something is screwy there New Mexico: strong possibility, but what about 2, 3, 5, 6, and especially 4? California: too expensive and crowded near cities, but a lovely alternative definitely worth considering for those wealthier than me. Arizona: spare me polluted, sprawling, and over-crowded Phoenix, but what about Tucson? (1) In the U.S. (2) Great winter riding. (3) Some neat roads nearby -- could use more. (4) Yes, Iron Horse Motorcycles (#1 in customer appreciation last year according to BMW NA). (5) U. of A. Medical Center plus several other major hospitals. (6) University of Arizona.

So ... it was Tucson.

 

[bob_m]

Of Course (but)

... what city is the best? For me, it's Portland .

Thank you for the kind words. Portland is a swell little city. There is rarely air pollution, so out door exercise is always healthy. There are urban growth boundaries so that once you leave the city, you quickly get to open country (and what country it is!). Portland is very good about being a city. That is its strength. It plans for transportation, for growth and then it implements those plans. This planning is a social engineering that is the most outward expression of the deep and broad liberal values that are part of the social fabric here. These are the reasons I live here.

On the other hand Portland is in lots of regards it is a second tier city. Small, and without either a baseball or football team (if that is any indication of being a major city) It's cultural venues are appropriate for a city this size, but hardly world class. It is common knowledge here in the City of Roses (Portland's nickname) that the really pretty people one sees on the streets are recent immigrants.

Then there is the weather..... Between July and October the Great Pacific Northwest has the best weather in the country. Just is. Between December and late March weeks will pass without the sky ever turning blue. This gray is usually part of light but constant drizzle. When the skies do clear it is often because strong winds from the Arctic blast through the Columbia River Gorge with fierce and freezing winds. Yesterday that weather pattern ended with a storm of freezing rain. (this is why the riding season tapers off in this neck of the woods) Suffice it to say that the weather does wear on one (or one's wife would be more accurate)

But spring is a revelation that brings joy to the heart. Portland is a gardener's city and in April the flowers burst forth in a celebration of color. Fields sprout green with a brightness that burns the eyes (in a good way) and people come out of hibernation with big goofy smiles plastered on their faces and it all seems good.

 

[The_Veg]

Interesting Jeff; I have a BMW-riding friend who just moved to Tuscon a few days ago and after how great it sounded on paper, the in-person impression left her feeling a bit disappointed. She says that traffic is horrible, infrastructure is lacking, no good gyms (she's a fitness-freak) and everything (including the houses) is brown. But her company is basically throwing money at her to be there, so she'll put up with it for a handful of years then maybe retire. She ultimately wants to retire to either Portugal or somewhere in the hills near Chiang Mai Thailand (where her military-retirement alone will be enough to live like royalty, let alone the corporate retirement and savings she'll have as well).

 

[Sportrider]

I have lived in New England, the mid Atlantic, the southeast, the deep south and all over California. With the exception of the LA metro area, the west coast is unmatched on every level. Sure, real estate where I live in the north Bay Area is high, but I don't have heating bills or other weather-related issues to deal with. The economy is relatively strong, jobs are plentiful, people are educated, progressive and mostly have all their teeth. Culture and educational opportunities abound, medicine is top notch and public transpo is decent. Best of all, it's beautiful and clean and the riding is truly worldclass. I can ride virtually year-round on some of the most breathtaking roads, from rugged Highway 1 to backroads through the redwoods that seem to go on forever. Heading north I can go hundreds of miles into wilderness of unparalleled beauty. There isn't a big city until Portland and that's a long, long way.

That said, there are places in California to avoid. My Big Three, from personal experience:

1. The San Fernando Valley, near LA (or, anywhere near LA)
2. The "Inland Empire" of Riverside and San Bernardino counties
3. I-5 corridor from Stockton to Bakersfield


Beautiful yet more affordable in Calif:

1. The Sierra foothills, mostly Placer and El Dorado counties, east of Sacto
2. The central coast near Paso Robles/San Luis Obispo