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So let me give you a run down of me. I grew up in a small town in Wisconsin; never again. I moved to Denver as an adolescent and took up every outdoor activity known to man. It's college time! I move to Washington D.C. and then, here I am in Boston. What I like about the east coast: food options, density (to some degree), transit, historical significance, very academic, bike friendly, and really I have no complaints with the people. People are people.
BUT. I will soon graduate from college and will either settle into a career on the east coast or move elsewhere. I'll be honest, sometimes I don't feel "whole" on the east coast because it's hard to do what I love.
Absolute must haves: be able to hike every morning if I want, mountain bike/downhill bike (foothills will do), outdoor rock climbing (within 1.5 hours, the closer the better), above average skiing/boarding (within 3 hours... keep in mind I know vale, aspen, breck, telluride. Mass skiing is a joke.), scuba diving (be near ocean coast), and I need to be able to sail. Also, I need a bike friendly city. As long as I have a bike friendly city, I do not need outstanding transit. BUT, I need good downtown parking then. It needs to have good job prospects for a finance and business major (a lot of major corporations are based out of the city). Very supportive for entrepreneurism. I don't really care about cost of living or people. It would be nice living in an area with some good grad schools so I don't have to uproot myself in a few years. I love Colorado, but I need space from family to flourish. No CO! I also do not want to live in a city that goes ghost town at night. I love that Boston is so vibrant at night due to all the students and hated that everyone left D.C. on the weekends. This is fundamental.
2 and a half hours from Snowboarding in Flagstaff(8th snowiest city in the USA)
3 hour drive to the nearest beach(rocky point)
Mountains all around the city
Biking community is HUGE here
Phoenix was voted the most drivable city in the whole world this year so our roads are good and most of the city has free parking actually. You will be able to find good parking spots in all of our "downtowns"
Scottsdale is a very lively city(downtown is) and does not go ghost town at night.
My other guess would be either San Diego or Los Angeles.
Both water sports and mountains are available close by and most of the Bay area is bike-friendly. The generally mild weather means that a lot of sporting options are available year-round. Bay Area also seems entrepreneur-friendly what with all the tech start-ups. Wide variety of grad school options too, with Berkeley, Stanford, and USF the best known. Very low unemployment. Very big banking/finance sector. Wide variety of good eats at all price points and with many ethnic varieties. Vibrant night life however, is mainly in the city itself. Decent mass transit options, depending on exactly where in the Bay area you are -- but it's no New York City. I've been told that having to park in the city of SF itself, at least on a regular basis, is not recommended for the faint-of-heart. San Francisco, Berkeley, Oakland, might all be right for you, especially since you say you aren't concerned with COL. Good thing too, as the price of housing there is famously high.
So let me give you a run down of me. I grew up in a small town in Wisconsin; never again. I moved to Denver as an adolescent and took up every outdoor activity known to man. It's college time! I move to Washington D.C. and then, here I am in Boston. What I like about the east coast: food options, density (to some degree), transit, historical significance, very academic, bike friendly, and really I have no complaints with the people. People are people.
BUT. I will soon graduate from college and will either settle into a career on the east coast or move elsewhere. I'll be honest, sometimes I don't feel "whole" on the east coast because it's hard to do what I love.
Absolute must haves: be able to hike every morning if I want, mountain bike/downhill bike (foothills will do), outdoor rock climbing (within 1.5 hours, the closer the better), above average skiing/boarding (within 3 hours... keep in mind I know vale, aspen, breck, telluride. Mass skiing is a joke.), scuba diving (be near ocean coast), and I need to be able to sail. Also, I need a bike friendly city. As long as I have a bike friendly city, I do not need outstanding transit. BUT, I need good downtown parking then. It needs to have good job prospects for a finance and business major (a lot of major corporations are based out of the city). Very supportive for entrepreneurism. I don't really care about cost of living or people. It would be nice living in an area with some good grad schools so I don't have to uproot myself in a few years. I love Colorado, but I need space from family to flourish. No CO! I also do not want to live in a city that goes ghost town at night. I love that Boston is so vibrant at night due to all the students and hated that everyone left D.C. on the weekends. This is fundamental.
What do you suggest?
Thank you so much.
Are you limiting to a certain population? If you're not adverse to living in a smaller city there are options (if you can secure adequate employment of course). Places like Charlottesville VA, Burlington VT or Asheville NC would probably work if you're willing to sacrifice on the "close to the coast" criteria. All three are very bike friendly, have the outdoor recreation aspects you want, a good grad school and vibrant downtowns.
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