Similar to the San Francisco Bay Area, with motos (live, compared, place)

[HoneyBadger302]

I know plenty of folks have compared SF to different cities, but I've got some unique twists that I'd like to have considered. I'm at a point where I will soon be looking at my next move within my company. We have offices of varying sizes all over the country (and globe) so I'm not particularly restricted location wise as far as work goes. I may be looking for a slight career shift anyways, so am flexible that way.

I LOVE the bay area - unfortunately, I'm getting priced right out of here. I earn in the $55K+ range, but that's not enough to really live on here. I can't afford my own place, especially since I need a garage. At 37 years old I'm kind of over being the one "renting a bedroom" from someone else, which is what I have to do here. I work a part time job on weekends so I can have some spending money for my "hobby" but working 7 days a week just so I can have some fun is starting to wear me out.

My primary concerns in another location are as follows:

1) MUST have a decent motorcycle club racing scene. It's what I do, it's why I work. It's more than just a hobby, it's my passion. We have a super competitive club here in the bay/norcal area and I don't want to have to drive 8 hours to the nearest track.

2) Moto friendly riding in the area. I do still street ride, pretty much daily out here as I commute on my bike. Hills and mountains are ideal.

3) I could deal with a short-ish winter season, but not what I grew up with (I'm from Wisconsin originally). So don't bother with Chicago. Fun town, can't hang with the weather. I hate tornadoes, would prefer to avoid tornado alley.

3) A somewhat stable job market where I can make enough to live on and there are some opportunities to be had.

4) Animal friendly area. I like to have a cat or two (indoor only usually) and maybe even a dog again....and would like to live in an area where pet-friendly housing isn't a rare black diamond.

My mother and sister currently live in Knoxville and I've been out to visit them - I like the area well enough, but the town itself was small, not much to do if you're not a tourist, and a poor job market, and there are no race tracks anywhere remotely close by. I wouldn't be happy there. I love the culture, events and happenings of the bay area. The proximity to parks and rural areas...I know that's hard to find elsewhere!

Trust me, if I made what most tech workers here are making I'd be staying in a heartbeat, but right now if I don't get a sizable raise, I'm being forced to either continue living like I am (crammed into a small bedroom with random roommate(s)) or moving out of the area - or spending my life commuting.

Anyways, wondering what others out there may have experienced. I'd consider international if it was right and I could find work, but I've never been to Europe so while I may think I'd enjoy someplace, I have no real knowledge to base that on.

[Calisonn]

Austin might work I would think.

[beb0p]

Sacramento checks all the boxes, and it's only about 75 miles from SF.
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[HoneyBadger302]

Originally Posted by beb0p

Sacramento checks all the boxes, and it's only about 75 miles from SF.
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Sac is actually towards the top of my list....just seeing if maybe there were other options to consider as well if I can't find a position up there

[DJKirkland]

Have you considered Portland or Seattle at all? Similar vibe to what you're used to in SF, but much less expensive COL wise. Mild, varied topography like you're hoping for. I don't know about local clubs for riding though, but just throwing that out there.

[afdinatl]

Atlanta

Plus you will be close to Nashville

[18Montclair]

This is all too common nowadays. The Bay Area needs hundreds of thousands of new homes, apartments, condos etc to alleviate the housing crisis.

We were just saying that only 25% of the administrative staff at our firm live within 50 miles of our office in Palo Alto. The vast majority commute from as far away as Los Banos and Angels Camp.

Meanwhile, we have millions of acres of undeveloped land right here in the Bay Area that cant be built on because of the worst NIMBYISM probably anywhere.

Perfect example: Oakland NIMBYS would rather preserve the ghetto than allow great developments to breathe life into the local economy.

[SyraBrian]

Originally Posted by 18Montclair

This is all too common nowadays. The Bay Area needs hundreds of thousands of new homes, apartments, condos etc to alleviate the housing crisis.

We were just saying that only 25% of the administrative staff at our firm live within 50 miles of our office in Palo Alto. The vast majority commute from as far away as Los Banos and Angels Camp.

Meanwhile, we have millions of acres of undeveloped land right here in the Bay Area that cant be built on because of the worst NIMBYISM probably anywhere.

Perfect example: Oakland NIMBYS would rather preserve the ghetto than allow great developments to breathe life into the local economy.

Isn't that previously developed land rather than undeveloped land? And isn't the ghetto pretty much the cheapest housing available?

Getting back to the subject at hand. Perhaps the OP should look at the Denver-Boulder area. It seems to fit the requirements.

[crystalballmagic]

I second Sac. Wouldn't be that far to move so you'd save money not having to move across the country. Plus it's California.

[qworldorder]

I'll go ahead and throw in Hampton Roads to the mix. Huge military population, so tons of riders and tracks (my former TSgt was an off road biker but also raced on asphalt). Lots of civilian goverment jobs in the area and jobs to support the govt workers, with some being subsidiaries from DC. Lush coastal topography, with the Outer Banks and mountains not far away. Fairly mild weather (nothing close to Wisconsin lol). And plenty of dog lovers in the area.