Possibly Moving

[Kiwi]

So, i am looking at getting promotion at work and moving to a different state.... ( i'm in TX)
Current options, Melville NY, Atlanta Georgia, California , or Washington DC.
Any opinions? I have never really been to any of them.
I love the cold, the outdoors, despise 110+ degree heat...
So which place is less like TX ?

[fret not]

Most any place east of the Mississippi River will be hot and HUMID in the summer.  What part of California would you be going to?  It makes a difference as there is plenty of desert, mountains, coast line (bay area, Santa Barbara, Ventura, LA, San Diego),  the central valley(agricultural), or the northern part with more agricultural area and forest.

[Rick G]

Melville NY  will find you up to your butt in snow and your bike in storage 5 or 6 months a year, same for DC.  As nut asks , what part of CA.? You couldn't pay me enough to live in SO cal , I lived there from 1958 to 1989 and it changed so much, as to be unrecognizable . If its in the Sacramento area, I would go for it . summers can be a little hot , but the Sierra Nevada's are at you back door, and are full of great rides. The bay area is OK but not my first choice., but better than  back east, by far. I lived in MN for 6 years and  I loved it , didn't love the bikes isolation to the garage for 6 months! :'(

Cost of living in Sac. is far lower than the bay area. Home /rent prices are unbelievable in the Bay area.

[Re-Vision]

I would consider Northern California but you can expect an increase in the cost of living, as for the rest of your choices I would look for a new job first.     BDC

[YellowJacket!]

I'm partial to the southeast and the weather here isn't too bad.... not as humid as mentioned and with a fairly long riding season as well as many good places to ride.   The one exception is..... Atlanta.  Bad enough driving through Atlanta in a cage and suicide on  a Vision.  Suburbs are much better though.  Lucky and I are about 3.5 and 4 hours north of Atlanta.

David

[JohnAMcG]

Ive never been to most of those places, but DC is a pretty sweet place to live.  Well, DC is a shitty place to live, but you have to decide whether you prefer Maryland or Virginia, and live just outside DC, and you get the best of both worlds.  You can be in the mountains, or by the bay, or in the city (DC, Baltimore, Annapolis) in about an hour.  I can bicycle from south from bethesda, Maryland through the city, into Arlington, Virginia in about 40 mins, or north to Harpers Ferry West Virginia in about two hours, while barely touching a road. 

The weather changes a lot, but we had no snow at all this winter, and it was 82 degrees last week.  Traffic is a nightmare around the city, but the public transit is arguably the best in the US, and there are miles of country back roads and scenic views.  Depending on your gear, you can ride all year if you want, I know there are many here that do.  In my Supra, I kept the top off about 11 months of the year. 

DC has a daily population of several million, but there are only about 500k actual residents.  Everyone drives in from the suburbs every day.  I live in Maryland, where the Vision is considered a historic vehicle, and requires no inspections at all whatsoever, and is cheap to register (Promise to ride only for parades, shows, and occasional transportation ).  In Virginia, they require a yearly safety inspection, regardless of the status. 

If you like the outdoors, the appalacian trail goes right through Virginia, and the shenandoah valley.  The most popular hike on the east coast is Old Rag Mountain, and for very good reason, I have gone twice.  Skyline dive IIRC is about 200 miles of ridgetop winding roads and scenic views. 


California is nice too. 

[AdvRich]

+1 on JohnAMcG's take on DC. I grew up in Northern Md. I'm now live in the Adirondack region of NY, so snow and cold are the deal for a good 6 months, but this past winter was easy. Snowmobile touring is the other option for winter motor touring though and there are extensive trail systems across the state. Melville, NY looks to be on Longuh Island and unless you like living in high density areas it's the last place I'd go for. Cali has some incredible riding and scenery, but like others have mentioned, cost of living and population centers are to be considered. Rich