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Best Zip Code for Perfect Life

Two recent threads have inspired me. One was on persuading the wife for an audio shopping "romantic weekend" and the other on all of your hobbies outside of audio. Given that many of you seem interested in contemplative and creative things, fishing bicycling etc as well as quite a few car nuts, here is the ultimate question: Where can I chuck in the big city rat race and move that would offer: natural beauty, pre war architecture (at least some) and privacy where one could fish, cycle, enjoy nature etc and not worry about neighbors when playing MFSL Dark Side of the Moon at concert levels through subwoofers, drive 30-60 minutes maximum to check out some girls, visit a good audio dealer, book shop, music store and eat some decent Italian food, without spending a zillion bucks on real estate or living in an overpopulated or pre fab "McMansion" atmosphere. Extra Credit: roads ideally would be somewhat rural, bucolic, winding and not ruined by traffic or constant speed traps.(One for the car geeks, of which I am one.)Let's keep this gem to our forum, but WE can all move there and start an audio club and the best dealers will follow. Thanks for the tip and I will hope to see you in the village market and have you over for a drink and a demo!
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john_l
782 posts
 
Eldragon, I'm in Portland.
Cornfedboy, Denver is a great place. Funny I don't ski nearly as much as I used to. I do fly to ski once or twice a year and slosh around in Oregon and Alaska a bit.

Colorado is still the best place to ski because it's always sunny. Mountains like Whistler and Jackson Hole are awesome, but you're always skiing in a storm. Have to admit that when Jackson Hole is on - with deep powder, nothing touches it.

I'm going to do a trip to Breck/Keystone/Copper this March. Have you been to Keystone in the last year or so? They opened up some terrain 2-3 years ago, and it's actually one of the best mountains for backcountry single diamond skiing now. Nobody knows about it!
eldragon
707 posts
 
Portland (Oregon) is probably my next destination! How is economy there? Any jobs?
dustych
53 posts
 
Can I offer a free beer to anyone being able to offer a place with the above criteria MINUS the car nut stuff (I am not one) PLUS a dry climate (allergies). That last pretty much rules out anything East of the Mississippi... Double-extra-plus bonus points if the ratio of available and interested women to men is above average. I am also pretty big on alternative rock concert venues, so Denver may be the place to be for me.
john_l
782 posts
 
Denver is pretty nice, expecially if athletic women appeal to you. I remember moving from Denver to Chicago and thinking, 'the women here are so much smaller'. Still cute though! The alternative music scene is actually pretty big in Denver. The best thing to do in Denver, when you're not dead, is to go out skiing and hiking on the weekends. Places like Chicago and San Francisco have bigger nightlife scenes. Chicago would be a good place to get away from allergies, unless you're allergic to concrete that is.
john_l
782 posts
 
Eldragon, I think the Portland economy is fairly strong. The housing market recently evened out, but there is still plenty of work, especially in newer high-tech areas like Hillsboro. A decent four bedroom house will run you 160-200K. You might want to consider Bend Oregon. A much smaller economy, but close to good skiing, and much lower housing costs. It is getting bigger, and I think this trend will continue. Eugene or Corvallis are cool if you are into a more alternative/hippy scene. Both are College towns. Ashland is nice too - it's in southern Oregon, near California. John.
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