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Skateboarding => Travel Guide => Topic started by: hurv on June 18, 2018, 01:02:39 PM
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Currently living in a small town in upper Michigan, and I'm ready to follow my heart and relocate somewhere with better weather and skating. Oregon seems like a solid choice after a little googling, but was hoping to get some feedback from the skate community. I dont care if its a major city or not, just hoping to find a place with a decent job market, good parks and street spots, and milder weather. Thanks in advance for any info.
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well that depends on your level of income not to be nosey just beware Oregon and the NW sounds about right, I love the places but rent is wicked expensive and sjw's have kinda ruined the scene for having your own opinions in the work space. but hey man this is jsut my opinions I would rather choose to live in small outside town in the NW area and bus or drive to shows and parks there then live there. Ummmmm seems to me moving with decent skate scene and something to do in the area it's a toss up of heat index vs expensive rent and shit. I would gladly take smallville random town cose to a city but not too close. pretty much anywhere else aside from the south east this place sucks.
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Currently living in a small town in upper Michigan, and I'm ready to follow my heart and relocate somewhere with better weather and skating. Oregon seems like a solid choice after a little googling, but was hoping to get some feedback from the skate community. I dont care if its a major city or not, just hoping to find a place with a decent job market, good parks and street spots, and milder weather. Thanks in advance for any info.
Oregon is rad, do it. If you don't care about being in the city (Portland, in this case) then I'd recommend Eugene or that area. It's big enough that there's lots of jobs but not TOO big. They built a really amazing new park under a bridge and it's huge. There's also some cool street spots and a decent skate scene there. I grew up in a similar sized town in Washington and it's a good time.
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Eugene looks legit, rent is doable and the parks in the area look insane! Thanks for the info amigos.
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come to central mass and help out at our DIY. this plaza could be your life. there's dope cities 45 min in any direction [boston east, manchester ,nh north, providence south, springfield, ma and hartford ct west and nyc is 3.5 away].
jim gagne lived near umass [90 min west] and set the bar high.
weather's similar to michigan, prolly a little milder but we get 4 seasons for sure.
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New York's alright...if you like saxaphones
If I could I'd move to Oregon.
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denver is pretty expensive these days but you could find something in the area. imo Colorado has the best skateparks in the country. Seriously, there everywhere and there fucking huge. Also, weed if thats your thing. Obviously winter is tough there but in my opinion worth it. Ive visited several times and Im currently trying to save so i can move there myself.
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Colorado the nicest place I been too but theres not enough trees and the sky is way too open, kinda scary. Flora and fauna have the biggest effect on the vibe of a place for me.
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I'll be honest - haven't read through everyone's responses so sorry if I repeat something.
First off, create a list of cities you'd ideally like to relocate. Make sure that they cover most of your interests and not just skating. Do you like brewing beer? Make sure there's a homebrew store. Like Coffee? Make sure there are some proper coffee joints. If you're single, scope out the scene on OKCupid or search forums.
Now, most importantly, once you've done this back research dig into the job market. See what's most lucrative for your profession. Some might be instantly crossed off the list. Not only do you want a job, you want the opportunity to grow/be head hunted.
Lastly, if you don't have a set profession then that second paragraph matters less. Just make sure the city has everything you think you want/need. If you've got the savings and are willing to grind it out - even if you are a professional - you'll find something. Personally, I tend to give myself 3 months if I like a city enough to stay there and search around for a full time gig. If you haven't found something after 3 months you're fucking up (assuming you're in a metropolitan city).
Just prepare yourself and go for it! It'll work itself out if you really want it.
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If you have a high school education, go to asia, shanghai or taipei, get a teaching job, make good money, learn a lot about a lot, and skate endless spots and plazas. maybe not what youre going for but its a feasible plan if youre looking for one and not boring.
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SoCal, Denver, greater NYC metropolitan area.
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Currently living in a small town in upper Michigan, and I'm ready to follow my heart and relocate somewhere with better weather and skating. Oregon seems like a solid choice after a little googling, but was hoping to get some feedback from the skate community. I dont care if its a major city or not, just hoping to find a place with a decent job market, good parks and street spots, and milder weather. Thanks in advance for any info.
Yo Pappy where did you grow up at if you don't mind me asking, I grew up in Maple Valley.
Eugene sounds like it might be your best bet. To be honest I never go to south oregon so I have no idea what the weather is like. I did a year of Job Corps in Astoria and that shit sucked!!! I hear the town has made a come back though. Seattle and even surrounding areas are fucked up expensive so unless you work tech your gunna have to find a shitty apartment away from everything with at least 2 roommates. The weather can be a bit overwhelming if you get seasonal affective disorder. Its usually a good idea to plan a trip to somewhere sunny like Cali around January/February to help get you through the gloom until April or so when the sun comes out.
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Eugene is tight, my girl and I thought about moving there; she's got family there. Tactics is a great shop with everything you need, and a big sale wall too. There's good parks and some street spots, I don't know how the police/public react to street skating. But there's legal weed, too. And the city isn't as expensive as Seattle/Portland. The weather isn't perfect but certainly one of the more mild places year round. Last time I was there was in January and I had a couple opportunities during the week to just skate flatground when it was 50+ between rain showers.
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Just popping in to say - Bend is not what you are looking for. Cross it off the list.
Weather is great and there is a lot to do outdoors non-skating related (mountain biking, snowboarding, surfing in the river, rock climbing, etc...), but the couple skate parks we have are just ok. We have around 20 breweries, 6 coffee roasters and legal weed.
The main issue is the cost of living vs wages. It's stupid how expensive things have gotten in the last decade. I have no idea how anyone that moves here now can even remotely afford to not be homeless.
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If you have a high school education, go to asia, shanghai or taipei, get a teaching job, make good money, learn a lot about a lot, and skate endless spots and plazas. maybe not what youre going for but its a feasible plan if youre looking for one and not boring.
This!
I picked up from Long Island/NYC to skate S.F. (first day in we hit the EMB) - Pick a costal city, If you don't bite on Asia, go to socal, HB/SD.
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I don't understand how anyone with US citizenship isn't living somewhere in California. No brainer.
I live in the northwest, it rains here a minimum of 8 months of the year. In Vancouver we're lucky to have July and August stay dry and sunny. The ground is rough as shit and the spots are mostly bunk - they're incredibly adept at skate proofing in the northwest.
Seriously, if you skate, move to California. You are so lucky that it's even an option. Anywhere else you're dealing with long chunks of time not being able to skate due to weather.
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I don't understand how anyone with US citizenship isn't living somewhere in California. No brainer.
I live in the northwest, it rains here a minimum of 8 months of the year. In Vancouver we're lucky to have July and August stay dry and sunny. The ground is rough as shit and the spots are mostly bunk - they're incredibly adept at skate proofing in the northwest.
Seriously, if you skate, move to California. You are so lucky that it's even an option. Anywhere else you're dealing with long chunks of time not being able to skate due to weather.
I'm thinking of relocating to either Portland (the surrounding neighborhoods) or Vancouver. Cheaper housing and close to Portland. Bummed to hear that it rains a lot. Are there any skateparks in Vancouver that isnt shit?
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nah, i went to vancouver once and there was a street-ish course in white cement and a giant white bowl and adults cheering a trashy teen as he smashed a little kid's bike into the bowl repeatedly. idk if it was punishment to some kid who ran afoul or just senseless wreck but sort of an intimidating scene out of gummo or some shit.
another time couldn't get a ride outta jubitz for 3 days so walked the bridge outta portland into wa and theres' little brick hubbas on the promised land side.
did my stupid ex wanna hold the camera so i could skate them?
no.
no she did not.
but we got a ride right away then dropped of when we didn't have the drug marijuana.
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I don't understand how anyone with US citizenship isn't living somewhere in California. No brainer.
I live in the northwest, it rains here a minimum of 8 months of the year. In Vancouver we're lucky to have July and August stay dry and sunny. The ground is rough as shit and the spots are mostly bunk - they're incredibly adept at skate proofing in the northwest.
Seriously, if you skate, move to California. You are so lucky that it's even an option. Anywhere else you're dealing with long chunks of time not being able to skate due to weather.
There's plenty of southern US cities you can skate year round if you're not too poosey to deal with the summer heat and humidity (just skate at night). Spring/Autumn/Winter are pretty nice. Spots aren't nearly as blown, plenty of untapped stuff, and locals are usually pretty friendly. No need to subject yourself to that astronomical California rent. Maybe I'm just jealous though, I complain about the weather all the time.
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If you make decent money you can afford living in Orange County. There are a lot of cheap places to rent way under the normal $1900-$2000 for barely 700 sq ft apartments. Gas fucking sucks though,but the bus system is pretty good.
I've lived in Vegas and it was affordable,summer night skating was a must.
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I don't understand how anyone with US citizenship isn't living somewhere in California. No brainer.
I live in the northwest, it rains here a minimum of 8 months of the year. In Vancouver we're lucky to have July and August stay dry and sunny. The ground is rough as shit and the spots are mostly bunk - they're incredibly adept at skate proofing in the northwest.
Seriously, if you skate, move to California. You are so lucky that it's even an option. Anywhere else you're dealing with long chunks of time not being able to skate due to weather.
I'm thinking of relocating to either Portland (the surrounding neighborhoods) or Vancouver. Cheaper housing and close to Portland. Bummed to hear that it rains a lot. Are there any skateparks in Vancouver that isnt shit?
Vancouver is ok for skateparks: plaza is a great street park and Hastings is a great bowl spot....our diy is under cover...lots of good parks in the suburbs....street skating is mediocre at best....the indoor is good but sucks....
Rent is a bit under 2k/mo for a one bedroom. Roommates cheaper for sure....
Does rain a fair bit for sure....id say the best benefit is it's super pussy....Not a very violent place... No one talks politics....they just complain a fair amount, but not like UK complaining.....
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I can also vouch for eugene, for the reasons mentioned plus you're a pretty short drive (a couple hours) to Portland, and an even shorter drive to amazing parks on the Oregon coast. If you like beaches and outdoorsy stuff the Oregon coast is amazing, and not at all crowded like the beaches in Southern California.
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well that depends on your level of income not to be nosey just beware Oregon and the NW sounds about right, I love the places but rent is wicked expensive and sjw's have kinda ruined the scene for having your own opinions in the work space. but hey man this is jsut my opinions I would rather choose to live in small outside town in the NW area and bus or drive to shows and parks there then live there. Ummmmm seems to me moving with decent skate scene and something to do in the area it's a toss up of heat index vs expensive rent and shit. I would gladly take smallville random town cose to a city but not too close. pretty much anywhere else aside from the south east this place sucks.
do tell
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I don't understand how anyone with US citizenship isn't living somewhere in California. No brainer.
I live in the northwest, it rains here a minimum of 8 months of the year. In Vancouver we're lucky to have July and August stay dry and sunny. The ground is rough as shit and the spots are mostly bunk - they're incredibly adept at skate proofing in the northwest.
Seriously, if you skate, move to California. You are so lucky that it's even an option. Anywhere else you're dealing with long chunks of time not being able to skate due to weather.
I'm thinking of relocating to either Portland (the surrounding neighborhoods) or Vancouver. Cheaper housing and close to Portland. Bummed to hear that it rains a lot. Are there any skateparks in Vancouver that isnt shit?
Vancouver is ok for skateparks: plaza is a great street park and Hastings is a great bowl spot....our diy is under cover...lots of good parks in the suburbs....street skating is mediocre at best....the indoor is good but sucks....
Rent is a bit under 2k/mo for a one bedroom. Roommates cheaper for sure....
Does rain a fair bit for sure....id say the best benefit is it's super pussy....Not a very violent place... No one talks politics....they just complain a fair amount, but not like UK complaining.....
You from Vancouver? Might be relocating sometime this year. Looking for a job. If you got any connections or know anyone that's hiring let me know!
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Asheville NC, it's Portland of the south.
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Asheville NC, it's Portland of the south.
I always thought that was a lame comparison since it's just pointing to how gentrified it is but I gotta admit it is a beautiful city. There's Push Skateshop and an amazing DIY spot, and so much sick outdoors stuff to do. Weather is pretty decent for the south too.
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Asheville NC, it's Portland of the south.
I always thought that was a lame comparison since it's just pointing to how gentrified it is but I gotta admit it is a beautiful city. There's Push Skateshop and an amazing DIY spot, and so much sick outdoors stuff to do. Weather is pretty decent for the south too.
Lame because its true.
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Currently living in a small town in upper Michigan, and I'm ready to follow my heart and relocate somewhere with better weather and skating. Oregon seems like a solid choice after a little googling, but was hoping to get some feedback from the skate community. I dont care if its a major city or not, just hoping to find a place with a decent job market, good parks and street spots, and milder weather. Thanks in advance for any info.
Yo Pappy where did you grow up at if you don't mind me asking, I grew up in Maple Valley.
I'm from Olympia. Live in Seattle now. You stick around the area?
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Asheville NC, it's Portland of the south.
Asheville is sick but there's a bunch of phony REI hippies kinda blowing that area up and there isn't legal weed out there
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Currently living in a small town in upper Michigan, and I'm ready to follow my heart and relocate somewhere with better weather and skating. Oregon seems like a solid choice after a little googling, but was hoping to get some feedback from the skate community. I dont care if its a major city or not, just hoping to find a place with a decent job market, good parks and street spots, and milder weather. Thanks in advance for any info.
Yo Pappy where did you grow up at if you don't mind me asking, I grew up in Maple Valley.
are you a geoduck?
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nah, i went to vancouver once and there was a street-ish course in white cement and a giant white bowl and adults cheering a trashy teen as he smashed a little kid's bike into the bowl repeatedly. idk if it was punishment to some kid who ran afoul or just senseless wreck but sort of an intimidating scene out of gummo or some shit.
another time couldn't get a ride outta jubitz for 3 days so walked the bridge outta portland into wa and theres' little brick hubbas on the promised land side.
did my stupid ex wanna hold the camera so i could skate them?
no.
no she did not.
but we got a ride right away then dropped of when we didn't have the drug marijuana.
That's a bummer I have run into nothing but trouble in Vancouver,Wa my buddy Jeff was doing tattoos there in the smallish DT area, Volksfront are many many deep there, I do not get it being a skin period racist or not seems like apples and oranges. The park was alright I got a few shits here and there, I think I know what hubba you are talking about. Seems to me the outside areas of whatever town you find some unique interesting spots.
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Asheville NC, it's Portland of the south.
Asheville is sick but there's a bunch of phony REI hippies kinda blowing that area up and there isn't legal weed out there
I agree with this as well.
I'd still recommend Asheville because its relatively affordable and there is good scene out there. Plus if you aren't feeling skating anymore you still got tons of dope outdoorsy stuff to do.
5 years ago I would've recommend the triangle area of NC, but they're going through a weird identity crisis where the area doesn't know if it's a fake Austin TX or a budget Northern VA
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Currently living in a small town in upper Michigan, and I'm ready to follow my heart and relocate somewhere with better weather and skating. Oregon seems like a solid choice after a little googling, but was hoping to get some feedback from the skate community. I dont care if its a major city or not, just hoping to find a place with a decent job market, good parks and street spots, and milder weather. Thanks in advance for any info.
Yo Pappy where did you grow up at if you don't mind me asking, I grew up in Maple Valley.
are you a geoduck?
Ha! I can't claim to be but I definitely have logged some hours using the school's equipment to capture footage when my capture cams broke or hanging out with girls I dated who were students there. There's also some spots. Am I talking to an alumni?
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Currently living in a small town in upper Michigan, and I'm ready to follow my heart and relocate somewhere with better weather and skating. Oregon seems like a solid choice after a little googling, but was hoping to get some feedback from the skate community. I dont care if its a major city or not, just hoping to find a place with a decent job market, good parks and street spots, and milder weather. Thanks in advance for any info.
Yo Pappy where did you grow up at if you don't mind me asking, I grew up in Maple Valley.
are you a geoduck?
i never matriculated but i did live at the mods w/ a girl for a while [then w/ exchange students].
usedta skate the hockey arena there during the rain. i love OlyWa! seals on the 4th street bridge, eating blackberries and that yellow flatbar [might be blue now] on 4th st.
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I've been following this thread as I have the itch to get up and move again. What are people's thoughts on ATL?
Skating in Dallas is pretty great, rent's cheap, but not much to look at in regard to nature :( Figured I'd throw that one out here for you all.
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I've been following this thread as I have the itch to get up and move again. What are people's thoughts on ATL?
Skating in Dallas is pretty great, rent's cheap, but not much to look at in regard to nature :( Figured I'd throw that one out here for you all.
and your living in dallas...
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Asheville NC, it's Portland of the south.
Asheville is sick but there's a bunch of phony REI hippies kinda blowing that area up and there isn't legal weed out there
I agree with this as well.
I'd still recommend Asheville because its relatively affordable and there is good scene out there. Plus if you aren't feeling skating anymore you still got tons of dope outdoorsy stuff to do.
5 years ago I would've recommend the triangle area of NC, but they're going through a weird identity crisis where the area doesn't know if it's a fake Austin TX or a budget Northern VA
hmm neat
we are relocating to nc, potentially part of the triangle but have yet to check asheville
lease ends in august were already packed up
change is good
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Ashvilles like a magical hippy forrest, Raleighs kinda dirty but has mad different sections, carys new and nice with bland shopping shit, Durham.. nah, unless your a hipster gentrifiyer type. Apex is small town nature.
If you move to triangle you can hit me up if you wanna skate, I'm actually pretty normal.
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Currently living in a small town in upper Michigan, and I'm ready to follow my heart and relocate somewhere with better weather and skating. Oregon seems like a solid choice after a little googling, but was hoping to get some feedback from the skate community. I dont care if its a major city or not, just hoping to find a place with a decent job market, good parks and street spots, and milder weather. Thanks in advance for any info.
Yo Pappy where did you grow up at if you don't mind me asking, I grew up in Maple Valley.
are you a geoduck?
Yeah I moved up to Seattle 6 years ago, I live like a 4 minute walk from Benefit down in the southside. Never got to spend much time in Oly, only when I was taking short breaks from Job Corps to see family. Seems like a dope town though just met a guy from there at a hostel in Austin.
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I've been following this thread as I have the itch to get up and move again. What are people's thoughts on ATL?
Skating in Dallas is pretty great, rent's cheap, but not much to look at in regard to nature :( Figured I'd throw that one out here for you all.
I was in ATL a week or two ago. Its a pretty dope city but the transit isn’t great and its spread out. Only hit one park for 5 minutes (got rained out) but the park looked sick had like 3 bowls and a nice little flow area. I dont know about the street skating though.
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I've been following this thread as I have the itch to get up and move again. What are people's thoughts on ATL?
Skating in Dallas is pretty great, rent's cheap, but not much to look at in regard to nature :( Figured I'd throw that one out here for you all.
I was in ATL a week or two ago. Its a pretty dope city but the transit isn’t great and its spread out. Only hit one park for 5 minutes (got rained out) but the park looked sick had like 3 bowls and a nice little flow area. I dont know about the street skating though.
I like Atlanta. You can get around with public transit although it's true that you're better off with a car. There's plenty of cool spots and skateparks all over the place if you're willing to drive to them and plenty of other stuff to get into as well. Drive two hours north and you're in a beautiful mountainous area. You also get 4 even seasons there. Summer can be ass but spring and autumn are nice with winter being bearable most of the time.
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Since the Midwest/Great Lakes region is rarely mentioned, I’m going drop my 2 cents. Specifically Ohio/Michigan Feel free this talk shit about weather, fat people, single moms with neck/hand tattoos, bad food, crusty ground, etc.
The good things are
Cheap rent/housing
Unseen spots
Some good parks
Actually good food (best middle eastern food in the US in Detroit/Ann Arbor/Toledo)
Decent economy (it’s coming back)
Best craft beers even though I quit drinking.
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the fbi is hiring special agents in hawaii right now ..
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Phoenix!
Pecos + Desert West + Tempe Skatepark + lots of homeless people to darkslide = perfection
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You people mentioning Eugene as a location. How do you handle the fucking rain in the fall/winter? True, they have an under bridge skate park that's pretty sick, but it's not fully covered and gets pretty soaked when it rains. I currently living in Portland and get super bummed in the fall/winter. I moved here last year from a dry climate region and it sucks having to adjust to weeks of non stop rain haha.