# General Mandolin Topics > Jams, Workshops, Camps, Places To Meet Others >  Where to move to  in US? (Yes, there's mandolin content!)

## ampyjoe

Recently, I've been thinking about moving somewhere else in the US (for a year, maybe more). But the US is a big place, and maybe some of you can advise/suggest?

My main criteria (roughly in order):

Lots of bluegrass jams (see, mandolin content!) - ideally also at least some Irish sessionsNot too expensive to rent an apartmentGood internet connection available (Obviously no problem in cities and towns but I'd consider more rural areas)Bicycle-friendlyNot San Francisco!


I live in San Francisco and I think it's one of the nicest places to live in the US. But I thought it might be fun and interesting to live somewhere else for a year - somewhere quite different.

To be honest, I'm not sure I'll get my act together to do this - perhaps your replies will help me get moving!

Kenny

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## John Ritchhart

Asheville, NC

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nickster60, 

stevedenver

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## David Smith

+1 Asheville

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stevedenver

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## Amanda Gregg

Well...if I had such freedom, I'd move to Nashville.  In a heartbeat. You'd have to investigate the bike part, though; I'm not sure.

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## Clef

Move to Colorado.  

CO has an excellent following of bluegrass music.  There are annual bluegrass fests in Durango, Crested Butte, Pagosa Springs and Telluride.  I've been to three of the annual CO bluegrass fests so far.  There may be more, but these are the ones I'm familiar with.  

Bike friendly... If you live in CO, owning a mountain bike is almost a requirement.  Fresh air, wide open land, mountains... CO has it all.  It's cheap to live if you stay away from a big city.

Having said that, if you are looking for random jams in the street every day, then you need to move to Asheville, NC.

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## fatt-dad

Richmond, Va

f-d

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## Potosimando

Regarding Nashville, I've never been there, but in communicating with Kim Sherman (co-Owner of Cotten Music in Nashville) off-and-on the last few years over a few mandolin transactions, I can say that three of the primary passions in Kim's life appear to be:  running Cotten Music, making her own music, and riding her bike.  Nashville would seem to be one very-good, bike-friendly, Bluegrass Mecca to spend a year or so...you lucky guy.  So get moving Kenny, dog-gone it;  we've done our part, so go do yours.  Have fun.

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## swampy

Asheville, NC

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## Charlieshafer

It's funny, but most people list a place other than where they live! My son lives in Durango, Colorado, and his little band plays regularly around there. The only problem he says he has is that it's 5 hours from anywhere, no matter where you are. Otherwise, he loves it. And Durango is cycling-crazy, but mountain biking mostly. 

I'll stick up for the Northeast. There are a bunch of jams around the shoreline of Connecticut, and our cycling is great. We have crabby New Englanders, which is a refreshing change from the generally pleasant people found elsewhere in the country, and lobsters. Boston is also a hotbed of great Irish/Old-Time and Alt-grass music, and two festivals are close by, Joe Val in the winter, and Mass M.O.C.A in the summer.

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## journeybear

Let's see how Key West stacks up ...

Lots of bluegrass jams (see, mandolin content!) - ideally also at least some Irish sessions

None. Zilch. Nada. And Irish jams, despite there being three local pubs, seem virtually verboten. Though you could always try starting one. There was a bluegrass "jam" starting up a couple months ago at one of the music shops, co-moderated by the banjo player then in my band. But it was very beginner-oriented - more of a teaching circle than a real jam - and the banjo player has since quit the band amidst much rancor, so I have no idea whether this is still going on. Probably not worth your time and effort anyway. But there might be enough pickers in town to support a jam or two, just a matter of how to get it going.
Not too expensive to rent an apartment

Crazy expensive. Right up there with SF. So you should be used to that.  :Wink: 
Good internet connection available (Obviously no problem in cities and towns but I'd consider more rural areas)

Decent, if somewhat spotty here and there, more for where cell phones and wi-fi are concerned. But this is like a Third World country in some aspects, such as the power going out once a month on the average.
Bicycle-friendly

Very much so, despite the drunk drivers and locals with their rolling stops and right turns. There is a hill close to downtown you have to watch out for, but it peaks out at 14' above sea level.   :Whistling:  The bigger problem is street flooding after brief downpours, which can leave big puddles.
Not San Francisco!

OK. But in some ways very like San Francisco. Other than just the one hill.  :Smile: 


But the weather's pretty nice, most of the time. And there are lots of places to get gigs, with live music every night of the week.  :Mandosmiley:

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## JeffD

Wow.

Without prompting my first thought was Asheville NC as well. 

Most of the larger cities would have everything on your list to some degree, but you might want to try a smaller city like Asheville, a little over one tenth the size of SF. Just for the contrast.

I go with everything on your list except bicycle, which is just not me. But something to add to your list is pretty scenery. I love mountains, and would not want to live anywhere flat if I could help it. I grew up on the shore. I am done with it, but many many folks like shore living and shore culture.

Something else to think about. I have found that there is a lot of music, participatory music, of all genres, in and around college towns. Lots of Irish sessions, and bluegrass jams, and contra dances, and ukulele ensembles and jazz and blues and .... just everything. If there is a college town less than an hour away, there will be music.

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## Marcelyn

Check out Chattanooga, Tennessee,. I've lived here most my life and am obviously biased, but without a doubt, it meets all your requirements over and above most cities I could think of.
Thanks to the Chattanooga Folk School and other organizations, you can find a bluegrass/old time jam almost every night of the week. I believe the Folk School also hosts a weekly Celtic jam. Every weekend there's an Opry somewhere in town with free performances and lots of jamming in the back rooms. It's easy to find people who enjoy your style of music and meet up for private jams too. During the summer, festivals are just about every weekend. Also, all throughout the summer, there are amazing free outdoor concerts hosted by the city each Friday and Saturday evening. 
I think cost of living is fairly low here in comparison to other parts of the country. You could research it, but I've found home and apartment costs pretty reasonable. It's lower than Nashville by a lot. I've lived there too and enjoyed the creativity of that city very much. If you like the big-city feel, that may be more for you
As for a good internet connection--Chattanooga is called the Gig City. Believe it or not, every household has access to an internet speed of a gig per second. I literally switched this year from a national phone carrier's 3 megabits per second to paying half as much for EPB's fiber optics and a whole gig. They say the rest of the country will catch up in ten to fifteen years.
Our walking and bike trails are awesome. There are over eight miles of paved trail all through downtown--you can bike anywhere. The Walnut Street Bridge crosses the Tennessee River and is solely dedicated to pedestrians and bikes. The city commissioned artists all over the country to move here and line the trails with sculptures and art. It's really pretty amazing. There are also lots of trails all around the city. Here's a link to some...
http://www.mapmyride.com/us/chattanooga-tn/
http://www.hamiltontn.gov/tnriverpark/ 
Can you tell I love it here? There's a lot  more too. If you're interested I'd be happy to fill you in.

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Brandon Sumner

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## John Flynn

+1 for Richmond VA. Great town, meets all your requirements. My wife and I plan to move there as soon as it's practical for us.

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## Tobin

I can't think of anywhere in Texas that meets your criteria.  Only dense urban areas seem to be bike-friendly, but they are pricy places to live.  The rural areas tend to have poor internet access, random cell coverage, locals who like to use their big pickup trucks and SUVs to scare cyclists, and of course, bluegrass is not very popular here.  These days, thanks to the boom from fracking, even rural housing is expensive and hard to find.

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## JeffD

What about Austin Texas. I have some friends there and I hear good things.

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## Mandobart

Portland Oregon.  Most bike friendly city in the US.  Close to volcanic peaks (Ranier, Adams, Hood, St Helens), the pacific ocean, the Columbia river gorge, and lots of great music.  Cost of living not so cheap, but less than Frisco and most east coast places.

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## Richard J

Minneapolis Minnesota

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Cecily_Mandoliner

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## Mandobart

Ampyjoe - What kind of weather are you happiest in?  There's a huge climate range here described between Key West and Minneapolis.  Both are great places.

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## Clement Barrera-Ng

I think it's hard to beat San Francisco where you are. It's very bike friendly (at least when I lived there), and lots of great BG musical activities from what I heard, but it's not cheap.  However, if you are just looking for a temporary change of scenary as an experience, I'd say do it.  I wish I can recommend San Diego: even though we have lots of jams and BG activities, it's not exactly bike friendly, and the cost of living isn't all that low either.   

Have you looked at Davis, CA? Its bike friendliness is legendary, but I don't know how much BG activiities can be found there.  Personally I'd be very tempted to give Ashville NC, and Nashville TN a try.  Whatever you do, pay a visit before making a final decision, and connect with other cafe members locally if you do.

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## jaycat

I would *not* advise you to move to Boston. Very difficult city for bicycling. Rarely ever hear any bluegrass music. And the rents are astronomical. In fact I'd like to take this opportunity to urge any current residents to head for Asheville, or Austin, or Minneapolis, or Richmond so that if enough if you leave maybe the housing will become more affordable here.

PS -- If it were me, and it were feasible, I'd be in New Orleans faster than you can say "gumbo."

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## usqebach

+1 For Chattanooga.

In addition to all of the music, weather, and cost of living advantages, there is no state income tax!

Of course, if you are now or have aspirations of playing music professionally, then that income tax thingy is kind of a moot point  :Wink:

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## Tobin

> What about Austin Texas. I have some friends there and I hear good things.


Austin would meet most of his criteria, except that it's one of the most expensive places to live in Texas.  Traffic is horrid there, too.  But they do have a wonderful music scene (though bluegrass is not anywhere near the top of the list).

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## dorenac

Colorado!!

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## ampyjoe

Thanks everyone, for your great suggestions.

Somebody asked about my weather preferences - I'm really not to worried about the weather. I've never lived in very cold weather, nor very hot, so that could be new to me, but if everything else looked really good I'd be willing to give it a go.

Also, I'm thinking of this specifically as a period of experiencing another part of the country, so I'd like to be outside California, and probably the west coast too. And, yes, I think a trip to a couple of the places I like the look of would be a necessary first step. Ashville looks like it has quite a lot of what I was thinking would work for me.

I haven't really thought about exactly what a 1 yr move like this would mean, so maybe it'll prove to be more difficult than I think.

But your replies are giving me encouragement to investigate further!

Thanks,

Kenny

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## yankees1

Mountain View, Arkansas

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Fred Young

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## JeffD

I live on the side of a mountain. The back of my plot of land is some 300 feet above the front of my land. My house is one story on the uphill side and two stories on the down hill side.

I am willing to drive an hour to play music, if I can live on the morning side of a hill.

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## bigskygirl

Johnson City, TN...lots of bluegrass, they have electricity there so you can get Internet, I don't think it's too bike friendly from what I've seen and I have no idea what rent is but it's got to be less than SF and its not SF.

Seriously, I have some very good friends there, visit when I can, and other than where I live I would move there.  East Tennessee State University is there and it offers a degree in bluegrass, and Adam Steffey is on the faculty.  Lots of camps and gatherings within driving distance....and it's not SF....

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## Pete Jenner

Contoocook, New Hampshire.

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## Charlieshafer

> Contoocook, New Hampshire.


Soooo, just curious. Is it because the name reminds you of some of those Aussie names? I visited Wangaratta once. _Those_ are cool names.

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## Pete Jenner

No it's because I went there to visit Max and Lauri Girouard and I loved the place.

But it is a cool name.

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Charlieshafer

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## FLATROCK HILL

A few folks have suggested Ashville N.C. I love that area of the south and I'm sure it meets most of your wish list. I'm curious about the cost of living there though. I'm under the impression (from friends who're long time N.C. residents) that Ashville has become overrun with "northerners and yuppies and artsy types" and that it's very expensive to live there now. 
I haven't been down there for many years and don't know anything about it first hand. I suppose anyplace that is that nice is bound to get crowded. Was it Yogi Berra that said "Nobody goes there anymore; it's too crowded!" ?

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j. condino

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## stevedenver

coloraddy...yup, theres a bit of BG round here, but, for the most part, 'taint a cheap place to rent (as far as I have heard).

Its not NYC or LA, but I understand its not exactly inexpensive, as there is a shortage I believe-you might want to actually research this. and of course, as always, its location.

biking and life here are lovely-a quite a few happening venues, decent restaurants (not as nice as SF fer sure)-nice folks, 
Higher education levels, in good physical shape, compared to the rest of the nation. 

Denver and boulder are the most sensible options for urban and music
Durango , which  know well and love, is way far away from everywhere, is beautiful and unique-like Switzerland topographically-but close to the desert as well-and it too aint cheap especially for renters as there's barely enough housing for students, I hear.

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## dreadhead

I've lived in three of the places mentioned so far. I grew up in Asheville, NC (from 10 months  to 24 years old), spent 5 years in Johnson City, TN & 2 years in Nashville until moving to France right outside of Paris where I've been ever since. If I was to move back to the states, Asheville is where I'd want to be. I'm going to be  vacationing there in a few weeks & can't wait to go hiking in the mountains, listen to some great bands, see my friends & try out all those new breweries!. It has maybe lost some of the charm it had with the influx of people, but that area has so much to offer & I think the good outweighs the bad. So my vote is for Asheville...

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## Austin Koerner

Yeah... I don't know about Asheville. Pretty much anywhere besides there. Uhh I'd probably go with Bristol, TN, most places in NC, the Boston area, anywhere on the coast... Because that's just awesome.

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## chasray

> Let's see how Key West stacks up ...


journeybear, I hope you don't work for the city's chamber of commerce!  :Smile: 

I think Nashville would work, and Chattanooga will surprise people. Seems to be a lot of "young" people in Nashville, if that matters to you.

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## fatt-dad

Really, Richmond will surprise you too. Big bike scene. Irish and old-time jams weekly. Good festivals too! Easy traffic.

f-d

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## journeybear

> journeybear, I hope you don't work for the city's chamber of commerce!


Sho nuff don't!  :Wink:  But this is a town of mixed contrasts. The local C of C and similar organizations have so successfully promoted this as a party town that tourists think nothing of  - in fact, expect to be - drinking beer in pubic in the morning, walking around downtown with beer in hand, wandering right down the middle of the streets regardless of any reason, exhibiting loud, boisterous behavior at all hours, and otherwise carrying on in ways they would never tolerate from others were they to occur in their own home towns. Local residents alternate between laughing at all this, accepting it as part of a package deal that comes with much-needed income generated by tourism, and complaining about  any number of examples of boorish behavior. At least we get plenty of  conversation starters!  :Laughing: 

I'm sure this sort of stuff goes on in plenty of other towns where tourism is a large part of the local economy. It may just be a bit more apparent here. In any event, wherever you live, there are bound to be pluses and minuses. There are also bound to be ways to make your chosen residence the place you want it to be. And to turn a blind eye to the aspects of you home town you don't like. There are thousands of people here who never go downtown - just don't want anything to do with the way things go there - and are probably the same people who complain about all that, despite being quite unfamiliar with it due to their avoidance. Ah, people! What are ya gonna do?

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## Jim

> My main criteria (roughly in order):
> 
> Lots of bluegrass jams (see, mandolin content!) - ideally also at least some Irish sessions
> Not too expensive to rent an apartment
> Good internet connection available (Obviously no problem in cities and towns but I'd consider more rural areas)
> Bicycle-friendly
> Not San Francisco!


Where I live we jam 5 days a week ( I am often the only one there because I live 20 miles from anywhere)
Sometimes the Jams have an Irish Flavor ( Whiskey)
Apartments do not exist here. (I do have friends that live in TeePees)
I ride a Bicycle and am friendly ( the off road riding is amazing, the road riding is basically playing chicken with Gas and Coal trucks :Frown:  )
I have no idea what a good internet connection looks like.
This is NOT San Francisco

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## John Ritchhart

Well a little more about Asheville from an outsider. Been here about five years full time and five years part time before that and would say it is one of my favorite places ever. I've lived all over the U.S. and abroad and this is a great place for music. Buncombe and Madison counties are home to folks like Bryan Sutton, Bobby Hicks, Josh Goforth, Laura Boosinger, Don Pedi, Ralph Lewis, etc. There are jams everyday somewhere around here. The Fletcher Feed & Seed, The Isis jam, the Depot in Marshall, Zuma's coffee house, Shindig on the Green in the summer, Jack of the Woods Irish Pub....and on and on. There's Irish, oldtime, and bluegrass, as well as classic country,classical and swing. You name it, you can find it. Crowded? Not like other places I've been, Austin, Houston, LA, Cleveland, Munich, Zurich etc. It's a young town, with six or seven colleges in the area. Pedestrian areas downtown, art, great food and music everywhere. Something like 18 micro-breweries within an hour of downtown. They have a pub crawl every year. I live on a mountain in the boonies but I can be downtown in twenty minutes. Cost of living? Well it ain't Dunbar, W.Va. but it ain't Austin either. Somewhere in between. Yankees? Well, again it ain't Meridian Mississippi, but it ain't Atlanta either. There's a website called Asheville now I think. Check it out.

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## evanreilly

*It bemuses me to note that Asheville considers itself to be 'The Paris of the South'.....
Well, they don't speak French either......
There are lots of mandolins around; I have a whole mess of them.  
I've played with all the players John R. mentioned above, and picked at most of the venues as well. 
I used to bike race and now don't consider riding on the road shoulder on a bike here a safe bet at all.  
YMMV, but of course...
*

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## j. condino

> *It bemuses me to note that Asheville considers itself to be 'The Paris of the South'.....
> Well, they don't speak French either......
> *


The ONLY people who say that about Asheville are those that have never been to Paris!!!!

If you're an uptight, crusty, crusty wanna be, then Asheville is definitely not for you. If you want a Dixie spin on open minded then it has a lot of options; that said, you'll never forget that at the heart of things, you are still in the south and those things are never going to change. 

The locals may think that it is very expensive, but the reality is that it costs about 1/2 to 1/10 of the price to live here as anywhere else in the US that you'd actually want to live in. For the price of the downpayment out west, you can buy the whole farm here. It has turned  from a run down post industrial type of place into a town where hipstres come to have babies. If you need to have a job to survive, then this is NOT the place to move to. There is virtually no manufacturing, and no significant job opportunities other than the hospital and a few very competitive universities. Everyone has a college degree and all of the manual construction type work is done under the table by immigrant labor. Almost everyone I know has had to create their own job /company to get by here.

As a former Portland resident, the road cycling in town is some of the scariest I've seen outside of India! The mountain biking is incredible- you may not get the 50 mile views that you get out west, but the quality and caliber of the trails is much better and you can ride all year long without any issues. Town sits at about 2500' elevation and you can break 6000' with about 1 1/2 hours of pedaling; the weather is pretty friendly all year long.

The sheer number of musicians is unlike anything I have experienced anywhere in the world- and I've lived in some major cities like Tokyo and such. This little town of 70,000 people blows Portland, Oregon out of the water for a music scene. That also comes with a price. If you are in a good working band and everyone gets $50 for a top shelf Friday night gig, it is considered reasonable. You can usually make more busking than the clubs will pay. The busking is competitive and can be aggressive and territorial. You literally can't walk down the streets without having to push a couple of dirty guitar players outta your way every ten seconds and then you'll get quite the backlash from the yoga instructor they just stepped on..... :Wink: 

On almost any given day you can find multiple grammy winners busking in the streets for the tip jar. There are several former Monroe bandmates that will make the same amount of $ you will for a good weekend of playing. John Paul Jones from Led Zeppilin lives here and can be seen at the local jams. Two of the Guys from AC DC have places here, Steve Martin and a host of other Hollywood types are local. MOOG has always been here, so there is a huge electronica scene, tons of Indie rock, it is the heart of old tyme fiddle scene, almost ground zeroo for bluegrass- there used to be a poster around that showed something like 100 bluegrass festivals within a 1 hour drive over the 100 days of summer, there is a thriving gypsy jazz scene and a lot of old retired be bop and jazz players from up north who played with the greats like Sonny Rollins and Chet Baker, there is a fantastic  Celtic music scene here with lots of iconic ex pats from the UK around....the list goes on and on.... the music scene really does live up to the hype. As such, you have to be on it and very professional to get gigs. I imagine this is what Nasheville was like 50 years ago when it was a small town and not the dirty toilet bowl it is today.... 

There are more breweries than police officers in town (no joke!).

Remember this one fact if you're thinking about moving here from someplace like San Francisco- while Asheville itself is a very friendly, fun city, when your old volkswagon breaks down 25 miles outside of the city, your experience may be a lot more like "Deliverance".....

Stop by to say hello and pick a few tunes when you come visit!

j.
www.condino.com
www.kaybassrepair.com

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dreadhead, 

stevedenver

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## Steve-o

:Laughing:   That was a very informative and amusing description j.

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## stevedenver

> The ONLY people who say that about Asheville are those that have never been to Paris!!!!
> 
> If you're an uptight, crusty, crusty wanna be, then Asheville is definitely not for you. 
> 
> www.condino.com
> www.kaybassrepair.com


no that why i come to this forum......LOL :Whistling:

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journeybear

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## Jon Hall

There are a lot of acoustic musicians in and around Austin. Compared to other cities of the same size or larger, it is inexpensive. Also: John Paul Jones lives in Asheville but Robert Plant lives in Austin.  


> What about Austin Texas. I have some friends there and I hear good things.

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## sachmo63

You guys and gals are all WRONG. The place to go is Johnson City TN, ETSU (east tn state U) has the bluegrass program and it's just swimming in bluegrass and old time. You can't throw a rock in east tn without hitting a bluegrass picker!

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## nickster60

++++ Asheville  It is a nice central location, a very nice small city. You could do a lot worse in the South than Asheville. Austin Tx is a great music town period. One thing I love about Texas is the have some of prettiest ladies in the south.

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## FLATROCK HILL

> One thing I love about Texas is the have some of prettiest ladies in the south.


That is a fact. 
The OP's list may not have included that criteria, but it is certainly worth considering.

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## AlanN

> Where I live we jam 5 days a week ( I am often the only one there because I live 20 miles from anywhere)


pub guy: Hey, I like the way you sound. Listen, I'm having a jam at my place on Saturday, maybe you'd like to come over.
jammer: Thanks
p/g: Gotta warn you, may be little drinkin'
j: No problem, I can put 'em down
p/g: Also, could be some fightin' too
j: I can handle myself
p/g: And, may be a little lovin'
j: Now I'm getting interested. Tell me, what should I wear?
p/g: Don't much matter, just gonna be the 2 of us...

Asheville is a neat place.

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sgrexa, 

stevedenver

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## EdHanrahan

> ... Durango, Colorado ... 5 hours from anywhere ... he loves it. ... cycling-crazy, but mountain biking mostly.


Durango is outdoor-crazy in general.  Skiing, whitewater kayaking (play spots right downtown) and rafting, hiking, climbing/mountaineering, horse trails, etc.  Plus the narrow-gauge 2-8-2's on the Durango & Silverton RR. 

Canyon Music Woodworks was my first exposure to high-end mandolins.  Unfortunately, they closed in '11, but just their presence for a decade or two indicates that there s/b a number of local players.

Buddy of mine (retired professor & WW kayaker) lived there for a year over a decade ago, but couldn't afford the fast-rising (pre-crash) real estate.  Worked for fun as a tour guide on the D&S RR, pointing out where Butch & Sundance (in the movie, at least!) did their jump into the Animas River.

We were there in January, when it was generally 20 to 40 degrees in town. Drive 30 minutes north to Durango skiing, and the temperature goes down 20 degrees.  Drive an hour south to desert & canyon hiking and the temperature goes up 20 degrees.

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## teleman73

I'll put in another vote for Colorado, its a big state and you can most likely find something to your tastes. If you want a city go for denver or even boulder, for a mid-size city try ft. Collins. Those are all on the front range though which in my opinion is sub-par to the western slope. Durango as mentioned is a fantastic place with great biking and music scenes and has easy access to the desert (year-round camping and adventuring opportunities). If you go farther north you can get into many other great mountain towns. Most of the ski towns have good music scenes for their size, and it seems almost every town has a microbrewery. Some other great towns worth mentioning are; Crested Butte/Gunnison, Steamboat, Salida, Carbondale/Aspen, Granby, Winter Park to name a few. While rent does tend to be more expensive, if you can move hear during the summer and are willing to commit for a year you can get decent deals (especially compared to SF), but you will pay a lot if you try to move hear in the fall (the beginning of ski season). 

If colorado just doesn't sound like you're cup of tea, I have a friend who will advocate that any serious musician should live in New Orleans for a year due to the quality and diversity of the music culture there. The same guy also advocates that very few should live there for more than a year or two so if you just want a place to go for a short term move that might serve you well.

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## pigpen

If cheap rent ain't the biggest part of your equation, than NYC can give you nightly jams and is increasingly good for (urban) bike riding.  The best place I've lived for accessible bluegrass jams and finding other players to jam with, by far.  The jams I attended were quite friendly, too.  Rent can be not too bad, if you are ok not living in Manhattan or hipster Brooklyn.  

Stepping down to cheaper rent - Burlington, VT has great musicians, a very different climate, and a cool scene.  Great biking, but you'll need a fat bike for the (long, long) winter.  Or take up cross country skiing, which can replace either road or mountain bike urges.  

For very cheap rent and a taste of very rural life - I'd echo an earlier suggestion for Mountain View, AR.  I love it there, but you better be prepared to cook all your own food (good farmers around, though), or not expect San Francisco foodie joints.  If you're into mountain biking, the Syllamo trails are designated IMBA Epic, FWIW.  If you like road biking, it's pretty there, but hilly.  And there are nightly jams at the square during warmer months, and plenty of picking in the winter.  Very friendly.

Nashville and Asheville ain't too shabby, though Nashville is weak for good mountain biking or outdoors access.

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## bayAreaDude

What's your interest in cycling?  Just getting around or do you do it for fun/exercise?  Coming from the Bay Area with all the hills and great rides, going anywhere flat will be a major disappointment unless your interest is just getting around.

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## Mark Seale

> There are a lot of acoustic musicians in and around Austin. Compared to other cities of the same size or larger, it is inexpensive. Also: John Paul Jones lives in Asheville but Robert Plant lives in Austin.


And Bob isn't even the best musician in his neighborhood...

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## jaycat

> . . . One thing I love about Texas is the have some of prettiest ladies in the south.


True, they emigrated from New England due to the surplus up here.

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Charlieshafer

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## Capt. E

> What about Austin Texas. I have some friends there and I hear good things.


I live in Austin, TX and it fits all your criteria except for the inexpensive apartment part...of course that depends on what you consider inexpensive.   A one bedroom tends to go for $800-$1200 (over $2000 for some of the posh newer complexes in the "cool" neighborhoods) and we are currently at 97% occupancy and building like mad.
Of course, summers are hot. We commonly have 30+ days over 100 degrees (100 of them a couple of years ago), but then again, you can spend the afternoons in Barton Springs pool where the water will be 70 or so. 
Bluegrass Jams, Old-time jams, Celtic Jams, open mics, and lots of live music all the time.
Definitely a bicycle friendly town. We have rental stations popping up all over. 
Also, the best string shop in Texas: Fiddlers Green Music Shop.

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## Hendrik Ahrend

> True, they emigrated from New England due to the surplus up here.


And how many of those ladies would support an expensive mandolin purchase?  :Mandosmiley: 

Wonderful thread BTW.

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## Jim Grammer

+1 for Portland!  8^)

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## nickster60

I suggested Asheville. It did get me thinking you are from San Fransico. I am not trying to get all political here but most of the cities in the South are pretty conservative. You should factor that into your choice. It is great to have everything you are looking for but you still have to fit in. Just something to think about. Asheville is more liberal than most cities down here.

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## ampyjoe

Wonderful posts, everyone! Lots to think about - thanks so much.

To the person who asked about my bicycling interest - it's really just to be able to get around in reasonable safety on a bike, and get a bit of exercise in the process. I've not really taken advantage of bicycle trails around San Francisco, but I use a bicycle almost exclusively for my transport in the city (and a little beyond).

Also, I do realize that not everywhere is as liberal as San Francisco, but I'm not at all worried about being in a place that is more conservative. If it's very much more conservative, I'm probably not going to agree on politics and religion with everyone I meet, but there are other things to talk about (plus I'm a foreigner, so I get a little extra slack if I don't automatically agree with a speaker).

Thanks again folks, I'll be reading and re-reading this thread for a while!

Kenny

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## JeffD

My father taught me that the way to have lots of friends is to never talk politics, sex, religion, salary, weight, or age. I can go a whole day without talking about any of those things.  :Smile:

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## mandocrucian



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## stevedenver

nice pants, beatle boots and fender flat top!

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## jmagill

Hi James,




> John Paul Jones from Led Zeppilin lives here and can be seen at the local jams...


I was intrigued by this comment, so I made some inquiries. John Paul Jones has attended the Swannanoa Gathering in the past and has musical friends here, and while he may have been seen around town when visiting them, when I asked about it, I was told that it was, sadly, not true that he has a house here.

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## JeffD

Get a pad and pencil:

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nickster60

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## Capt. E

> Wonderful posts, everyone! Lots to think about - thanks so much.
> 
> To the person who asked about my bicycling interest - it's really just to be able to get around in reasonable safety on a bike, and get a bit of exercise in the process. I've not really taken advantage of bicycle trails around San Francisco, but I use a bicycle almost exclusively for my transport in the city (and a little beyond).
> 
> 
> Thanks again folks, I'll be reading and re-reading this thread for a while!
> 
> Kenny


Austin is an excellent place for biking. Many days, I commute into work easily, about 5 miles each way.  If you look at Austin, the best rental deals and (in my opinion) the best neighborhoods are on the south side. The hills are no where near as bad as SF. The buses have bike racks for longer trips etc.

Of course, Chattanouga sounds pretty good.

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## nickster60

Jeff
I knew it was just a matter of time before that showed up.

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## stevedenver

!!

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## Jeff Hildreth

I lived in Winnemucca for 4 years.. two of my brothers were born there.

I still like the place and visit once in a while.

Portland Oregon has everything but sunshine.... except on a few days when the rain is about to come down.

San Francisco is NOT "Frisco"

Considered poor taste to alter the name of a saint... just sayin'.

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## Dave Cohen

I was born in San Francisco and grew up there.  Still have family there  Went to the East coast for grad school, & never got back.  Couldn't afford to go back now.  You oughta stay there.  Apparently, you don't know how good you have it.

http://www.Cohenmando.com/

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## Capt. E

> San Francisco is NOT "Frisco"
> 
> Considered poor taste to alter the name of a saint... just sayin'.


Austin has an old cafe named Frisco http://thefriscoaustin.com/  It is the last of the "Nighthawk" restaurants. Nice cafe, good food. So far as I know, it has nothing to do with SF.   

I agree that anyone who is able to live in San Francisco should stay there. Wonderful town.  I visited for two weeks once, staying in a friend's pre-earthquake home. Had a fabulous time. 
Of course, long term Austin residents are often told the same thing if they bring up the idea of moving. I've never lived anywhere but Austin in my adult life and I guess I take it for granted. The heat and the huge growth gets to me sometimes. It was less than 200K population when I moved here. Now it is heading towards 2 million (10th largest metro area in the country now).

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## jesserules

> Austin ... was less than 200K population when I moved here. Now it is heading towards 2 million (10th largest metro area in the country now).


And with those 1,800,000 aspiring singer-songwriters it can get pretty noisy at times ....

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## journeybear

> nice pants, beatle boots and fender flat top!


And nice strumming, especially all the way up the neck at the end. Also, early use of radio signal pickup.

OK, so he was not plugged in and they were lip-synching to the record. Boy, music on TV was messed up back then!  :Laughing: 




> Get a pad and pencil:








> San Francisco is NOT "Frisco"
> 
> Considered poor taste to alter the name of a saint... just sayin'.


Eh. It's just a nickname. San Francisco IS Frisco. It's also San Fran, The City By The Bay, Baghdad By The Bay, The Golden Gate City, Fog City, even Everybody's Favorite City, or just The City. It's a place name, not a saint's name, in this context. Places have nicknames - The Big Apple, The Big Easy, Sin City - and it ain't no big thing. I live in The Conch Republic on Bone Island (originally, in Spanish, Cayo Hueso, corrupted to its present name by English speakers who misheard this). When I lived in The Nutmeg State, I hung my hat in The Elm City. The elms are gone but the name stayed, and I assure you, if the current residents knew how the state got its nickname they'd be aghast and do something about it. Nicknames are a form of expressing affection, and also poetry. Yes, I am aware there is a sort of movement of folks opposed to this term, but it seems to me a pretty minor issue. 

Speaking of poetry, "Frisco" fits the meter of this great old song far better than the city's proper title.

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DataNick

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## Jim

Actually "Frisco" is in Summit county CO, Just off I70 on hwy 9. Good biking there too, expensive rent.

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journeybear

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## Denny Gies

Well, we're all over the country so I'll add one; Gainesville, Fl.  Has much of what you want and is a nice sized, University town with easy biking and quick access to some beautiful rural places.  Good luck with your decision.

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## Linds

> Austin would meet most of his criteria, except that it's one of the most expensive places to live in Texas.  Traffic is horrid there, too.  But they do have a wonderful music scene (though bluegrass is not anywhere near the top of the list).


Austin actually has a pretty big bluegrass scene, with tons of jams, and there's a lot of Irish music, as well.  Just hang around Fiddler's Green music shop and ask around.  They'll be able to tell you what's going on.  The problems you'll have with Austin are 1) it isn't all that affordable, although it might be cheap by San Francisco standards; and 2) even if you think it would be interesting to live someplace hot, you should know that Austin is more than hot, and broiling temperatures last 6 months out of the year.  Winters can be nice, though.

Colorado is a good place to be, but if you're anywhere but the Front Range, jams can be spotty.  There are plenty of small towns here with really great bluegrass scenes and jams, and there are others that aren't so hot.  I'm in Steamboat, and although we have tons of live bluegrass music and bands, there aren't many formal jams.  There are lots of people to play music with, though, if you find them.  Road biking and mountain biking are huge here, too.

I haven't been to Asheville lately, but based on everything I've read, and on what friends who live around there have told me, its scene is really really good.  I wouldn't mind living there for a bit or visiting for a few weeks, myself!

Good luck!

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## OldGus

Franklin, NC. I wish I was there myself...

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## f5joe

Asheville:  Apparently POTUS is moving there upon retirement.  Have fun with him.

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