best location?

Okay, sorry for such a wide open question, but here is my situation: I am a complete beginner; I have been wakeboarding probably twice in my life (did more skiing, but not much more, before that), but know that being out on the water is absolute heaven and that I must have a boat. I am 12-18 months away from being at a stage to get a new job and actually be able to consider buying a boat. I have lived my entire life in the Midwest (first Chicagoland and now SE Michigan). I know there are many lakes around here or SE Wisconsin that I had considered living on, but I just recently started thinking it would be good to be able to enjoy this huge investment for more than a few months in the summer. Thus, I have opened up my moving prospects to warmer climates.

So, I will probably be able to find a job wherever I want to go and therefore I have to decide where I want to go first. My only real requirements are to be able to live on that lake (I want to be able to just store the boat on a lift) and, obviously, that the lake allows and supports watersports. And it would be nice for it to be somewhat affordable... million dollar starter homes won't work.

So which areas/lakes offer the best conditions? Where do you live or wish you could live?

Right on the Dirty D is the sickest place to live...here in NorCal we can ride pretty much year round and can get the BEST conditions on earth on the Delta. Plus your in the Bay Area=the best weather on earth as well as one of the most diverse areas around...

I would say:
Cali - for a little bit of everything

if you just want to ride

FL - it is summer all year
I came here for 3 months and will for sure be moving back in the near furture... lake homes a cheap as 110k (given it isn't much) but you can get something really nice in the 400's

I'm from Wisconsin so anywhere I can ride dec/jan in shorts and a vest and not be cold is awesome

Tennessee...tons of lakes and you can ride 9months of the year. Look in the Knoxville area. Tons of water and lakefront property to be found here.

Hyco Lake, NC www.hycolake.com Thats where all the midwesterners move to.

Cali or FL. If you move to Cali, Delta is the best place on earth to wakeboard. Just ask anyone thats ever been there. You can ride year round, although it does get cold in the winter but nothing a wet/drysuit can't handle. Water level is always the same, tide goes up and down about 5' - 6' throughout the day. FL stays warmer in the winter. Cali is expensive but you pay for what you get...

(Message edited by norcalbordr on March 07, 2008)

http://norrislakeinfo.com/ for info on the best lake in TN.

My only real requirements are to be able to live on that lake (I want to be able to just store the boat on a lift)

^^I would like that someday as well, and I'm 45! Don't set your goals too high just yet, you said you still need a job right?

Back to your question, I would try anywhere in central Florida. Get yourself set-up with a job and a rental place, meet some other riders and find some pulls for a while before you invest in a boat. This would give you some different boats to ride behind, try different wakes and buy the boat you like best.

I would never buy a house in an area I didn't know without renting something first, make sure you want to live there. You could make a big mistake buying only to find out the area is not for you. Just my $.02.

(Message edited by njskier on March 07, 2008)

NORCAL...bay area, Discovery Bay, and Sacramento...you can't go wrong with any of those 3 places.

The average temperature in NorCal...sucks, 64 degrees
http://www.cityrating.com/citytemperature.asp?City=San+Jose
too cold in the summer, not cold enough in the winter
the average temperature in florida for a lot of cities is 72 dgr. and probably more sunshine
plenty of lakes in florida, if you can't afford a house on the water in florida, i believe you can still buy one in the southeastern states for $100,000 but then you will have a few months of winter

jo shmoe, out closer to the delta it'll get a lot colder in the winter, but our summers are often warmer than much of the south

Brett, I would reccomend out here if you could afford it as it is more expensive, if you can't afford it, definitly go with Orlando area

(Message edited by da_kamp on March 07, 2008)

Josh, you have to go with the averages when your looking for a place to move to. The South is Hot, hot in the morning, hot at night. The west coast is just not that hot, nice for strolling through the park, but not for being in the water or on the lake.
Do not move to florida unless you can take 100dgr weather with 100% humidity, but by being in the water, you forget its 100 dgr, and thats in the shade.

Jo Shmoe, have you ever even been to Nor Cal? What are you saying about it being too cold in the summer and not cold enough in the winter? First of all, in the summer it can range from the 80's to over 110. Last summer we had a heat wave that came in where we had 2 weeks straight of weather over 110. That was obviously a freak occurance, but we easily get over 100 degree weather in the summer. In the winter, if you are not up in Tahoe which is still considered Not Cal and yes it is cold enough there to snow, it can drop below freezing at night but stays pretty consistently between 40-60 during the days. I see that you live in Ohio so don't rip on the best place to live unless you know what you are talking about. Oh, and it rains more in FL than it does in Nor Cal, just a little FYI. San Jose has over 300 sunny days a year...

(Message edited by norcalbordr on March 08, 2008)

Im from nor cal (Fair Oaks) and I lived in South Florida (Ft. Lauderdale) for 2 years. so here's my 2 cents.

IMO The people are way better in Cali.

Here's my logic, sorry if i offend anyone.

Transplants in California are mostly from the midwest so you get nice people and more of the good ole boy types. Everybody's pretty chill in nor cal.

In south florida you get your north eastern transplants who for the most part are douche bags. The flip side, everybody that i met that was born and raised in florida was way cool, but florida is a melting pot of people and in south florida be prepared to pack some heat, cause the ghetto is REALLY Ghetto!

In florida you will never have the chance to snowboard and wakeboard in the same day.

In nor cal that just a regular spring weekend for us...

as for the weather. I'll take the 115 degree summer days in sacramento with 0 humidity over everyday rain in south florida any day of the week!

Again just my 2 cents, not looking for anybody to try and rebut my remarks that was just what i experienced.

oh and i don't know if your single or not, but the girls are WAY hotter in NOR-CAL!

the girls are way sluttier in florida.

i don't know that for a fact...but ask yourself

...Do I want to live in place where most of the country is willing to pay $$$ to vacation...
*there is a reason florida has crazy tourism, because its awesome* and alligators are super cool

Nick, it's mostly people from the north east cost who go on vacation to florida as it's the closest with a climate better than theirs.

Very rarely will you see somebody from cali in florida for anything but spring break, and we're more likely to go to mexico anyway

Jo Shmoe...don't mean to offend, but I can absolutely say you don't know S*#@ about the weather in NorCal. Average is just that...an average temperature of a given area year round. It is not a representative of the changing seasons and the temperatures that change with hit. Summer is hot and winters can be absolutely cold. Rather than posting some link that doesn't appear to be accurate, I would allow others with first hand knowledge to give Brett the info he needs. I wouldn't post some BS about OHIO if i didn't have first hand experience.

BTW Brett, the weather is usually hot in the day time and cool in the nights. I love the relief you get at night from the hot day time temps. This is my experience living in the Sacramento and Delta area.

Van, i do meen to offend, you don't know shat about the weather, its all about statistics. The weather in norcal is not hot, it gets hot, but does not stay hot. SoCal has nice weather, and thanks to the jet stream, does not get too hot. Arizona gets hot, Texas gets hot, New Orleans, hot. Spend the summer in Dallas, then tell me its hot in norcal. Mow the grass in Mississippi in 102 dgrs. with 85% humidity, now thats Hot!
Riley, there's no snowboarding in florida?
damn, i was going to buy a place down there when i retired, but if there's no snowboarding, forget it!
Brett, if you want to snowboard, do not move to florida, they don't have any snow.

Fl is awesome, shorts and vest, all year

Florida sucks, dont move here...J/K

I'd be a little pissed off if I was Joe Shmoe too if I lived in OH and still had all that snow on the ground. No offense to anyone else who lives in OH. Jo Shmoe is just being a d bag. And I love FL too so don't think I bagged on FL earlier when I said it rains more there than in Cali. Enjoy shoveling your driveway today Jo Shmoe. I'll be enjoying my 75 degree weather in NOR CAL!!! California Delta...second to none

There you go again Shmoe...how do you know I haven't spent time in those areas? Again, posting on things you don't know. Why don't you give the man advice from experience rather than from reading some webpage. Don't get bent out of shape and feel like you need to offend when someone corrects you...you look more like a tool.

It gets cold in florida...i think it went into the 60's today in lauderdale, so now i have to wear a sweatshirt with my boardshorts

Uhm Joe Schmoe, FYI summers here in Nor Cal are ridiculously hot, it is easily 90-110 degrees for almost 3 months straight. Now I speak for my self, but to me that is ridiculously hot!

Charlotte NC area has 3 lakes within 20 mins and you can ride year round.

Jason, I was in Tahoe, sacromento, san francisco for a couple of weeks and at night i froze, in the middle of the summer!(could i have brought that cool northern ohio air with me) I like the summer nights to be around 70.
Van, i'm sorry, but it just didn't seem like you have visited the south in the summer(maybe there was a cold front going through when you were down there) please tell me how your visit to the south in the summertime was cooler than that hot weather you get in norcal, because my experience was the opposite, yet i keep going back to florida, in the summertime, go figure
I was in California for a month and never experieced the heat of the Southeast.
Maybe someone here on WW has lived in both places?
I did not have to shovel today, I shoveled yesterday, when i got back from snowboarding.

(Message edited by joeshmoe on March 09, 2008)

I've lived in the BAY AREA all of my life, I have also been to Florida. The bay wins hands down. You cannot compare the two When I was in Florida it sucked the humidity was terrible I could not take one step outside with out breaking a sweat. I'm not trying to knock Florida Because I liked it but it was to humid for my taste. I think that you cannot use the averages because you can ride out her most of the time from march through november if you have a dry suit. Jo I think you are upset and if I were you I would be 2. I think it would suck to hear about everyone in cali and florida able to ride while you still have to shovel snow. Also In Florida wasn't there the AMOEBA Scare? That would suck to be out boarding and get the water up your nose and die from it. Just my 2cents.

Steve, now thats what i'm talkin about, hot and humid, thats why i said, unless you can take the heat and humidity, do not go to florida.
I'm glad you guys can understand my anger, but i'm not as angry as i should be, probably because i bought a yellow loogie wakesurfing board for christmas and i know in a couple of weeks i will be able to ride it.

Jo, all I'm saying is DONT SAY A CERTAIN PLACE SUCKS UNLESS YOU HAVE LIVED THERE!!! Some people like humidity, some don't. But to say that 80-100 degree weather isn't hot enough is just plain stupid. And to say that you "visited" Tahoe and SF and froze, well I'm not sure what the problem was. But we were all saying that the bay area has great weather and that the Delta is a great place to live on the water. For being a teacher, you have some growing up to do...

Jo, you mentioned Tahoe, Sac, and SF Bay. These are 3 different climates within 4 hrs. Your aggregate statistics are correct. But, it can be 100 in Sac, 80 in Tahoe and 55 in SF Bay on the same day. The Sac Valley(Delta)in summer is generally 90s during the day and 70s in the evening for the entire summer. Your averages are correct for the region, but the region is very diverse. Visiting for a few weeks and your online chart are not sufficient experience to make you an expert. Trust me, I've lived here for most of my life.

CA is probably one of the best places, if you can afford it (better have a great job), cheap house near water going to be ALOT. Cost of living here sucks. I hope to escape someday.

If you want good temps, close water for year 'round riding, and still have money left over for frivolous things like food and clothes, might want to think TX, FL, other places South.

BTW July - Sept in CA, you can expect to look up at the temp gauge in you vehicle and frequenly see 105+. Mine hit 127-8 a few times last summer. Is that not hot?

Jo Shmoe from OHIO... why are you even talking. Know your Role!

Hey Jasaon, i'm all grown up now, and i see how all the people from norcal are so nice, sorry to rip on your little precious piece of paradise. i would never give up owning a piece of property in northern ohio, the summers here are too nice!
i would never trade my house for anything in california, i guess i got it too nice up here. sorry for saying norcal sucks, i was not talking about the people(anybody i met there was very nice), i was talking about the rocks

So, yeah, what do people think about TX? There looks to be a ton of lakes around Dallas-Ft Worth and surrounding areas. Any comments?

Also, is there something I should be looking for in the specific lake? Obviously a lake can be too small, but I assume too big can also be a problem because you are more likely to get waves? What else to look for?

Is there any other place besides NC that has heated lakes?!!??!! Am I the only one that thinks a heated lake is peculiar? Kinda cool so to speak? We also have the mountains and the ocean.
I win
*kiddin*

Theres a heated lake there in TX! Its called Pirkey. There ya go.

O-Town. No more discussion.

Powell

jo schmoe, forgive me if it was mentioned already above but in the summer, yes, san francisco is cold. on the other hand, sacramento, san jose, the delta, stockton, etc., all have hot summer days AND nights.

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quote:

By Luker (xbones) on Monday, March 10, 2008 - 6:34 pm:

O-Town. No more discussion.

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why, cause you said so?

cold summer nights? maybe in tahoe. I live in the foothills,Auburn/Grass valley, right between tahoe and sac. I'd never live anywhere else. 10 BEAUTIFUL lakes within 1 hour, 3 within 10 minutes, and only 3 hours from shasta. 50 minutes from snowboarding, can snowboard and wakeboard in the same day!!! snow in the winter, 110 degree summers. love it.

In the summer you cant beat northern Minnesota.
Within 30mins from my house you can ride like 40 different lakes. rarely any boat traffic. Nobody bothers you. Glass almost everyday. Very laid back.
Cheaper gas than most of the nation.


Winter time- FL all the way.

taylor, why stop there? run out to the ocean and go surfing, in the same day too!!!!

Shmoe... cold in Cali .. yeah right .. is that why im going boardin today and your shoveling snow??

rod, your going snowboarding? I just went yesterday and it was awsome! 32 dgrs and winter conditions, don't really like spring weather conditios for snowboarding. or, are you wakeboarding? 60's is cold for me, why don't you wait a few days, i'm sure one of these days it will be in the 70's there. At least its cold enough in northern california to snow tonight.

I've seen some of you guys posting about the bay area... Are there good places to ride in San Jose or a reasonable commute from there (i.e. less than an hour)? Do the lakes have closing times like they do down here in socal? Can you buy some property on the lake there with a dock?