Best places to live/retire as a HPDE fan
12-06-2017, 09:52 AM
#1
Burning Brakes
Thread Starter
Best places to live/retire as a HPDE fan
Im gonna post this in the off topic forum also... maybe off topic really...
So just curious... where would you live as a track/hpde fan? Where would you live where there are GREAT tracks.. like COTA, VIR, or Watkins Glen... or preferably private tracks like Spring Mountain, Monticello, racetrack resort in NH..
caveats for me.. I dont want to be somewhere where its 100 plus degrees every day of spring and summer.. would like to maybe get a couple snowfalls a year (I like seasons) but not buried every winter. More of a east coast guy.. Id be interested in living near Austin for COTA but man its hot in Austin lol..
So just curious... where would you live as a track/hpde fan? Where would you live where there are GREAT tracks.. like COTA, VIR, or Watkins Glen... or preferably private tracks like Spring Mountain, Monticello, racetrack resort in NH..
caveats for me.. I dont want to be somewhere where its 100 plus degrees every day of spring and summer.. would like to maybe get a couple snowfalls a year (I like seasons) but not buried every winter. More of a east coast guy.. Id be interested in living near Austin for COTA but man its hot in Austin lol..
12-06-2017, 10:16 AM
#2
Supporting Vendor
Cary NC or a bit farther south near Pinehurst if you like golf too.
VIR = less than 2 hours
CMP - 3 hrs
Road Atlanta - 5 hours
Barber, NJMP, NCM, Summit Point are all basically less than 10 hours
Mountains - 3 hours - Beach 2 hours
$150/sq ft for a semi normal sized house
VIR = less than 2 hours
CMP - 3 hrs
Road Atlanta - 5 hours
Barber, NJMP, NCM, Summit Point are all basically less than 10 hours
Mountains - 3 hours - Beach 2 hours
$150/sq ft for a semi normal sized house
12-06-2017, 10:46 AM
#3
Pro
Spring Mountain would be a good choice but man is it expensive and it does get a bit on the warm side in the summer. It would probably depend on if you want to be near one great track or near multiple good tracks.
Personally I like and would say Texas, and more specifically the San Antonio, DFW, or Austin areas. DFW, Austin, or Houston if you want a home track right near by. Both Houston and DFW have motor sports ranches and those tracks can be configured different ways and run both CW and CCW giving lots of options and they are fairly inexpensive to get on. Plus there are quite a few other tracks in the area like COTA. You can track in the winter however summer can be unpleasant. The big downside is the great northern and western tracks are out of reach.
Personally I like and would say Texas, and more specifically the San Antonio, DFW, or Austin areas. DFW, Austin, or Houston if you want a home track right near by. Both Houston and DFW have motor sports ranches and those tracks can be configured different ways and run both CW and CCW giving lots of options and they are fairly inexpensive to get on. Plus there are quite a few other tracks in the area like COTA. You can track in the winter however summer can be unpleasant. The big downside is the great northern and western tracks are out of reach.
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66chevy (01-18-2018)
12-06-2017, 11:10 AM
#4
Burning Brakes
Thread Starter
Yea honestly I like what I read about Austin.. would be cool to track on Cota.. track late into winter.. close to the F1 race assuming it stayes on the venue (with Liberty I dont see how it wont).
Only thing about Austin is I dont do well in the heat...its humid and hot here in the summer but not as bad or as long I think as south texas
Only thing about Austin is I dont do well in the heat...its humid and hot here in the summer but not as bad or as long I think as south texas
12-06-2017, 11:40 AM
#5
Melting Slicks
Member Since: Feb 2009
Location: Dallas Georgia
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2020 Corvette of the Year Finalist (track prepared)
C3 of Year Winner (track prepared) 2019
Maybe if you are trying to blow through your retirement....COTA is significantly more expensive than just about any other track in the country. The local roads are pretty terrible as well, and flat. Having been to Austin, once with Chin, and twice to see F1, I don't think I would want to live there as a car enthusiast.
12-06-2017, 11:42 AM
#6
Burning Brakes
Thread Starter
Maybe if you are trying to blow through your retirement....COTA is significantly more expensive than just about any other track in the country. The local roads are pretty terrible as well, and flat. Having been to Austin, once with Chin, and twice to see F1, I don't think I would want to live there as a car enthusiast.
12-06-2017, 11:44 AM
#7
East bay area. Close to Sears Point, Thunderhill and Laguna. Can do day trips for HPDE days. If you did want to spend the night, Monterey and the wine country are pretty good places!
Also the backroads the amazing.
Also the backroads the amazing.
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Rexracer77 (12-07-2017)
12-06-2017, 12:04 PM
#8
Burning Brakes
Thread Starter
So this is the part I show that I'm a nut job.. Im terrified of earthquakes and the west coast freakes me out
12-06-2017, 12:17 PM
#9
Supporting Vendor
Charlotte, NC metro area. Close to CMP, AMS, Road Atlanta, VIR, Barber, etc. Mountains and beach nearby, cheap housing, low taxes, friendly people, great downtown and sports teams, NASCAR central, and tons of auto-related businesses, machine shops, centralized/easy access airport for travel, etc. Charlotte is the new Indy in many ways. There are also lots of fun roads to the west of Charlotte...awesome having access to Asheville and the Blue Ridge Mountains, tons of nature preserves, and we have a huge string of lakes for watersports, boating, fishing, etc. It's a fantastic place to live.
Just over the border into SC is darn near free to live! Check out SC property taxes if you want to see an eye-opener! :O
Summers can get hot here, but we have a beautifully temperate spring and fall. It usually snows 1-2 times per year here. If you want to play in the snow more often, you head to the mountains an hour and a half west of here.
For reference, I grew up in Pittsburgh, college in central PA, 5 years in Northern NJ, 5 years in Los Angeles, and now 9 years in Charlotte. I also studied/lived in London England for about 6 months. As northeastern transplants, my family absolutely loves it here. Definitely put it on your list!
Just over the border into SC is darn near free to live! Check out SC property taxes if you want to see an eye-opener! :O
Summers can get hot here, but we have a beautifully temperate spring and fall. It usually snows 1-2 times per year here. If you want to play in the snow more often, you head to the mountains an hour and a half west of here.
For reference, I grew up in Pittsburgh, college in central PA, 5 years in Northern NJ, 5 years in Los Angeles, and now 9 years in Charlotte. I also studied/lived in London England for about 6 months. As northeastern transplants, my family absolutely loves it here. Definitely put it on your list!
Last edited by JRitt@essex; 12-06-2017 at 12:26 PM.
12-06-2017, 12:28 PM
#10
Supporting Vendor
I loved my time on the west coast, but too many people and too expensive for me personally.
12-06-2017, 12:29 PM
#11
Nothing beats California as far as weather and tracks. And yes, I've been all over the old USA. East coast are nice, but the winter months are brutal. Summer also can be unpleasant. Summer in CA is hot, but dry heat, which is much better than the humidity at east. Food is probably what is most incredible in San Francisco Bay Area or LA greater Area. Only can be rivaled by NYC. The only downside is cost. While the track cost is on par like anywhere else, other than COTA, the living cost is pretty high. There are cheaper cost on the fringe of the area, but it is still expensive comparatively. Oh, traffic is also a big downside.
The tracks however, in Northern California is unbeatable. Sonoma Raceway (formerly Sears Point) is less than 1 hour away. Thunderhill, is about 2 hours away. Laguna Seca about 2,5 hours away. All these tracks feature great picturesque and most importantly challenging with lots of elevation changes. If you want to go further, Buttonwillow Raceway is 3.5 hours away. Auto Club Speedway is in LA area but less than 7 hours away, so does Willow Springs. That's 3 great tracks under 3 hours away and 6 tracks under 7 hours away.
Earth quake wise, you'll get used to it. I've lived here for over 25 years, and I have not experience any big earthquake that scares me. I've seen a lot of floodings and other natural disasters on other states almost every year, though.
The tracks however, in Northern California is unbeatable. Sonoma Raceway (formerly Sears Point) is less than 1 hour away. Thunderhill, is about 2 hours away. Laguna Seca about 2,5 hours away. All these tracks feature great picturesque and most importantly challenging with lots of elevation changes. If you want to go further, Buttonwillow Raceway is 3.5 hours away. Auto Club Speedway is in LA area but less than 7 hours away, so does Willow Springs. That's 3 great tracks under 3 hours away and 6 tracks under 7 hours away.
Earth quake wise, you'll get used to it. I've lived here for over 25 years, and I have not experience any big earthquake that scares me. I've seen a lot of floodings and other natural disasters on other states almost every year, though.
12-06-2017, 01:05 PM
#12
Burning Brakes
Opposite in weather, but giving a shout out for Phoenix for others viewing this thread. Many of the tracks no one has heard of but pretty good selection.
Wild Horse and AMP: 5 tracks within 45min... 1 facility with 4 diff tracks / 2 are run backwards which totals 7 configs.
Inde 3hr away... many diff configs
Chuckwala 4hr
Other south CA tracks maybe 6-ish hrs
And $150-ish per track day!
Wild Horse and AMP: 5 tracks within 45min... 1 facility with 4 diff tracks / 2 are run backwards which totals 7 configs.
Inde 3hr away... many diff configs
Chuckwala 4hr
Other south CA tracks maybe 6-ish hrs
And $150-ish per track day!
12-06-2017, 02:07 PM
#13
Burning Brakes
Thread Starter
yea i just looked cota track days are like $550
12-06-2017, 03:51 PM
#16
Sr.Random input generator
Nothing beats California as far as weather and tracks. And yes, I've been all over the old USA. East coast are nice, but the winter months are brutal. Summer also can be unpleasant. Summer in CA is hot, but dry heat, which is much better than the humidity at east. Food is probably what is most incredible in San Francisco Bay Area or LA greater Area. Only can be rivaled by NYC. The only downside is cost. While the track cost is on par like anywhere else, other than COTA, the living cost is pretty high. There are cheaper cost on the fringe of the area, but it is still expensive comparatively. Oh, traffic is also a big downside.
The tracks however, in Northern California is unbeatable. Sonoma Raceway (formerly Sears Point) is less than 1 hour away. Thunderhill, is about 2 hours away. Laguna Seca about 2,5 hours away. All these tracks feature great picturesque and most importantly challenging with lots of elevation changes. If you want to go further, Buttonwillow Raceway is 3.5 hours away. Auto Club Speedway is in LA area but less than 7 hours away, so does Willow Springs. That's 3 great tracks under 3 hours away and 6 tracks under 7 hours away.
Earth quake wise, you'll get used to it. I've lived here for over 25 years, and I have not experience any big earthquake that scares me. I've seen a lot of floodings and other natural disasters on other states almost every year, though.
The tracks however, in Northern California is unbeatable. Sonoma Raceway (formerly Sears Point) is less than 1 hour away. Thunderhill, is about 2 hours away. Laguna Seca about 2,5 hours away. All these tracks feature great picturesque and most importantly challenging with lots of elevation changes. If you want to go further, Buttonwillow Raceway is 3.5 hours away. Auto Club Speedway is in LA area but less than 7 hours away, so does Willow Springs. That's 3 great tracks under 3 hours away and 6 tracks under 7 hours away.
Earth quake wise, you'll get used to it. I've lived here for over 25 years, and I have not experience any big earthquake that scares me. I've seen a lot of floodings and other natural disasters on other states almost every year, though.
12-06-2017, 04:31 PM
#17
Drifting
~1 hr to Summit Point.
~3 to NJMP
4.5 to VIR
4.5 to Pit Race
~5 to WGI
You should decide how long a drive you're willing to make. Draw circles on a map around race tracks you like that correspond to that drive time. The location that intersects the most circles and also meets your climate requirement is the winner!
~3 to NJMP
4.5 to VIR
4.5 to Pit Race
~5 to WGI
You should decide how long a drive you're willing to make. Draw circles on a map around race tracks you like that correspond to that drive time. The location that intersects the most circles and also meets your climate requirement is the winner!
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Checkmate1 (01-17-2018)
12-06-2017, 05:16 PM
#18
Burning Brakes
Member Since: Oct 2013
Location: Dallas TX
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St. Jude Donor '15
Nothing beats California as far as weather and tracks. And yes, I've been all over the old USA. East coast are nice, but the winter months are brutal. Summer also can be unpleasant. Summer in CA is hot, but dry heat, which is much better than the humidity at east. Food is probably what is most incredible in San Francisco Bay Area or LA greater Area. Only can be rivaled by NYC. The only downside is cost. While the track cost is on par like anywhere else, other than COTA, the living cost is pretty high. There are cheaper cost on the fringe of the area, but it is still expensive comparatively. Oh, traffic is also a big downside.
The tracks however, in Northern California is unbeatable. Sonoma Raceway (formerly Sears Point) is less than 1 hour away. Thunderhill, is about 2 hours away. Laguna Seca about 2,5 hours away. All these tracks feature great picturesque and most importantly challenging with lots of elevation changes. If you want to go further, Buttonwillow Raceway is 3.5 hours away. Auto Club Speedway is in LA area but less than 7 hours away, so does Willow Springs. That's 3 great tracks under 3 hours away and 6 tracks under 7 hours away.
Earth quake wise, you'll get used to it. I've lived here for over 25 years, and I have not experience any big earthquake that scares me. I've seen a lot of floodings and other natural disasters on other states almost every year, though.
The tracks however, in Northern California is unbeatable. Sonoma Raceway (formerly Sears Point) is less than 1 hour away. Thunderhill, is about 2 hours away. Laguna Seca about 2,5 hours away. All these tracks feature great picturesque and most importantly challenging with lots of elevation changes. If you want to go further, Buttonwillow Raceway is 3.5 hours away. Auto Club Speedway is in LA area but less than 7 hours away, so does Willow Springs. That's 3 great tracks under 3 hours away and 6 tracks under 7 hours away.
Earth quake wise, you'll get used to it. I've lived here for over 25 years, and I have not experience any big earthquake that scares me. I've seen a lot of floodings and other natural disasters on other states almost every year, though.
Weather is freaking outstanding most of the time too!
12-06-2017, 06:05 PM
#19
Burning Brakes
Thread Starter
~1 hr to Summit Point.
~3 to NJMP
4.5 to VIR
4.5 to Pit Race
~5 to WGI
You should decide how long a drive you're willing to make. Draw circles on a map around race tracks you like that correspond to that drive time. The location that intersects the most circles and also meets your climate requirement is the winner!
~3 to NJMP
4.5 to VIR
4.5 to Pit Race
~5 to WGI
You should decide how long a drive you're willing to make. Draw circles on a map around race tracks you like that correspond to that drive time. The location that intersects the most circles and also meets your climate requirement is the winner!
