Best cities to live in the US for rock climbing

Hello,

My husband and I are moving to the US next year and we don't know where yet. I saw there was a post previously here with a similar question, but I guess our priorities are a little different, so I decided to post anyway. We are looking for: 1) easy access to trad, multipitch and world class climbing 2) reasonably near main airports (1,5h by car is an ok distance) 3) being a progressive, multicultural city 4) cool place to raise your kids 5) without too many natural disasters like wild fires and floods 6) having cool rivers to kayak would be a bonus. We know it's impossible to find the perfect place, but if you had to pick one based on those criteria, what place would you pick?

Chattanooga, TN fits that bill very nicely except easy access to multipitch. Excellent for rivers and kayaking. Every type of climbing -- sport, trad, bouldering. Very much a city on the rise as well. It's a different town than when I grew up.  

Vegas.

I'm not sure I've ever seen this one brought up, but Beacon, NY might fit the bill. It's a very small city, but it's a bit of an up-and-coming artsy escape from NYC. Puts you ~40 min from the Gunks, which fits for trad/multi-pitch, as well as bouldering. Does not fit if you want sport climbing. Hudson River is right there for kayaking, but if you don't want something so developed, there's water to be found all over the Hudson Valley. It's about 1.5/2 hours by car from the major NYC airports, and NYC is also very easily accessible from Beacon by train. You can explore the trails around Beacon and the Catskills, could pull off weekend trips to the Adirondacks, and definitely find fun activities for kids both in Beacon and the Hudson Valley in general. It's also about as free of natural disasters as it gets. The closest Gunks access option would of course be New Paltz, but I think Beacon fits more of your criteria. 

What is your budget? There are places that have most of that but generally aren’t cheap.

most cities out west (socal, slc, vegas, tucson) aren't great in terms of access. I'd stay east if I were y'all.

Lars Hedin wrote:

most cities out west (socal, slc, vegas, tucson) aren't great in terms of access. I'd stay east if I were y'all.

Huh? You just listed places where you have sub-20 minute access to all of OP’s recs.

For OP, Reno is pretty decent, though more of a day trip to these things than before/after work, assuming you have a 9-5 and kids. Summer evenings at donner are pretty amazing. It is maybe a bit more up and coming in terms of multiculturalism, but you get an extremely wide range of political and social opinions here. However, smoke season can be a real buzzkill anywhere in the west.

Renata Calmon wrote:

 without too many natural disasters like wild fires and floods 

lol here's hoping...

Also, what climate are you looking for? My Brazilian friend is always complaining it too cold, while I'm constantly complaining they have the heat on too high.

Boulder Colorado ticks all of your boxes.  

Here’s my take from living in a few:

Boulder - nicest place you can imagine living with a price tag that reflects that. Offers all the types of climbing and other outdoor recreation you mentioned within 10 minutes of town. Not to mention it being on the outskirts of Lyons and Estes Park. You typically get what you pay for, and this is a prime example of that. Although, it isn’t for everyone

Chattanooga - great rock quality and much more affordable overall than somewhere like Boulder. The climbing isn’t as varied and there is no real multi-pitch climbing. It is ultimately a southern city that I wouldn’t exactly consider progressive or multicultural. It can rain for days on end and you don’t see the sun nearly as much overall. Summers are brutal but natural disasters are less common 

Flagstaff - in my mind it is like a more affordable version of Boulder but still not nearly as cheap as Chattanooga. Natural disasters are more common in the form of floods and wildfires 

Wow! Thank you guys for all the replies. That was really helpful! :)

The only place I've been to that is mentioned here is Boulder and I absolutely love it. Such easy access to world class climbing! I also like how vibrant the city is. We certainly consider living in Boulder. I think maybe the downsides of Boulder are lack of diversity and being very expensive. Someone told me Golden could be an alternative, and I would like to check that out too.

I have never been to Chatanooga but its also on our list for all those amazing reasons mentioned above. I guess the downside is the lack of big routes. I don't know about the culture there either, but want to check it out.

Another place we consider is Asheville, NC, because it has an airport, a really cool culture and many climbing around - although you do have to get your car for an hour to reach places and routes are not very high. 

I also heard climbing in Vegas is really good... But I am not super excited about living in a big city. Is there a city in Nevada near the climb that is not Vegas?

I am gonna look it up the new places people mentioned here: grass valley, Flagstaff, Reno and the city near the Gunks

Finally, someone asked me about weather... And yeah, I am Brazilian and I get cold lol. So although I am starting to enjoy more alpine climbing now I am not a snow person. I guess the possibility of climbing rocks year round is more important to me than having an ice climb season... But I understand this is hard is the US... Many of the places where you have big walls, you end up having either snow or an extremely cold season, and I guess thats ok. At the end of the day there is always one thing you are not gonna like in any city you choose to live, and its important you like all the rest.

Thanks again!

FYI Golden has exactly the same lack of diversity and is just as expensive as Boulder

keep in mind that reno is essentially a mini-Denver (~5k ft elevation, base of mountain range), complete with sub 20° morning temps in winter. 

There also a bazillion other threads on this site that have some semblance of information in them if you want more info

Renata Calmon wrote:

The only place I've been to that is mentioned here is Boulder and I absolutely love it. Such easy access to world class climbing! I also like how vibrant the city is. We certainly consider living in Boulder. I think maybe the downsides of Boulder are lack of diversity and being very expensive. Someone told me Golden could be an alternative, and I would like to check that out too.

From someone living in the area (Broomfield), but originally from the southeast (Asheville): Boulder is cool in a lot of ways but also incredibly annoying in others. Yes there is a lot of climbing very close to town. And yes, there is a lot of variety. However, there are a literal shit-ton of people swarming most, even remotely popular, cliffs on any given day. And most of them are far from "world class". Eldo is good, but it's so crowded that you have to reserve a permit to climb there on  weekends now. I live just a few minutes away and rarely go anymore. 

There are plenty of other pros and cons that I won't get into.

I have never been to Chatanooga but its also on our list for all those amazing reasons mentioned above. I guess the downside is the lack of big routes. I don't know about the culture there either, but want to check it out.

The rock in Chattanooga is far superior to most rock (crags, alpine notwithstanding) in Colorado. And there is a ton around, but there's little variety in rock type (sandstone).

For big routes, granite domes mostly (generally crackles face and slab), you can drive ~ hrs into NC.

Another place we consider is Asheville, NC, because it has an airport, a really cool culture and many climbing around - although you do have to get your car for an hour to reach places and routes are not very high. 

Asheville is cool in a lot if ways but I rains a lot in the area (mostly at the climbing areas). Asheville gets ~ 50 inches/year, but many areas in the forest where the crags are (Pisgah and Nantahala) get closer to 100.

The "city" has a ton of excellent restaurants and breweries ("brew city USA"). 

Most crags immediately around town (<1 hr) are of the more old-school slabbier variety. Steep climbing, especially sport, requires more drive time.

The crags are not "high" elevation wise but are tall for the East. They tend to range from a few hundred feet tall up to 1200'.

Again, there are plenty of other pros and cons that I won't get into.

Just my 2 cents...

nbrown wrote:

From someone living in the area (Broomfield),...

There are plenty of other pros and cons that I won't get into.

<snip>

Again, there are plenty of other pros and cons that I won't get into.

Why not? Stop tantalizing us!

Marc801 C wrote:

Why not? Stop tantalizing us!

Wish I could but I don't have ALL day.

Boulder is amazing Marc -- you should definitely move there.

If it's not clear yet, US cities suck for rock climbing. Maybe consider Europe?

nbrown wrote:

From someone living in the area (Broomfield), but originally from the southeast (Asheville): Boulder is cool in a lot of ways but also incredibly annoying in others. Yes there is a lot of climbing very close to town. And yes, there is a lot of variety. However, there are a literal shit-ton of people swarming most, even remotely popular, cliffs on any given day. And most of them are far from "world class". Eldo is good, but it's so crowded that you have to reserve a permit to climb there on  weekends now. I live just a few minutes away and rarely go anymore. 

I’m always jealous of those who think the climbing around Boulder is world class. 

nbrown wrote:

Wish I could but I don't have ALL day.

Boulder is amazing Marc -- you should definitely move there.

I live in Sandy, UT and have friends in Boulder/area and BITD spent extensive time in Boulder while still living in CT. Climbing, skiing, food scene, world class medical care, proximity to canyon country, et al are all head and shoulder above Boulder.