A lot of careers, including almost everything I'd be qualified to do, pretty much require you to be in a larger city. So my question is: Which cities have the combination of a good job market/economy and waves close by? Seems like for East Coast folks, it's pretty much just Philly or NYC. What about elsewhere? Obviously there are some good choices on the West Coast, but what about other countries?
The boston area is also an option...you have RI and NH that are pretty close (hour drive), the cape if you are willing to drive a bit longer and some closer but not as consistent breaks to the north and south of the city. Plus you can't go wrong with the oodles of bars and college ladies for the weekends it is flat.
With a lot of rubber...you can surf really close to Boston too. Further up from there... Halifax, NS.
I have... it was the middle of summer so the surf was anything but epic. Super cool place to visit though.
I lived in San Salvador, El Salvador during 2004. It's only about 45 minutes to an hour from some great surf! Not necessarily the safest place to be these days, though...
West Coast is obviously a different story then the east coast with SoCal having San Diego and LA all right on the coast or San Francisco up the coast. There is a reason why so many surfers travel from the DC, Philly metro areas, because, like you said, there aren't as many professional sectors along the coastal areas. Central New Jersey Shore area around Monmouth County is a little different, because you are relatively close to NYC and you get some spill over industry around there.
Florida has lots of cities with good surf. Also, Waikiki is obviously amazing. LIke the others said, the northeast has major cities with waves. If you got the dough to transfer and move, go big or go home. Hawaii has the best waves bro, up and down the island. Florida (east coast obviously) also has very consistant breaks.
what kind of work do you do? San Fransisco is a great place with awesome surf almost everyday. there is a good number of cities in California and there is almost always good surf, so i would start there
Portland, OR is a great city with lots of opportunities, as well as being a stone's throw from some great breaks.
if you are looking at strictly east coast cities. A lot of my research on the subject has pointed me to the VB/Hampton roads area. There is actually a huge population combined between norfolk and all of those areas. Point is, you can get involved in a lot of industries there, and you can post up living by the beach in VB and commute out anywhere from 5-25 minutes to work.... Other than that, pickings are slim until you get to Philly. Its an hour to the beach... DC and Bmore are possible, but that 2.5 hour range to the beach can really kill some surf time... 45 minutes and 2.5 hours makes a big difference when thinking about running out after work... Obviously NYC, Boston. I had a friend move from SD to boston. He surfed all winter, but he said that conditions are gnarly and unbearably cold when swell hits. Its even cold in the summer. But there are waves... All a drive away though. Boston is okay, but most of the direct city coast is blocked, which is why boston is located there. Down south, Jacksonville has the biggest job market in a somewhat surf rick area... Miami... good jobs. No surf. Insane cost of living unless you want to live in a neighborhood that you always see on the show cops. If you are open to the west coast, then that is your answer. Others have said it, but based on the same reason you are asking, I ended up in san diego. Tons of jobs. Always. If you are willing to work, you can always survive out here. If you work for a company in any industry that has issues, or falls apart, there are a million other places around.... surf everywhere obviously. Cost of living is less than NYC, parts of DC and Boston too. Northern VA is about the same to put a guage on it. Hope that helps. I have just done a lot of looking around and on the subject and those were my findings. I love my home are back in OC MD, but i just can't find a stable job market close enough to justify moving back there with my family.... Its kind of off the board just because I cant take a chance with a limited amount of fall back potential and seasonal industries.
yeah the hampton roads are does have a lot of opportunities and there are businesses everywhere. I live about 5 minutes for 22nd st and pay $920/month for a single bedroom 800 sq foot, which is probably one of nicest apartments. There are others all over from $6-700 dollars too, I have a chow, so this is the only place that would allow me to keep here.
For East Coast, I'd say DC. Though 2.5-3 hours from the beach there are a fair ammount of surfers here who have no problem making the trip to MD, VA Beach, DE, NJ, or NC. It has one of the strongest local economies in the country, lowest unemployment, high standard of living, and education. I live here and I surf at a minimum once a month, often much more. While I'd love to live closer, overall I am pretty stoked to live here and surf when I can. Helps that my wife is from Southern DE, and brother who lives in San Diego so I always have free places to stay and keep boards and gear at both location. To make it easier you could live in Annapolis and work in DC. That saves about 45 minutes off your commute to the beach. Also the DC Chapter of Surfrider is a good network and often people car pool when there is a swell, and they host some good events. West Coast, no brainer, San Diego, LA (though I personally hate LA). Also San Franciso, you've got Ocean Beach and Pacifica, and Santa Cruz is not too far.
Monmouth County, NJ/NYC I'll second Monmouth County, NJ. It's ~ 1 hr from NYC, 1-1.5 hrs from Philadelphia and there is a diverse array of industries within NJ. I've lived there and NYC (where you can zip down to LI or the jersey shore early in the mornings on the weekends with little traffic if you have a car). It doesn't necessarily compare with the west coast cities in terms of surf (and the cost of living is high), but it's a great choice for the east coast.
third monmouth county. i live in mon. cty <20 min to the beach but work right outside of nyc. very easy to get after/before work sessions in and still hop on the train or drive to work. another great aspect is being able to shoot up to NY for the east swells in under an hour
Thanks guys! Good perspectives. Essaouira is an interesting recommendation. Have you lived there or just passed through? Cities abroad definitely hold some appeal, and I speak a little French, so that could definitely work. For that reason, I've also been looking at Bordeaux... looks like there are some jobs out there, and it's not *too* far from the breaks in Aquitaine. Anybody have experience?
Sydney Australia. Holy crap I love that city. Spent 3 weeks there a while back. Cannot be beat in terms of a livable big city right near great great surf.
Heck, if you are going that far, you gotta look at Auckland too. Great big city, livable, and pretty close to great surf. Piha, and two hours from Raaglan.
