Folks Of Interest Best Cities for Car Guys?

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Yep, never promote the Best thing you've ever found.

 

^^^^^^ Texas too!

 

North West Arkansas, lots of water,Good weather,2% unemployment and the most important thing Junk yards.

 

My vote goes to Cuba , but I’m not leaving the great old southern USA . Mind you I live close to the Mason Dixon line , but I’m American by birth and southern by choice . It’s hot humidity is 90% everyday in the summer , it’s cold , icy / snowy in the winter and there is more road salt than the beach in Miami Florida . My wife is from Georgia , there is nothing greater than Peachs , Sweet Tea and Fried Chicken . This life style causes us all heart issues , weight issues . There is something I think in the water , every damn time I wash my clothes they get smaller and smaller , not sure what it is . My best advice is to remember no mater where you live , you are in the greatest country the world and never forget this . Never give up your freedoms , all the small stuff really isn’t so bad , it’s a damn sight better than the next one in line .

 

............and good looking women always hanging off of both arms!....I would call it "Living the life like Laroke".....Don.

 

You talkin' to me ?

 

You have officially replaced "The Life of Riley"!

 

I second for Lake Havasu AZ. area in the winter a lot of great car shows every week end and a lot of car people who embrace the hobby, but don't want go there in the summer HOT HEAT.
Live north of the Metro Atlanta area, a lot of car shows and cruise-ins from March to late November, gets warm in summer but very bearable.

 

I kinda like it where I am.
The car community is small(but fairly tight) as is our population.
Our cruises & poker runs are well attended with a wide variety of cars.
It's a rare day when you see a model A, Deuce or 33-34 coupe which make you appreciate them all the more.
Almost every old farm yard has some vintage tin lying around.
The 5-6 month off season allows for maintenance & repair or an in depth project.
I get to look forward to every spring & the rush of driving my toys.
Would I love to drive my baby during the winter, absolutely.
The reality is I can't/won't.
As I get older the less tolerance I have for extreme heat.
I'm sure Texas & Arizona are comfortable during our winters as the abundance of snowbirds proves,
but I would rather have the cold winters & temperate summers as opposed to 110-115+ degrees day after day that the southern states experience.
Plus I wouldn't be able to enjoy my second favorite hobby, ice fishing.
To each their own.

 

I try to avoid the cities.

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Lexington,Ky area is pretty strong. Lots of weekly cruises in Spring Summer and Fall, Cars and Coffee year around, Somernites Cruise April through October, close to Louisville for Street Rods, Keeneland Concourse, Close to Cincinnati for car stuff and drag strips, cheap classic car plates with no real restrictions and plenty or country roads to avoid traffic cruising just outside of the city and not much congestion in the city on off peak hours.


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I've lived in GB,Wi and it was fun for 25 years but the winters where hard , Sold van shop and then moved to Visalia,Calif and had a hot rod shop for 25 plus years and it was good ! But the rules and regulations and the town growing so big and the people started to to be so rude , sold shop just to much and moved away from so many people To NC near Charlotte but out in the woods away from the big city . Every place has it pluses and faults ! It's what you make it !

 

Attended the MoPar Nats for many years in Columbus and it was a great car scene. Good MoPar Cruise and a lot of local hot rods always showed up when we cruised Brice Road, then later Heath.


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California is the worst potholes too many people too many cars too many cruise nights, too many cool cars cruising around all week too many hang out spots.... skip California

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I can't believe no one has mentioned the obvious winner. Indianapolis, Indiana. Local car shows galore. Cruise ins every night of the week. Some of the biggest car shows within a short drive. World Class Racing of all kinds within 50 miles 3 or more nights a week. Winters here are not that bad, maybe 3 months of "bad" weather. For me, I like the changing of the seasons anyway. If you run those other 9 months hard enough, you need those 3 off months for a breather or rebuilding.

 

Bowling Green, KY., would get my vote. Gotta be more hot rod (traditional & not) related events per capita, than any other city in the USA. There local baseball team is even called the "Hot Rods" !!

 

I live in the far south/ southwest suburb of Chicago,40 miles from downtown.
Cruise nights every night of the week within a 30/40 minute drive and many more even closer.Many are sponsored by the local towns and have very good participation attested to the fact they’ve been going on for years.
Route 66 Raceway half hour away from me along with numerous rod,performance,interior and fabrication shops.
For me the frosting on the cake is being centrally located so many of the larger events, shows, indoor shows, and museums are a day or less of driving to attend. Think BTT50’s,
Columbus,Nashville ,HHRR,Louisville,Des Moines,Knoxville,Springfield,Gilmore,Detroit,Auburn to name just a few.
I hate the winters here but I think I’m in a pretty good spot.

 

Kentucky has plenty of old car activity and extremely old car friendly. Harrassment by Law Enforement non existent. Not to mention the NSRA Streetrod Nationals in Louisville and the Hot Rod Reunion in Bowling Green. A rural state that has only two fairly large cities. Green, treed and rolling hills. Housing prices won't break the bank. In close proximity to Ohio, Tennessee, and Indiana who also have lots of old car activities. Centrally located and reachable in couple of days from most of the US.

 

Las Vegas, if you can afford to live here. Pretty decent weather, and at least 3 / 4 events every week. Not shows, just gatherings. Lots of Clubs if your into that.

 

NOT DODGEVILLE WISCONSIN!

 

Kinda hard to beat Mechanicsburg, Pa.
Smack dab between Hershey and Carlisle

 

I can’t complain here in Bakersfield. Without getting too political we’re far removed from the wacko LA thinking but we have all the crazy California taxes. Other than that weather is great, cost of living cheap, plenty of well paying oilfield jobs. Lots of car guys, have famoso, two hours from LA, the beach, mountains, four from Las Vegas. And all winter long car shows in 70 degree weather.

 

Hello,

Each favorite city will have their links to hot rodding in general, but the early growth of custom cars, hot rodding, and drag racing certainly played a big part of the So Cal area happenings. In reading all of the comments about where is the best city for car guys, each city has its own characteristics that happen to fit your own needs. So Cal is not a city. Orange County is not, either. They are areas that incorporate many small and large cities within the boundaries.

Whether it is weather, family or emptiness, the choices have dictated the outcomes. The crowded cities seemed to play on most everyone’s minds. But, if you learn the ins and outs of the daily grind, then it all flows with the area. Whether it is sunny, coastal So Cal or the rainy, PNW, each area has its advantages over anywhere else.

We grew up in So Cal. For us, there is nowhere else we would rather live. Adapting to the many different cities along the coastline, was a fun experience over the years. Writing this story while listening to Antonio Carlos Jobim, Stan Getz and Joao Gilberto’s 1963 album, then transitioning to Charles Lloyd’s Forest Flower Sunrise and Sunset is the highlight of how nice it is in our area. In describing how the area fits into everyone’s lifestyle seems to flow with the music we grew up with, including pop/rock music. The So Cal coastal serenity played a big part of staying in one area during the hectic times.

The coast makes up for anywhere else, the crowded inland areas or empty dry deserts. For all of the years we have lived in So Cal, there is no place that has all of the beauty, simplicity, and mellow-ness that we have enjoyed over the years. We have adapted to the area because of many house/family moves, but always staying in the mild So Cal climate. It is/was challenging and rewarding bringing up a relationship first, then a family and finally, an extended family all over So Cal. For us, it was spring and summer all of the year around, the so called “Winters” were able to be dealt with, as they were usually short lived.


Jnaki

The hot rod/drag racing scene had its roots in So Cal. It spread to the current craze of all cities getting into the attraction of the hot rod cruising scene as a way to have everyone go back into their own hot rod histories. Those community events show others how much fun it is/was back then, using the current hot rods as a starting point. Yes, So Cal seems to have “it” most of the year, despite the small drawbacks. Your lives are what you make of it, regardless of the naysayers.

Putting everything aside to enjoy the area is important. Other areas have some of the things that a lot of people like, we do, too. But, that is what road trips are for, history, surroundings, events, and people. With all of the visiting that road trips provide, like most, we enjoy coming back home to So Cal. 73 years of So Cal history rolled into the current years of enjoying the lifestyle with our teenage granddaughter, has brought it all back around, again. Life is good.

Enjoy where you are. Adapt and live a happy life.

Clean Bandit with Jess Glynne (one of my wife’s favorite songs)
We're a thousand miles from comfort
We have traveled land and sea
But as long as you are with me
There's no place I'd rather be
I would wait forever
Exulted in the scene
As long as I am with you
My heart continues to beat

NEWS: just posted in a local city newspaper…The South Orange County Cars and Coffee event that happens every Saturday at the Outlets of San Clemente is considered to be the largest gathering of a weekly car related event. WEEKLY! 600+ Cars of all kinds, from hot rods, to sleek sports cars, to trucks and industry/dealer sponsored debuts of the latest cars, etc.

The event that happens is an offshoot of the original Cars and Coffee event that started it all, in the city of Irvine, CA years ago. Then after several big time complaints, they closed and moved to Aliso Viejo just off of the 73 toll road. That event was rolling well and growing by leaps and bounds. But, of course several idiots made the whole event a big bother to the local sheriff’s department and it too, closed down.

Finally, after adjusting to the neighborhood complaints about hot rods, sports car noise and a large gathering so early in the morning, the times were adjusted and it is one of the latest starting events in So Cal. If one goes early to the Donut Derelicts in Huntington Beach, when it winds down around 8:30 am, it is a beautiful drive down the coast to make it to the 9 am starting time.

The South Orange County Outlets, Cars and Coffee event is staged in the giant, ocean view parking lot near the Nike and Ruby’s stores. There are strict rules in place in cooperation with the local sheriff’s department. Warnings and moving violations have been given for the offending drivers.

It is well organized, supported by the Outlets, the City, the Sheriff’s Dept, and the majority of attendees follow the guidelines making it a wonderful Saturday morning. Plus, the other half, somewhat interested in the hot rods and sports cars, can do their time, then go shopping in a very large and growing Outlet store area. It is in the process to have a 21 theater grand opening soon, as well as more shops in phase 3-4.

 

Traditional rodding is strong in the Omaha area...this is a very small slice of us.

 

I have cussed living in Nebraska most of my adult life, but I wouldn't live anywhere else. It gets cold and we have snow (more this winter than normal), summers can get hot and humid.
On the other hand car shows are everywhere, people are friendly. I get lots of nice days to put the top down on the convertible, Theresa and I go for drives just to be out in it.