We've updated our policy regarding how we treat and protect data that is collected and used from our websites. This site also uses cookies which are necessary to its functioning and required to achieve the purposes illustrated in the policy. By using this site you agree to our use of cookies. Please read our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy anytime for more information and your related choices.

triathlete logo
Search Triathlete
triathlete logo
  • Gear & Tech
    • 2018 Buyer’s Guide
    • Swim
    • Bike
    • Run
    • Kestrel 5000 SL SRAM Red eTap

    • Garmin Forerunner 935

    • 2XU P:2 Propel

    • Saucony Liberty ISO

    • Giro Vanquish MIPS

    • How to Put Your Triathlon Wetsuit on Like a Pro

    • Reviewed: 10 Wetsuits for Triathletes

    • Your Smartwatch Is Getting Smarter

    • Suit Up! 9 Wetsuit Reviews

    • A Look At Finis’ New Edge Fins

    • Oakley Flight Jacket Fights Fog with Flip of a Switch

    • Augmented Reality: The Future of Triathlon Training?

    • The Lube You Use Can Make You (Marginally) Faster

    • Face Off: 2 Bike Cases for Triathletes

    • How to Adjust Your Rear Derailleur

    • 2018 Triathlete Buyer’s Guide: Running Shoes

    • What to Do When Your Running Shoe Is Discontinued

    • Find The Perfect Pair of Running Socks (For You)

    • Why Do Some Running Shoes Cost So Much More Than Others?

    • Our First Impressions of Zwift’s Run Platform

  • Training
    • Swim
    • Bike
    • Run
    • Injury Prevention
    • Quick Set: Scale The Pyramid

    • Tips and Tricks from One of Triathlon’s Fastest Swimmers

    • Six Steps To A Better Streamline

    • Quick Set: 2, 4, 6, 8

    • Quick Set: Frogs And 3/2/1/0 Breaths

    • One-Hour Workout: Wildflower Windups

    • One-Hour Workout: Weight-Room-On-Wheels Bike Set

    • One-Hour Workout: Brick-Build Bike/Run Quad-Burner

    • One Hour Workout: 2-Prong Power

    • One-Hour Workout: Colt 45 Bike Intervals

    • Are You Reaping the Benefits of the Fartlek?

    • The Myth of the Ideal Running Cadence

    • One-Hour Workout: Criss-Cross Run

    • Hide and Train: Use This Unique Trend to Spice Up Your Workouts

    • Most Runners Overstride—Here’s How to Stop It

    • Monday Minute: Increase Hip Flexor Strength

    • Unlock Tight Hips in 3 Moves

    • Improve Your Posture with This One-Minute Exercise

    • A Doctor Solves the Bum Problem You’re Afraid to Google

    • Video: Shoulder Strengthening Exercise For Triathletes

  • Nutrition
    • Race Day & Training
    • Recipes
    • Weight Loss
    • How Hydrating Properly Is Key For Optimal Recovery

    • Should You Ditch Sports Nutrition Products for Real Food?

    • What’s the Best Way to Approach Nutrition on Long Bike Rides?

    • Nutrition Case Study: The Swollen Ironman

    • How to Adjust Your Nutrition During Injury Recovery

    • 10 Ways To Use Protein-Packed Greek Yogurt

    • Make Your Portable PB&J Healthier With This Salad Twist

    • Real Food For The Road: Crispy Rice Omelet

    • It’s Spring! 4 Gardening Tips For Triathletes

    • Simple Chef: 3 Tasty Recipes Centered Around 5 Ingredients

    • Is Intermittent Fasting a Good Idea for Athletes?

    • 3 Healthy Ways to Battle the Nighttime Sweet Tooth

    • Should I Stop Eating After 6 P.M. As Part Of My Diet Plan?

    • Are You Eating Enough?

    • 5 Steps to Reaching Your 2018 Nutrition Goals

  • Lifestyle
    • Culture
    • Races
    • Travel
    • Beginner’s Luck: The Secret of Doing a First Triathlon

    • A Brief Complaint From a Salty Triathlete: Stop Hating on Pros

    • ProFile: Meet XTERRA World Champ Bradley Weiss

    • How This Estee Lauder Exec Fits in Triathlon Training

    • A Brief Complaint from a Salty Triathlete: Stop Rolling Starts!

    • Ben Hoffman On the Sheer Relief of Surviving Cape Epic

    • 9 of the Most Popular Races in Triathlon

    • Need a Race-Cation, Pronto? Head to Bermuda

    • 5 Must-Watch Pro Races of 2018

    • A World Inside: A Look at the Big Shift in How We’re Racing and Training

    • Need a Race-Cation, Pronto? Head to Bermuda

    • What to Do If You Are Injured at a Race Abroad

    • Dear Coach: How Do I Deal with Time Zone Changes?

    • Triathlon Tour Guide: Baton Rouge, Louisiana

    • Swim Camps: Improving Your Freestyle Has Never Been So Fun

  • News
    • Triathlon
    • Gear
    • Ironman
    • Photos: 2018 Surf City Escape Triathlon

    • The Absolute Best Tri Gear of 2018

    • The 2018 Triathlete Buyer’s Guide Is Available Online

    • Tim Don Crushes Boston 6 Months After Kona Crash

    • Enter Triathlete Magazine’s First Ever Photo Contest!

    • The Absolute Best Tri Gear of 2018

    • The 2018 Triathlete Buyer’s Guide Is Available Online

    • A Ventum for the Masses?

    • Win the Bike from the Cover of Our Buyer’s Guide!

    • Get the 2018 Triathlete Buyer’s Guide!

    • Photos: Jan Frodeno, Anne Haug on Top at 70.3 Oceanside

    • Wanda Considers IPO for Triathlon, Cycling Holdings

    • Ironman Overhauls Pro Qualification System (Again)

    • Van Collides with Pro Matt Russell at Ironman World Championship

    • Daniela Ryf Earns Third-Straight Ironman World Title

  • Subscribe

    Subscribe to Triathlete Magazine

    • The hottest gear and tech
    • Expert training, gear and nutrition advice
    • The latest on the people, places, ideas, and issues that define the multisport lifestyle

     

     

    VIEW PACKAGES

    Sign up for the Free Email Newsletter

    • Everything triathlon delivered directly to your inbox
    • Editors’ top story picks
    • Exclusive offers from our sponsors available only to newsletter subscribers


  • Follow Us on Twitter
  • Like Us on facebook
  • Follow Us on Instagram
  • Search Triathlete
  • Triathlete.com
  • Features

Triathlete’s 20 Best Places To Live

Features By Triathlete.comPosted On: Oct 30, 2009

Written by: Triathlete’s Editors

We didn’t use a scientific formula to put together this list. We didn’t worry whether or not certain areas of the country were adequately represented. We just put a few of the world’s biggest tri-geeks in a conference room and asked ourselves one question: If you were moving, and triathlon training was the main criteria dictating your decision, where would you go?

11Tucson1

No. 1: Tucson, Ariz.

Population: 545,702
Median home price: $200,000

Why it’s on our list: There’s a reason names like T.J. Tollakson, Peter Reid, Sheila Taormina and Lance Armstrong have made the college town of Tucson a training base, and why tri camps make annual pilgrimages to the city. And it’s the same reason why current pros Samantha McGlone and Leanda Cave call it home: high quality, year-round training.

The variety of training options on predominantly sunny, warm, rainless days is astounding. Want flatland work on the bike? Head south along Old Nogales Highway. High tempo? Madera Canyon. How about a beautiful rolling cruise in the Sonoran Desert? Try Gates Pass and ride smooth and serpentine Kinney Road. Serious hill work? Make the 19-mile ascent up Mt. Lemmon. There are simply no shortages of options for any level of cyclist.

Running options are equally rife, with many school tracks having open access, and desert trails providing great technical trail running—just keep an eye out for the local flora (cactus) and fauna (rattlesnakes, bobcats and mule deer). Tollakson’s staple run is along the ephemeral Santa Cruz River Park on the city’s west side.

Live here if: You begin to twitch when you think about another winter of riding the trainer, running on the treadmill and doing indoor swim drills while staring at a wall and waiting for your spring race.

Don’t live here if:
You can’t take the heat. In the summer, be sure to get your workouts done before 9 a.m., when 100-plus degree temps make you fodder for one of those postcards of a skeleton clawing his way across the desert, the caption reading, “Yeah, but it’s a dry heat!”

Click the numbers below to see the rest of the top 20.

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
  • 9
  • 10
  • 11
  • 12
  • 13
  • 14
  • 15
  • 16
  • 17
  • 18
  • 19
  • 20
  • 21
NEXT »

Related Articles

Photos: 2018 Surf City Escape Triathlon

Photos By Triathlete.comApr 23, 2018

The Absolute Best Tri Gear of 2018

News By Triathlete.comApr 18, 2018

The 2018 Triathlete Buyer’s Guide Is Available Online

News By Triathlete.comApr 17, 2018

Tim Don Crushes Boston 6 Months After Kona Crash

News By Triathlete.comApr 16, 2018

  • MOST READ
  • LATEST
  • TRAINING

The Absolute Best Tri Gear of 2018

Triathlete.com News

Lessons From This Year’s Surprise Boston Marathon Winner

Chris Foster Training

Unlock Tight Hips in 3 Moves

Erin Taylor Training

Tips and Tricks from One of Triathlon’s Fastest Swimmers

Erin Beresini Swim

How to Strength Train for Movement, Not Muscle

Allie Burdick Training

Tim Don Crushes Boston 6 Months After Kona Crash

Triathlete.com News

The Four Functions Of Your Swim Kick

Gary Hall Sr. Swim

Super Simple Ironman 70.3 Triathlon Training Plan

Triathlete.com Training

Lacking Swim Progress? Try This Short Technique-Focused Block

Bethany Rutledge Training

A Brief Complaint From a Salty Triathlete: Stop Hating on Pros

Kelly O'Mara Lifestyle

4 Yoga Poses Designed to Make You More Aero

Lexie Williamson Training

How to Eliminate Neck and Back Pain in the Aero Position

Dr. Abigail Smith Training

8-Week Sprint Triathlon Training Plan For Beginners

Lance Watson Training

Quick Set: Scale The Pyramid

Sara McLarty Training

How This Estee Lauder Exec Fits in Triathlon Training

Sarah Barker Lifestyle

10 Ways To Use Protein-Packed Greek Yogurt

Jessica Cerra Nutrition

On-The-Go Breakfast Options For The Busy Athletes

Bethany Mavis Nutrition

Dreaming of a Race-Cation? Here Are 4 of Our Favorites

Kelly O’Mara Lifestyle

Is Intermittent Fasting a Good Idea for Athletes?

Holly J. Coley Nutrition

Chest Strap or Wrist-Based Heart Rate Monitors: Which Is Better?

Susan Lacke Gear & Tech

14 Triathlon Bikes Reviewed

Apr 23, 2018 Bike

Beginner’s Luck: The Secret of Doing a First Triathlon

Apr 23, 2018 Lifestyle

Photos: 2018 Surf City Escape Triathlon

Apr 23, 2018 Photos

Monday Minute: Increase Hip Flexor Strength

Apr 23, 2018 Injury Prevention

2018 Triathlete Buyer’s Guide: Running Shoes

Apr 20, 2018 Gear & Tech

Lessons From This Year’s Surprise Boston Marathon Winner

Apr 20, 2018 Training

A Brief Complaint From a Salty Triathlete: Stop Hating on Pros

Apr 20, 2018 Lifestyle

Is Intermittent Fasting a Good Idea for Athletes?

Apr 20, 2018 Nutrition

Quick Set: Scale The Pyramid

Apr 20, 2018 Training

On-The-Go Breakfast Options For The Busy Athletes

Apr 19, 2018 Nutrition

VIEW MORE >>

Beginner’s Luck: The Secret of Doing a First Triathlon

Lifestyle

Monday Minute: Increase Hip Flexor Strength

Injury Prevention

Lessons From This Year’s Surprise Boston Marathon Winner

Training

Quick Set: Scale The Pyramid

Training

Tips and Tricks from One of Triathlon’s Fastest Swimmers

Swim

Could This Neurostimulation Technique Improve Athletic Performance?

Training

Unlock Tight Hips in 3 Moves

Training

One-Hour Workout: Wildflower Windups

Training

Are You Reaping the Benefits of the Fartlek?

Training

Beginner’s Luck: Totally New to Triathlon? Start Here

Training

VIEW MORE >>

Photo Galleries

Photos: Triathletes Support Puerto Rico’s Recovery Efforts

Photos By Paul PhillipsMar 26, 2018

Photos: Declan Wilson Has Breakout Race at New Plymouth World Cup

Race Coverage By Triathlete.comMar 26, 2018

Photos: 2018 Surf City Escape Triathlon

Photos By Triathlete.comApr 23, 2018

The Absolute Best Tri Gear of 2018

News By Triathlete.comApr 18, 2018

Photos: Buckingham, Charles on Top in South Africa

Photos By Triathlete.comApr 16, 2018

Triathlete Subscription
Triathlete

SEARCH TRIATHLETE

GET THE MAGAZINE

SUBSCRIBE NOW

CONNECT

  • Follow Us on Twitter
  • Like Us on facebook
  • Follow Us on Instagram
  • View Our Videos on Youtube

© 2018 POCKET OUTDOOR MEDIA, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

  • Gear & Tech
  • Training
  • Nutrition
  • Lifestyle
  • News
  • Subscribe
  • TwitterFacebookInstagram
  • All
  • 2018 Buyer's Guide
  • Swim
  • Bike
  • Run
  • All
  • Swim
  • Bike
  • Run
  • Injury Prevention
  • All
  • Race Day & Training
  • Recipes
  • Weight Loss
  • All
  • Culture
  • Races
  • Travel
  • All
  • Triathlon
  • Gear
  • Ironman