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I've spent a lot of time researching cities as I'm looking to relocate, and I'm having a hard time narrowing down a list of places to begin my job search.
A little bit about me:
I'm in my mid-20s and I currently work in the public relations industry but I also have an arts background. I work in NYC and live in Northern NJ and I went to college in Philadelphia. I'm a low-key person who likes the outdoors, art/crafts, coffee, drinks/dinner with friends, music, DIY projects, flea markets, etc.
What I DO NOT like in a place:
- Crowded, no space
- Lack of outdoor space/scenery (I prefer great parks, hills, lakes, mountains....anything other than concrete everywhere.)
- High cost of living (For example, I would prefer to live in a studio/1 bedroom apt. for between 500-750 per month)
- Super-conservative mindset.
- Chain restaurants (chain stores don't bother me as much, but I hate chain restaurants!)
- Cities that are generally unwelcoming to transplants. I don't want to move to an unfamilar place and feel a sense of hostility because I'm an "outsider."
What I LOVE:
- Great restaurants, cafes, fun/low-key places to meet with friends
- Public transportation (any city with decent rail/bus lines is tops)
- Decent job market (Although I work in PR, I'm open to almost anything - ideally I'd love to work for a university, museum, non-profit, or perhaps something in the tourism industry)
- I like to walk around, so while I would have a car, it would be nice to be in a city that has sort of an urban "core," even if it's on the smaller side
- A good singles scene never hurts...
- Relatively low crime
What I'm not concerned about:
- Weather (I don't feel that any city - or part of the country for that matter - has "perfect" weather. I prefer mild temperatures over extreme, but I can and will adapt for the right place!)
- Traffic (Doesn't every city have some degree of traffic?)
I appreciate any responses that come my way, and thanks for taking the time to read through this post. If I'm missing any key information, please let me know!
We seem to like similar things and I have another thread going comparing N.O. Austin and L.A. ... Out of those, I think Austin would work... probably Portland, ABQ and probably Denver as well.
You would probably like Ithaca, perhaps Oneonta or certain neighborhoods in the major or mid major cities like Elmwood Village, Allentown and Hertel Ave in Buffalo; the Southeastern Quarter/Quadrant of Rochester(Park Ave, Monroe Ave, SouthWedge, Swillburg, Highland Park, Avenue of the Arts, Upper Monroe and East Ave); Westcott, University Hill, University and Downtown Syracuse; Center Square, Delaware Ave, Lark Street, Pine Hills and Washington Park in Albany; the Union Street corridor in Schenectady(Union Triangle and Upper Union); the Pottery District, Washington Park, Congress Street, Hillside, Beman Park and Downtown Troy; Saratoga Springs; Glens Falls; South Utica around the Uptown Theater and Downtown Utica around the Stanley Theater and Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute; the West Side(south of Main St.) and Downtown Binghamton.
There some others that may work(Plattsburgh, maybe Corning, Auburn, etc.), but you can get to the outdoors in a pretty short time out of any of these cities.
Portland has gotta be your best bet. Seattle has a better job market but higher COL and IMO has a better vibe, but both are similar cities. The Twin Cities might be a nice match for you. I don't know much about the cities in upstate NY but as the other poster said, they might fit you well. Another city to look into would be San Fran/Oakland.
Lancaster, PA as long as you are in the city limits isn't super-conservative, has transit including frequent trains to Phila/NYC, better job market than many locales, something of an arts scene especially for a city its size. Surprisingly wild areas only 10 miles SW in the Susquehanna River gorge. There are still some authentic Amish to go with the tourist areas that you can learn to skip over.
Lancaster, PA as long as you are in the city limits isn't super-conservative, has transit including frequent trains to Phila/NYC, better job market than many locales, something of an arts scene especially for a city its size. Surprisingly wild areas only 10 miles SW in the Susquehanna River gorge. There are still some authentic Amish to go with the tourist areas that you can learn to skip over.
True and the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton may also work. There's a couple of good private schools in the area and the Poconos are close by. Perhaps Scranton-Wilkes Barre too.
What I LOVE:
- Great restaurants, cafes, fun/low-key places to meet with friends: Plenty of places like that in the Cities, little dives/hole in the walls that have been bought by local chefs and have great food.
- Public transportation (any city with decent rail/bus lines is tops): I would consider public transportation here above average. It's not Chicago but you can get around pretty easy if you coordinate appropriately. We live in SW Minneapolis and can get to Uptown in about 15 minutes, and Downtown in about 30 by bus.
- Decent job market (Although I work in PR, I'm open to almost anythng - ideally I'd love to work for a university, museum, non-profit, or perhaps something in the tourism industry): The area has a strong job market and the lowest unemployment rate of large metros (unless that has changed in the last couple of months). The U of Minnesota, several museums, and a above average philanthropy community are constants here. Unfortunately we are not much of a tourist spot though.
- I like to walk around, so while I would have a car, it would be nice to be in a city that has sort of an urban "core," even if it's on the smaller side. : Again we are not Chicago but we are a top ten "most walkable city", according to walkscore.com, with several walkable neighborhoods.
- A good singles scene never hurts...: Good hunting ground for men and women. Tons of well educated, and employed singles. For what its worth the metro has strong showing in several "best of" list online.
- Relatively low crime: Before moving here I heard the area may be questionable (mostly from outsiders, and mainly online, go fig right), and was a little discourage to consider moving here at first. Given that, I have not seen it, or felt like my life could be in any danger, or that I would become an unasuming victim of crime (again unlike westside Chicago, Austin to be exact, I do like Chicago, even more than New York). Infact the most questionable areas in the Cities are quite easy to avoid. Random acts of violence are not manifested throughout the cities. Also if I am not mistaken violent crime in the metro has been at record lows for a while now. Coming from one of the most violent states in the US (South Carolina), Minneapolis-St Paul seems quite tame to me.
Just my two cents, good luck!
Last edited by sandlapper; 02-21-2012 at 10:27 PM..
Nashville would a great fit for you as well. It has the creative-class community you seek, is surprisingly liberal, welcomes transplants, has good walkability, low crime, a great singles scene, a decent job market and is quite affordable.
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