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I am an expat currently living in New Zealand. My husband and I wish to move back to the U.S. but we are unsure what state to move to. This is purely just a notion at the moment but once we find a state we like we are going to try and get job offers there.
We thought that you guys would be a great help to us seeing as you are city/state enthusiasts. To help you help us pick a location we would like to bullet point a bit about us and our requirements.
* We are in our late twenties. Not big party animals, more of a bar type couple, hate night clubs. Our ideal night out would be dinner at a nice restaurant, a walk downtown, maybe a movie or a drink and then home.
* We don't like really busy cities. Anything under 500k is what we're looking for.
* Weather wise we abhor the heat but hate the cold. We would prefer a city that only gets cold weather in the winter (or none at all) but could not stand a hot weather climate all year round.
* My husband is a big sports fan so a state that has a few sports team (preferably an NFL and MLB team) is a pro.
* I hate bugs. I have a big fear factor for scorpions and big spiders. Not too bothered about your standard insects bees, small mosquitoes, but I couldn't live in a state that attracts lots of weird bugs.
* We aren't into the theater but like gigs, sports, and good state fairs.
* We're quite outdoorsy so we'd like somewhere that has hiking trails and is not far from/in a state with lots of rural areas.
* We hate bad traffic, bad public transport links (city must have Amtrak), rude people and bad airports.
* Not into the drug culture. Preferably a state that hasn't legalised weed.
* Political views: Moderate. Pro gay marriage, abortion, better gun regulation. Anti legalisation of drugs.
Our there any cities/states that spring to mind?
Feel free to ask any question that would help tailor a better answer.
FYI. We are not interested in any of the following states:
* Florida
* Arizona
* New Mexico
* Delaware
* Mississippi
* Louisiana
* New Jersey
* North Dakota
* We don't like really busy cities. Anything under 500k is what we're looking for.
***
* We hate bad traffic, bad public transport links (city must have Amtrak), rude people and bad airports.
***
FYI. We are not interested in any of the following states:
* Florida
* Arizona
* New Mexico
* Delaware
* Mississippi
* Louisiana
* New Jersey
* North Dakota
To narrow things down, here's a list of US metropolitan areas served by Amtrak, updated as of 2006, sorted by size of population. Just start at about #80 (Colorado Springs), strike out the places that are in the no-go states or climates, and you have a list to work with.
Thinking a bit out the box, consider metro Detroit.
While city itself has its widely-publicized problems, places like Royal Oak, some of the Grosse Pointes, and Birmingham, are perfectly lovely little places with walkable downtowns. And a bit further away from Detroit (maybe a 45 minute drive) proper is the cool university town of Ann Arbor, while north of the city there are quasi-rural places like Walled Lake. Metro Detroit meets all criteria: Amtrack station (in the city), four distinct seasons, outdoor activities and boating and rural areas nearby or within a few hours drive at the most, RABID sports fans, plenty of entertainment opportunites (concerts by all sorts of folks regularly play Detroit and Ann Arbor), moderate politics-- and even, IIRC, a state fair! Traffic can sometimes be heavy, but it's nothing like the mega traffic jams you find in LA, NYC, DC, Chicago or Boston.
If you can consider Cleveland, you can certainly think of Detroit.
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