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in a couple years, i'll be graduating with my master of library & information science. i'll be eligible to work as a librarian, archivist, records manager, etc. these sorts of jobs are available (if sparse) across the country.
i want to live somewhere with a rich history, interesting architecture, and friendly people. i often like college towns, but college town-adjacent is also fine. big cities are fine, especially if the cost of living is reasonable. if there aren't festivals and concerts in town, i'd like to be able to catch public transpo into a nearby city for those events. i'm apathetic about weather. as a single female, a low crime rate is appealing, but i also like to think i can take care of myself.
With all its federal government, NGO, and corporate offices, it seems like the Washington DC metro might have loads of job opportunities in your field. Obviously it's a pretty big metro, so there are lots of options in terms of where to live, both inside and outside the District, all of which would, as always, be tied to where you work. But DC seems to check off all your boxes.
More importantly, follow the money with the area's cost-of-living in mind. Because what is a good salary in one place is starvation-level income somewhere else. There are plenty of great places in this country to live that offer a terrific quality of life without spending a fortune to have it.
More importantly, follow the money with the area's cost-of-living in mind. Because what is a good salary in one place is starvation-level income somewhere else. There are plenty of great places in this country to live that offer a terrific quality of life without spending a fortune to have it.
that's definitely the biggest factor in my decision. i'll end up making enough money, but not a ton, so i'm concerned about getting the biggest bang for my buck.
several midwestern cities check all my boxes, but i've noticed that the more affordable areas have lots of crime. it'd be cool to live in, say, a madison, wisconsin suburb, but i'm not sure what public transit is like out that way (i want to avoid driving as much as possible).
i'd say that places like nyc, los angeles, etc. are totally out of the question. as a user above suggested, dc checks all my boxes, but it's also a very expensive area (and there's no way i would ever make above $70k in my line of work, even after some advancement).
in a couple years, i'll be graduating with my master of library & information science. i'll be eligible to work as a librarian, archivist, records manager, etc. these sorts of jobs are available (if sparse) across the country.
i want to live somewhere with a rich history, interesting architecture, and friendly people. i often like college towns, but college town-adjacent is also fine. big cities are fine, especially if the cost of living is reasonable. if there aren't festivals and concerts in town, i'd like to be able to catch public transpo into a nearby city for those events. i'm apathetic about weather. as a single female, a low crime rate is appealing, but i also like to think i can take care of myself.
any ideas?
I'd stick with college towns or college rich areas where academia is valued along with history and cultural amenities you're more likely interested in. The tipping point I think will be friendlier people (the big NE metros aren't especially known for that) and cost of living. Amherst MA has three colleges in town (UMass, Amherst College and Hampshire College) and loads of historical sites. Albany NY could be another option being the NY state capital along with SUNY-Albany, Siena College and Rensselaer Polytechnic University (RPI) located there.
in a couple years, i'll be graduating with my master of library & information science. i'll be eligible to work as a librarian, archivist, records manager, etc. these sorts of jobs are available (if sparse) across the country.
i want to live somewhere with a rich history, interesting architecture, and friendly people. i often like college towns, but college town-adjacent is also fine. big cities are fine, especially if the cost of living is reasonable. if there aren't festivals and concerts in town, i'd like to be able to catch public transpo into a nearby city for those events. i'm apathetic about weather. as a single female, a low crime rate is appealing, but i also like to think i can take care of myself.
any ideas?
I recommend my adopted home: Indianapolis.
Rich history: not as much as eastern cities, but a lot more than western cities.
Interesting architecture: check. You can find craftsman, Tudor revival, Victorian, second empire, and foursquare houses, plus Moroccan revival and a lot of turn-of-the-century buildings downtown.
Friendly people: check.
College town: not specifically a college town, but we have several colleges.
Size: about 800,000 people.
Cost of living: affordable.
Concerts and festivals: check and check--lots of festivals large and small, conventions, and national entertainment acts. You can also take the Megabus to Chicago and Louisville, among other cities.
Crime: higher than average, but there are safer neighborhoods here.
From the "Showcase your city in one street" thread, here are some Google street view links of Meridian:
Your criteria doesn't seem too demanding, so lots of places could work.
To highlight a few:
Within 15-30 minutes of Portland ME,
State College PA, Columbus OH, Blacksburg or Roanoke or Richmond VA, Louisville / Frankfort / Lexington KY, Nashville TN, Athens GA, Bloomington IN, Columbia / Jefferson City MO, Fayetteville AR, San Marcos TX, Sioux Falls or Brookings SD, Iowa City or Ames or Des Moines Iowa, Eau Claire WI, Mankato MN, Salem Oregon.
Your criteria doesn't seem too demanding, so lots of places could work.
To highlight a few:
Within 15-30 minutes of Portland ME,
State College PA, Columbus OH, Blacksburg or Roanoke or Richmond VA, Louisville / Frankfort / Lexington KY, Nashville TN, Athens GA, Bloomington IN, Columbia / Jefferson City MO, Fayetteville AR, San Marcos TX, Sioux Falls or Brookings SD, Iowa City or Ames or Des Moines Iowa, Eau Claire WI, Mankato MN, Salem Oregon.
The problem with these college towns and smaller cities (or even a big one like Columbus) is that they generally have less-than-robust public transit. OP states that she wishes to drive less rather than more. Could she live a mostly car-free life in these places? Don’t know all these places, but I doubt it.
If OP thinks DC is too expensive — and depending on where she is in the metro it might not be—she might also consider Philly. It has a wealth of academic institutions, robust mass transit, and a substantially lower COL than Washington.
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