Where should I go? (real estate, apartments, chapel)
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We are a very new family. My wife and I have been married for almost a year now, and we have an infant son. Currently, she is in technical school (getting ready to graduate in may) and I am going to attend college classes once again in the fall. We are looking for somewhere to move by next fall.
Here are my requirements:
-I am very liberal, and would strongly prefer not to live anywhere that is too conservative. Absolutely no where in the bible belt.
-Anything ranging from a small town to a city would do.
-It must be a warm climate. I cannot take anymore snow filled winters.
-We are on a budget (She will be making about 40K, and I will be attending school. Keep in mind, if worse comes to worse we can live in college housing).
Any help would be welcomed!!!!
(Currently, we live in Southern Ohio)
New Mexico and North Carolina have some pretty liberal spots that I don't think are too expensive. Austin and Dallas in Texas have a fair degree of liberals, but I don't know how expensive they are.
New Mexico and North Carolina have some pretty liberal spots that I don't think are too expensive. Austin and Dallas in Texas have a fair degree of liberals, but I don't know how expensive they are.
Actually, I think the Texas cities are relatively affordable. Maybe a city like Gainesville FL would work. I'm surprised that Columbus wasn't considered. it is tough to find a liberal city that is warm, unless you go to California, Nevada or Austin TX.
North Carolina isn't exactly snow filled, or bone chilling for that matter. It has a mild four season climate and a low cost of living.
Check out Chapel Hill/Carrboro, NC. They're twin towns, one runs into the other. Chapel Hill population 80,000 or so and Carrboro right at around 18,000. They're 30 minutes from Raleigh and 15 minutes from Durham. Both have a very liberal bend (78% voted for Obama in the last election, which is average). Carrboro elected, then re-elected three more times, an openly gay mayor. Chapel Hill just elected an openly gay mayor this past year. The bigger city city up the road, Durham (home of Duke University) is also quite liberal.
Chapel Hill is the home of the University of North Carolina. The university offers open enrollment for adult students in evening college. After maintaining an acceptable GPA/standing for a couple of semesters you can transfer into full time status with daytime class options.
Carrboro is the more liberal of the two and is an amazing place to live (lived there for 5 years). Carrboro, North Carolina Overview
Your wife's education should get open up a few doors in the job market as the area is one of the high-tech hotbeds in the US The Research Triangle Park
It's very affordable for the quality of life. 2 bedroom apartments in Carrboro average around $500 a month with choices much lower ($389-$489) readily available. Check out Craigslist.
Both towns are quite safe and it's very easy to get around transportation-wise. It's extremely bike-friendly, very walkable and the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Transit system is FREE to use, no fare! Town of Chapel Hill : Routes & Schedules
We are a very new family. My wife and I have been married for almost a year now, and we have an infant son. Currently, she is in technical school (getting ready to graduate in may) and I am going to attend college classes once again in the fall. We are looking for somewhere to move by next fall.
Here are my requirements:
-I am very liberal, and would strongly prefer not to live anywhere that is too conservative. Absolutely no where in the bible belt.
-Anything ranging from a small town to a city would do.
-It must be a warm climate. I cannot take anymore snow filled winters.
-We are on a budget (She will be making about 40K, and I will be attending school. Keep in mind, if worse comes to worse we can live in college housing).
Any help would be welcomed!!!!
(Currently, we live in Southern Ohio)
Forget Austin. The city might be liberal, but if you are ultra liberal you will constantly be frustrated with the state.
New Mexico might work, cheaper parts of California (if you can find one)... Tallahssee or Gainesville, maybe the northern edge of the South Florida metro in Florida....the state's a swing state, the cities are liberal....but there is still a good amount of conservative policy...
Really California is the only "warm" state that is consistently socially and fiscally liberal on both a state and local level, and the liberal areas outnumber the conservative ones. Even there....still some conservative areas as evidenced by Proposition 8.
If you want to totally abolish conservatives, you'lll have to go to the Northeast.
So you'll have to prioritize your requirements, example:
Top priority is absolutley no conservatives..... liberal California, you'll have a higher COL though
Top priority is COL....you can find some decent areas in warm states that are locally liberal, but the state will be conservative most likely....
Gainesville, FL is considered quite liberal! I know, I live here. It may be a stretch on 40k but definitely doable. Check out Gainesville.Com ... there are links for jobs, real estate, classifieds etc (it is the newspaper link) ... depending on the length of your stay, you may be also interested in learning about the VPK program (free pre-school voucher program) and to know that the schools here are nice schools (esp. the elementary schools, which my children love). If you have any specific questions about the town, please just ask
The OP said they don't want anywhere in the bible belt, but yet people are recommending NC and TX.
Because there are very nice places to live in North Carolina if one isn't predisposed to generalization. I'd rather enlighten than perpetuate fiction.
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