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Anyone lived in or at least done recent long visits in or had friends in these and can compare them?
1) Portland, Oregon
2) Corvallis, Oregon
3) Eugene, Oregon
4) Northampton & Amherst, Massachusetts
5) Providence, Rhode Island
6) Portland, Maine
7) New Paltz, New York
8) Burlington, Vermont
9) Montpelier, Vermont
10) Carrboro & Durham, North Carolina
11) Monterey, California
12) Sebastopol, California
13) Charlottesville, Virginia
I'm seeking a high percentage of outdoorsy (hikers, campers, bicyclists, rockclimbers, swimmers, etc.), green, crunchy, holistic, New Agey, intellectual, friendly, accepting, artistic, hippie type community, atleast 50% liberal, yet not too overly homogenous. With beautiful nature (forests, swimmable water, trails, views...), bike-friendly, not too TOO miserably hot (Austin) or cold (Chicago), less violent crime the better, more racial and socioeconomic diversity the better. Want air quality good or great and bonus if somewhere with awesome air quality within couple hours drive. Family-friendly for starting family.
Seeking an overall smart, cultured, motivated vibe more than an overall slacker, depressed or small-minded vibe. (Know it's kinda hard to generalize cities and people don't all fit neatly into descriptive boxes but just wanting more of an overall sense.) A place with plenty of 30-somethings and families, not mostly college kids, not mostly retired.
As for size and population density, not sure and know neighborhood and hone make difference. Maybe somewhere between size/pace of Santa Cruz, California, area (including Aptos, Capitola and it's mountain cities) and San Francisco East Bay (Oakland, Berkeley mainly). Relaxed pace yet still vibrant and lots of culture/variety. Visiting Oregon soon to more feel out if Eugene vs. Portland is better size/pace for me.
I've left off some similar - seeming cities cause I don't think I can handle their winters: Madison, Wisconsin. Ithaca, New York. Boulder, Colorado. Public schools too struggling: Santa Fe, Flagstaff. And left off some I've already lived in: Austin, TX (great but couldn't handle summer heat). Berkeley, CA (great but feeling bit more crowded/traffic and expensive than I want atleast in affordable parts and prefer cleaner air and less crime; am also including adjacent Oakland in its crime rate/feel which is a great city but its "deep East" section makes it 4th most dangerous city in California).
Sorry, know I sound like Goldilocks, haha. Have loved everywhere I've lived but am getting closer to finding an even better long-term fit of a city...size, traffic and weather are issues. Each have other advantages too I won't go into here like certain colleges and nearby relatives, so just weighing it all out. Curious how K-12 public schools compare in these 13 cities too.
Thanks for any info!!! Appreciated tons!!
Last edited by NatureYogi; 08-04-2015 at 02:43 AM..
That's a long list you got there. They all lend towards homogeneously white liberal areas.
Northampton & Amherst might be what you're looking for. They're small, rather college influenced but have more going on than you'd expect for the size, but the number of people is a bit limiting; after a while you'll feel like you've "discovered" everything. Portland, Maine let alone Portland, Oregon would be very different though would have some of the same atmosphere. Northampton/Amherst is slightly colder than Chicago, and ditto with the Vermont ones and Portland's winter is rather long too. Summers are definitely milder here than Chicago.
Northampton or Amherst is somewhat outdoor oriented, and has woods and trails within a few miles out of town, but it's mostly forest and rolling hills, not anything that "adventurous" like out west. Burlington is very close to the Adirondacks and Green Mountains of Vermont, so it's better in that respect while Portland is flatter than Northampton in the immediate surroundings but is within a 1.5 hour drive to the White Mountains.
That's a long list you got there. They all lend towards homogeneously white liberal areas.
Northampton & Amherst might be what you're looking for. They're small, rather college influenced but have more going on than you'd expect for the size, but the number of people is a bit limiting; after a while you'll feel like you've "discovered" everything. Portland, Maine let alone Portland, Oregon would be very different though would have some of the same atmosphere. Northampton/Amherst is slightly colder than Chicago, and ditto with the Vermont ones and Portland's winter is rather long too. Summers are definitely milder here than Chicago.
Northampton or Amherst is somewhat outdoor oriented, and has woods and trails within a few miles out of town, but it's mostly forest and rolling hills, not anything that "adventurous" like out west. Burlington is very close to the Adirondacks and Green Mountains of Vermont, so it's better in that respect while Portland is flatter than Northampton in the immediate surroundings but is within a 1.5 hour drive to the White Mountains.
Thanks! That extra info is really helpful.
Yes the cities of interest and that get recommended to me don't tend to have as many racial minorities as I'd like unfortunately other than here in Berkeley, CA, area is racially diverse. But they seem to otherwise be good fits and nowhere seems to have every single thing I want so am still considering them.
Colder than Chicago isn't ideal however the location of those Northeast cities is near several really exciting things as far as grad school, family, a couple communities, so wondering if I could acclamate to enjoy the weather and dress well for it. I work outdoors and exercise so that helps keep away winter blues. Grew up in Maryland, lived in Chicago, so have experienced snow.
Strong, cold wind is what makes Chicago winter especially bad. And sun helps cheer things. Are the winters there as windy as Chicago? Is there sun in winter? More pretty snow or dirty snow?
What do you mean by "adventurous" nature? Any swimming holes/lakes/creeks/rivers/beaches/springs?
I'd still look into Ithaca, as it would probably be one of the most racially/culturally diverse cities on that list. It is 17% Asian with notable Black and Hispanic populations. It has a Black mayor and had a woman in that position previously. Ithaca City Schools also has a Black guy as the superintendent of schools(also had a woman in that position previously), as well as 3 Black males on the school board. I believe the city had an Asian police chief in the recent past as well.
It is known for having a pretty good arts scene for its size and is seeing quite a bit of construction. It is also right in the Finger Lakes region of NY and is right on Cayuga Lake. There are plenty of gorges and parks in the area as well.
LIBERAL CENTRAL. In Northampton/Amherst, you can bet your money that you will see at least Obama/Biden bumper stickers. BTW, people can't drive. All the cities above are very heavy liberal.
Very liberal works well or would also consider more moderate but definitely not predominantly conservative (or predominantly/pushy religious like certain parts of the South). No offense meant to anyone.
That's a long list you got there. They all lend towards homogeneously white liberal areas.
Durham, NC is 37.9% non-Hispanic white. I will admit that there is a tremendous cultural/socioeconomic divide between Downtown Durham (including the area around Duke) and the rest of the city. Downtown is a lot like the other cities on this list (i.e. liberal, upper-middle class, white transplants), but the rest of city is not. This divide is fairly omnipresent when you're there and it sets Durham apart from the other cities on the list.
Very liberal works well or would also consider more moderate but definitely not predominantly conservative (or predominantly/pushy religious like certain parts of the South). No offense meant to anyone.
Ithaca is definitely liberal. Once you leave it, it is more moderate, but I'd say that you would be fine. It is only an hour, if that, from Syracuse and similar areas in Binghamton and Elmira. So, while it appears to be isolated, it isn't far from other areas.
Last edited by ckhthankgod; 08-05-2015 at 01:31 PM..
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