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I think it fits your criteria except for perhaps the transportation. I have no personal knowledge of the bus system but I think it's sufficient unless you're living in southern Indiana and some out-of-the-way areas of Jefferson County (buses run there, but not that regularly)...Transportation to other cities also has much to be desired, IMHO; there is Greyhound, but no Amtrak. The airport calls itself "international" but that pretty much means Mexico or the Caribbean; and most anywhere you go you would have to stop in another city. Cincinnati is under two hours away and CVG seems rather "well-served" but I'm no expert.
On the plus sides, you'll definitely find a studio or one bedroom apartment for $300-$525 in several neighborhoods in Louisville, and they're not all dumpy ones either. The weather is certainly wet and humid here. As for conservative vs. liberal, don't put all of Kentucky into one basket because Louisville is known to have a lot of liberal-minded people. And the "diversity" will be to your liking, according to your description.
I'm surprised none of the Houston regulars have popped up yet to sell you on the merits of their hometown. It's warm, near water, affordable, liberal, lush & green almost year-round, lots of young folks, very diverse, has a major international airport and its economy is healthy enough that there is some hiring going on. And rain . . . oh brother - there are some drenchers! I would say public transportation there is not that great, but it's at least as good as in the cities currently on yours short list (none of which are particularly liberal nor meet many of the criteria you say are important to you). I wouldn't call it "lower class", however (whatever that means to you), but it is not a pretentious city.
Good luck.
Well, I'd much rather have a place that's super liberal vs. super conservative, but I'd like somewhere that's no less than 40% D, if that helps. Right around 50/50 would be perfect, but I know I can't be too picky.
...which leads to my list. I don't expect to find everything I want. Not even close to everything I want. The most important things to me are housing costs and population, and everything else comes second, even though there are a handful of items in the "must" column as well as some in the "wants" column. Also, having been to all of those places I can say that there's something I just like about them, even if I can't quite put my finger on it entirely. Perhaps that's a bad thing, but what can I say.
Boston definitely a very high COL and thats an understatement. Add in the long cold winters and the heating bill that comes with that. Can put a person in the poor house and fast. Nice city but doesn't fit the OP's criteria at all.
Be careful calling places lower class. I'm sure the residents of some of the cities you originally mentioned might not appreciate it, even if you don't mean to call them or infer that.
Be careful calling places lower class. I'm sure the residents of some of the cities you originally mentioned might not appreciate it, even if you don't mean to call them or infer that.
to me, lower class means more "real" people. Very down to earth, no nonsense, no preconceptions, and no no pretentions. It doesnt mean poor. It can mean middle class as well. Thats my kind of town.
Be careful calling places lower class. I'm sure the residents of some of the cities you originally mentioned might not appreciate it, even if you don't mean to call them or infer that.
I'd like to think that even the most uppity folk could see the difference between calling say Houston "lower class" and calling it "lower class-friendly," which is what I'm asking about.
But if individuals come to that conclusion on their own, well, f*k 'em. What are they gonna do, troll my posts or start a flame war? LOL.
I don't have any suggestions, though I understand what you mean...though I'd probably say working class. The northeast in the smaller towns meets some of what you like. Weather might be colder but cold is somewhat subjective. Lived in a few states and 30 in one can seem bearable while in parts of the midwest it feels much more bone chilling (wind for one thing). One thing I would suggest when you narrow it down some is to be sure to check the tax burden, state, city, local taxes. We're in a state with a reasonalble COL and not bad state tax rate but the local taxes are taking a very noticeable chunk of change - if you're income is lower, losing another $100-150/month can make a significant difference. You don't get that back with tax refunds either.
Don't know if you have pets but if you do renting with pets in Texas can be pricey, lots of extra deposits and fees.
Last edited by midwestmom; 06-17-2011 at 06:11 AM..
Reason: clarity
In general, OK City and Tulsa are very socially conservative cities.
There's pockets of liberalism, but as a whole, you might not like the overall political environment given a very strong Pro-Life movement and/or exaggerated family values focus politically.
Austin probably fits the bill for what you're looking for. Good luck.
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and some out-of-the-way areas of Jefferson County (buses run there, but not that regularly)...Transportation to other cities also has much to be desired, IMHO; there is Greyhound, but no Amtrak. The airport calls itself "international" but that pretty much means Mexico or the Caribbean; and most anywhere you go you would have to stop in another city. Cincinnati is under two hours away and CVG seems rather "well-served" but I'm no expert.
The weather is certainly wet and humid here. As for conservative vs. liberal, don't put all of Kentucky into one basket because Louisville is known to have a lot of liberal-minded people. And the "diversity" will be to your liking, according to your description.
What are they gonna do, troll my posts or start a flame war? LOL.
