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I moved around a LOT when I was a kid and have spent extensive time in every state but 4. Right now, I'm touring the country again for two months, visiting the places that stand out to me as ideal places after graduation, getting a better feel for them and another look.
Despite my college degree, I simply do not want to be some hotshot someday. I enjoy living with less; as a broke college student, I've got more than I ever had, and while I could get a whole lot more, I simply do not want to. I don't want to live to work; I want to work to live. I don't plan to ever retire. As someone who currently lives comfortably on $400-800 a month (FYI, though I'm a college student this IS accounting for rent (only $250, mind you, incl. utilities), bills, food, transportation, entertainment, hygiene, and a rather hefty annual travel budget, along with the other basics), I WANT to keep things this way. So please, don't waste your time with your speech on how I should want to become more of a corporate slave and want to get more professional training in some subject that doesn't interest me. I like being a "nobody." I like walking into my friends' 800 sf apartments and thinking "what the f*k would I do with this?"
IF I decide in the future that I'm ready for a different lifestyle, I'll change then. I'm proving now that I'm up for the hard work. But right now and into the immediate future, it isn't happening. SO please respect that.
FYI, I posted that wishwash after reading a similar thread last December, where much of the thread was spent trying to convince the poster to become a corporate bot.
So, lets move on to the MUSTS (I've spent at least a few days in all towns I list below, fyi, even lived in many of them):
lower cost of living (would like to stay in the 80s, but definitely not looking to exceed 100)
A place where I can find a low-end studio or 1 bedroom apartment, or a trailer for $350-525 any day of the week.
Warmth. A place that doesn't get colder than ~20 degrees in the winter on the coldest nights would be GREAT. (Nashville: TOO COLD. Orlando: great. OK City: great. Kansas City: can go no colder)
A city population or overall "metro" population of at least ~80k people. (Appleton, WI area: great. Atlanta: great. Mesa, AZ: great. Texarkana area: can go no smaller)
A selection of small, mid-sized, and even large businesses with a need for administrative assistants. Yep, it's one of the most common jobs in the country. I think this will come naturally with a medium-sized to large-sized city, but I'll mention it anyway since where I live simply doesn't work.
Rain. I technically live in a desert at present. Well diggers typically have to drill 150+ feet to hit water. We don't have grass; we have sage brush. Yuck.
To clarify, when I said "Lower Class-Friendly," in my title, I wasn't talking about handouts. I'm looking for a place where I will FIT IN. A place where blue-collar workers are the standard. I spent many years in Detroit, and several in a few suburbs (Taylor, Riverview, Romulus, Dearborn Heights). The kind of economic atmosphere I encountered in those places is exactly what I'd like to find elsewhere.
Here are some things I'd love to find. Certainly not required:
Public transportation.
Located near water. Lakes are everywhere in MI and WI, and I'd love to live near the water wherever I go.
Socially liberal. I happen to also be an economic conservative, but I care more about social politics than economic politics and will without question prefer a socially liberal area to an economically conservative area (would most like to meet in the middle). This is most concerning to me in southern towns, which makes me lean toward college towns there.
Lush and green, as opposed to dry and brown/orange/red.
Within a 1-hour drive of a well-served, international airport.
Diverse, in the way I'll unashamedly admit I'm drawn to and that I typically see: 30-65% white with minority populations (greatest to least) in the following order: African Americans, Latinos, Asians/Pacific Islanders, Native Americans.
I'd love to live around more Native Americans, though!
Some of the places already on my list include:
Baton Rouge, LA
Shreveport, LA
Beaumont, TX
Oklahoma City, OK
Orlando, FL
Texarkana, AR
This December it's decision time; I'll be leaving my campus and moving *somewhere* to try and find a job that suits my low standards before my $5k of savings for this move dries up and preferably, before I finish my degree next May. I've been researching for this day for years. Still, I'm absolutely open to more suggestions.
Any other towns you suggest I research and visit?
Last edited by alamosakid; 04-19-2011 at 09:20 AM..
Baton Rouge/Lafayette area might serve your requirements, except for the socially liberal part. A lot of people here are gun-toting conservatives, but they are also very open to diverse ideas. Maybe thats the Cajun/Creole way of accepting anyone as family. Other than that, low cost of living, very very mild winters, a sufficient Airport in Baton Rouge or NOLA, lots to see and do for not a lot of money, plenty of population in both metros along with the store diversity and more growth on the way, and of course the best food and culture around. You seem kind of like me. I dont desire to be rich or have a huge house. Im happy with what I make and where I am at the moment. Ive grown up here, but I dont desire to be elsewhere. Its metropolitan enough to be interesting and serve any needs, but there is enough rustic charm all over the place to make you feel at home. Oh and the healthcare/medical field is exploding here. Some very good hospitals and centers are being built and it is quickly becoming a supplement to the oil industry.
Baton Rouge/Lafayette area might serve your requirements, except for the socially liberal part. A lot of people here are gun-toting conservatives, but they are also very open to diverse ideas. Maybe thats the Cajun/Creole way of accepting anyone as family. Other than that, low cost of living, very very mild winters, a sufficient Airport in Baton Rouge or NOLA, lots to see and do for not a lot of money, plenty of population in both metros along with the store diversity and more growth on the way, and of course the best food and culture around. You seem kind of like me. I dont desire to be rich or have a huge house. Im happy with what I make and where I am at the moment. Ive grown up here, but I dont desire to be elsewhere. Its metropolitan enough to be interesting and serve any needs, but there is enough rustic charm all over the place to make you feel at home. Oh and the healthcare/medical field is exploding here. Some very good hospitals and centers are being built and it is quickly becoming a supplement to the oil industry.
Thanks for reaffirming some of my thoughts and bringing insight to the table as a BR native.
Well I live in Lafayette currently but I was born in the Baton Rouge area and all of South Louisiana is experiencing quite significant growth. It hasn't raIsed the cost of living appreciably.
Maybe parts of Tulsa OK, Norman OK, Austin TX and Omaha NE.
qfe
Austin really came to mind.
It's a University city. If a half-drunk college student could build a city, he would build Austin... = =
Boston would be worth a try too, but Boston is famous for being warm, I'm sure we all know.
qfe
Austin really came to mind.
It's a University city. If a half-drunk college student could build a city, he would build Austin... = =
Boston would be worth a try too, but Boston is famous for being warm, I'm sure we all know.
Boston is definitely not "lower-class friendly" though
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.
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