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Hello! I currently live in Seattle, WA and I love it here - except for the weather. It almost always rains, with a handful of sunny days in the summer and a little snow in the winter (if we're lucky). My ideal city probably doesn't exist, but here is my list of desired characteristics:
Try the Bostonarea
1) All four seasons – I want a white Christmas and summers that are warm enough to justify owning a swimming pool. Check
2) In or near a major city with plenty of restaurants, cultural events, shopping, a night life, and an abundance of things to do. Check
3) A thriving arts community, especially theatre. Check (though I don't know much about the theater)
4) Liberal/progressive. Check
5) Lush and green with good air quality and plenty of hiking and other outdoor activities. Check(nature is not far from Boston at all if you want it)
6) Near the ocean or a nice lake for boating/swimming. Check
7) Tolerable traffic. I'd say so, see below
8) Affordable homes/reasonable cost of living for a household yearly income of 150k. Not sure what you're looking for
9) Good schools/good place to raise a family. Check
10) Low crime. It's generally a safe city/metro, just stay away from the "bad parts" like anywhere else
I'd love some input on which cities you think best fit this list! I'd like to stay as close as possible to the west coast, but I'd move just about anywhere in the U.S. if it matches my list! Thank you!
My first thought was the Boston area, it meets most of your criteria. The only two things I'm not sure about is what's tolerable traffic because everyone has a different idea of what that is, but it's definitely not the worst you could do and the mass transit system is one of the better ones in the country; and the other thing is affordability. I don't know much about that because I'm young (20) and honestly don't know much about buying home or finding places to live, but I'm sure you could find something suitable in one of the suburbs of Boston, or the city proper itself if that would work too. It's not like the most expensive area in the country by any means.
Ha, I totally missed that you wanted to stay near the West Coast sorry. But Boston's something to think about anyway I guess.
When you mention low traffic and the desire to stay in the West coast, the only city that can fit all of your requirements is Anchorage (four seasons, low traffic, affordable homes, clean air, proximity to ocean, and plenty of opportunity for outdoor recreation......)
The OP said he wants a "white Christmas". I live west of Milwaukee, WI. and it's much colder In Minneapolis, and they also get much more snow.
It's not that bad... And even if it were, it's not like you live outside all winter. They have heating in Minnesota, you know.
For the OP, I agree about Minneapolis, and I would also check out Milwaukee and parts of Chicago.
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