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I'm on track to start seriously planning on moving from Puerto Rico to the Mainland with my wife. We are on our early 30's, no children (not gonna have them ever), and maybe a cat. These would be the general criteria I'm looking for.
- Marked four seasons
- Be able to live without a car for an extended period of time, maybe forever
- A good combination of ammenities. i.e. Places to hike and bike, movie theatres, museums, interesting architecture, etc.
- Good job options for a sofware architect and dental assistant. This is kind of subjective.
So far, I am being quite partial towards MA, specifically Malden and Quincy cities. However, during the week or so we spent in Boston, my wife wasn't that sure about the place. I loved it though.
For that reason I tried looking for other places that might fill the criteria and found the following.
- Philadelphia, PA := I've been reading that crime is a problem here. Surely Greater Boston has its crime, but have been reading it isn't as bad as Philly.
- Atlanta, GA := I've been reading that there isn't that much to do here and some segregation can be noticed.
Neither my wife nor me like NY because of overcrowding. DC isn't an option either because we don't want to live so close to all the political turmoil, we got enough of that here in PR.
So there you have it. Can anybody give me a better idea about Philly or Atlanta or any other place that fills the criteria? Would you say there are better places than Greater Boston to move to?
Ask about anything you might need to give me a better idea for relocation possiblities.
Are you willing to look outside of the East? I'd give Chicago a look for the midwest. Also add Minneapolis and Kansas City to that list although Minneapolis has a better mass transit I've heard as well as many bike lanes and I am not so sure about KC. Meanwhile, Chicago has a very good transit system and all being in the midwest we have some crazy weather variety here. Except maybe Chicago, Minneapolis and Kansas City will both be cheaper to live in than Boston by a long shot and at least moderately cheaper than Philly and Atlanta. Good luck!
Transit in KC is a joke. And Minny might be too much of winter for someone not used to it. You should consider Chicago, it has great mass transit, it's highly diverse, has 4 distinct seasons with maybe a slight edge toward winter, and LOTS to do, from museums to boating. Not sure bout hiking, but I'm sure someone can comment on that. Population wise, it's a big city, but is not clustered together with many other big cities like in the northeast, I never felt crowded in there.
As far as Atlanta, I don't think you will get the 4 seasons effect as much, you'll be using your ac for at least 6 months out of the year because of the humidity; I actually run mine year round. You do have a lot of outdoor recreational type activities nearby, not as much indoor type stuff though. It's diverse enough in the city proper, but a lot less so outside the city.
I lived in Philly for 7 years after moving from DC and would not recommend it. It has plenty to do in terms of activities, a lot of history, great architecture, a good restaurant scene and a decent mass transit system. However my biggest issue was how filthy/grimy it is, the lack of charm from most who live there and the long gray winters.
I would really encourage you to consider/visit DC as the "political turmoil" exposure is no different from anywhere else you'd live (news is news everywhere) and it's a beautiful area where there are actually jobs. The area has an excellent transit system, world class cultural amenities, lots of outdoor recreation, beautiful architecture and a varied international restaurant/food scene. The NW quadrant of the city in my opinion is the place to be and would recommend checking out the neighborhoods of Cleveland Park and Friendship Heights which have a vintage suburban feel in the heart of the city (older architecture, centralized business districts, lots of trees and greenery, pretty quiet) yet have easy access to the subway system with their own stations.
If you're still stuck on your misconceptions about DC, I agree with the previous post regarding Chicago. It's more laidback than the east coast cities but has all the amenities you're looking for in terms of transit, architecture, culture and recreation. The cost of living is lower too.
If you don't like New York City or Washington, D.C., then Chicago, Boston and Philadelphia are your best options. However, I would seriously reconsider New York City and Washington, D.C.
The east coast cities are easily in the top region for car-free living.
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