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Old 08-29-2011, 08:51 PM
 
10 posts, read 35,247 times
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Hi,

I have lived in Madison all my life and there are many things I enjoy here (bike paths, things to do around town, lots of different shops from State St to chain places, university, cultural things to do/see), BUT...I just can't stand the winters and how long and gray they are. I've had something like 23 years to experience them and I've never embraced the cold. I dread it even more now that I have (almost) two young babies...

Anyway, the problem is I've never lived anywhere else and haven't traveled too many places, but I'm wondering what other U.S. cities have some of Madison's qualities, but NOT as cold for as long?? Anything? I've heard Austin, but that is just too hot for me. I like the heat just not that extreme. I tried to search on this topic but it was hard for me to find any other threads with other comparisons.

Thanks!
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Old 08-29-2011, 10:00 PM
 
Location: Verde Valley
4,374 posts, read 11,175,068 times
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If you can take the rain try Seattle or Portland, however they are cloudy too.
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Old 08-29-2011, 10:11 PM
 
10 posts, read 35,247 times
Reputation: 19
I've thought about those, although that would be a concern... hmmm.
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Old 08-29-2011, 10:32 PM
 
Location: Land of Ill Noise
3,380 posts, read 3,300,988 times
Reputation: 2183
Charlottesville, VA. Reminded me a HECK of a lot of Madison when I visited it in the mid-2000s, but not as flat(though also not as hilly as say, Morgantown, WV). Easy access up to mountainous areas of Virginia and cute towns not too far away(Staunton(pronounced as if you were saying Stanton), VA is such an underrated small town), plus 2 Amtrak lines run through it(one from NYC and DC on to New Orleans(Crescent), plus a 2nd one that only runs 3 days a week from Chicago to DC and NYC via Indy, Cincy, Huntington, and Charleston, WV(Cardinal)). Very temperate climate(neither too warm, nor too cold). The latter, btw, has an Amtrak train stop in Staunton. (I'll shut up about Staunton now, lol)

Oh, and it's very centrally located to other major points of interest in Virginia(i.e. Richmond, Lynchburg, Fredericksburg, and both DC and northern VA). I'm very surprised noone mentioned Charlottesville, before me.

One last suggestion: if you want to stay in the Midwest, and not live in the eastern part of the country, you might like Bloomington, IN. Close to Brown County, IN(which is known for how attractive and hilly it is), Columbus, IN(architecture, it's very underrated throughout the country in this aspect), and not too far away from Indianapolis. Only minor downside is that Amtrak doesn't serve Bloomington, and you'd have to rely on intercity bus service to get up to Indy, and I would think Bloomington would also have bus service to possibly Louisville and/or Evansville(but I'm not sure). Winter is much shorter there, than it is in Madison. (though you'd still experience some cold winter weather)

Last edited by SonySegaTendo617; 08-29-2011 at 11:25 PM..
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Old 08-30-2011, 12:45 AM
 
Location: Atlanta the Beautiful
635 posts, read 1,502,958 times
Reputation: 287
Augusta, GA; Athens, GA; Clemson, SC; Spartenburg, SC; Chattanooga, TN; Imo check 'em out.
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Old 08-30-2011, 02:16 AM
 
37,793 posts, read 41,479,186 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bizurko View Post
augusta, ga; athens, ga; clemson, sc; spartenburg, sc; chattanooga, tn; imo check 'em out.
Not at all. Maybe Clemson, but definitely not Augusta or Spartanburg. I'm not saying I don't like those places, but not as an alternative to Madison. You're setting the OP up for disappointment with those choices.
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Old 08-30-2011, 07:48 AM
 
Location: St Simons Island, GA
23,305 posts, read 43,756,586 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SonySegaTendo617 View Post
Charlottesville, VA.
I would second this, along with Athens, GA; I would also add Asheville, NC, Boulder, CO and Savannah, GA.
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Old 08-30-2011, 09:38 AM
 
5,951 posts, read 13,032,881 times
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Athens, GA. Austin, TX for someplace that is not only much warmer, but also much larger too.
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Old 08-30-2011, 10:41 AM
 
Location: New York NY
5,508 posts, read 8,690,875 times
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Add to consideration also Raleigh-Durhan-Chapel Hill area in NC. University area, liberal vibe, state capitol, mild weather, low costs, lots of outdoor activities, and many transportation options.

Also second Asheville, NC, which has all of the above except, obviously, the state capital. It's also got a lovely walkable lively and interesting downtown far more sophisticated than what you might expect in the Appalachian mountains.

And add a third southern city with great weather, outdoor activities, universities, politics, and a progressive vibe--Tallahassee Fla. Overshadowed by Miami, Tampa, Orlando, Jacksonville, its supposedly a very laid-back, low-cost, intersting city to live in. Never been but I have friends who rave about it.

Charlottesville may be likable but I'd never move there. I think its way too isolated, with a tiny airport, expensive flights in and out, only a few Amtrak trains passing through every day, and hours drive to any big city. (I don't count Richmond as a big city)

Too bad the cold weather is turning you off or I'd say head up to Burlington, Vermont, which would be perfect in every way.
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Old 08-30-2011, 10:47 AM
 
45 posts, read 117,921 times
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Madison has more restaurants per capital than any other city. I would go with Austin, although Austin is not as well kept as Madison, but similar feel outside the downtowns
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