Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Hi! I've been lurking around here for ages but our dilemma is eating away at my sanity so I thought I'd finally post and try to see if anyone has any good ideas for us. We are a young family looking for a place to live with certain characteristics. I've noticed a lot of people asking for the typical "progressive affordable" thing so I'll try to also add some other ideas we have.
We are looking for a medium-size city/town -- no big metro areas. We have lived near Boulder previously so are familiar with the "progressive" feel an area can have but were not impressed overall with how well the people regard themselves. However we do enjoy smaller coffeeshops and bookstores and stuff like that, that most people our age enjoy. We don't eat out much but are vegan and it would be nice to have a place with some vegan pastries or something--we're not expecting much and don't need a huge vegan mecca.
Another characteristic is that we like elevation to be near us. We couldn't live anywhere totally devoid of that. We also are looking for someplace with decent natural areas around and also, perhaps an area with small organic or CSA farms around. We'd like to be somewhere with a good growing season as we'd really like to focus on our backyard garden and such. I don't want to live somewhere prone to droughts.
Also...it would be nice to live somewhere where you're not a total outcast if you're not from there. Somewhere also where the city itself is not unlike the areas around it. (Like how it's said that if you leave Asheville it gets very baptist, southern and conservative. I don't mind what other people are, but I'm not that and I wouldn't likely feel totally comfortable being the odd one out)
Population ... hmm, no big metro areas like Chicago, Washington DC etc. But no tiny towns either. Something like 100,000 to 200,000, but that's just a general idea.
I know you said you wanted a a medium-sized city but there aren't many vegan/progressive medium-sized cities. Cities with those people are usually located near big metros. What you could do is live in a nearby small city with easy commute to the the city with tons of vegan options. And what I recommend for you is Bellevue, Washington. Excellent quality of life for a family and tons of progressives. Has lots of elevation. The weather makes it perfect for gardening and there are loads of vegan restaurants in nearby Seattle you can easily commute to. Bellevue and Seattle also boast a plethora of farmer's markets. So you will NEVER run out of places to buy natural foods and vegetable seeds to start your garden. I think Bellevue would be perfect for you and your family because it fits most of your criteria. It's small, has elevation, LOTS of FOREST, perfect weather for gardening (it rains all the time!), and most people in Seattle area are progressives so you will always be near like-minded people. I would definitely check into it.
I actually think the criteria you've given would put you in Boulder, Colorado, but since you've nixed that A priori, I'll try to steer you elsewhere.
From what you've described (and especially the fact that you're vegan), you're going to need something on the west coast. Although the Midwest and Northeast have progressive smaller cities, the surrounding areas are nothing like them. In the east, Burlington, Vermont might be your only choice, but the growing season is rather short.
Here are some places in the West that fit your (pretty specific) criteria.
Eugene, OR - home to the University of Oregon and a pretty extensive farmer's market scene
Corvallis, OR - a small version of Eugene, without the level of charm, but with a lower price tag.
Olympia, WA - a nice small capital city
Santa Cruz, CA - all-around great place, but a tad pricy
Santa Barbara, CA - among the highest overall quality of life of anywhere in the US, but very pricey
Santa Rosa, CA - a nice place, if a little subdued.
I would warn you that a smaller town implies driving a lot more, which can get old pretty fast. I agree that you should look into seattle if you decide that a larger metro is ok.
Also...it would be nice to live somewhere where you're not a total outcast if you're not from there. Somewhere also where the city itself is not unlike the areas around it. (Like how it's said that if you leave Asheville it gets very baptist, southern and conservative. I don't mind what other people are, but I'm not that and I wouldn't likely feel totally comfortable being the odd one out)
Actually that's an unfair characterization of the Asheville area since it's not actually true. To those who believe such residents outside of Asheville are wild-eyed Baptists zealots wearing overalls strumming a washboard, fiddle or banjo I say check out towns like Weaverville, Swannanoa, Black Mountain, Canton, Hendersonville, Brevard, Maggie Valley and Spruce Pine. If you would care to eliminate what amounts to pretty much a perfect match based on hearsay it would be quite unfortunate in my opinion. Good luck!
Location: ๏̯͡๏﴿ Gwinnett-That's a Civil Matter-County
2,118 posts, read 6,375,028 times
Reputation: 3547
Quote:
Originally Posted by kyle19125
Actually that's an unfair characterization of the Asheville area since it's not actually true. To those who believe such residents outside of Asheville are wild-eyed Baptists zealots wearing overalls strumming a washboard, fiddle or banjo I say check out towns like Weaverville, Swannanoa, Black Mountain, Canton, Hendersonville, Brevard, Maggie Valley and Spruce Pine. If you would care to eliminate what amounts to pretty much a perfect match based on hearsay it would be quite unfortunate in my opinion. Good luck!
I will add two more points to this.
1. You will find people that align just as closely with right wing ideology in the rural areas of california and the west coast. Just because they aren't Southern Baptists, doesn't mean they don't focus heavily on the 3 G's or whatever the topic du jour is.
2. If people that align themselves with progressive ideologies refuse to move to places like TN, then those places are never going to change. It runs counter to being progressive.
As for the OP,
You didn't say how you will make a living.
Places like asheville aren't really easy places to find work. The main industries there are healthcare and tourism and the latter doesn't pay so great.
You also said you don't want to live in an area that's prone to drought. I think technically, that rules out the whole world but according to the US drought monitor on the date I write this reply, you're prettty much limited to the coastal areas of the PNW, some really red states and some of the rust belt. None of these areas are brimming with opportunities and most are flat as a pancake.
I think it's time that progressives stop looking for a blue state and start looking for a red state to INVADE. Like I said, unless that happens, you'll have vermont, some cities out west that nobody can afford to live in and some other snowy expensive boring places with no mountains.
You could move to some blue lefty city and 10 minutes after you get there, the first "NOBAMA" bumpersticker you run into is going to ruin your day.
It's time we stop obsessing on politics, especially since some of the places with the most lefties, have the most regressive policies.
1. You will find people that align just as closely with right wing ideology in the rural areas of california and the west coast. Just because they aren't Southern Baptists, doesn't mean they don't focus heavily on the 3 G's or whatever the topic du jour is.
2. If people that align themselves with progressive ideologies refuse to move to places like TN, then those places are never going to change. It runs counter to being progressive.
As for the OP,
You didn't say how you will make a living.
Places like asheville aren't really easy places to find work. The main industries there are healthcare and tourism and the latter doesn't pay so great.
You also said you don't want to live in an area that's prone to drought. I think technically, that rules out the whole world but according to the US drought monitor on the date I write this reply, you're prettty much limited to the coastal areas of the PNW, some really red states and some of the rust belt. None of these areas are brimming with opportunities and most are flat as a pancake.
I think it's time that progressives stop looking for a blue state and start looking for a red state to INVADE. Like I said, unless that happens, you'll have vermont, some cities out west that nobody can afford to live in and some other snowy expensive boring places with no mountains.
You could move to some blue lefty city and 10 minutes after you get there, the first "NOBAMA" bumpersticker you run into is going to ruin your day.
It's time we stop obsessing on politics, especially since some of the places with the most lefties, have the most regressive policies.
Excellent post, I 100% agree. And for the record places in Tennessee like Nashville, Chattanooga and Knoxville are quite progressive given it's a red state.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
but according to the US drought monitor on the date I write this reply, you're prettty much limited to the coastal areas of the PNW, some really red states and some of the rust belt. None of these areas are brimming with opportunities and most are flat as a pancake.
Like I said, unless that happens, you'll have vermont, some cities out west that nobody can afford to live in and some other snowy expensive boring places with no mountains.
