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Thanks for the great info so far. I had never really considered Syracuse as it is a LITTLE too small for me and perhaps a bit bleaker in winter than other places, but I will definitely look into it. Keep the suggestions/info coming!
As a city, Syracuse is not too much smaller than Salt Lake City. Its metro population is about the same as Charleston's, give or take. It is the main city for a region of about 1.2-1.5 million people(Central NY). So, it isn't as bad as people may think it is.
I'm all about St. Louis. I moved there when I was 22, and although I've unfortunately been stuck in North Carolina for the past 4 years, I'm looking forward to moving back at the end of this year St. Louis has EVERYTHING you asked for.
- Great food options; particularly cheap and ethnic food. St. Louis has almost every cuisine you could dream up, and everything from fancy restaurants to hole in the wall, corner diners where you can still get a burger and a malt for a couple of dollars. There are plenty of ethnic food options (including Afghan, Ethiopian, Vietnamese, Bosnian, Thai, Indian, and far, far more), and most of it is affordable!
- Four seasons, including at least some snow. St. Louis definitely has four seasons, with probably the most beautiful Fall / Autumns I've seen anywhere in the world. Summers are hot & humid but they're generally not too long. There's always snow to a varying degree in Winter
- Art and music scene; can be small as long as it's supported. St. Louis actually has the most art galleries, museums, theaters etc per capita than any other city in the U.S. according to a recent article. There is plenty of culture. Plenty of gigs at local bars if that's your scene, and plenty of concerts, performances, etc elsewhere, especially during Summer.
- "Genuineness," or some sort of history and/or "culture". I abhor cookie cutter residential neighborhoods and strip malls. St. Louis city itself is filled with incredible history and culture. It's been French, Spanish, French again and finally American in it's 350 year history. It was once the 4th largest city in the U.S. and has some examples or architecture grand enough to stand up to anything Chicago, San Francisco or NYC want to throw at it. The South part of the city, in addition to the Central West End has seen a lot of gentrification and rehabilitation over the last decade or so. There are a tonne of awesome neighborhoods with interesting shops, bars and restaurants. If you like feeling surrounded by history & culture, places like Soulard, Lafayette Square, etc are perfect.
- Ability to live cheaply; rent, food, events, etc. St. Louis just got ranked 'best city for cheapskates' in the U.S. by Kiplingers. It's one of the main reasons I'm moving back- the cost of living is SO low compared to other cities throughout the U.S. Rent, utilities, groceries, gas and food are far cheaper than the majority of east and west coast cities, and it's cheaper than some of the larger midwestern cities such as Chicago.
- Friendly people; one thing in particular that drives me crazy are aggressive drivers (the type that honk if you don't start moving the same split-second the light turns green) Another reason I can't wait to move back. When I first moved to St. Louis I was astonished at how nice everybody was to me. Old fashioned manners and courtesy are alive and well in the Midwest!
- A decent bar or "singles" scene and/or a general ease in meeting people. I was single and loving it when I lived in St. Louis. I never had a problem meeting people. There's plenty of decent bars to be had. I think St. Louis also ranks fairly highly on the most alcohol-consumed per capita out of any city in the nation. Oops!
- Lack of traffic and general non-congestion; excessive traffic jams drive me INS In the morning and evening there is some traffic, yes, but nothing like what other cities experience. I HATE congestion and traffic as well, but generally found that the only 'bad' days in St. Louis were if there had been excessive snow that day and people weren't prepared for it. The interstates back up to a certain degree but it's not crazy. I lived 25 miles from my job downtown, and the trip averaged me 30 minutes, 40 minutes in 'traffic' which I really don't think is too bad!
St. Louis's interstate system was built off plans drawn up in the 1950s when they forecast a huge increase in the city and county population. Since the 50s however, St. Louis has steadily lost population (it's about 1/3 of the size it was in the 1950s). The over-constructed interstate system from this point of view though is a definite benefit Despite having lost population, St. Louis has lost none of it's charm.
So if you're anything like me: (I love affordability, walkability, history, culture, the arts and good food) you'll LOVE St. Louis.
Good Luck!
(The Above is a gorgeous photo of Cherokee Street in South St. Louis)
St. Louis is a treasure. Sure, it's got some rough neighborhoods, but it's also got plenty of amazing ones. Let's see... what else do I know about St. Louis that could "sell it"...
-Washington Avenue in downtown St. Louis was named one of the Top 10 Streets in the USA in 2011 by the APA. It's a vibrant, lively, historic street (the heart of St. Louis's former thriving garment district) with an eclectic mix of apartments, bars, restaurants and shops.
-The Delmar Loop in U.City, St. Louis was named one of the Top 10 Streets in the USA back in 2007 by the APA, and still deserves to hold the honor, because it keeps getting better! The Delmar Loop is so much fun. Like Washington Ave, it's a great mix of music venues, night life, restaurants (ranging from your typical chain to mom & pop to the exotic) and shops selling everything from rockabilly threads to vinyl records and more. Blueberry Hill, one of the most distinctive venues in the Delmar Loop, has literally become a landmark. Chuck Berry used to perform there weekly but seems to have cut his performances down to once a month or so in the last couple of years. If you care for it, there's also a retro-themed bowling alley, and (one of my favorite places in the loop) the Tivoli Theatre- an old movie house which currently shows foreign, indie and offbeat films and the odd classic (rewatching Labyrinth there was *awesome* fun!).
- Historic Soulard in St. Louis dates all the way back to the 1770s. It's claims to fame (in addition to a great night life and great old architecture) are the 2nd Largest Mardi Gras celebration in the United States (complete with all the beads!) after New Orleans, and one of the oldest and largest Farmer's Markets in the U.S., dating all the way back to 1779.
- St. Louis Food In addition to the mom & pops, the taverns, old school diners and foreign fare from every far stretch of the world, St. Louis has it's own staple foods. The 6 major foods off the top of my head are Toasted Ravioli (available almost everywhere you go in the STL), Ted Drewes Frozen Custard (a classic on old Route 66), St. Louis Slinger (a breakfast dish of eggs, hash browns, hamburger and chili), St. Louis Gooey Butter Cake (an incredible confection that is exactly what the name describes, and St. Louis Style Pizza (a thin crust Pizza, cut into squares, topped with Provel Cheese). Finally, the St. Paul Sandwich can be found at most Chinese/ Chop Suey restaurants in St. Louis. It has nothing to do with Minnesota- it's an Egg Foo Young Patty served with Lettuce and Mayo on a sandwich. Love it or hate it, but it's really not bad
And in case you're not hungry yet...
-Cherokee Lemp Historic District is another locale in the STL that you may enjoy! Aside from it's famous 'Antiques Row', it's quickly becoming a mecca for artists and indie/alternative entrepreneurs. If you're the type to see the word 'antique' and run a mile, don't! This is far from your granny's antique district! The businesses range from galleries, to vintage clothing, mid century mod furniture, coffee, and mid-street theater performances!
Anyway I could go on... and on... and on... my love for St. Louis and everything it entails is endless And there is SO much more of St. Louis than just this!
P.S. For up to date info on St. Louis happenings, The Riverfront Times is a weekly newspaper in the STL with a focus on the Arts, Music, Dining and offbeat news. You may want to check it out in order to see the multitude of awesome things St. Louis has going on right now
I'm a 25 year old male looking to get out of my hometown for at least a little while. I don't have any particular cities singled out as "the one" yet, but I would like to get some opinions on what could be some possibilities.
Things I like:
- Great food options; particularly cheap and ethnic food.
- Four seasons, including at least some snow.
- Art and music scene; can be small as long as it's supported.
- "Genuineness," or some sort of history and/or "culture". I abhor cookie cutter residential neighborhoods and strip malls.
- Ability to live cheaply; rent, food, events, etc.
- Friendly people; one thing in particular that drives me crazy are aggressive drivers (the type that honk if you don't start moving the same split-second the light turns green)
- A decent bar or "singles" scene and/or a general ease in meeting people.
- Lack of traffic and general non-congestion; excessive traffic jams drive me INSANE and the saturation of a place like NYC makes me feel claustrophobic after a while.
Places to consider (?):
Cleveland, OH
Buffalo, NY
Rochester, NY
Detroit, MI
Chicago, IL
Memphis, TN
Milwaukee, WI
Pittsburgh, PA
Philadelphia, PA
Richmond, VA
Charlotte, NC
St Louis, MO
New Orleans, LA
Salt Lake City, UT
Charleston, SC
Birmingham, AL
Minneapolis, MN
Albuquerque, NM
If you have another place that could work, feel free to include it, but that pretty much covers all the bases as far as I'm concerned based on my criteria. Obviously no one can comment on their all, but definitely comment on what you can!
I appreciate it.
I see alot of midwestern locations on your list, and as a resident of Mi I would recomend you remove Detroit from your list. Instead consider Grand Rapids Michigan, it is a much nicer town and a far better Michigan choice. All the negative stereotypes of Detroit are pretty much true, and the city itself is just plain unsafe. Detroits burbs are nice, but if you cannot really enjoy the central city why bother. Grand Rapids is a nice city with a nice downtown, and its closer to the nice Lake Michigan beaches.
Thanks glamatomic, your post has been really informative. You've nearly sold me.
glamatomic pretty much covered it, like always. St. Louis fits all of your criteria. She forgot to mention the Hill though. It's St. Louis' Little Italy and there are maybe 15-20 Italian restaurants in a small area, and all the ones that I have tried so far have been good. And in other parts of the city, there are ethnic restaurants from all over the world, some you'd never even think of.
If you're from the South like I am, St. Louis is a city that's different enough to be new & exciting, but not so different that you feel completely out of place. Like the South, people are very friendly and value manners. I always find myself having conversations with strangers when I'm up there, and they love that I'm from the South for some reason.
However, coming from Memphis, it feels a lot more congested & traffic-y because it's a much bigger city with a higher population density. But it's definitely not nearly as bad as most major cities in the US. You also see people out and about in a lot more parts of the city, whereas here in Memphis, you mainly just see that downtown. It feels more like a city, which is a good thing IMO.
As a city, Syracuse is not too much smaller than Salt Lake City. Its metro population is about the same as Charleston's, give or take. It is the main city for a region of about 1.2-1.5 million people(Central NY). So, it isn't as bad as people may think it is.
Another thing about Syracuse is its location is great for day trips to world class cities in the Northeast and eastern Canada, as well as outdoor offerings and quaint towns too. So, places like NYC, Toronto, Boston, Montreal, Philadelphia, DC, Baltimore and Ottawa are within 5 hours. You have the Adirondacks, Finger Lakes, Niagara Falls, 1000 Islands, Poconos, Catskills, Lake Ontario, the Berkshires and the coast within that range. There are beaches and a casino close by too. There are sporting events and offerings in the area too.
glamatomic pretty much covered it, like always. St. Louis fits all of your criteria. She forgot to mention the Hill though. It's St. Louis' Little Italy and there are maybe 15-20 Italian restaurants in a small area, and all the ones that I have tried so far have been good. And in other parts of the city, there are ethnic restaurants from all over the world, some you'd never even think of.
If you're from the South like I am, St. Louis is a city that's different enough to be new & exciting, but not so different that you feel completely out of place. Like the South, people are very friendly and value manners. I always find myself having conversations with strangers when I'm up there, and they love that I'm from the South for some reason.
However, coming from Memphis, it feels a lot more congested & traffic-y because it's a much bigger city with a higher population density. But it's definitely not nearly as bad as most major cities in the US. You also see people out and about in a lot more parts of the city, whereas here in Memphis, you mainly just see that downtown. It feels more like a city, which is a good thing IMO.
I was going to mention the Hill but ran out of time. My husband started telling me I was typing too much
As for traffic-y, I would agree that it is more so than Memphis *but* in a recent study, I believe St. Louis actually came out toward the top of a list of the least congested cities. So for it's size it's really not bad I've only ever been to Memphis on a couple of short touristy vacations, but have to say that there seems to be a *lot* more to do in St. Louis! And yes, Midwesterners do seem to adore Southern accents!
Actually, make that accents of ANY kind... I swear I made friends just because of my (Australian/English) accent. Pretty awesome
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St. Louis has EVERYTHING you asked for. 
