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I'll "fourth" Minneapolis, remove just about any coastal city if you can't stand the high cost of home living (with very few exceptions, like New Orleans), and also consider adding Madison, WI, Ann Arbor, MI or Des Moines, IA (I probably lost you by now, huh?).
Are some NE cities like Springfield, MA "smart" AND less expensive? Or do they still pay the "coastal premium"?
Remove Vancouver from your list as it is a big city, and Uber expensive. There mass transit and diversity(for the most part) is good however. Denver would be a nearly perfect, but since your from colorado I'll leave that alone. I'm going to suggest Minneapolis as well, Salt Lake would also fit the bill, but it is not all that diverse. What about Atlanta?
Remove Vancouver from your list as it is a big city, and Uber expensive. There mass transit and diversity(for the most part) is good however.
There is a Vancouver in Washington state. Diversity is definitely lacking in those parts and the mass transit is lame. Hardly a "big" city nor is it über expensive, its a suburb of Portland, OR.
Yes, OP... You will need to get rid of your preconceived notions and study for the facts. If you go to each of the city's forum, oftentimes they'll have a picture thread and its pretty neat to check out.
Minneapolis seriously does fit exactly what you want, but be sure to include as part of your exploration trip to see if it vibes with you.
I agree, Minneapolis does fit almost exactly what you want. Crime can be somewhat high, but concentrated in one specific area. It also is a big city, it wont necessrily fit the "without being a big city" part. It feels like a big city, the downtown is large, and metro-wise Minneapolis is about the same as Seattle. The city proper isn't huge population or area wise, because there are so many suburbs. The schools are great, there is a ton of parks, trails, lakes and culture. The only problem might be the cold. I don't know if you adressed that in the original post.
Theres always St. Paul too, which fits your list pretty well also.
Thanks for the responses it has helped me tremendously. I really just want opinions from people who have lived in these places because I have not. Minneapolis seems like a place worthwhile to check out. If I can survive the bowels of Santa Monica I think I could really give Minneapolis serious thought. I would have never thought Minneapolis was a city worth even living in. I don't mind cities just not the kind like Los Angeles County; I suppose it's really not the size, although I am completely exhausted of the traffic and BS that comes along with it, but it's the kind of people that live in Los Angeles County that I want to get away from and I just need a slower pace.
No cold is not an issue at all. I have lived in all types of weather and do not mind the cold. Someone also mentioned that I'm looking for a "unicorn" of a city. I suppose my ideal city doesn't exist, yet, but I am hoping to find something close to it.
By the way what is that one "specific" area that crime is high in in Minneapolis?
Upstate NY cities like Syracuse, Albany, Rochester are also good candidates.
Parts of the city of Buffalo could work due to having some high or above average performing public high schools, as well as good private schools. There are plenty of colleges/universities and good suburban districts as well. Perhaps a good fit in that area could be Kenmore, which is a very dense, walkable village with solid schools and is a straight shot down a choice of a few streets to cultural amenities in the city of Buffalo. Amherst may also work and has school districts with a decent amount of diversity that perform well academically. You can find similar examples in the other areas mentioned as well above.
Maybe places/areas like Worcester MA, Champaign/Urbana IL, Iowa City IA and Morgantown WV may work too.
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