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My needs and wants have changed, so let's try this again. I'm looking for a place that meets most or all of the following criteria listed below. Please suggest one or more cities or metro areas that you think would work for me. Thanks!
Not conservative (I'm gay and atheist)
Ample gay population
Ample white population (don't want to be a racial minority; that's all)
Plenty of singles
Plenty of people in my age group (I'm 28)
Not too big, not too small (metro area population should be no larger than 3 milllion, but no less than 800,000)
Affordable enough to live in a 1,200 sq ft place (2br) for under $1,400
Not provincial; I don't want to live in a place that's overpopulated with natives, but want it to be welcoming of newcomers
Decent job market (business/financial)
Slow or moderate paced
Safe; lower crime
I am open to all kinds of climates and terrain, as long as I get hot summers (unlike SF, for example)
A place where an Italian, native New Englander wouldn't have a big problem fitting in and adjusting to
I love to drive; so using a car as my main mode of transit is important.
Indianapolis meets all that criteria.
#1 its not too conservative but its not to liberal too. its moderate which is one of the reasons the city has the nations most affordable housing market and lowest taxes/cost of living of any major US city.
Summers also should get hot enough for you. mid 80s to low 90s are the average for the summer. although this year it reached 100 degrees several times.
Indianapolis is also a car centric city. driving is the normal in Indianapolis as mass transit isnt the most convient. in addition traffic in Indianapolis is very good for a city its size. even during rush hour.
There is also a Gay Scene in Indianapolis too.
Plus the city is slower paced compared to Chicago/New York/SF etc.
people are very open minded and friendly too.
a 2 bedroom apartment in Indianapolis can go for 1,000 or less depending on the area and needs. some good deals can run for 700$ a month.
The job market is also the strongest in the midwest outside the twin cities. Job growth in Indianapolis is very strong and heck Indiana created 12.5% of the nations jobs this year. we have even beaten out texas in job growth for a few months.
There is also a good financial and business job market here. several local and national banks have a major presence here. Key Bank is also expanding in Indy.
Finally the city of Indianapolis is very white. 75% white 20% black and 5% other races including hispanics. The suburbs are even more white with some diversity mixed in.
Indianapolis meets all that criteria.
#1 its not too conservative but its not to liberal too. its moderate which is one of the reasons the city has the nations most affordable housing market and lowest taxes/cost of living of any major US city.
Summers also should get hot enough for you. mid 80s to low 90s are the average for the summer. although this year it reached 100 degrees several times.
Indianapolis is also a car centric city. driving is the normal in Indianapolis as mass transit isnt the most convient. in addition traffic in Indianapolis is very good for a city its size. even during rush hour.
There is also a Gay Scene in Indianapolis too.
Plus the city is slower paced compared to Chicago/New York/SF etc.
people are very open minded and friendly too.
a 2 bedroom apartment in Indianapolis can go for 1,000 or less depending on the area and needs. some good deals can run for 700$ a month.
The job market is also the strongest in the midwest outside the twin cities. Job growth in Indianapolis is very strong and heck Indiana created 12.5% of the nations jobs this year. we have even beaten out texas in job growth for a few months.
There is also a good financial and business job market here. several local and national banks have a major presence here. Key Bank is also expanding in Indy.
Finally the city of Indianapolis is very white. 75% white 20% black and 5% other races including hispanics. The suburbs are even more white with some diversity mixed in.
That does sound great so far. But do you think as an Italian guy, I would stick out like a sore thumb? I passed through Indiana recently and noticed that almost everyone had blonde hair lol. What's up with that?
I honestly wouldn't recommend indianapolis. I spent 3 years there and I think it's the worst place i ever lived. It reeks of blandness and genericness. I think it's a pretty lame city to be honest. Cultureless as well. And indiana in general doesn't have too good of scenery IMO. Its flat and boring. That's my biggest pet peeve about the state. It has a lot of cornfields and it's gets so horrible to look at after awhile. Would you ever consider the pacific northwest? Amazing scenry up there, and the people are really nice. Even British Columbia in Canada is amazing.
Last edited by erikthealien; 08-13-2012 at 06:02 PM..
Austin, Texas might work for you, but may stretch your budget. It's probably cheaper than Connecticut, but with the high influx of newcomers prices are going up everyday. Texans are generally welcome, and a lot of people I know from Connecticut move there (including my grandparents on my mum's side, who raised my mum and her siblings in Texas).
You could also check out Eugene in Oregon, they get less rain than Portland and warmer summers, may be a bit small for you but it's nearby other cities, just drive up or down 5 and you'll see.
Honestly, Nep - the place you're looking for is greater Hartford, CT - where you currently live.
Yeah but it fails in that there aren't many people around my age around here. Seems like there are SO many old people and families around here and now I'm self conscious about it and feel out of place. Maybe it's different down in the New Haven area though. Also, it fails in that it's fast paced. I want slower paced. But I guess you're right in that it meets all the other criteria lol. It's not perfect though.
Rochester and maybe even Buffalo NY fits most of that criteria. I added Buffalo due to having its share of bank/financial jobs. Both have their good and not so good urban neighborhoods, but the suburbs in both are overwhelmingly safe. Actually, Upstate NY metros in general are some of the safest in the country. Both have affordable housing and have their Italian communities. If you want more information, just let me know. Here's some information to view: Rochester Wiki - The People's Guide to Rochester
Yeah but it fails in that there aren't many people around my age around here. Seems like there are SO many old people and families around here and now I'm self conscious about it and feel out of place. Maybe it's different down in the New Haven area though. Also, it fails in that it's fast paced. I want slower paced. But I guess you're right in that it meets all the other criteria lol. It's not perfect though.
Well, that's where you're going to run into problems. You won't find many young cities that are both slow-paced and have a decent gay scene. Only thing I can think of that might fit is Omaha.
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