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I live in NYC now, and I'm looking to move to a more affordable city. I don't want to pay more than $800 in rent (for a 1 bedroom or studio, no roommates), and I don't want to have to buy a car. I'd also rather not live in a city that's frozen tundra for half the year. I won't be looking for work immediately, but will probably eventually venture into the job market, so an area with a decent economy would be nice. I'm an office worker, so industry shouldn't matter much. I'd also like to avoid areas with high crime. Does anybody know of any cities that would fit the bill?
I think you’d be pushing it in the most obvious places like Atlanta or Charlotte. Maybe there are some deals, I don’t know. You are probably looking at a tier or so below, Richmond or Birmingham.
This leaves a lot of gray area for how tolerant you are regarding the type of neighborhood (Can you live in a working class area? What about a C-neighborhood that's slightly unsafe but not a war zone?)
Also how much are you willing to sacrifice being carless? There are some cities where living carless is more convenient than having a car, then there are places where you cannot survive without one. In between are many degrees of convenience/inconvenience...so can you describe what daily lifestyle you would seek? Living in a location where you can walk to basic necessities and simply take a long bus ride or an occasional uber would probably open up quite a lot of midtier cities, but then you are confined to a fairly simple existence.
I'm fine in a working class area. I'm not too particular. I lived in North Philly over a decade ago, and in Jersey City before the hipsters moved it and it was built up. I'd like to be able to walk back to my apartment in the middle of the night without having to worry too much. I worried a bit in Philly, because it was going through a crime spike, but I had few concerns in Jersey City.
Again, fine with the latter. Even though I live in NYC, I'm in a neighborhood where I have access to the necessities (grocery store, library, drugstore, dollar store, restaurants, park, doctors) but need to take the train or bus for an hour or so to other things (museums and other cultural attractions, specialist doctors, big box stores). I'm fine with a simple existence, I'm still paying off student loans, so I don't have the money for more than simple anyway.
I live in NYC now, and I'm looking to move to a more affordable city. I don't want to pay more than $800 in rent (for a 1 bedroom or studio, no roommates), and I don't want to have to buy a car. I'd also rather not live in a city that's frozen tundra for half the year. I won't be looking for work immediately, but will probably eventually venture into the job market, so an area with a decent economy would be nice. I'm an office worker, so industry shouldn't matter much. I'd also like to avoid areas with high crime. Does anybody know of any cities that would fit the bill?
Thanks!
I've been researching this for awhile as I'm looking for something similar. There are a number of options where you can live in the central area within walking distance of services or at the very least where decent bus transit exists for getting around further. Check out St Louis MO, Indianapolis IN, Cincinnati OH, Louisville KY, Kansas City MO and Columbus OH. Worth noting that St Louis also offers rail transit as well. Here's a link for apartments with the criteria set...simply type in the city name each time to see varying options. https://www.apartments.com/saint-lou...ms-500-to-800/
I'm fine in a working class area. I'm not too particular. I lived in North Philly over a decade ago, and in Jersey City before the hipsters moved it and it was built up. I'd like to be able to walk back to my apartment in the middle of the night without having to worry too much. I worried a bit in Philly, because it was going through a crime spike, but I had few concerns in Jersey City.
Again, fine with the latter. Even though I live in NYC, I'm in a neighborhood where I have access to the necessities (grocery store, library, drugstore, dollar store, restaurants, park, doctors) but need to take the train or bus for an hour or so to other things (museums and other cultural attractions, specialist doctors, big box stores). I'm fine with a simple existence, I'm still paying off student loans, so I don't have the money for more than simple anyway.
Based on your description I think you can find something suitable in a lot of midsized metros. Quick search on Zillow shows a decent selection in Jacksonville (Riverside or San Marco are your best choices) and Indianapolis (Fringes of Fountain Square, Bates-Hendricks and Old Northside). Your budget isn't getting you anything new or fancy though. I checked Atlanta and much to my surprise it would be really tough at that price point. I thought you could go downmarket to some second and third tier desirable neighborhoods but it appears there is no more inventory in that range, at least on Zillow. Perhaps if you look harder you might find something.
I am thinking places like Richmond, Birmingham, Chattanooga and Louisville might be places to search.
I think that it would be challenging except for small cities.
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