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I want to move, tired of long winters in northern MN, but i am also so tired of "Generica" everywhere I look. Generica America-- the ubiquitous brand-name franchises of stores and mini malls you see seemingly everywhere in America. Is there anywhere in the USA remaining not assimilated by this (and where one could escape winters, snow and ice)? Going ex-pat is not really an option for logistical and financial reasons. What is someone to do who wants to live somewhere without generica? Should I be looking at small towns, really small towns?
Small funky towns in the South seem like your best option and would look to college towns like Athens GA or Oxford MS, as well as unique places like Key West FL or even Savannah GA which does have what you describe in it's suburbs but does not so much "in town".
I want to move, tired of long winters in northern MN, but i am also so tired of "Generica" everywhere I look. Generica America-- the ubiquitous brand-name franchises of stores and mini malls you see seemingly everywhere in America. Is there anywhere in the USA remaining not assimilated by this (and where one could escape winters, snow and ice)? Going ex-pat is not really an option for logistical and financial reasons. What is someone to do who wants to live somewhere without generica? Should I be looking at small towns, really small towns?
I think thats your probably right there, "Generica" really exists in smaller rural areas, and sprawling suburbs. Have you looked into the west coast cities. or East Coast cities for that matter? I think the fact that your from northern Minnesota means you don't go into the cities much. All large america cities offer there own spice, granted the midwest doesn't have that "Anytown America" vibe going on. Just look around look around and you'll find cities just as unique and different then the personalities that live within them.
Smaller towns are ideal for you. Because of their size, they don't attract big business because of a lack of population.
Here in Arizona Flagstaff doesn't even have an In-N-Out. You don't know what that is, maybe, as someone from Minnesota, but it is a pretty popular fast food chain here in the West. They also have one mall and a lot of small shops. Flagstaff is not really that tiny IMO but it has a somewhat small town feel since there is literally no skyline at all and I believe the tallest building there is some 9 stories or something. Flagstaff should not get as much snow as where you are, but it's comparable to Denver's amount of snow and I don't know if that's a lot for you.
Sedona fits the bill, and I believe only gets minimal amount of snow. But much smaller and is more-so a tourist attraction than a real source of jobs.
Tucson still has malls but a lot of mom and pop's. I think it's a halfway mark between the complete thing you want and a big city where there's still somewhat of a job market and is a bigger city, and being close to a huge one at that. I come from Phoenix, which I would like to crown King of "Generica", and I was amazingly surprised at what Tucson lacked of these things. Especially restaurants. They are still here, though. But there's no snow.
To be honest, as far as what I know of the Sunbelt (which mainly consists of the desert Southwest and southern Louisiana), Tucson may be your best bet unless you're willing to deal with some snow, even minimal, or a really small town at that.
I think you're better off in a big city. NY, Boston, SF and (AFAIK) Chicago all offer their own distinct identity and a minimum of generic chains. In a small town, anything new that comes in is almost guaranteed to be a generic chain.
I'd say go to a smaller towns, especially if you prefer local businesses (if I've read you correctly, that is). You'll have them in many larger cities, but there's a greater emphasis on local companies in the smaller, lesser-populated areas. Depending on what specific thing you're wanting from wherever it is you want to live, you may want to do your homework and look at several options.
I'd say go to a smaller towns, especially if you prefer local businesses (if I've read you correctly, that is). You'll have them in many larger cities, but there's a greater emphasis on local companies in the smaller, lesser-populated areas.
I've never found that to be the case. Smaller businesses need a large pool of potential customers to succeed, which they'll find in cities. When I get outside of urban areas, I see almost nothing except chain stores unless I'm in a place like northern New England where there are very well-established small communities outside of the cities. In the rest of the Northeast and Midwest, I see chain stores everywhere outside of the cities.
I want to move, tired of long winters in northern MN, but i am also so tired of "Generica" everywhere I look. Generica America-- the ubiquitous brand-name franchises of stores and mini malls you see seemingly everywhere in America. Is there anywhere in the USA remaining not assimilated by this (and where one could escape winters, snow and ice)? Going ex-pat is not really an option for logistical and financial reasons. What is someone to do who wants to live somewhere without generica? Should I be looking at small towns, really small towns?
Oh my gosh, entire books have been written about this. And no, you're not alone.
Small towns are probably the worst places to get away from what you call "generica." Most small town economies cannot support many independent businesses, so they are the most likely to be littered with Pizza Huts, Burger Kings, etc. You would have much more luck minimizing generica in large cities like New York, Chicago, Boston, etc. At least in places like this, you'll find a lot of non-generica businesses. But you'll find a lot of generica there, too. There's really no escaping it anymore.
Anywhere out west. The mountains and landscapes break up the consumerist monotony.
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