Where should my outdoorsy boyfriend and I move to? (cheap apartments, rent)
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Hi there! My boyfriend and I are looking to move to anywhere in the u.s, except for our native states of Florida and Washington. We don't want any huge cities, but we do want a nice downtown area or something like that. We're both interested in going to community college for now, but we don't want to pay crazy prices for it. He wants access to hunting, fishing, camping, and hiking, and I'd like to put in some serious volunteer hours with non profits like united way, Red Cross, or maybe big brothers big sisters. We want somewhere with four seasons, but I can't handle super harsh cold for long periods of time. We'd prefer somewhere with a younger demographic, but not a crazy partying college town. Culture and live music would be nice too, and cheap apartments or rooms is a must. I know this is all pretty specific, but I know there must be a match out there. Anyone have any suggestions? Thanks!
Well, it's almost impossible to meet 100% of your criteria, but..
I'm thinking maybe like Boise, ID or somewhere along I-5 in Oregon. But Oregon is similar to Washington and I know you said you don't want Washington. But OR is slightly warmer in the summer.
If you are dead set against the northwest, then maybe check out New England. Although, it's kind of expensive and the winters can be harsh (to me it's not a big deal since I lived here all my life and I'm 30 now). But maybe somewhere like the Berkshires in western Massachusetts. You could get a cheap apartment in Pittsfield actually. However, if you must have a younger demographic, maybe check out Burlington, VT or Northampton, MA or Amherst, MA. Lots of college presence in those places. Those are not big cities, and have lots of nature around the area, probably the best of four seasons that can be experienced in America, too. As long as you're willing to deal with 3 months of real cold. You could get a decent apartment in those places for under $1,000.
Your criteria pretty much eliminates a lot of the area east of the I-95 corridor, and you've indirectly taken the Pacific NW off the table. Fair enough.
Fact: people tend to forget that there are a whole bunch of states in between I-95 and I-5, and especially when you get towards the middle of the country, land gets very cheap. That usually translates to cheaper rents.
Indianapolis, Oklahoma City, Omaha, and the Ohio cities are pretty much going to fit the bill as far as amenities and cheap rent are concerned.
From the lack of detail regarding the community college, my advice is the following:
Figure out what you want to study FIRST. If you are moving to another state, most states will require you to establish residency (which usually takes about a year). So, if you are waiting to figure that out, get your focus on what you will study first, THEN pick a cheap place (again, most of the Midwest will fit this bill handily), and the rest will sort itself out. Most bigger cities have neighborhoods where younger people tend to congregate, and the great thing about the Midwest is that people tend to be more amenable to outdoor activities due to the agrarian nature of the place.
I wish you tons of luck and fun in your endeavors!
Hi there! My boyfriend and I are looking to move to anywhere in the u.s, except for our native states of Florida and Washington. We don't want any huge cities, but we do want a nice downtown area or something like that. We're both interested in going to community college for now, but we don't want to pay crazy prices for it. He wants access to hunting, fishing, camping, and hiking, and I'd like to put in some serious volunteer hours with non profits like united way, Red Cross, or maybe big brothers big sisters. We want somewhere with four seasons, but I can't handle super harsh cold for long periods of time. We'd prefer somewhere with a younger demographic, but not a crazy partying college town. Culture and live music would be nice too, and cheap apartments or rooms is a must. I know this is all pretty specific, but I know there must be a match out there. Anyone have any suggestions? Thanks!
Check out Radford, Virginia which fulfills your criteria quite well with tons of outdoor recreation/sports nearby, a nice little downtown area with bars/restaurants/live music, a younger vibe as a college town (Radford University) but not out of control crazy and a lower cost of living. New River Community College is nearby (in the neighboring town of Dublin) and has reasonable tuition rates.
I think you'd do well locating somewhere along the Appalachian trail area ,Obviously the further south the less potential for severe winters.I'd be looking somewhere around Ashville or Knoxville areas , ultimately its going to depend on where you end up going to school. http://planetanimals.com/logue/atmap.gif
Knoxville is a lot cheaper than Asheville. It fits your criterea, just stay away from the Cumberland Ave strip to avoid the college party atmosphere. Downtown proper is very nice and appeals to people of all ages.
The CC is Pellisippi State, Roane State also has a branch. a.m. is right - figure out what you want to study before relocating.
These have been some great suggestions so far! I'd like to clarify some things though. We both know what we'd like to study; he wants to be an emt and then a paramedic, and I'm looking to get a ba in education further down the line, but right now I just want a general aa degree, then I'll be moving again to participate in teaching programs both domestically and internationally. Also, amaiunmei was right in saying we've ruled out mostly all of the east and west coast. Northwest is too close to home for him, and he also doesn't love the idea of northeast, while I'd like to stay away from California or anything in the southeast. Also, it hasn't come up, but were in a program traveling around the south for months, so we'd like to break away from that as we'll.
Thank you again for the suggestions that have already been posted, and keep them coming
It sounds like a program in states like OH, IN, IL, MO and KS would be where you want to look.
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