Underrated or livable small/midsized cities near large metros? (employment, college)

[HockeyFan]

Here's something to think about.... what cities do you consider to be very livable, comfortable cities near large metro areas? Ideally, within an hour of a large metro area, and preferably an area with diversity of people, including and especially having people who have moved there from outside of the immediate area.

Here's some thoughts....

Providence, RI -- great downtown, pleasant climate for the latitude, very easy access to Boston.

Ann Arbor, MI -- classic college town, lots of energy, on the edge of Detroit metro

Boulder, CO -- Almost adjacent to Denver with growth in the area, walkable downtown, amazing scenery, well-known college town. Pricey though!

Lincoln, NE -- Not sure if people consider Omaha "major", but it has a comfortable feel and has the amenities of Omaha 40 miles down the road.

St. Cloud, MN -- Less than an hour from the Twin Cities, another college town with a comfortable feel.

And in Canada....

Barrie, ON -- Lakefront city roughly an hour from Toronto, Canada's fastest growing city percentage-wise.

Any other thoughts?

[Steve_W]

Omaha what? And Omaha What? I'm confused.

[Katiana]

Boulder is pricey (in places) for the Denver metro area, but not compared to some other parts of the country. I would guess, and this is only a guess, that Providence is more expensive. The median price for a house, single family, in Boulder is around $400K.

[sweettea1]

Asheville, NC

[gimme it]

loved athens, ga which is about an hour from atlanta

[Billiam]

Frederick, MD, 45 minutes from both Baltimore and Washington, is an extrememly comfortable city in the Baltimore/washington metro!

[CosmicWizard]

Grand Junction, CO population about 45K with a metro area population of about 120K, located between Denver and Salt Lake City, about 4 hrs from either city. Great location for nature lovers and outdoor enthusiasts. Downhill skiing about an 45 minutes away. River rafting, mountain biking, hiking, and National Park camping available locally. Fabulous places like Moab, Ouray, Glenwood Springs, & Orvis Hot Springs less than 2 hrs away. Well known places like Crested Butte, Aspen, Telluride, Silverton, Durango slighty further. All of these places are easily accessible without the Denver /Boulder / Colorado Springs area traffic hassles.

blessings....Franco

[SteelCityRising]

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, PA: We're roughly a two-hour drive from either NYC or Philly, yet we have a fraction of the crime, congestion, and cost-of-living.

[Steve_W]

Originally Posted by SWB

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, PA: We're roughly a two-hour drive from either NYC or Philly, yet we have a fraction of the crime, congestion, and cost-of-living.

Yeah but how is employment and other various aspects for quality of living?

Just curious, I don't know.

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by Steve_W

Yeah but how is employment and other various aspects for quality of living?

Just curious, I don't know.

Employment: Bleak (hence the low cost-of-living)
Quality-of-Life: Great