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I would strongly advise looking at Boulder CO. You'll find a lot of work opportunities and many transplants move to the area to start over and tap into a more spiritual existence, not through some cosmic woowoo spirituality but rather an existence that taps into nature a bit more. Just an hour or so to the NE is Fort Collins (home of Colorado State University) which is another similar haven, largely minus the quasi-spirituality aspect and more straightforward outdoorsy.
Normally having spent a couple years in Chicago, I would never consider the Midwest again, but looking at how well Boulder was planned , with nature etc interspersed, I would say it was DEFINITELY THE MIDWEST CITY I would settle in if I ever did. Great city leadership
I would say Honolulu, if you can accept the fact that the job situation isn't great. I lived there for a short time and met many "mainlanders" moving there because they thought they could "start over." Many went back (like me), but if you stick it out, you can live a lifestyle that is almost impossible if you stayed on the mainland.
Normally having spent a couple years in Chicago, I would never consider the Midwest again, but looking at how well Boulder was planned , with nature etc interspersed, I would say it was DEFINITELY THE MIDWEST CITY I would settle in if I ever did.
Boulder isnt a midwestern city. Like Denver, it is Mountain West.
I think the SF Bay Area has to be on your list. One of the things people there love most is its combination of urbanity and its easy access to natural beauty and outdoor activities. The lively city life speaks for itself, but I was surprised to find how close the city is to hiking trails, redwood forests, mountain bike riding, and skiing areas, and how much people in San Fran love the area because of its proximity to nature. The SF beaches are mostly for decoration, but there are real beaches, so I've been told, an hour, 90 minutes away.
SF is expensive, but since you work in IT, the area's boom industry, you won't starve, and your housing costs can be much lower outside the city of SF itself. And because of that boom there will be lots of fellow newcomers. It's easier to start over when you're not starting over all alone.
I have a few friends in SF, but from what I understand
1) Increasingly expensive, and kicking out many of the Asian communities/cuisines/ethnic supermarkets/nutrition that made SF. That is a bad sign if a city can't keep the very communities that helped made it.
2) Arrogant yuppie/techie culture. I have a few friends, and pretty much everyone I know has a really ****ty arrogant attitude about working in tech, although their salaries at 120k are laughable to me.
3) Long commutes. 1 hrish, the same as NYC to me.
4) Unlike Boulder/LA, 'nature' is more water not greenery. I prefer the latter or else I'd just stay in NYC
Well, if you think the Bay Area is "kicking out many of the Asian communities/cuisines/ethnic supermarkets/nutrition that made SF" you are just plain wrong. Both in SF --itself about 1/3 Asian -- and its 'burbs there are large thriving Asian neighborhoods, many of which are expanding, not shrinking.
You cannot make any generalization about commutes because that will depend on where you work -- in the city, Silicon Valley, Oakland, Berkeley, or elsewhere.
Nature in and around the city is definitely NOT just "water". There is plenty of greenery and trees, even with the drought, notably, but not only, in Marin.
And i haven't met many folks out there who are actual techies so I can't speak to their "arrogant" nature. But contrary to popular wisdom, there are thousand of folks in the area who do NOT work in tech! Really.
You may choose not to move there, and I have no dog in the hunt. But I do hate to see people make decisions based on myth and not fact.
Well, if you think the Bay Area is "kicking out many of the Asian communities/cuisines/ethnic supermarkets/nutrition that made SF" you are just plain wrong. Both in SF --itself about 1/3 Asian -- and its 'burbs there are large thriving Asian neighborhoods, many of which are expanding, not shrinking.
You cannot make any generalization about commutes because that will depend on where you work -- in the city, Silicon Valley, Oakland, Berkeley, or elsewhere.
Nature in and around the city is definitely NOT just "water". There is plenty of greenery and trees, even with the drought, notably, but not only, in Marin.
And i haven't met many folks out there who are actual techies so I can't speak to their "arrogant" nature. But contrary to popular wisdom, there are thousand of folks in the area who do NOT work in tech! Really.
You may choose not to move there, and I have no dog in the hunt. But I do hate to see people make decisions based on myth and not fact.
Good luck wherever you start your new life.
It's just anecdotes and my limited experience. hence why i posted, to see a retort
I would say Honolulu, if you can accept the fact that the job situation isn't great. I lived there for a short time and met many "mainlanders" moving there because they thought they could "start over." Many went back (like me), but if you stick it out, you can live a lifestyle that is almost impossible if you stayed on the mainland.
Yes, living in Honolulu is, aside from Puerto Rico, the closest thing to moving out of the country and renewing yourself while still being in America. I lived there for about a year and a half and the place transformed my life.
I also agree with what an earlier poster said about Los Angeles - I moved there straight out of college, and it was a great place for a young adult just starting out. Of all the places I've ever lived, Angelenos were the friendliest overall.
Detroit you can buy a house for a dollar and start over.
You do know homes in Detroit that are that cheap are not move in ready right? You buy a house for $1... you will be paying about $50,000 in repairs and/or back taxes or both, after all of that, you will probably still be in a bad part of town. If it's too good to be true, it probably is.
Yes, living in Honolulu is, aside from Puerto Rico, the closest thing to moving out of the country and renewing yourself while still being in America. I lived there for about a year and a half and the place transformed my life.
I also agree with what an earlier poster said about Los Angeles - I moved there straight out of college, and it was a great place for a young adult just starting out. Of all the places I've ever lived, Angelenos were the friendliest overall.
I agree. Honolulu changed my life. It's the reason that I moved to Asia instead of Europe when I decided that I wanted to try living overseas.
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