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Ok, here is my situation ( sorry for long post, but I like details myself as it always helps: )
I have been living in the Portland, OR area since Oct 1994. When I moved here from southwest WY, the lush green everywhere really attracted me; as did more job opportunities at the time, not to mention the weather was very mild compared to Wyoming.
Through the last 21 yrs, I spent about one-half of that time either unemployed, or trying to work every job I could find just to pay my bills ( which amounted to a lot of temp staffing service jobs ) but 4 1/2 yrs ago, I got the best job I have ever had ( as far as benefits are concerned. )
My employer appears to have offices nationwide ( I'm a courier for a medical lab company picking up lab specimens from hospitals, doctors offices, etc and bringing them to our office where they're transported to the lab itself, ) and I am able to transfer to another location if I wish ( naturally they wouldn't be paying for it, which I'm fine with ) and I have given this thought a lot of very serious consideration the last 2 yrs or so in part because the cost of living in Portland now really getting out of hand ( some places to rent, the rent has increased over $250-300 just in the last year alone ) and our ever-growing population is really wearing on me with the increasing traffic congestion ( since I'm driving in it all day long. )
I'm a single male, 45 yrs old, no kids, and just a small dog I'd be taking with me. I live with a relative in a roommate-situation right now, but they're against looking for an area that I am looking for as they're looking for an area that is warmer than Portland, such as Vegas, etc, whereas I'm not.
So, with that in mind, I'm really looking for somewhere with these 10 attributes, or at least as many of them as possible:
-- a place where one could live off of $30k/yr ( assuming if my salary transfers 100% to a new location. )
-- looking for a city, but with a city comes the crime and traffic and high cost of living with it, so maybe a small city ( less than 500k people perhaps? )
-- a place where the weather is similar to Portland, OR ( lots of cloudy, drizzly days I'm fine with ) and a place that is as close to being lush-green everywhere like Portland, OR, is preferred; though not mandatory. )
-- a "small town friendly" feel to it such as ma and pa stores everywhere, or at least a fair share of them, but not too far from a major city if I need to go there.
-- crime, traffic at low/moderate levels most of the time in relation to its size
-- as I'm not religious ( I'm agnostic actually ) churches in an area is not important to me, and if the area has a liberal-vibe to it, the better
-- I love baseball, so a baseball-loving city/town would be great; even if means watching city leagues play against one another
-- natural food stores are a plus, or at least a farmers market nearby
-- a place with a more "4 seasons" feel to it would be great, damp Spring days, warm Summer days, crisp Fall days, and I wouldn't mind some snow as long as you can drive in it.
-- and an area that is not the desert southwest, nor the bible belt southeast.
Oddly enough, one area I was looking at was Des Moines, IA/Iowa City, IA ( my employer has a location in each of them and the cost of living seems to be cheaper than here ) but of course it lacks a few of these attributes as well, so I started looking at the New England area/maybe mid-Atlantic states, from New York state, northward.
Yeah, I know, 2 areas such as Des Moines, IA and the northeast are probably not much alike ( I haven't been to either one yet; but will be travelling to check out a "possible area" later this summer ) but just trying to get an idea of what I should be looking for.
As far as NY State, look into Rochester, which has AAA Baseball. Its SE Quarter would be a good, I think. You could look into Buffalo, Syracuse and even Binghamton, as all 3 also have Minor League Baseball. If you don't mind small cities and towns, some in NY and PA have Single A Minor League Baseball in the NY-Penn League, which has teams in other states nearby. There's also the NY Collegiate Baseball League, which is also in smaller NY communities.
Louisville is more liberal than its surroundings, although obviously not Portland liberal, has the similar climate, and the AAA affiliate of the Reds. If you're good at driving in snow, Grand Rapids, Lansing, and Erie might also be good options.
So, with that in mind, I'm really looking for somewhere with these 10 attributes, or at least as many of them as possible:
-- a place where one could live off of $30k/yr ( assuming if my salary transfers 100% to a new location. )
-- looking for a city, but with a city comes the crime and traffic and high cost of living with it, so maybe a small city ( less than 500k people perhaps? )
-- a place where the weather is similar to Portland, OR ( lots of cloudy, drizzly days I'm fine with ) and a place that is as close to being lush-green everywhere like Portland, OR, is preferred; though not mandatory. )
-- a "small town friendly" feel to it such as ma and pa stores everywhere, or at least a fair share of them, but not too far from a major city if I need to go there.
-- crime, traffic at low/moderate levels most of the time in relation to its size
-- as I'm not religious ( I'm agnostic actually ) churches in an area is not important to me, and if the area has a liberal-vibe to it, the better
-- I love baseball, so a baseball-loving city/town would be great; even if means watching city leagues play against one another
-- natural food stores are a plus, or at least a farmers market nearby
-- a place with a more "4 seasons" feel to it would be great, damp Spring days, warm Summer days, crisp Fall days, and I wouldn't mind some snow as long as you can drive in it.
-- and an area that is not the desert southwest, nor the bible belt southeast.
Durham NC would be a terrific fit for you. It's an affordable smaller city with a thriving downtown, a liberal and well-educated population that's friendly to transplants, it's no where near overtly religious, a fairly low crime rate in terms of where you would choose to live and little random victim crimes, has a great food scene with excellent farmers markets and plenty of natural foods grocery options, a moderate four season climate with an equal distribution of each season minus hard winters and is the home of the famous Durham Bulls which play in a very nice newer ballpark downtown.
As far as NY State, look into Rochester, which has AAA Baseball. Its SE Quarter would be a good, I think. You could look into Buffalo, Syracuse and even Binghamton, as all 3 also have Minor League Baseball. If you don't mind small cities and towns, some in NY and PA have Single A Minor League Baseball in the NY-Penn League, which has teams in other states nearby. There's also the NY Collegiate Baseball League, which is also in smaller NY communities.
I'll be a big homer, as I just thought about something. In Syracuse, the Minor League baseball stadium and the CNY Regional Market are right near each other. Both are also near the 6th biggest shopping center in the US and the Regional Bus/Train station. There are some lofts nearby in a blue collar area of the city, but you may find something in the Franklin Square area down the street from the stadium, regional market, mall, etc. Franklin Square is also just NW of Downtown as well.
For an area with a liberal vibe, the Westcott/University area on the city's East Side would be a good fit. I'll add more later.
Wow, thanks for some informative replies, everyone!
Everyone has great reasons why the area they suggest should be considered ( and I would consider any of them as well ) and anyone who wants to elaborate more on their choices, feel free
I actually contacted my HR contact for my company today, to find out for sure the areas that I would be free to transfer to, and they're in the process of getting me that information....
I'd give Des Moines a good look. While these 3rd party "Best of" lists are subjective, Des Moines does get a lot of love for many of the things you listed as desirable.
Des Moines Ranked #5 in 10 Best Cities for Retirement in America (June 8, Bankrate.com)
Clive Named A Top 100 Best Small Town, 2015 (June 1, Livability.com)
Des Moines Art Center Named one of 19 Free Art Museums You Should Visit This Summer (May 19, Huffington Post)
Des Moines Ranks #4 for America's most Business-Friendly cities. #1 for Business Climate (May 18, Market Watch)
Buzzfeed Ranks Des Moines #11 of the 34 Underrated U.S. Cities You'll Actually Want To Move To (May 16, Buzzfeed)
Des Moines Ranked #6 Mid-sized Metro Area for College Graduates to move to for Employment (May 15, AIER)
Des Moines Leads U.S. Metro Areas in Community Pride (May 13, Gallup)
Gallup Poll lists Des Moines as Top Place Where Residents Feel Safe (May 4, Gallup)
Des Moines/ West Des Moines Ranked 11th Best Place to Start a Business in U.S. (May 1, Nerdwallet.com)
Des Moines Ranks 52nd-Best Place to Start a Business (April 28, WalletHub.com)
Des Moines Ranked #7 in the U.S. for Metro Area Budgeting (April 24, WalletHub.com)
Des Moines Among Top 10 U.S. Cities for New College Grads (April 10, SmartAsset.com)
Des Moines Named in Top 5 Emerging Start Up Cities of 2015 (March 25, Investopedia.com)
Iowa Ranks Sixth-Best for Retirement (March 24, Bankrate.com)
Greater Des Moines Ranked #4 for 2015 Economic Strength in Metropolitan Statistical Areas (March 23, POLICOM)
West Des Moines Named on list of Hippest Cities (March 18, FindTheHome.com)
Des Moines listed in the 50 Best Places to Live in America (March 18, Men's Journal)
Des Moines Recognized as Top Place to Watch for Sports (January 14, Sports Events Magazine)
Des Moines is the #2 Best City for Jobs (January 6, Forbes)
2014 Rankings
Des Moines named on list of Best Architecture in the Midwest (December 11, Conde Nast Traveler)
Des Moines Ranked Best City in US for Young Professionals (August 18, Forbes)
Downtown Des Moines Farmers' Market Ranked #2 Best in America for 2nd Year in a Row (August 7, The Daily Meal)
Des Moines Ranked as a Top 10 City for Younger Home Buyers (July 29, MarketWatch)
Forbes Ranks Des Moines #2 Best Place for Business (July 23, Forbes)
Fortune Names Des Moines #1 City with Up-And-Coming Downtowns (July 10, Fortune)
Waukee Ranked #1 Safest Place in Iowa (July 1 Movoto)
Iowa Ranked 12th Top State for Business (July 1, CNBC)
Des Moines Ranked in the Top 6 Most Family Friendly U.S. Cities (June 12, Realty Times)
Des Moines Ranked #4 Most LGBT-Friendly City in America (June 11, Vocativ)
Greater Des Moines #1 Region for Economic Strength (June 5, Policom)
Iowa Ranks as the Ninth Best State in Which to Retire (May 5, Bankrate)
Iowa Named One of Top 10 Best States to Eat Local (April 28, Locavore)
Des Moines Downtown Farmer's Market Ranked in Top 10 Nationally (April 25, Shape)
Des Moines Ranked Number 6 to Raise a Family (April 17, Forbes)
Des Moines Ranked in Top 10 Places With the Most Job Opportunities (Beyond.com)
Des Moines in Top 5 Cities for Finding Jobs (April 4, ZipRecruiter)
Downtown Des Moines' Historic East Village Named Top 10 Undercover Stylish Neighborhood in the US (April 3, Paste)
Adventureland Park Named Fourth Best Amusement Park in the US (March 30, American Mensa)
Greater Des Moines Ranks 25th for Overall Well-Being (March 25, Healthways and Gallup)
Des Moines Ranks in Top 10 Nationally for Teen Employment Rate (March 14, Brookings)
Index ranks Des Moines as Top Midwest Economy (February 25, Business Record)
#1 Wealthiest City in America (January 23, TODAY show)
#1 Best Medium-Sized Metro Area for Homeownership (January 21, Nerdwallet)
Top Place to Watch in 2014 (January 6, Sports Event Magazine)
Would you consider Pittsburgh more of a northeast or midwest city?
Also, for it being a large metro area, doesn't the traffic there reflect that?
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