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I've been having an extremely hard time finding a city (it may not exist) that matches most of what I am looking for.
I am really into comics, dungeons and dragons etc, graphic novels etc and would love to find a city that has a decent amount of comic shops and is accepting/good for nerds.
I'm not much of a partier, so a city with a strong trashy club/party culture isn't really my vibe.
I love to workout and be outdoors, so natural beauty would be a great plus. I'm honestly not too picky on weather but am not the biggest fan of terrible heat/deserts (thought I could possibly compromise.)
Affordability is big. I have been looking big into Portland and Seattle but they are pretty expensive, and though I could afford to live there, I like to have a decent savings.
Honestly I feel Portland would be best (have visited and love it) but there are so so many people moving there and I'd love to find something that is a little more affordable. Maybe something that resembles what Portland was like 20 years ago, if such a thing exists.
I'm more progressive leaning politically, but am open minded, and tend to take a moderate approach to many issues. I don't like liberal for the sake of being liberal, and conservative close mindedness.
I love museums, zoos and theatres, so having nice options for those would be fantastic!
So to summarize, I am looking for:
Nerdy city that is accepting/good for people into comics, graphics novels, comic cons, dungeons and dragons etc
Nice scenery/natural beauty.
Relatively affordable and safe overall.
Nice theaters, zoos, museums.
Decent music scene.
Somewhat open politically.
Any thoughts or ideas? I would love to hear from some of you if you have some insight you'd be willing to share!
Thanks and cheers!
Last edited by yougotspiritkid; 07-22-2015 at 01:00 AM..
Seattle is probably your best bet, although the costs are rising.
Portland is a good second option.
I agree with Kyle's assessment: Maybe look into Minneapolis or Denver. I haven't been to Denver but Minneapolis is a lot of fun. I have similar interests to you and very much enjoyed my time there.
I've been having an extremely hard time finding a city (it may not exist) that matches most of what I am looking for.
I am really into comics, dungeons and dragons etc, graphic novels etc and would love to find a city that has a decent amount of comic shops and is accepting/good for nerds.
I'm not much of a partier, so a city with a strong trashy club/party culture isn't really my vibe.
I love to workout and be outdoors, so natural beauty would be a great plus. I'm honestly not too picky on weather but am not the biggest fan of terrible heat/deserts (thought I could possibly compromise.)
Affordability is big. I have been looking big into Portland and Seattle but they are pretty expensive, and though I could afford to live there, I like to have a decent savings.
Honestly I feel Portland would be best (have visited and love it) but there are so so many people moving there and I'd love to find something that is a little more affordable. Maybe something that resembles what Portland was like 20 years ago, if such a thing exists.
I'm more progressive leaning politically, but am open minded, and tend to take a moderate approach to many issues. I don't like liberal for the sake of being liberal, and conservative close mindedness.
I love museums, zoos and theatres, so having nice options for those would be fantastic!
So to summarize, I am looking for:
Nerdy city that is accepting/good for people into comics, graphics novels, comic cons, dungeons and dragons etc
Nice scenery/natural beauty.
Relatively affordable and safe overall.
Nice theaters, zoos, museums.
Decent music scene.
Somewhat open politically.
Any thoughts or ideas? I would love to hear from some of you if you have some insight you'd be willing to share!
Thanks and cheers!
Salt Lake City fits all of your criteria. That may surprise you, but check out the Salt Lake City forum to see what I mean. We have a huge Comic Con each year, and virtually all of the other factors you have mentioned are available here.
SLC and Denver don't have the same "comics" culture you find in places like Portland, Seattle, Minny, NYC, Austin, and so on. It seems an important point, as it was specifically mentioned in title, as well as early in the OP. Along with that goes the sort of music (see: title & OP) that is in shorter supply in places like SLC and Denver.
Pittsburgh sort of resembles what Portland was like 20 years ago. Also, I think cities that have gloomy or cold weather a good part of the year encourages nerdy/indoor/creative activity.
There seems to be a comics / gaming subculture in Knoxville. Including a few stores. Sub as in small, but it might be worth researching. Otherwise it fits your criteria. Great zoo, theaters, & outdoor scene.
You would need to be open minded about conservatives. As you are finding, it is expensive to cocoon yourself among liberal separatists.
For what it's worth, I know one comics pro who recently moved from Portland to Cleveland.
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