Moving from Alabama - Looking for a city with internets, good food, considering Portland.

[Minervah]

In terms of your numbers 6 and 7 I would say Portland would not be a good fit. Your budget would maybe get you into the suburbs or in the outer neighborhoods but the amenities you are looking for in a neighborhood would require a higher income.

The other criteria would suit you.

To elaborate, Portland is sitting on a huge fault line. Most people are not worried but "The Big One" can come in five years or 50. You might want to Google that.

With your budget, you will be in a crowded neighborhood because most Portland neighborhoods are these days due to the continuing construction going on where large buildings are being squeezed in everywhere. There is little room between houses or apartments any longer in the city itself unless you can maybe afford a house in an older neighborhood but even then. So your neighbors would more than likely be all over you.

With your budget and for a bit of space, I would suggest the suburbs a bit farther away from town if you really have your heart set on Portland. That's where you can find the green space and fewer people.

[Natural510]

Since weather isn't a big factor, you might also consider the liberal college towns of the Midwest, where you get more bang for your buck....Madison, Ann Arbor, Bloomington, etc.

[Mini-apple-less]

Originally Posted by SyraBrian

I think at 60k, you can still find a house in the up and coming Montavilla District. You may have to house someone in your basement. The houses aren't big, though.

I'd highly suggest against living in Montavilla. I lived there for a while. Montavilla is the transition zone between the gentrified and hip "Inner Southeast" and the impoverished East Portland. There's tons of gangsters and aggressive homeless people around there, even if it has the appearance of being cleaned up and gentrified and some hipsters live there. I didn't find it very appealing. It's not Compton circa 1989 but I felt tense and on edge living there.

Why not consider Asheville OP, or like someone else suggested upstate New York? It has a lot of similarities to Portland, and it's much closer to home. Even if you moved to a high-crime city like Buffalo you could afford a safer and nicer area than what the same money would get you in Portland.

Oregon is a "closed society", you really have to have grown up there to thrive there in my experience. Either that or come there already well established with a good career and a lot of money saved. Oregonians are cliquish and resent outsiders, especially if they have Southern accents. It's also extremely expensive to live there compared to what jobs generally pay.

West Coast people don't know any different, but someone from the South would probably find the people in the Pacific Northwest to be quite snobbish and unfriendly compared to what they're used to. I know some people don't mind that though.

The Internet in Portland is OK but not great. I had Comcast when I lived there and the speeds were mediocre and it often cut out. The food in Portland is so-so to good depending on what you like. If you like vegetarian or Thai it's great, Chinese and pizza on the other hand not so great.

[ckhthankgod]

Originally Posted by ckhthankgod

In terms of Upstate NY, the Ithaca area came to mind. Ithaca is a college town that has a liberal vibe and can offer enough to do, while allowing you to get to a quiet environment in a short time. It is a small area. So, that may or may not be an issue.

Select areas/communities in the bigger metros may also work.

Also, another place that came to mind is Ann Arbor MI. Its proximity to Detroit for more things to do, its liberal/college town vibe and that it fits most, if not all of your criteria, could be a place to consider.

East Lansing MI is another Michigan community that may work.

[Alberto33]

Originally Posted by Arshness

My family of 3 is looking for a new home. We're a lesbian couple with an 8 year old daughter from Alabama and we don't belong here.

We want to move to a city with good internet, good food, in an area where we will be more comfortable than Alabama. We are an unschooling family, so a state in which we could homeschool (and unschool specifically) is important to us.

We DO care about:

1. Decent Internets: Cable available, Wifi at restaurants
2. Able to Unschool
3. Good food (good sushi would be nice)
4. Safety, especially women and LGBT saftey
5. Cooler climate (than Alabama for sure)
6. Not a large occurrence of natural disasters (We're tired of being scared of the sky for 6 months a year)
7. Peace and Quiet (Being able to sit in my house and NOT hear outside sounds, other families)

We DO NOT care about:

• Bars, alcohol, partying
• Sunshine, outdoors, etc. (We'd be fine with Portland's weather.)
• Sports
• Commute, jobs (we're authors, work from home)

We would LIKE:

• Any decent gaming community
• LGBT inclusive/accepting
• More Progressive, Blue rather than Red
• Fun stuff to do with the kiddo (Museums, parks, etc.)

We are considering a move next Spring (preferably by March). The budget is a little up in the air because with our work, the money can increase over time. We're looking at a minimum of $48,000 (yearly) by the time we move, but it could be $60,000 or more.

So I'd like to get a variety of options considering those ranges.

I.e. Good places to move at around $48,000, good places at around $55k, and good at around $60k.

That said, we are *really* thrifty, but we're also really used to a low cost-of-living area (Jasper, Alabama).

So basically, my query is this. Is Portland a good match for us?
Or should I look somewhere else? (Suggestions?)

I started this search a couple of years ago when we first started looking for a new place to move to. Then we had way less in way of finances, but we were told to check into Portland due to our wants and situation. We checked, we love the look of it. But then we see a lot of REALLY negative threads of people talking about how awful it is and how it's too expensive... I'm not sure. I have a friend in Portland and she LOVES it and insists we would love it there.

My current plan is to take us out there, live in a hotel on weekly rates until we find a place, and then move in.
We will have at least 3 months worth of full living-expenses money saved up before we go. (Plus moving expenses).
We plan to drive there in a vehicle big enough to bring our belongings. (We're not bringing a lot.)
We plan to buy new things there rather than bringing most things.

I know I'm forgetting something vital, but I will add more info if I think of anything.

Thank you for any help.

I have a question about Alabama. it's cheap to live there. the internet is stable. could do with $ 1500 per month as well as family life

[Mini-apple-less]

Originally Posted by Alberto33

I have a question about Alabama. it's cheap to live there. the internet is stable. could do with $ 1500 per month as well as family life

I think people have this idea that because the Internet was invented in California, the West Coast must have the best Internet in the world. Unfortunately not true, Chattanooga actually has the best Net connections in the country of all places.

[nightlysparrow]

Originally Posted by Mini-apple-less

Chattanooga actually has the best Net connections in the country of all places.

Would you supply a link about this?

[residinghere2007]

Originally Posted by Natural510

Since weather isn't a big factor, you might also consider the liberal college towns of the Midwest, where you get more bang for your buck....Madison, Ann Arbor, Bloomington, etc.

I was thinking the same thing.

Weather in the winter isn't great in the Midwest but the liberal college towns or even the bigger cities of the Great Lakes region would fit your bill.

Upon reading your post, I thought of Chicago, but winters can be brutal in Chicago and if you aren't used to it that may be an adjustment.

I also was going to suggest Atlanta as it would fit practically everything on your list - large LGBT community, very family friendly suburbs and urban neighborhoods, cheap (if you stay out of the "hip" neighborhoods of Midtown, Old 4th Ward, and others - visit the Atlanta forum for info), lots of fun non-party things to do. But the climate is probably the same or worse than AL heat-wise. I knew quite a few people from AL when I lived in Atlanta who said it was more humid in Atlanta than AL.

One of the main reasons I moved back to Ohio was because it was (and I quote myself) "too dam hot" in Atlanta and it was literally angering me lol. I've been in heaven the past couple of summers here as we have only had maybe 5-6 days of above 90 degree heat this summer and last summer probably less than that in our area 70s and 80s all summer and 60s in late spring and fall through October. Glad to be back up north.

Cleveland is a city too I would suggest.

[DubbleT]

Originally Posted by nightlysparrow

Would you supply a link about this?

Chattanooga's super-fast, publicly-owned Internet - May. 20, 2014