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I was wondering the same thing ...OP, are these the only 3 cities in New England or the Northeast you are looking into? Keep in mind that the further inland within New England and the Northeast, the more affordable it is in terms of overall COL.
I am looking for cities only in New England. I have a few others I am looking into but the main thing is the unemployment rate in each city. It is relatively low in these cities. Nightlife isn't all that important but I do want a few places of entertainment and restaurants I can go to.
I would like to be in new England. Besides, ny state taxes are higher. I am now looking at more cities in Massachusetts as well as new Hampshire and even connecticut. The economy in all of themy are of great importance to me at this point.
In spite of taxes, overall cost of living will be higher in those New England cities. However, I understand.......
There is also Middletown, CT, which is a smaller city in the metropolitan Hartford area. Middletown has a LOT of younger people, and is sort of a college town, but not dominated by the college (Wesleyan). You could also find a decent apartment there for under $1,000. Middletown has a population of about 50,000 and is about 20-25 minutes from Hartford, which is the major center of employment in the area. From Middletown, you could also drive down about 35 minutes to New Haven if you want the nightlife. And Middletown has a pretty nice, good sized walkable downtown with great restaurants and a few bars. The area is very scenic and lies right next to the Connecticut River. I lived there for a year when I was 26-27 yrs old and liked it. You would definitely get a quintessential New England experience living there. The downtown area does get very congested at times, but it's all contained in that one area. Middletown is also racially diverse, safe and not too urban, nor too rural. It's also only 40 minutes from the beach. I'd highly recommend it.
Any neighborhood that's urban, walkable and trendy in New England is going to be EXPENSIVE. Downtown New Haven is very expensive. You will be paying at least $1,300 for a 1 bd apartment. And the city is quite congested with traffic. The OP seems to want to get away from that. Nightlife in New Haven is decent, however. But is nightlife really a top priority? The importance of nightlife, on these forums, is over the top.
Looking on both Walkscore and Craigslist, I see some apartments for under $1,000 still in what I would call the desirable areas of New Haven to rent in (Downtown/East Rock/Wooster Square). Many might be studios, but that really doesn't matter when you're just getting out of school.
The OP doesn't have a car, so traffic shouldn't be a concern. I wasn't so much thinking about nightlife as I was the importance, if you don't have a car, to live somewhere where there are a fair amount of dining and shopping options within walking distance. New Haven has this in scads.
But why would you pick Manchester out of all three choices? Have you ever been?
It has been a while, but I have traveled some in that area of New England to know it enough to know which one I would personally pick. But you probably should talk to at least 2 or 3 people who actually live in each city to get a better idea. For a little additional info, I would pick Portland, ME second. You also mentioned "Weather". Especially if you are used to the CA Climate, don't forget to bring your winter coat !!
I got my undergraduate degree at Worcester Polytechnic Institute and have lived my entire life within an hour drive of the city.
If you do not have a car, I would think Worcester would be the best option for public transportation. It has the WRTA local bus service (MA generally has better public services than ME and NH). Worcester is also connected to Boston via the MBTA commuter rail. The city of Worcester has more entertainment options than the other cities. It has the 2,000 seat Hanover Theater that has national Broadway shows, a 14,000 seat arena and adjacent convention center, Mechanics (Concert) Hall, and the EM Loews/Palladium music club theater. A vibrant restaurant row exists on Shrewsbury Street. The city, unlike Manchester and Portland, has a large number of college aged students living in it given several colleges are located within its limits (Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Holy Cross, Clark Univ, Worcester State Univ, Assumption College, UMass Medical School, and a branch of the MA College of Pharmacy. There is a decent amount of bio-tech jobs out by the UMass Med complex and a large number of jobs in the medical field given it is home to several large hospitals. Two other large employers are in the insurance industry (Unum and Hanover Ins).
I got my undergraduate degree at Worcester Polytechnic Institute and have lived my entire life within an hour drive of the city.
Please describe to me how this city is in terms of the economy and how the city I'd built. I've always heard it was grimy and that is not what I'm looking for.
It is an old industrial city like many in New England but so isn't Manchester, NH. Worcester used to have a lot of heavy manufacturing but most of that is now long gone. As mentioned in the post above, biotech, medical services, education, and insurance are big in the city. They are not grimy industries.
The colleges are also a key presence. Manchester and Portland do not provide that on a comparable scale. At your age, I would think this might be important.
The city proper has the 2nd largest population in New England but much of that is attributable to its large land area as it is not as densely populated as many other New England cities.
Of the three cities you are looking at, Worcester is the only one with relatively inexpensive MBTA commuter rail service into Boston.
As others have said, Portland's the nicest of the bunch in terms of aesthetics and amenities in town, but it's also the most isolated and challenging for employment (both Worcester and Manchester are on the periphery of metro Boston and many people access jobs in the Boston area from those cities).
I also don't know if I'd call Worcester "grimy." At worst, it's just sort of "meh." It's not as aesthetically pleasing as a Boston, Providence, Portland or Burlington, but it's not a terrible city. There are a handful of good restaurants, a decent population of younger, educated people, and a large professional community.
Portland's a wonderful little city to visit. I lived there four 4.5 years. It's charming and fun for a weekend away. However, it's fairly isolated and while unemployment is low (probably the lowest of the 3), it's hard to find a job because it's so small and because it's so isolated. I love suggesting Portland as a weekend getaway but I really do have a hard time suggesting Portland as a place to live.
Of the three, I'd go with Worcester. If you're open to suggestions, I'd consider Providence, Salem (MA), or Portsmouth as alternatives. All three have better access to job opportunities than Portland, and all three offer great amenities for cities their size.
Worcester and Manchester are "meh" at best. Can't imagine anyone relocating cross country for either. Portland is the nicest of the 3, but awfully remote, and I'd be skeptical of the job market.
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