Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Best. The largest metro may have better museums or sports and if thats what you like then live there. For me I like going to Seattle once or twice a year for a ballgame or go to the emp museum. I sure would not want to deal with that traffic everyday. Numerous people have mentioned that the dining options are better in a larger metro. I just check restaurants on trip adviser for a smaller metro of Spokane Wash and there are 859 restaurants. How much choice does one need?
Best. The largest metro may have better museums or sports and if thats what you like then live there. For me I like going to Seattle once or twice a year for a ballgame or go to the emp museum. I sure would not want to deal with that traffic everyday. Numerous people have mentioned that the dining options are better in a larger metro. I just check restaurants on trip adviser for a smaller metro of Spokane Wash and there are 859 restaurants. How much choice does one need?
Quality + Quantity > Quantity
With 859 restaurants, there might be a handful that are downright amazing. But some people like exploring new places and venturing to new parts of town to discover new cuisines. Bigger diverse cities are usually more innovative with their culinary scenes and can try new and creative dishes. Just because there are 859 restaurants doesn't mean they're all good. A bigger metro will have more of the best restaurants than a smaller metro.
There's a reason that the best food cities are often the biggest, or at least the most historic with lots of history and culture. NYC, Philly, Chicago, LA, and SF are undoubtedly some of the best food cities in the country, if not the absolute top 5. That's not to say that smaller cities don't have good food. Louisville has amazing food and it is by far my favorite thing about living here. But the NUMBER of amazing restaurants is far fewer than a city like the 5 mentioned.
Some of those could be considered, yes, but the artists and DJs I listen to the most rarely come a metro the size of Knoxville or Louisville. That's a personal issue though haha. Not reflective of the QOL for most other people. I will admit, though, that Louisville is getting a lot more attention in the electronic music scene. I moved here in 2014. This year and the beginning of 2017 have by far more musicians/bands/DJs performing here than when I first moved here. I was lucky to have a single one come through Louisville. Looking at the upcoming shows, there are at least 5 I am interested in.
With 859 restaurants, there might be a handful that are downright amazing. But some people like exploring new places and venturing to new parts of town to discover new cuisines. Bigger diverse cities are usually more innovative with their culinary scenes and can try new and creative dishes. Just because there are 859 restaurants doesn't mean they're all good. A bigger metro will have more of the best restaurants than a smaller metro.
There's a reason that the best food cities are often the biggest, or at least the most historic with lots of history and culture. NYC, Philly, Chicago, LA, and SF are undoubtedly some of the best food cities in the country, if not the absolute top 5. That's not to say that smaller cities don't have good food. Louisville has amazing food and it is by far my favorite thing about living here. But the NUMBER of amazing restaurants is far fewer than a city like the 5 mentioned.
This.
Out of those 859 restaurants, my guess is probably a good 75% of them are fast food or chains.
To me Harrisburg offers the best of both worlds in that the cost of living is still affordable (you can actually buy and own real estate here), but there are the sights, sounds, and feel of a larger city area either in your backyard, or just an hour drive to the other cities. Also, in your backyard are the beautiful mountains, state parks, Wildwood Park, and the river. So you are not far from nature either. The future is bright for this metro area. Many people seem to sometimes overlook S Central PA because they are drawn to thinking about Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. But Harrisburg is still a decent contender as a metro area.
Harrisburg is okay, but AFAIK the nice area is pretty small - basically limited to Downtown and Midtown closer to the river. It would feel pretty confining to me living there.
If I was going to pick a small city in South-Central PA to live in, I'd pick Lancaster. Fantastic downtown, tons of shops, and beautiful historic rowhouses at an affordable price. You can even take the train into Philly, so there's no reason to have a car at all.
As to the main question, I can think of some small cities I'd like to live in. Off the top of my head, I wouldn't mind:
Portland, ME
Northampton, MA
Lowell, MA
Ann Arbor, MI
Santa Fe, NM
Asheville, NC
Lancaster, PA
Albany, NY
Burlington, VT
New Haven, CT
Madison, WI
Iowa City, IA
Lawrence, KS
And so on. Mostly I'm attracted to either college towns or gritty mixed-income cities which have a nice downtown with some middle-class neighborhoods within city limits.
I have no interest in suburban life whatsoever, even after getting married and having two kids. It seems to me that if you have to live in the suburbs it's pretty much the same everywhere regardless. You might be able to have shorter commutes in a smaller metro, and (depending upon the region) the wage/COL ratio could be better. But in terms of the amenities, it's really not that different from one area to another.
Unless someone is into going to performing arts and major league sports events I don't really see what these large metropolitan areas offer.
Large cities are certainly not for me anymore. Many of them in my opinion had a good-run in the late 1990s but every big city I go to lately is all in a economic bubble where almost everyone is hustling and pretentious.
Another issue is all the huge pension liabilities that will come home to roost for the core cities of these massive metropolitan areas. Many huge cities are already strained for resources and I can't imagine what it will be like in a decade or two.
My choice would certainly be a smaller metropolitan area that is well-run, with extremely low unemployment rates, a decent cost of housing.
It's why many of my coworkers and friends have left for the exurbs. We have discussed moving to a small college town/city. They offer everything a big city has but without any of the negatives.
NYC, Philly, Chicago, LA, and SF are undoubtedly some of the best food cities in the country, if not the absolute top 5. That's not to say that smaller cities don't have good food. Louisville has amazing food and it is by far my favorite thing about living here. But the NUMBER of amazing restaurants is far fewer than a city like the 5 mentioned.
It doesn't surprise me that Louisville can't compete with cities that are 3 times its size, but I believe it stands up to many cities in the top 20.
Tiny Asheville has a better restaurant scene than many cities 3 times its size, Buffalo, NY, Hartford, CT , Raleigh, NC, Oklahoma City, OK. Maybe even Memphis Jacksonville, VA beach, and Cincinnati.
Of course I am basing my opinion on the kind of food I like, someone else would feel differently.
The city of Lancaster, PA has the best of both worlds for many reasons:
- Because of tourism (over a billion dollars/yr), we have far more restaurants and coffee shops than you would ever expect for a small town. We have everything from a punk rock burrito shop to fine french dining. A cupcake shop, donut shop, breweries, etc..
- We have a crazy fantastic art scene - there is an art school in town, and a 4 year college walkable from town.
- Affordable housing matched with decent salaries...
- Young people and tech companies. For example, the average age of a city resident is 30 and recently BrandYourself (from SharkTank) opened an office here hiring 90 people.
- Wonderful walkability.
- One of the country's highest rated dog parks, free, maintained, and open year-round.
- Heavy investment from others...Whole Foods is opening here next year.
It depends on the small metro itself rather than its size, some are the best of both, others are the worst of both.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
