We've been hopping around over the past 8 years and have lived in Durham, Atlanta, Seattle (also Bellevue), and now San Francisco. We like SF but are sick of how overpriced everything is and obviously there is no way to buy a house here. We'd like to find a city where we can settle down for a little while. We've been researching cities online for MONTHS but are still struggling because it's such an important decision (we've moved around so much already and it will be costly/bad for career/difficult to move yet again if we don't like the place, especially after buying a house).
Here are our preferred criteria and some information about us:
1)
Weather is very important since we love spending time outside. I can't stand cold winters (like sub freezing) and summers that are so hot/humid that you can't go outside for months at a time don't really work either. In general we prefer warmer weather though. SF actually isn't great because it's constantly foggy/windy in the summer.. need some more sunshine
2)
Walkability/transit/biking is very important. We've gotten used to not having to drive anywhere within the city and would like to maintain that. We do own a car but only use it for going out of the city or running car-required errands like going to Lowe's.
3) We are into
good food and enjoy drinking so a foodie culture would be good (without being overly pretentious and overpriced like some of SF is becoming). Diverse, authentic ethnic cuisines and a range of cheap to expensive food options is ideal. Also want to be able to buy fresh seafood and produce any time of year.
4)
Within a few hours of the city we like camping, going to parks and lakes/rivers (for picnicking, hiking, canoeing, etc.), and wine tasting. Overall enjoy nature so we don't to be somewhere surrounded by barren wasteland or just more city/suburbia.
5) We enjoy festivals (e.g. ethnic fests, state fairs, food/drinks fests), markets (e.g. farmers, flea), performances (e.g. musicals, comedy), live music (the chill kind, not super overcrowded concerts or festivals), and random events (e.g. outdoor movies). The city we move to should have a decent amount of
events/activities year-round.
6) Other
hobbies are board games, cats, video games, movies/TV/books (especially scifi/horror/fantasy), DIY food/drink (e.g. jerky, pickling, etc), DIY crafts (e.g. 3d printing, knitting), casual biking, cooking. We're on the nerdy side. Would be cool if there are some like-minded people.
7) In terms of
vibe, we are laid back. The fast-paced, suit/stiletto wearing, materialistic, clubbing, NY-style culture is totally unappealing to us. More nerds/hipsters preferred over bros.
8) We are
politically left-leaning, and while we appreciate diversity of opinions we prefer not to live somewhere with a large concentration of people who are not accepting of other religions, sexual orientations, ethnicities, ways of life, etc. Don't think we could bring ourselves to live in a county that voted Trump.
9) Our
families are near Raleigh, North Carolina and Columbus, Ohio. Would be nice to be a bit closer to them (but not too close
but not a requirement.
10) Relatedly, being close to a good
airport is a definite plus. In addition to being easier to visit family, we like to travel and plan to do it fairly often.
11) We want to live in a
neighborhood with some soul to it (both in looks/architecture and vibe/things to do), definitely not treeless cookie cutter suburbs. Want to be within city limits but have a backyard (even if it's small).
12) I am in
tech so some availability of tech jobs would be great. BF is in accounting so theoretically should be able to find a job anywhere.
13) Obviously
affordability is a factor, but we're fine with a small house and are willing to pay a little extra for good location. Anywhere will be wayyy cheaper than SF
14) There are
friendly people everywhere, but it's easier to make friends some places than others (e.g. see Seattle Freeze). We're on the introverted side and would prefer to live somewhere where there are plenty of people around our age that are open to making new friendships (not just sticking to existing groups).
15) We have a dream to start a
small business one day so ideally we'll find some place where that is relatively easy to do.
16) Finally, at some point in the future we will probably
start a family so while this isn't a priority right now, wherever we move shouldn't be terrible for raising a family.
I know it's a lot and there's no such thing as the perfect city that will fulfill all of this, but hoping for something close.
Some that we have thought about, along with their top issues based on what we've heard/read, are listed below.
EDIT: this list does NOT mean that we have eliminated all these cities. Merely trying to start conversations about pros/cons and learn more about them. We are well aware that we will not be able to find a city that meets all our ideal criteria. It's just a question of which city meets them the closest.
*Sacramento - not a top city, not enough to do?, not foodie enough?, hard to find tech jobs, prices going up quickly, airport not great. However this is a top contender for us right now given the weather and its proximity to the Bay Area.
*Austin - too hot/humid, heard that it's already getting overcrowded
*Houston - too hot/humid, traffic, not sure if it's hip/cool enough, too 'Texas'
*Boulder/Denver - too cold
*Columbus/Cleveland - not hip/cool enough, too cold
*Atlanta - not walkable, landlocked
*Savannah/Charleston - not big enough cities
*LA/Santa Monica/Long Beach - smog/pollution, not walkable, traffic, expensive except in sketchy areas
*San Diego - expensive, also we visited and the vibe seemed kind of 'bro-ish' but maybe we didn't get a good enough sense
*Portland/Seattle - weather too gloomy/not enough sun
*Chicago/DC/Boston/Minneapolis/Philly/Pittsburg/other northeast cities - think they're too cold, but open to being proven wrong; fast-paced east coast vibe?
*Richmond/VA Beach - not big enough cities?
*RTP/Charlotte - not big/hip enough? Not walkable?
*Albuquerque - too inland, not great for diverse food, may as well move to Sacramento if we decide on this size city
Any advice is GREATLY appreciated. I didn't see any other threads that covered our specific criteria but if you know of some past threads that might be helpful, please point me to them.
Thanks in advance!
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