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I am a teacher in Texas and am looking at moving out of the state in the next 3 or so years. I just visited Chicago, and I like the communal aspect of the transportation and the care it seems like that goes into the city. It is also super progressive (I am, as well) and that was a plus. The thing is, is that the people are not as "friendly" and there are TONS of people.
One thing that is true about the south, for all of it's social bleh, is that people are usually very nice and much slower moving. That's the reason I want to stay in the south, the kindness really does that much for me. nHowever, I have a lot of reasons I don't want to be in Dallas anymore. I like big parks where I can walk around trees, etc. I am huge into nature. I camp very often. I also have very liberal views and, being from a suburb in D, it's hard to feel accepted, etc.
I still want to live in the southern United States. Do you all have any recommendations for me?
No Southern city has mass transit as well-developed and extensive as Chicago's system of buses and trains. But for a progressive city in the south you might consider the usual suspects, such as Charlotte, Atlanta, Tampa, Nashville, and the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill areas. Smaller progressive places might be Asheville, Charlottseville, Tallahassee, perhaps Charleston, and some college towns, of which there are many to choose from.
But you must investigate the school systems closely. Chicago's, for instance, is very underfunded and always seems to be tottering on the edge of collapse. Tampa (and most schools in Florida) are also way underfunded from what I understand. Schools in Atlanta (the best mass transit of the Southern cities) were wracked by a huge cheating scandal a few years back and I don't know if they've recovered from that. New Orleans basically doesn't even have public schools anymore--they're almost all charters--so teacher pay and working conditions are probably wildly variable. And all the NC school systems are becoming political punching bags in the state's ultra-polarized politics.
If you want a more progressive vibe and a slower pace of life I'd consider the DC and Baltimore suburbs, which are generally fairly well funded (there are always exceptions, however) and not subject to any more than the usual political and educational issues. Maybe someone in the teaching forum can give you a better idea about these places. And what credentials you'll need or whether the ones you have will be transferable.
I am a teacher in Texas and am looking at moving out of the state in the next 3 or so years. I just visited Chicago, and I like the communal aspect of the transportation and the care it seems like that goes into the city. It is also super progressive (I am, as well) and that was a plus. The thing is, is that the people are not as "friendly" and there are TONS of people.
One thing that is true about the south, for all of it's social bleh, is that people are usually very nice and much slower moving. That's the reason I want to stay in the south, the kindness really does that much for me. nHowever, I have a lot of reasons I don't want to be in Dallas anymore. I like big parks where I can walk around trees, etc. I am huge into nature. I camp very often. I also have very liberal views and, being from a suburb in D, it's hard to feel accepted, etc.
I still want to live in the southern United States. Do you all have any recommendations for me?
Although I agree camping and nature are a bit lacking in Dallas, you can actually find big parks, neighborhoods with trees, and liberal views if you move into the CITY. And I kid you not, the city has more trees than the suburbs (e.g. Oak Cliff, White Rock Lake area). Heck, even Uptown does.
Richmond or VA Beach
If you're a millennial this may or may not influence you: The Urban Land Institute recently did a study for TIME magazine re what metro's millennials are moving to, VA Beach was #1 and Richmond was #2.
Yes lists are lists but the backers of the survey are pretty well respected organizations.
I agree with other recommendations regarding Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill with the caveat of the focus on Durham-Chapel Hill and Carrboro which are by far the most liberal sections of the metro area. Raleigh and Cary can be a tad conservative versus the western half of the area.
If kindness is the important trait you like about the south, have you considered the Midwest (outside of Chicago)? Places like Minneapolis and Madison, Columbus, Indianapolis?
Asheville is the gold standard for liberal cities in the south but I will suggest you look into Knoxville TN for a couple of reasons.
You will have a much better quality of life on a teacher's salary. Also, I know several very liberal teachers, of course there is sampling bias as I tend to run with a very liberal crowd (more liberal than me). Will you be living in the city or suburbs? Do you have a family?
Knoxville has a decent bus system for its size. Several of the schools are on a bus line, or even better near a greenway. Since I don't know how much choice you have in assignments, you may need a car to get to work.
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I am huge into nature. I camp very often.
There is a huge system of bike and walking trails right in town called the urban wilderness. Then of course you have camping in the smokies and the cumberlands.
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