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.
I am guessing most of the amenities you are looking for are similar in any larger city. The real question that I (maybe we) have is what do you define as affordable housing and how much cold can you tolerate? Coming from Seattle, you perception of affordable housing and cold weather may be different than others. If you could assign a number to it, then we would be better equipped to help.
That all being said, my natural inclination is to recommend Minneapolis because I am a real fan of Minneapolis and Minnesota in general (you will see that in many of my posts on these forums). That recommendation is pending your clarification.
My definition of cool is not getting over 80 degrees on a regular basis in the summer (this is why I haven't considered any cities in Texas or Florida), and I can handle cold fairly well, just layer some thermal tights under my dress and toss on a jacket and I'm good to go in the snow, so long as said snow isn't causing power outages (a real problem where I lived before moving to Seattle) I should be good.
Affordable is obviously relative when talking about Seattle. Calculating based on what I make now, my max for a house would be $600k.
I know that I am not going to get everything on my list (affordable housing, gaming conventions, and cooler than the national average climate are the 3 that are most important), but hey, it is fun to dream. As kyle19125 pointed out, having a lot of places that pander to gamers/geeks in the area is holding back most cities, so that is one I am definitely willing to compromise on. As long as there are a few nerdy stores (something like BooksAMillion), coffee shops that allow people to play D&D and cards against humanity, and 3 or more gaming/anime conventions a year, I can be happy. Seattle obviously had me spoiled.
Looking into it, Minneapolis does seem pretty cool (pun intended), but I have read that a lot of young people are moving away, and I have to wonder why? I am hesitant to move to a city and have barely anyone around my age to talk to. Am I mistaken? If not, why are so many people leaving?
I will look into Baltimore and Rochester. Thanks
Last edited by WhereDoIGoGeorge; 12-20-2017 at 11:06 AM..
My definition of cool is not getting over 80 degrees on a regular basis in the summer (this is why I haven't considered any cities in Texas or Florida), and I can handle cold fairly well, just layer some thermal tights under my dress and toss on a jacket and I'm good to go in the snow, so long as said snow isn't causing power outages (a real problem where I lived before moving to Seattle) I should be good.
Affordable is obviously relative when talking about Seattle. Calculating based on what I make now, my max for a house would be $600k.
I know that I am not going to get everything on my list (affordable housing, gaming conventions, and cooler than the national average climate are the 3 that are most important), but hey, it is fun to dream. As kyle19125 pointed out, having a lot of places that pander to gamers/geeks in the area is holding back most cities, so that is one I am definitely willing to compromise on. As long as there are a few nerdy stores (something like BooksAMillion), coffee shops that allow people to play D&D and cards against humanity, and 3 or more gaming/anime conventions a year, I can be happy. Seattle obviously had me spoiled.
Looking into it, Minneapolis does seem pretty cool (pun intended), but I have read that a lot of young people are moving away, and I have to wonder why? I don't want to move to a city and have barely anyone aound my age to talk to. Am I mistaken? If not, why are so many people leaving?
I will look into Baltimore and Rochester. Thanks
I did a little searching out of sheer curiosity. I found the following items that may peak your interest-
Rochester NY may be a sleeper due to fitting quite a bit of the criteria and it has a a good gaming program at the Rochester Institute of Technology: https://www.rit.edu/gccis/igm/
You hate Southern accents? Really? That's a data point for consideration?
okay.....
It is not a data point (nothing in my list said "no southern accents") just something I don't like because I find it is either slow and grating or "twang-y," and annoying. I know there are better reasons to stay away from the south, crime
and education being rather large factors. I can get over it if a southern city has more of what I want (which is why it wasn't on my list of important factors), but I still don't like it. Nothing personal, I see on your profile it says you live in two southern states, but everyone has an accent that they don't like.
I am a single female leaving Seattle for somewhere cheaper. I want to own a house one day and, as much as I like the city, that simply won't happen If I stay here. I am used to having tons of cool places to hang out (AFK, MOPOP, Full Tilt, Kinokuniya, Portal VR Lounge, ect), so it would be good to find a place which has a lot of that stuff. I felt it would help me to post here because it is good to get input from people who have been to these places when considering such a big move.
Things I want in a City:
- Affordable Housing
- Good place for IT workers and artists (I am currently a work from home software engineer, who would like a backup option. I do digital art as well.)
- Cooler climate (Call me weird, but I love grey skies and snow.)
- Modern Architecture
- Gaming Conventions
- Places for nerds to hang out
- Plenty of Young People in the area
Cities I have looked into:
Portland - It doesn't strike me as the cleanest city, but it has decent weather, it's coastal, and it has some conventions.
Atlanta - Hot and I hate southern accents, but it has a ton of conventions,cool architecture, and probably needs tech workers.
Minneapolis - A bit cold and not many people my age seem to be moving their, but there is a surprising amount of conventions, and some people say it has good tech jobs.
Feel free to recommend cities I haven't listed if you think they would be a better fit, but hopefully this gives you guys some idea of what I am looking for.
Indianapolis matches your criteria perfectly.
Largest gaming convention in North America every year with Gen Con.
Lots of IT jobs with Salesforce and Infosys hiring thousands here
Modern Architecture
Tons of young people with a large college downtown and several smaller ones around
best of all its super affordable. Look up homes around Indianapolis on Homes.com/zillow etc and have your socks blown off.
We moved here from California 2 years ago and absolutely love it
I am a single female leaving Seattle for somewhere cheaper. I want to own a house one day and, as much as I like the city, that simply won't happen If I stay here. I am used to having tons of cool places to hang out (AFK, MOPOP, Full Tilt, Kinokuniya, Portal VR Lounge, ect), so it would be good to find a place which has a lot of that stuff. I felt it would help me to post here because it is good to get input from people who have been to these places when considering such a big move.
Things I want in a City:
- Affordable Housing
- Good place for IT workers and artists (I am currently a work from home software engineer, who would like a backup option. I do digital art as well.)
- Cooler climate (Call me weird, but I love grey skies and snow.)
- Modern Architecture
- Gaming Conventions
- Places for nerds to hang out
- Plenty of Young People in the area
Cities I have looked into:
Portland - It doesn't strike me as the cleanest city, but it has decent weather, it's coastal, and it has some conventions.
Atlanta - Hot and I hate southern accents, but it has a ton of conventions,cool architecture, and probably needs tech workers.
Minneapolis - A bit cold and not many people my age seem to be moving their, but there is a surprising amount of conventions, and some people say it has good tech jobs.
Feel free to recommend cities I haven't listed if you think they would be a better fit, but hopefully this gives you guys some idea of what I am looking for.
I'd choose Minneapolis hands down. Plenty of young people, four seasons, plenty of culture, and genuine Midwestern people. Plus northern Minnesota has some neat wilderness areas.
You didn't say what population size you want. I think you would really, really like Madison, Wisconsin, as it has everything that interests you. You would need to be willing to go slightly down in population size from the Seattle metro, though. Take a look at stats and images for Madison and see what you think.
All deference to my fellow Minnesotans, but I think Minneapolis/St. Paul is appallingly expensive, though less expensive than Seattle/San Francisco/NYC. Other than expense I think it really does satisfy most of your criteria. I hadn't heard that young people are leaving - to me much of the core area seems pretty full of whatever post-hipsters are called.
Also, I don't know a thing in the world about Pittsburgh, PA, but it seems to be a hot location at the moment.
Portland - It doesn't strike me as the cleanest city, but it has decent weather, it's coastal, and it has some conventions.
Moving is a little easier since it is still in the region.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BIG CATS
Chicago sounds just about right for you.
I agree. Chicago is a very cheap big city compared to the coasts. The winter weather keeps it cheap, but as you stated that is not a problem for you; it's a plus!
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.
