Least Pretentious/Non-Gentrified/Non-Trendy and Non-Hipster Dominated Cities You Would Want to Live In and Make a Living (transplants, apartment complex)
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I know that many people are raving about all the "coolest, trendiest, hippest" and most popular cities also referred to as the "TRENDY/IT (as in "It is the Place", not Information Technology) cities that everyone wants to move to and are all the rave right now. I've have been for the last decade (except for Boise, Idaho and perhaps, Charlotte, NC) been living in all these type of cities. Of course, I grew up in Oregon and lived in Portland before it became trendy, hip and the "cool place to live". It was in my opinion a nice blue collar city with an eclectic mix of hippies, country people, loggers and just typical blue collar people. Then in the early 2000s with the massive gentrification nationwide, the city of Portland transformed and people started flocking there all over the country. The city transformed itself from a middle of the road, blue collar kind of town to some artsy, pretentious, trendy and sadly supper uppity "HIPSTER/COOL MILLENNIAL" city. THe neighborhoods transformed and became gentrified, many of the locals moved away or where morphed in and become the minority to the large amounts of transplants. What happened in Portland seems to have happened to many of the new-age TRENDY/IT cities. I consider the Portland of the 90s really the ideal place and I know no place is quite like the 90s anymore, but I am still searching for my sweet spot.
Anyway, after the massive gentrification of 2005 of Portland I ended up moving away and been bouncing from city to city. Mostly, in search of cheaper and more desirable living. The Pacific Northwest is no longer a real desirable place for a single, professional middle class early 40 something person to live anymore. I am meeting lots of people in Tennessee who are moving from Oregon and Washington and most are natives or people who lived there most of their life (like me). I guess we are all searching for greener pastures.
After 2005 (post-Millennial revolution) I have lived in Portland Seattle, Denver and Nashville and I have found these cities to be pretty unfriendly, pretentious, overpriced, very left-leaning liberal (my politics are fairly Libertarian, right-leaning, but middle of the road in many ways) and to just have a vibe and mentality I do not really desire. They seem to be cities that at one time (like Portland) were great, homely, had a sense of strong community and diversity (as in both diverse thoughts and ethnic groups), yet had their flaws and then suddenly exploded and are the product of the image of their old glory.
Some may think bulldozing all the old neighborhoods, building endless amounts of corporate housing and apartment complexes, overpriced restaurants (many upscale chains) that have bland food, clothing stores that sell ripped jeans and beanies with funky brand names for 10 times you can buy them at a department store, trendy dog boutiques and vegan yoga bars are the product of success then you may have different values to me. Don't get me wrong, the Portland of the 90s had vegan places, health food stores, etc but they felt more genuine, local, homegrown and community based, rather than this corporate yuppie style health and wellness type of businesses you have now. What ever happen to neighborhood food co-ops or the local hippie-run organic food store or restaurant where the smell of incense overwhelms you when you walk in?
I respect a variety of businesses, but these new neighborhoods and the trendy businesses just seem so bland. For example, watching Ballard neighborhood of Seattle have all their beautiful old buildings bulldozed to build more ugly science fiction style white condos and apartments with no yards and then putting a dog boutique or corporate yoga studio below just makes me want to vomit. They put a giant sign up on a new apartment complex in Ballard, "Ballard has Evolved". I and many of the locals angrily think, "Ballard has been Murdered". There are stickers from both Ballard and Seattle natives stating "FREE BALLARD". I feel their pain.
So, I am interested to hear what cities people would actually want to live in, places where the crime is not astronomical, where there is a stable job market and the people are more accepting, friendly and not snobby or pretentious. I know that probably most of these cities would lie in the Rust Belt and I find it funny to meet many people who are moving to these cities now to avoid the insane cost of living in the "Trendy/IT" cities. What kind of cities would people say are affordable and still have a sense of community or neighborhoods? Even, New York City, back in the day, neighborhoods were like mini-cities in themselves. My grandmother told me all about growing up in Williamsburg and the community she had.
I guess I am one of those people who are tired of all the "Too-Cool-For-You" hipster crowd in the "Super Cool/Trendy" cities. I thought moving to Nashville (one of the fast growing trendy cities in America now) I may avoid some of this mentality, but I have found it to be literally the epitome of this new trend and people definitely have the very polarizing attitude and are extremely judgmental. Denver, Seattle, Portland etc are pretty similar in these respects.
It's hard for me to spell it out , exactly, but I think people may understand. What places have a more "live-and-let-live" attitude and where people of different backgrounds can be accepted more for who they are rather than if they look hipster-enough, have enough tattoos , piercings or how much they support a specific political party. I guess that is how I kind of think of Portland in the 90s, but today, it doesn't exist.
Some people have told me cities like Kansas City, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Columbus and Tampa are more middle of the road, down to Earth and not plagued with all the super cool and trendy mindsets you have from the "TRENDY/IT" cities. It seems like you also have to pay an arm and leg for the luxury of having the pretentious and uppity attitudes. It would be nice to find a city that is still affordable. Where you don't have to pay $2000/mo for a tiny apartment that is in a certifiable "HIP/COOL" neighborhood surrounded by all the "HIP/COOL" yoga studios, dog boutiques, hipster fashion stores and "HIP/COOL" approved bars that sell you the same beer you could get at the old blue collar neighborhood bar for three times the price.
It would also be nice to find a place where a man can still ask a woman out on a date in person and not be worried about the political correct police shooting him dead and running the risk of multiple sexual harassment lawsuits for doing something so sexist and antiquated as asking a woman out on a date without approval from a computer website or phone application. It seems that people in the "TRENDY/IT" cities communicate via online applications and avoid personal communications. I find the more "TRENDY/IT" the city has become, the more the people spend their days talking to their app, facebook feed and phone then to each other. An example of two cities I found where people would have random conversations in bars and such where Boise (which is now also becoming super trendy) and Charlotte. These cities, although growing, still seem off the "TRENDY/IT" city radar and I found people to be much more personable and still would communicate in person like the way the old Portland use to be.
Last edited by RotseCherut; 11-22-2019 at 01:37 PM..
I live in a trendy beach town in Ca and it’s easy to not just fall for the hype. I made the city cater to me... not vice versa. Rather looking for some kind of single guy utopia... live your life according to your standards. I haven’t heard of any cities where there is an epidemic of women
Falsely accusing men of sexual harassment or what have you. Just don’t be a dik, and you should be fine...wherever you are.
Consider Greenville SC, Huntsville AL, Roanoke VA, Columbus and Augusta Georgia.
There is a little bit of the cool thing going on with Greenville but not in a hipster way. There are more pretentious people moving in than in the past.
I'd definitely recommend places like Pittsburgh, PA, Omaha, NE, Jacksonville, FL, St Louis, MO, Cleveland, OH, or Milwaukee, WI, etc.
Nashville definitely has a bit of the celebrity/star seeking type of folks, along with those trying to chase the coolest, most "in" type of thing. Any city with a celebrity/music/tv/movie type of industry in it is most likely going to have a group of folks who are trying to be the "coolest." Think of cities like Nashville, LA, Atlanta, Austin, San Fran, NYC, Miami, etc.
I totally get what you mean though, and I think cities that do not cater to these types of industries might be your best bet.
I'd definitely recommend places like Pittsburgh, PA, Omaha, NE, Jacksonville, FL, St Louis, MO, Cleveland, OH, or Milwaukee, WI, etc.
Nashville definitely has a bit of the celebrity/star seeking type of folks, along with those trying to chase the coolest, most "in" type of thing. Any city with a celebrity/music/tv/movie type of industry in it is most likely going to have a group of folks who are trying to be the "coolest." Think of cities like Nashville, LA, Atlanta, Austin, San Fran, NYC, Miami, etc.
I totally get what you mean though, and I think cities that do not cater to these types of industries might be your best bet.
I'm pretty sure most of those cities have big hipster scenes. Not that I think that's a bad thing.
Have you checked out Louisville, a few hours north? It is on a much slower growth track than Nashville but has a sizable urban core with a lot of amenities. Louisville has a large creative scene but it doesn't come across as pretentious. It is a riverfront city, so that aspect is even aligned with Portland. Lots of small independent establishments on the Bardstown Road corridor in particular.
I know that many people are raving about all the "coolest, trendiest, hippest" and most popular cities also referred to as the "TRENDY/IT (as in "It is the Place", not Information Technology) cities that everyone wants to move to and are all the rave right now. I've have been for the last decade (except for Boise, Idaho and perhaps, Charlotte, NC) been living in all these type of cities. Of course, I grew up in Oregon and lived in Portland before it became trendy, hip and the "cool place to live". It was in my opinion a nice blue collar city with an eclectic mix of hippies, country people, loggers and just typical blue collar people. Then in the early 2000s with the massive gentrification nationwide, the city of Portland transformed and people started flocking there all over the country. The city transformed itself from a middle of the road, blue collar kind of town to some artsy, pretentious, trendy and sadly supper uppity "HIPSTER/COOL MILLENNIAL" city. THe neighborhoods transformed and became gentrified, many of the locals moved away or where morphed in and become the minority to the large amounts of transplants. What happened in Portland seems to have happened to many of the new-age TRENDY/IT cities. I consider the Portland of the 90s really the ideal place and I know no place is quite like the 90s anymore, but I am still searching for my sweet spot.
Anyway, after the massive gentrification of 2005 of Portland I ended up moving away and been bouncing from city to city. Mostly, in search of cheaper and more desirable living. The Pacific Northwest is no longer a real desirable place for a single, professional middle class early 40 something person to live anymore. I am meeting lots of people in Tennessee who are moving from Oregon and Washington and most are natives or people who lived there most of their life (like me). I guess we are all searching for greener pastures.
After 2005 (post-Millennial revolution) I have lived in Portland Seattle, Denver and Nashville and I have found these cities to be pretty unfriendly, pretentious, overpriced, very left-leaning liberal (my politics are fairly Libertarian, right-leaning, but middle of the road in many ways) and to just have a vibe and mentality I do not really desire. They seem to be cities that at one time (like Portland) were great, homely, had a sense of strong community and diversity (as in both diverse thoughts and ethnic groups), yet had their flaws and then suddenly exploded and are the product of the image of their old glory.
Some may think bulldozing all the old neighborhoods, building endless amounts of corporate housing and apartment complexes, overpriced restaurants (many upscale chains) that have bland food, clothing stores that sell ripped jeans and beanies with funky brand names for 10 times you can buy them at a department store, trendy dog boutiques and vegan yoga bars are the product of success then you may have different values to me. Don't get me wrong, the Portland of the 90s had vegan places, health food stores, etc but they felt more genuine, local, homegrown and community based, rather than this corporate yuppie style health and wellness type of businesses you have now. What ever happen to neighborhood food co-ops or the local hippie-run organic food store or restaurant where the smell of incense overwhelms you when you walk in?
I respect a variety of businesses, but these new neighborhoods and the trendy businesses just seem so bland. For example, watching Ballard neighborhood of Seattle have all their beautiful old buildings bulldozed to build more ugly science fiction style white condos and apartments with no yards and then putting a dog boutique or corporate yoga studio below just makes me want to vomit. They put a giant sign up on a new apartment complex in Ballard, "Ballard has Evolved". I and many of the locals angrily think, "Ballard has been Murdered". There are stickers from both Ballard and Seattle natives stating "FREE BALLARD". I feel their pain.
So, I am interested to hear what cities people would actually want to live in, places where the crime is not astronomical, where there is a stable job market and the people are more accepting, friendly and not snobby or pretentious. I know that probably most of these cities would lie in the Rust Belt and I find it funny to meet many people who are moving to these cities now to avoid the insane cost of living in the "Trendy/IT" cities. What kind of cities would people say are affordable and still have a sense of community or neighborhoods? Even, New York City, back in the day, neighborhoods were like mini-cities in themselves. My grandmother told me all about growing up in Williamsburg and the community she had.
I guess I am one of those people who are tired of all the "Too-Cool-For-You" hipster crowd in the "Super Cool/Trendy" cities. I thought moving to Nashville (one of the fast growing trendy cities in America now) I may avoid some of this mentality, but I have found it to be literally the epitome of this new trend and people definitely have the very polarizing attitude and are extremely judgmental. Denver, Seattle, Portland etc are pretty similar in these respects.
It's hard for me to spell it out , exactly, but I think people may understand. What places have a more "live-and-let-live" attitude and where people of different backgrounds can be accepted more for who they are rather than if they look hipster-enough, have enough tattoos , piercings or how much they support a specific political party. I guess that is how I kind of think of Portland in the 90s, but today, it doesn't exist.
Some people have told me cities like Kansas City, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Columbus and Tampa are more middle of the road, down to Earth and not plagued with all the super cool and trendy mindsets you have from the "TRENDY/IT" cities. It seems like you also have to pay an arm and leg for the luxury of having the pretentious and uppity attitudes. It would be nice to find a city that is still affordable. Where you don't have to pay $2000/mo for a tiny apartment that is in a certifiable "HIP/COOL" neighborhood surrounded by all the "HIP/COOL" yoga studios, dog boutiques, hipster fashion stores and "HIP/COOL" approved bars that sell you the same beer you could get at the old blue collar neighborhood bar for three times the price.
It would also be nice to find a place where a man can still ask a woman out on a date in person and not be worried about the political correct police shooting him dead and running the risk of multiple sexual harassment lawsuits for doing something so sexist and antiquated as asking a woman out on a date without approval from a computer website or phone application. It seems that people in the "TRENDY/IT" cities communicate via online applications and avoid personal communications. I find the more "TRENDY/IT" the city has become, the more the people spend their days talking to their app, facebook feed and phone then to each other. An example of two cities I found where people would have random conversations in bars and such where Boise (which is now also becoming super trendy) and Charlotte. These cities, although growing, still seem off the "TRENDY/IT" city radar and I found people to be much more personable and still would communicate in person like the way the old Portland use to be.
I understand exactly how you feel. I am close to your age and our politics are similar. I live in the Dallas, TX area and it is very pretentious and snobby too. I miss how things were in the 90s before cell phones and social media came out and cities become gentrified.
I've always been attracted to the Cleveland area for some reason. It isn't known for having particularly beautiful architecture or interesting local culture or distinct neighborhoods - even within the Rust Belt, it's been overshadowed lately by the revitalization of other cities like Cincinnati, Detroit, and Pittsburgh. I think maybe that's what I like - its aesthetic is unabashedly industrial and retro, without much of a kitschy modern hipster scene AFAIK. And it still has rapid transit, which is cool for a city its size.
I haven't had a chance to spend much time in Cleveland (transferred buses there once and walked around the downtown for a couple hours, and then stopped there for dinner once on a family trip to New England), and I'd like to.
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Think of cities like Nashville, LA, Atlanta, Austin, San Fran, NYC, Miami, etc. 
