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Ok -- I am single (not looking), male, in my 30s and can work from home. I have Math degrees. No children to worry about or family to take care of (yet). I currently live in NYC, but would love to get out.
Requirements:
I am looking for a place with the closest thing possible to a Mediterranean climate.
The place must be much cheaper than NYC.
Must be (here is where it gets tricky for most of the US) WALKABLE. I do NOT drive a car and have no interest in getting a driver's license. I don't need the entire city to be walkable, but a relatively large portion should be. I do not want to be confined to just 1 or 2 streets.
Which city would work? Note ALL of the above must be met if I am to move.
These are difficult constraints to work with if you want to satisfy all three. Your climate criteria sounds like you would prefer the West Coast, but that region overall is definitely not known for its affordability. That being said, LA has a wonderful Mediterranean climate, and I do think the difficulty of not having a car there is overstated since most of the major neighborhoods are connected to a Metro rail or a bus line at least.
If you can stand tourists, Central Hollywood has a nice pocket of walkability and it is probably the 2nd most "urban" area outside of DTLA. The cheapest 1 bed you could find in Hollywood would probably be $1,500/month and exceeds $2,000 for the nicest buildings. DTLA is slightly more expensive and most of the 1 beds on the market will be 2,000+, but it has a larger walkable area than Hollywood with more historic buildings. On the Westside, Santa Monica is quite walkable and easily has the best climate year-round, but I would not consider it since rents there tend to be higher than most places in NYC.
I would also second the suggestion to look into Oakland, which is pretty warm year round. Portland is cooler and not quite as Mediterranean, but I would be open to that option as well. Although none of these areas are cheap, they may be less expensive to you depending on what borough/neighborhood of NYC you are coming from.
Portland and Oakland are the first cities that come to mind for me.
I've definitely been looking at both! Good call.
Quote:
Originally Posted by westsaeed
Sacramento fits the bill.
Yes!! Actually, I really like what I've read so far about Sacramento. It's supposed to have a climate very similar to Madrid (a climate I very much like since it is dry and very little rain except in the Winter).
Not sure if Sacramento is walkable?
Quote:
Originally Posted by garyjohnyang
LA has a wonderful Mediterranean climate, and I do think the difficulty of not having a car there is overstated since most of the major neighborhoods are connected to a Metro rail or a bus line at least.
Oh? I was not aware of this fact. I thought to live in LA it was absolutely vital to have a car (kind of like the case in Miami) but if what you are saying is the reality, I could consider the LA area maybe, except that it seems quite expensive even though not as expensive as NYC for sure.
I'd be coming from Manhattan.
Quote:
Originally Posted by garyjohnyang
I would also second the suggestion to look into Oakland, which is pretty warm year round. Portland is cooler and not quite as Mediterranean, but I would be open to that option as well. Although none of these areas are cheap, they may be less expensive to you depending on what borough/neighborhood of NYC you are coming from.
OK. I have no knowledge at all about Oakland, but will look into it then.
Yes!! Actually, I really like what I've read so far about Sacramento. It's supposed to have a climate very similar to Madrid (a climate I very much like since it is dry and very little rain except in the Winter).
Not sure if Sacramento is walkable?
You'd have to live in the central city/grid aka Downtown/Midtown area, but it is extremely walkable and with the alternative transporation(bikes/scooters) getting around is pretty easy in that part of town.
The central parts and the west side are a pretty good walkable expanse of LA, but is expensive though Oakland and Portland aren’t cheap these days and Portland is much too drizzly to be Mediterranean. Portland’s actually more of am oceanic climate like the British Isles. Sacramento midtown/downtown are a good combination of affordable and decently walkable. Another option might be parts of the LA satellite cities of Long Beach and Pasadena, though again, not super cheap.
Also, how are you with biking? Portland and Sacramento are great for getting around on bike. LA is doable depending on what part of the area you’re in.
Yep you're definitely looking at California and Oregon basically.
Excluding the Bay Area for the moment, I'd say Portland would be the most walkable. It would come the closest to matching your environment in Manhattan (if that's where you are in NYC) an perhaps exceed it if you're in the outer boroughs (of course depends exactly where).
Then Los Angeles. Sure...if you want easy access to the entire, very expansive, region then you definitely would want a car, but there's no reason you can't get along just fine without one if you can work in one of the many many walkable pockets. It's wayyyy more than being confined to 1 or 2 streets...and more and more of the region is becoming walkable each year. Now obviously the experience will be different from what you're used to, but it's very very doable. And when you do need to get around, there are several rail systems that may do the trick...or rideshare to fill in the gaps. But it's very much an option to consider. Some of the walkable parts are very pricey, but I imagine many should be cheaper than NYC prices.
After that I'd lean towards San Diego. This is getting borderline and depends on the person and work location of course. I definitely think I could live there carfree, but I am pretty far on the spectrum of tolerance for a carfree lifestyle. There's light rail that is pretty useful in the core.
Then there's Sacramento. Its core is pretty solidly walkable...from Old Sac-Downtown-Midtown its all a grid and decently dense. I forget the names of the neighborhoods directly south of downtown and midtown but they're alright too. Less dense but acceptable. Again, where you could work is the question. Sacramento also has light rail which may be useful, I'm not terribly certain though and did not take it personally.
Ok, then of course there's the Bay Area which I skipped over. It would be the best environment for carfree and also just transitioning from NYC. But most of it would be equal to NYC cost so you'll have to really drill down to find the right place for you.
Miami, Fla, has a hot mediterraneanish climate. It has a public transportation system. I visited on vacation and, like you, I do not drive. Did not take a cab even once, I just moved around using the local buses, and it was fine. The Miami Beach area is definitely walkable.
Another place I would suggest is Santa Monica. It matches your criterias except for the "much cheaper than NYC" part.
I would also check larger southern cities like Atlanta, Birmingham or Houston.
Miami, Fla, has a hot mediterraneanish climate. It has a public transportation system. I visited on vacation and, like you, I do not drive. Did not take a cab even once, I just moved around using the local buses, and it was fine. The Miami Beach area is definitely walkable.
Another place I would suggest is Santa Monica. It matches your criterias except for the "much cheaper than NYC" part.
I would also check larger southern cities like Atlanta, Birmingham or Houston.
The southern cities don't have anything resembling a Mediterranean climate. The terms basically means dry summers and mild, wet winters. Only the West coast has anything like it.
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