Recently repatriated from Tokyo, but unhappy (again) in the old hometown. Help! (best cities, apartment)
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I found this site while looking for best places to live for singles over 30 and I'm surprised to find that Fort Worth is ranked high in Forbes best cities for singles over 35 poll. To make a long story short, I grew up and went to college there and out of sheer boredom, I moved to Tokyo four years ago. I loved living in Tokyo, and one of the biggest reasons I moved back to the U.S. (and Fort Worth) was because I wanted to live closer to my family (they're getting older) and the opportunities for advancement were limited as a non-Japanese.
Well, I've been back a couple of months now, and quite frankly, I'm still underwhelmed-in fact, even more so. Yes, there are some fabulous museums here, but other than that, I'm not sure there's much here.
For a city described as being great for older singles, I'm finding it really hard to find these people-everyone around my age seems to be married with young children. BTW, I'm a 31 year old female-college graduate.
So, what I want to know is what city would you recommend for someone who is remembering why she left this town in the first place.
My criteria:
1.) Location: I know the easy U.S. parallel for Tokyo would be NYC, but I'm not really keen on moving there because of the cold winters, high cost of living, etc. Also, I'm not inclined towards the West Coast because the WC culture doesn't really appeal to me. Of course, I've never really been there, so perhaps I'm guilty of stereotyping. I do know that since I don't even want to visit LA, I'm not leaning very kindly towards the idea of living there. Plus, the whole cost thing again. I'm leaning towards the South (again), but this is not an absolute.
2.) Culture: It doesn't have to be a big city, but not tiny either. I want museums, good restaurants, culture and I would love for the city to be international-I desperately miss this aspect from my time in Tokyo.
3.) Demographics: I'm also looking for a city with a good number of educated, rational people. I'm politically moderate and a city with people who are either moderately liberal or conservative would be fine with me. I really don't want either extreme. Also, I would love to find a place that has more than a few older singles (not just the 20-something variety), and is not just all about families (although I have nothing against this demographic-it's just not me).
4.) Weather: While I'm not sure I could handle a place with cold, harsh weathers, I don't mind a little cold. I probably prefer warm weather (which might be why I lean towards the South), but a little snow doesn't bother me either. I'm a Texas girl, but the summers here are insane, and while I can do this, I wouldn't mind doing without this aspect.
5.) Cost: Nothing too outrageous. I don't mind a small apartment, if that's what I can afford on my salary and still afford to do things. I'm a schoolteacher for now, if this helps in terms of salary and what I might be able to afford.
Possibilities: I've considered Miami, and Washington DC. I have a friend who thinks the Carolinas would be a good fit for me, but they're not able to articulate why. I'm rather curious why myself-although I'm certainly open to the possibility.
If I've left anything out, please feel free to ask and thanks in advance!
Around here we get hot summer and semi-cold winters. We got a few inches of snow last year, maybe 7-8 inches all together, but not all at once. But St. Louis, just 3 hours north, got 20 inches. The summers can get into the 80s and 90s, so it's hard to do much outside unless it involves water.
Why aren't you considering Dallas or Houston? It seems like both of those places would fit what you're looking for, and you'd still be close to family.
Otherwise, how about Atlanta? It's much more cosmopolitan than a lot of people think. It's also got the world's busiest airport and daily, nonstop flights to Tokyo.
If you live right smack in the city of Atlanta, you can experience "big city" living but at much more reasonable prices than places like NYC or DC. With a metro area of over 5 million there's always something to do, and the urban core has some wonderful, walkable neighborhoods full of single 30-somethings who also enjoy sidewalk cafes, galleries, nightclubs, stuff like that. And most are connected by MARTA, Atlanta's subway system so you can do a lot of it without driving.
Well, coming from Fort Worth, Dallas has never held much interest for me. I don't think DFW has ever really developed it's own character. It's just a conglomeration of bedroom communities that really don't have any character-which is something I guess I would like for my city to have. Houston is again a possibility but part of is concerned that it really isn't very different from DFW. But it's worth looking into-as is Atlanta. I like the idea of walkable neighborhoods with character and a good public transportation system.
Its going to be hard to replicate Tokyo in the USA. NYC is the closest and even then, the city can sometimes feel underwhelming when you compare it to Tokyo.
Other than that I would stick to either San Francisco, Chicago, or east coast cities (NYC, Philadelphia, Boston, DC). Most other cities in the USA just feel and look like suburbs on steroids. They lack public transportation or cultural attractions of any real significance.
Yeah, I would also recommend Atlanta. As crazy as this may sound, Atlanta does share a few similarities with Tokyo, but like a smaller version of it. Aside from the obvious differences such as people, culture, and language, what makes them similar is the climate, which also makes the tree and plant life similar. The architecture is also similar, a lot of modern and post-modern skyscrapers, and the fact that they are both sprawling cities that can be divided into smaller cities. Midtown Atlanta is the business district with skyscrapers, similar to Tokyo's Shinjuku, while Buckhead is the nightlife/entertainment district similar to Roppongi. Here are also some pics comparing the two cities:
Here is the view of Roppongi and Shinjuku from Tokyo Tower:
And here is the view of Midtown and Buckhead from Westin Peachtree in Atlanta:
In the suburbs, yes. But Atlanta's Midtown and Buckhead neighborhoods (particularly Midtown) are very pedestrian friendly.
Yes, and not every part of Tokyo looks like the famous Shibuya crosswalks either. Even in the business/commercial districts there are some streets in Tokyo that have little pedestrian activity.
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