Best city??? (2010, college, living in)

[dpretto]

Hi! I need help finding the best city in the US. I don't want NYC, LA or San Fran. But here is my criteria:

- Tons of restaurants - good ones!
- Need to be walking distance from restaurants, bars, activities, shops, etc.
- Great public transportation.
- Affordable housing (not sure if great city and affordable housing go together)
- Mild winters.

I would appreciate any input. I have recently moved from Canada and am living in NJ (and hating it!).

Thanks!

[brattpowered]

New Orleans
Austin (not great in the walking distance department)

"Mild winters" makes it hard.

[brattpowered]

p.s. Austin has terrible public transportation too. Seattle?

[The Icy River Vagabond]

Detroit fits in there.

[Mike from back east]

This winter has been overly snowy, but all the other stuff is there, and usually the climate is very mild. Come to the CO forum and read up on Denver....probably the MOST affordable big city with all the amenities you listed and a GREAT city for single people.

s/Mike

[SpeedyAZ]

- Tons of restaurants - good ones!
- Need to be walking distance from restaurants, bars, activities, shops, etc.
- Great public transportation.
- Affordable housing (not sure if great city and affordable housing go together)
- Mild winters.

Tons of restaurants- Dallas, TX
Walking distance to activities- Denver, CO or Seattle, WA
Great public transport- Not exactly sure but Dallas has the DART which goes around downtown
Affordable housing- Dallas 100%
Mild winters- Dallas (50's and 60's)

Austin would also be another great option but it doesn't have very good public transit.

[sdmlions]

Charlottesville, Virginia fits this fairly well. Not sure about the public transport though. Do you want somewhere small or large?

[dullnboring]

I can't think of a large city that fits all of the criteria. It seems that most cities fall short in one category or another. If you can deal with the rainy and grey weather, I think Portland would be a terrific choice. Plenty of good restaurants, walkable with good public transit, and mild winters (still cold though). The cost of living is the main problem though. It depends on perception. The city is not as expensive as Seattle or San Francisco, but considered "expensive" by many nonetheless.

[John1960]

Hi, Cookeville, Tennessee has over a 100 resturants and is a college town.

http://www.cookeville-tn.org/pc/ (broken link)

[pwright1]

I think Seattle fits ALL the categories you listed. Also with the lightrail coming in 2009 Seattle will be even more awesome. I've been without a car for over a year and I get around just fine. Its clean, dense, walkable with a fantastic downtown, great restaurants, culture, nightlife, festivals, plus no summer heat and humidity. I use to live in New Jersey myself. I know what you mean.