Best city in the Midwest? (best cities, low crime, safe area)

[lpfan921]

I am considering moving out to the Midwest. I have lived in the Northeast my whole life and have mixed feelings about it, and I am considering either the Midwest or the South as I have heard great things about both and have had a nice time when I have visited.

Some things I would like:

Lots of young single people (I am going to be moving right after graduating from school).
Nice, friendly people. And of course some sweet midwest girls definently wouldn't hurt
Good public transportation, and easy ability to walk lots of places. I do not like to drive.
Decent weather-- mild winters, more sunny days and fewer cloudy/rainy days.
Lots of outdoor things to do--camping, parks, etc.
Safe area, with low crime. I guess this probably has more to do with your neighborhood than your city, as most cities have some crime.
Republicans are fine, but i probably don't want to go somewhere that is extremely conservative, like Oklahoma or Utah.

MO seems really nice, especially Columbia and Springfield, both near colleges. I have heard good things about Indianapolis, Columbus, and Cincinnati as well. Bloomington was really nice when I visited, but I doubt that there are many jobs there.

Well I would be interested to hear other people's opinions. Thank you!

[thatguy1]

Originally Posted by lpfan921

I am considering moving out to the Midwest. I have lived in the Northeast my whole life and have mixed feelings about it, and I am considering either the Midwest or the South as I have heard great things about both and have had a nice time when I have visited.

Some things I would like:

Lots of young single people (I am going to be moving right after graduating from school).
Nice, friendly people. And of course some sweet midwest girls definently wouldn't hurt
Good public transportation, and easy ability to walk lots of places. I do not like to drive.
Decent weather-- mild winters, more sunny days and fewer cloudy/rainy days.
Lots of outdoor things to do--camping, parks, etc.
Safe area, with low crime. I guess this probably has more to do with your neighborhood than your city, as most cities have some crime.
Republicans are fine, but i probably don't want to go somewhere that is extremely conservative, like Oklahoma or Utah.

MO seems really nice, especially Columbia and Springfield, both near colleges. I have heard good things about Indianapolis, Columbus, and Cincinnati as well. Bloomington was really nice when I visited, but I doubt that there are many jobs there.

Well I would be interested to hear other people's opinions. Thank you!

Good luck finding a mild winter in the midwest

[Toxic Toast]

Originally Posted by lpfan921

I am considering moving out to the Midwest. I have lived in the Northeast my whole life and have mixed feelings about it, and I am considering either the Midwest or the South as I have heard great things about both and have had a nice time when I have visited.

Some things I would like:

Lots of young single people (I am going to be moving right after graduating from school).
Nice, friendly people. And of course some sweet midwest girls definently wouldn't hurt
Good public transportation, and easy ability to walk lots of places. I do not like to drive.
Decent weather-- mild winters, more sunny days and fewer cloudy/rainy days.
Lots of outdoor things to do--camping, parks, etc.
Safe area, with low crime. I guess this probably has more to do with your neighborhood than your city, as most cities have some crime.
Republicans are fine, but i probably don't want to go somewhere that is extremely conservative, like Oklahoma or Utah.

MO seems really nice, especially Columbia and Springfield, both near colleges. I have heard good things about Indianapolis, Columbus, and Cincinnati as well. Bloomington was really nice when I visited, but I doubt that there are many jobs there.

Well I would be interested to hear other people's opinions. Thank you!

What exactly do you mean by "mild." This is the midwest; winters north of I-64 are rarely what I would call mild.

As far as the cities themselves; Bloomington, IN is a nice town, as are Indy and Cincy. Indy and Cincy both have nice neighborhoods; but the mass transit is severly lacking in Indianapolis. For outdoor activities; you have Brown County State Park an hour south of Indy. It is a walkable city in parts; but other parts of the city are very much not pedestrian friendly.

[STLCardsBlues1989]

Springfield is nice, and has busses, but no trains.

And mild winter? That's funny. I think on the City-Data page it said Springfield gets 3-4 inches a month of snow for like 3 months of the year. Columbia, being farther north, will probably get more snow than that.

[Curlygurl]

I would actually say that Cincinnati is not a very accessible city for pedestrians either. There is a bus system that is pretty good, but there is no subway or train system (to my knowledge). Do you want to be right in a major urban area or out a little bit.

It will be challenging to find a mild winter in the Midwest, but if you are willing to brave the winters, I was actually going to suggest Chicago for you because of some of your other requirements. There is always something to do there, they have mass transit, and there are many neighborhoods, so I'm sure you could find something you like. When I have visited there, I have found Chicago to be a friendly city.

Another thing you mentioned was that you were looking at the south. Have you looked at Charleston, SC? I have not personally been to this city, but had been looking at it for a possible move in the future for myself. They have mild winters there, although I'm not sure about public transportation. It is right on the coast, so that might be fun, if you like water activities.

Good luck

[flyingwriter]

Mild winters are very common in the Midwest south of I-80. Indiana, Ohio (except for the Lake Erie snowbelt), and Illinois are all very mild. I wouldn't really consider Missouri Midwestern. Most areas in those states get less than 30" of snow and snow doesn't stay on the ground for the whole winter. To me, that's mild.

A few ideas: Indianapolis, IN, Kalamazoo, MI, Ann Arbor, MI, South Bend, IN, Springfield, IL, Chicago, and Springfield, IL. All of those cities have large colleges, so lots of young people. I know all of the ones in Michigan have public transit. And all, except Kalamazoo, have mild winters by Midwest standards.

[th3vault]

Columbus was nice every time I've been there. Springfield too.

Stay out of MI though, mild winter and MI do not belong in the same sentence.

Missouri would offer the mildest winter in the midwest, and a little bit more sun than Ohio, Michigan, Indiana or Illinois would.

[MILWCITY]

I prefer Milwaukee and being on the west side of Lake Michigan offers the closest thing to a mild winter. It can be as much as 20 degress warmer by the lake 0-4miles, and less snow!!! Living in Milwaukee or the Brew City is that it's only a hour train ride to downtown Chicago. So if you want a smaller city in Milwaukee metro 2,000,000 or chicago metro 10,000,000 all together its the tristate area of 12,000,000. From Milwaukee's city limits to Chicago's is only 62miles, and you can't beat Chicago when it comes to entertainment. It doesn't matter if it's only 20 degress winter doesn't hold us down. St Louie is spread out and grungy so I prefer more of a upscale scene. Chicago and Milwaukee have a lot of people from different countries and a lot of young professionals in the city.
If I had to rank them it would be Chitown, Milwaukee, Twin Cities, St.Louis, Detroit, Indy, I don't consider Cleveland Midwest.

[missymomof3]

It seems like there is just as much debate on what is the midwest as there is for is the South

[KevK]

There is no "mild" winters or summers in the midwest. The best cities are Chicago, Cincinnatti, Indianapolis, Kansas City KS-MO. If you prefer a smaller city atmosphere, Springfield IL, Madison, WI and Lawrence, KS are all really great smaller places.