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Die hard Scranton fan, metropolitan area, good intellectual vibe, reasonable cost of living, four season climate, liberal atmosphere, urban pioneer, row home fixer upper, pedestrian friendly
View Poll Results: Where Should the Overstressed, Depressed, Fashion-Obsessed, Dorky Guy Move?
Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN
7
12.73%
Chicago, IL
8
14.55%
Madison, WI
3
5.45%
Rochester, MN
0
0%
Ann Arbor, MI
5
9.09%
Traverse City, MI
2
3.64%
Columbus, OH
4
7.27%
Pittsburgh, PA
6
10.91%
Philadelphia, PA
3
5.45%
New York City, NY
11
20.00%
Boston, MA
5
9.09%
Annapolis, MD
1
1.82%
Baltimore, MD
2
3.64%
Charlottesville, VA
1
1.82%
Burlington, VT
3
5.45%
Northampton, MA
2
3.64%
Pittsfield, MA
1
1.82%
Boston, MA
8
14.55%
Hartford, CT
2
3.64%
Providence, RI
6
10.91%
Portland, ME
3
5.45%
Nashua, NH
1
1.82%
Concord, NH
0
0%
Manchester, NH
2
3.64%
Newburyport, MA
0
0%
Harrisburg, PA
0
0%
State College, PA
0
0%
Syracuse, NY
1
1.82%
Stay in Scranton, PA
5
9.09%
Other (Please Specify Below)
4
7.27%
Multiple Choice Poll. Voters: 55. You may not vote on this poll
I just noticed you listed Boston twice in your poll. Maybe subliminally you want to go there?
I didn't even notice that. If you were to combine the two options, Boston is killing the competition with 10 votes thus far! Then again, I made the poll multiple choice, so some of those may have chosen both Boston options to avoid any confusion. I've been to Boston before, and I loved my experience there. The city was kind of ugly to get around thanks to the "Big Dig" (horrific traffic and having to play chicken as a pedestrian a lot near the Freedom Trail). However, we took the "T" to get to most places, and we loved seeing how many Bostonians utilized mass transit. It's certainly refreshing to see that vs. Scranton, where solo drivers congest our freeways.
I've also heard a lot of wonderful things about Asheville (and to a lesser extent Boone as well). Isn't that the city where the Vanderbilt Mansion is? It's supposed to be a very "hip" city way out in the beautiful mountains of North Carolina. Once again, something that turns me off about the South in general though is just the prospect of lengthy, humid summers that will only get worse if Al Gore's dire "global warming" predictions hold true. If I bake and cook in dreadfully hot weather here in the Northern mountains, I don't want to think of how much those of you in the Carolinas must swelter! I also hear that Asheville is growing by leaps and bounds. If it's anything like the Lake Norman area, this probably means the city is surrounded by ugly strip malls, tract housing, and other sorts of sprawl, which is something I do not want in my future hometown. It would be nice to have you as a new neighbor, though!
Yes The Biltmore is in Asheville, you gotta go see it, 250 rooms, just the house is on four acres. Asheville doesn't get as hot as you might think. What about a smaller town in the mountains like Brevard?
We'd LOVE to have you here in Pittsburgh, my friend. Although I have to warn you -- fashion obsessed we're not.
There ARE very fashionable people living here...five, to be exact. The rest of us just hold on to the clothes in our closet from 20 years ago, knowing full well that it'll be back in fashion some time soon.
Truth be told, if you are 21 years old, you need to get out of Scranton and experience life a bit. Travel to different cities you might be interested in and spend a little time there. Also, there are considerable opportunities overseas -- and lots of beautiful, fashionable people in Berlin, Paris, London and all over the world. Don't close off your opportunities by tying your futures to one town.
But once you've seen the world, and decided to settle down, come to Pittsburgh!
I voted Minneapolis mainly because I grew up there and know a bit about it and also because my almost 20yo son just moved there and is adjusting quite well. He has found fellow gamers to hang out with and a good job and just applied to Hamline University to finish his school. He said the biggest culture shock wasn't moving from CA to MN, but moving from a rural, conservative county to a large metropolitan area.
I can't tell you anything about the gay scene there, except that Mpls has always been a pretty tolerant and accepting area on the whole.
Hi Scranton! Why don't you just go for it & move to the best! You keep mentioning The Village - so go there! Can't get any better for what you want! Yeah, it's expensive, but it's wirth it!
Move SOUTH!!! Expand your horizons, as well as your appreciation for warm weather and the most beautiful women on earth.
Truthfully, I wouldn't live in the north if you paid me!
My top recommendations of the cities I've listed: Atlanta and Tampa. Of course, if you absolutely want to stay up north, then Philly, NYC, Boston, Chicago, DC, and Baltimore would be your best bets; but, the cost of living in northern cities is much more than southern cities.
Neither would I. Life is more relaxed and better in the South. There is less inequity, working class is happier, better weather, your money goes farther/better cost of living, not too mention the beautiful outdoors, wonderful food, and great women.
I just took a trip for a few days to Birmingham, Alabama and also passed through Mississippi. Coming back up I experienced reverse culture shock en route to Chicago - driving got pushier and more hectic, gas prices went up 30 40 cents. Pretty picture huh? Nope.
I'm sorry to hear you're becoming disillusioned with your hometown; I can tell from your posts you'd love to be the first in on the area's renaissance. Maybe you can move away for a few years, then come back and be in on the improvements.
My suggestions: Madison, Wisc., Ann Arbor, and Minneapolis. None are fashion-obsessed (at least from what I've seen, but then again I don't swing in high-fashion circles myself! LOL), but all have that cultural and progressive vibe that you seek. Ann Arbor is smaller -- about the size of Erie -- but U of M provides a lot of cultural and educational opportunities. It's got a great downtown and the entire city is very walkable. Fabulous farmer's market (although not as fabulous as Madison's). Eastern Michigan University is close by in Ypsilanti, which itself is in the midst of a bit of an upswing/renaissance.
Madison is a fabulous city -- lots of lakes and recreation nearby, beautiful neighborhoods and if you get a hankerin' for the rural life, it's not far away. Downtown is amazing. Good cheese, too.
I don't know much about Minneapolis, other than a friend of mine from high school, a gay man, recently moved there and loves it. The pictures he's sent me of the parks and of the neighborhoods are stunning.
Sorry to hear that you're in a funk regarding your hometown. MattDen brings up some good points about the proximity of Philly and New York but I can respect your desire for a change of pace and scenery.
When I think about the next place I would like to live (which probably won't happen for another decade unless my ladyfriend and I get really mad at each other), I inevitably end up looking at larger college towns which happen to be state capitals for many of the same reasons as you are seeking (with the slight variation of being openly "merry" in my interracial relationship.) The three places I look at the most are Austin, TX; Madison, WI and Columbus, OH. I should note the caveat that 95% of what I write is based on hearsay from the respective forums here and other sources as opposed to an extended stay.
For you though, if the thought of a Carolina summer makes you sweat already, Austin might make for a nice spring visit at best. On the other hand, if my experience is any guide, you may find the Midwestern culture in places like Madison and Columbus familiar and comfortable. Columbus in particular has a neighborhood just east of downtown with homes that many gay men are rehabbing. There is a touch of friction with the longtime black residents, however. For your purposes, your choice of Ann Arbor might apply as well although if you've perused the Michigan forum, economic times are tough in that state.
I also meant to make the point that all three cities are inexpensive, at least by Northeastern standards. All three would be a step in pace of life without being exhausting. And with Columbus and Madison, the "Capital of the Midwest" Chicago is less than a day's drive away
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Then again, I made the poll multiple choice, so some of those may have chosen both Boston options to avoid any confusion. 
I've been to Boston before, and I loved my experience there. The city was kind of ugly to get around thanks to the "Big Dig" (horrific traffic and having to play chicken as a pedestrian a lot near the Freedom Trail). However, we took the "T" to get to most places, and we loved seeing how many Bostonians utilized mass transit. It's certainly refreshing to see that vs. Scranton, where solo drivers congest our freeways. 
It would be nice to have you as a new neighbor, though! 
