(USA) I want to feel like I'm living in Europe... (fit in, apartment)

[MoonFruit]

Hey guys.

I'm a 19 year old female looking for a nice place to live in the US.
I was born in Japan, lived there for 4 years then my family moved to California and I've been living here in Cali ever since.

My experience here has not been very great. I only lived in one city I went to public schools which were composed mostly of people of ethnic minorities in which I experienced a lot of racism because I look white although I'm only half, so school was never pleasant and my parents were always indifferent to anything I was going through. (My mother is mentally ill and my father has many problems of his own).

I really really just want to get away from it all. I tried college for a while, I chose an almost all white college and I was in for a huge culture shock because I was never in my life around white people. (I know, how weird). All I had to do was be near someone and they'd want to start a conversation with me. Everybody I passed would smile. I'm use to being either ignored or insulted so this was like being on another planet. I left college the first week because I just wasn't ready for it (I have anxiety around people, plus I had no money so I don't know what I was thinking) also I really find it tough to handle school work. I always had a hard time in school so I decided I'm just going to go through life with only a HS diploma and maybe sometime in the future I'll get a college education because I eventually (maybe) want to immigrate to Europe. (Hopefully Sweden Or Germany). The UK seems appealing also.

Right now I still live with my Mom and Dad in a small dingy apartment (the same one for 15 years) which is too embarrassing to describe.
My parents are the ghetto-est people on earth and I'm completely opposite them.

I've been searching all these different places on google maps, city-data and wikipedia in hopes of finding a great place to move but I haven't found anything suitable yet. (I've never actually been to another state and I don't have family in any of them so I can only go off what I find online).

I want to feel like I'm in Europe and St. Paul MN looks like they have a lot of Swedish and German influence which I find very appealing! However I can't stand heat. (I would like to find a place where I won't ever have to use air conditioning). I was looking at Spokane WA too but the crime rates are too high. My Mom said to move to Pennsylvania because that's where she grew up and I like the idea of living in the East but still, there are so many other places that I could move to and the weather there is probably too hot anyways.

I don't know if I want to move to a city or a town, I definitely do not like areas that look very industrial but I think I'm kind of stuck living in cities because I only have a HS diploma. I don't know how to drive so any place I move to definitely needs to have busses to get around. Walmarts and Targets are great too. I will be completely on my own for the first time and I need to be able to support myself so I guess I could become a waitress or something.

I would really appreciate any place suggestions.
Thanks very much for reading.

[ckhthankgod]

What about Salt Lake City Utah or Portland Oregon, for examples?

[Daytonnatian]

San Diego- very mediterranean feel, home of UCSD

San Francisco- More eupropean in attitude, home of Stanford and Berkeley if you're a super-genius, U of San Fran if you just want a good education and the city experience, as well.


Also would seriously consider Montreal and McGill University if I were you, this option is probably far superior to anything the US could offer that would meet your requirements.

[Boston14]

Boston

[18Montclair]

Originally Posted by MoonFruit

My parents are the ghetto-est people on earth and I'm completely opposite them.

Hush your mouth.

Your mother is mentally ill for heavenssake. One day you will miss them. I promise.

[EnjoyTheSilence]

...then go to Massachusetts, which is probably the most "European" place I've been to outside of Europe (and I say this as a European / British expat myself). Boston itself felt like a big British city, with New England flair and character thrown in for good measure.

[xavierob82]

New York City, because it feels and looks like London.

Boston because it's the closet to the Old World you'll probably get to in the US.

Judging from your post, however, something strongly tells me that you won't fit in well in these cities at all....or Europe for that matter. I'd stick to Podunk, Idaho.

[LASam]

Originally Posted by xavierob82

New York City, because it feels and looks like London.

NYC feels and looks like London? Have you been to London? I was there and didn't feel that it was like NYC... I agree with the Boston sentiments though.

[Hoarfrost]

You should stay in the west. There will be more cities with Asians on the west coast so you'll deal with less xenophobia. Boston is probably the most European city in America but you will be eaten alive trying to make it there with only a HS diploma and no near future plans for college. Same for DC, which would be another theoretical good fit.

If you really want to go to Europe, apply to a university there. Apply somewhere with cheap tuition(or no tuition!) and open enrolment. The language barrier would be an issue although Northern Europe and Belgium and the Netherlands have schools with English programs. Norway also has tuition free education.

[LASam]

Sounds like you want to live in Canada... Ottawa or Toronto may be good fits for you. Montreal may be a bit too intense and Vancouver isn't terribly european.