LIBERAL City Comparison! (recycle, organic, gas, natural)

[Not2bforgot10]

Hi, I would like to compare these places:

Portland, OR Burlington, VT
Asheville, NC Boston, MA Cambridge, MA Northhampton, MA San Francisco, CA Berkely, CA Ann Arbor, MI Ithaca, NY Boulder, CO
For starters, I would like to compare these factors:

-Costs (ie, high cost of living? ie, expensive food, cheap gas, etc).
-Weather (cloudy vs. sunny, 65 degrees versus 80, etc).
-Salary
-Gay and lesbian scene
-Arts scene
-Vast opportunities for kayaking and camping-- so rivers/trees.

Right now I am living in Burlington, Vermont. I actually LOVE Burlington, VT-- it is full of artists, writers, and musicians and is VERY liberal and progressive. It's also health conscious and there are many intellectual liberals here. Liberals/Libertarians.


Thanks!

[Not2bforgot10]

Help! I need advice fast... I just heard news that I might be offered a full-time position as a live-in youth counselor in San Francisco... Big decisions make me really nervous, and I have never lived in a large city before... I literally just moved to Philadelphia with my partner (we are living with her father and renting out the upstairs of his house), and am overwhelmed here... I have not been sure whether or not I have wanted to stay here, which is why I have been applied to other jobs around the country.

The main thing that is important to me is that I live in a place where I can live out my values and interests. With out providing a huge list of what's important to me, to sum it all up, it's trees and parks... healthy living. I care about quality of life, and I want to live somewhere with intelligent, educated people who are creative and environment-friendly where people recycle, exercise, and create.

I am interested in building a life for myself, and I want to have fun while I'm young... what matters to me is kayaking and camping. I would also love to hike and maybe raft!

I guess it would be worth mentioning that I expect food to be affordable (I enjoy organic food), there to be an abundance of alanon meetings, parks & trees, and reasonably priced opportunities for recreational interests such as the ones stated above, including concerts and other outdoor activities such as flea markets and farmer's markets.

I am frugal... I am also a minimalist. I live a rich inner life, but try to make things as simple as possible on the outside. I have heard SF can be pretty expensive. It would be awesome if someone can give me a breakdown of just general prices of organic staples (ie, milk, eggs, spinach) and average prices for kayaking and public transportation.

It would be worth mentioning that I do have a car, but depending on whether or not I can handle the environment and am absolutely sure I am staying, I will decide whether or not to keep or sell it. As long as a reasonably priced organic grocery store and inexpensive/fee-based gym is nearby, and given that I have chosen to stay and live in SF, I will likely sell the car. It is a 99 Honda Civic EX; I imagine it would sell, as it's efficient on gas and low on carbon dioxide.

To say the least, this is a HUGE decision for me, and I want to learn all I can (with OUT being overwhelmed) about San Francisco.

I am wondering if you can tell me what you know about San Francisco, your personal experience, and whether or not you think I would like it? I would like to know all the pros and cons, and if you have experience with Philadelphia, or even Burlington, Vermont, how San Francisco is similar and different to these two locations.

Please be brief and do not overwhelm me with too much info or a bunch of details. I am a big-picture person, and would just like the general gyst. Your feedback will be very valuable in helping me to decide whether SF is right for me!

Thanks, much!

[joe moving]

Are you leaving your partner then...?

Any large city is going to have lots of liberal people packed in with lots of very non liberal people.

I just don't see San Francisco as kayaking and camping, but don't really know for certain. I would think you're going to have to leave the city by car to do these activities.

Something like Portland or Burlington have fewer people, but more liberal people percentage wise.

What was wrong with Burlington?

I think Northampton is liberal but I don't see them doing anything all that progressive. We looked to move there for a while. It was sort of mediocre for us.

Next on the list to check out for us is Ithaca, NY. Which I have pre-deemed most liberal micro city in the US (slightly smaller than Burlington... but not sure if the figure of 30,000 people includes college students or not).

[Not2bforgot10]

Originally Posted by joe moving

Are you leaving your partner then...?

Any large city is going to have lots of liberal people packed in with lots of very non liberal people.

I just don't see San Francisco as kayaking and camping, but don't really know for certain. I would think you're going to have to leave the city by car to do these activities.

Something like Portland or Burlington have fewer people, but more liberal people percentage wise.

What was wrong with Burlington?

I think Northampton is liberal but I don't see them doing anything all that progressive. We looked to move there for a while. It was sort of mediocre for us.

Next on the list to check out for us is Ithaca, NY. Which I have pre-deemed most liberal micro city in the US (slightly smaller than Burlington... but not sure if the figure of 30,000 people includes college students or not).

My partner and I will be breaking up if I leave, yes, but we have had a pretty rocky relationship for the last 1.75 years because she has been out of her element... she moved to Burlington, VT and stayed with me while attending school and she's a natural city girl... from Philadelphia... and she didn't like not having the busyness, and missed her family incredibly.

I, on the other hand, do not like the busyness, and to be honest... I don't see a point in it. Since I am so internally complex, I try and keep my life pretty simple on the outside... so, good sleep, healthy food, gym, alanon, writing on the side, meditation at night before bed, and I would prefer to kayak and camp as my main hobbies, but I can't do that in Philly...

I am wondering if SF would be any different, or maybe I am just not a "city" girl. I would like to experience SF, but I would have to be convinced that it would be better than Phillly. And if not, I will move back to Burlington, VT and permanently live there.

Burlington rocked; I just wanted to see/experience other things... ie, city life!

[arctichomesteader]

I've never really considered Burlington part of Vermont.

But...there's few jobs, costs are going up, the legislature is looking for any way of raising revenue they can think of...

[joe moving]

If you don't like cities, you won't like SF I don't think?

[eureka1]

Hate to break it to ya but EVERYONE is "internally complex". They have Zipcar in SF which means you can access kayaking etc. Most people would rate the quality of life in SF 'way above Philly. Visit first,then move if it suits you. Other folks can't make the call for you. Best of luck.

[bigdave01]

SF is GREAT for outdoursy people. Northern California is amazing in that regard. And if you are into liberalism, SF will be perfect for you. All kinds of creative, artsy people. Of course the cost will be a lot. I would also consider looking into parts of Oakland and Berkeley. Areas that are just as liberal but cheaper, and less urban. Also just a short bus/train ride to the city.

[GregW]

SF and the surrounding area is so complex it is impossible to generalize. Even visiting will not be enough. If you and your friend are breaking up, I suggest taking the job and seeing what happens. You are still young enough to experiment.

[Chi-town Native]

you might want to check out Madison, WI. I've only visited, but that's where more liberal-minded folks from Chicago all wanted to go for college (as opposed to Urbana Champaign, where I went) - it's not just a college town as it's also the state's capital.