Not2bforgot10

Hey, I am posting this message on my city-data friends' profiles because I am looking to sort of network... I am currently interested in exploring and possibly moving to the following cities:

Asheville, NC
Boulder, CO
Burlington, VT
Philadelphia, PA (where I currently live)

I am curious to know your experiences of these cities, and how the 1st three compare and contrast with one another, especially (at this point) Boulder and Burlington.

Lastly, I am interested in visiting Boulder and possibly Asheville right now and am looking for someone, or a group of people, who would be interested in going together within the next month or two, the sooner the better. I am wanting to get settled and find work, so I would probably line up a job interview in one of the cities and go visit.

Let me know if you can take a trip out there with me! Post back!

Thanks!

-Emily

I've only had the luxury of visiting Boulder and Burlington. I was a Nanny for 9 months in Eugene back in the day, before I had children.

Of those cities, I have only visited Boulder, so I'm afraid I can't help you. Sorry!

Hi,

I've lived in Burlington, VT, and visited Boulder, CO and Philadelphia, PA.
Never been to Portland, ME; I've only gone to Ogunquit, ME.

it sure isn't fun. i've been wanting to move to portland for years (grew up in california) and fell in love with it when we visited last month. the economy just scares me. we are looking at seattle now, too, since it seems like it'd be easier to find work (unless i can transfer to portland with my current company. slim but possible).

i've never been a big fan of philly - i've tried but it's just not for me.

i forget, have you visited out west?

Hi,

I love Burlington as well. The size of the town and the weather were really the only drawbacks to me. I currently live in Denver, which is quite different from Boulder. I've visited Boulder several times, but do not live there. The town is pretty quirky, and is right next to the mountains, with a creek running through it. It's cheaper than Burlington for rent, but the cost to own is higher. I haven't met many people from there, but the people in this area aren't nearly as cool / friendly as Burlington. The traffic here is awful. Very sunny though, and quite warm.

I haven't visited Asheville nor Portland. I'd say that depending on what you liked about Burlington, it may be preferable to Boulder. The people here aren't as laid-back as in Burlington, but it's easier to find more to do here as far as outdoor sports and such.

I've lived in Boulder and liked it a lot. very costly though
I've only visited Asheville and from what I could tell it seemed pretty decent. You could go to the square and have a vegan cheese pizza with a pint of local brew..if that's the kind of thing you are into
The mountains are not far at all which is always nice. The only downside is the same downside with any "liberal" mountain town...it's costly to live there. Also, everywhere else around there is in the bible belt. I've spent most of my life in the south and after a while you learn to just ignore the more unfortunate backwards mentality that still exists in SOME places.
Don't know much about Portland but I know someone who lives there and they love it.

Nope, not Pagan... if I must define myself religiously, I would be called an "Agnostic Jew" (also known as culturally Jewish). I did live in Eugene for a while, but don't know Boulder & Burlington enough to compare! Closest I've been to either is Denver & New Hampshire, but I can tell you Oregon (particularly Eugene & Portland) will have more rain and less snow. All are fairly liberal-minded, though, so you should meet similar people in each place.

If you work in the mental health field/social services, you should be safe here with regards to work. Construction, manufacturing and the school district are probably the top 3 unsafest areas around here, but you're wise to secure the job first.

Yes, the rainy season is our winter and if it snows, it is usually Jan or Feb and it won't usually snow much and doesn't stick around ( usually 24 hrs or less ), but the marine layer from the coast 65 miles away keeps our climate moderate and warmer than about 90% of the rest of the U.S. in the winter time ( just as long as you can deal with the wetness )

Lastly, as far as politics ( I'm democrat myself ), Portland city limits is about 80% democratic, but the metro area is about 60% democratic. Yamhill Co ( far SW corner of metro area is probably 50-55% republican though. )

Eugene is either the same I'd say or slightly more democratic, because of the U of O being there. Progressive politicians are the ones that get elected, and the folks in Portland are very vocal when it comes to politics. Even someone who might be moderate or middle-of-the-road, would say it is too much to the left.

Feel free to ask me questions if you'd like more info....