Moving back to MO

[Mzurie]

By choice, I have moved frequently in the last decade - usually, though not always, choosing a different state for my residence.

Here's what I do:

Be clear on my criteria for a desirable location. My criteria, for example, address population size, diversity in demographics (age ranges, complexion, culture), a decent live-music scene, proximity to state or national parks or city trails, an interesting local history, an interesting calendar of events throughout the year, and a city center that is enjoyable to visit.

Make an exploratory visit to, say, three potential candidates in my target area - I want to drive through the neighborhoods that are in my target radius around the city center and feel what the vibe is and also eyeball some of the rentals that I've looked up in advance.

I also look up how many cuisines are represented in the city's restaurants. This tells me something about the diversity off the town's residents if there is a wide variety beyond the ubiquitous Chinese and non-regional-specific Mexican restaurants

I look up event and org pages for the target areas in Facebook and Meetup (though Meetup has plummeted as a good resource since the pandemic). I look at what's said in the subreddits and city-data (though, TBH, I find city-data posts to be so hyper-focused on "safety" that I don't get much intel about the local flavor, housing, and local culture that I seek)

It's been a long, long time since I've visited Cape, but here's what would attract me to it:


River town - I love river towns

University campus in town, which tells me there will be some built-in cultural events I can attend, in addition to the attraction of folks from outside Cape, outside the state, and outside the country there - all of which bring flavor to a town

Interesting history of the area - indigenous, colonial (in Cape, of course, both French and Spanish - and proximity to a secondary population of Acadians - Cajuns nearby), and new Americans