Looking for sm. to md. liberal city in the South (Columbia: low crime, good schools)

[liberal chic]

Hi, I'm looking for a liberal city in the South. I live in Vermont, which is very liberal but too cold - can't take the winters. I'd like to stay relatively close to the east coast.

I looked at places such as Augusta, GA (but read some not so nice things), Athens, GA (too young? I'm in my early 40's), Asheville, NC (still too cold?), Greensville, SC (not liberal enough?), and Columbia, SC(aesthetically pleasing?).

I'm looking for a city which has nearby water - love boating and with mountains preferably. Basically, I would like to move to a small to mid-size city that is very liberal, warm (year-round or most of the year-round), aesthetically pleasing (including nature and downtown), and which isn't too outrageously priced. An aesthetically pleasing downtown might have cobblestone streets, outdoor cafes, etc. Nature-wise may include surrounding waterfronts, mountains, etc. DC and surrounding area is too far north and therefore, too cold. I was thinking somewhere in the Carolina's or Georgia. And, environment is a concern - I wouldn't want to live near factories, etc. So far I'm leaning towards Asheville, NC and Athens, GA. Any suggestions are appreciated!

Thanks for the help!

[elvislives]

You should look into Aiken S.C www.aiken.net.. A very progressive city with good schools very low crime and mild winters. It looks like my town offers every single thing you are looking for. and we are only 2 hours to the moutains and 2 to the ocean.Plenty of nature for you and all kinds of little downtown cafe's for you to enjoy.

[liberal chic]

Thanks so much. I'll check it out!

[grannynancy]

With Aiken you are near Savannah river plant which may be an issue for someone liberal/progressive if nuclear power and waste reprocessing are big issues for you. It is there where the plans would be to manufacture mox fuel from spent fuel if the project is re-initiated [they had some problems in the Charlotter area reactors in which there were testing the fuel]

Asheville has them beat in that regard [of course Asheville's power comes from a coal plant] but is more expensive.

I went to college in Athens and even in my early 50s I would go back if there was a job there - I really liked it there and there are enough activist geezers still in town you may feel quite welcome.

[liberal chic]

Thanks for the reply!

I'm really not a fan of suburbia - are either of those that you mentioned like that?

Is it difficult to find work in Athens?

[grannynancy]

WE moved away from Asheville because there were just not adequate jobs to support us. Athens, I guess it depends on what you do for a living ... I would get on the GA forums and see.

[liberal chic]

Thanks again for your reply. Would be interested in the mental health field and/or higher education.

[elvislives]

[quote=grannynancy;5478275]With Aiken you are near Savannah river plant which may be an issue for someone liberal/progressive if nuclear power and waste reprocessing are big issues for you. It is there where the plans would be to manufacture mox fuel from spent fuel if the project is re-initiated [they had some problems in the Charlotter area reactors in which there were testing the fuel]

Asheville has them beat in that regard [of course Asheville's power comes from a coal plant] but is more expensive.

I went to college in Athens and even in my early 50s I would go back if there was a job there - I really liked it there and there are enough activist geezers still in town you may feel quite welcome.[/q
Funny Asheville is within 2 hours of 3 nuclear power plants lol... List of nuclear power plants in America

[liberal chic]

Thanks for the list of plants. That will really help in my decision process.

[Frankie117]

There aren't many neo-Liberal small towns in South Carolina or Georgia. But then again, what exactly would be small to you? (under 20,000?). Columbia would be a close match, but most of the "Liberal" population is college age.

Asheville has a slightly higher median age, and would better suit your needs. It is somewhat more expensive than the other places you mentioned, but still for a Liberal town, Asheville is quite inexpensive.

Here in the South, much of our industry is modern, concealed and barley noticeable. It shouldn't be a big concern like it would be in the Northern portion of the country.