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We are planning to relocate away from Minneapolis-St Paul, where we have lived for many years. Are there cities in your state you would recommend, based on our preferences listed below?
DEMOGRAPHICS
Metro area population of no more than 1.5 million, and probably at least 500 K.
Average to high percentage of population having graduate degrees.
Active humanist / freethinker community ... liberal / progressive.
Friendly folks, more relaxed pace of life than “New York hectic”.
Good public transit system a plus.
WEATHER
Milder winters (cold hardiness no less than 5 [avg annual low down to -20 degrees] and higher is better).
Summers not too hot (optimal heat zone of 6 [up to 60 days/yr above 86 degrees] or less--might go to 7).
Some humidity is okay and better than too dry.
HOUSING
Average cost of living, including housing (3 bedroom, 2 bath ~$200-350K).
A neighborhood pleasant to walk around in, and a lot that’s at least a 1/4 to 1/3 acre (and larger is better).
We’d like to live as close to the city center (10-15 minutes by car or public transport).
LIFESTYLE/ABOUT US
Married couple, in mid-life.
We like gardening, walking in nature, biking, and kayaking.
Nearby science fiction convention(s).
Child-free, so schools irrelevant.
No interest in team sports.
These are ideals, of course, so we expect to be making some trade-offs, but it's better to measure against the optimal, don’t you think?
There are a few towns in West Virginia that would meet most of your specifications, but we have no large cities here. We are near Pittsburgh in our northern areas and Washington and Baltimore in our eastern area. It would be helpful to know what sort of work you do.
I'm going to suggest you check out Morgantown. It has one of the largest percentages of educated people in the country (ranked #29), has several miles of well developed walking/biking trails, and amenities that only a city with a major university can provide yet it avoids the nastier parts of big city living. We also have beautiful outdoor venues nearby and are relatively close to Pittsburgh for those times when you actually want to visit a larger city.
There are also other nice towns in our state that you might want to check out. It's not all that far from Minnesota to here. I suggest you take 2 or 3 days and come down and take a look. Check out Morgantown, Wheeling, Charleston, and Huntington. I feel certain that between those four towns you will find something that suits your needs and preferences.
There are a few towns in West Virginia that would meet most of your specifications, but we have no large cities here.
Just to elaborate a little... the two largest cities (Huntington and Charleston) are both around 50K... Morgantown is about 30K native, plus another 25K students.
No matter what city you live in, in WV, you're never far from either 1) downtown or 2) rural areas.
I dont think wv has any metro areas atleast of 500k. Morgantown connects with the pittsburgh metro area and the eastern most counties in the eastern panhandle are exurbs of dc metro area.
Morgantown is the most educated and progressive city in wv as it is home to the state's university. Morgantown has has the best public transportation by far in wv. An added plus is it has the strongest economy in the state.
For housing and outdoor activities almost anywhere will meet your criteria.
As stated above, no city in WV will fit all of your needs. Living in Huntington myself, I think it will meet many of your needs though.
Population wise, Huntington is the second largest city in the state with about 50,000 people and the second largest metro area with about 285,000 people. Thanks to the presence of Marshall University, we also have one of the higher educated populations in the state as well. This also adds some of the more progressive thinking that you are looking for but due to WV being a more conservative state in general, it may not be as prevalent as you would prefer. In terms of the people, Huntington has more of a southern feel with the friendliness and our people are one of our best assets. We also have one of the best public transit systems in the state, serving about 1 million paid riders annually.
Huntington has about the most mild winters in the state with very little snow fall in a typical year and very mild temps. This year has been warmer than usual but I think the most snow that we have gotten this year has been a dusting. In a typical year, we have one or two snowfalls of 8-10 inches and every 10-15 years will get one snowfall with more significant accumulation. With regards to the hardiness zones, we fall in the 6a/6b range.
In terms of housing, Huntington has a very low cost of living and is actually one of the lowest in the nation. In your price range, you would be able to afford a nice house in the Southside neighborhood of Huntington. This area is close to Ritter Park and would allow easy walking access to downtown as well. My wife and I live in this neighborhood with 3 kids and we walk just about everywhere when the weather is nice. I even walk to work. There are also some nature trails in Ritter Park and some at the Huntington Museum of Art too. If you wanted something more expansive, the Wayne National Forest is very close by as is Beech Fork State Park. Huntington is also currently working on the Paul Ambrose Trail for Health and many initiatives are currently underway to improve the biking friendliness of the city.
For entertainment, we don't have a sci-fi convention, but we do have an anime convention with a sci-fi component to it. There are usually attendees that dress in star wars/star trek outfits and they have even had some sci-fi guests in the past including the 501st Legion of Star Wars last year. For something bigger, Columbus and Cincinnati, OH are only 2-3 hours away. We also have some great performances through the Marshall Artisits Series and the Big Sandy Arena. Huntington was actually listed as #50 on the list of "Top 100 cities with strongest arts, entertainment, recreation, accommodation and food services industries (pop. 50,000+)".
We have only one city that barely describes your needs...Morgantown.
I would look at Cannonsburg, Pa. About 25 miles south of Pittsburgh...a wonderful boomlet of an area.
A little farther south of us is Charlotte, N.C that is worthy of a look too.
If I was coming out of the upper mid-west...Ashville, N.C or Lake Norman would be my choice for sure.
The economy in those areas is flagging. He can find everything Ashville has in West Virginia's strongest economy at Morgantown, and a smaller Lake Norman at Cheat Lake. And, Lake Norman does not have Coopers Rock nearby.
We are planning to relocate away from Minneapolis-St Paul, where we have lived for many years. Are there cities in your state you would recommend, based on our preferences listed below?
DEMOGRAPHICS
Metro area population of no more than 1.5 million, and probably at least 500 K.
Average to high percentage of population having graduate degrees.
Active humanist / freethinker community ... liberal / progressive.
Friendly folks, more relaxed pace of life than “New York hectic”.
Good public transit system a plus.
WEATHER
Milder winters (cold hardiness no less than 5 [avg annual low down to -20 degrees] and higher is better).
Summers not too hot (optimal heat zone of 6 [up to 60 days/yr above 86 degrees] or less--might go to 7).
Some humidity is okay and better than too dry.
HOUSING
Average cost of living, including housing (3 bedroom, 2 bath ~$200-350K).
A neighborhood pleasant to walk around in, and a lot that’s at least a 1/4 to 1/3 acre (and larger is better).
We’d like to live as close to the city center (10-15 minutes by car or public transport).
LIFESTYLE/ABOUT US
Married couple, in mid-life.
We like gardening, walking in nature, biking, and kayaking.
Nearby science fiction convention(s).
Child-free, so schools irrelevant.
No interest in team sports.
These are ideals, of course, so we expect to be making some trade-offs, but it's better to measure against the optimal, don’t you think?
lol noppppeeeeeeeeeeee
If WV had those things you suggested... I'd be right back at home. However, it does have a low cost of living
We can't do much about the weather or the size of our towns, but West Virginia does have much of what they're looking for. And, Morgantown has several Japanese restaurants/steakhouses. Our weather is MUCH milder than Minnesota in winter.
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