Where to spend my 50s? (Chicago, Evanston: how much, neighborhood, college)

[SJbust]

I'm a 51 year old, mixed-race, gay male who is wrapping up some things in Chicago so I can relocate. As I age I need a slower pace, less stress and taxes. I was born and raised on a farm so I feel myself going back to my roots in the sense of I'm a big fan of the outdoors, and rustic or natural settings. Also, while I appreciate the four seasons, I need less brutal winters. I'm a travel writer so I work wherever.

Camping, climbing, hiking, 4x4 excursions, etc. are ideal for me. I could care less about nightlife and big fun out on the town, but I do like antiquing, art festivals, and great eateries. I'm spending the summer traveling to research some places of interest, and/or where I have connections. Among them are Richmond, VA, Santa Fe, NM, Portland, OR, Seattle, WA, and Knoxville, TN.

I have a brother that wants me near him in Miami to help with his business pursuits, but I just don't like Miami. Maybe Fort Lauderdale or Orlando? I came back to Chicago after 10 years or so in California and the Rockies to handle some personal matters and get closure here. Any recommendations or your own travel experiences would be appreciated and taken into consideration.

[marothisu]

My suggestion is to post this in the General US Forum...you'll get more responses and probably a greater depth of responses there.

[rzzz]

Richmond, Santa Fe and Knoxville are much smaller than the other places in your post. Aside from that they also "feel" very small. Are you looking for that?

Richmond to me felt like 1/3 college town, 1/3 bad neighborhood, and 1/3 average-virginia-kinda-yuppie.
Santa Fe looks interesting on it's surface but if you dig in, most of the businesses are very generic america tourist trap.
I've only spent about 4 hours in Knoxville. It seemed ok but nothing special.

Portland is super nice but GLOOMY all winter. The Portlandia stereotype is about 1/3 true. There's another 1/3 that is very yuppie, and another 1/3 that is Pac NW Wal-Martian. I'd pick Portland because of the bookstore and food options, in addition to Pac NW outdoorsy stuff which I prefer. I really like Santa Fe mountain / desert, too but I think living in Santa Fe would get old quick.

Florida seems a lot different than those other places. I lived in that area for about 4 months. It's more like, hot, humid beachy suburban.

[SJbust]

Originally Posted by marothisu

My suggestion is to post this in the General US Forum...you'll get more responses and probably a greater depth of responses there.

Thanks. I've not gone there before. I'll give it a try. Do I delete this one here?

[chet everett]

...um, is no one gonna defend the relatively large population of people EXACTLY LIKE the OP that continue to make Chicago at least a TOP THREE choice for folks like him?

I mean HELLO --- gay travel writer, how much "isolation" do pretty much all the places listed have? While some might be superficially "open minded" toward the lifestyle issues all are kind of a royal pain to get to and many are still islands in regions known for their insular view...

If the bulk of Chicago itself seems like it has gotten too expensive, too filled with idiot "band wagon"-type young people and too "anti-outdoors" I'd at least recommend the "college town" feel of areas around UofC like Kenwood/ Hyde Park -- a nice studio with good access to the Lake is a nice antidote to the cacophony of Lakeview. Same could be said for Evanston, Madison WI, Ann Arbor, Iowa City, even Champaign or parts of St. Louis near Wash U that are picking up an urban vibe...

The OP said he is 51, not 81, probably has DECADES more WORK left in his career. Sorta crazy to move somewhere where TRAVEL is lots less cheap / convenient that the CENTER of the global air traffic, a HUB for this nation's rail system, a TOP 10 travel destination, and generally a place that too few braindead beige-hating, youth worshiping "grew up elsewheres" understand is STILL one of only cities with strong local poltical tie to not just "gay tolerance" but full equality as evidenced by the success of local business and poltical leaders.