Best metro 300-500K (places, metropolitan, people, schools)

[pnwguy2]

I have always liked metros that are between 300K and 500K. Big enough to offer nice amenities, small enough to be affordable. Criteria: Decent job market, pleasant weather, things to do, friendly people, affordable.

I can't list all the metros that fit into this population range, so I attempted to do a sampling of different regions.

Please vote on one of these, or choose your own and explain why. (sorry I botched Nebraska's abbreviation, of course it is NE, not NB!)

[Shakeesha]

I would choose Huntsville due to strong population and job growth. The city has an educated population, and decent shopping. I like the hills and scenery surrounding the city as well. Huntsville also offers good schools for higher education.

[C24L]

i chose corpus because of fishing,beaches....i almost chose lubbock

[Mutiny77]

Boulder, Fort Collins, Asheville, Tallahassee and Savannah should have made the list.

Tallahassee or Savannah would be my choice.

[ckhthankgod]

Ann Arbor MI is another metro that could/should be on the list.

[Mutiny77]

Originally Posted by ckhthankgod

Ann Arbor MI is another metro that could/should be on the list.

Yep...thought it was on the list already.

[pnwguy2]

As I pointed out, I couldn't put every metro in that population range in the poll, but continue to add yours!

[drinkthekoolaid]

In no particular order
Huntsville AL, Asheville NC, Roanoke VA, Greenville SC, Knoxville TN, and probably many places in the Midwest or plains that fit your criteria.




do you have any other more specific likes or dislikes that can help narrow it down?

[Mutiny77]

Originally Posted by drinkthekoolaid

In no particular order
Huntsville AL, Asheville NC, Roanoke VA, Greenville SC, Knoxville TN, and probably many places in the Midwest or plains that fit your criteria.




do you have any other more specific likes or dislikes that can help narrow it down?

Both of those have metros well over 500K with CSAs over 1 million.

[pnwguy2]

Just to save a step or two, here is the link to US MSA population as of 2015:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...tistical_Areas

I did not use CSA population for this poll.