Affordable coastal cities with both LGBT and ethnic diversity (living, cost, state)
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I am a young African-American, lesbian gradaute student in my late twenties and I love the coast. I live in a small rural northeastern town that I only moved to for graduate school. I will be graduating soon and looking for somewhere for myself and my partner to settle. I will be working in education so I am not concerned with job placement, however I would like in be in at least an hour vicinity of a major city. I have a preference for either the east coast or northern California coast. My greatest preference would be the east coast because the cost of living is so much cheaper. Maybe the southeast or southwest? I am hearing so many different things from different people and I want to pinpoint somewhere affordable to live. I am willing to take a few days to visit a few places once I have it narrowed down to like 5, but my bidget won't let me go beyond that. Please help with this, anyone who has had any experiences in coastal areas like this? thanks!
Do you mean literally living near a beach or do you mean like the excitement and amenities offered by cities in the Northeast and Northern California?
I ask because outside of a few towns like Santa Cruz, Northern California does not really have the sort of beach culture one finds in SoCal or Jersey Shore.
And Santa Cruz is not cheap.
If you mean the latter and as you stated are interested in Northern California and want to be surrounded by a lot of people who are similar to you based on your initial post, then I would look taking a serious look at the Oakland-Berkeley area as there are a lot of African Americans, a lot of Lesbians, a lot of Grad Students in their late 20s and it's one of the most diverse and dynamic parts of the country. This happens to be a good time to be here as the economy is booming, the area is enjoying a huge renaissance in art, culture, nightlife and one of the most enviable restaurant scenes around.
It's not cheap but if you get a job after graduating, you might be able to have a great life.
I live in Philadelphia, and can confidently recommend "The City Of Brotherly Love & Sisterly Affection" to anyone in the LGBT community.
The Human Rights Campaign rates cities for being LGBT-friendly in terms of local civil rights laws, development of an LGBT infrastructure of organizations, services, entertainment, and overall attitude of tolerance and inclusiveness. Not only did Philly score 100%, but it scored at the very top the list even higher than San Francisco, New York, LA and Boston. For example, the city just completely finished a multi-story "gay friendly" senior residence to provide affordable housing in the Gayborhood section of Center City. Philadelphia hosts the largest LGBT film festival (outside California) in North America. We also have the nation's oldest and largest LGBT bookstore - Giovanni's Room - which was awarded a bronze marker from the Pennsylvania Historical Society.
One more thing: of all the big cities on the east coast of the US: Boston, New York, Washington, Miami, etc. Philly is the most affordable. I am shocked at what apartments rent for in NYC, DC, and Boston ... you can still get a decent 1 bedroom apt. here in a safe neighborhood starting at about $700 a month.
Actually, Philadelphia may work due to being a major city, but it is within an hour or so of the coast. Baltimore may also work. North of NYC, places like Nyack and Beacon may also fit.
I have a gay sister who lives in Sarasota Florida. I don't know what the cost of living is, or if there are very many gay people who live there, but it's a nice city with awesome beaches.
Thank you for your response. I am actually from Philadelphia so I am looking to live somewhere outside of Pennsylvania. It is a great city, I just would like to try somewhere different.
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