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New Haven. One of the best locations in the country for day/weekend trips. I also have an old friend/coworker there.
Scranton, PA or Lawrence, KS?
Lawrence. Mainly since it'd have milder winters, and I like it's proximity to KC. Although I do like how Scranton has the railroad museum Steamtown(IIRC it's name, it's next to a downtown mall which has struggled for years), which may be cool to visit. And isn't far from Binghamton and slightly further, both the Ithaca and Finger Lakes areas.
Lawrence. Mainly since it'd have milder winters, and I like it's proximity to KC. Although I do like how Scranton has the railroad museum Steamtown(IIRC it's name, it's next to a downtown mall which has struggled for years), which may be cool to visit. And isn't far from Binghamton and slightly further, both the Ithaca and Finger Lakes areas.
Hays, KS, or Chadron, NE?
Hays... It's a larger town (20k vs 5k) that's a little less regionally isolated and also has slightly warmer weather year-round.
Lawrence. Mainly since it'd have milder winters, and I like it's proximity to KC. Although I do like how Scranton has the railroad museum Steamtown(IIRC it's name, it's next to a downtown mall which has struggled for years), which may be cool to visit. And isn't far from Binghamton and slightly further, both the Ithaca and Finger Lakes areas.
Hays, KS, or Chadron, NE?
I forget whether Scranton is on the inland or seaward side of the jet stream, but in the winter, the jet stream dips to the south such that just about all of the Central Plains is to its north, which means colder winters. Scranton being north of Philadelphia and also sitting at a higher elevation (it's the biggest city in Northeast Pennsylvania, which is adjacent to the Pocono Mountains), your assumption about Lawrence winters may still be true, but my recollection of my youth in Kansas City compared to winters here in Philadelphia leads me to warn you that may not be the case.
In any case, Steamtown National Historic Site was U.S. Rep. Joseph McDade's effort to rescuscitate downtown Scranton — the museum was located in Vermont and struggling mightily to survive when he arranged to have it handed off to the National Park Service and relocated to the largely abandoned Lackawanna Railroad shops and yards in Scranton. The Mall at Steamtown was part of that same effort. The museum is doing okay, and the Radisson hotel in the former Lackawanna passenger station even better, and on my most recent swing through the city a couple of months ago, it no longer had that preserved-in-amber-circa-1949 look it had when I first visited Steamtown ca. 1990 — I think the popularity of the TV sitcom "The Office," set in a fictional paper company located in Scranton, probably helped lift the spirits of "The Electric City," too. (The nickname comes from its being one of the first cities in the country to have a totally electric-powered streetcar system.)
But let me assure you that, even if its winters may be colder, Lawrence is a Midwestern college town, and just about all of those are cooler than Scranton — and, pace Steamtown, livelier too.
I forget whether Scranton is on the inland or seaward side of the jet stream, but in the winter, the jet stream dips to the south such that just about all of the Central Plains is to its north, which means colder winters. Scranton being north of Philadelphia and also sitting at a higher elevation (it's the biggest city in Northeast Pennsylvania, which is adjacent to the Pocono Mountains), your assumption about Lawrence winters may still be true, but my recollection of my youth in Kansas City compared to winters here in Philadelphia leads me to warn you that may not be the case.
In any case, Steamtown National Historic Site was U.S. Rep. Joseph McDade's effort to rescuscitate downtown Scranton — the museum was located in Vermont and struggling mightily to survive when he arranged to have it handed off to the National Park Service and relocated to the largely abandoned Lackawanna Railroad shops and yards in Scranton. The Mall at Steamtown was part of that same effort. The museum is doing okay, and the Radisson hotel in the former Lackawanna passenger station even better, and on my most recent swing through the city a couple of months ago, it no longer had that preserved-in-amber-circa-1949 look it had when I first visited Steamtown ca. 1990 — I think the popularity of the TV sitcom "The Office," set in a fictional paper company located in Scranton, probably helped lift the spirits of "The Electric City," too. (The nickname comes from its being one of the first cities in the country to have a totally electric-powered streetcar system.)
But let me assure you that, even if its winters may be colder, Lawrence is a Midwestern college town, and just about all of those are cooler than Scranton — and, pace Steamtown, livelier too.
Cortez, Colo., or Taos, N.M.?
Seeing this comment, I might just look over average winter temperatures for both places now. Maybe for all I know Scranton doesn't get as cold in the winter, as I thought it did? You are right for places not too far west of the Atlantic Ocean, that winter temps can be milder vs. if you go west into the mountains.
For the current one, I'd probably pick Lake Grove. If it was for a vacation, I'd go with Lake George though.
Seeing this comment, I might just look over average winter temperatures for both places now. Maybe for all I know Scranton doesn't get as cold in the winter, as I thought it did? You are right for places not too far west of the Atlantic Ocean, that winter temps can be milder vs. if you go west into the mountains.
For the current one, I'd probably pick Lake Grove. If it was for a vacation, I'd go with Lake George though.
Binghamton, NY, or Williamsport, PA?
Williamsport seems to be less run down and poor, and Pennsylvania has far fewer regulations than New York.
Williamsport seems to be less run down and poor, and Pennsylvania has far fewer regulations than New York.
Detroit, Michigan or Flint, Michigan?
Detroit. For all that time has not been kind to the Motor City, it's been even less kind to the birthplace of General Motors. And Detroit appears to be on the mend in places; I don't think I can say that for Flint yet.
I like the more varied architecture in State College. Makes it feel like a bit larger of a city, through evoking the feel of passing through more neighborhoods. The businesses also seem less uniformly "college-town" --- streetviewing around town, I've seen a Philly cheesesteak place, an Italian bakery, and more businesses in general away from the downtown/campus area, which might all make it easier to feel at home as a non-student.
I like the more varied architecture in State College. Makes it feel like a bit larger of a city, through evoking the feel of passing through more neighborhoods. The businesses also seem less uniformly "college-town" --- streetviewing around town, I've seen a Philly cheesesteak place, an Italian bakery, and more businesses in general away from the downtown/campus area, which might all make it easier to feel at home as a non-student.
Decatur, IL or Odessa, TX?
Both cities are similar, but the states of Texas and Illinois are not. Illinois is a lot more restrictive overall than Texas, so I prefer Odessa.
Dublin, Ohio or Dublin, California?
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