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Definitely warm and sunny. Family-oriented. It's more Hispanic than black, but minorities definitely have a strong presence. The city itself has lots of jobs and such, and the Tempe area offers a vibrant social scene and liberal atmosphere.
Thanks everyone for the comments. I'd like to respond more substantively to the ones already posted and I will - but presently I'd like to share the names of cities that people have suggested thus far and ask for additional thoughts pertaining to them, and of course any new cities as well. Here are a list of the cities that have specifically been mentioned-
Omaha – except too cold
Seattle – except too rainy
Charlotte, NC
San Francisco – except not sunny
San Diego
Cayman Islands
Phoenix
Portland
Vancouver, BC
Berkeley, California
San Jose
Landra Heights, Los Angeles
Washington, D.C.
Chicago – except too cold
By the way, it definitely seems the weather thing is difficult to satisfy in many cases, though cities such as Phoenix and Charlotte might do well, though perhaps less so on other factors.
Omaha is Republican and has hot summers with cold winters.
Seattle is an amazing city with good temperatures, but cloudy and rainy a lot.
Charlotte is good option.
San Francisco is not sunny...it's very foggy and not warm.
San Diego is your best option.
Cayman Islands I can't say anything about, though I don't think I'd want to live there. It probably seems cool now, but not once your there since it is most likely all touristy.
Phoenix is boiling hot. I like hot weather, but Phoenix is too hot and I find the scenery ugly.
Portland is one of my favorite cities, though it has the same problems as Seattle, just not as bad. Also, the summers are much warmer in Portland.
Vancouver is worse than Seattle and it's difficult to become a Canadian citizen.
Berkely is a good choice.
San Jose is nice, but one of the most expensive real estate markets in the country. The city is full of nerds who work for tech companies.
Ladera Heights would be one of my top choices.
D.C. is another one of my favorite cities. The weather there is perfectly balanced b/c winters are not too cold and snowy while summers are usually in the 80's or 90's which is perfect for me.
Chicago is a world class city that almost everyone will like, but the winters are brutal.
Okay - thanks very much. I appreciate all of those thoughts - interesting. Any thoughts on Florida or more specifically West Palm Beach? Also, I am curious as to how some of the cities on the larger list connect to the world - how do they satisfy the 7th factor that the city has a meaningful economy and one that is connected - or has companies and industries or immigrants - that are connected to the world? Do Portland, Charlotte, Omaha, and some of the other cities meet this factor meaningfully?
Okay - thanks very much. I appreciate all of those thoughts - interesting. Any thoughts on Florida or more specifically West Palm Beach?
To give you an idea of the black culture in WPB, here you go. In fact, don't even watch it. It's graphic and disgusting and the comments are even more graphic and disgusting. Just look at the title.
YouTube - GANGSTAS N THUGS 561
So that's a firm, solid no. Palm Beach County is a very messed up place when it comes to class divides and race divides.
Your best bet in Florida would be in the Ft. Lauderdale area. Not a great job market, but a lot of your other criteria is met, including a diverse population. Some of that thug culture thing exists too, but it's more of a class thing than a race thing, and there are tons of black professionals, and the general population is extremely open minded. To a degree there are a lot of freaks here, but the general vibe here can be quite comfortable, and the level of racial integration is incredible. It's also close to Miami. Those other suggestions are probably better but if you can pull in a good job don't all out exclude Florida, just don't look at WPB.
Okay - thanks very much. I appreciate all of those thoughts - interesting. Any thoughts on Florida or more specifically West Palm Beach? Also, I am curious as to how some of the cities on the larger list connect to the world - how do they satisfy the 7th factor that the city has a meaningful economy and one that is connected - or has companies and industries or immigrants - that are connected to the world? Do Portland, Charlotte, Omaha, and some of the other cities meet this factor meaningfully?
To give you an idea of the black culture in WPB, here you go. In fact, don't even watch it. It's graphic and disgusting and the comments are even more graphic and disgusting. Just look at the title.
YouTube - GANGSTAS N THUGS 561
So that's a firm, solid no. Palm Beach County is a very messed up place when it comes to class divides and race divides.
Your best bet in Florida would be in the Ft. Lauderdale area. Not a great job market, but a lot of your other criteria is met, including a diverse population. Some of that thug culture thing exists too, but it's more of a class thing than a race thing, and there are tons of black professionals, and the general population is extremely open minded. To a degree there are a lot of freaks here, but the general vibe here can be quite comfortable, and the level of racial integration is incredible. It's also close to Miami. Those other suggestions are probably better but if you can pull in a good job don't all out exclude Florida, just don't look at WPB.
Okay. Well, I appreciate your frank opinion on West Palm Beach. I have been a couple of times. On the surface it appears very nice - but you always have to scratch the surface. But, I do know some black people who seem to like West Palm. But thanks - I'll keep all of your points well in mind. I appreciate it!
Okay. Well, I appreciate your frank opinion on West Palm Beach. I have been a couple of times. On the surface it appears very nice - but you always have to scratch the surface. But, I do know some black people who seem to like West Palm. But thanks - I'll keep all of your points well in mind. I appreciate it!
WPB area is actually very nice, but it's not really the best city for blacks. Near West Palm Beach, the unincorporated sections of Boynton Beach are actually pretty diverse and nice, if you want more of a suburban vibe. But the general black culture around WPB has turned pretty thugish as of late, and there isn't a lot of middle class black (or any race for that matter) representation. Ft. Lauderdale is the place in Florida for your criteria. Visit it and you will see what I mean. It's the kind of place that you love or hate, but you might love it, and almost anyone can fit in.
You should also look into Houston. People are very warm and friendly and you don't even sense "race" there, and it's one of the best cities for entrepreneurs. It has a reputation for being conservative but except for the suburbs, it's actually very moderate.
Last edited by compelled to reply; 02-20-2008 at 06:46 PM..
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