Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
About to finish up grad school in Chicago and I'm looking to move to a warmer climate. The south seems like a decent option as cost of living is generally cheaper. My job opportunities will be the same in most urban areas (healthcare). I'm 25, laid back, enjoy city living and have been spoiled by Chicago's "boystown" scene. I'm looking at a few different cities but still have large gaps of knowledge Here are my frontrunners and any advice would be much appreciated. (ill give my perceived pros and cons)
Austin-young,urban,active (pricey,growing too quickly)
Dallas-somewhat higher salary, large gay scene (sprawl, bible-thumpers surrounding the city, pretentious reputation?)
New Orleans-pedestrian friendly. hospitable, easy-going folks (post-katrina issues?)
Tampa-affordable city on ocean (underwhelming urban ammenities compared to other cities)
Atlanta-somewhat higher salary, large gay scene, young (sprawl, traffic)
-P.S. I won't know a single person in any of these cities upon moving there. Thanks for the help
thought about houston but i guess i don't really have an opinion about it either way (granted all my opinions of those other cities are purely rip-offs from what i've heart from other people, i suppose i can't have my own opinions yet). i guess the reason i ruled out houston is because i wanted to fall back into a smaller city after living in chicago for the past 7 yrs. something with the perks but less hassle.
Can't go wrong with Phoenix, AZ. Great weather/300+days of sunshine out of the year/affordable cost of living.....Close proxmity and driving distance to other major cities...such as LA, Vegas, San Diego...Centrally located...
Gay-friendly.??..............where else but Wilton Manors, Fl. has openly gay politicians , upscale restaurants, nite life . bike to the ocean...access to Holy Cross Hospital, Broward General, Imperial Point Hospital.......it's a great place to live...........straight or gay...............50% gay.............Gay church,rec center, etc.
Dinky Chuckle
have heard great things about wilton manors but im afraid i won't get much "bang for my buck" here. mind you i'm graduating with >100K accrued debt thanks to all the school i had to go through.
I'm a refugee from the South, now living in Co. Charlotte and Asheville are gay friendly. But at the state level, you can look for a concentrated cultural war against gays from Va. to the gulf.
Can't speak from experience, but like Newhandle mentioned, Asheville is definitely gay friendly. We are moving to South Carolina next week but I go up to Asheville a lot. Very free spirited area, a lot like Coconut Grove, FL use to be in the 70's is how I see Asheville in many ways. People are not judgemental at all there. Look at the area around Montford. http://www.montford.org/
We have friends who live in Atlanta. When I went to visit them months back she took me around and showed me some areas, one she use to live in, and most of the homes were owned by Lesbians. Very cute area.
No matter where you go you will no doubt deal with people who not agree with your sexual orientation. I would go on the forums of those cities you are thinking about and see what the people who live there that are gay say about them. Go visit them. I guess it also depends on just how "out there" you want to be as well. If you are the type who flaunts being gay it may be harder than someone that doesn't wear their sexuality on their sleeve. I'm Jewish and I don't go around wearing a Jewish star on my shirt. People have no idea I'm Jewish unless I tell them (which is usually after they hear I'm new to the area and invite me to attend their church). I hope you understand what I mean.
I'm sure you'll know when you get to that "right" place.
When I think of Milton Manors I think of elderly folk. Born and raised in Miami
Best of luck!
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Here are my frontrunners and any advice would be much appreciated. (ill give my perceived pros and cons) 
