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Currently we live in Boone, NC, a small college town, while he finishes up his Master's in classical guitar. We are looking to move in the summer (we absolutely love Boone, but we feel we need to get out of the town), though we are having some trouble deciding where.
We have a couple ideas: Brattleboro, VT and Ashland, OR.
We like both areas just based on what we hear about them and have been to neither. Has anyone been to these areas? Any impressions? Are there any other towns out there that may be similar?
The main negative I hear about VT is that it snows a lot, but after living in the mountains for so long we have become quite accustomed to winter weather. We also enjoy small towns and don't really feel we would enjoy big cities the much. Unfortunately, there seems to be no jobs in the small towns, and as a current member of the unemployed, this could be a problem (though really no where has jobs, as far as I can tell).
I recently graduated with a Sustainable Development degree, so Oregon would hopefully be a good place for that. I also have a big interest in art and painting and have been looking into pursuing these as a career. My boyfriend is looking into teaching music.
Does anyone know of small towns that would be good for us? A preference would be for the West, though we are open to anywhere really. I think we are steering away from the South, though.
Detroit is beginning to pick up with a lot of underground arts/paintings from the youth and with it's cheap housing, most artist are able to live in homes or loft/apartments.
Yes, Ithaca, NY is a good place. Small town with big town amenities (Shopping, things to do, etc.) Also located in Ithaca is Cornell University. Ithaca is a green, artsy, liberal town.
Ann Arbor could also work. It does have a population of 114,000, but it is a very musical, artsy town as well. With the University of Michigan being located there, I am pretty sure you'd be able to find a job. Also, Ann Arbor is a very eco-friendly place, so finding a job within your field shouldn't be too difficult.
We actually were half joking about the idea of Detroit, but I think it would scare our parents too much.
I hadn't thought of New York or Michigan, and both Ithaca and Ann Arbor sound like really nice towns. I especially like the idea of an Ecovillage. Does anyone know of an Ecovillage that will do rentals? Maybe one that isn't too uber-hippy. I'm a self-declared hippy myself, though sometimes I'm afraid that Ecovillages will only attract a certain kind of person, and I think it would be kind of boring being surrounded by people that are all just like me.
Brattleboro and Burlington, VT would be great options for you with an edge to Burlington, which reads like a small town but with bigger city amenities.
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