Besides Asheville - progressive midsize cities w/ sunshine & nature (fit in, apartment)

[GreenLisaBean]

Hi all,

I've been researching all day and I wanted to reach out to see if anyone can offer additional input as finding a place to live has become a complete cluster at this point. My fiance and I cannot come to a middle ground on a new place to live and it's ended in a first rate multi-day stand off.

We live in a suburb of Dallas. It's awful. I've been in TX all my life and I just can't stand it anymore. I do not prescribe to a particular political philosophy, but we are not religious and I am VERY liberal on social issues, and relatively liberal on economic ones. FH is a tad more conservative than me, but still definitely does not fit in here in Governor Good Hair's neck of the woods.

From a "things to do outside" perspective, it's just as bad. There are no natural bodies of water, no mountains (or hills), or tall trees - just concrete and skyscrapers.

What TX does have is a decent economy, affordable housing, and a low cost of living compared to most places. But I just can't take it here anymore. I would rather live meagerly at this point than put up with this state any longer.

So - the situation is - I will be a first year school teacher starting 2012. FH has worked in one industry his entire adult life and now wants out. If we move, he probably won't be able to find a job that pays like his old one. I'll be making, well, teacher pay, which of course is crap. So we are predicting only a $60K combined income for our first couple of years after moving. We're obviously looking at renting an apartment to start.

Based on this income, we are looking for towns w/ 50-500,000 population, some kind of a progressive/liberal community or neighborhood, something of an economy left, and a safe area that's affordable (isn't everyone!). We are in our 30's with no kids. Outdoor activities far outweigh late night partying for us.

It would be nice if there was a university but I know I am already being too picky.

Lastly, FH is from the far north and refuses to live somewhere with significant snow/cold and/or lots of overcast days, so Pacific Northwest is out.

Besides Asheville, so far I've thought Morgantown, WV could be a fit.

So - I've clearly written way too much! Anyone who can think of other towns that fit what we would like socially AND what we can afford on our sad budget, please let me know! Thanks.

[citylove101]

Consider Tallahassee. It's a big university town w Florida State and Florida A&M which give the city a decidedly more progressive liberal Democratic flavor than most places in the state or in the south for that matter. Ive never been there but friends who have describe it to me as an oasis of freethinking in the republican panhandle. I don't know what the employment situation or housing costs are, so maybe you can do some research. But every other way it seems to have what you're looking for

[ckhthankgod]

Maybe Lexington KY, Charlottesville and Blacksburg VA, Knoxville TN and the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area of NC.

[Akhenaton06]

Originally Posted by ckhthankgod

Maybe Lexington KY, Charlottesville and Blacksburg VA, Knoxville TN and the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area of NC.

Knoxville seems to be more on the conservative side.

To the OP, you may want to look into Columbia, SC. It's more on the politically moderate side and its county is a blue county. You have the Univ. of SC, Lake Murray, three rivers (kayaking is popular there), and the Congaree National Forest which provides hiking and camping opportunities. The local economy is pretty stable with the university, state government, banking, and insurance comprising the pillars of the economy. It does get hot and humid during the summer, but you are probably used to that. Not much snow to speak of.

Good luck in your search!

[ki0eh]

If considering Morgantown WV, State College PA could also be an option - weather might actually be a little better there on the lee side of the Alleghenies rather than the windward side.

I did nearly relocate a few years ago to the Blacksburg/Christiansburg/Radford area of VA. At the time it seemed living was fairly cheap especially a little bit outside Blacksburg itself.

On a visitors' impression I don't think any of these are quite as funky as Asheville though. The places that feel similar to me culturally are Ithaca NY, Burlington VT, and Northampton MA, but if you want to stay sunnier and warmer than the PNW, those don't do it.

[psulions2007]

Considering everything (including the fact that you can't put up with Texas anymore... I'll just eliminate states similar in composition)...btw Morgantown is hardly sunshineful lol

Santa Fe, NM
Fort Collins, CO
Boulder, CO

Now, including states similar to Texas:

Tucson, AZ
Huntsville, AL
Omaha, NE

Now, not including abundant sunshine:

Madison, WI
Bloomington, IN
Lafayette, IN
Urbana-Champaign, IL
Ann Arbor, MI
State College, PA
Allentown, PA
Rochester, NY
Burlington, VT
Iowa City, IA
Eugene, OR

[ki0eh]

Iowa City is definitely sunnier than upstate NY fwiw.

[kyle19125]

Right off the bat I would recommend Durham-Chapel Hill, NC. The economy is pretty good compared to elsewhere and definitely has a more liberal vibe. The presence of two universities keeps it vibrant (Duke and UNC) and the presence of Research Triangle Park as well as the universities maintain the economy and provide a diverse, well educated population.

[creeksitter]

Well, the OP was just asking for a liberal/progressive community or neighborhood. She would definitely find that in Knoxville. Plus it meets her other criteria pretty well.

[Iconographer]

Athens, GA
Charlottesville, VA
Frederick, MD