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My husband, myself and 2 young children are looking to move next year. Because of my job, I will always work in capital cities for the most part. We are open to living in capital city or suburb if transit commute of less than 30 minutes is possible. We are looking for a couple of major things:
1. Walkability to basic needs like groceries, parks, schools, shopping
2. Good public schools
3. Average home prices for a 3/2 1,500-2,000square feet below $350,000
4. Population of 100,000+
5. Progressive, secular
6. transit preferably trains but busses work
7. Upward economic trend
What are some options? We are struggling to figure out where we should go and a bit overwhelmed.
Perhaps the Lansing-East Lansing metro area as well. East Lansing itself has about 50,000 people, but it fits everything else and you also have Michigan State University there as well. Parts of Lansing may work as well and it has about 120,000 people or so. I would suggest the neighborhoods in NW East Lansing near Lansing, the Frandor Shopping Center, the Eastwood Towne Center and not too far from either Downtown Lansing(down Michigan Ave.) or Downtown East Lansing(down Grand River Ave.). This is the area I had in mind: https://www.google.com/maps/@42.7411...!6m1!1e1?hl=en Glencairn Elementary and East Lansing HS aren't too far away either. Here's the area bus system, which is pretty good: CATA - Capital Area Transportation Authority is the public transportation provider in Lansing, MI
Albany-Schenectady-Troy may work as well. Albany is just over 100,000, but it is the 58th biggest metro in the country. Delmar, Scotia, Ballston Spa and Saratoga Springs are some places in that metro that would/could fit. In Albany, the neighborhoods in the SW portion of the city would work. In Schenectady, the (Upper) Union neighborhood and parts of nearby Old Niskayuna(another affluent suburb) comes to mind. In Troy, around RPI, east of Frear Park and a good portion of the neighborhoods in the outer southern portion of the city come to mind. Here is the bus system for this area, which is also alright: https://www.cdta.org
Last edited by ckhthankgod; 04-18-2016 at 03:38 PM..
Columbus, Ohio fits a lot of these requirements while falling short on a few. Walkability largely depends where in the city you live some cool neighborhoods to check out would be Grandview Heights, the Arena District, Short North, Victorian Village, Italian Village and German Village. The city's public schools besides a few are not too great (like any other large American city). Cost of living is very good, the city is home to one of the country's largest universities and has a surprisingly large LGBT population, and is relatively progressive in terms of local politics. The public transit isn't great but the bus system will get you where you need to go. The economy is doing pretty well here and is surprisingly diverse for a mid-sized city.
In summary
Cons: Not many high performing public schools in city proper, limited public transit system
Pros: Good cost of living, located near a giant research institution, diverse economy, lots of festivals and restaurants, relatively progressive atmosphere,
And someone is inevitably going to suggest Sacramento so i'll just say in advance that it's terribly hot in the summer and the air quality is horrible.
Perhaps the Lansing-East Lansing metro area as well. East Lansing itself has about 50,000 people, but it fits everything else and you also have Michigan State University there as well. Parts of Lansing may work as well and it has about 120,000 people or so. I would suggest the neighborhoods in NW East Lansing near Lansing, the Frandor Shopping Center, the Eastwood Towne Center and not too far from either Downtown Lansing(down Michigan Ave.) or Downtown East Lansing(down Grand River Ave.). This is the area I had in mind: https://www.google.com/maps/@42.7411...!6m1!1e1?hl=en Glencairn Elementary and East Lansing HS aren't too far away either. Here's the area bus system, which is pretty good: CATA - Capital Area Transportation Authority is the public transportation provider in Lansing, MI
Albany-Schenectady-Troy may work as well. Albany is just over 100,000, but it is the 58th biggest metro in the country. Delmar, Scotia, Ballston Spa and Saratoga Springs are some places in that metro that would/could fit. In Albany, the neighborhoods in the SW portion of the city would work. In Schenectady, the (Upper) Union neighborhood and parts of nearby Old Niskayuna(another affluent suburb) comes to mind. In Troy, around RPI, east of Frear Park and a good portion of the neighborhoods in the outer southern portion of the city come to mind. Here is the bus system for this area, which is also alright: https://www.cdta.org
What you may like is that East Lansing public schools are culturally/racially diverse and of a very high quality, which is usually the case for college towns. Search For Schools and Colleges
Also, I believe that the educational attainment for Blacks 25 and older in the Lansing-East Lansing metro is around 24% for those with at least a Bachelor's Degree, which is above the national Black percentage by about 5%. I believe that this was noted in another thread and will post the information, if I find it. Here is the post: //www.city-data.com/forum/39810182-post163.html It appears to be on par with places that are viewed as being "Black Meccas" and in terms of state capitals, only Raleigh, Atlanta and Denver may have a high educational attainment for Blacks.
Last edited by ckhthankgod; 04-18-2016 at 05:17 PM..
State capitals basically rock as places to live. Combine them with a major university and you have a winner.
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Capital Cities
