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Hi all. My boyfriend and I (we're 24 and 25) are considering a cross-country move this fall. We have about 15k saved between the two of us and have done a lot of research into costs associated with moving and rates of employment in the US. But we're kind of stumped as far as where we want to go.
We're currently in a suburb in southeastern WI with relative access to big cities (Chicago, Milwaukee) but want to live *in* a bustling, young area in the US. We both are college educated and have strong job backgrounds, although I know getting a job will take a while and be a challenge when uprooting and walking away from current employment.
We've both traveled both internationally and domestically and know we want to live somewhere with a lot of ethnic neighborhoods and restaurants if possible. I would very much prefer to live somewhere where it's common to live without a car (a very strong rail/subway system would be a preference but 24/7 buses would be considerable). We enjoy museums and music and shows, as well as outdoor activities like swimming and biking. We'd also prefer a liberal political climate for the city but a moderate community would be great too. Any suggestions or advice would be great, thanks.
For the West, the NW, in it's more liberal areas (which is mainly only Seattle, Portland and San Francisco), will fit your bill I think the most. However, unless you're like me and you love cold water, swimming may not be ideal in those three. I'd otherwise suggest LA, with summer water temps in the 60s, which is still cold to most but is still the best in the West for water temperatures. LA is improving it's transit but it's not the strongest, for sure. LA is liberal in some areas and very conservative in others, with a lot of more moderate-like places, but has a great amount of culture and outdoor activities.
I think based on what you want you should look in the Northeast. Since the Northeast is older the ethnic neighborhoods are much more prominent, has a more established public transport system, liberal for the most part, and has a great amount of museums and culture. I feel the West has more outdoor activities, or better access to them I should say, but doesn't compare to the urbanity or the "connectivity" of the East Coast.
NYC is the only place in the country where a good chunk of people take public transit. By leagues. NYC would fit you best I think.
Why not go to Chicago? Huge city, good public transit, lots of jobs, not absurdly expensive like NYC, SF, Boston, DC or LA. Plus, you're already living pretty close which would make the move less expensive and less of a hassle. I presume that you have family in SE Wisconsin, so you'd be relatively close to them, which could be an added bonus.
Is size a factor? I only ask because you may have certain college towns that may fit most, if not all of the criteria, like Ann Arbor MI. It allows access to Detroit and there is access to an International airport, as well as having its own scene.
You may also like certain suburbs with an urban character that also allow access to a bigger city like Cambridge MA or places outside of NYC like Nyack NY, the Westchester County Rivertowns or some of the Northern NJ communities like Hoboken, Montclair and parts of Jersey City.
Why not go to Chicago? Huge city, good public transit, lots of jobs, not absurdly expensive like NYC, SF, Boston, DC or LA. Plus, you're already living pretty close which would make the move less expensive and less of a hassle. I presume that you have family in SE Wisconsin, so you'd be relatively close to them, which could be an added bonus.
It might be youthful idealism but we're looking to really "get away", as it were. But Chicago is definitely a place we enjoy and something similar in size and demographics is what we're after.
What about Pittsburgh? It has the cultural amenities of a much larger city (because it used to be a much larger city), lots of youthful vitality, good bus transit and ethnic neighborhoods.
I would suggest Seattle, checks off all the boxes! Expanding light rail system, hip neighborhoods,great nightlife. The only down fall is swimming in the sound might not be ideal but most people fin the sheer beauty and access to water ways a good enough compromise.
It might be youthful idealism but we're looking to really "get away", as it were. But Chicago is definitely a place we enjoy and something similar in size and demographics is what we're after.
If you're looking for something similar in size, you're basically talking about New York, LA and Houston. With Chicago, those are the cities over two million in the USA. Of those, only New York is really livable without a car, AFAIK (although I do have a friend who lives without a car in LA, so it's physically possible).
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