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I've always felt a strong pull to places like Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Iowa. How would those do for an HSP? I know the winters can be rough, but I do enjoy having an excuse to stay in. I found the snowy days in Missouri to be really peaceful (perhaps because I didn't have to drive to work). Plus, I love the soft light of more northerly latitudes in the autumn. There's nothing like it.
You might want to consider Iowa City or Des Moines. I am originally from Southern California and have lived in Cedar Rapids/Iowa City for the past 20 years. I am also an introvert who feels overwhelmed in big cities. I prefer the slower pace of life here and people are not in your face.
Iowa City is a college town with the University Iowa Hospitals and Clinics that is continually growing and expanding. You may find employment opportunities there. Des Moines is much larger but still not overwhelming at all. Being larger, it may provide more opportunities and variety for you than Iowa City.
Contrary to Iowa's image as flat and cornfields, I was surprised at how green and lush it is here with gentle rolling hills broken up with patches of woods. I find it very soothing. If you can tolerate the cold winters and humid summers, it's a great place to live (take a look at my profile under "all albums" ... there are four albums on Iowa).
Last edited by smpliving; 06-01-2014 at 07:14 PM..
You might want to consider Iowa City or Des Moines. I am originally from Southern California and have lived in Cedar Rapids/Iowa City for the past 20 years. I am also an introvert who feels overwhelmed in big cities. I prefer the slower pace of life here and people are not in your face.
My boyfriend and I are considering relocating to Iowa City next August. We'll definitely be taking a good hard look at it.
I thought I'd like the anonymity of big cities, but San Francisco was hard. Even being around so many people, I never thought I could feel so lonely at times. I enjoy living in a place where I know lots of people and where the pace of life is slower. I'm an introvert but I like being in a place where I know everyone in my local coffee shop and when people wave to me as they drive by.
I think college towns are a good fit for a lot of HSPs, especially since college towns tend to be places that one might deem progressive. It's hard to be an HSP male when you live in a place where you are expected to be "manly," whatever that means.
All the time. I try to limit my usage and not get lost in the sea of information. I don't use it until I get to work and then I only use it to find what I need in that moment. I'm a big fan of the low-information diet.
Thanks for all of the responses, everyone! My friends in the Bay Area thought I was crazy for moving to Missouri, and in some ways they are right, but I needed to be somewhere slower and more down-to-earth (even if I don't mesh well with a lot of the culture and politics of this region). My counselor assumed California would be an ideal place for an HSP, but the fast-paced lifestyle, the traffic, the sprawling cities, and the cost of living (not friendly to a social worker) all make it very much overwhelming and overstimulating. Even though St. Louis has many aspects of a big city, there's no part of it that feels too overwhelming...except maybe the weather fluctuation (especially compared to the California coast). Seeing all of the poverty in north St. Louis can definitely be overwhelming for a highly sensitive person, and that's something to consider, but considering I am working in the social work/nonprofit field, it's probably where most of my jobs will take me.
My contract ends in August and I'm debating whether or not to stay. I get good vibes from small college towns. I share a lot of the political beliefs, the places tend to be rather quaint, and there can be a lot of good culture. I love the ideas. I've always enjoyed the interior northeast...
Would have to agree with your friends about moving to Missouri of all places, especially St. Louis. Just wouldn't expect it to be a place for a person with HSP to reside. Sorry, I just don't like anything about Missouri.
California definitely as your counselor suggested would have been my choice too, however, depending on what part of the state you live in.
Guess I can see Las Vegas not being good place, but I love Sin City personally would prefer to live there.
Salt Lake City appear to be an option you might want to consider.
Would have to agree with your friends about moving to Missouri of all places, especially St. Louis. Just wouldn't expect it to be a place for a person with HSP to reside. Sorry, I just don't like anything about Missouri.
California definitely as your counselor suggested would have been my choice too, however, depending on what part of the state you live in.
I will admit that St. Louis is a far-cry from being ideal for an HSP, but as someone who has lived all over California for 23 years, the overstimulation of places like the Bay Area and Sacramento were far too much for me. With the exception of the North Coast, where life is significantly slower and quieter, California is difficult for someone who gets easily overwhelmed. I've found the Tower Grove South and Shaw neighborhoods of St. Louis to have the kind of feel that works for me, as an HSP.
Politically, I am definitely more inclined toward California, but I like a lot about St. Louis. And if we're talking about St. Louis solely from an HSP standpoint, there are a lot of things about it that trump California like the pace, the more manageable size, and the quality of the people. Yet, California is an enormous and diverse state, in more ways than one.
Ultimately, I will not stay in St. Louis, but I won't move back to California. I struggle with St. Louis, and Missouri, a lot, but not because I am overwhelmed or overstimulated as an HSP. I am just curious what else is out there.
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