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Hey guys, I'm having a hard time trying to figure out a city to move to. Looking for some opinions. Currently i live in the Chicago suburbs but lost my job so I believe it is time to try something new. I do enjoy the downtown of a larger city to visit but would never want to live there. Want to live in the burbs however i'm looking for an area that would offer better weather ( i can do a cool winter and snow however i dont want the oppressive freeze your butt off inside your house for 3 months cold that Chicago gets DEC - FEB) , a bit less congested, and way more affordable than the Chicagoland area. Also want to be closer to some outdoor activities whether it be the mountains, oceans, lakes, etc yet still be close to an urban sprawl. And most importantly job opportunities, have a degree in economics so a place that offers opportunities in finance, tech, marketing would be cool. Wouldn't mind someplace that offers maybe a nice amount of startup companies as well, they seem to harbor creativity and innovation rather than your standard big businesses can offer.
I tried living Denver as I thought that was where I would want to be and although it was nice, I just didn't get the vibe that this place was right for me. The mountains are cool and all but the whole metro area conveys a cookie cutter white suburbia kind of feel. I love hiking, fishing, etc but outside of that there is not much to do. This may be just my experiences as well, but Denver has a very confined feeling in that there are no major cities roughly close and its surrounded by a lot of endless prairies lacking any sort of profound greenery that you can find further east which I definitely missed. Kind of like an oasis smack by the mountains. My biggest draw back is how expensive the city is, found it comparable to Chicago thus I didn't want to settle down there.
Recently got back from a visit to Nashville, loved how many lush forests were everywhere. Close to the mountains. Very affordable to live. Also like how I can live in the country yet in half hour be in the city area which is very appealing to me. However it did seem a little more on the conservative side which was my biggest turn off, kind of small for a larger metro area, and I also found the layout of nashville and its suburbs to be really awkward which would probably keep me away for moving to Nashville. Not sure how the job situation would be down there.
I guess to sum it up, looking for the diversity and larger size and job prospects of Chicago+the affordability and greenery of nashville+the outdoor activities of denver. Mix a nice balance between liberal and conservative which metro-area would I come up with? Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks
Hey guys, I'm having a hard time trying to figure out a city to move to. Looking for some opinions. Currently i live in the Chicago suburbs but lost my job so I believe it is time to try something new. I do enjoy the downtown of a larger city to visit but would never want to live there. Want to live in the burbs however i'm looking for an area that would offer better weather ( i can do a cool winter and snow however i dont want the oppressive freeze your butt off inside your house for 3 months cold that Chicago gets DEC - FEB) , a bit less congested, and way more affordable than the Chicagoland area. Also want to be closer to some outdoor activities whether it be the mountains, oceans, lakes, etc yet still be close to an urban sprawl. And most importantly job opportunities, have a degree in economics so a place that offers opportunities in finance, tech, marketing would be cool. Wouldn't mind someplace that offers maybe a nice amount of startup companies as well, they seem to harbor creativity and innovation rather than your standard big businesses can offer.
I tried living Denver as I thought that was where I would want to be and although it was nice, I just didn't get the vibe that this place was right for me. The mountains are cool and all but the whole metro area conveys a cookie cutter white suburbia kind of feel. I love hiking, fishing, etc but outside of that there is not much to do. This may be just my experiences as well, but Denver has a very confined feeling in that there are no major cities roughly close and its surrounded by a lot of endless prairies lacking any sort of profound greenery that you can find further east which I definitely missed. Kind of like an oasis smack by the mountains. My biggest draw back is how expensive the city is, found it comparable to Chicago thus I didn't want to settle down there.
Recently got back from a visit to Nashville, loved how many lush forests were everywhere. Close to the mountains. Very affordable to live. Also like how I can live in the country yet in half hour be in the city area which is very appealing to me. However it did seem a little more on the conservative side which was my biggest turn off, kind of small for a larger metro area, and I also found the layout of nashville and its suburbs to be really awkward which would probably keep me away for moving to Nashville. Not sure how the job situation would be down there.
I guess to sum it up, looking for the diversity and larger size and job prospects of Chicago+the affordability and greenery of nashville+the outdoor activities of denver. Mix a nice balance between liberal and conservative which metro-area would I come up with? Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks
I would recommend the Raleigh-Durham area with the emphasis on Durham, which fulfills all of your criteria rather nicely in my opinion.
Thanks guys, yea i've been told to check out Atlanta as it seems like its one of biggest cities in the South which fits my criteria pretty well. However I'm confused about why everyone keeps describing Atlanta as soulless, seen in it many other threads. Could someone elaborate more on why that is?
Also have heard a lot of good things about North Carolina as well, especially Raleigh Durham so that seems like a good choice. Does anyone know if Charlotte is similar to Raleigh or are they very different?
ckhthankgod, no the outdoors doesn't need the mountains just a wide variety of outdoor activities. Whether its mountains, national parks, good hiking trails, beaches, lakes, etc. would be fine. In both Chicago and Colorado the towns I lived in didn't offer any of this, I was surrounded by cornfields, concrete oasis', or prairies.
I guess in terms of too conservative, I guess I just don't want a city where people will consistently force their political agenda, whether it be republican, democrat, tea party, whatever. I share ideologies from both parties so I can relate to both but I don't want every discussion to turn a political debate.
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