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You are close to the Adirondacks, Oneida Lake(which has Sylvan Beach on its eastern end) and some nightlife in both cities, as well as this casino/resort: Turning Stone Resort Casino
It is also located in between Syracuse and the Albany-Schenectady-Troy area. So, there are other areas nearby. Places like Cooperstown and the 1000 Islands are within an hour or so, give or take. This is a good guide with info of the area: MV NY - Utica, New Hartford, Clinton, Rome, Herkimer New York
Has plenty of car culture, lots of nature around to bike in, close to the Cheasapeake bay for fishing, and the job market is pretty solid due to Feds being there.
the draw back is the summer can be deadly humid. But the Winters are not as bad as NYC or Beantown.
South Portland has Southern Maine Community college which is shorefront and right next to a sand beach. The school is very affordable (I think 5,000$ a year fulltime) and portland has plenty to do and quite a few good paying jobs for students. It gets cold, but is walkable with a warm jacket and affordable housing can be hard to find. It is is a small city on the ocean, but close to scenic rural areas.
For a lower cost of living in the Northeast, you'll have to look inland, which will have an overall COL around the national average(give or take).
A sleeper area that comes to mind is Plattsburgh NY. It has Clinton CC and SUNY-Plattsburgh. It is located on Lake Champlain and is minutes from the Adirondack Mountains. There is a public lakefront beach free to city residents. It has an overall COL just below the national average. It only has about 20,000 people, but if it doesn't have enough for you, it is within an hour or so of Montreal and Burlington VT. You can take a ferry to the latter city and you will need a passport or enhanced drivers license to go to Montreal. Weather and size may be issues though.
Location: Watching half my country turn into Gilead
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Originally Posted by ckhthankgod
A small city like Dover DE may work, as it has a community college, is pretty close to the coast and has 4 seasons.
Unless you enjoy Nascar, I'd avoid Dover. It's not on the coast, and the river in town isn't suited for any outdoor activities whatsoever. It's basically a city that is defined by US 13 and all the typical, big box stores that you'll find in typical suburbia. All outdoor activities you will have to drive some distance to the state parks for; the city isn't very bikable/walkable.
The only positive to Dover would be the casino and the low taxes. Most locals are retirees from more expensive states and/or military connected due to the Air Force Base who can't leave. The community college isn't great, and the local HBCU isn't either. If you're going for a small city in Delaware, I'd recommend Newark over Dover, or Rehoboth.
South Portland has Southern Maine Community college which is shorefront and right next to a sand beach. The school is very affordable (I think 5,000$ a year fulltime) and portland has plenty to do and quite a few good paying jobs for students. It gets cold, but is walkable with a warm jacket and affordable housing can be hard to find. It is is a small city on the ocean, but close to scenic rural areas.
This, but minus the jobs bit. I'm in Portland. My gf has been looking for a job for awhile now. The market is pretty tight. Medical and accounting are the hots fields for employment here at the moment.
Maybe Philadelphia. It's rather affordable compared to Washington DC, Boston or New York City, between two rivers and like a 45 minute drive from the Jersey Shore. Plus, it's an up and coming city; a lot of Brooklyn residents are moving down here because it's cheap and they're gentrifying it.
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