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Looking to relocate, and my main criteria are affordability (a small 1-BR apartment for about $850 a month or less), mild or no Winters (I'm in Buffalo, NY now, so get me in the 50's in December with rare snow and I'm thrilled -- warmer than that and I'm ecstatic), and access to decent public transportation and/or car sharing options (like I used in Seattle) and/or walkable neighborhoods.
Any ideas?
I know it's going to be a short list, if any list at all!
Check out Charlotte or Birmingham. They never get snow, except on RARE occasion (maybe a few inches every 5 years or so). In December, it's in the 50's in both cities. Charlotte has the Lynx light rail system and buses for public transit. Birmingham has a bus system as well. Both cities have 1 bd apartments available for around $800 a month. They both have some walkable neighborhoods, but nothing too special.
The Charlotte metro area has 2.3 million people. Birmingham metro has 1.1 million.
I would not do Atlanta. A typical 1 bd apartment there goes for around $950, and the metro is huge, with 5.5 million people.
I think Charlotte would be your best bet. I actually spent an entire month there last year during February 2013 and enjoyed it. It's just a pleasant place to live. People are friendly, half of everything is brand new; half is older construction. Jobs are coming back, too. The climate is just phenomenal. You'll only need a light jacket for like 3 months during the winter. Also, the Charlotte area in general has about a 50% transplant population of northeastern people and 50% southerners. I would say about 50% of the people have a southern accent. So it's sort of a nice diverse blend of different American subcultures. One thing that sucks is that I-485 can get VERY congested on the southern part, but it's not the end of the world. They also have a very good grocery store called Harris Teeter, which I enjoyed shopping at.
Almost everywhere you go in the Charlotte area, it just as a very CLEAN and NEW feeling and look. This can be good and bad, depending on your preference. One thing that sucks about Charlotte is that almost all of the restaurants and dining options are generic chain restaurants. But there are still some unique dining options if you look hard enough, especially in the core area of the city. Most people seem optimistic and happy. You will, however see a confederate flag just about every day, on someone's truck or something.
Charlotte is also adjacent to some attractive natural scenery and isn't too far from mountains, lakes and forests.
Atlanta, Houston, New Orleans. Maybe Dallas, I hear winters there can be somewhat harsh.
It's going to be difficult finding an apartment in the few walkable neighborhoods that Houston has. Living in the loop will put you at $1000 a month normally for a one bedroom. Car sharing would be very easy.
New Orleans would be the easiest to find an apartment under $850 in many walkable neighborhoods, and Uber and some other company offer car sharing. PT is decent but far from great. You can live near streetcar lines or major bus lines that would help.
I would imagine the best options are Atlanta and New Orleans.
Rents in southeast Florida are NOT affordable for the OP. A typical 1 bd will go for $1,100+ which is way over his budget. Even rents in Atlanta, Dallas, Houston and New Orleans aren't exactly cheap these days. They're in the $900-1,000 range now, unless you're in a sketchier neighborhood. Charlotte and Birmingham, on the other hand actually do have rents in the $800 range for something decent and safe. The OP, however, will have to be okay with 3 months of winter daily high temps in the 50's and freezing temps overnight for about two months. The other 9 months of the year are spectacular.
The fact of the matter is that almost every city in the South has no notable mass transit. I mean, Atlanta has MARTA, but it's quite limited from what I've heard. Dallas has some form of light rail. Houston, I believe has nothing. But none of these places have mass transit on the scales of DC, Philly, NYC, Boston or Chicago.
Looking to relocate, and my main criteria are affordability (a small 1-BR apartment for about $850 a month or less), mild or no Winters (I'm in Buffalo, NY now, so get me in the 50's in December with rare snow and I'm thrilled -- warmer than that and I'm ecstatic), and access to decent public transportation and/or car sharing options (like I used in Seattle) and/or walkable neighborhoods.
Any ideas?
I know it's going to be a short list, if any list at all!
Research college towns! Many of them should meet your criteria, but Gainesville, FL is the one I spent the most time in and I can tell you $850/month will cover you just about anywhere, it never snows, and the bus system is very good if you want to go to/from the University of Florida. Elsewhere isn't as reliable. Carsharing exists as well but not too prevalent. Walkable neighborhoods are limited to downtown and areas around campus.
For large metros, Dallas, Atlanta, Charlotte, and Miami all have decent transit systems and plenty of walkable areas. But you will be hard-pressed to find desirable areas in your price range.
Quote:
Originally Posted by annie_himself
But it's not walkable and it's expensive to live in any of the few walkable areas.
Not true! What you mean is desirable walkable areas are expensive. But Miami is very dense and surprisingly walkable in a lot of less desirable and ghetto neighborhoods.
Rents in southeast Florida are NOT affordable for the OP. A typical 1 bd will go for $1,100+ which is way over his budget. Even rents in Atlanta, Dallas, Houston and New Orleans aren't exactly cheap these days. They're in the $900-1,000 range now, unless you're in a sketchier neighborhood. Charlotte and Birmingham, on the other hand actually do have rents in the $800 range for something decent and safe. The OP, however, will have to be okay with 3 months of winter daily high temps in the 50's and freezing temps overnight for about two months. The other 9 months of the year are spectacular.
You can find a studio in a nice neighborhood in New Orleans for $600, 1bd can easily be found for <$850, you don't know.
Quote:
Originally Posted by nep321
The fact of the matter is that almost every city in the South has no notable mass transit. I mean, Atlanta has MARTA, but it's quite limited from what I've heard. Dallas has some form of light rail. Houston, I believe has nothing. But none of these places have mass transit on the scales of DC, Philly, NYC, Boston or Chicago.
Dallas has lighgt rail and commuter, Houston have 3-4 light rail lines and a great bus system.
Quote:
Originally Posted by projectmaximus
Not true! What you mean is desirable walkable areas are expensive. But Miami is very dense and surprisingly walkable in a lot of less desirable and ghetto neighborhoods.
Miami is dense, not urban. Houston is pretty dense too.
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