Best city/State to Move to (best cities, crime, job market)

[MinkaMink25]

We are planning on moving out of New England. Here's a list of states we are looking into moving to...

North Carolina
Colorado
Virginia
California
Washington
New York
Minnesota

Please give your advice about the best cities to live in.
Good housing prices, friendly neighborhoods, not in the middle of no where, not alot of bad crime, etc

If you have a place that you think would be better than the states I listed
Please share

[K-Luv]

Originally Posted by MinkaMink25

We are planning on moving out of New England. Here's a list of states we are looking into moving to...

North Carolina
Colorado
Virginia
California
Washington
New York
Minnesota

Please give your advice about the best cities to live in.
Good housing prices, friendly neighborhoods, not in the middle of no where, not alot of bad crime, etc

If you have a place that you think would be better than the states I listed
Please share

If you are coming from New England, Minnesota is probably your best bet. There is a really strong economy, loads of stuff to do and is pretty beautiful to boot. Minnesota would be enough like New England to feel somewhat familiar (except cost of living is much lower and it is waaayyyy effin' colder with less snow) and not so much of a culture shock, but at the same time it would be different enough to not feel like the same old sh*t.

[censusdata]

Don't forget about Louisville, Kentucky

8th safest large city in the US City Crime Rankings by Population Group

Park system designed by Frederick Olmstead, designer of NYC's Central Park

Many vibrant historic neighborhoods


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[Lillietta]

Since I like New England, I can say I love living in Minnesota. Tons of culture, beautiful parks and at least five lakes right in the middle of the cities, clean; never have I lived in a place where life is soooo easy. You just coast through, and people take their playtime seriously. Some people can be somewhat remote because of the Scandinavian heritage, but you should be able to meet enough who aren't like that. Winters can be harsh and snow lasts until about April. I happen to not mind that but you might. Very safe areas except for only two that come to mind and those aren't that unsafe -- North Mpls and Frogtown in Saint Paul. Suburbs are ten minutes away and rural areas only 40 minutes at most. There is a lot to choose from. Better for families than for singles, as it's a family-oriented place.

I also like Washington very much but housing is out of sight and traffic is a greater problem than here and I would miss our snowfalls.

[MinkaMink25]

Well most of you think Minnesota is good, so I looked into these cities
Eden Prairie
Minnetonka
Minneaplois
Chaska
St. Cloud
Coon Rapids
Albert Lea
Mankato/North Mankato

If you could tell me about them and which you think is the best

I also need good schooling too

[Elle Coolio]

Minnesota - Very beautiful, lot to offer, very nordic & cold for a long time. If you move here, don't move north side unless it's out of Minneapolis and don't put your kids in Minneapolis Public Schools. Worked there for 22 years. Bad administration, lost a lot of good teachers because of it. Minnetonka is a nice suburb. Very la de da, i.e. expensive and Minnesotans pay a LOT of taxes above and beyond other states which shows in the cleanliness, education, etc. but also sports arenas and things such as that that I don't think should be paid for by taxpayers.

[Lillietta]

Originally Posted by MinkaMink25

Well most of you think Minnesota is good, so I looked into these cities
Eden Prairie
Minnetonka
Minneaplois
Chaska
St. Cloud
Coon Rapids
Albert Lea
Mankato/North Mankato

If you could tell me about them and which you think is the best

I also need good schooling too

Eden Praire, Minnetonka upscale suburbs excellent schools.

Chaska also good suburb; guess schools are ok there also.

St. Cloud - small town about 1-1/2hrs away from MPls - population around 70,000.

Coon Rapids - inexpensive housing, comparatively speaking - near north suburb - probably average schools

Albert Lea small town on the Iowa border I believe
Mankato small town - I heard years ago it was cliquish; don't know if that is still true.

[ekg56]

I think you would enjoy MN. Rochester is a nice area. I love Mankato and Albert Lea too. I love MN and we vacation their often.

[radraja]

Just know that MN is significantly colder than the northeast. And I mean significantly. Be prepared to face -20 temperatures in the winter. It can also get fairly expensive.

I'm actually tempted to say Colorado or North Carolina would the best choices. NC has an amazing job market right now (one of the best in the country, I think), moderate weather with 4 seasons, strong schools, and lots of cultural sites and things to do. Colorado is beautiful with great outdoor recreation, strong schools, and quaint little downtown districts in most of the cities and towns.

[radraja]

I also second the recommendation for Louisville. It's really eclectic and unique...actually reminds me a lot of Boston in some ways. Plus, it's pretty inexpensive.