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Old 11-09-2015, 01:22 PM
 
5 posts, read 7,669 times
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I'm looking for a city in the Midwest or Upper-south that has a minimalist, walkable, urban or semi-urban, affordable vibe. I choose to be working a part-time job instead of a career but I don't like the things that living in a modest area comes with in the US - like gang-culture that scares young interesting people from walking casually - but not looking for suburbia safe. Berlin was by far the best place I've ever lived and I never expect to duplicate that here in the states, but I'm willing to believe there are neighborhoods (in medium or large cities) that come closer to the sentiment than most others. I know that Montreal is the city most like Berlin in North America but looking for something in this country.

I'm guessing this would be near a university, which is what I want anyway. I'm a late-20's multi-racial libertarian-leaning male who wants to chase college girls and make friends of all different backgrounds and ideologies.

I liked Bloomington Indiana but it was somewhat too isolated from major happenings and transportation options, and not quite as dense as I'd like.

Cincinnati is at the top of my list - not as a whole just the more walkable neighborhoods.

Chicago - I haven't given up on you completely but you're just too expensive in the nicer areas and have too much crime elsewhere. I'm not afraid of crime, but it scares away the people you want to meet, thus it's an annoyance.

Maybe some parts of Metro Detroit but perhaps too much driving-only (omg you don't have a car) culture.

Would anyone like to steer?
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Old 11-09-2015, 01:45 PM
 
92,033 posts, read 122,173,887 times
Reputation: 18141
What do you mean by "chase college girls"? Hmm........
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Old 11-09-2015, 01:56 PM
 
Location: West of the Rockies
1,111 posts, read 2,319,053 times
Reputation: 1138
What you are looking for is more easily found in a smaller college town rather than a medium or big-sized city.

My picks for you:

Carbondale, IL (!!!)

Kirksville, MO

Wooster, OH

Berea, KY

Maybe even Urbana-Champaign

Otherwise, if you're looking for something like Berlin that's not really to be found in the Midwest. Chicago and Minneapolis will give you remnants of it, but not really. Everything else in the Midwest and Ohio Valley region will be uniquely American (whitetrash, more specifically).

Last edited by skidamarink; 11-09-2015 at 02:05 PM..
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Old 11-09-2015, 02:18 PM
 
Location: Englewood, Near Eastside Indy
8,940 posts, read 17,164,742 times
Reputation: 7270
Quote:
Originally Posted by skidamarink View Post
What you are looking for is more easily found in a smaller college town rather than a medium or big-sized city.

My picks for you:

Carbondale, IL (!!!)

Kirksville, MO

Wooster, OH

Berea, KY

Maybe even Urbana-Champaign
If Bloomington IN is too isolated for OP, why would any of these be better?
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Old 11-09-2015, 06:10 PM
 
Location: Minneapolis
2,330 posts, read 3,786,411 times
Reputation: 4029
Some of the cheaper parts of inner Minneapolis may fit your bill - neighborhoods like Northeast or Seward. It may be a little too expensive for a part time job though.

Edit: Looking at Padmapper, most of the studios I see for under $700 are in Stevens Square and Whittier which are directly south of downtown and are probably exactly the sort of areas you are looking for.

Stevens Square:

https://www.google.com/maps/@44.9639...8i6656!6m1!1e1

Whittier:

https://www.google.com/maps/@44.9566...8i6656!6m1!1e1

Last edited by Drewcifer; 11-09-2015 at 06:22 PM..
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Old 11-09-2015, 08:03 PM
 
6,333 posts, read 11,491,519 times
Reputation: 6304
Oh Berea is way too small -and isolated.

Even before I read Cincy was your first choice I was thinking about the NKY suburbs as being cheap and very walkable.

I just wonder about chasing college girls if you aren't ambitious. College kids seem very ambitious these days - got to pay back those student loans.
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Old 11-09-2015, 08:10 PM
 
Location: South Florida
5,014 posts, read 7,388,345 times
Reputation: 5445
Quote:
Originally Posted by creeksitter View Post

I just wonder about chasing college girls if you aren't ambitious. College kids seem very ambitious these days - got to pay back those student loans.
Good point
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Old 11-09-2015, 08:25 PM
 
Location: Auburn, New York
1,772 posts, read 3,492,363 times
Reputation: 3076
It's hard to take this thread seriously. However, I'll suggest Lawrence, Kansas.

The cost of living is low, and there are lots of college kids, some of whom are libertarian. The core of town is walkable, and you're just 40 miles from Kansas City, which is accessible via the city bus (the K-10 Connector).

Kent, Ohio (20 miles from Akron and 50 miles from Cleveland) fits the OP's criteria too, but I think Lawrence is more fun.

Denton, Texas could work. It's a cheap college town with light-rail access to Dallas. Kent and Lawrence are a bit more walkable though.

Last edited by Dawn.Davenport; 11-09-2015 at 08:38 PM..
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Old 11-09-2015, 11:50 PM
 
Location: Louisiana to Houston to Denver to NOVA
16,505 posts, read 26,096,575 times
Reputation: 13275
Indy?

Colombus?
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Old 11-10-2015, 11:56 AM
 
915 posts, read 1,492,550 times
Reputation: 1360
If you live in the Midwest, then you will most likely need a car.

However, my choice would be Ann Arbor, MI simply because they have good mass transit.

Detroit/Metro Detroit is awful if you want walkable. Downtown Detroit is getting better, but there are reasons why we are called the "motor city".
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