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I can't believe how helpful you've all been so far. I've got a ton to think about. Right now I feel like I've "narrowed" it to Tampa and Denver as the frontrunners, followed closely by Austin and Nashville.
The issue with Austin is I'm concerned with walkability. I can't afford to live downtown, and I can't seem to get an accurate read on whether or not SoCo is very walkable. Hyde Park is another option there, but I havent' explored it too much. At this point in time, I'd prefer to be closer to the action than where Hyde Park is.
Nashville also seems really cool, but I think I just don't have enough information on it. I've read a ton about Tampa, and theres a buzz these days about Denver and Austin, but Nashville seems very under the radar. While thats a good thing for sure, I want to make sure it really is everything I'm looking for.
One poster mentioned Chicago, and while I've heard nothing but good things about that place, I really would like to stay away from that weather for awhile. Also Louisville and Omaha have been mentioned as well, and I haven't begun to research them fully, but Louisville folks seem to be incredibly proud of where they live. That's encouraging. Someone in this thread described it as the "next austin." Would anyone else thats been to those 2 cities describe it as such?
well after much deliberation, I am 90% sure I am headed to Denver. Tampa isn't completely out of the picture yet, but it's definitely down to these two. The main factor has been that rent in Capitol Hill(Denver) is much more reasonable than rent in Hyde Park(Tampa). Tampa has the beautiful weather, proximity to the beach, and laid back lifestyle, but Denver has the more urban feel, the more nightlife options, and more job opportunities. Basically the only way to break the tie was to evaluate rent prices in the areas within the cities I'd like to live, and Denver won that by a long shot.
I want to thank everyone who helped as you all made my decision much easier. Thanks!
Columbus requires a car to get anywhere, no major public transportation except the local busline which is enter at your own risk, annual snowfall is 30 inches and it's cold and cloudy most of the time.
you're right, there's nothing 'sexy' about philly. philly is the definition of gritty, although if you're built for that, philly is an incredible city. dense/walkable. the most hardcore sports fans on the planet. interesting streets/architecture, some good deals to be found. weather not too extreme. good location between nyc/dc, close to your hometown.
to a southerner, downtown 'uptown' charlotte is the best. coming from up north, downtown charlotte is a joke. sure, a couple of highrise banks, a few condos, and some bars, but we're talking a couple of blocks, that's it. charlotte has a somewhat decent bus system and new light rail line (just one line). raleigh has even less of a downtown, less transit, and is even more sprawled. the population is growing fast in nc, prices are rising, so it's not exactly cheap anymore. it's either summer (very humid) or winter, forget about four seasons. good job market though.
portland is focused on proper urban planning, much less sprawled vs most of the country, nice city to walk around, has some interesting neighborhoods/architecture, decent light rail, very educated, very 'green', laid back w/out being 'slow', probably one of the whitest major cities in the country, if that makes any difference to you.
never been to austin, but i keep hearing so many great things about this place. but for the reason i mentioned w/ charlotte, i'm looking for opinions from a northeastern perspective. coming from jersey, you might want to keep that in mind when people tell you about some of these places, especially when it comes to things like walkability.
I actually just bit the bullet and bought a new car, so that kind of set my moving plans back a bit. It changes what I'm looking for a bit, as I now don't have much of a need for public transportation. That said, walkability is still the number 1 thing I'm looking for. I've now got a few more months to decide exactly where I'm going, as I'm going to save money through the summer and hopefully be somewhere by September 1. Denver still looks great, Tampa I go back and forth with, ditto for Nashville. Austin seems like the coolest city but I get the impression that unless you live right in the heart of the action($$$), places like South Congress aren't very pedestrian friendly. I've pretty much given up thinking about Raleigh as I haven't heard a ton of good things about the city itself. Charlotte is still an option, and I will probably visit a friend of mine down there in the coming months to check it out. I've also ruled out Portland as I really just don't think I could deal with the rain. As great as everyone claims the city is, the rain really just isn't for me. I've also tossed Atlanta and Houston into the mix. Apparently Houston has a great job market, but I really haven't been blown away by the pictures I've seen of the city, particularly midtown. Atlanta apparently has some great neighborhoods that are a bit what I'm looking for, so I will end up checking that out eventually as well. I hear it's just like a bigger, more interesting Charlotte. In the meantime, I will apply for a few jobs down in Philly and see how that goes. It's easily accessible to where I am now, so if I find something down there that sounds half-interesting, that may be the choice as well. It'd be great to be around some eagles fans for once. Thanks for all the replies so far though!
I've also tossed Atlanta and Houston into the mix. Apparently Houston has a great job market, but I really haven't been blown away by the pictures I've seen of the city, particularly midtown. Atlanta apparently has some great neighborhoods that are a bit what I'm looking for, so I will end up checking that out eventually as well. I hear it's just like a bigger, more interesting Charlotte.
Since you are checking out Atlanta, I would encourage you to take a look at the following neighborhoods: Virginia Highlands, Midtown, Little Five Points, Candler Park, Grant Park, and Decatur. All of these neighborhoods are great and they are more or less a few miles east of downtown (some closer). Beyond these neighborhoods, I really don't imagine there are too many Atlanta neighborhoods that would fit the bill for you.
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Nashville is it
