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Hello. My roommate and I are looking to relocate to a new city, hopefully sometime this year. We currently live in Atlanta and have for many years, but are wanting to try someplace new and move to a new state. He is pretty open to wherever, but we do have some criteria that we desire in a new place:
1. Weather (He is open, but I know I don't want a climate with rainy/dreary weather or snowy winters. I don't mind hot summers, although I strongly prefer a place with low humidity. Mild winters are ok, but no below freezing temps or extreme amounts of snow every winter.)
2. A city with good public transportation. (Important for both of us. I have a car, he doesn't, but it would be nice for me not to always have to drive everywhere and for him to be able to use transit. Good public transit is seriously lacking here in some areas of Atlanta.)
3. Low cost of living (We are looking for a place where cost of living is reasonable, which is hopefully a place where 2 bedroom apartments are 1200-1300 a month or less. I also want to settle down in the new city and get a home so housing prices of 300K or less would be ideal.)
4. Outdoor life/scenery (He isn't too outdoorsy, but I like hiking and the beach so a place with access to mountains and/or the beach would be great)
5. Great restuarants/night life (He is more outgoing and also works in the restaurant industry, so this is more important to him than it is to me.)
6. Large city (no rural or small towns for us. Medium-sized cities are fine, but it would be nice if they were close to a large metro area. A major airport nearby is important for traveling to visit family and friends.)
We have a few city options we are looking at:
Denver, CO
Las Vegas, NV
Washington, DC metro area
State options:
California (Wishful thinking, but it would nice to find an affordable city there)
Florida (Not sure of what city would be best)
Any suggestions you can provide, even if not on our list, would be helpful. Thanks!
If you're looking at Las Vegas you can also look at Phoenix. If you live in Scottsdale or Tempe you will have the public transit option matched, and these areas of the Valley also have the best restaurants and nightlife anyway.
I thought you were strongly against humidity? If so, I was told DC is very humid and Florida would be the last place I'd think to suggest to you. Aside from COL, Denver is a close fit.
I would also suggest someplace in Arizona. Summers are hot, but not humid (unless its monsoon season which still is nothing like east coast humidity). The COL is decent and you have all the amenities of a large city (Phoenix).
DC metro is incredibly humid, and more expensive than any California metro outside the Bay. Low humidity = west of the Rockies, and you aren't likely to find good public transportation anywhere but Portland, Seattle and the Bay Area. If you're considering DC, you might want to look at LA.
Thanks for the suggestions everyone. And I am not completely against high humidity. I can compromise on that. I was just considering FL since it has a lower cost of living than CA and has access to many beaches. DC is where my roommate is most familiar with so that was a consideration, but it is pretty expensive. I didn't realize it was more expensive than CA.
I briefly lived in Phoenix a few years ago. It was ok and I did not really get to explore the public transporation or really settle in. I am not sure I would move back there tho. It did not feel like a city I wanted to settle down in. I am African-American and I just got the vibe like I was always being stared at or felt out of place. Some people did not seem very friendly or just kept to themselves. But it may have been because I did not live there very long. I don't know.
When you say no below freezing temps, I hope you realize that temperatures have gotten as low as 18 degrees Fahrenheit as far south as Tampa, Florida.
Most of the U.S. by far gets cold in the winter. So that criteria alone will greatly limit your options. Otherwise, I would suggest Philadelphia or Chicago based on everything else you wrote.
In FL I'd say South FL would be your best bet...Miami is easily the best place to live without a car in the state. FLL and farther up might be better cost-wise...
Also would consider TX. Houston, Dallas and Austin seem to have decent transit. Dallas and Austin are less humid than ATL.
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