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Old 03-27-2017, 09:46 AM
 
Location: Cbus
1,719 posts, read 2,087,270 times
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My best friend lives in Dearborn and I live in Columbus. The ride is pretty easy, usually 3-3.5 hours.

Columbus has a fairly strong economy and lots of young professionals due to OSU, JP Morgan Chase, Nationwide, Honda, Abercrombie etc.

Compared to most major cities in the Midwest Columbus's higher crime areas are pretty tame and very easy to avoid.

Arena District, Grandview and Italian Village/Short North are some areas of the city to check out that offer a lot for young professionals that want to be in walking distance to amenities i.e. bars, restaurants, community events, local shops.

If you have any other questions I'd be more than happy to try to answer them to the best of my ability.
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Old 03-27-2017, 12:09 PM
 
92,496 posts, read 122,730,787 times
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I guess another potential option is Rochester NY. Its SE Quarter and Downtown would fit in terms of nightlife and neighborhoods. It still has the presence of Xerox, Kodak(HQ's) and Bausch and Lomb/Valeant, among other companies. It is a 5 hour drive through Canada, about 6 hours going south of Lake Erie. Would definitely be a short flight.
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Old 03-27-2017, 01:17 PM
 
63 posts, read 45,298 times
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Thanks for everyone's replies again!
Quote:
Originally Posted by projectmaximus View Post
I book A LOT of flights for a lot of people, and while maybe .01% of those flights involved Detroit, I am pretty certain you can get to basically any mid-sized city in the continental US for $500 roundtrip outside of busy holidays. Southwest, Jetblue, Frontier and Spirit provide many low cost connections to DTW. Try the explore the map function on google.com/flights to see what's available out of DTW (which should be reasonably close in price to what you can expect flying to/from DTW from another city). For a Fri-Sun in April it looks like you can get to every corner of the US for under $500, except Key West and Yakima, WA which are a tad bit over. Seriously though, with any bit of flexibility, staying under $500 should never be a concern.

Now, considering you are willing to bus/train for 6 hours, then I would suggest limiting yourself to direct flights that are 4 hours or less. That's fairly comparable when you consider the extra time it takes to fly. That doesn't narrow you down too much, but it does eliminate the west coast and southwest and limits you to larger cities as you get farther from the midwest. So pretty much Salt Lake City and east would be in play.

Alright, good luck! I don't know how to narrow down too much based on what you've stated. There are plenty of major cities to choose from and tons of secondary cities and college towns that could work as well.
This helps me a lot! I wasn't familiar with that tool. Of course, if I have the ability to fly home more frequently then that's even better, so I'd probably prioritize ones on the cheaper end of the scale. If you'd like to chime in further, then these are some of my other ideals that I'd prioritize:

-overall affordability, especially rent
-lots of diverse opportunities in general, especial career opportunities and social/entertainment opportunities
-feeling of safety; serene (ideally green) immediate living area this is also close to where things are happening—walkability or short driving distances
-strong presence of arts and arts community/culture, intellectualism, eclecticism/diversity, presence of young people (a mix of ages is totally fine, of course; I am 27)

Thanks again!
Quote:
Originally Posted by mjlo View Post
I'm surprised you haven't looked closer at Grand Rapids with all of these other cities mentioned. There are reasons it's been the fastest growing area in Michigan since the 60's. Great economy, job market, vibe. Tons of investment happening in the core and surrounding suburbs. If you're looking to be closer, this city hits all of your points. It's less than a 2 hour drive until you're in Metro D. It would seem like it should be first on your list.
It's very possible that I haven't considered Grand Rapids enough. And I agree that, in terms of only the things mentioned in the initial post, it should probably be at or near the top of the list. The first thing that has deterred me is that it seems to be on the smaller end even for "mid-sized cities" at under 200K people, and it's not like it's piggybacking off of a major metropolitan area (as opposed to the Ann Arbor example given, for instance -- 1M metro versus 5M), so that concerns me a little just in terms of overall opportunities available there. The second thing relates to ideals I didn't mention in the initial post. Basically, outside of simply "young professionals", the things I tend to be attracted to in terms of vibe seem to be a little bit more eclectic than Grand Rapids seems to specialize in—diversity, significant arts scene/arts community (even "hippy" or "bohemian"), intellectualism—so you can probably see why I was more attracted to Ann Arbor. Ideally, I'm basically looking for a lot of the larger city opportunities and certain cultural elements in a place that is more condensed and feels a bit more "comfortable" (perhaps a bit more like a "community" than the large cities). Happy to consider alternative viewpoints or conflicting information on Grand Rapids, though. Thanks mjlo!

Last edited by DwellerofCities; 03-27-2017 at 01:33 PM..
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Old 03-27-2017, 02:48 PM
 
1,996 posts, read 3,140,350 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kyle19125 View Post
Detroit is a major hub for Delta so another city that functions as a Delta hub would be my recommendation. Cincinnati is the closest one that has six nonstop flights a day (fares showing $368 RT currently with short notice) and is also a fairly reasonable four hour drive from Detroit. Cincinnati certainly offers those quality of life factors mentioned with a lot of downtown revitalization and an influx of young professionals, along with a diverse economic base that could bode well for a job.
Correct

Over-the-Rhine, Cincinnati, OH

Just do it.

I have read that Cincinnati is the first truly American city in the U.S.

All of these are in Over-the-Rhine

Final Friday of the month art gallery hop

The Pendleton Art Center Cincinnati, OH

Over-the-Rhine Murals

Art Academy of Cincinnati

Art on Vine


4-hour drive to Detroit
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Old 03-27-2017, 04:56 PM
 
Location: Chicago
944 posts, read 1,201,744 times
Reputation: 1153
I will again say Madison, which is effectively what Ann Arbor would be like if it weren't too close to Detroit to inhibit it's development. It's Ann Arbor writ large, nearly the size of cities like Cincinnati and Pittsburgh and growing at rates that would push it over 300k people at the next census. At 6 1/2 hours (plus a time change), it is on the top end of your range but it is far closer to the culture that you are describing than anything you would find in, say, Columbus in spite of their ostensible similarities. Closeness to Chicago (around 2-3 hours depending on traffic) should count, too... only Grand Rapids offers you a better location.
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Old 03-27-2017, 06:22 PM
 
92,496 posts, read 122,730,787 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ckhthankgod View Post
Lansing and Buffalo come to mind as well.

I think Lansing is very underrated in terms of the things you are looking for and it has multiple Downtowns/districts that may work(Downtown East Lansing, REO Town and Old Town, along with Downtown Lansing). Plenty of young people in East Lansing due to MSU(9th biggest university in the US according to 15-16 enrollment info) and Lansing Community College in Downtown Lansing has about 19,000 students. It is only an hour/hour and 15 minutes away by car.

Buffalo is about 4 hours by car going through Canada and about 5/5 and half hours going south of Lake Erie. If you want the city, I'd say to look west of Main Street over to about Richmond Ave due to having its share of younger folks, multiple districts(Elmwood Village, Allentown, Hertel Ave, etc). You could possibly look into Kenmore and the surrounding area(town of Tonawanda) just north of the city, if you don't mind a suburban area. Kenmore is walkable and quite dense.

All of this will depend on the job situation and what you are looking for in other aspects.

If you are really considering Buffalo and want and artsy, diverse type, then the highlighted neighborhoods should be where you look.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ia8UP5tuQ84


Elmwood Village Association – Promoting Our Community since 1994


Elmwood Strip - City of Buffalo - Neighborhoods - Map Collection - University at Buffalo Libraries
Delaware District - City of Buffalo - Neighborhoods - Map Collection - University at Buffalo Libraries
https://www.google.com/maps/@42.9168...8i6656!6m1!1e1




Home - Allentown Association
https://allentownartfestival.com/


Allentown - City of Buffalo - Neighborhoods - Map Collection - University at Buffalo Libraries
https://www.google.com/maps/@42.8994...8i6656!6m1!1e1


For Rochester, these areas could work. https://rocwiki.org/South_Wedge
https://www.google.com/maps/@43.1427...8i6656!6m1!1e1


https://rocwiki.org/Park_Avenue?acti...t=Park+Central
Park Avenue | Rochester NY | Restaurant | Boutique | Salon | Coffee Shop | Deli | Pub | 14607
https://www.google.com/maps/@43.1475...8i6656!6m1!1e1


https://rocwiki.org/Monroe_Village
https://www.facebook.com/MonroeAveMe...taskforce.html
https://www.google.com/maps/@43.1444...8i6656!6m1!1e1


https://rocwiki.org/Neighborhood_of_the_Arts
https://www.google.com/maps/@43.1594...8i6656!6m1!1e1


General area: https://rocwiki.org/Southeast_Quadrant

REO Town and Old Town Lansing information: Home | Old Town Lansing
Old Town Lansing
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_...sing,_Michigan)

REO Town Commercial Association
REO Town | Lansing Downtown

Downtown East Lansing: https://www.cityofeastlansing.com/721/Downtown
$132M project would bring 12-story buildings to downtown East Lansing

Downtown Lansing: Downtown Lansing Inc.
Lansing Downtown

Last edited by ckhthankgod; 03-27-2017 at 06:46 PM..
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Old 03-27-2017, 11:30 PM
 
Location: Taipei
7,776 posts, read 10,101,291 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DwellerofCities View Post
If you'd like to chime in further, then these are some of my other ideals that I'd prioritize:

-overall affordability, especially rent
-lots of diverse opportunities in general, especial career opportunities and social/entertainment opportunities
-feeling of safety; serene (ideally green) immediate living area this is also close to where things are happening—walkability or short driving distances
-strong presence of arts and arts community/culture, intellectualism, eclecticism/diversity, presence of young people (a mix of ages is totally fine, of course; I am 27)

Thanks again!
Ah ok. Let me preface by saying the Midwest is my weakest region outside the Mountain West. I did live in Chicago for a couple years and I have been to almost every city at least twice in the past decade, but that hardly means I know all that much about day-to-day life in most of the Midwest.

Your list of desires brings a lot of possibilities to mind for me. In no particular order:

Austin, MSP, Nashville, Cincy, Columbus, Indy, KC. That is by no means a complete list of good options, but on paper they are some good places to start.

Austin, MSP and Columbus probably have the best vibe that you're seeking. They're all very strong for career and economic opportunities. Indy and KC are probably the most affordable. I did notice Spirit airlines round trip flights from MCI-DTW (KC to Det) for $72 on Spirit. Granted it is Spirit but if you're doing frequent short visits you may be able to get by without checked or carryon bags most of the time to avoid fees. I also like the idea of Grand Rapids but I have never been so can't say with any confidence.

Good luck!
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Old 03-28-2017, 06:08 AM
 
Location: Chicago
944 posts, read 1,201,744 times
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I really don't understand why someone seeking a vibrant, eclectic and intellectually stimulating atmosphere with the arts, green space and job opportunities would would voluntarily choose Buffalo or Cincinnati over Detroit. Detroit itself has more of pretty much everything on that list... Buffalo and Cincinnati are just smaller versions of the same old same... buffalo in particular it's just a smaller, whiter, older, poorer and less cool version of Detroit. Cincinnati has its own vibe and has some incredibly cool places, but it is still a declining Rust Belt metropolitan area with a lot of the usual racial strife and segregation problems that are endemic to this region and which the OP seems to want to escape by seeking out diverse cities.

If you want to be Bohemian and hippieish in this part of the country, you really only have a handful of options. You should stick to the college towns... in addition to Ann Arbor, Madison, and Columbus you should consider Pittsburgh and the the Twin Cities as an option that is more expensive and way further away from Detroit. Bloomington, Champaign, and Iowa City are smaller options that will get you a lot of the same stuff. Don't waste your time on places like Toledo or Akron or something, they are just mini versions of places you already know. No matter how many people on city data tell you they are cool, they probably really aren't.
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Old 03-28-2017, 08:20 AM
 
92,496 posts, read 122,730,787 times
Reputation: 18190
Quote:
Originally Posted by brodie734 View Post
I really don't understand why someone seeking a vibrant, eclectic and intellectually stimulating atmosphere with the arts, green space and job opportunities would would voluntarily choose Buffalo or Cincinnati over Detroit. Detroit itself has more of pretty much everything on that list... Buffalo and Cincinnati are just smaller versions of the same old same... buffalo in particular it's just a smaller, whiter, older, poorer and less cool version of Detroit. Cincinnati has its own vibe and has some incredibly cool places, but it is still a declining Rust Belt metropolitan area with a lot of the usual racial strife and segregation problems that are endemic to this region and which the OP seems to want to escape by seeking out diverse cities.

If you want to be Bohemian and hippieish in this part of the country, you really only have a handful of options. You should stick to the college towns... in addition to Ann Arbor, Madison, and Columbus you should consider Pittsburgh and the the Twin Cities as an option that is more expensive and way further away from Detroit. Bloomington, Champaign, and Iowa City are smaller options that will get you a lot of the same stuff. Don't waste your time on places like Toledo or Akron or something, they are just mini versions of places you already know. No matter how many people on city data tell you they are cool, they probably really aren't.
Actually, Detroit has a higher poverty rate than Buffalo and Buffalo is actually quite diverse(no predominant racial group within the city). It has seen quite a bit of investment from NY State and has been adding jobs in recent years. Buffalo's median age is 33.1 and Detroit's is 35.1 in terms of the cities themselves. Buffalo is just stereotyped to some degree, like a lot of "Rust Belt" cities/areas.

Pittsburgh isn't more expensive, as it is a wash, give or take.

With this said, Columbus is a good suggestion. I still say that Lansing and in particular East Lansing is a sleeper in regards to the thread criteria.
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Old 03-28-2017, 09:53 AM
 
Location: Chicago
944 posts, read 1,201,744 times
Reputation: 1153
That statement was poorly worded, Pittsburgh should be considered alongside Columbus. The Twin Cities are expensive relative to most of the Midwest decide Chicago.

My point also was not that Detroit is superior to either Buffalo or Cincinnati. Nearly the the differences are relatively negligible. It doesn't make much sense to leave one for the others without some sort of major incentive. Especially when Detroit has taken a turn toward being considered cool whereas other cities in the region have not. The original poster wants something different but people are offering him smaller versions of the same.

Last edited by brodie734; 03-28-2017 at 10:03 AM..
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