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Bigger and mid sized Interior Northeastern cities/areas would fit or at least most of the criteria. For instance, here are a couple of city neighborhoods in Syracuse that would fit: //www.city-data.com/forum/52549503-post114.html
You would be within close proximity to most of the criteria as well. The first neighborhood isn’t far from these areas: https://westcottsyr.com/org/wna/
Healthcare Facilities - Check Lake - Check (and it's a great one) Plus we have a river cutting through downtown that splits into three seperate rivers in the metro area. Everyone gets a little water. Walkable - Check Good food - Not as good as some cities but there's plenty here COL - Check Public Transit - Bus is very efficient and light rail opens in a few months Library - I've only been to my neighborhood and adjacent libraries but I have no complaints. Bookstores - They're around Tattoo Shops - Check Metaphysical Shops - I don't know what this means Healthy Living - This could go both ways. There are boat loads of people out running, biking, or generally exercising. Especially between Lake Park and downtown. We also love our beer, cheese and brats. You can be as healthy as you want or you're free to find your inner sloth. Parks- Check. We have a great park system with parks scattered all across the metro area.
I'm not trying to be a homer, but I'll answer regarding Pittsburgh, since I've lived here for 13 years and know it well:
Healthcare facilities: In spades. Pittsburgh, like a lot of mid-sized cities, is very "eds and meds" these days.
Water: No ocean, or even lake (unless you drive two hours to go to Erie) but plenty of rivers.
Walkable:Absolutely. Arguably one of the most walkable cities in the country between the coasts. Lots of options to choose from too, between Downtown, South Side Flats, North Side, Lawrenceville, Bloomfield, Squirrel Hill, Oakland, East Liberty, etc.
Food Scene: Wasn't great when I moved here, but getting better each year.
Cost: $350K can still buy you something in virtually any neighborhood.
Transit: A higher percentage of Pittsburgh residents use transit than any city off of the coasts other than Chicago. Most of it is surface bus routes, but we have a few BRT lines and a downtown subway which leads into light rail lines for the southern surburbs.
Library System: Great
Bookstores: Just like everywhere in the country, less now than in the past. though there's still a fair amount of independents, both for used and new books.
Tattoo Shops: Aren't these everywhere???
Metaphysical Shops: New age crap isn't my jam - I'm a skeptic by nature, and taking the stuff any more seriously than a D&D campaign makes me roll my eyes - but I know there are a couple.
Healthy Living: Pittsburgh has traditionally not been a "healthy living" sort of city, but of course as neighborhoods gentrify there's more yoga, runners, juice bars, and that sort of thing.
Edit: I'm originally from Connecticut like yourself, FWIW.
Doesn't have to be one of the big Cities and weather isn't a factor.
All we need is healthcare facilities to work at for wifey & I, near a lake or ocean to swim/kayak, easy to walk around explore, has good food, decent COL (A 3bdrm can easily be purchased for $350K or less), good public transportation system (Busses or Train or Subway), good library & ample supply of bookstores, tattoo shops, Metaphysical shops, and a healthy living vibe (Good Park & Rec. Department, Running Clubs, and so forth.)
Does a City like this exist?
Wilmington, NC
Saratoga Springs, NY
Burlington, VT although I don't know about house prices
Providence, RI
Doesn't have to be one of the big Cities and weather isn't a factor.
All we need is healthcare facilities to work at for wifey & I, near a lake or ocean to swim/kayak, easy to walk around explore, has good food, decent COL (A 3bdrm can easily be purchased for $350K or less), good public transportation system (Busses or Train or Subway), good library & ample supply of bookstores, tattoo shops, Metaphysical shops, and a healthy living vibe (Good Park & Rec. Department, Running Clubs, and so forth.)
Does a City like this exist?
If you're ok with a smaller, town, my town (Williamsburg VA) has all those things. In fact, that's one of the big reasons it attracts a lot of retirees. Of course, for some people the high number of retirees might be a downside but you didn;t mention the age of the local population in your list. Also, this is a tourist town, which I personally enjoy ,but it isn't for everyone. It should also be noted that while there are a few top rated hospitals here I'm not sure how easy it is to land a job at one of them, since lots of medical people try to find ways to move here.
But for the sake of argument, a city like you described does exist. I've already noted we have award winning hospitals; here's the rest of your list:
1. near a lake or ocean to swim/kayak, Several rivers have great kayaking. There's a nearby wildlife refuge, plus you can kayak around the restored colonial ships. Two beaches have good places to swim.
2. easy to walk around explore, Newtown, and William and Mary Campus, and the Colonial section of town are terrific places to walk. Some neighborhoods are more walkable than others, but it's pretty easy to find a place to live that you could walk in.
3. has good food, Yup. We have plenty of foodie tourists, so there are lots of places that cater to them.
4. decent COL (A 3bdrm can easily be purchased for $350K or less), Yup.
5. good public transportation system (Busses or Train or Subway), We have a pretty good bus system and trolley. We're too small for a subway. International airport is the one problem; you'd have to drive about 45 for that.
6. good library & ample supply of bookstores, There are lots of little bookstores. Williamsburg Regional Library recently came in second in the national contest for best library, competing against much bigger cities. A lot of people here read. (again, a factor of having so many retirees.)
7. tattoo shops, Metaphysical shops, I wouldn't say this was a strong point, but these places exist. There is one pretty big metaphysical shop.
and
8. healthy living vibe (Good Park & Rec. Department, Running Clubs, and so forth.) Parks and Rec dept. here is outstanding. Capital Bike Trail extends all the way to Richmond and is quite scenic. Abundance of hiking trails and places to kayak. Two beaches. Many people regularly walk/jog/bike the colonial area; you can easily go several miles doing this. Which is not to say that every single person here is athletic. But quite a few are.
But if you are looking for warmer, then I second a previous poster with Richmond. Not as many jobs in the medical fields as the others (though close to Buffalo as a percentage of all jobs in tne region) but much milder winters. It is no doubt a southern city but physically reminds me of a lot of the smaller post- industrial cities of the north and mid-Atlantic. The James River is beautiful and you are not too far from the VA and NC beaches.
Last edited by Charley Barker; 07-20-2018 at 08:53 PM..
Doesn't affect things as much as you would think. The walkable neighborhoods are mostly either located in flats down by the river (Downtown, Strip District, Lawrenceville, lower North Side, South Side Flats, or part of a big plateau in the East End (Bloomfield, Friendship, Garfield, Shadyside, East Liberty, etc).
I ride my bike around a lot, so I'm acutely aware of the hills. The only thing that really sucks is coming back up from Downtown into the East End, since there's no two ways around it, you have to go uphill. But it's just a bit more of a workout.
Quote:
Originally Posted by RunD1987
Any place similar to Pittsburgh but a little warmer?
The most similar cities to Pittsburgh, but a bit warmer, would be Baltimore or Philly. A higher proportion of each city is "bad neighborhoods," but the middle class/gentrifying portion is about the same in terms of overall population in Baltimore, and substantially larger in Philly. In both cases you should be able to find a three-bedroom house at that price range in a non-ghetto neighborhood - as long as you're fine with rowhouses.
In general I would say Pittsburgh's winter isn't too different from back home in CT with one exception. The overall amount of snow isn't too different, but whereas Connecticut gets dumped on by Noreasters, in Pittsburgh it snows 1-3 inches frequently, which then usually melts within a few days.
If Pittsburgh is too cold for you, I don't think there's anywhere in the midwest that will work for you at all. I mean, Cinci and St. Louis are nice cities in their own way, but lag considerably when it comes to transit and walkability.
Also, another thing to consider is that the places “similar to Pittsburgh”, but warmer may not be or aren’t as affordable in terms of COL. Same when comparing against some other Interior Northeastern and Midwestern cities/areas.
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