Where should a Swedish couple go? (houses, neighborhoods, quality of life)

[joden]

Hello everyone, I am so impressed with all the discussions going on here and considering all the thoughtful postings I was hoping you could help me....

My husband and I are Swedish and have always wanted to live in the US and after finally getting a green card we are realizing our dream. The only thing is, we do not know where to settle down. We have traveled quite a bit across the US and now know where we do not want to live (did not like Utah, Nevada, Arizona, Southern California, Texas, Georgia, W Virginia enough to want to stay there) but we still haven't found the perfect place where we do want to stay more long term.

We love DC (the houses, the restaurants), we love visiting San Francisco (beautiful scenery), visiting NY, visiting Savannah and Charleston but we do not think that any of these cities are right for us for various reasons. One major reason is the cost of living in the larger cities. We both work from home and do not want to prioritize work so we would like to not have to work too much to get a relatively high standard of living.

We are looking for somewhere affordable, we love old houses and would love to live in an older truly 'American' house, we enjoy walking everywhere and ideally do not like driving (especially not after dinner and drinks!), we like window shopping and walking around cities just looking and then having dinner and a good bottle of wine at restaurants where the food is more important than the trend factor.

We are both well educated, love to read and discuss books, visit museums and art galleries, talk politics, meaning of life etc. Being Europeans it is probably not a shocker to anyone that we are not churchgoers and also quite liberal. We are both in our mid thirties. We do not have kids yet but are thinking about it. We also enjoy the outdoors but do not really understand extreme fascination with sports... Apart from an aversion to extreme cold and long dark days we are not that concerned with the weather (anything is better than Sweden!)

As we are new to the country we do not have many friends here yet and would love to settle down somewhere where we can start afresh and meet interesting people who are open to foreigners and who want to enjoy life and all it offers but also have a serious side and understand that the world is a big place and that opinions and backgrounds vary and that education and understanding are important.

We are amazed at the possibilities of the US and and the openness and friendliness of Americans and we want nothing more than to find a city where we can settle down and enjoy life.

I hope someone out there has some great tips for us!

[SassyGirl2]

Well, let's see. Have you thought about researching North Carolina? Check out the forums under North Carolina for the Raleigh-Durham and Winston-Salem areas. I have never lived there but considering your likes and dislikes, North Carolina may suit your needs. Also, check out St. Augustine, Florida. Very nice place as well.

You can Google or Wikipedia for further research as well. I wish I could be of more assistance.

Good luck and welcome to the USA.

http://bestsmileys.com/usa1/5.gif (broken link)

[metro223]

Have you been to the Midwest/Plains before?

[S6Sputnik]

Charlottesville VA, Austin Tx

[bigdave01]

I think Portland, OR would fit your needs quite well. It's cost of living is average, and it is very walkable with excellent public transportation. It is also very educated and liberal.

[Stormcrow73]

I'm kinda thinking some of the moderate upper Mid-Atlantic or Northeastern cities: Buffalo or Rochester perhaps. Frederick Maryland is a nice walkable city with some moderately decent nightlife and older homes and it's within close driving distance of DC! Great restaurants aren't really plentiful there but there are enough good ones.

[Minnehahapolitan]

Minneapolis, Minn.
-Large Scandinavian population
-A clean, vibrant city. Good transportation
-Inexpensive in relation to the coastal cities
-Very liberal
-A large number of older homes
-A well-educated city; the most literate in America
-A good arts scene
-Family orientated

Milwaukee, Wis.
-liberal
-Cheaper than Mpls.
-Close to Chicago
-A smaller metro. area.

Baltimore, Md.
-Washington's oft-forgotten twin.
-Better climate then Mpls., Milw.
-Older city

Philadelphia, Penn.
-Much larger
-Very historic
-One of the most vibrant CBDs in America

[SharpHawkeye]

I'm going to second Minnehahapolitan here and recommend Minneapolis, for all the reasons he cites. I've never lived there, but I'm sure that there are some nice gentrified neighborhoods near downtown that would be perfect for you. In my opinion, as Scandinavians...the midwest, upper midwest in particular, is the place you want to be.

Des Moines and Madison are also very nice, but I wonder if there wouldn't be enough there to keep world travelers like yourselves entertained.

[WILWRadio]

The climate of Minnesota may be too cold for their liking. Winters in central MN are essentially the same as a portion of Sweden.

My family is also from Sweden. Those that have not stayed in Sweden have moved to the USA and settled in New England and New York. Central and western NY as someone mentioned previously would not be too bad weather wise nor southern New England. They get plenty of snow in both regions but winter won't be as bad as you probably had in Sweden. Northern New England on the other hand will likely be just as bad as southern and central Sweden minus the dark days. I have a relative in Alingsas and know a bit about the winters there and they are not as cold as the northern reaches of NY or a good part of northern New England.

The cities of New England are pretty socially liberal but fiscally conservative. Places like Buffalo and Syracuse in NY would also offer a similar quality of life but will be less expensive while still offering the culture you desire. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania might also be a place to look too and the climate will be a bit milder than NY or New England.

If you desire to be around a few other Swedes then Minnesota, New York and Connecticut are your best bets. By far Minnesota has the most Swedes and descendants of any state in this country while you will find pockets of Swedes and their descendants in New York and Connecticut. If you need to know about any specific communities feel free to ask.

[Verseau]

If you are looking for old houses, European-esque cities, and a more liberal political atmosphere, then the New England region is definitely your best bet. Unfortunately, it tends to be more expensive than many other parts of the country... but it doesn't hurt to look.