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Ithaca gets hurt because it doesn’t have immediate interstate access, but it is maybe an hour from Syracuse and an hour and a half-40 minutes from Rochester, with some similarly sized areas nearby. With that said, I’d go with one of those bigger Upstate NY cities instead.
I’d also say that Syracuse allows for access to the western Adirondacks within an hour and a half or so to a place like this: https://oldforgeny.com/index.html
I currently live in Philadelphia and think it would check all of your boxes, except for similarity to Birmingham. Philly is the 6th biggest city in the country and very densely populated, so you'd have to be ok with the pros and cons that come with that.
It's 90 minutes from the beach, two hours from NYC, and just under 3 hours to New Haven (4 on the train). The winters will also be FAR milder than upstate NY or Maine.
If you don't want to live in a large city, I think Providence or Buffalo would be your best options. Pittsburgh is pretty isolated and like 6 hours from the beach. Portland is lovely but above the national average in COL and your money would go further in these other places.
Also, you should check out Clifton, New Jersey. I think you'll be suprised: https://money.com/collection/best-pl...on-new-jersey/. It's diverse, affordable, provides access to nature, and is 15 miles from Manhattan.
I currently live in Philadelphia and think it would check all of your boxes, except for similarity to Birmingham. Philly is the 6th biggest city in the country and very densely populated, so you'd have to be ok with the pros and cons that come with that.
It's 90 minutes from the beach, two hours from NYC, and just under 3 hours to New Haven (4 on the train). The winters will also be FAR milder than upstate NY or Maine.
If you don't want to live in a large city, I think Providence or Buffalo would be your best options. Pittsburgh is pretty isolated and like 6 hours from the beach. Portland is lovely but above the national average in COL and your money would go further in these other places.
Also, you should check out Clifton, New Jersey. I think you'll be suprised: https://money.com/collection/best-pl...on-new-jersey/. It's diverse, affordable, provides access to nature, and is 15 miles from Manhattan.
I think people are overlooking the aspect of wanting more snowfall. I’m reading the OP’s posts as the more snowfall, the better. If close proximity to family in CT, mountains, lakes and snowfall are important, then Albany likely has arguably the best balance. It’s only about an hour and 45 minutes from Hartford; has mountains such as the Catskills, Adirondacks, Berkshires and Taconics nearby; you have lakeside beaches within an hour, has multiple urban options in its area, nice suburban options, a late final call and is only about 2 and a half hours from NYC/Boston.
Go with Providence. I like Ithaca, but it's too isolated.
I grew up like 10 minutes outside of New Haven, and for me Bham has been way more exciting. Part of that may also just be how different the south is in general, and being 1000+ miles away from home. It's also just a personal thing for me to not end up where I started.
OP, what would be considered to be high snowfall? Pittsburgh's average snowfall is 49.5 inches between 2010-2019 and 41.9 inches between 1981-2010. To put this into perspective, Buffalo averaged 94.7 inches and Rochester 99.5 inches in the 1981-2010 period. So, that is why I'm asking as to what constitutes enough snowfall for you.
This also isn't considering the proximity to water(lakes. rivers, waterfalls, etc.), beaches, mountains, other cities, etc. This isn't to knock any other suggestions, in which all have been good, but to clarify what you really want.
Sounds like Pittsburgh gets more snowfall than New Haven, CT, which is good. And.... anywhere gets more than Birmingham, AL xD I guess looking for balance between decent snow + proximity to hiking and a water (whether that be coastline/beaches or lakes/rivers).
Last edited by spacecatlady; 08-14-2021 at 01:27 PM..
Nice little city but yea it’s boring- CT and all of its cities are exceptionally boring. What’s to do in New Haven? Yale museums… and? Most places I’ve been to or heard of in the south are festive/outgoing by default. That’s why I recommended Prov.
Yup 100% agreed lol. Prov looks really, really nice and just the one New England city that'd be similar in size and diversity to Bham, while being superrrr close to nice beaches. Which is a fine tradeoff for getting less snow.
Ithaca gets hurt because it doesn’t have immediate interstate access, but it is maybe an hour from Syracuse and an hour and a half-40 minutes from Rochester, with some similarly sized areas nearby. With that said, I’d go with one of those bigger Upstate NY cities instead.
I’d also say that Syracuse allows for access to the western Adirondacks within an hour and a half or so to a place like this: https://oldforgeny.com/index.html
Oh I'll look into that! Yeah I grew up spending summers in Upstake NY (Lake George/Placid) and I absolutely love the Adirondacks. Thanks!
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