Black/LGBT friendly cities to live in for nature lovers? (home, neighborhoods)
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I currently reside in Lansing, MI and I'm looking for a place to move to (another state please) after I graduate college.
I'm a black woman that's part of the LGBT community, so I'm looking for somewhere with a good amount of POC and that's a bit liberal-leaning. I'd really like to be surrounded by nature -- lots of greenery, big bodies of water, possibly mountains, etc.
I plan on working from home and I'm not picky on weather or region. I'd just love some ideas!
Washington DC- great for the black professionals and some liberal-leaning black people. Lacks some hills but has the Potomac, Anacostia and not too far from the Atlantic. Big Black LGBTQ scene
Atlanta- Great for black LGBTQ, gorgeous metro area, lacking water
Bay Area- Very liberal, LGBTQ friendly, gorgeous metro. Big body of water
Springfield MA- Sleeper. (155k people, 20% black but 70% POC), It sits on the mighty Connecicut River. Amherst and Northampton are known for lesbians (lots of all womens colleges) and are just a bit north. Amherst has a few POC too 10%. Very liberal and about 45 minutes from the beautiful Berkshire mountains. Springfield is also known to be pretty "gay" . Access to the blacker Hartford CT area just 20 minute south. More elite educational institutions there and very diverse Hartford metro is nealry 40% POC and 12% black. Hartford itslef just lack nature.
Seattle- Good amount of POC overall, very liberal,much much water, many mountains
Check out New Haven, CT - super LGBTQ, influential Black community, decent college scene, artsy - close to the CT woods (Sleeping Giant in Hamden, East Rock, etc.) and right on the coastline. NYC, Hartford, and Providence are nearby via direct trains if you need a change of scenery. Try to find a remote job for an NYC/SF or CT based company unless you're in Eds/Meds, Biotech, Non-Profits, or Gov't.
Check out New Haven, CT - super LGBTQ, influential Black community, decent college scene, artsy - close to the CT woods (Sleeping Giant in Hamden, East Rock, etc.) and right on the coastline. NYC, Hartford, and Providence are nearby via direct trains if you need a change of scenery. Try to find a remote job for an NYC/SF or CT based company unless you're in Eds/Meds, Biotech, Non-Profits, or Gov't.
I've been looking into New Haven since you suggested it and it's exactly the type of place I'm looking for. I love the location. Thank you! It's at the top of my list now. :-)
Albany(look around Washington Park/Lark Street in Center Square if you want the city, close to multiple sets of mountains, has lakes nearby) and Rochester NY(look in the SE Quadrant of the city: https://rocwiki.org/LGBT_Community , right on Lake Ontario, close to the Finger lakes(inc. multiple wineries), quite hilly south of the city) come to mind. Diverse cities culturally, very green, both have multiple colleges/universities, both are relatively affordable and are easy to get in and out of. There are other neighborhoods in both cities/areas that could work for you as well, depending on what you are looking for. Rochester is about 40-44% black and Albany is about 31-35% black, depending on who you include.
Albany also has direct access to NYC by train, while Rochester is a reasonable drive to cities such as Buffalo and Toronto. Albany also is close to many artsy communities in the Hudson Valley south of the city. In fact, if you don't mind a very small city(but quite diverse city), Hudson about 40 minutes south of Albany is a smaller community known for being artsy and has attracted some folks from NYC. Its current mayor is black and the "city" is 17-18% black(was 25% in 2010 and is about 44% POC now). It also has train access to NYC or Albany. https://visithudsonny.com/ , https://www.facebook.com/kamal4hudson , https://www.hudsonartscoalition.org/
You described Atlanta. Lots of greenery and close to mountains, the largest Black LGBT presence in the country (And probably World) and liberal. Just lacking an ocean but that's not too far and there are a few large lakes nearby. You should look into it. I'd say say DC and NYC are also good options.
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