Choosing a new place to go (chapel, house, college)
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I don't think I'm a California person. It has the same problems Texas does. Too hot and too big. More liberal yes, but also is it not very expensive in most cities??
-Liberal, lgbtq friendly
-No extreme weather (tornadoes, hurricanes, etc) I can deal with some snow, but not feet upon feet
-Reliable public transportation
-Equal or cheaper cost of living than Austin
My suggestions would be:
Philadelphia - my #1 suggestion for you. Super large, growing decently well, great diversity and public transportation. Winters are not too bad at all, really just 2-3 months
NYC - Brooklyn, Queens, upper Manhattan have not so terrible apartment prices. Diversity is here, and public transportation is the best in the US.
Boston - can't go wrong with Boston--love this city. A bit heavier snowfall than Philly/NYC but tons of diversity and options
Nashville - super similar to Austin overall. Booming, diverse, tons of bar/restaurants and a younger demographic
Atlanta - larger than Austin and very diverse/LGBTQ+ inside the city limits. Great economy and growing well.
Charlotte - a happy medium between Atlanta and Nashville. Smaller than Atlanta, bigger than Nashville. Growing, diverse
Portland - west coast prime location for diversity. Good economy, a bit bigger than Austin
Seattle - Dynamic, booming city with tons of diversity and economic growth
Phoenix - a bit lower key with economic growth, but a strong destination. Getting much, much better for bar/restaurant and younger demographic attractions and entertainment. HOT 8 months out of the year though.
I love NYC but it's winters are very very cold and I don't want to pay $2000 to live in a shoebox
I've actually done research into most of these cities, but there's just something not grabbing me.
Close to Chicago by train or car.
Low likelihood of natural disaster.
Cheaper than Austin.
On Lake Michigan/has beaches.
Not as liberal as Austin, but can definitely find liberal neighborhoods and areas in the city.
There is snow and cold, but it isn’t too bad IMO; subjective thing though.
I was thinking Great Lakes cities/areas in general for similar reasons.
You are not going to find reliable public transportation anywhere but in the largest cities. If those large cities have good weather and an active art scene and lots of good restaurants and music, that city is not going to be a cheap place to live, especially so if there are good jobs. You don't mention any need for income so maybe you don't care about well paid jobs?
There aren't a lot of places that don't have some sort or another of extreme weather, or maybe a dangerous condition like earthquakes or wildfire or drought.
If you want a really desirable place to live, then expect to pay the high cost of living there.
I mean thunderstorms are fine, but I grew up in Tornado alley and would constantly have panic attacks and spent the summer months sleeping in the cellar out of fear, and I don't want to live like that again.
I didn't mention income because I don't know what my job will be. I'm trying to find work as an editor, but it's proving difficult. Out of all of the thousands of cities in America are there not any smaller with all those things? I just prefer public transportation because I have driving anxiety and it keeps me home a lot.
If you want the beach and a big city nearby: A studio in Pomona CA, east of LA? Or Santee CA, north of San Diego?
If you don't want CA, you aren't going to get warm beach / big city nearby and no hurricanes. Charleston SC might be close but I dunno about the public transit there. Or Annapolis MD.
Or maybe Olympia WA. Sorta like Austin on 1/8th to 1/10th scale.
I mean thunderstorms are fine, but I grew up in Tornado alley and would constantly have panic attacks and spent the summer months sleeping in the cellar out of fear, and I don't want to live like that again.
I didn't mention income because I don't know what my job will be. I'm trying to find work as an editor, but it's proving difficult. Out of all of the thousands of cities in America are there not any smaller with all those things? I just prefer public transportation because I have driving anxiety and it keeps me home a lot.
A quite small city I thought about was Ithaca NY, but snowfall and distance from a “major” would be a couple of things that would rule it out.
Ann Arbor MI would meet much of the criteria as well. Again, winter weather and perhaps the quality of the closest beach in the area would be the 2 issues there.
I don't think I'm a California person. It has the same problems Texas does. Too hot and too big. More liberal yes, but also is it not very expensive in most cities??
California too hot? Have you actually been?
Anyway Sacramento has about the same COL as Austin, if not cheaper, and it offers decent access to the ocean and good access to the mountains. You should give it another look.
There aren't that many city in the US that meets your requirement and is about the same size as Austin. You should decide what's a must have and what's optional if you really want to make a move.
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