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My husband and I are looking to move out of northern Louisiana. We are looking for:
1) a liberal and affordable small city or large town
2) has a good-sized health food market (for vegan living)
3) has at least one paved bicycle path
4) has a dog park or trails where dogs are allowed
5) doesn't get tons of snow
6) has lots of green; not desert
Santa Cruz CA was made to order for you, if you can afford it. If you can tolerate high desert (has trees) then check out Sedona AZ, Taos NM and Santa Fe NM (has a great Whole Foods-type supermarket which I've been to), if you can afford it. But I caution you about a truism I've found: every hyper-liberal community seems to regulate against dogs and dog-owning, hence one main source of my antipathy to that line of thinking.
Ann Arbor (and environs) MI fits your bill 100%, except I don't know what for you would qualify as "too much" snow.
And affordable is subjective, I guess. I lived in Santa Cruz in the 1980s and adored it. However I don't think there's anywhere in California I could afford to buy these days.
Maybe if you let us know your definition of affordable...? Michigan - like many parts of the country - is a home buyers' market , in part because the economy isn't good here.
Many people are waiting to see who gets voted in for Gov....hope and pray it's not "Mr Amway" **** De Vos, the economy will tank even further.
Michigan is a blue state and A2 is a pretty bright blue town.
So far no BSL to speak of anywhere in this state; I have Rottweilers and am vigilant about that.
Haha! Auto-censor bleeped out De Vos's first name. Short for Richard. I guess is anyone named D i c k was a member here, his name could not be written. Sheesh.
I can't afford California, which is too bad because I love California! I also spent a year in Ann Arbor in the early 70's, and it's way too cold! One of our considerations is Athens, Georgia. But I'd like a few more options, preferably outside of the Bible Belt.
Another vegan! Right on!!! I've read that Portland is very veg friendly. A friend of mine recently visited & said that it doesn't seem as big as the population would suggest. He said it's a very safe, liberal & pedestrian friendly place! Good public trans too! If you google best vegan cities I know there is a list by one (or more) of the vegan sites/orgs. Good luck! Feel free to PM anytime!
My husband and I are also looking to move and we are essentially looking for a city with the same things that you listed. I read other people's posts and I must say I don't agree. I have lived in MI and they get a TON of snow! If you are looking for a place with mild weather, Michigan is not the place for you. I have also lived in CA and I agree with the post that Santa Cruz would be perfect but that city is anything but affordable!
We have researched this topic quite a bit and we are considering Austin TX. Austin is not like the rest of Texas. It is known to be a great liberal town. It always comes up on lists of best veg friendly cities. They are also known to be a eco friendly city. I am not 100% sold on it yet though. I'd love to hear where you end up going because we are looking for a new location as well.
Location: The land of sugar... previously Houston and Austin
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Originally Posted by veghead
We have researched this topic quite a bit and we are considering Austin TX. Austin is not like the rest of Texas. It is known to be a great liberal town. It always comes up on lists of best veg friendly cities. They are also known to be a eco friendly city. I am not 100% sold on it yet though. I'd love to hear where you end up going because we are looking for a new location as well.
Having lived in Austin before, I can tell you it's a bit overrated. It has a lot of these things, but to say it's totally different from the rest of Texas is a stretch... both because there are lots of native Texans in Austin, and because from my experience living in Houston, I've found Houston to be much more progressive, international, and just better in general than outsiders make it out to be.
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I guess is anyone named D i c k was a member here, his name could not be written. Sheesh.
Vegetarian-friendly towns?
Right on!!! 
I've read that Portland is very veg friendly. A friend of mine recently visited & said that it doesn't seem as big as the population would suggest. He said it's a very safe, liberal & pedestrian friendly place! Good public trans too! If you google best vegan cities I know there is a list by one (or more) of the vegan sites/orgs. Good luck! Feel free to PM anytime! 
