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Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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For your age and criteria, I suggest a 'bohemian' section of Seattle, (If you can afford it and find pharma job + No state income tax). Being on the water and in the center of PNW recreation it is very interesting and vibrant. The SEA residents are a bit younger and more adventuresome than Portland (which is more Granola type, but still nice, and cheaper than SEA, but wages lower too + 9% state income tax)
At your age... I would do Seattle for a few yrs, then Portland if you like the PNW. or, off to Boulder, CO, maybe Madison, WI and Boston or Baltimore (my preference) area for a few yrs. Have many adventures, meet unique people, and see lots.
I do like the ethnic and cultural diversity of the west coast, as it leads to some interesting relationships and opportunities to integrate into a 'non-homogeneous' group. The weather is pretty mild, but you will have to deal with rain / gray in Seattle. It is very cheap to fly to SF, Las Vegas, or Phoenix to get winter sunshine once in a while. Summers are great in PNW, very cool nights for sleeping... no AC required.
After some work experience, I would get an international gig if possible, as that is quite interesting too.
good luck, and have fun (and get out of 'midwest' for a spell, you may come back, but at least you will have tried something different for awhile).
Baltimore is a real nice city, many + & -. The proximity to other cities like DC also give you plenty of nice options.
Portland (Assuming were talking OR not ME) Is a very liberal city, however living in the PNW is also quite a plus. The nearby recreation would allow much entertainment. I found there downtown to be artsy when I went, and I found it fascinating that there were all those hills within the city.
Houston Big Financial town, and easy acsess to the beach is a plus. The downtown looks nice, based on some pics I have seen.
Boston Very friendly, so ive heard. The downtown is very nice looking and the rest of the city seems to have its rough spots like all cities on your list.
Phoenix/Tucson The Arizona cities, Phoenix is suburb like as mentioned above and Tucson seems like it would be more of a liberal city but not much else there.
jesse, you are AWESOME! this is exactly the type of response i was looking for. thanks for taking everything i said into consideration... very helpful. the only thing i didn't completely understand is what you said about no urban living in phoenix? what do they have in their downtown?
They have a downtown, but it's quite small compared to other cities on your list and doesn't provide the same "WOW" factor as other urban cities.
Quote:
Originally Posted by beneventor
and i like the idea of baltimore, but the first thing everyone mentions is the crime, which i know from living in cinci can be blown out of proportion, but even official statistics put it at top 5 worst. i need to look more into this...
Never been there, but it can't be that bad. I'm sure just like every city, there are nice, urban, upscale places that are still close to rundown, poor, unsafe, urban areas. If you are really interested in Baltimore, do a little more research and find out what the nice, urban areas are as I can't help you there.
i am looking for a rather large city (~500,000 +/- is ideal but NOT nyc, la, or chicago).----Baltimore! i am thinking a high or mid rise in the city, or a brownstone/rowhouse.-----Baltimore! i want a vibrant hip city (i suppose the word is bohemian).-----Baltimore! socially and politically on the liberal side.------Baltimore! festivals, music, concerts, sporting events.------Baltimore! friendly and socialable young professionals, not necessarily the "go-getter workaholic types" though (i.e. washington dc, no offense).-----Baltimore! any type of weather would be fine, but i prefer to stay away from extremes, like hurricanes------Baltimore! heat with humidity-----NOT Baltimore! or freezing blizzards.------Baltimore! a safe and clean down town with safe and clean public transit.-----Baltimore! the more cities and places i can get to by car would be a plus.-----Baltimore! i would like to be able to stock some money away so the higher cost of living cities are not my best option right now------Baltimore! (thus why san fran is not on the list). basically, i want san fran, without the high COL. i know there is NO city that has all of this, but the more the merrier
From much of what you said, Baltimore fits the bill along with Philadelphia. I love Boston but remember, it is very expensive. The other places you mentioned are cool but don't have the variety of rows like Baltimore or Philly.
jonjj, so i should go to baltimore??? HAHA. thanks for the reponse. it sounds like i am either going to be on the west coast or east coast... eenie meenie miney moe...
i'm pretty excited. i have been researching and reading more posts (thanks everyone!) and i have split the list in half...
phoenix
philadelphia
dallas
austin
baltimore
charleston
seattle
atlanta
baltimore
seattle
philly
charleston
atlanta
austin
dallas
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