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I love Seattle but I feel it's time for a change. I'm looking for a town that meets this criteria:
-Population of over 35,000 but under 250, 000 (I don't mind if it goes a bit over that though, I just don't want a huge city)
-Fairly liberal
-SAFE!
-Close to beaches/the ocean and lakes
-Has a decent downtown area with shops, cafes, bookstores, etc.
-Not totally suburban
-Must be at the most 2hrs away from a big city
I'm seriously considering Connecticut or Massachusetts. HELP!
If you are looking mainly in the Northeast, I have a question. How good are you at handling snow? I have some suggestions in Upstate NY, but it snows a lot and gets really cold. I was going to suggest Saranac Lake which is up in the Adirondack Mountains of up-Upstate NY not too far from Albany. Western MA, but it's not that close to the ocean and IDK it well enough to say if there are lakes. My cousin lives in Mystic, CT and loves it. I would suggest pretty much all CT cities since none are too big, but are all decent sized, close to each other, close to NYC, close to Boston, and close to the ocean, but IDK if there are actually beaches.
Traverse City, Michigan, has everything you are looking for, except it is about 4-5 hours from a big city. Very safe, nice lake-shore, beachy environment, very liberal and activist,, about 60,000 pop in the urban area. A couple of nationally-important festivals. Touristy in summer, and in winter, the lake keeps the temperature quite mild for that far north. 20-degrees colder a few miles inland.
Might try Grand Rapids, Michigan as well (about 200,000 but feels MUCH smaller. It has about 800,000 in the metro area). Not quite as liberal as Seattle, but 1/2 to 3/4 of an hour away from great beaches on Lake Michigan for the summer and a couple hours to skiing in the winter. About 2 hours to Detroit, or 2 1/2 to 3 hours to Downtown Chicago. If you want a small town that is right on the beach there is Holland, or Saugatuck as well. Saugatuck has a growing arts community as well as being a bit more liberal. Plus it has some very nice beaches. Downside is size, it is a small place.
I love Seattle but I feel it's time for a change. I'm looking for a town that meets this criteria:
-Population of over 35,000 but under 250, 000 (I don't mind if it goes a bit over that though, I just don't want a huge city)
-Fairly liberal
-SAFE!
-Close to beaches/the ocean and lakes
-Has a decent downtown area with shops, cafes, bookstores, etc.
-Not totally suburban
-Must be at the most 2hrs away from a big city
I'm seriously considering Connecticut or Massachusetts. HELP!
I'm originally from the Hartford area. I'd say that several cities could work based upon your criteria. Hartford, Norwich, and probably Torrington come immediately to mind. New London would probably be suitable despite the fact it is only 25,000 people. But that population is spread out over a mere 9 square miles and with 20,000 people in Waterford right next door and then Groton across the Thames with 38,000 you'd realistically be living in an area of closer to 75,000 to 80,000 people in a market of more than 200,000 people. Boston and NYC are two hours from Hartford. NYC is two hours from Torrington. Norwich is about 90 minutes to Boston as is New London.
Take a look at suburban Maryland, there are a number of really nice locations. Beaches, mountains (east coast size, of course) and excellent social & cultural opportunities. Without knowing your employment requirements I can't comment on lifestyle/commuting issues but the Baltimore/Washington/Annapolis area really offers a lot.
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