Trust me, these other people are selling you a bill of goods. Come to New Jersey, go to Rutgers University and it will deliver everything you asked for in your OP. I'm serious... Here, I'll address your requests point by point:
Quote:
Originally Posted by AfKy
What I'm looking for in a city are:
-Natural Beauty.. i.e. as green as possible, close to, say, lakes and green hills.. (did I mention that I want to study Environmental Sciences?! lol)
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Central New Jersey is lush and green with lots of grass and trees and greenery. Our state is called the "Garden State" for very good reason, and despite being such a populated state we have a relatively high amount of agriculture here.
I already steered you towards Rutgers University. Rutgers accepts a lot of international students and has an internationally recognized name. Environmental Sciences you say? Rutgers' Environmental Sciences program is ranked 6th in the USA.
Welcome to the Department of Environmental Sciences
Rutgers has an ecological preserve right on campus, not to mention New Jersey's many parks, wildernesses, lakes, ocean/beaches, mountains, etc. and all are within a relatively close proximity to each other in this small state.
Most of NJ is suburban, and where you live if you attend Rutgers would be suburban, mostly. That means it won't be in the wilderness or the "country", but it will be quiet and peaceful with a lot of homes and parks and gardens all around. It will also be convenient to shopping and other necessities, but the greenery is beautiful here.
Furthermore, you are within a one hour train ride to either NY City or Philadelphia, should you wish to explore those cities. Also, since you're visiting the USA, you may want to explore other cities, so you also have Boston, Baltimore, and Washington DC all within a 3 to 5 hour drive by car or bus. That means you can go for a short weekend - go early Saturday morning, be in whatever city you choose by noon, stay all day, stay overnight, explore the next day, then hop on a bus by late afternoon and you're home by 9 in the evening. Can't beat that!
Quote:
Originally Posted by AfKy
-Clean air.. (I have mild asthma). So, Salt Lake City is a no/no. (I have heard that although the surrounding area is very beautiful, the city itself doesn't have clean air due to temperature inversion).
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Central NJ has very clean air. Just as an example, even a high pollen day like today, our air quality levels were very good:
Suburban Current Air Quality Readings (http://www.state.nj.us/dep/airmon/suburban.htm - broken link)
Obviously, when you go to some of the cities in NJ or to NY City the air will be less clean. But even those cities have much cleaner air than other cities in America.
Also, being close to the beach, if you go to the beach the salty sea air will heal you and clean out your sinuses and really alleviate your allergies and asthma in a very natural and healthy way. My brother lives near the ocean and he has had asthma since birth, and it helps him immensely to live there.
Quote:
Originally Posted by AfKy
-Affordable.. No Hawaii  |
New Jersey is not the cheapest place, to be quite honest. But it's "No Hawaii" either!
Obviously, NY City is expensive, and the areas closer to NYC and even Philly are more expensive. Central NJ, being a bit removed from those cities, is much less expensive and very affordable. Any job you work in the area, if you choose to work, would pay more than it would pay in a "cheaper" part of the nation, so salaries offset any higher costs. But again, Central NJ is not as expensive as other parts of NJ and is very affordable, even if it's not as cheap as places like upstate NY or middle-of-nowhere Pennsylvania.
Quote:
Originally Posted by AfKy
-Safe..
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Any college town will invite certain criminal elements, but New Brunswick, and Rutgers University, are no more dangerous, or safe, than any other college campus. I went to school and lived there a short while afterwards, so in 6 or so years there I had one "crime" issue, which was my fault anyway, because I stupidly left my car doors unlocked all the time, feeling so safe in my neighborhood, and someone finally went into my car and rummaged through it.
But it's as safe as can be, since noplace worth its salt is going to be crime-free.
So there you have it, my case for Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ (Central Jersey).
By the way, you're also within a short ride by bus, car, or train to Newark Airport, from where you can easily and inexpensively fly anywhere in the USA or the world, mostly nonstop flights. That will give you a chance to see other parts of the USA also, relatively easily. You can fly to Los Angeles or Las Vegas. Try doing that from middle-of-nowhere Pennsylvania or NY and you'll find higher prices and mandatory connecting flights, or else you'll face a several-hours long drive to an actual MAJOR airport.
It's a no-brainer, my friend - New Jersey and you, perfect together.
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