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Having only read the first two of six pages so far, here are my ideas FWIW.
Columbus. I think this fits most of your criteria. If you don't mind your beachfront being along the Great Lakes (Erie or Michigan) then that might serve you well. I'd also check in with the locals about the K-12. My only personal bias is that, having moved from Philly to the DC metro a couple years ago (hey neighbor! ) I've grown accustomed to my winters being a week shorter. I imagine in CMH they would be at least a week longer.
Philadelphia. OK, I might be just a tad of hometown bias. But really, as a young professional, you'll get more bang for your buck here than any other city in the Northeast. There are a few caveats. Once you decide to start a family, you will have to be very proactive to get your kids into the relatively few public schools in the city with positive reputations. As a DC native, I'm sure you can sympathize with the news about crime in the city... as well as realize that it is primarily occuring in poorer areas between people who know each other. You are probably also familiar with the reverse commuting trend which you may need to employ to combine hip urban living with the means to pay for it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by dancocal
Ask not what your city can do for you ..but what can you do for your city.
If you do find Shangra-La please post it's location.
Not sure what you mean...
Are you talking about helping its economy by working jobs or volunteering, or...?
Actually that sounds better than what I was thinking.. so yeah that's what
I'm talking about.
What I was thinking was ... there no such thing as a perfect city.. or perfect
job... but if someone finds it pleeeese let me know.
Ok I have read all six pages of entries (and added some cities to my search list based upon those contributing to this page have mentioned) but was hoping to find out which city DC finally ended up choosing?
My area sounded SPOT ON for him until I read this part
Financial environment:
- Affordable cost of living for the young and single
- Affordable real estate for single income earners
- Growth opportunities for environmentally-conscious businesses
- Employment opportunities containing sufficient upside
Ouch, we fail miserably there. Enough to render it obsolete. Another area that came to mind is Atlanta.
One who attacks people from rural backgrounds who live on farms or who own livestock are themselves arrogant and unsophisticated. Where do you think the food that you can buy at the supermarket comes from? In Laveen, for example, there are dairy and chicken farms that provide important food products like milk and eggs for much of the Phoenix area. Some of the residents of this area own horses, and they can ride their horses in South Mountain Park - the largest municipal park in the USA which is entirely within the Phoenix city limits.
Yeah, really, thank god I am one of those sophisticated people who eats factory farmed chickens, with their greater risk of E. coli and drug residues, and their lower nutritional value than chickens that have been allowed to just peck around and eat what they want to. How awful that anyone would want to get their hands messy raising their own livestock and maybe knowing how to survive to some extent independently. Food should come from concrete boxes out of view, right?
Almost all of those items on your list can be found in San Diego. You should look into it. Don't let the cost of living scare you. Look at it as it is expensive, so it must be good. You trully do get what you pay for when you buy into San Deigo. PM if you need any further info.
How about Philadelphia? A very diverse city with people of all beliefs and backgrounds, and only about an hour's drive to the ocean.
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