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Location: Philadelphia, PA (Wanting to move) --Burlington, VT, Asheville, NC, Boulder, CO?
129 posts, read 405,593 times
Reputation: 35
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Thank you, everyone, for your responses so far. Some of my friends that I have talked to do not see why I place so much emphasis on location/environment. I think these are pretty important.
To say the least, to try and make this easier for myself, I have tried to identify what's most important to me... and what's most important to me is
-that the city/town has a couple handfuls of alanon meetings WITHIN walking distance
-that the city be progressive... health-friendly, where you see many people either running, biking, inline skating, etc.
-I need trees, too, nearby... so if in a city, it MUST have several green beautiful parks...
-Trees are a must because my hobbies include kayaking and camping...
-Artist/writer/music scene MUST be prevalent. I am inspired by artsy AND intellectual people. I say "and intellectual," because I am in Philly right now, and while there are some artsy people in and around Rittenhouse Square and Rittenhouse Park, my experience has NOT been that they are very intellectual
-I also need a HEALTHY city... here in Philly there are people smoking all over at the Rittenhouse Park where all the artists hang out...
-I do NOT want to live somewhere particularly sunny... sunny as in CA. Even here in Philadelphia it's a bit too sunny for me... I think Burlington, VT was perfect, so it would need to compare to that.
-I need a little sun, however, because I have depression... beauty helps offset depression... so again, trees and health, or alternatively several parks.
-GLBT community is important though not as important as the other things mentioned... progressive in genearl would be nice.
-Vast # of nonprofits.. I will be applying for nonprofit work.
Closeby, within walking distance there must be a gym (YMCA?), grocery store with a GOOD selection of organic, and purethria of alanon meetings, necessary for my physical, mental, spiritual wellbeing!
Hope this helps!
Choices:
Boston, MA
Northampton, MA
Portland, OR
Burlington, VT
Asheville, NC
NYC?
Portland, OR
Boulder, CO
Philadelphia, PA (Where I am now) --stay or not?
Ann Arbor, MI?
Location: Philadelphia, PA (Wanting to move) --Burlington, VT, Asheville, NC, Boulder, CO?
129 posts, read 405,593 times
Reputation: 35
Thank you to all who responded... I will be revising my posts/selection throughout this discussion, so bare with me! Now my "large" city search/exploration, is down to living in THESE cities:
Portland, OR
Burlington, VT
Northampton, MA
Boston, MA (maybe)
Portsmouth, NH
and it was close, but I would like to rule out:
-Asheville, NC
-Ann Arbor, MI
I'm not sure if it's because these two are in the midwest or what... but I need intellectual and progressive... hmm.
Last but not least, I would like to compare all of these places not only to one another, but slightly to Philadelphia, only because I am in Philly now and may be for a while longer...
Nevertheless, the most important thing to me is that the city support my well-being and enhance my life... what's really important to me #1 health, so health-conscious/friendly people... ie, organic/exercise.
I want to be able to live somewhere where everyone is taking care of themselves... running, walking, gyms... rollerblading... and where there are preferably trees... because I LOVE to kayak and camp... rafting would also be awesome and maybe back packing though I have never been either of those
If there are not trees, I NEED parks... green is essential to me.
My main values (again, I may revise this so bare with me!) are:
I would like to work in NONPROFIT where I can make use of my personal strengths:
Personal Strengths:
-Honesty
-Self-Awareness
-Insightful
-Ingenuity -Organizational abilities
-Writing and verbalization skills
-Commitment to values and ideals
-Commitment to personal growth
-Solid energy and drive
-Excellent at foreseeing possibilities
-Self-determination
-Intrapersonal and interpersonal awareness
-Creative thinking ability
-Ability to see the big picture
-Exceptional intuitive ability
-Persistence
-Ability to tackle obstacles and barriers
With that being said, which top 3 cities listed here would be best for me?
I'm not sure if it's because these two are in the midwest or what... but I need intellectual and progressive... hmm.
How is Asheville, NC located in the Midwest? If you believe this, and it is not a typo, I think you need to take a look at a US map before even thinking of making a move.
I'm no liberal. In fact I'm center right, but Portland would be an ideal city to live in as far as I'm concerned. Although I'm fairly conservative, most of my GOOD friends are quite liberal and I enjoy their company immensely.
Have to concur with Tea and Oranges. If you can adjust to the weather, Portland is just fantastic. At least worth a visit if you can. And it is so true that the weather doesnt keep anyone inside. Everyone goes about life like its sunny and 80 degrees. And the people are very laid back, kind and nice people. There is a nice sense of community that I havent found elsewhere. Portland really appealed to my hippie nature!
Location: Philadelphia, PA (Wanting to move) --Burlington, VT, Asheville, NC, Boulder, CO?
129 posts, read 405,593 times
Reputation: 35
Adding San Francisco to the mix!
Help! I need advice fast... I just heard news that I might be offered a full-time position as a live-in youth counselor in San Francisco... Big decisions make me really nervous, and I have never lived in a large city before... I literally just moved to Philadelphia with my partner (we are living with her father and renting out the upstairs of his house), and am overwhelmed here... I have not been sure whether or not I have wanted to stay here, which is why I have been applied to other jobs around the country.
The main thing that is important to me is that I live in a place where I can live out my values and interests. With out providing a huge list of what's important to me, to sum it all up, it's trees and parks... healthy living. I care about quality of life, and I want to live somewhere with intelligent, educated people who are creative and environment-friendly where people recycle, exercise, and create.
I am interested in building a life for myself, and I want to have fun while I'm young... what matters to me is kayaking and camping. I would also love to hike and maybe raft!
I guess it would be worth mentioning that I expect food to be affordable (I enjoy organic food), there to be an abundance of alanon meetings, parks & trees, and reasonably priced opportunities for recreational interests such as the ones stated above, including concerts and other outdoor activities such as flea markets and farmer's markets.
I am frugal... I am also a minimalist. I live a rich inner life, but try to make things as simple as possible on the outside. I have heard SF can be pretty expensive. It would be awesome if someone can give me a breakdown of just general prices of organic staples (ie, milk, eggs, spinach) and average prices for kayaking and public transportation.
It would be worth mentioning that I do have a car, but depending on whether or not I can handle the environment and am absolutely sure I am staying, I will decide whether or not to keep or sell it. As long as a reasonably priced organic grocery store and inexpensive/fee-based gym is nearby, and given that I have chosen to stay and live in SF, I will likely sell the car. It is a 99 Honda Civic EX; I imagine it would sell, as it's efficient on gas and low on carbon dioxide.
To say the least, this is a HUGE decision for me, and I want to learn all I can (with OUT being overwhelmed) about San Francisco.
I am wondering if you can tell me what you know about San Francisco, your personal experience, and whether or not you think I would like it? I would like to know all the pros and cons, and if you have experience with Philadelphia, or even Burlington, Vermont, how San Francisco is similar and different to these two locations.
Please be brief and do not overwhelm me with too much info or a bunch of details. I am a big-picture person, and would just like the general gyst. Your feedback will be very valuable in helping me to decide whether SF is right for me!
Louisville will forever be my enemy for UofL is there, but if you want a city with incredible parks, a decent intellectual community and progressive population, Louisville may fit the bill. I never thought I'd ever recommend the 'Ville to anyone.
Ann Arbor is full of potsmoking hippie trash, but then again that sounds like your kind of people :P
Produce is fairly affordable in San Francisco; practically nothing else is. Public transportation costs keep going up; specifics will depend on where you live and what you take, if you have a monthly pass, etc. I think the monthly Muni pass for within city of SF is $70, and a single ride is $2. Not sure about organic eggs; maybe about $4/dozen, depending on where you're shopping. I've lived in SF and outside of Philly, and SF is FAR, FAR more expensive. Expect major sticker shock. If you live in the city parking is often tight, so you'll save both money and hassle if you get rid of the car. Not sure about gym, but the YMCAs aren't too expensive. You could try the SF forum to get some more specific answers on current prices. If you find Philadelphia overwhelming you will probably find San Francisco to be even more so. On the plus side, the abundance of national park land makes it easier to get "away" from the city than in Philadelphia. I think much will depend on where specifically you'll be living. Many neighborhoods in SF lack much in the way of trees and greenery on the streets, so be aware of that if that's important to you. (there are, of course, plenty of trees in places like the Presidio or Golden Gate Park, just not necessarily on the streets of the neighborhoods adjacent to them.)
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Adding San Francisco to the mix!
