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Old 07-19-2010, 09:18 PM
 
7 posts, read 12,229 times
Reputation: 10

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I'm originally from upstate New York (Albany) and moved to San Diego 3 years ago last month. I love San Diego, but as I'm getting into my later 20s (I'm 26), the city is really getting old. I feel like it's a huuuge party city, and people just come and go too much and it's hard to make friends that aren't going to leave. It's really just not the type of place I see myself living forever. So, I'd love to move back to the east coast where I'd be closer to home, and think about maybe settling down. I've considered Boston, Baltimore, DC, Norfolk, VA Beach, and Charleston, but I'm not partial to or excluding anywhere else as of yet. Here is what I"m looking for:

-A city where there is a lot to do! I cannot leave San Diego for a small town, I just cant! I like a bit of nightlife, cultural activities, concerts, museums, zoos, and for sure outdoor activities: hiking, kanoeing, places to run/walk/bike. The best part of San Diego is there is always something to do....alone, with friends, whatever.
-Scenery. This is where the mountains and oceans come into play.
-I love the coast. I am very very active, and I love running and biking near the ocean. I love sitting on the beach to read no matter what the weather.
-Enough people my own age...Mid-twenties early thirties. No retirement community or college town for me!
-Mild weather. Not too hot not too cold. (Am I describing San Diego? whoops.) But if it's super hot, I'd like to be near the coast to offset it with a bit of breeze.


Here's what I don't want:

-Crime. I'm nervous about Baltimore and Norfolk and other areas because I hear all these stories about crime!! I went to school in Albany, NY and unfortunately got my share of that. No thanks!
-Super expensive rent/food/stuff in general. Bah.
-Harsh, harsh winters. Upstate New York sees it's share of single digits...I dont think I can handle that any time soon. Snow is fine, but I'd like to keep things above 30 if possible.




I'm so lost i this...I keep looking and cant make up my mind...Please help steering me in the right direction!!!
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Old 07-20-2010, 09:38 AM
 
Location: Dixie's Sunny Shore
1,366 posts, read 3,346,217 times
Reputation: 843
You may as well scrap DC and maybe even Baltimore from your list, seeing as crime and expenses are important. Norfolk is not even close to the crime in those areas. Charleston is also a bit expensive and rather hot. Hampton Roads might be a good fit, but also include Chesapeake in that mix.
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Old 07-20-2010, 11:21 AM
 
Location: Norfolk, VA
154 posts, read 388,451 times
Reputation: 72
Do you need gainful employment? If so, what field? I wouldn't recommend moving without a job lined up right now.
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Old 07-20-2010, 01:01 PM
 
Location: alive in the superunknown
542 posts, read 991,624 times
Reputation: 237
Not to add to your list of cities and confusion, but look into Richmond. It's a decent sized city, 1.2 million metro. It'll put you at 1.5 hrs to DC, the beach, and the mountains, depending on traffic it could take longer. In addition it has it's own things to offer. It's also cheaper than some of the places you mentioned. Good luck!
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Old 07-20-2010, 01:07 PM
 
Location: Richmond
631 posts, read 1,290,474 times
Reputation: 222
Quote:
Originally Posted by JBielk View Post
I'm originally from upstate New York (Albany) and moved to San Diego 3 years ago last month. I love San Diego, but as I'm getting into my later 20s (I'm 26), the city is really getting old. I feel like it's a huuuge party city, and people just come and go too much and it's hard to make friends that aren't going to leave. It's really just not the type of place I see myself living forever. So, I'd love to move back to the east coast where I'd be closer to home, and think about maybe settling down. I've considered Boston, Baltimore, DC, Norfolk, VA Beach, and Charleston, but I'm not partial to or excluding anywhere else as of yet. Here is what I"m looking for:

-A city where there is a lot to do! I cannot leave San Diego for a small town, I just cant! I like a bit of nightlife, cultural activities, concerts, museums, zoos, and for sure outdoor activities: hiking, kanoeing, places to run/walk/bike. The best part of San Diego is there is always something to do....alone, with friends, whatever.
-Scenery. This is where the mountains and oceans come into play.
-I love the coast. I am very very active, and I love running and biking near the ocean. I love sitting on the beach to read no matter what the weather.
-Enough people my own age...Mid-twenties early thirties. No retirement community or college town for me!
-Mild weather. Not too hot not too cold. (Am I describing San Diego? whoops.) But if it's super hot, I'd like to be near the coast to offset it with a bit of breeze.


Here's what I don't want:

-Crime. I'm nervous about Baltimore and Norfolk and other areas because I hear all these stories about crime!! I went to school in Albany, NY and unfortunately got my share of that. No thanks!
-Super expensive rent/food/stuff in general. Bah.
-Harsh, harsh winters. Upstate New York sees it's share of single digits...I dont think I can handle that any time soon. Snow is fine, but I'd like to keep things above 30 if possible.




I'm so lost i this...I keep looking and cant make up my mind...Please help steering me in the right direction!!!

I'm a little confused as to why you're considering Norfolk among cities like DC, Baltimore and Boston. If you don't want to leave San Diego for a smaller city/town then I recommend not choosing VA Beach or Norfolk, it's more conservative with an incredibly large military presence. I think you'd be disappointed there. Why not downtown Richmond, VA?

EDIT: Btw, you say that you want proximity to the ocean, and while Richmond is 1.5 hours from VA Beach, it also has a large river running right through the center of the city. Richmond is also the only city with all class 1 through 5 rapids within its city limits, so that is something to consider. A lot of people take advantage of this by canoeing, tubing, swimming, white water rafting, tanning, etc. by the James River.

Last edited by RVA-Jsn20; 07-20-2010 at 01:32 PM..
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Old 07-20-2010, 01:34 PM
 
1,209 posts, read 2,620,247 times
Reputation: 1203
VB would be decent for what you described. Not great night life, more geared towards families, but you can do most of the things you talked about there.

Boston has a lot more to do, better public transportation, and more culture... but you gotta deal with the long winter.

Charleston is a cool city, crime is a problem in certain parts though. I have not lived there, only visited, so I can't comment beyond that.

To be honest, given your list of wants, unless money is an issue I can't see leaving San Diego for any of the cities on your list. Being closer to home doesn't make much difference unless you are less than an hour away, San Diego has arguably the countries best weather with high between 60 and 80 year round, and it is a great place for people to do things outdoors. I have never lived there so I will assume that you have your reasons, but on paper it seems like a downgrade to come back east if you are someone that likes the outdoors.
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Old 07-20-2010, 01:45 PM
 
1,209 posts, read 2,620,247 times
Reputation: 1203
Quote:
Originally Posted by RVA-Jsn20 View Post
Why not downtown Richmond, VA?
Probably the fact that Richmond has a violent crime rate that is almost double the national average and is not near the ocean.
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Old 07-20-2010, 02:10 PM
 
Location: Richmond
631 posts, read 1,290,474 times
Reputation: 222
Quote:
Originally Posted by UHgrad View Post
Probably the fact that Richmond has a violent crime rate that is almost double the national average and is not near the ocean.
I've lived here for years and have never been robbed or murdered. The crime here is very isolated and easy to avoid.
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Old 07-20-2010, 02:12 PM
 
Location: Hampton Roads, Virginia
160 posts, read 502,779 times
Reputation: 49
Sounds like you want a big ocean front city with no crime. I hate to break it to you but, as you found out in Albany, every city has crime. Even cities with a bad rap (DC, Baltimore, Norfolk) have plenty of areas that are low crime and relatively safe cities you can be a victim.

Any big city on the Eastern seaboard is not going to feel like a college/retirement town. Yeah, some have significant college populations (Boston, for example). But the city is so large unless you live right by the campus, it shouldn't be an issue.

Savannah is HOT and HUMID. It's not like San Diego where you can sit in the shade or find a breeze and cool off. My body went through enough shock going from the dry air of San Diego to the "normal" humidity in St. Louis. I think you would find anything south of Hampton Roads as unbearably hot and humid during the summer, and even HR might be pushing it.

I think you'll find Hampton Roads (and probably Savannah, but I can't speak with authority) as too small/boring (please don't flame me folks!). Outside of all the water based activities to do in the area I think you will be scratching your head about what to do many nights(compared to San Diego and other big cities). There just isn't the concentration of stuff that the bigger cities have.

The larger cities further north will give you more of what you say you want. Yeah, it comes with a higher price tag but there's a reason for that (as you know from living in SD!).

BTW, for the most part, if you live near the coast the warmer ocean waters keep take away alot of the harshness of the winters. No, it's not San Diego's Mediterranian climate, but you will know you're not in Albany anymore.

Scenery? Every city/region has it's own special scenery. If you're open minded you'll be happy. If you need the towering mountains and blue ocean waters-stay in So Cal!

Hope my ramblings helped. Enjoy your search!
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Old 07-20-2010, 02:36 PM
 
1,209 posts, read 2,620,247 times
Reputation: 1203
Quote:
Originally Posted by RVA-Jsn20 View Post
I've lived here for years and have never been robbed or murdered. The crime here is very isolated and easy to avoid.
I've got no vendetta against the place, there are some cool areas near VCU and stuff. I'm just telling them what the statistics say (per 100,000 residents).

Crime.............Richmond Virginia (2006).....National Average
Murder...........38.8............................. .....7.0
Rape..............38.8............................ ......33.1
Robbery..........504.3............................ ....205.8
Assault...........460.9........................... .....336.5
Burglary.........1167.0........................... ....813.2
Auto Theft.......744.5................................5 01.5

I guess it is getting better though:

Quote:
Originally Posted by Taken From Wikipedia
Morgan Quitno Press ranked Richmond the ninth-most dangerous of 354 cities in 2004. Richmond was ranked overall as the 5th most dangerous city and the 12th-most dangerous metropolitan area in the United States for the year of 2005. The following year, Richmond had seen a decline in crime, ranking as the 15th-most dangerous city in the United States. By 2008, Richmond's position on the list had fallen to 49th.
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