Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Spending time on this forum makes me realize that it's time for a change for me....
I've been living in California my whole life (5th generation on my mom's side!) and I'm getting bored with it for several reasons one of them being: we lack any "weather"- no rain for 5 months every summer, light rain in winter and occasional hate waves in summer the only "weather change" we get, no thunderstorms, no snow, no windstorms, no variety, etc. Even heavy rain is a rarity and any rain in summer makes headline news. I also crave a change of scenery and want the challenge and adventure of moving someplace new, making new friends, and starting from scratch. I'm finishing my BS in accounting/finance this December and plan to take the CPA exam shortly afterwards. I'm currently living with my parents and doing a part-time internship. Upon graduating, I'm planning to apply for jobs in the following cities: Here are my criteria: 1) must have four seasons with some snow in winter (prefer a mixture of snow and warm spells in the 50s for variety rather than a consistent snowpack all winter). Must also have several thunderstorms each year, preferably some exciting ones in summer. 2) Politically liberal accepting people from various backgrounds and viewpoints 3) Have communities with strong geek culture as well as a nature-lovers and outdoorsy types as well 4) Being non-religious should be totally acceptable 5) Affordable to live in a decent area as a 20something single woman just starting out- I don't mind sharing a 2 bedroom apartment with a roommate or renting a room out of a house if that what it takes as long as I have my own bathroom.
Here are some cities I have in mind:
New York City- Visited it for the first time in February and loved everything about it- the culture, the scenery, skyscrapers, museums, clubs, and embraced the cold when I was there!
Portland, Oregon- Still has a "West Coast" culture with some snow in winter. My main concerns; too "suburban" and no strong geek, hipster, outdoorsy culture. Also no summer thunderstorms as well and I'd like those. Will it have enough snow for me?
Boston, MA- Super liberal, plenty of geek culture due to all the ivy league schools over there, four strong seasons, lots to do.
Seattle, WA- more "hip" than Portland but also still no summer thunderstorms and not enough "real" summer. A lot more rain, some snow, and lots of liberals, geeks, and nature lovers.
Chicago, IL- A big city with lots to do and a very solid four seasons. Might the winters be a little TOO cold when comparing to NYC or Boston? Also might be too conservative politically as well?
Any other suggestions? I know this is a weather forum so all the answers will be more tied to climate than political/cultural/lifestyle related issues. I should also let you know that even if the city has my criteria for an "A" climate, I refuse to consider it if the lifestyle doesn't fit my criteria- e.g.- won't never consider Dallas, TX due to the religious and political climate even though I might like the weather there.
Last edited by AdriannaSmiling; 04-02-2013 at 10:12 PM..
Portland, Oregon- Still has a "West Coast" culture with some snow in winter. My main concerns; too "suburban" and no strong geek, hipster, outdoorsy culture.
Are you kidding me? Portland is like, super famous for its geek, hipster, and outdoorsy culture. Being all DIY, counter culture and hipster is like its whole bag. That and good urban planning + a strong downtown.
I think Boston would be your best bet. Although Chicago has warm spells in the winter, I think it's a bit colder than what you're looking for. NYC has a reputation for being a liberal city, but stop-and-frisk, restrictions on painkillers and baby formula in hospitals, gun control, and soda bans (to name just a few of Bloomberg's initiatives) don't strike me as tolerant or all that liberal. Boston and Massachusetts exhibit some of these tendencies, but I think you'll be better off there than in NYC. Plus I think Boston's weather is closer to what you're looking for, because its winters fit what you want with more reliability.
Boston has less 50F days but unlike NYC the chance is quite slim that you'll go through the whole year with almost no snow, due to the fact that Boston averages 45 inches per season vs. NYC which averages 27 inches per season. It should be noted that most of February 2013 in NYC was quite a bit colder than the norm, and you would encounter the sort of cold you liked* more often in Boston than you would in NYC, yet at the same time Boston encounters big snowmelt frequently. Boston's winters are very lacking by my standards but I think they fit what you want. The only snag I can think of is that NYC encounters big summer thunderstorms more often than Boston due to the higher levels of summer heat. However, although the frequency is lower Boston still gets thunderstorms in summer, and from what I've read on American Weather Forums in a typical year there are a few exciting thunderstorms.
You can compare them yourself. For Boston you can look at January 2011 (a cold year), January 2012 (a warm year), and January 2013 (a warm month). For NYC you can look at January 2011, January 2012, and January 2013. You should also look at the Februarys and Decembers. I chose January because in most years January is as cold as it gets (2013 being an exception).
*I'm basing this on the winter experience you posted here.
Boston or New York, neither have permanent winter snow packs, both typically get some days above 50F in winter, both get reliable snow (although much less so in New York - anyone care to shine any light on whether or not New York has had snowless winters?), both have summer downpours and thunderstorms, both are liberal, arty, and have a prevalent geeky culture (well, Boston does, but I imagine it's quite pronounced in New York). Neither are cheap, though, and you'll probably be looking at a crappy studio in New York in your mid 20s, though perhaps someone like MrMarbles can enlighten us. Would you be willing to live in Queens or the Bronx?
Spending time on this forum makes me realize that it's time for a change for me....
I've been living in California my whole life (5th generation on my mom's side!) and I'm getting bored with it for several reasons one of them being: we lack any "weather"- no rain for 5 months every summer, light rain in winter and occasional hate waves in summer the only "weather change" we get, no thunderstorms, no snow, no windstorms, no variety, etc. Even heavy rain is a rarity and any rain in summer makes headline news. I also crave a change of scenery and want the challenge and adventure of moving someplace new, making new friends, and starting from scratch. I'm finishing my BS in accounting/finance this December and plan to take the CPA exam shortly afterwards. I'm currently living with my parents and doing a part-time internship. Upon graduating, I'm planning to apply for jobs in the following cities: Here are my criteria: 1) must have four seasons with some snow in winter (prefer a mixture of snow and warm spells in the 50s for variety rather than a consistent snowpack all winter). Must also have several thunderstorms each year, preferably some exciting ones in summer. 2) Politically liberal accepting people from various backgrounds and viewpoints 3) Have communities with strong geek culture as well as a nature-lovers and outdoorsy types as well 4) Being non-religious should be totally acceptable 5) Affordable to live in a decent area as a 20something single woman just starting out- I don't mind sharing a 2 bedroom apartment with a roommate or renting a room out of a house if that what it takes as long as I have my own bathroom.
Here are some cities I have in mind:
New York City- Visited it for the first time in February and loved everything about it- the culture, the scenery, skyscrapers, museums, clubs, and embraced the cold when I was there!
Portland, Oregon- Still has a "West Coast" culture with some snow in winter. My main concerns; too "suburban" and no strong geek, hipster, outdoorsy culture. Also no summer thunderstorms as well and I'd like those. Will it have enough snow for me?
Boston, MA- Super liberal, plenty of geek culture due to all the ivy league schools over there, four strong seasons, lots to do.
Seattle, WA- more "hip" than Portland but also still no summer thunderstorms and not enough "real" summer. A lot more rain, some snow, and lots of liberals, geeks, and nature lovers.
Chicago, IL- A big city with lots to do and a very solid four seasons. Might the winters be a little TOO cold when comparing to NYC or Boston? Also might be too conservative politically as well?
Any other suggestions? I know this is a weather forum so all the answers will be more tied to climate than political/cultural/lifestyle related issues. I should also let you know that even if the city has my criteria for an "A" climate, I refuse to consider it if the lifestyle doesn't fit my criteria- e.g.- won't never consider Dallas, TX due to the religious and political climate even though I might like the weather there.
First you need to learn more about Portland. Because you obviously know nothing about it.
Then you need to move to Denver. Because it's as close to what you are looking for, as you are going to get.
Portland sounds good to me. Summer might not be as exciting for weather though and winters a bit grey. The skiing would rock though. No where in the East could compare for skiing.
The liberal/conservative city thing must be a feature of countries with bigger populations. Even though people talk of conservative cities here, they get vague when asked to elaborate. Opinion polls don't indicate a liberal/conservative split in cities here either. Both terms aren't often used here imo.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
