Honestly, I would consider living in or near Philly for the cheesesteaks alone. However, with that said, it's probably best I avoid the place in order to increase my odds at longevity.
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where to live
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Honestly, I would consider living in or near Philly for the cheesesteaks alone. However, with that said, it's probably best I avoid the place in order to increase my odds at longevity.
Yes, of course, Santa Barbara can be very expensive, especially if you are breaking into the housing market. But it all depends on the choices you make. I rented and didn't own a car. I found the quality of life in relation to the cost of living to be very reasonable. But there are a lot of great places to live/explore on this thread
I live just south of Boston, ,about ten minutes away on the T (our public subway system), which is pretty nice. The stereotypical Boston accent is not nearly as prevalent as people seem to think (although this could be my social groups).
The coastal city has 500k or 600k people and is fairly cultured. You'll always find things to do. You can essentially get anywhere by the T, including various nearby suburbs.
Major downsides are the weather, which is "interesting" and changes sporadically from hour to hour, and the cost of living, which is supposedly the highest in the United States. It might not be the best place for you, but it's interesting and worth checking out.
Your best bet (if you have the money) may be to make a list of ten cities or so and fly to all of them to visit and examine for yourself.
The coastal city has 500k or 600k people and is fairly cultured. You'll always find things to do. You can essentially get anywhere by the T, including various nearby suburbs.
Major downsides are the weather, which is "interesting" and changes sporadically from hour to hour, and the cost of living, which is supposedly the highest in the United States. It might not be the best place for you, but it's interesting and worth checking out.
Your best bet (if you have the money) may be to make a list of ten cities or so and fly to all of them to visit and examine for yourself.
i've lived in two of the cities so far mentioned, and know friends in several others. i won't be making my final decision for a while, i'm just making a broad list of cities that would suit my needs of a car-free lifestyle, since car dependence is prevalent in most us cities. i would say that in most places, if you don't have a car, you are not going anywhere at all, and are pretty much at the mercy of those who can drive. i don't want to just survive in the city i'm living in, i want to thrive in it. and also, i am tired of the suburbia experience of america, i always desired a small town-ish feeling, with a big city nearby so that i don't get bored and can keep exploring the area without the dependence of a car. for instance, i think chicago or new york or a few other places, some people don't even own cars and they can get anywhere they want in the area, and even getting out is simple.
plus, it will eliminate any car insurance that i would otherwise pay. fyi, i don't have a driver's license, but intend to get one just so i could get a rental car out of town if needed or have to drive in certain situations.
plus, it will eliminate any car insurance that i would otherwise pay. fyi, i don't have a driver's license, but intend to get one just so i could get a rental car out of town if needed or have to drive in certain situations.
Well Florida is of course the best state in America, I think we all agree with that, so yeah any where in Florida would be a good choice! I happen to prefer NorthWest Florida...
Unfortunately, there's no BART stop in Alameda. Nearest stops are in Oakland and San Leandro. There are buses and ferries that go from Alameda to SF. You can take a bike on either.
I live in Alameda and I love it, too. It has a very "small town" feel, lots of beach, nice weather, and beautiful views of SF. A decent one-bedroom apartment will cost you around $1100 per month.
Manchester by the Sea, MA... I live here. It's amazing. It's a small town right on the coast. Hot summers, cold winters, warm springs. It's great. The only concern I might have is that most houses are above $800,000. Many are beach-front mansions. But there are some cheaper houses further from the coast. The town itself is so clean and virtually crime-free. It's close to Boston too. I don't know if money is an object, but if you can afford it, consider it!
Well, I'll stand by my vote for Chicago as a great place for car-free living. MInneapolis is actually really nice for this too, my girlfriend lives up there and commutes by bike. They have lots of bike lanes and the Greenway which is pretty nice (except at night, when you get assaulted, as I did). Uh, but Chicago also has the Lakefront Path, which stretches the length of the city by the Lake, and is fantastic for riding on at all times. I do a 30-mile roundtrip commute on it 4 days a week. Fantastic.
As for bad cities for biking - I've only had real intimate experience with Miami in that regard. Don't move there, it's the worst place in the US as far as bikeability and public transit go.
Definitely look into Hartford, CT. Its a nice city, especially the North End. You can bike around from place to place easily, very safe, even at night. No gangs or other violence to worry about. There are a lot of cultural restaurants. In other parts of the city there is the Bushnell Theater and insurance companies headquarters galore. Its right inbetween Boston and New York City. Property is probably pretty cheap, but it is New England. Colleges/Universities= University of Hartford, St. Josephs College, and Trinity College (somewhat prestigious, very wealthy people seem to go to it).
Ok, most of that info is false, some of it is true.
Bottom Line don't move there.
Ok, most of that info is false, some of it is true.
Bottom Line don't move there.
i live near palm beach now, and when i try to bike to the subway shop where i used to go to school about a mile away, i did this probably once a week for a couple of years, i got nearly run over at least half the time. biking in west palm wasn't really too much fun unless i was on designated bike paths, and even then, it felt like it was just a reserve for exercise instead of a way of life. it's not safe for me to ride a bike down here, and i hate it, especially after coming from the bike friendly san diego. and making it less fun is having no car. i was thinking about going to miami beach, but it probably stinks there too.
south florida is oriented towards cars, public transportation stinks, and in the town i live in, it doesn't exist. if you don't have a car in south florida, you're dead in the water, and one of the big reasons i want to move. the second biggie is that nothing really goes on here, especially during the summer. it's a ghost town around here, with all the north-easterners going home. and i think south florida is the worst in public transport i've ever seen. no car, no life should be the slogan around here. i'm most likely moving as soon as i can out of this dump.
south florida is oriented towards cars, public transportation stinks, and in the town i live in, it doesn't exist. if you don't have a car in south florida, you're dead in the water, and one of the big reasons i want to move. the second biggie is that nothing really goes on here, especially during the summer. it's a ghost town around here, with all the north-easterners going home. and i think south florida is the worst in public transport i've ever seen. no car, no life should be the slogan around here. i'm most likely moving as soon as i can out of this dump.
Sorry, you're right. I was thinking about renting a room in a house, which is what I dis the first few years I lived there. Near Park Merced I think one could find a two bedroom from about 1600. If you had a room mate that might be affordable.
Just because you can't afford a car doesn't mean South Florida is a dump or anywhere near that. I love Miami since there is just so much to do here, but yes you do need a car since public transportation is horrible. I will be moving to Chicago with in the next two weeks and although I've been told a car is not needed, the first thing I'm doing when I get there is buying one, which I have been saving for more than a year.
the reason why i called south florida a dump is because of mostly my situation here...i live in the middle of nowhere and it sucks. i can't even go to the store without a car ride.
but i took some time to think about it, and here's my list of cities that met my criteria, and they are also ranked in tiers.
san diego
atlanta
santa barbara
chicago
bay area (particularly san francisco and berkley)
seattle
portland
denver
boulder, co
minneapolis
boston
madison, wi
savannah, ga
fort collins, co
manchester by the sea, ma
providence, ri
richmond, va
i put san diego and atlanta on my front list, and i'm hopefully visiting both of those cities in the next few months. the fourth tier cities are ones that i would go over a regular city.
but i have two more concerns.
1. should i give florida another chance and try to a. bear it in the country or b. live somewhere else in the state like miami beach or the space coast, or should i get out asap?
2. i heard with peak oil coming soon, we'll need to be in a city that is self sufficient. does any of these cities fail that test miserably?
glance over the list and see if you think i should add a city based on the criteria on the first post. thanks.
but i took some time to think about it, and here's my list of cities that met my criteria, and they are also ranked in tiers.
san diego
atlanta
santa barbara
chicago
bay area (particularly san francisco and berkley)
seattle
portland
denver
boulder, co
minneapolis
boston
madison, wi
savannah, ga
fort collins, co
manchester by the sea, ma
providence, ri
richmond, va
i put san diego and atlanta on my front list, and i'm hopefully visiting both of those cities in the next few months. the fourth tier cities are ones that i would go over a regular city.
but i have two more concerns.
1. should i give florida another chance and try to a. bear it in the country or b. live somewhere else in the state like miami beach or the space coast, or should i get out asap?
2. i heard with peak oil coming soon, we'll need to be in a city that is self sufficient. does any of these cities fail that test miserably?
glance over the list and see if you think i should add a city based on the criteria on the first post. thanks.
one more thing...
should have asked this earlier, but would you say the job market in atlanta and san diego are much better than the ones in palm beach county right now? right now, it looks like i'm stuck in the retail department if i stay here, with little hope of getting out of my house outside of work. if i can get a good enough job in one of those two cities, i can possibly move there, as the cost of living is lower in both cities (not sure about san diego, i think it's about the same).
should have asked this earlier, but would you say the job market in atlanta and san diego are much better than the ones in palm beach county right now? right now, it looks like i'm stuck in the retail department if i stay here, with little hope of getting out of my house outside of work. if i can get a good enough job in one of those two cities, i can possibly move there, as the cost of living is lower in both cities (not sure about san diego, i think it's about the same).
I live in San Diego. The cost of living is pretty high here in terms of housing but it's a trade-off for the climate, beaches etc.
(I read this whole thread and the replies)
My first thoughts were San Francisco and San Diego but I also thought you shouldn't be so quick to leave Florida. There's nice places with your description there and it might not be such a dramatic move.
I spent some time in Valrico, FL (just outside of Tampa, near Brandon) and it was very nice. I don't know a lot about the public transport but it's pretty over there, cost of living is not yet outrageous, it's safe enough and has a small enough reach that you could comfortably cycle about.
Here are some photos I took walking through the area (a residential area obviously but you get the idea)
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I have some others but I can't get to them at the moment.
well one more I found
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My first thoughts were San Francisco and San Diego but I also thought you shouldn't be so quick to leave Florida. There's nice places with your description there and it might not be such a dramatic move.
I spent some time in Valrico, FL (just outside of Tampa, near Brandon) and it was very nice. I don't know a lot about the public transport but it's pretty over there, cost of living is not yet outrageous, it's safe enough and has a small enough reach that you could comfortably cycle about.
Here are some photos I took walking through the area (a residential area obviously but you get the idea)
I have some others but I can't get to them at the moment.
well one more I found
cost of living i think is about the same...it's just bad here in florida...
oh, i'm not from florida either. and another thing, it's so boring during the summer here, and i'm not disrespecting older folks when i say this, but there aren't too many people here around my age (i'm 21). this won't be my first move, but will be the first time i'm moving without the folks when this happens.
and i heard tampa was full of strip clubs and wasn't the safest place to live, but i'll add it to my list (albeit lower down).
Depending on where you mean in florida, the cost of living in most areas of California (such as San Diego and San Francisco) is quite a bit higher than Florida.
Tampa is alright but I was talking about a city just outside of it. It might not have that much to do either but with that small town feel, safety and such you might not get much excitement either. Depends on what you consider a good day, I suppose.
south florida cost of living is i think just below san diego's according to recent cost of living polls. but average salary is lower here as well, so you're getting cali pricing at georgia salary.
Well, I've made my case, but as winter has lifted (for now) and the last few days have been sunny and biketacular, I will again say... Chiiiiicaaaaaago! Move here!
Your list is just all over the place, and a lot of them fit your criteria loosely. First whats your economic status? That will make you cut you choices down pretty quickly. SF, Boston, San Diego, and Santa barbara cost the same if not more than Palm Beach. Miami Beach, well unless you plan to just stay in the South Beach area which is expensive your going to need a car to get around the city.
For jobs in your field check monster.com and see how the market is in said cities. Consider how much they pay vs. the cost of living in the area. Also Cost of living charts usually only take the basics and rarely things like cellphones, internet provider, etc.
For jobs in your field check monster.com and see how the market is in said cities. Consider how much they pay vs. the cost of living in the area. Also Cost of living charts usually only take the basics and rarely things like cellphones, internet provider, etc.
it's more of an initial list...nothing is final, although i'm starting to lean towards atlanta. the main purpose of this was more of a weeding out process of cities to eliminate instead of a final list, as going carless in many cities is next to impossible here in this country.
and for utilities, i'll be fine with high speed internet and the basics, as well as a phone. since i don't have a car, i don't have to pay car payments or car insurance, or the high cost of gas.
i haven't done too much research yet, but i won't be making any moves for quite a while.
and thanks for that tip about south beach, i'll cross that off my list, wasn't too rosy about the place anyway. public transportation here in south florida is very terrible and non existent in some places, so no car=no nothing around here. i can't live like that. but i heard there are better cities in florida to live (no sleepy seasonal towns like many gulf coast cities and gainsville). even palm beach gets kinda boring in the summer as the snowbirds go home, but some of them decide to stay.
job research, i have no idea, but i know that there are like no jobs in my field within an hours drive of me (no hour+ long commutes, unless i'm biking or walking, that's different).
As an Alameda resident, I second that. It has a great atmosphere (small town feel but in the heart of a metropolitan area), is generally bicycle-friendly (the city is fairly compact and I can get around town on my bike fairly quickly), good access to public transit (buses run through the city and the main routes all stop at BART stations with the exception of SF-bound buses; ferries run from Alameda directly to San Francisco), is not too far from UC Berkeley, and you can't beat the weather (not too hot, not too cold). The biggest downside there is to living in Alameda is that, like the rest of the Bay Area, housing is a bit expensive relative the rest of the country.
*waves to fellow MR Alamedans*