where to live

[RojoLeo]

i'm thinking about where i would like to live next, and i'm definitely not satisfied with south florida. it stinks. i decided to make a list of things my new location should be.

-first off, it's going to be in the united states, i'm not considering international locations at this time.

-it needs to be easy to travel by walking or biking, so that you can get to work, shopping and around the city without having a car. a good public transport system also helps, as i have no car or driver's license currently.

-the city needs to be very safe for me to ride my bike after dark (6-10 pm), so that i'm not at the mercy of people that drive. also needs quick access to places that can take me out of town.

-i would like to live in or near downtown or a area with a small town feeling (see pacific beach, miami beach, palm beach), in a condo.

-the city needs to have a sense of community and uniqueness, as well as something going on almost every week of the year (no seasonal towns where a town could be dead in summer)

-i would prefer a warmer climate city in the south or west coast, although it's okay if it's not.

-i would like to be in or near a larger city, preferably 100k+. city center(s) must be accessible from my location without use of a car. for sports, i would like a major league team. extra point for nl team.

-the cost of living is a factor, but i will not turn down a city if the cost of living is high if it's desired enough.

-i would like to have a prominent university in the city, in case i need to visit the library or decide to go to graduate school.

-no cheesy electric companies or frequent brownouts as i get here in floriduh.

i'm not making a decision anytime soon, i would just like to have a list of cities to consider to move to in the near future and do further research on my own on each of them.

I highly recommend Austin, TX. I lived in a lot of places, and Austin fits every single item on your list better (subjectively) than any other city mentioned here.

1. United States - yup, Austin is in the U.S.
2. Walking/Biking - you wouldn't believe how many people ride their bikes everywhere. There's a real hippie vibe (but it's also a huge tech town with AMD, IBM, Dell, etc.) throughout the city, and ALOT of people don't own cars, they just ride their bikes.
3. Safety - Austin is quite safe, and there are only a very, very few places you wouldn't want to be at night, and you have to go out of your way to get there.
4. Downtown - We have a great downtown area here, and of course the infamous 6th st. Despite it's size, there's still an awesome small town feel.
5. Community/Uniqueness/Events - There's ALWAYS something going on here. Be it an art festival, outdoor markets, a movie shoot, or Eeyore's Birthday Party (no lie, it's pretty kickass, huge party in the park)
6. Warm climate - Hey it's Texas, of course it's warm. But, it's location also means it's not blazing hot, and it doesn't suffer from the same humidity as the coastal cities.
7. Population - 718,912 as of 2006. No professional teams, except the University of Texas champion Football team.
8. Cost of Living - Seattle and Portland, and the CA cities listed are indeed nice, but don't fit your cost-of-living request. I rent a nice two bedroom apartment 4 minutes from downtown and pay $700 mo., with water and gas paid for by the complex.
9. University - University of Texas is 2 minutes north of downtown (literally) and is well respected. Bonus points for their film department.
10. Electric - We haven't had any problems. And my electric bill for the last 4 months has averaged $33.

You had mentioned something about people your age too. The average age here is lower than most places. There's a really strong indie music and art scene here.

 

[furcalchick]

i looked into austin, and something in me says "college town", not a place i'll warm up to. i'm not into parties and getting drunk and the such. i'll keep it on my list though, but it's not on my top rung.

 

[RojoLeo]

It's hardly a college town. If you go near campus, sure. But downtown and South Austin (which is by far the most enjoyable part of the city) is free of the frat guys and sorority girls (whom I generally despise). You're more likely to find young professionals and techies downtown, and artists South. Families up north. It's fairly quarantined that way.

 

[Plymouthbreezer]

Boston, if you can afford it. It's hella expensive round these parts.

...

Ironically, before I read the post excluding Florida, I was going to say "Jupiter, FL!!"

Florida's awesome, least to visit IMO.

I think I might shoot down on my spring vacation, which is in a few weeks. I'm lucky to have family down there with a stunning home and prime real estate in the highest income place in the US.

 

[furcalchick]

any other cities that i missed that should be mentioned? this is a pretty good list mentioned and loved all of the recommendations so far. i can't think of any others right now, so i'm looking for some more.

i'll start doing my homework on many of these cities sometime next week and will probably start a new thread on the finalists sometime in the not too distant future.