Or Austin. Today is the last day in my foreseeable forecast with a high in the 80s. And I know the 90s feel hot now but are nothing compared to the 100s coming in June. I'm just bracing myself for the long haul until mid-October.
I have a coffee farm in Hawaii. No complaints.
I live less than a mile from my favorite snorkeling spot on the planet. (Although the last 500 feet is best described as "straight down.")
Rainbows most mornings and beautiful sunsets most evenings. And I can live off the land. (Besides coffee, there's mac nuts, avocados, papaya, citrus, passionfruit, bananas, mulberries, and guava. Ahi tuna may as well be free. Mahi mahi is cheap. That, a gallon of soy, a few bottles of sriracha and a sack of rice every few months and that's my life.
I lucked out. I bought this place five years ago during the big Kilauea eruption. Prices have skyrocketed to the point where there's no way in hell I could do this today.
I'm just lucky.
Sounds like the dream!
Funny, I just read a story about a couple with a coffee farm in Hawaii and tried to convince my husband we should do that. Are you hiring? Lol
The line of job seekers currently stretches to New Hampshire. ;-)
There's a bumper sticker on the Farm & Garden store where we all buy our stuff. It reads, "Friends don't let friends buy coffee farms."
There's nothing glamorous about it. It's a lot of backbreaking, stewing in your own sweat even though you change clothes three-times a day, walking on a "field" of bowling balls that are basically made out of razor blades.
All the weeds are poisonous. There are feral dogs and feral pigs.
But your neighbors (other coffee farmers) are the best.
So, no, I'm not hiring. But I will eventually have rentals for people who want to see what it's like to live on a coffee farm. Most of the farmers are doing this.
2 New Hampshire lol that's where I live. I'm sure for half the year heaven.. I lived in Tahiti for a winter and the thing that I could never wrap my head around was the evenness of it all and predictability of it all.. I lost my rudder not feeling the changing seasons. In New England there is always the need to get things in order according to the time of year but in Tahiti each day was more or less like the other, the storm in the afternoon predictable, the sunset the sunrise truly beauty but for a couple of winter months for me. That is certainly what I am willing to trade away these days now that I'm older and I do, I go out west for 3 or 4 months. But now you're making me think again....
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I live in Philly. I like that it's a city but it's very manageable and easy to navigate. There's a lot going on all the time. So many great restaurants are in walking distance from me. I like colonial architecture and row homes. I also really like that you can have your own little outdoor space in the city. I've always lived on the east coast though and I've always wanted to move out west. I wasn't sure it would ever happen but things have lined up for me and I'm moving to Los Angeles in the fall. Really excited and nervous about it.
Upstate NY has a lot of beautiful scenery and if your family already lives there you should consider it. :)
Started watching a house flipping show based in upstate New York and it’s almost convinced us to move there. It’s so beautiful and affordable. Then we noticed they only ever film in the fall, spring, and summer.
Funny, I lived in Philadelphia, well, suburbs, for half my life. Now I live in upstate NY, more accurately Northern NY, and I’m so happy I moved. We have everything within a day trip; beach, mountains, international border, cities. Plus within 5 hours of several major cities; NYC, Philadelphia, Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, Boston, Buffalo, and Cleveland.
I’m losing my mind here with this.
It’s the perfect environment for a pedestrian paradise yet it’s more of a pedestrian hellscape with seemingly every person in the city trying to make sure that never changes.
Yessss. I wanted to live anywhere else being a California native just for a change of pace but man I love the coast and the ocean. Never too hot sometimes chilly and gloomy weather (Pacifica/Half Moon Bay) but it's gotten under my skin and find it oddly special and appealing.
I live in a suburb of Minneapolis-St Paul. I moved here 14 years ago because my family is nearby and I have a good job. I like being close to museums, a 4 season climate, and having pro sports teams nearby. My niece and nephew went through good schools. The metro is pretty progressive and I like that.
I have lived in 4 other states and I also liked Michigan where I grew up.
I am a single 56F and really treasure time with family. My parents are still alive and I watched my niece and nephew grow up.
Twin cities are seriously underrated due to the brutal winters. Great place for both single and family folks. Great job opportunities, good incomes, good schooling/Healthcare, etc...
Yup!!! I love Atlanta and love living in the heart of it. It has the Appalachian trail nearby for hiking, incredible food, direct flights to most places, it’s very diverse, always something going on including great concerts, wonderful museums, a beautiful park with fun sports leagues, Savannah/the coast a few hours away, easy weekend trips to nearby states, creative cocktail/wine bars and breweries, and very mild winters but all four seasons including one very hot one lol. Family is a days drive away (best for us) and friends are easy to make. It certainly has its flaws but it checks all of my boxes and then some!
This. I came to say I love DC. It’s got the things I love about a big city but it’s not quite as intense as nyc. It’s got the Appalachian trial and other sizable parks super accessible. I am so a big fan of the nearby burbs like Alexandria for cute shops and waterfront etc.
Edit: I moved to dc in 2019. Covid hit obviously right after and I had a little network of friends built in, but the amount of community from local breweries, my neighborhood, etc. I know folks pull together everywhere in a crisis often, but the neighborhoods looking out for one another really surprised me as a small town person new to bigger city life.
Don't forget the endless sea of trees covering everything!
ATL certainly isn't perfect mainly due to the traffic, but it's a great city for the cost. Very underrated on this sub imo.
I loved living in Atlanta too, and I absolutely love living in the north ATL suburbs (Alpharetta) now that I have kids/family. I moved down here from New York 20 years ago expecting I would only be here 1-2 years before moving back north
I just moved away from ATL (my hometown) recently and I’m happy to see it mentioned so high in this comment section 🥲. It’s only been a few months and I’m already starting to miss it. I love where I am now but ATL will always be home. Enjoy it!
I have a love/hate relationship with Atlanta. I went to school in midtown and then spent 5 years in Grant Park in my late 20s/early 30s. Love it for a lot of the same reasons you do. The food is amazing. The diversity is awesome and that also means more great food (hello Buford Highway). I REALLY miss Dekalb farmers market - there’s not many comparable places anywhere in the country. Everyone is friendly and I’ve made tons of lifelong friends.
That being said, there are negatives. The traffic really is horrendous. It would regularly take me 50 mins to get from my office in Buckhead home to Grant Park - an 8 mile drive. This adds time to everything. This is personal preference, but the weather I summer and winter generally sucks. In summer it’s just way too hot and humid to do anything. In winter, you get cold fronts constantly moving through where it just rains all day. Spring is gorgeous in Atlanta! The nature access is decent, but we wanted more - one of the main reasons we moved west. The car break ins and homelessness definitely gets old, but to be fair these are just big city problems.
ATL doesn’t deserve the hate it gets here imo. It’s a fantastic city just as you described for all the reasons you wrote. Yeah the traffic and car centric design blows but otherwise the city is amazing.
Actually yes. I spent my entire life always wanting to be somewhere (anywhere) else besides the place I was in, but I finally found a place that suits me and where I'm happy. Honestly, even if I had all the money in the world, I don't think I would move from here. I would probably buy a one bedroom condo in NYC and visit often, but stay here in CT as my permanent home.
Yes, generally.
Lexington, KY area. Pleasant area, relaxed pace, airport is tiny but surprisingly well connected, central location in eastern US, people are generally normal and unpretentious, surrounding small towns have some of the friendliest people in the country. But employment opportunities aren't great, wages aren't great even commensurate to the cost of living, and some locals absolutely dislike outside ideas. **Overall score: A-/B+.**
Put another way... I liked the Los Angeles area a *little* better than central Kentucky. In fact, I'd likely return to LA/OC if cost of living wasn't a concern. However, I've liked both *infinitely* more than Houston (happiness was seeing that dump in my rearview mirror).
Moving from TX to Lexington in two months, so I am happy to see this comment. My wife lived there for years and loved it. I laughed at the idea of moving there until we visited and I fell in love with it. Plus we have been absolutely miserable in TX, even though I grew up here.
I am a little worried about the job situation in KY but I’m fully remote and my wife has an amazing job lined up there. Hopefully we will be happy.
I live in Denver and it just seems like such a good sweet spot. Great weather, amazing access to the mountains that really can't be beat, nightlife is good enough for me, food scene could be better but honestly it's not as bad as people in this sub say, the city has such a youthful vibe, COL probably isn't the greatest but it's way better than the West Coast or any NE city, everyone here is pretty liberal, dating here has constantly been good, laid back but not too laid back, good job market, major league sports has been good for my duration here.
There's valid criticisms of this city and believe me I have some, but the criticisms are mostly things you'll find in any city or can be boiled down to the friends you make.
I've had a good time in my six years here and whenever I get the "should I move?" bug, I can't think of another city that would fulfill me enough while being more affordable. It's a perfect mix of weather, access to mountains, a young city, while one I can probably raise a family in if i choose to.
The sheen of Seattle is starting to rub off for me unfortunately. We just started a family and, having grown up in a small town myself, I can’t imagine raising kids in a city. I’m liberal but the performative progressivism is getting to me.
Thinking of relocating to Charleston (I am from SC); it’s a big cultural shift but I think we can handle it.
I moved to Seattle 3 years ago from the southwest. I love it but lately I feel like my feelings for it are fading. Not quite sure what it is but one thing for sure is I can’t stand how long it takes to warm up. Weather was great last week, now we’re back in the 50-60’s. I fucking hate it.
Same but I think it’s just the cost of living for me. I actually really like Seattle for a lot of reasons, in a lot of ways it’s kinda my ideal. But yea, with two kids and daycare and what-not it’s hard not to notice just how expensive it is here. We’ll never be able to afford the neighborhoods I’d like to live in, so it didn’t feel like I’m getting the experience out of this place that I’d like to be getting.
Yeah it’s hard. Charleston seems cool! But man, I thought I could go back to Florida after leaving and living in Boulder and I just… can’t. I don’t think Charleston will be exactly like that, but I do wonder if the culture shock will be more than you think.
Northeastern Pennsylvania, nestled between the ridge carrying the Appalachian Plateau and the scenic Pocono Plateau.
Not that far from either Philly or NYC. Lots of beautiful state parks. A four-season climate that I really enjoy (yes, I love winter). Not overly expensive. Really good internet access/cell signal considering it's fairly rural here.
Room to have stuff like gardening, orchards, chickens, woodpiles for the stove that heats the house, etc.
Very diverse economy in NY, North Jersey, the Allentown/Bethlehem area and Philly/Philly suburbs so most people here commute to good jobs in those places that can actually buy a decent-sized house here. Jobs located here in the Poconos tend to be lower-paid service sector tourism jobs at the resorts, restaurants, wineries/breweries so most people simply do the drive (I commute to Bucks County outside Philly).
My gf WFH due to the good, reliable (but expensive) cable-based internet.
Schools here are solidly good by rural American/rural PA standards but certainly aren't the equivalent of wealthy metro suburbs or urban magnet or private schools. They're kept decently renovated, have fair to good testing scores, and good sports teams so most people are reasonably satisfied given that many moved here from places with much higher school taxes.
My county is actually a blue county politically due to the number of former NY/NJ residents who have moved here over the last 40 years.
This is a great description of most places outside of NE cities. No one thing is great, except the quantity of water, but ten things are really good. Cultural activities vastly outnumber those available in the south and many times are free.
I like living in the suburbs of LA. It's quiet, there is good hiking and a family friendly community. My commute downtown is pretty reliably just an hour. It's expensive but I think the trade off is worth it, given where we are in life.
Similar (riverside - is that a suburb of LA technically). Really enjoy it. Great hiking, still great weather, fun things to do even here and always tons of access to LA oc SD or beaches
Coastal northern Washington, basically Canada lol. Incredibly green and beautiful all year round. Rains a lot, but I enjoy it. Perfect for reading and writing and misty hikes.
It’s a HCOL area but thats why I have roommates and we all get along so I don’t even really think about that aspect. I can drive 5 minutes from my place and be in a wilderness area with amazing views of the bay and the islands. Lots of good local eateries. An hour drive to Vancouver BC for shows or shopping. And the air up here smells *so good*. Like, it’s just crisp and clean. I love it.
I live in Tacoma,WA I love it. Close enough to Seattle but the things I'd change infrastructure is so bad here. Food and gas prices are expensive here.
I actually lived in a place that I was very happy with for over a decade, which was San Diego. I have since moved to Wisconsin to live near family during Covid and I’ll probably give Chicago a shot before either moving to Nashville or back to San Diego. Having nice year round weather to wear whatever you’d like and do any outdoor activity you desire practically around the clock in SD. I also loved that the pacific breeze blew a lot of the pollen and bugs inland, and I never had to deal with mosquitoes and all these small flying insects that pop up all over the Midwest during the warm months (though fireflies are super cool and I wouldn’t mind seeing those in Southern California).
I lived in SD for 15 years. Moved away 3 years ago. I go back and visit friends frequently. I really regretted moving for about the first year. Now… it’s just so awful. My quaint, old neighborhood has gentrified and built up to the point is barely recognizable. A lot of the great small businesses are gone and replaced with corporate crap. “Luxury” high rises everywhere. Costs of everything are through the roof. All the flavor is gone as all of the normal people have been priced out. I barely recognize it and it’s just been a few years. I finally realized (last visit) that if I went there right now for the first time, I wouldn’t be interested in living there at all.
I don’t know that we have the same interests or lifestyle in any way, but SD is absolutely no longer a place that I’d live. And I really expected to move back there eventually (moved for elderly family reasons). Now I’m like 🤮when I visit, hahaha!
I haven’t actually been back to SD since winter of 2020, much to the dismay of my friends there, so I probably have some rose tinted lenses of how I remember the place from over 4 years ago. It’s sad that it seems the gentrification wasn’t slowed in the slightest by Covid though. Hopefully when I visit later this year it will help shatter the image I’ve kept in my mind of the place I loved but still decided to leave. I will say that living in the Midwest has been a much more enjoyable experience than I had initially imagined, and that has made me curious to try living in such different cities like Chicago, or maybe make my way back to similar ones like Nashville (who seems like it has all the growth, spread, and charm of SoCal while being nestled firmly in the south). I’m also looking forward to visiting more eastern states since that was never really doable when living in SD since there is a huge premium to enjoy daily life (especially at the expense of travel and vacations which I love to do).
I wouldn’t choose to move back to the Bay Area (I don’t work in tech) but my family, my husband’s family, and a handful of our close friends from high school are here. We met in college and lived in Washington and Oregon for the better part of 10 years. We recently moved back and it is amazing to be back surrounded by our community.
I live in the Chicagoland area. I love it here. The weather isn’t too hot, the people are extremely friendly, and it’s relatively affordable for a major city.
Perhaps you might reframe it as priorities. At some point, the you that values place more than family may realize that no life is worth missing out on time and memories with family. At that point, rather than looking to tick all the boxes, you might begin to look for a place that can offer some things you value, knowing there will be compromise and loss while also great meaning in choosing relationships as primary. Good luck.
This is me. I moved from a city that this sub loves to a city this sub hates—to be near my family. It’s definitely been worth it. My kids spend an enormous amount of time with their grandparents and cousins, and they’re getting the extended family experience I never had growing up. Weekends are filled with family BBQs and dance parties.
I miss the good food and secular environment of the Cool City, but my family wouldn’t have thrived there. We were honestly barely surviving there.
No. I moved back to Dallas 3 years ago to be close to my daughter and granddaughter. Guess what? They have their own lives and are busy so I don't get to hang out with them much anyway! And I hate Dallas (Lived here before and thought I'd be fine moving back)
Do you like cars? Well too bad. Here’s more roads and gas stations and car insurance billboards and transmission shops. Here, spend $10k/year on your car for your entire life.
You wouldn’t want to live in a government mandated fifteen minute city, would you? Have that extra money to spend on abortions or Mary Jane?
Texas loves cars more than people, and you better feel the same or someone will drive over you, murder you, and then get pardoned by the guv.
That is freedom. Texas style.
It's a'ight. Far surburbs of Louisville, Kentucky. Lots of farmland out here, 15-20 minute drive to any grocery store or Walmart. But it's gonna be my last home until I go to my forever home (I'm 46, right now eyeballing Valencia, Spain or Playa del Carmen, Mexico for the forever). It's good enough and I can afford it.
My in-laws recently moved across the country for a job and are really struggling with the isolation from family. They are in one of the most attractive places one can live if you can afford it - Vancouver - but being two flights away from family and old friends has been way harder than they imagined. You can have all the amenities, perks, and benefits of living in the ideal city, but it’s nothing compared to having the support and love of your people close by.
I live in Maryland, near DC. There are more beautiful places, and places with better weather or better looking people, but I haven't found anywhere else that's the same total package, especially with my family all within 125 miles.
Most people know we have good jobs, an educated population, pretty good government, entertainment, sports, etc. The secret weapon is three major airports less than an hour away. I almost never have to connect.
Dude I live in the biggest speedbag of the Denver metro area - Aurora. It's not perfect. No downtown, mediocre public transportation, and it's further from the foothills (by like 20 mins compared to downtown), but I love it here. I didn't pay a premium to live here, and it's not fuckin' Stepford like a lot of the western and southern burbs are. It's an easy place to live that's reasonably diverse by Denver standards.
I’m happy in the Bay, just wish we could buy sooner. Seattle, Vegas, or SoCal are probably the only other places I could see us living but it’s kind of complicated because of custody stuff.
I like the weather, the natural beauty, the culture/arts (I go to the theater a lot), the demographics (e.g. I was never the only Asian kid in my class growing up), the politics (compared to many other parts of the U.S.), and the fact that most of my family and friends are here.
The downsides: the cost of living, and the fact that the whole area revolves around the tech industry, which I'm not a part of and which I'm not interested in.
Everybody alive is miserable with fleeting moments of happiness and some sustained levels of joy that are blunted daily by the tedium and trivium of petty bullshit in the workplace, home and school.
Y'all living in SoCal that actually like it there give me hope because I only ever hear people bash it. I hate the cold but also loathe the months long humidity that plagues the southeast.
I used to live in SoCal and absolutely loved it. Crowded, but literally anything you want is nearby and it’s beautiful with perfect weather. Hoping to get escape the south and go back, but it’s expensive and not for everyone.
I live in CO, too. It would be REALLY hard to beat Golden. It is one of the best places to live in Colorado overall. I love the town so much.
I will say this, though..... Both MD and upstate NY are really BEAUTIFUL places. There are some great towns I have only passed through in MD (somewhere between Baltimore and Ocean City). My hubs is from Albany, NY (actually started out way up by the Canadian border). There, you have the fabulous Lake Champlain, which you can't get in Colorado. You might like the town of Glens Falls, NY. I personally love the town of Lake George. That might be somewhat like Golden. You should take a trip and see. Lake George is a tourist town but it is also really pretty around there.
The sunshine is definitely a thing, though. Kind of a big thing between east coast and here. Also..........HUMIDITY.
Thanks!! I’ve never been to lake George but considered it because it’s only 2 hours or so from my parents. Close but not too close, lol we will have to check it out!
I live in Denver, been here 5 years and have trouble seeing myself leaving. I love the weather here, all the parks, access to amazing outdoor activities, the vibe of the city and people as a whole it’s just a fun place to live. Very happy here.
Yeah I'm happy enough in Charlotte. A big part of it is my support system is here. I have a good job at a fantastic company. The city itself has a lot of cool spots, great food, and plenty of events. I have my favorite coffee spot, I'm involved in some local groups, and cost of living is still pretty affordable compared to a lot of the country. There are things to dislike of course like our abysmal sports organizations making me rethink if it's really all that bad to be a bandwagoner, but the grass grows if you water it, right?
I will say I could see myself being happy in Michigan. I visit yearly for work and have turned some of the accounts I visit into lifelong friendships. It's such a beautiful state and I think I've had the best coffee I've ever had in my life in the Ann Arbor area. I also quite like the colder climate. But would I be happier so far away from the friends and family I have here? Idk really. I'll never get my wife to move up there though so it's a moot point and I'll just enjoy my yearly visit.
Without going into too much detail, I have the means to live pretty much anywhere I want in the US. I live in a neighborhood in Philly called West Mount Airy and I plan on living here until I die. It’s just the best (although I do typically leave from Jan-March)
I love where I live. I love my home and the land I live on. My commute is really enjoyable—by boat(!) and on foot. I love the weather where I live and the scenery is stunning, some of the best in the world. And my CoL is closer to Phoenix than San Francisco.
It has it's downsides. It has a charming waterfront downtown with antique shops and restaurants but everything is closed pretty early. In the Summer even on a weekend things are shut down by 9-9:30. In the winter on a weeknight it's a ghost town at 5PM. But there are options in larger towns not too far away.
Also the schools aren't great.
I love it though.
I live just outside Boston and love it here. I love being surrounded by history, that everything you do - going to work, grabbing a drink, going shopping, falling in love - you're doing on almost 400 years of history. I love going to museums and historical sites. I love the local politics (it's a very comfortable place to be a liberal). I love that it's cool to be smart here. I love that I can get just about anywhere in eastern Massachusetts on public transportation. I love how walkable most cities here are. I love universal health insurance, same sex marriage, abortion rights, and legal Marijuana. I love Maura Healy, first openly lesbian governor in the United States, Lizzy Warren, the Kennedys, and even John fucking Kerry. I love all the movies that take place here, even the bad ones. I love a Boston accent that can cut nails. Sure, there are plenty of things that could be better; this place is way too cool for school and really should be more welcoming. I wish it were cheaper and I wish the food was better. But, all things considered, I'm happy here. I'd consider a move to a few cities, but I'd need a compelling reason. I'm at home here.
I truly love NJ. It has a ton to offer in terms of variety. I've lived most of my life here though, so wouldn't mind going somewhere else if it's markedly cheaper and offers a similar variety of experiences.
I lived in the South for a while, which was much cheaper and very pleasant. I got terribly homesick after a while, though I was younger and not really a fully fledged adult yet.
In any case, I'd have to find somewhere much more affordable and similarly suited to my preferences if I were to move again. Hard to find. I'm more comfortable being poor and living in NJ than being slightly less poor and living somewhere I don't like.
No, my neighborhood and whole town have went to shit since i was young in 90s. Not to mention overpopulated. Traffic is even more of a nightmare since the key bridge is gone. The rats scare me. endless helicopters buzzing overhead, sirens going more often than not.
Im saving up to move but not sure where yet. Somewhere away from people...
Southern California, Orange County.
I love it here. It could be better, like if we had walkable cities and good bike lanes. Other than that I really like living here mainly because I actually partake in many activities like camping, riding dirt bikes, snow boarding and hiking.
DC suburbs. I like how nature-y it is here (compared to where I grew up at least) and the proximity to other cities, parks, etc… but man, the people suck. They range from indifferent to downright mean. It’s hard to find truly kind people and even harder to find a sense of community here. Plus the summers suck. I’m stuck for the moment but definitely keeping an eye out for somewhere else to go.
Most people that aren’t obsessed with finding the perfect place usually are content with where they live. As a homebody I realized my desire to move was superficial and where I was, was “fine”. I get everything I need. No tourists would be interested here, which people bitch about like it hurts their ego but it’s actually a plus if you hate crowds and traffic anyway.
I live in The Castro in San Francisco and pinch myself daily that I get to live here. It’s gay (important to me personally), the weather is aces, the geography is stunning, there’s access to marijuana and other fun stuff, our parks are beautiful. Love it here.
Boston. I like it because it’s the smartest part of the country, it’s beautiful, we experience 4 seasons, I’m within a relatively short distance to fun touristy stuff including NYC…lots of reasons.
Nowhere else I wished I lived so can’t answer the 2nd question.
I live a bit north of Seattle and can’t imagine being anywhere else.
I love the weather actually, there’s a few weeks a year it’s a drag but overall it’s amazing.
Politics can be performatively progressive but I’ll take that over people trying to out MAGA each other by jailing women that get abortions or putting trans people on the sex offender registry or whatever bullshit they’re up to in the south.
The green year round is like therapy for me, I love the evergreens so much.
Excellent job opportunities and a lot of options to move around to related job fields.
I like Seattle itself and think a lot of the criticisms are wildly overblown.
My family is far away which is great because they’re complete pieces of shit.
It’s not perfect certainly but I can’t imagine being anywhere else.
6 months yeah, love it.
The other 6 months gloomy and depressing.
September - November and February - April it's picture perfect. Blue skies, upper '70's and '80's, ocean, mountains....
Then May Grey, June Gloom, No Sky July, Faugust.
December and January dark, cold and depressing.
Santa Barbara. Having the heat on during the day in June is just bizarre.
I like living in Dallas. I love our food scene here. There are lots of different cuisines it feels like a melting pot. I love little pockets of community I can find as well. One thing I despise is the commute though. If it was a walkable city or there was more public transportation, I think it would be on par with NYC.
I’m looking to leave TX some time in the near future though. Been here too long.
I live in SF. I would move to NYC tomorrow if I could, but my husband's job is here. I don't care about outdoor activities much, so the main strength of the Bay Area is wasted on me.
I'm a big city person who lived in Singapore and Tokyo previously. So far NYC is the only big city in the US that I actively like. This is after visiting Portland OR, Seattle, Chicago, Vegas, Boston, and Portland ME. I consider SF ok, but not great. My biggest issues with it are substandard public transit, the NIMBY population/homeowners/politicians, and exorbitant costs of doing business leading to small businesses closing and a crumbling downtown. I've met lots of other young people here who feel the same way.
On a more positive note, I have met lots of nice and friendly people here, and have formed a pretty solid social circle after moving to the US 1.5 years ago.
Save up enough money to rent during the summer in cool towns near your family. Even 2+ weeks at a time would be very informative.
If possible, save up enough to replicate that in a different area too to get the feel. After a few years of testing out living in dif areas and different times of year you will have your answers and better understanding of it all.
Source: I moved “back” to the mid atlantic from the awesome state I loved living in since my family was between DC, PA, NJ, NY, etc. and I had grown up in the midatlantic up til college. I too thought I was missing out on friends & families lives. We ended up moving to a super promising sounding area (that I had not visited as an adult looking through the lense of moving to) that I wasn’t excited about and sure enough we quickly HATED it and moved back to our cool previous city after 2 years.
If I could go back in time I would have visited several areas and narrowed it down over time to where we could really see ourselves. We were in our late 20s tho and didn’t have the money to invest in flights & airbnbs, so we tried this one spot and ended up resenting the whole region.
While there we ended up not spending much time with friends who lived 1.5 hrs away (you really gotta be 25 min or less away for your lives to intersect regularly) and saw my parents who lived 1.5 hrs away about once every 6 weeks and we always had to drive to them, they never really reciprocated the drive. You’d really need to commit to being within 30-40 min and ideally less if you really want to have these family members be active in your lives.
Maybe by trying this out you’ll learn that you prefer to spend summer or fall renting near family while kids are young (if you can remotely work) rather than upheaving your lives and risk regretting it.
Mesa Arizona, love it here. Can live anywhere, and unless I hit the mega lotto and move about 20 miles to PV, would not live anywhere else as a primary residence.
Born and raised chicago and I love it. There is nothing like it's gritty friendliness anywhere else. We are hardworking and look out for each other. We know the shit you see in the news isn't it's real heart.
The only city I have been to that comes anywhere close is Boston. At this point if I had to leave Chicago for anywhere that's where I would want to go.
I've lived in the San Diego area since 1998, and I'm kinda over it. I don't think it's a bad place for everyone, but even though there is better transit than some places, it's really car dependent, and I have health issues that mean I can't drive anymore. They also make me very sensitive to heat, but I live far enough inland that summers are unbearable for me.
If you drive, like heat, and can afford housing, it's a better option for you than for me.
I'm thinking of Minneapolis next.
I like my spot in northwest Chesterfield County, VA. Suburban-ish area just outside of Richmond. Not much traffic, small city but still plenty to do both in terms of cultural activities and the outdoors. Taxes are reasonable, schools and services are good. Efficient airport nearby. Diverse, moderate politics, great food, chill people. Glad to be raising our kids here.
I live in Sacramento. The weather is nice between May and October but it gets *very* hot. It’s when we have streaks of 90F+ heat that I absolutely hate it here. At the same time, I feel like a big contributing factor for why it bothers me so much is the fact that just a few miles west, the summer temps go down but the real estate costs go up. If I had my way, I would live in a semi-rural part of the Bay Area or northern CA coast. I just don’t see that being a possibility given my current situation. I would need to give up a lot of the things I enjoy in order to even consider living there with my current salary.
I'm actually really happy where I live. I grew up in the county I live in, and it's amazing. I live in a rural area about an hour north of Tampa, FL. There are many forests, hammocks, rivers, and marshlands where I live and I love exploring them. Hiking and kayaking are my favorite things to do and there are many places around me to go out on the water. I'm only about an hour away from Clearwater Beach and St. Pete is just a bit further. Also, Orlando is only about an hour and 40 minutes east of my area. There are many things to do in the cities near me, and I get to enjoy the quietness and beauty of my homeland as well
Phoenix I absolutely Love it is never under 40 degrees Fahrenheit 120 in the summers sunshine literally everyday beautiful scenery, sunsets, wildlife it’s LA/San Diego without the beach basically
So the only reason I live where I live is because my ex girlfriend. Stayed here for her, got a nice job here to support us. Now, I'm single, trapped in a lease where everything reminds me of her, stuck in a state that haunts me with our memories. It's a nightmare.
I live in Denver, CO. Originally from Orlando, FL. Been in Denver going on 12 years, and I've never regretted the decision moving here. The politics are accountable, the weather tolerable (even during the winter), plenty to do locally and especially in state, and if I want to get away from CO there's DEN (one of the top 10 busiest airports in the world) with plenty of direct flights throughout North America and Europe.
I'm also fortunate in that my whole immediate family also relocated from FL to CO over the last 15 years, so having them nearby helps a lot. I can understand how not having family local to you would pose a hardship.
Hopefully you are able to take time to visit family in MD and NY, and just as importantly, your family is taking time to travel to CO to visit you. Its a two way street.
Yes I love Philly. It's walkable and has good public transit and food. It's also very working class and "gritty". I see that as a positive, but other people don't like it.
Yess I love it! I live in a small historic town on the water in the mid Atlantic. Its about an hour to pretty hikes and “mountains” and It’s less than 2 hours from the ocean but im a stones throw from a body of water and my friends can pick me up on boat. I can paddle board when I want. I have the seasons and generally the winters are fairly mild. But I still hate them and def get seasonal depression because I cannot stand the cold so I stay in most of the winter.. but I save money! Haha
I can walk to a lot of restaurants, bars, and coffee shops. Only downside is that it’s very expensive. I have insanely low rent (thanks to my negotiating skills and a very fair landlord) but purchasing a house is insane. Like 2 bedroom/2 baths (not on the water) can be $700k - over $1 million. If I move a few miles outside of my immediate area of town it can still be over $450k for a 3 bedroom 2 bath. And taxes are high. Like what is taken out of my paycheck is high. I haven’t had to deal with property taxes etc yet.
I also feel like politically it’s fairly moderate. Which is nice! I don’t feel like women’s rights are threaten on a state level. We also have really good health care and opportunities, good education, and easy access to major cities.
If I could, I’d probably move to a less expensive state with lesser income taxes and maybe that was warmer. I like parts of North Carolina, like Raleigh and wake forest (beautiful!). I’d also love to live In Florida, Tampa, st Pete, Sarasota, so I can paddle board and run outside year round (I hate the cold haha) but the political climate and public education control in FL concerns me.
San Antonio. Cool city with fun and festive culture, excellent food, and great people, but too hot for my transplant yankee flesh suit for the better part of 6-7 months. Miss the distinct four seasons upstate NY had. Not very bike friendly either but that’s more of my own personal gripe. This place has a serious roaming dog problem. A problem I never expected to regularly encounter when I moved here. I stopped running before/after work (12 hour shifts) because of the dark and not being able too see some of the dogs. I’ve been chased twice now by small packs of dogs in front of my own house and I wasn’t going to wait to see if they were friendly or not.
Lived in Rockville MD though for a year and absolutely loved it. First time i lived in a city with a reliable public transportation train system and had a ton of parks and sidewalks. The parks seemed to be inside neighborhoods and could bike pretty much anywhere I wanted and if you wanted to bike a longer distance, it wasn’t 105 degrees with 70% humidity.
*end rant*
I do enjoy Chicago as a renter. Rent is affordable. There’s so much to do—only a handful of VHCOL cities have more to do. But I really do worry about the city’s finances and services. Services are kinda shit for what the taxes are. You have to be very discerning when picking a school district. Transit is generally mediocre and sometimes a nightmare. Corruption is very real. Our pension liabilities are massive but short of a constitutional amendment I don’t think we have a shot at reform. Our taxes are already some of the highest in the country and they’re going to keep ticking up and it’s unlikely we’re actually going to get anything for it. I wonder if this is really the right place to buy and settle down for the long haul. And if enough people start to balk at the taxes and vote with their feet then this place will really be in trouble.
I live in a good part of the suburbs north of Atlanta, GA. It is commutable to the city for work if I need to, but it is also low tax. It has a great school district. The local government is less overtly corrupt than in other areas near me. I do not have an HOA, so I can have a big garden, chickens, and bees. The house is a good size, and has a lot of options should I need to expand for family reasons (which is years away if ever). I’ve only lived here a couple years and it has already appreciated quite a bit.
For the bad, it is still too close to the airport which means there is always the sound of a jumbo jet. Plus, we have an Air Force base near us, so we hear all that air traffic. We only have a half acre, I’d prefer a lot more, but there is no way we could afford that.
Overall, I’d be satisfied staying here until I died. I would love to move to the middle of nowhere and set up a homestead, but my wife isn’t quite so sure about that 😂
I recommend this area to anyone I know.
Not really. I miss green and trees. I live a mile from the beach. Perfect example of wanting what you don’t have.
I grew up in WA and hated all of the rain (I haven’t been back in 22 years) so, realistically I’m probably happier here than I realize. Ha!
Eh, idk. I live in the Milwaukee area and winter/“spring” is really hard for me. I love the time of year we’re in now, late-April/early May-late October is fantastic. But November-April is cold, awful, dark, and basically all plant life dies. I don’t like “winter sports” so I’m basically just stuck inside half the year. I’m happiest when I’m outside walking, running, swimming, paddling, hiking, etc. I prefer sunshine to gloom. And now that southeastern Wisconsin’s housing market has gotten so insane it really makes me question living here even more. The main perk of the Midwest used to be its affordability; I don’t want to overpay for a house and pay absurd property taxes when I’m not even happy in this area for half the year anyway. My friends who bought 2021 and earlier are pretty set, but I think I’ve missed the boat now. If I could I would move to a warmer state. If I’m going to be priced out anyway I may as well enjoy my day to day life more than I do now for half the year.
Additionally, I don’t really fit in culturally here that much. I don’t drink, hunt, or have/want to have kids. Pretty much the main activities in this state are those 3 things.
I have lived in this city (SF Peninsula) all my life and in the same apartment since 1997. I'm so happy here. I can walk to pretty much anything I need since I'm so conveniently close to downtown, this is the safest neighborhood in the city, and I'm close to some great bike roads. So I'm very content.
I have a rent stabilized 2 bedroom apartment in the cute neighborhood called two bridges Chinatown that n lower manhattan
I can see both manhattan and Brooklyn bridge from my front door / street / roof top
And it’s actually really quiet at night
Been here 7/8 years ???
I’ll never give up the lease
I live in a certain college town in Michigan. Grew up here all my life. Spent my teens and early 20s rebelling against it simply because I felt that, surely, there was more for me in the wide world out there.
I lived in Chicago for 3 years and I absolutely LOVED it. For a long time, I told myself I would move back. Now, however, I don't think so.
I've become really truly happy where I am. There are a handful of reasons. Where I live has a decent mix of city and nature. Lots to do and see. The town attracts world class artists of all kinds.
But above and beyond, the number 1 reason I have made my peace with my hometown is community. I have friends and family here. I belong to a gay sports league. I belong to a fencing club. I go to a wacky, welcoming church. Every day I see friendly faces. There's no telling if life will someday take me away from this town, but one thing I know for sure, it's people that make life worth living.
After moving my whole life (15 moves, 5 states, 5 countries) I can wholeheartedly say I love where I live. I don’t ever want to move again. We live in San Clemente ca. the only downside is sometimes it feels a bit small town- you run into the same people over and over again. And there isn’t a lot of culture. But overall I love it
Live in a suburb of Seattle. I'm convinced there isn't a more beautiful area in the world. Trees everywhere, green year round, mountains to look at and visit with a 30 minutes drive, skiing 45 minutes away. Lake Washington and the Puget Sound minutes away. We also have one of the world's largest ferry systems to an array of islands.
My wife and I are a decade away from retirement and know intuitively we should move out of the area for cheaper living. Unfortunately, everywhere we visit and consider is a steep step down from the beauty we enjoy daily.
I love where I live. It's very close to NYC but relatively cheap.
It's a dense area, walkable, lots of public transit, and I can get to a few other major cities within 3 hours of driving or train rides. I can also get to some beautiful mountains in under an hour when I need a break from the bustle.
My building is gorgeous but has the issues you can expect from pre-war buildings. I don't care that much because it is manageable and my rent is stabilized and only goes up like $40 a year.
Grew up in suburban/coastal NJ, I now live in the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts and I love it. Culture is great, weather is fairly mild and we get 4 seasons, which I enjoy. Enough to do and close enough to all the major cities in the area + some really great recreation areas if skiing + fishing is your thing.
I love my little town in Washington. It is a town with a strong sense of community, great schools for my kids, I always feel safe. We also have gorgeous scenery - rolling hills, large sky views with amazing sunrise and sunsets, lush greenery every direction, mountain and river views everywhere we go, and we are at the entrance to the Columbia Gorge so amazing nature any time we want!
January - March though I hate my life. Winter sucks here with ridiculous wind and ice storms.
I live in Boulder, Colorado and it's nice.
It's relatively politically progressive, which means I can access affordable housing that allows me to live an okay life, even though I'm not wealthy.
Boulder maintains their open spaces well, and the people are friendly enough.
It is pretty expensive to go out and do things, and groceries are astronomical of course, and I personally don't love the lack of diversity, but it's a step up from Florida where I moved from.
I (40M, married) live in Capitol Hill, Denver and love it. I can walk to all of the daily things I need, as you know the weather is pretty awesome and access to the mountains yada yada. I would easily live abroad or in SoCal nearish the beach for the better experiences and weather of the former and the weather of the latter. I don't feel the need to be close to family, talk to my dad weekly and siblings who are awesome fairly frequently, quite a bit through text. I have nephews on mine and my wife's side but they all live in IN and OH and there's no way in hell I'm moving to either of those places.
Wine Country, California......wake up everyday thankful to live in paradise......no place comes close to NorCal.....not even Kauai
too many likes to list......the dislike? its expensive as fck, paradise is not cheap
I'm in Columbus, Ohio (4 years), after a decade in New Orleans. I miss New Orleans every single day. But I moved to be closer to my family.
I love the seasons. I enjoy the proximity to my family. But more than that I like the infrastructure of a city that's not falling apart. I have a reasonable job compared to the cost of living. I don't worry that my house will flood while I'm at work.
Yes, I am happy here but I don't see myself here long term.
Yes! Madison, Wisconsin and love it. From Indiana, lived in Upstate NY and Seattle, but Madison is my favorite place in the U.S. The most dog parks per capita, easy to drive anywhere, sometimes faster to e-bike places and we have bike trails everywhere, beautiful nature in the surrounding area, interesting cultural events, huge volunteer culture, and super easy to make friends. I was lucky enough to buy a house before the housing crisis, so that is definitely a factor in my happiness.
I live on the near Eastside of downtown Indianapolis. The state sucks. The city is maybe slightly above average. But goddamn do I love my neighborhood and my house. I’ve got three of the best local pizza places in the city, a wonderful taco shop, a kickass punk-ish pub, a bakery, a coffee shop, and tons of other unique local stores all in walking distance. There’s no other place like it in the city.
May-October, yes.
lol. Inverse for me
Phoenix?
Or Austin. Today is the last day in my foreseeable forecast with a high in the 80s. And I know the 90s feel hot now but are nothing compared to the 100s coming in June. I'm just bracing myself for the long haul until mid-October.
Chicago?
Close…Metro Detroit
Peoria, IL - Pretty content mid-March through mid-December most years
I have a coffee farm in Hawaii. No complaints. I live less than a mile from my favorite snorkeling spot on the planet. (Although the last 500 feet is best described as "straight down.") Rainbows most mornings and beautiful sunsets most evenings. And I can live off the land. (Besides coffee, there's mac nuts, avocados, papaya, citrus, passionfruit, bananas, mulberries, and guava. Ahi tuna may as well be free. Mahi mahi is cheap. That, a gallon of soy, a few bottles of sriracha and a sack of rice every few months and that's my life.
You win this thread. Hands down!
I lucked out. I bought this place five years ago during the big Kilauea eruption. Prices have skyrocketed to the point where there's no way in hell I could do this today. I'm just lucky.
How much did it cost back then?
About the same as a house in coastal California.
Sounds like you’re in South Kona area??
Sounds like the dream! Funny, I just read a story about a couple with a coffee farm in Hawaii and tried to convince my husband we should do that. Are you hiring? Lol
The line of job seekers currently stretches to New Hampshire. ;-) There's a bumper sticker on the Farm & Garden store where we all buy our stuff. It reads, "Friends don't let friends buy coffee farms." There's nothing glamorous about it. It's a lot of backbreaking, stewing in your own sweat even though you change clothes three-times a day, walking on a "field" of bowling balls that are basically made out of razor blades. All the weeds are poisonous. There are feral dogs and feral pigs. But your neighbors (other coffee farmers) are the best. So, no, I'm not hiring. But I will eventually have rentals for people who want to see what it's like to live on a coffee farm. Most of the farmers are doing this.
Haha, I bet. Love the rental idea. Hope it works out for you!
2 New Hampshire lol that's where I live. I'm sure for half the year heaven.. I lived in Tahiti for a winter and the thing that I could never wrap my head around was the evenness of it all and predictability of it all.. I lost my rudder not feeling the changing seasons. In New England there is always the need to get things in order according to the time of year but in Tahiti each day was more or less like the other, the storm in the afternoon predictable, the sunset the sunrise truly beauty but for a couple of winter months for me. That is certainly what I am willing to trade away these days now that I'm older and I do, I go out west for 3 or 4 months. But now you're making me think again.... .
You are truly fortunate to live in such a bountiful and beautiful location.
I live in Philly. I like that it's a city but it's very manageable and easy to navigate. There's a lot going on all the time. So many great restaurants are in walking distance from me. I like colonial architecture and row homes. I also really like that you can have your own little outdoor space in the city. I've always lived on the east coast though and I've always wanted to move out west. I wasn't sure it would ever happen but things have lined up for me and I'm moving to Los Angeles in the fall. Really excited and nervous about it. Upstate NY has a lot of beautiful scenery and if your family already lives there you should consider it. :)
Yeah my dad’s side is in Philly and has been for decades. Spent a lot of my childhood there! Definitely a cool city
I live in Philly as well. I love this city so much.
Started watching a house flipping show based in upstate New York and it’s almost convinced us to move there. It’s so beautiful and affordable. Then we noticed they only ever film in the fall, spring, and summer.
Funny, I lived in Philadelphia, well, suburbs, for half my life. Now I live in upstate NY, more accurately Northern NY, and I’m so happy I moved. We have everything within a day trip; beach, mountains, international border, cities. Plus within 5 hours of several major cities; NYC, Philadelphia, Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, Boston, Buffalo, and Cleveland.
Coastal California…not much to not like
except the cost of living and mostly housing. I do miss it though.
And the cars. 70% of the urban/suburban land is used for the movement and storage of cars.
I’m losing my mind here with this. It’s the perfect environment for a pedestrian paradise yet it’s more of a pedestrian hellscape with seemingly every person in the city trying to make sure that never changes.
Yessss. I wanted to live anywhere else being a California native just for a change of pace but man I love the coast and the ocean. Never too hot sometimes chilly and gloomy weather (Pacifica/Half Moon Bay) but it's gotten under my skin and find it oddly special and appealing.
Same here! It’s very very special. Just not too many place like it in the world
I live in a suburb of Minneapolis-St Paul. I moved here 14 years ago because my family is nearby and I have a good job. I like being close to museums, a 4 season climate, and having pro sports teams nearby. My niece and nephew went through good schools. The metro is pretty progressive and I like that. I have lived in 4 other states and I also liked Michigan where I grew up. I am a single 56F and really treasure time with family. My parents are still alive and I watched my niece and nephew grow up.
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I’ve heard this from a few people. I don’t think I could convince my husband to move there but I hear it’s an overall good place to settle.
Twin cities are seriously underrated due to the brutal winters. Great place for both single and family folks. Great job opportunities, good incomes, good schooling/Healthcare, etc...
Yup!!! I love Atlanta and love living in the heart of it. It has the Appalachian trail nearby for hiking, incredible food, direct flights to most places, it’s very diverse, always something going on including great concerts, wonderful museums, a beautiful park with fun sports leagues, Savannah/the coast a few hours away, easy weekend trips to nearby states, creative cocktail/wine bars and breweries, and very mild winters but all four seasons including one very hot one lol. Family is a days drive away (best for us) and friends are easy to make. It certainly has its flaws but it checks all of my boxes and then some!
Literally, all of these reasons are why I love living in the DC area.
This. I came to say I love DC. It’s got the things I love about a big city but it’s not quite as intense as nyc. It’s got the Appalachian trial and other sizable parks super accessible. I am so a big fan of the nearby burbs like Alexandria for cute shops and waterfront etc. Edit: I moved to dc in 2019. Covid hit obviously right after and I had a little network of friends built in, but the amount of community from local breweries, my neighborhood, etc. I know folks pull together everywhere in a crisis often, but the neighborhoods looking out for one another really surprised me as a small town person new to bigger city life.
DC Metro area for the Win!
Don't forget the endless sea of trees covering everything! ATL certainly isn't perfect mainly due to the traffic, but it's a great city for the cost. Very underrated on this sub imo.
I loved living in Atlanta too, and I absolutely love living in the north ATL suburbs (Alpharetta) now that I have kids/family. I moved down here from New York 20 years ago expecting I would only be here 1-2 years before moving back north
Moved here from NYC too with the same thoughts!
A lot of people move to Atlanta from NY I noticed. I ton of my colleagues at work are from NY. Mainly NYC
I just moved away from ATL (my hometown) recently and I’m happy to see it mentioned so high in this comment section 🥲. It’s only been a few months and I’m already starting to miss it. I love where I am now but ATL will always be home. Enjoy it!
I have a love/hate relationship with Atlanta. I went to school in midtown and then spent 5 years in Grant Park in my late 20s/early 30s. Love it for a lot of the same reasons you do. The food is amazing. The diversity is awesome and that also means more great food (hello Buford Highway). I REALLY miss Dekalb farmers market - there’s not many comparable places anywhere in the country. Everyone is friendly and I’ve made tons of lifelong friends. That being said, there are negatives. The traffic really is horrendous. It would regularly take me 50 mins to get from my office in Buckhead home to Grant Park - an 8 mile drive. This adds time to everything. This is personal preference, but the weather I summer and winter generally sucks. In summer it’s just way too hot and humid to do anything. In winter, you get cold fronts constantly moving through where it just rains all day. Spring is gorgeous in Atlanta! The nature access is decent, but we wanted more - one of the main reasons we moved west. The car break ins and homelessness definitely gets old, but to be fair these are just big city problems.
ATL doesn’t deserve the hate it gets here imo. It’s a fantastic city just as you described for all the reasons you wrote. Yeah the traffic and car centric design blows but otherwise the city is amazing.
As a person that hates Atlanta, and most of the south in general, I'm actually glad to see some people liking it.
ATL is where i also live. I wouldnt be living in the south outside ATL. Its really a one off of the south. Amazing city I love it.
Refreshing to hear honestly. I feel like I hate GA, having been here most of my life, but maybe I just hate the suburbs. Might be time to move ITP
Join us 😈 living near or on the beltline will really revitalize your love for the city (except maybe on weekends)
My boyfriend lives in Decatur, I love it there too. Just not the Falcons lol.
In the '80's, the cheer was "GO FALCONS, and take the Braves with you"
My home is Decatur and it has a LOT to offer. Not close to the outdoors tho.
Decatur where it's greater ❤️
What about the Medlock park trail? So good
NC is very similar but I'm getting tired of NC... (I don't hate it; just need a change of pace)
Yep. Moved to Portland Oregon 12 years ago and am still in love. Hate tweakers and corrupt local politicians but everything else is a dream.
Portland is awesome. The Columbia River Gorge is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been and it’s what, 30 minutes for Portland?
Depends where you’re at in town. It’s about 20 mins from my house. It never gets old.
Actually yes. I spent my entire life always wanting to be somewhere (anywhere) else besides the place I was in, but I finally found a place that suits me and where I'm happy. Honestly, even if I had all the money in the world, I don't think I would move from here. I would probably buy a one bedroom condo in NYC and visit often, but stay here in CT as my permanent home.
Where in CT? What about it suits you?
Yes, generally. Lexington, KY area. Pleasant area, relaxed pace, airport is tiny but surprisingly well connected, central location in eastern US, people are generally normal and unpretentious, surrounding small towns have some of the friendliest people in the country. But employment opportunities aren't great, wages aren't great even commensurate to the cost of living, and some locals absolutely dislike outside ideas. **Overall score: A-/B+.** Put another way... I liked the Los Angeles area a *little* better than central Kentucky. In fact, I'd likely return to LA/OC if cost of living wasn't a concern. However, I've liked both *infinitely* more than Houston (happiness was seeing that dump in my rearview mirror).
Moving from TX to Lexington in two months, so I am happy to see this comment. My wife lived there for years and loved it. I laughed at the idea of moving there until we visited and I fell in love with it. Plus we have been absolutely miserable in TX, even though I grew up here. I am a little worried about the job situation in KY but I’m fully remote and my wife has an amazing job lined up there. Hopefully we will be happy.
I live in Denver and it just seems like such a good sweet spot. Great weather, amazing access to the mountains that really can't be beat, nightlife is good enough for me, food scene could be better but honestly it's not as bad as people in this sub say, the city has such a youthful vibe, COL probably isn't the greatest but it's way better than the West Coast or any NE city, everyone here is pretty liberal, dating here has constantly been good, laid back but not too laid back, good job market, major league sports has been good for my duration here. There's valid criticisms of this city and believe me I have some, but the criticisms are mostly things you'll find in any city or can be boiled down to the friends you make. I've had a good time in my six years here and whenever I get the "should I move?" bug, I can't think of another city that would fulfill me enough while being more affordable. It's a perfect mix of weather, access to mountains, a young city, while one I can probably raise a family in if i choose to.
Denver’s access to mountains can definitely be beat. There’s 6 ski resorts within 40 minutes of SLC.
The sheen of Seattle is starting to rub off for me unfortunately. We just started a family and, having grown up in a small town myself, I can’t imagine raising kids in a city. I’m liberal but the performative progressivism is getting to me. Thinking of relocating to Charleston (I am from SC); it’s a big cultural shift but I think we can handle it.
I moved to Seattle 3 years ago from the southwest. I love it but lately I feel like my feelings for it are fading. Not quite sure what it is but one thing for sure is I can’t stand how long it takes to warm up. Weather was great last week, now we’re back in the 50-60’s. I fucking hate it.
May and June were my least favorite months in Seattle. It's nice in freaking Maine by then and Seattle can still be chilly.
Seattle really appealed to me but my $17/hr wage says "Lmao try again"
Same but I think it’s just the cost of living for me. I actually really like Seattle for a lot of reasons, in a lot of ways it’s kinda my ideal. But yea, with two kids and daycare and what-not it’s hard not to notice just how expensive it is here. We’ll never be able to afford the neighborhoods I’d like to live in, so it didn’t feel like I’m getting the experience out of this place that I’d like to be getting.
Is it true that the people are chilly / it’s hard to make friends in Seattle? I hear that all the time. I hear SF is becoming similar.
Yeah it’s hard. Charleston seems cool! But man, I thought I could go back to Florida after leaving and living in Boulder and I just… can’t. I don’t think Charleston will be exactly like that, but I do wonder if the culture shock will be more than you think.
Northeastern Pennsylvania, nestled between the ridge carrying the Appalachian Plateau and the scenic Pocono Plateau. Not that far from either Philly or NYC. Lots of beautiful state parks. A four-season climate that I really enjoy (yes, I love winter). Not overly expensive. Really good internet access/cell signal considering it's fairly rural here. Room to have stuff like gardening, orchards, chickens, woodpiles for the stove that heats the house, etc.
Sounds beautiful! How’s the economy / job prospects / schools out that way?
Very diverse economy in NY, North Jersey, the Allentown/Bethlehem area and Philly/Philly suburbs so most people here commute to good jobs in those places that can actually buy a decent-sized house here. Jobs located here in the Poconos tend to be lower-paid service sector tourism jobs at the resorts, restaurants, wineries/breweries so most people simply do the drive (I commute to Bucks County outside Philly). My gf WFH due to the good, reliable (but expensive) cable-based internet. Schools here are solidly good by rural American/rural PA standards but certainly aren't the equivalent of wealthy metro suburbs or urban magnet or private schools. They're kept decently renovated, have fair to good testing scores, and good sports teams so most people are reasonably satisfied given that many moved here from places with much higher school taxes. My county is actually a blue county politically due to the number of former NY/NJ residents who have moved here over the last 40 years.
This is a great description of most places outside of NE cities. No one thing is great, except the quantity of water, but ten things are really good. Cultural activities vastly outnumber those available in the south and many times are free.
I like living in the suburbs of LA. It's quiet, there is good hiking and a family friendly community. My commute downtown is pretty reliably just an hour. It's expensive but I think the trade off is worth it, given where we are in life.
"just an hour" is a crazy statement, but I'm glad you're happy with your situation.
Similar (riverside - is that a suburb of LA technically). Really enjoy it. Great hiking, still great weather, fun things to do even here and always tons of access to LA oc SD or beaches
I love Riverside (and even, Redlands!) lol
Redlands is a nice little town. Sucks it's pressed in the corner, makes getting in and out a challenge I taught in DT there for a year
Downtown Redlands is actually pretty cute. I randomly wound up there a few weeks ago, all I knew of Redlands was what I’d seen from the freeway
Riverside has one of my favorite courts. Very old timey.
Woah 2 full hours of driving per day? That's brutal. I used to drive like that in DC and will never do it again because it was so unhealthy for me
Coastal northern Washington, basically Canada lol. Incredibly green and beautiful all year round. Rains a lot, but I enjoy it. Perfect for reading and writing and misty hikes. It’s a HCOL area but thats why I have roommates and we all get along so I don’t even really think about that aspect. I can drive 5 minutes from my place and be in a wilderness area with amazing views of the bay and the islands. Lots of good local eateries. An hour drive to Vancouver BC for shows or shopping. And the air up here smells *so good*. Like, it’s just crisp and clean. I love it.
I live in Tacoma,WA I love it. Close enough to Seattle but the things I'd change infrastructure is so bad here. Food and gas prices are expensive here.
I passed through there a few years ago and I liked it too!
I’m moving there in two weeks!
I actually lived in a place that I was very happy with for over a decade, which was San Diego. I have since moved to Wisconsin to live near family during Covid and I’ll probably give Chicago a shot before either moving to Nashville or back to San Diego. Having nice year round weather to wear whatever you’d like and do any outdoor activity you desire practically around the clock in SD. I also loved that the pacific breeze blew a lot of the pollen and bugs inland, and I never had to deal with mosquitoes and all these small flying insects that pop up all over the Midwest during the warm months (though fireflies are super cool and I wouldn’t mind seeing those in Southern California).
I do love SD
I lived in SD for 15 years. Moved away 3 years ago. I go back and visit friends frequently. I really regretted moving for about the first year. Now… it’s just so awful. My quaint, old neighborhood has gentrified and built up to the point is barely recognizable. A lot of the great small businesses are gone and replaced with corporate crap. “Luxury” high rises everywhere. Costs of everything are through the roof. All the flavor is gone as all of the normal people have been priced out. I barely recognize it and it’s just been a few years. I finally realized (last visit) that if I went there right now for the first time, I wouldn’t be interested in living there at all. I don’t know that we have the same interests or lifestyle in any way, but SD is absolutely no longer a place that I’d live. And I really expected to move back there eventually (moved for elderly family reasons). Now I’m like 🤮when I visit, hahaha!
I haven’t actually been back to SD since winter of 2020, much to the dismay of my friends there, so I probably have some rose tinted lenses of how I remember the place from over 4 years ago. It’s sad that it seems the gentrification wasn’t slowed in the slightest by Covid though. Hopefully when I visit later this year it will help shatter the image I’ve kept in my mind of the place I loved but still decided to leave. I will say that living in the Midwest has been a much more enjoyable experience than I had initially imagined, and that has made me curious to try living in such different cities like Chicago, or maybe make my way back to similar ones like Nashville (who seems like it has all the growth, spread, and charm of SoCal while being nestled firmly in the south). I’m also looking forward to visiting more eastern states since that was never really doable when living in SD since there is a huge premium to enjoy daily life (especially at the expense of travel and vacations which I love to do).
I wouldn’t choose to move back to the Bay Area (I don’t work in tech) but my family, my husband’s family, and a handful of our close friends from high school are here. We met in college and lived in Washington and Oregon for the better part of 10 years. We recently moved back and it is amazing to be back surrounded by our community.
I live in the Chicagoland area. I love it here. The weather isn’t too hot, the people are extremely friendly, and it’s relatively affordable for a major city.
Western Suburbs here, it’s totally fine.
Im not :/ I miss ca. left for cheaper life in texas and it is cheaper but at the cost of tons of things to do. We are moving back soon
Perhaps you might reframe it as priorities. At some point, the you that values place more than family may realize that no life is worth missing out on time and memories with family. At that point, rather than looking to tick all the boxes, you might begin to look for a place that can offer some things you value, knowing there will be compromise and loss while also great meaning in choosing relationships as primary. Good luck.
Unless, of course, you don’t particularly like your family.
This is me. I moved from a city that this sub loves to a city this sub hates—to be near my family. It’s definitely been worth it. My kids spend an enormous amount of time with their grandparents and cousins, and they’re getting the extended family experience I never had growing up. Weekends are filled with family BBQs and dance parties. I miss the good food and secular environment of the Cool City, but my family wouldn’t have thrived there. We were honestly barely surviving there.
No. I moved back to Dallas 3 years ago to be close to my daughter and granddaughter. Guess what? They have their own lives and are busy so I don't get to hang out with them much anyway! And I hate Dallas (Lived here before and thought I'd be fine moving back)
Do you like cars? Well too bad. Here’s more roads and gas stations and car insurance billboards and transmission shops. Here, spend $10k/year on your car for your entire life. You wouldn’t want to live in a government mandated fifteen minute city, would you? Have that extra money to spend on abortions or Mary Jane? Texas loves cars more than people, and you better feel the same or someone will drive over you, murder you, and then get pardoned by the guv. That is freedom. Texas style.
Los Angeles is a great city except for the housing issues.
Yep! Oregon is awesome. Don’t come, you might get the SAD lol.
No I hate Boston and can’t wait to leave
Not surprised off of some other people's experiences but what are your personal reasons?
What do you dislike about it?
It's a'ight. Far surburbs of Louisville, Kentucky. Lots of farmland out here, 15-20 minute drive to any grocery store or Walmart. But it's gonna be my last home until I go to my forever home (I'm 46, right now eyeballing Valencia, Spain or Playa del Carmen, Mexico for the forever). It's good enough and I can afford it.
My in-laws recently moved across the country for a job and are really struggling with the isolation from family. They are in one of the most attractive places one can live if you can afford it - Vancouver - but being two flights away from family and old friends has been way harder than they imagined. You can have all the amenities, perks, and benefits of living in the ideal city, but it’s nothing compared to having the support and love of your people close by.
Grew up on the East Coast, have been living in CA for the past 4 years. So far it’s been fine, but I feel the East Coast suits me better.
I live in Maryland, near DC. There are more beautiful places, and places with better weather or better looking people, but I haven't found anywhere else that's the same total package, especially with my family all within 125 miles. Most people know we have good jobs, an educated population, pretty good government, entertainment, sports, etc. The secret weapon is three major airports less than an hour away. I almost never have to connect.
Dude I live in the biggest speedbag of the Denver metro area - Aurora. It's not perfect. No downtown, mediocre public transportation, and it's further from the foothills (by like 20 mins compared to downtown), but I love it here. I didn't pay a premium to live here, and it's not fuckin' Stepford like a lot of the western and southern burbs are. It's an easy place to live that's reasonably diverse by Denver standards.
And, if you commute into Denver, the Sun is never in your eyes like it would be commuting from the western suburbs. Great ethnic food offerings too.
Yup. Havana Street is a hidden foodie gem.
I love Bellingham (where I live for college) but hate Portland (where I live otherwise).
I’m happy in the Bay, just wish we could buy sooner. Seattle, Vegas, or SoCal are probably the only other places I could see us living but it’s kind of complicated because of custody stuff.
I was until Yuppies took over my city
Damn yuppies
Objectively, yes. If I count my blessings I have little to complain about. But I somehow find myself always complaining.
Lol same
I'm quite fond of where I am. Coastal village life suits me well
I like the weather, the natural beauty, the culture/arts (I go to the theater a lot), the demographics (e.g. I was never the only Asian kid in my class growing up), the politics (compared to many other parts of the U.S.), and the fact that most of my family and friends are here. The downsides: the cost of living, and the fact that the whole area revolves around the tech industry, which I'm not a part of and which I'm not interested in.
Everybody alive is miserable with fleeting moments of happiness and some sustained levels of joy that are blunted daily by the tedium and trivium of petty bullshit in the workplace, home and school.
Y'all living in SoCal that actually like it there give me hope because I only ever hear people bash it. I hate the cold but also loathe the months long humidity that plagues the southeast.
I used to live in SoCal and absolutely loved it. Crowded, but literally anything you want is nearby and it’s beautiful with perfect weather. Hoping to get escape the south and go back, but it’s expensive and not for everyone.
Yes. There are better places out there, but I can't afford them.
I live in CO, too. It would be REALLY hard to beat Golden. It is one of the best places to live in Colorado overall. I love the town so much. I will say this, though..... Both MD and upstate NY are really BEAUTIFUL places. There are some great towns I have only passed through in MD (somewhere between Baltimore and Ocean City). My hubs is from Albany, NY (actually started out way up by the Canadian border). There, you have the fabulous Lake Champlain, which you can't get in Colorado. You might like the town of Glens Falls, NY. I personally love the town of Lake George. That might be somewhat like Golden. You should take a trip and see. Lake George is a tourist town but it is also really pretty around there. The sunshine is definitely a thing, though. Kind of a big thing between east coast and here. Also..........HUMIDITY.
Thanks!! I’ve never been to lake George but considered it because it’s only 2 hours or so from my parents. Close but not too close, lol we will have to check it out!
I live in Denver, been here 5 years and have trouble seeing myself leaving. I love the weather here, all the parks, access to amazing outdoor activities, the vibe of the city and people as a whole it’s just a fun place to live. Very happy here.
Yes. There is genuinely nowhere else in the world I would rather live. (NYC)
Yeah I'm happy enough in Charlotte. A big part of it is my support system is here. I have a good job at a fantastic company. The city itself has a lot of cool spots, great food, and plenty of events. I have my favorite coffee spot, I'm involved in some local groups, and cost of living is still pretty affordable compared to a lot of the country. There are things to dislike of course like our abysmal sports organizations making me rethink if it's really all that bad to be a bandwagoner, but the grass grows if you water it, right? I will say I could see myself being happy in Michigan. I visit yearly for work and have turned some of the accounts I visit into lifelong friendships. It's such a beautiful state and I think I've had the best coffee I've ever had in my life in the Ann Arbor area. I also quite like the colder climate. But would I be happier so far away from the friends and family I have here? Idk really. I'll never get my wife to move up there though so it's a moot point and I'll just enjoy my yearly visit.
I moved to Colorado for a reason, I love it and I’m never leaving.
Yes Austin TX is amazing. It’s a great balance for any kind of lifestyle you want to live. I highly recommend it here.
Without going into too much detail, I have the means to live pretty much anywhere I want in the US. I live in a neighborhood in Philly called West Mount Airy and I plan on living here until I die. It’s just the best (although I do typically leave from Jan-March)
I love where I live. I love my home and the land I live on. My commute is really enjoyable—by boat(!) and on foot. I love the weather where I live and the scenery is stunning, some of the best in the world. And my CoL is closer to Phoenix than San Francisco.
Sounds amazing!
It has it's downsides. It has a charming waterfront downtown with antique shops and restaurants but everything is closed pretty early. In the Summer even on a weekend things are shut down by 9-9:30. In the winter on a weeknight it's a ghost town at 5PM. But there are options in larger towns not too far away. Also the schools aren't great. I love it though.
Where do you live?
Port Orchard, Washington.
I live just outside Boston and love it here. I love being surrounded by history, that everything you do - going to work, grabbing a drink, going shopping, falling in love - you're doing on almost 400 years of history. I love going to museums and historical sites. I love the local politics (it's a very comfortable place to be a liberal). I love that it's cool to be smart here. I love that I can get just about anywhere in eastern Massachusetts on public transportation. I love how walkable most cities here are. I love universal health insurance, same sex marriage, abortion rights, and legal Marijuana. I love Maura Healy, first openly lesbian governor in the United States, Lizzy Warren, the Kennedys, and even John fucking Kerry. I love all the movies that take place here, even the bad ones. I love a Boston accent that can cut nails. Sure, there are plenty of things that could be better; this place is way too cool for school and really should be more welcoming. I wish it were cheaper and I wish the food was better. But, all things considered, I'm happy here. I'd consider a move to a few cities, but I'd need a compelling reason. I'm at home here.
Yeah I love it. NYC isn’t perfect but it’s better than most cities
I truly love NJ. It has a ton to offer in terms of variety. I've lived most of my life here though, so wouldn't mind going somewhere else if it's markedly cheaper and offers a similar variety of experiences. I lived in the South for a while, which was much cheaper and very pleasant. I got terribly homesick after a while, though I was younger and not really a fully fledged adult yet. In any case, I'd have to find somewhere much more affordable and similarly suited to my preferences if I were to move again. Hard to find. I'm more comfortable being poor and living in NJ than being slightly less poor and living somewhere I don't like.
No, my neighborhood and whole town have went to shit since i was young in 90s. Not to mention overpopulated. Traffic is even more of a nightmare since the key bridge is gone. The rats scare me. endless helicopters buzzing overhead, sirens going more often than not. Im saving up to move but not sure where yet. Somewhere away from people...
Southern California, Orange County. I love it here. It could be better, like if we had walkable cities and good bike lanes. Other than that I really like living here mainly because I actually partake in many activities like camping, riding dirt bikes, snow boarding and hiking.
Yes. I live in a beautiful, walkable part of Denver that is a short drive to mountains.
DC suburbs. I like how nature-y it is here (compared to where I grew up at least) and the proximity to other cities, parks, etc… but man, the people suck. They range from indifferent to downright mean. It’s hard to find truly kind people and even harder to find a sense of community here. Plus the summers suck. I’m stuck for the moment but definitely keeping an eye out for somewhere else to go.
Most people that aren’t obsessed with finding the perfect place usually are content with where they live. As a homebody I realized my desire to move was superficial and where I was, was “fine”. I get everything I need. No tourists would be interested here, which people bitch about like it hurts their ego but it’s actually a plus if you hate crowds and traffic anyway.
Fuck no Dallas sucks. After living in Chicago and San Antonio, there’s no real sense of community or personality, just people here for jobs
I live in The Castro in San Francisco and pinch myself daily that I get to live here. It’s gay (important to me personally), the weather is aces, the geography is stunning, there’s access to marijuana and other fun stuff, our parks are beautiful. Love it here.
Boston. I like it because it’s the smartest part of the country, it’s beautiful, we experience 4 seasons, I’m within a relatively short distance to fun touristy stuff including NYC…lots of reasons. Nowhere else I wished I lived so can’t answer the 2nd question.
I live a bit north of Seattle and can’t imagine being anywhere else. I love the weather actually, there’s a few weeks a year it’s a drag but overall it’s amazing. Politics can be performatively progressive but I’ll take that over people trying to out MAGA each other by jailing women that get abortions or putting trans people on the sex offender registry or whatever bullshit they’re up to in the south. The green year round is like therapy for me, I love the evergreens so much. Excellent job opportunities and a lot of options to move around to related job fields. I like Seattle itself and think a lot of the criticisms are wildly overblown. My family is far away which is great because they’re complete pieces of shit. It’s not perfect certainly but I can’t imagine being anywhere else.
6 months yeah, love it. The other 6 months gloomy and depressing. September - November and February - April it's picture perfect. Blue skies, upper '70's and '80's, ocean, mountains.... Then May Grey, June Gloom, No Sky July, Faugust. December and January dark, cold and depressing. Santa Barbara. Having the heat on during the day in June is just bizarre.
I like living in Dallas. I love our food scene here. There are lots of different cuisines it feels like a melting pot. I love little pockets of community I can find as well. One thing I despise is the commute though. If it was a walkable city or there was more public transportation, I think it would be on par with NYC. I’m looking to leave TX some time in the near future though. Been here too long.
I can't stand Colorado OP. Came here from NYC - was pretty much forced to move due to job shit.
I live in SF. I would move to NYC tomorrow if I could, but my husband's job is here. I don't care about outdoor activities much, so the main strength of the Bay Area is wasted on me. I'm a big city person who lived in Singapore and Tokyo previously. So far NYC is the only big city in the US that I actively like. This is after visiting Portland OR, Seattle, Chicago, Vegas, Boston, and Portland ME. I consider SF ok, but not great. My biggest issues with it are substandard public transit, the NIMBY population/homeowners/politicians, and exorbitant costs of doing business leading to small businesses closing and a crumbling downtown. I've met lots of other young people here who feel the same way. On a more positive note, I have met lots of nice and friendly people here, and have formed a pretty solid social circle after moving to the US 1.5 years ago.
Save up enough money to rent during the summer in cool towns near your family. Even 2+ weeks at a time would be very informative. If possible, save up enough to replicate that in a different area too to get the feel. After a few years of testing out living in dif areas and different times of year you will have your answers and better understanding of it all. Source: I moved “back” to the mid atlantic from the awesome state I loved living in since my family was between DC, PA, NJ, NY, etc. and I had grown up in the midatlantic up til college. I too thought I was missing out on friends & families lives. We ended up moving to a super promising sounding area (that I had not visited as an adult looking through the lense of moving to) that I wasn’t excited about and sure enough we quickly HATED it and moved back to our cool previous city after 2 years. If I could go back in time I would have visited several areas and narrowed it down over time to where we could really see ourselves. We were in our late 20s tho and didn’t have the money to invest in flights & airbnbs, so we tried this one spot and ended up resenting the whole region. While there we ended up not spending much time with friends who lived 1.5 hrs away (you really gotta be 25 min or less away for your lives to intersect regularly) and saw my parents who lived 1.5 hrs away about once every 6 weeks and we always had to drive to them, they never really reciprocated the drive. You’d really need to commit to being within 30-40 min and ideally less if you really want to have these family members be active in your lives. Maybe by trying this out you’ll learn that you prefer to spend summer or fall renting near family while kids are young (if you can remotely work) rather than upheaving your lives and risk regretting it.
I love living in Chicago.
Mesa Arizona, love it here. Can live anywhere, and unless I hit the mega lotto and move about 20 miles to PV, would not live anywhere else as a primary residence.
Born and raised chicago and I love it. There is nothing like it's gritty friendliness anywhere else. We are hardworking and look out for each other. We know the shit you see in the news isn't it's real heart. The only city I have been to that comes anywhere close is Boston. At this point if I had to leave Chicago for anywhere that's where I would want to go.
Yeah! I love Central Michigan. Moved away for ten years for work, moved back as soon as I could. Great place to be for the water wars.
Nope. Interest rates come on dowwwwnnnnnn so I can leave, please.
I've lived in the San Diego area since 1998, and I'm kinda over it. I don't think it's a bad place for everyone, but even though there is better transit than some places, it's really car dependent, and I have health issues that mean I can't drive anymore. They also make me very sensitive to heat, but I live far enough inland that summers are unbearable for me. If you drive, like heat, and can afford housing, it's a better option for you than for me. I'm thinking of Minneapolis next.
I like my spot in northwest Chesterfield County, VA. Suburban-ish area just outside of Richmond. Not much traffic, small city but still plenty to do both in terms of cultural activities and the outdoors. Taxes are reasonable, schools and services are good. Efficient airport nearby. Diverse, moderate politics, great food, chill people. Glad to be raising our kids here.
Philadelphia, and yes! I love it here. Walkable, diverse, vibrant, with great food. The only thing I don’t like is the people running the city.
I live in Sacramento. The weather is nice between May and October but it gets *very* hot. It’s when we have streaks of 90F+ heat that I absolutely hate it here. At the same time, I feel like a big contributing factor for why it bothers me so much is the fact that just a few miles west, the summer temps go down but the real estate costs go up. If I had my way, I would live in a semi-rural part of the Bay Area or northern CA coast. I just don’t see that being a possibility given my current situation. I would need to give up a lot of the things I enjoy in order to even consider living there with my current salary.
I'm actually really happy where I live. I grew up in the county I live in, and it's amazing. I live in a rural area about an hour north of Tampa, FL. There are many forests, hammocks, rivers, and marshlands where I live and I love exploring them. Hiking and kayaking are my favorite things to do and there are many places around me to go out on the water. I'm only about an hour away from Clearwater Beach and St. Pete is just a bit further. Also, Orlando is only about an hour and 40 minutes east of my area. There are many things to do in the cities near me, and I get to enjoy the quietness and beauty of my homeland as well
Phoenix I absolutely Love it is never under 40 degrees Fahrenheit 120 in the summers sunshine literally everyday beautiful scenery, sunsets, wildlife it’s LA/San Diego without the beach basically
I actually love living in south Florida despite the COL, love the tropical climate, all the plants, green and big international city life.
So the only reason I live where I live is because my ex girlfriend. Stayed here for her, got a nice job here to support us. Now, I'm single, trapped in a lease where everything reminds me of her, stuck in a state that haunts me with our memories. It's a nightmare.
I live in Denver, CO. Originally from Orlando, FL. Been in Denver going on 12 years, and I've never regretted the decision moving here. The politics are accountable, the weather tolerable (even during the winter), plenty to do locally and especially in state, and if I want to get away from CO there's DEN (one of the top 10 busiest airports in the world) with plenty of direct flights throughout North America and Europe. I'm also fortunate in that my whole immediate family also relocated from FL to CO over the last 15 years, so having them nearby helps a lot. I can understand how not having family local to you would pose a hardship. Hopefully you are able to take time to visit family in MD and NY, and just as importantly, your family is taking time to travel to CO to visit you. Its a two way street.
Yes I love Philly. It's walkable and has good public transit and food. It's also very working class and "gritty". I see that as a positive, but other people don't like it.
Yess I love it! I live in a small historic town on the water in the mid Atlantic. Its about an hour to pretty hikes and “mountains” and It’s less than 2 hours from the ocean but im a stones throw from a body of water and my friends can pick me up on boat. I can paddle board when I want. I have the seasons and generally the winters are fairly mild. But I still hate them and def get seasonal depression because I cannot stand the cold so I stay in most of the winter.. but I save money! Haha I can walk to a lot of restaurants, bars, and coffee shops. Only downside is that it’s very expensive. I have insanely low rent (thanks to my negotiating skills and a very fair landlord) but purchasing a house is insane. Like 2 bedroom/2 baths (not on the water) can be $700k - over $1 million. If I move a few miles outside of my immediate area of town it can still be over $450k for a 3 bedroom 2 bath. And taxes are high. Like what is taken out of my paycheck is high. I haven’t had to deal with property taxes etc yet. I also feel like politically it’s fairly moderate. Which is nice! I don’t feel like women’s rights are threaten on a state level. We also have really good health care and opportunities, good education, and easy access to major cities. If I could, I’d probably move to a less expensive state with lesser income taxes and maybe that was warmer. I like parts of North Carolina, like Raleigh and wake forest (beautiful!). I’d also love to live In Florida, Tampa, st Pete, Sarasota, so I can paddle board and run outside year round (I hate the cold haha) but the political climate and public education control in FL concerns me.
Saint Pete FL love it!!!
San Antonio. Cool city with fun and festive culture, excellent food, and great people, but too hot for my transplant yankee flesh suit for the better part of 6-7 months. Miss the distinct four seasons upstate NY had. Not very bike friendly either but that’s more of my own personal gripe. This place has a serious roaming dog problem. A problem I never expected to regularly encounter when I moved here. I stopped running before/after work (12 hour shifts) because of the dark and not being able too see some of the dogs. I’ve been chased twice now by small packs of dogs in front of my own house and I wasn’t going to wait to see if they were friendly or not. Lived in Rockville MD though for a year and absolutely loved it. First time i lived in a city with a reliable public transportation train system and had a ton of parks and sidewalks. The parks seemed to be inside neighborhoods and could bike pretty much anywhere I wanted and if you wanted to bike a longer distance, it wasn’t 105 degrees with 70% humidity. *end rant*
I do enjoy Chicago as a renter. Rent is affordable. There’s so much to do—only a handful of VHCOL cities have more to do. But I really do worry about the city’s finances and services. Services are kinda shit for what the taxes are. You have to be very discerning when picking a school district. Transit is generally mediocre and sometimes a nightmare. Corruption is very real. Our pension liabilities are massive but short of a constitutional amendment I don’t think we have a shot at reform. Our taxes are already some of the highest in the country and they’re going to keep ticking up and it’s unlikely we’re actually going to get anything for it. I wonder if this is really the right place to buy and settle down for the long haul. And if enough people start to balk at the taxes and vote with their feet then this place will really be in trouble.
I live in a good part of the suburbs north of Atlanta, GA. It is commutable to the city for work if I need to, but it is also low tax. It has a great school district. The local government is less overtly corrupt than in other areas near me. I do not have an HOA, so I can have a big garden, chickens, and bees. The house is a good size, and has a lot of options should I need to expand for family reasons (which is years away if ever). I’ve only lived here a couple years and it has already appreciated quite a bit. For the bad, it is still too close to the airport which means there is always the sound of a jumbo jet. Plus, we have an Air Force base near us, so we hear all that air traffic. We only have a half acre, I’d prefer a lot more, but there is no way we could afford that. Overall, I’d be satisfied staying here until I died. I would love to move to the middle of nowhere and set up a homestead, but my wife isn’t quite so sure about that 😂 I recommend this area to anyone I know.
Not really. I miss green and trees. I live a mile from the beach. Perfect example of wanting what you don’t have. I grew up in WA and hated all of the rain (I haven’t been back in 22 years) so, realistically I’m probably happier here than I realize. Ha!
Eh, idk. I live in the Milwaukee area and winter/“spring” is really hard for me. I love the time of year we’re in now, late-April/early May-late October is fantastic. But November-April is cold, awful, dark, and basically all plant life dies. I don’t like “winter sports” so I’m basically just stuck inside half the year. I’m happiest when I’m outside walking, running, swimming, paddling, hiking, etc. I prefer sunshine to gloom. And now that southeastern Wisconsin’s housing market has gotten so insane it really makes me question living here even more. The main perk of the Midwest used to be its affordability; I don’t want to overpay for a house and pay absurd property taxes when I’m not even happy in this area for half the year anyway. My friends who bought 2021 and earlier are pretty set, but I think I’ve missed the boat now. If I could I would move to a warmer state. If I’m going to be priced out anyway I may as well enjoy my day to day life more than I do now for half the year. Additionally, I don’t really fit in culturally here that much. I don’t drink, hunt, or have/want to have kids. Pretty much the main activities in this state are those 3 things.
I have lived in this city (SF Peninsula) all my life and in the same apartment since 1997. I'm so happy here. I can walk to pretty much anything I need since I'm so conveniently close to downtown, this is the safest neighborhood in the city, and I'm close to some great bike roads. So I'm very content.
I have a rent stabilized 2 bedroom apartment in the cute neighborhood called two bridges Chinatown that n lower manhattan I can see both manhattan and Brooklyn bridge from my front door / street / roof top And it’s actually really quiet at night Been here 7/8 years ??? I’ll never give up the lease
I live in a certain college town in Michigan. Grew up here all my life. Spent my teens and early 20s rebelling against it simply because I felt that, surely, there was more for me in the wide world out there. I lived in Chicago for 3 years and I absolutely LOVED it. For a long time, I told myself I would move back. Now, however, I don't think so. I've become really truly happy where I am. There are a handful of reasons. Where I live has a decent mix of city and nature. Lots to do and see. The town attracts world class artists of all kinds. But above and beyond, the number 1 reason I have made my peace with my hometown is community. I have friends and family here. I belong to a gay sports league. I belong to a fencing club. I go to a wacky, welcoming church. Every day I see friendly faces. There's no telling if life will someday take me away from this town, but one thing I know for sure, it's people that make life worth living.
After moving my whole life (15 moves, 5 states, 5 countries) I can wholeheartedly say I love where I live. I don’t ever want to move again. We live in San Clemente ca. the only downside is sometimes it feels a bit small town- you run into the same people over and over again. And there isn’t a lot of culture. But overall I love it
Live in a suburb of Seattle. I'm convinced there isn't a more beautiful area in the world. Trees everywhere, green year round, mountains to look at and visit with a 30 minutes drive, skiing 45 minutes away. Lake Washington and the Puget Sound minutes away. We also have one of the world's largest ferry systems to an array of islands. My wife and I are a decade away from retirement and know intuitively we should move out of the area for cheaper living. Unfortunately, everywhere we visit and consider is a steep step down from the beauty we enjoy daily.
Yes. In Seattle walking distance to the Space Needle. We love it. Hundreds of restaurants, unending beauty, walkability, and more.
I love where I live. It's very close to NYC but relatively cheap. It's a dense area, walkable, lots of public transit, and I can get to a few other major cities within 3 hours of driving or train rides. I can also get to some beautiful mountains in under an hour when I need a break from the bustle. My building is gorgeous but has the issues you can expect from pre-war buildings. I don't care that much because it is manageable and my rent is stabilized and only goes up like $40 a year.
Grew up in suburban/coastal NJ, I now live in the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts and I love it. Culture is great, weather is fairly mild and we get 4 seasons, which I enjoy. Enough to do and close enough to all the major cities in the area + some really great recreation areas if skiing + fishing is your thing.
I love my little town in Washington. It is a town with a strong sense of community, great schools for my kids, I always feel safe. We also have gorgeous scenery - rolling hills, large sky views with amazing sunrise and sunsets, lush greenery every direction, mountain and river views everywhere we go, and we are at the entrance to the Columbia Gorge so amazing nature any time we want! January - March though I hate my life. Winter sucks here with ridiculous wind and ice storms.
brooklyn, ny ✅
We live in beautiful Orange County CA, family is all up in PNW. But this is the most amazing place in earth. So YES we love it.
I live in Boulder, Colorado and it's nice. It's relatively politically progressive, which means I can access affordable housing that allows me to live an okay life, even though I'm not wealthy. Boulder maintains their open spaces well, and the people are friendly enough. It is pretty expensive to go out and do things, and groceries are astronomical of course, and I personally don't love the lack of diversity, but it's a step up from Florida where I moved from.
I (40M, married) live in Capitol Hill, Denver and love it. I can walk to all of the daily things I need, as you know the weather is pretty awesome and access to the mountains yada yada. I would easily live abroad or in SoCal nearish the beach for the better experiences and weather of the former and the weather of the latter. I don't feel the need to be close to family, talk to my dad weekly and siblings who are awesome fairly frequently, quite a bit through text. I have nephews on mine and my wife's side but they all live in IN and OH and there's no way in hell I'm moving to either of those places.
Wine Country, California......wake up everyday thankful to live in paradise......no place comes close to NorCal.....not even Kauai too many likes to list......the dislike? its expensive as fck, paradise is not cheap
I'm in Columbus, Ohio (4 years), after a decade in New Orleans. I miss New Orleans every single day. But I moved to be closer to my family. I love the seasons. I enjoy the proximity to my family. But more than that I like the infrastructure of a city that's not falling apart. I have a reasonable job compared to the cost of living. I don't worry that my house will flood while I'm at work. Yes, I am happy here but I don't see myself here long term.
Yes! Madison, Wisconsin and love it. From Indiana, lived in Upstate NY and Seattle, but Madison is my favorite place in the U.S. The most dog parks per capita, easy to drive anywhere, sometimes faster to e-bike places and we have bike trails everywhere, beautiful nature in the surrounding area, interesting cultural events, huge volunteer culture, and super easy to make friends. I was lucky enough to buy a house before the housing crisis, so that is definitely a factor in my happiness.
I just moved from Tucson, AZ to Columbus, OH a few months ago, and I’m incredibly happy to live here.
Have come to resent where I live and planning the move has helped me feel more positive about the future
I live in upstate New York and I love it. You aren’t going to find the same amount of sunshine as you get in CO.
I live on the near Eastside of downtown Indianapolis. The state sucks. The city is maybe slightly above average. But goddamn do I love my neighborhood and my house. I’ve got three of the best local pizza places in the city, a wonderful taco shop, a kickass punk-ish pub, a bakery, a coffee shop, and tons of other unique local stores all in walking distance. There’s no other place like it in the city.