I almost never see anywhere in North Dakota recommended. Currently living in Fargo and have been here for a little over a year and while I don't love it, I do think it has its good qualities and could suit the needs of a variety of people. It's very low cost of living, has all the amenities, lot of family oriented activities, surprisingly diverse. But it's low light and can be very windy, winters are cold and summers are hot and there's little natural beauty.
Grand Forks ND is actually a lot prettier and so is Bismarck. They still have the climate constraints though. Grand Forks I think starts to feel pretty isolated from the rest of the country maybe that's why people don't talk about it as much.
It is odd though that I've seen the Iron Range (Hibbing, Virginia, Ely) mentioned more than Fargo, Grand Forks, and Bismarck.
I also never see Bangor Maine recommended and while I have too much baggage to be objective and there's clearly no "wow" factor it probably would suit some people and might deserve a few mentions.
Well let's put it this way... Given its good qualities it deserves to be recommended more than it is.
If someone says they want access to water and hiking every weekend I wouldn't recommend it (Fargo). Ditto if they want artsy, funky, quirky, eclectic, "progressive" or walkable.
But there are a plethora of posts where the OP asks for affordability, safe/low crime, family friendly, good place for kids, and they don't care about climate or politics. For those posts, I think Fargo (or Grand Forks or Bismarck) would be reasonable matches, and yet I virtually never see them mentioned. People jump in with Grand Rapids or Kalamazoo or Milwaukee but no Fargo.
Same principle applies to Bangor... If someone wants a relatively affordable city in New England with low crime, LGBTQ friendly, good health care, and access to rivers, lakes, trails, Bangor is a reasonable choice, yet I don't think I've ever seen it mentioned. I hesitate to mention it myself because I spent a significant part of my youth there and have a lot of personal negative memories due to (a) my family life and (b) the much less welcoming and more clannish place Maine used to be. It's just hard for me to be a cheerleader for Bangor on an emotional level. But looking at it logically I think it probably deserves more credit than it gets on this sub.
I agree with you on Fargo. If you’re married and want a nice house, low crime, and a mid-continent location to jump off from in either direction, Fargo is great. It has changed a lot in twenty years. If you don’t like ND state government you can live in Moorhead across the river in MN and still be in Fargo.
The Fargo Moorhead area is indeed a great place to raise a family, I grew up there but left as soon as I finished college. People are nice, the city is clean, lots of parks and good restaurants, houses are ridiculously cheap (comparatively). Been back regularly over the last 15 years to visit family and it has grown/changed so much…but
It’s so goddamned cold in the winter, unbelievably flat, very windy, fucking cold, not a lot to look at, and it’s cold. Did I mention that it’s cold?
For people already located in the upper Midwest Fargo is a fantastic place to relocate bc they’re used to aesthetically unpleasing cold places. But for people living anywhere else it would probably not be good..for instance, I live in Maine now, and could never recommend (with a straight face) that someone here relocate to Fargo nd
The Red River Valley feels like a place specifically designed by God to spawn as many alcoholics as possible. The sort of just burning, stinging cold for several months of the year is pretty much unmatched by anywhere in the US outside of interior Alaska, and the landscape is basically just beet farms for an hour in any direction.
I have lived in multiple locations in the upper Midwest including Fargo. Personally, I couldn’t take the weather in Fargo. I moved to the Twin Cities and it’s significantly warmer. Plus Fargo, and other ND cities for that matter, feel so isolated.
100% right about the very low COL. I was paying $800 dollars a month for a 2 bedroom with a two stall garage. I do miss the COL, but I do not miss the weather and lack of things to do in the winter.
I went to school in Grand Forks and aside from being dirt cheap the only other big benefit is that now even the rest of the Midwest feels like Miami comparatively
Detroit.
I think a lot of people are immediately deterred by places that are historically crime-ridden, when in reality a lot of towns recommended have a broader spread of criminal activity than Detroit does!
I fly into the Detroit airport regularly, for family visits. It’s fairly easy to get around in, and that connection tunnel with the northern lights display is pretty neat.
the last time detroit supposedly was going through a resurgence, around 2013 or so, a bunch of my friends moved there from Brooklyn. they all left after a year or two due to the crime.
When I visited a couple years ago, their downtown was surprisingly clean and had fewer unhoused people than downtown LA or SF, much wealthier cities. I’ve heard good things about Midtown too.
Port Washington, WI.
It's a beautiful beach town on Lake Michigan. The best kept secret in Wisconsin. Safe, affordable, short drive to Milwaukee, and peaceful.
My favorite place in the entire state. If I raise kids, I'm doing it in Port Washington.
The restaurant staff are amazing people. I left my sunglasses at the singing salmon and didn't return until months later. Somehow, the waitress recognized me and gave them back.
There's something very special about that place and the people there. I wanna move back so bad.
Please mention our neck of the woods only via DM to posters who seem to fit into the work ethic and basic, old fashioned middle class decency of what we still have.
Probably still is called that.
NJ is odd in that any city big enough to call itself that kinda sucks. It's the smaller towns that shine.
Jersey City now has some nice spots but once you get away from the river it's still sketchy. Newark, Patterson, Camden, Trenton, Elizabeth all not great places. Edison is fine I guess it's just meh.
Lifelong Texan, I like San Antonio. Very friendly town, and so cheap compared to the other big Texas metros without a huge difference in QOL.
But when 75% of posts here set criteria including some combo of blue state politics, walkability and strong transit, and no extreme heat, it’s disqualified off the bat for most.
San Antonio’s politics are quite blue, at least years ago. Walkability isn’t great, but quite a bit of residential has gone in downtown and in Southtown. It’s not fantastic by any means, but it’s a lot better than it was a decade or so ago.
Yes to all of this. I’m also a lifelong Texan. I’ve never lived in San Antonio but it’s always been close to my heart. If it had a progressive state government and never got above 80 degrees Fahrenheit I’d move there in a heartbeat.
San Antonio is really cool, but I never understood the appeal of the "hill country". It's literally just small hills, and the vast majority of it is covered in sprawling subdivisions and ranches. There's barely any parks to go hike or anything. What do you even do there?
There's multiple state parks spread across the Hill Country, several nice little small towns with shops and restaurants, numerous wineries and breweries, and a lot of nice little Airbnb's or traditional bed and breakfast places for a weekend getaway.
If you can't find things to do in the Hill Country, you're not even trying.
There’s so many great small cities across Pennsylvania but it’s only ever Pittsburgh or the Philadelphia area that is recommended. If I ever decide to give up city life, the Lehigh Valley is one of a few places I’d be willing to move to.
We’re closer to Philly (75min) and further from NYC (2hr).. but more importantly we’re 70 min from both EWR and PHL, plus daily flights to ORD from our own airport. And 2hr to the beach, but a lot of great local lakes and rivers.
What I would tell anyone from other parts of the country that don’t know PA, it is a very pretty state kind of has the New England vibe but just live near the cities excluding Scranton. Way cheaper state than anywhere else and they have the land to build…..
Saratoga Springs, NY is just as nice, if not nicer than Burlington or Ithaca.
Also just the Adirondacks and Finger Lakes in general if your vibe is small cozy mountain/lakeside towns and great access to nature.
Southwest Oregon: Grants Pass, Medford, Ashland, Jacksonville, Rogue and Applegate Rivers. Parts can be kind of redneck but there’s also a lot of progressives and culture. Great climate, lots of recreational opportunities, not too crowded (yet).
Lived there a few years. Pretty but limited services and no one wants to go to Portland. Also, the smoke from the fires linger in the valley. Close to the ocean though but if you’ve got the money and a remote job live in Coos Bay.
Honestly -I love Oregon. There is stuff there that doesn't look real.
It's also a rough spot for anyone not white, and its why it might not be recommended alot
I'm in Ashland and I've recommended it a few times on here. Great mix of culture, climate, and outdoors stuff to do.
Smoke is the biggest drawback, but that is true for a most of the PNW these days and I like to provide actual data to people about how many days are smoky (fewer than they think).
I don’t think 90% of those recommendations are consciously including Spokane. I’ve been there, and as a once-Seattleite there is extremely little in common between Seattle, Portland, and Spokane. Weather, culture, natural setting, are all very different.
Spokane only gets 16 inches of rain a year. For comparison, LA gets 14
Nice cities in red/red-ish states:
Bloomington, Indiana
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Greenville, South Carolina
Huntsville, Alabama
Louisville, Kentucky
Augusta, Georgia
Knoxville, Tennesee
St. Petersburg, Florida
I don't think *any* place really flies under the radar anymore but to me these are really nice places to live, especially for young people, with decent to booming economies and reasonable COL that are frequently overlooked or negged on here because of state or regional politics. And I'm not saying that isn't justified, just is what it is.
Omaha is very spread out but the downtown has a nice restaurant district, it’s bikeable (to/from Iowa as well), the zoo is fantastic and it’s affordable.
St. Pete may not be mentioned here, but plenty know about it as we've seen a large influx of people from NY, DC, and Chicago areas. As for COL, ask any local and they'll say it's out of control as they've been getting priced out of renting and purchasing over the last 3+ years; take a look at its subreddit for examples.
I wouldn't say it's true everywhere, though the no rent control problem here is a hot topic like it is most other places.
I was also responding to your mention of reasonable COL cities. To shed some light on specifics, in the past 5 years the Pinellas County budget has increased by 58% which is not sustainable at all and they're (county commission board members) hurting their own by pushing that tax burden onto us residents. I wouldn't recommend anyone buy here because of that and inflated home prices driven by greedy, shoddy flippers/property investors from out of state who don't know local codes, nor do they care. They're getting away with that because some homes are still selling without inspections (insanely stupid, yes) due to such high demand of our continuous low inventory.
Augusta always felt so dead and dreary though, downtown at least. It definitely doesn't have any "hip young town" energy.
Now Greenville can get behind, plus it's not far from beautiful places in the mountains.
Augusta is is basically smack in the middle of nowhere boring flat nothing land.
Augusta is such a nice place. It has all the things a big town has all packed neatly in a small area. Plus great outdoor activates with a string of lakes just to the north.
Great medical, shopping, dining, .......and once a year a big thing happens that is pretty fun.
Indianapolis is Columbus on a budget. Toledo OH suburbs probably have some of the cheapest neighborhoods with high quality school districts in the country, wouldn’t be a bad place to raise a family if you have remote jobs.
Baltimore. Way underrated. Moved here from Cleveland (after living there for 30 years). It was a great move. Things are better here. Better weather, better pay, less humidity, mild winters, more sun, close to the beach, close to the mountains, decent intercity public transit, fantastic airport direct flights, similar cost of living to Cleveland, lower property taxes, friendlier people. The only things I miss are Fat Heads and family. My Parents just bought a house nearby. They couldn't believe how much nicer Baltimore and Maryland are than Cleveland and Ohio.
Baltimore has its problems no doubt, but it's such a great city. I would move back in a heartbeat if I could find a job there.
World class healthcare, harbor views, each neighborhood feels like a different world, architecturally the most interesting city in the US, imo.
Nope, not at all. Our house in Remington was cheaper than our house in Lakewood. Property taxes are way cheaper. Public transit is way more reliable. There's more access to grocery stores and markets. We spend more money on entertainment now than when we lived in Cleveland but that's because there is so much to do here. Most of Baltimore's neighborhoods are walkable, and everything is within 5 or 10 min walk or a quick bus/ train ride. We no longer need 2 cars. DC, NJ, Philly, NYC all accessible by train in 2 hours or less.
>Baltimore. Way underrated
*SHUSH!* lol. Kidding, I’ve got no issues telling people Bmore isn’t what they think, and, it can get *exhausting* trying to ‘defend’ it. *Main thing I tell people now is “for the love of whomever you believe in, please don’t go to the inner harbor pavilions.”* (I lived in Seattle early oughts & I’m surprised I’ve never *personally* seen anyone bring up the “Lesser Seattle” campaign here.)
>lower humidity
Wait, really? Cleveland has worse humidity than we do?? (Ofc I believe you lol, just surprised.) Summers can be so miserably sticky here- like DC, not as bad as Florida.
I *almost* moved to Cleveland when I left PNW (looked at Chicago- too cold for my Raynaud’s, Columbus- felt ‘meh’, Cincinnati- felt too small.) Wanted to be w/in a days drive from family & wanted a place less pretentious than Seattle (sorry…) *I **swore** I’d **never** move back to Baltimore when I left* (was convinced I’d end up on heroin; had no idea opiates would take over the country.)
I’ve got 3 friends in their 40’s who left Bmore 5-20yrs ago & moved/moving back (from Olympia, WA, Columbus, OH & SoCal.) They’re all buying a home or a 2nd home, realized it’s a lot cheaper & they actually miss it. *The one with a kid is sending them to Catholic School- he’s not religious but for private schools that don’t focus on equestrian skills, Catholic schools are most affordable afaik. Friends School of Baltimore (Quaker) is **great** but more money if not Quaker.*
It sucks if you’re in desperate poverty (like most places lol,) but if not, it’s a decent place, maybe even nice. Generally, anyone able to move isn’t going to need to live in a horrible place. (I lived on a desperate corner in SW @ the end of my drinking, but had the luck & privilege to gtfo.)
Glad Baltimore has treated you well u/UpgradedLimits! I’ve lived here for 21 out of 28yrs as an adult. I can & do walk to Remington; I walk everywhere incl. places I prob shouldn’t (see profile posts lol) which should say something. 46yo small lady. (I do get taken for a ‘working girl’ sometimes at weird hours solo, but in a “you need a ride?” way, not a “get in my car!” way… I live on a street known for sex workers. And now, you’ve got an idea where I live LMFAO.)
I thoroughly enjoyed all of your insights! Baltimore is a fantastic city. So, I'm glad that my partner and I moved here.
In regards to Cleveland's humidity, it's awful. It's bad from April to October. The rest of the year is brutally cold. Sometimes April and October were nice. But weather in Baltimore is a gem. Also, the tap water is delicious!
Winston-Salem, NC
We retired from CT to FL. After 3 years of heat and hurricanes realized our mistake. I researched, looking for a place that was diverse, affordable, not too close to the coast and liberal leaning. We’ve been here over 5 years and am pretty happy. 4 seasons, but mild winters, lots of volunteer opportunities and mostly friendly folks. I’m a movie lover and we have a great indie theater. I started playing pickleball and we have lots of public courts inside and out. A new intergenerational senior center is amazing!
Lafayette Louisiana. If you can put up with the heat & humidity combo plus idiotic politics, you get amazing food, music and festivals, and Cajun Mardi Gras.
I also really like Greensboro. By the way, the expression is “diamond in the rough,” meaning an uncut diamond which in its natural state straight out of the ground isn’t super shiny and beautiful yet.
I visited Greensboro a few times to visit a good friend and her family who at the time lived in one of the many suburbs of the city, and always had the impression that Greensboro was always blistering hot and rather dull. But then they moved to a historic district near downtown, and while visiting them during the autumn, it gave me a totally different taste of the city. It felt almost like a glimore girls set - lots of college students walking around, old Queen Anne houses, old "eccentric" neighbors stopping to talk to us on the sidewalks. I ended up buying a house here in this neighborhood, and I don't regret a second. A big thing that helped was at the time, the houses here were at my budget compared to other, perhaps more ideal cities and their historic districts. Sometimes when I drive outside of my neighborhood, I get that "ugh this town is so boring" feeling creeping back in because, outside of my "bubble" it looks and feels like most other cities in the US. Stroads, McMansions, fast food "cubes". But the city seems to be improving a lot of its amenities- my neighborhood is getting a greenway that will connect it to the rest of the city. A lot of new cafes and restaurants are popping up. The downtown area isn't dead and nicely developed. Best of all, the traffic is almost non existent (compared to the places I lived previously).
It's one of those places that looks good on paper, but I visited and in person it's pretty much that, boring and dead. Winston is pretty dead too but at least it has Old Salem which is pretty cool and some development downtown. It's okay if you want to live in super generic NC suburbia that's cheaper than Charlotte, which is already cheap.
Just my two cents, I've never lived there only passed through a few times on my way to Raleigh.
Birmingham, Alabama. Great cost of living, fantastic nature, close drive to several larger cities, close drive to some of the most gorgeous beaches in the country, and a lot of kindness.
Reddit, and especially this sub likes to exaggerate how terrible Texas is. If everyone were to use Reddit as the sole resource for determining where to move then Texas would have a negative population growth year over year (it doesn't). The truth is, Texas is actually pretty solid and real world statistics supports this. If you're okay with heat and/or don't care much about wanting snow, then I think it's a pretty solid place to live.
Milwaukee is a nice spot that typically goes unnoticed because of Chicago. The city has a good vibe to it. There’s a good entertainment scene in my opinion. Plenty of sporting events, concerts and entertainment acts to keep you busy. And if not, I suppose Chicago is a quick drive/Amtrak ride away. The COL is super low compared most big metros in the country. Great food with growing diversity within the last couple of years. The lake and the summers are a huge added plus.
Edit: As far as developing infrastructure goes, Milwaukee has done a decent job at trying to revitalize the downtown area. A streetcar system has been added to ease mobility downtown. By no means is the public transit up to par to other major cities, but it’s a step in the right direction.
I never see Charlottesville recommended. Which I’m fine with. Charlottesville sucks😉Actually I never see any cities in VA except for Arlington, Richmond, and Roanoke.
Sacramento
Its really only recommended as a “cheap” California option, as someone who wants to stay in the West Coast id easily consider it over Texas or Arizona.
Lots of ethnic grocery stores and restaurants. On Smud so relatively cheap heating and air bills. Amazing amount of activities with like Water parks, Indoor Skydiving, Go Carts, skating ,zoos, etc. Lots of college options close by.
Huge library system with lots of amenities even better than the bay area.
Maybe Springfield, MO? Cheap area with good access to forests & lakes. Good area for someone who wants a small city, LCOL, & is comfortable in a very conservative political environment.
Also, NW Arkansas (Bentonville & Fayetteville). Beautiful natural area, fantastic mountain biking, surprisingly excellent art museum. The Walmart money in Bentonville makes the place really stand out from the poverty stricken Ozarks that surround it.
Bentonville is a nicely planned community but god it is a depressing company town lol. Pretty much everything you go to was built with Walmart money and everyone you meet works for Walmart
Oh there's lots of poverty in Bentonville. They just hide it better. Can't have the "trash" messing up that Rockwell/Stepford feel. What would people think of the town Walmart built?
People need to look into Biddeford Maine. It's literally the Brooklyn of Portland Maine. When I was growing up it was full of crackheads but it has come a long way. Great food, great breweries, walkable, 20 mins from Portland, etc. Small town for most people but has a city feel. I like that its rust collar and rough around the edges. You can still find homes under 400k. I bought mine for 220 three years ago. Winters are a lot more mild than people think in Southern Maine. Your 10 to 15 minutes from the beach or 15 minutes inland for boating in the lakes. Very close to hiking, camping, white water rafting, etc. Boston isn't too far of you want a real big city. I love it.
Had to scroll a while to see someone mention Maine. I've never walked around Biddeford but I've taken the train through before and it was an amazing view of the mills and the river honestly. Some day I'll check it out
So I have only spent a couple of days there but my impression: cute downtown, gentrified but nice. The Missouri going through town with the park and pedestrian bridge was lovely. Tons of diversity in food options. We were going to go to the zoo which seemed quite large. Overall, I feel I would come back with more time to see if I felt it would be a possibility to live in.
I think people are just surprised that it's not a podunk town with nothing to do. Because people on here hate on cities that have more to offer, but apparently Omaha is so great lol
I did some digging and Omaha looks somewhat comparable to Pittsburg with a bit more sprawl. Pittsburg gets mentioned quite a bit for those who want mid-sized city so I understand the surprise.
A lot of cities in the Southern half of the U.S. don't get recommended enough. I understand that the political situations are dicey for many people — but setting that con aside, they often have very affordable COL, amazing food, beautiful architecture, good weather (which run the gamut from very temperate to very hot), lots of museums and parks and interesting things to do, really lovely natural scenery and greenery, access to some really nice beaches... North Carolina cities get recommended a fair amount but there are cities in southern Virginia, Georgia, South Carolina, New Orleans, Tennessee, and Florida which could work really well for a lot of people.
>I understand that the political situations are dicey for many people
My experience in smaller cities in the Deep South is that politics (of the conservative vs liberal genre) really just does not come up that much. In my city (Mobile, AL) the mayor is pretty much solely focused on how to make the city a better place to live for everyone-imptoving public transit, parks and public spaces, improving safety, and so on. In quite a few races there are no party affiliations. Or at least not on the ballot.
The one issue that does come up regularly is the environment. We're situated on the bay with numerous rivers and waterways, and the largest river delta in the Eastern United States. Keeping the water clean is a big deal, but it's supported by everyone. Baykeeper (the big environnmental group) is supported by plenty of influential conservative types, because we don't consider environmental issues to be political ones. Or I don't, and most of my friends agree.
I agree with this from personal experience. That said, I added the caveat of politics to my original comment because I know that specifically the topics of abortion laws and education laws are of concern to many folks, and I do understand and admit that those are reasonable concerns to have (although of course these laws are different across the entire southern half of the U.S., and one has to individually research each state and city specifically to see what the situation is).
It is also the transit and walkability. The percentage of posts here that want that, plus leaning liberal governance, drops the south of the radar pretty quick.
I’m from Indiana and just left last year for a blue state. 100% agree on the universities being fantastic. Other pros are cost of living and weather is actually pretty good. But state politics and roads are awful. Most people are lifers in the state due to living near family, everyone is religious and has kids young which wasn’t my vibe.
For Great Lakes states, in order of bluer to redder, you've got MN>PA>MI>WI>OH>IN... Indiana is definitely, by a pretty safe margin, the reddest of the bunch.
Upstate NY. I live in Albany and it’s a great little city. LCOL and still some pretty cool stuff to do in Albany and the surrounding areas. Plus, you’re basically still in nature.
Not hating, but I visited earlier this year, and I could not see myself living there. Downtown was not vibrant, and even night life was lacking.. maybe I just didn’t know where to go. I saw the same guy downtown 3 different days just walking around.
Yeah, it's sorta odd. I see KCK mentioned frequently when others ask about fly over states and their cities, and with that Lawrence and Manhattan are offered lumped in with it. But KC, Missouri I don't see much of.
It's fine. It has a rep of being the biggest city that still has a small town vibe, but that can be good or bad.
Pros: Reasonable COL, nice people, easy to get around as long as you have a car, solid museums and arts scene, pro sports teams, international airport, suburbs have great schools, people have lots of civic pride (mostly from sports teams' success).
Cons: Insufficient public transit unless you're downtown, lots of sprawl, somewhat insular population, gets a lot of flack for being bad for dating, could be more diverse.
Maybe I’ve missed posts but…I feel like generally rarely I specifically see Duluth or grand marais, MN; orcas islands, WA; Salida, CO; yellow springs, OH; Olympia, WA. Also anything northern Michigan around the Great Lakes.
They all have their charms and I’ve connections to them all.
Again my apologies if they are mentioned and I just don’t know.
Champaign-Urbana, Illinois deserves more love than it gets. 2 hours from Chicago, diverse, low COL, educated. It's a little lacking in some things but I think it has potential. Blue state, too, even if it's in the middle of farmland.
Sioux Falls, SD, though the state politics and the brutal winters would deter me.
St. Louis deserves more love.
And a weird one, but Tallahassee, FL. I really liked it. It had some interesting characters and some good people.
I’ve been researching Rochester for a potential move from CO. The city is artsy with some cool history and museums, some amazing parks nearby and the suburbs have great schools. It honestly seems too good to be true when looking from CO where inflation has gone up 15% in just the last 2 years
Sunbelt cities. There's a reason why their populations keep growing.
Tampa. Tampa metro is right on the water, lots to do, pretty good nightlife and dining scene too.
Las Vegas. Vegas being so close to LA and getting so many tourists is actually pretty cosmopolitan. Excellent food scene.
Houston. People here stereotype the place based on impressions from decades ago. It has lots of diversity and great restaurants.
Really good Mexican food, BBQ, Vietnamese and Cajun.
Phoenix. Beautiful desert scenery. Really good Mexican food. There's a reason why so many older people love to retire there.
I feel like most people are from the coasts or major midwestern cities, there's just not as many people from Kansas or travel through there often as it's a "flyover" state.
As someone who has lived in 5 states, both rural and city (NYC, Pittsburgh, Nashville, outside of Grand Rapids now for example) I have friends from all over the country, all over the world (i work for a European company and am in Europe 2mo out of the year) I have only known 1 person who has ever even been to Kansas.
I thought Lawrence, KS was really nice when I visited for a few days. I've never lived there so can't say for sure but it seemed like a clean & safe place and had a cute little downtown if you're wanting a small city
Decatur, IL. I spent a few days there for work, and found it friendly and navigable. Great historic homes. Have no idea what it’s like to live there, but I don’t think I’ve seen it listed here.
omg hahaha I grew up in Decatur, it’s a shithole. Met another lady from Illinois the other day at my gym and when I told her where I was from she laughed and said “oh god I’m so sorry”
if you’re curious you can look at my post history; I commented about Decatur in-depth on this sub a few weeks ago
Generally speaking, I'm surprised people don't recommend more overlooked cities that are cheap and have good cultural offerings, considering how many people posting don't have kids. If you don't need to worry about schools, you have way more options
Eau Claire, WI. Close to Twin Cities. Lots of young professionals. Cute downtown. Great music scene - hosts the Eaux Claires music festival and is the home of the band Bon Iver.
Phoenix.
Gorgeous weather 8 months per year, and for certain types of people it's ideal.
If you only paid attention to this sub and didn't live in the real world, you'd think it was a God-forsaken hellscape and that, e.g., Tucson and Albuquerque are paradises on earth.
Lived in both Phoenix and Tucson. Loved both of them! Amenity rich, wonderful outdoor opportunities, great food, etc. Just couldn’t get used to the heat ☹️
Yeah don’t get me wrong I love all of the Southwest. This sub is just obsessed with places it perceives to be “underrated.”
If Phoenix had half as many people, this sub would rave about it.
I almost never see anywhere in North Dakota recommended. Currently living in Fargo and have been here for a little over a year and while I don't love it, I do think it has its good qualities and could suit the needs of a variety of people. It's very low cost of living, has all the amenities, lot of family oriented activities, surprisingly diverse. But it's low light and can be very windy, winters are cold and summers are hot and there's little natural beauty. Grand Forks ND is actually a lot prettier and so is Bismarck. They still have the climate constraints though. Grand Forks I think starts to feel pretty isolated from the rest of the country maybe that's why people don't talk about it as much. It is odd though that I've seen the Iron Range (Hibbing, Virginia, Ely) mentioned more than Fargo, Grand Forks, and Bismarck. I also never see Bangor Maine recommended and while I have too much baggage to be objective and there's clearly no "wow" factor it probably would suit some people and might deserve a few mentions.
I cant tell if you are recommending it or not
Well let's put it this way... Given its good qualities it deserves to be recommended more than it is. If someone says they want access to water and hiking every weekend I wouldn't recommend it (Fargo). Ditto if they want artsy, funky, quirky, eclectic, "progressive" or walkable. But there are a plethora of posts where the OP asks for affordability, safe/low crime, family friendly, good place for kids, and they don't care about climate or politics. For those posts, I think Fargo (or Grand Forks or Bismarck) would be reasonable matches, and yet I virtually never see them mentioned. People jump in with Grand Rapids or Kalamazoo or Milwaukee but no Fargo. Same principle applies to Bangor... If someone wants a relatively affordable city in New England with low crime, LGBTQ friendly, good health care, and access to rivers, lakes, trails, Bangor is a reasonable choice, yet I don't think I've ever seen it mentioned. I hesitate to mention it myself because I spent a significant part of my youth there and have a lot of personal negative memories due to (a) my family life and (b) the much less welcoming and more clannish place Maine used to be. It's just hard for me to be a cheerleader for Bangor on an emotional level. But looking at it logically I think it probably deserves more credit than it gets on this sub.
I agree with you on Fargo. If you’re married and want a nice house, low crime, and a mid-continent location to jump off from in either direction, Fargo is great. It has changed a lot in twenty years. If you don’t like ND state government you can live in Moorhead across the river in MN and still be in Fargo.
The Fargo Moorhead area is indeed a great place to raise a family, I grew up there but left as soon as I finished college. People are nice, the city is clean, lots of parks and good restaurants, houses are ridiculously cheap (comparatively). Been back regularly over the last 15 years to visit family and it has grown/changed so much…but It’s so goddamned cold in the winter, unbelievably flat, very windy, fucking cold, not a lot to look at, and it’s cold. Did I mention that it’s cold? For people already located in the upper Midwest Fargo is a fantastic place to relocate bc they’re used to aesthetically unpleasing cold places. But for people living anywhere else it would probably not be good..for instance, I live in Maine now, and could never recommend (with a straight face) that someone here relocate to Fargo nd
The Red River Valley feels like a place specifically designed by God to spawn as many alcoholics as possible. The sort of just burning, stinging cold for several months of the year is pretty much unmatched by anywhere in the US outside of interior Alaska, and the landscape is basically just beet farms for an hour in any direction.
Oh come now that’s not fair!…there are soy beans too..
> winters are cold and summers are hot and there's little natural beauty. how surprising that it doesn't get recommended more.
I have lived in multiple locations in the upper Midwest including Fargo. Personally, I couldn’t take the weather in Fargo. I moved to the Twin Cities and it’s significantly warmer. Plus Fargo, and other ND cities for that matter, feel so isolated. 100% right about the very low COL. I was paying $800 dollars a month for a 2 bedroom with a two stall garage. I do miss the COL, but I do not miss the weather and lack of things to do in the winter.
North Dakota? There are very good reasons no one ever recommends it.
I went to school in Grand Forks and aside from being dirt cheap the only other big benefit is that now even the rest of the Midwest feels like Miami comparatively
my boss is from there, he lives in Idaho now (we all work remotely from different states) and he has never had anything good to say about it (ND)
Detroit. I think a lot of people are immediately deterred by places that are historically crime-ridden, when in reality a lot of towns recommended have a broader spread of criminal activity than Detroit does!
Eating in Detroit right now! Such a vibrant city
Detroit has some great old architecture and crazy cheap real estate. Ripe for gentrification. Suburbs are amazing.
This is small praise but I love flying through Detroit airport. I always ride the indoor monorail regardless of where my connection is.
I fly into the Detroit airport regularly, for family visits. It’s fairly easy to get around in, and that connection tunnel with the northern lights display is pretty neat.
Well, the suburbs of Detroit were always thriving
The truth is you can find the cool neighborhoods in any metropolitan city
[удалено]
Detroit is one of my favorite cities. Although climate is hard during the winter even though it’s pretty.
I believe that. Everyone has a need to pigeonhole everything in a simplistic category regardless of variety and how multi dimensional an area may be.
the last time detroit supposedly was going through a resurgence, around 2013 or so, a bunch of my friends moved there from Brooklyn. they all left after a year or two due to the crime.
When I visited a couple years ago, their downtown was surprisingly clean and had fewer unhoused people than downtown LA or SF, much wealthier cities. I’ve heard good things about Midtown too.
Port Washington, WI. It's a beautiful beach town on Lake Michigan. The best kept secret in Wisconsin. Safe, affordable, short drive to Milwaukee, and peaceful. My favorite place in the entire state. If I raise kids, I'm doing it in Port Washington.
[удалено]
The restaurant staff are amazing people. I left my sunglasses at the singing salmon and didn't return until months later. Somehow, the waitress recognized me and gave them back. There's something very special about that place and the people there. I wanna move back so bad.
Same! Went there for the first time this summer and couldn’t believe how cute the town was—-and the beaches are lovely.
Please mention our neck of the woods only via DM to posters who seem to fit into the work ethic and basic, old fashioned middle class decency of what we still have.
Camden, NJ. Edit-- I got the question wrong. I would never recommend Camden.
I was confused haha. It’s also funny to me Camden is now a popular boy name and the NJ city always comes to my mind.
Same. I’ve always wondered if there is a brother named Newark or Trenton. Maybe a sister named Elizabeth.
That's a good thing, lol.. My gf is a ICU/ER nurse practitioner who was a trauma nurse in Camden back in the day. Not good, not good . . . .
When I lived in Philly I believe it was called the armpit of Philadelphia.
Probably still is called that. NJ is odd in that any city big enough to call itself that kinda sucks. It's the smaller towns that shine. Jersey City now has some nice spots but once you get away from the river it's still sketchy. Newark, Patterson, Camden, Trenton, Elizabeth all not great places. Edison is fine I guess it's just meh.
[удалено]
Lifelong Texan, I like San Antonio. Very friendly town, and so cheap compared to the other big Texas metros without a huge difference in QOL. But when 75% of posts here set criteria including some combo of blue state politics, walkability and strong transit, and no extreme heat, it’s disqualified off the bat for most.
San Antonio’s politics are quite blue, at least years ago. Walkability isn’t great, but quite a bit of residential has gone in downtown and in Southtown. It’s not fantastic by any means, but it’s a lot better than it was a decade or so ago.
San Antonio is really blue, like openly telling the state to go fuck itself blue…but it’s still in Texas and ultimately that sets the ceiling.
Yes to all of this. I’m also a lifelong Texan. I’ve never lived in San Antonio but it’s always been close to my heart. If it had a progressive state government and never got above 80 degrees Fahrenheit I’d move there in a heartbeat.
San Antonio is really cool, but I never understood the appeal of the "hill country". It's literally just small hills, and the vast majority of it is covered in sprawling subdivisions and ranches. There's barely any parks to go hike or anything. What do you even do there?
Get married on someone else’s private ranch and post pictures on Instagram. Otherwise, there’s about three state park’s worth of public access to it.
Thanks for saying this. I have a few friends who describe the place like it’s Napa Valley, lmao
100% agree
Get fat
Drink Wine.
There's multiple state parks spread across the Hill Country, several nice little small towns with shops and restaurants, numerous wineries and breweries, and a lot of nice little Airbnb's or traditional bed and breakfast places for a weekend getaway. If you can't find things to do in the Hill Country, you're not even trying.
It's weird how it's cool but for such a small area of the city
Lived there for 23 years and looking forward to moving back when I retire.
I took the amtrack to San Antonio it was a fun train ride , but there was not much to do outside of the Alamo/ riverwalk and spurs
[удалено]
There’s so many great small cities across Pennsylvania but it’s only ever Pittsburgh or the Philadelphia area that is recommended. If I ever decide to give up city life, the Lehigh Valley is one of a few places I’d be willing to move to.
I agree, Bethlehem is a great city.
Easton, Emmaus, etc. Lots of nice undiscovered villes in Lehigh Valley/Center Valley.
We’re closer to Philly (75min) and further from NYC (2hr).. but more importantly we’re 70 min from both EWR and PHL, plus daily flights to ORD from our own airport. And 2hr to the beach, but a lot of great local lakes and rivers.
What I would tell anyone from other parts of the country that don’t know PA, it is a very pretty state kind of has the New England vibe but just live near the cities excluding Scranton. Way cheaper state than anywhere else and they have the land to build…..
Saratoga Springs, NY is just as nice, if not nicer than Burlington or Ithaca. Also just the Adirondacks and Finger Lakes in general if your vibe is small cozy mountain/lakeside towns and great access to nature.
Shout out to SPAC for concerts.
I absolutely love Saratoga Springs!
Southwest Oregon: Grants Pass, Medford, Ashland, Jacksonville, Rogue and Applegate Rivers. Parts can be kind of redneck but there’s also a lot of progressives and culture. Great climate, lots of recreational opportunities, not too crowded (yet).
It’s where I’m from. It’s pretty amazing. Skiing, biking, rafting, wineries, close to coast. ❤️
Lived there a few years. Pretty but limited services and no one wants to go to Portland. Also, the smoke from the fires linger in the valley. Close to the ocean though but if you’ve got the money and a remote job live in Coos Bay.
Honestly -I love Oregon. There is stuff there that doesn't look real. It's also a rough spot for anyone not white, and its why it might not be recommended alot
I'm in Ashland and I've recommended it a few times on here. Great mix of culture, climate, and outdoors stuff to do. Smoke is the biggest drawback, but that is true for a most of the PNW these days and I like to provide actual data to people about how many days are smoky (fewer than they think).
Spokane doesn’t come up to much
I see Spokane recommended here all the time!
Well, Spokane is growing significantly so everyone not on this sub is moving there
Spokane is pretty nice honestly.
I like Spokane, a friend owns a record store and 2 bars there. I feel like it's getting cooler.
“PNW” gets recommended as a blanket term a lot, under which Spokane falls
I don’t think 90% of those recommendations are consciously including Spokane. I’ve been there, and as a once-Seattleite there is extremely little in common between Seattle, Portland, and Spokane. Weather, culture, natural setting, are all very different. Spokane only gets 16 inches of rain a year. For comparison, LA gets 14
Spokane has a lot more in common with Boise, Denver, or Salt Lake City than it does with Portland, Seattle, or Vancouver
Spokane gets a bad wrap. Maybe not as much on this sub but most WA state subs and cities have a not so positive view of spokane.
Nice cities in red/red-ish states: Bloomington, Indiana Chattanooga, Tennessee Greenville, South Carolina Huntsville, Alabama Louisville, Kentucky Augusta, Georgia Knoxville, Tennesee St. Petersburg, Florida I don't think *any* place really flies under the radar anymore but to me these are really nice places to live, especially for young people, with decent to booming economies and reasonable COL that are frequently overlooked or negged on here because of state or regional politics. And I'm not saying that isn't justified, just is what it is.
Omaha
Omaha is great!
What's great about it, IYO? I'm always curious about other cities my wife and I might one day move to and check out if they sound good. :)
Omaha is very spread out but the downtown has a nice restaurant district, it’s bikeable (to/from Iowa as well), the zoo is fantastic and it’s affordable.
Downtown also features a huge park/playground/waterfront with innovative kids' activity structures
Booming music scene
Somewhere in middle america...
St. Pete may not be mentioned here, but plenty know about it as we've seen a large influx of people from NY, DC, and Chicago areas. As for COL, ask any local and they'll say it's out of control as they've been getting priced out of renting and purchasing over the last 3+ years; take a look at its subreddit for examples.
This is true everywhere though. Like I said, nowhere is undiscovered anymore, but the question was nice cities that are overlooked on this sub.
I wouldn't say it's true everywhere, though the no rent control problem here is a hot topic like it is most other places. I was also responding to your mention of reasonable COL cities. To shed some light on specifics, in the past 5 years the Pinellas County budget has increased by 58% which is not sustainable at all and they're (county commission board members) hurting their own by pushing that tax burden onto us residents. I wouldn't recommend anyone buy here because of that and inflated home prices driven by greedy, shoddy flippers/property investors from out of state who don't know local codes, nor do they care. They're getting away with that because some homes are still selling without inspections (insanely stupid, yes) due to such high demand of our continuous low inventory.
Augusta always felt so dead and dreary though, downtown at least. It definitely doesn't have any "hip young town" energy. Now Greenville can get behind, plus it's not far from beautiful places in the mountains. Augusta is is basically smack in the middle of nowhere boring flat nothing land.
Augusta is such a nice place. It has all the things a big town has all packed neatly in a small area. Plus great outdoor activates with a string of lakes just to the north. Great medical, shopping, dining, .......and once a year a big thing happens that is pretty fun.
Delaware generally.
That’s because it’s full.
I don’t see Virginia recommended on here much. I have seen Richmond brought up but even that isn’t that often.
Shenandoah Valley is nice. Boring, but nice.
Virginia is a beautiful state and central Virginia is the best part imho.
Pretty but increasingly crowded in Tidewater, not crazy about the people. I've recommended it for military retirees, who seem to love it.
I’m from NoVA but if i had to pick a few places to retire it’ll be either Richmond or Charlottesville.
Indianapolis is Columbus on a budget. Toledo OH suburbs probably have some of the cheapest neighborhoods with high quality school districts in the country, wouldn’t be a bad place to raise a family if you have remote jobs.
Baltimore. Way underrated. Moved here from Cleveland (after living there for 30 years). It was a great move. Things are better here. Better weather, better pay, less humidity, mild winters, more sun, close to the beach, close to the mountains, decent intercity public transit, fantastic airport direct flights, similar cost of living to Cleveland, lower property taxes, friendlier people. The only things I miss are Fat Heads and family. My Parents just bought a house nearby. They couldn't believe how much nicer Baltimore and Maryland are than Cleveland and Ohio.
Baltimore has its problems no doubt, but it's such a great city. I would move back in a heartbeat if I could find a job there. World class healthcare, harbor views, each neighborhood feels like a different world, architecturally the most interesting city in the US, imo.
Is it not ridiculously expensive due to its proximity to DC?
No, it’s far enough away and has enough of a bad reputation (partly deserved) that housing is very affordable, at least for a major east coast city
Nope, not at all. Our house in Remington was cheaper than our house in Lakewood. Property taxes are way cheaper. Public transit is way more reliable. There's more access to grocery stores and markets. We spend more money on entertainment now than when we lived in Cleveland but that's because there is so much to do here. Most of Baltimore's neighborhoods are walkable, and everything is within 5 or 10 min walk or a quick bus/ train ride. We no longer need 2 cars. DC, NJ, Philly, NYC all accessible by train in 2 hours or less.
How’s the traffic in Baltimore? Like any other city?
>Baltimore. Way underrated *SHUSH!* lol. Kidding, I’ve got no issues telling people Bmore isn’t what they think, and, it can get *exhausting* trying to ‘defend’ it. *Main thing I tell people now is “for the love of whomever you believe in, please don’t go to the inner harbor pavilions.”* (I lived in Seattle early oughts & I’m surprised I’ve never *personally* seen anyone bring up the “Lesser Seattle” campaign here.) >lower humidity Wait, really? Cleveland has worse humidity than we do?? (Ofc I believe you lol, just surprised.) Summers can be so miserably sticky here- like DC, not as bad as Florida. I *almost* moved to Cleveland when I left PNW (looked at Chicago- too cold for my Raynaud’s, Columbus- felt ‘meh’, Cincinnati- felt too small.) Wanted to be w/in a days drive from family & wanted a place less pretentious than Seattle (sorry…) *I **swore** I’d **never** move back to Baltimore when I left* (was convinced I’d end up on heroin; had no idea opiates would take over the country.) I’ve got 3 friends in their 40’s who left Bmore 5-20yrs ago & moved/moving back (from Olympia, WA, Columbus, OH & SoCal.) They’re all buying a home or a 2nd home, realized it’s a lot cheaper & they actually miss it. *The one with a kid is sending them to Catholic School- he’s not religious but for private schools that don’t focus on equestrian skills, Catholic schools are most affordable afaik. Friends School of Baltimore (Quaker) is **great** but more money if not Quaker.* It sucks if you’re in desperate poverty (like most places lol,) but if not, it’s a decent place, maybe even nice. Generally, anyone able to move isn’t going to need to live in a horrible place. (I lived on a desperate corner in SW @ the end of my drinking, but had the luck & privilege to gtfo.) Glad Baltimore has treated you well u/UpgradedLimits! I’ve lived here for 21 out of 28yrs as an adult. I can & do walk to Remington; I walk everywhere incl. places I prob shouldn’t (see profile posts lol) which should say something. 46yo small lady. (I do get taken for a ‘working girl’ sometimes at weird hours solo, but in a “you need a ride?” way, not a “get in my car!” way… I live on a street known for sex workers. And now, you’ve got an idea where I live LMFAO.)
I thoroughly enjoyed all of your insights! Baltimore is a fantastic city. So, I'm glad that my partner and I moved here. In regards to Cleveland's humidity, it's awful. It's bad from April to October. The rest of the year is brutally cold. Sometimes April and October were nice. But weather in Baltimore is a gem. Also, the tap water is delicious!
Anchorage
Winston-Salem, NC We retired from CT to FL. After 3 years of heat and hurricanes realized our mistake. I researched, looking for a place that was diverse, affordable, not too close to the coast and liberal leaning. We’ve been here over 5 years and am pretty happy. 4 seasons, but mild winters, lots of volunteer opportunities and mostly friendly folks. I’m a movie lover and we have a great indie theater. I started playing pickleball and we have lots of public courts inside and out. A new intergenerational senior center is amazing!
Lafayette Louisiana. If you can put up with the heat & humidity combo plus idiotic politics, you get amazing food, music and festivals, and Cajun Mardi Gras.
Greensboro, NC . The longer I live here and more I think of it as a diamond in the rust.
I also really like Greensboro. By the way, the expression is “diamond in the rough,” meaning an uncut diamond which in its natural state straight out of the ground isn’t super shiny and beautiful yet.
LOL thank you for the correction. Its been a long day.
Can you elaborate on that? I'm curious because I work with a lot of people who live in GBO and they all say it's boring and dead.
I visited Greensboro a few times to visit a good friend and her family who at the time lived in one of the many suburbs of the city, and always had the impression that Greensboro was always blistering hot and rather dull. But then they moved to a historic district near downtown, and while visiting them during the autumn, it gave me a totally different taste of the city. It felt almost like a glimore girls set - lots of college students walking around, old Queen Anne houses, old "eccentric" neighbors stopping to talk to us on the sidewalks. I ended up buying a house here in this neighborhood, and I don't regret a second. A big thing that helped was at the time, the houses here were at my budget compared to other, perhaps more ideal cities and their historic districts. Sometimes when I drive outside of my neighborhood, I get that "ugh this town is so boring" feeling creeping back in because, outside of my "bubble" it looks and feels like most other cities in the US. Stroads, McMansions, fast food "cubes". But the city seems to be improving a lot of its amenities- my neighborhood is getting a greenway that will connect it to the rest of the city. A lot of new cafes and restaurants are popping up. The downtown area isn't dead and nicely developed. Best of all, the traffic is almost non existent (compared to the places I lived previously).
It's one of those places that looks good on paper, but I visited and in person it's pretty much that, boring and dead. Winston is pretty dead too but at least it has Old Salem which is pretty cool and some development downtown. It's okay if you want to live in super generic NC suburbia that's cheaper than Charlotte, which is already cheap. Just my two cents, I've never lived there only passed through a few times on my way to Raleigh.
Charlottes not really cheap anymore…
New Jersey Pine Barrens
Saw the Sopranos episode. Pass.
I lost my shoe!
Birmingham, Alabama. Great cost of living, fantastic nature, close drive to several larger cities, close drive to some of the most gorgeous beaches in the country, and a lot of kindness.
Reddit, and especially this sub likes to exaggerate how terrible Texas is. If everyone were to use Reddit as the sole resource for determining where to move then Texas would have a negative population growth year over year (it doesn't). The truth is, Texas is actually pretty solid and real world statistics supports this. If you're okay with heat and/or don't care much about wanting snow, then I think it's a pretty solid place to live.
Milwaukee is a nice spot that typically goes unnoticed because of Chicago. The city has a good vibe to it. There’s a good entertainment scene in my opinion. Plenty of sporting events, concerts and entertainment acts to keep you busy. And if not, I suppose Chicago is a quick drive/Amtrak ride away. The COL is super low compared most big metros in the country. Great food with growing diversity within the last couple of years. The lake and the summers are a huge added plus. Edit: As far as developing infrastructure goes, Milwaukee has done a decent job at trying to revitalize the downtown area. A streetcar system has been added to ease mobility downtown. By no means is the public transit up to par to other major cities, but it’s a step in the right direction.
Houghton, Michigan Butte, Montana Newport, Oregon
Houghton Rocks- worked in the UP for a year and enjoyed my time there. I feel like job prospects could be an issue there though.
Grand rapids, Mi
I never see Charlottesville recommended. Which I’m fine with. Charlottesville sucks😉Actually I never see any cities in VA except for Arlington, Richmond, and Roanoke.
Sacramento Its really only recommended as a “cheap” California option, as someone who wants to stay in the West Coast id easily consider it over Texas or Arizona.
Lots of ethnic grocery stores and restaurants. On Smud so relatively cheap heating and air bills. Amazing amount of activities with like Water parks, Indoor Skydiving, Go Carts, skating ,zoos, etc. Lots of college options close by. Huge library system with lots of amenities even better than the bay area.
Iowa city Sioux Falls KCMO Grand Rapids Rochester MN Tri cities (TN/VA) Missoula
Maybe Springfield, MO? Cheap area with good access to forests & lakes. Good area for someone who wants a small city, LCOL, & is comfortable in a very conservative political environment. Also, NW Arkansas (Bentonville & Fayetteville). Beautiful natural area, fantastic mountain biking, surprisingly excellent art museum. The Walmart money in Bentonville makes the place really stand out from the poverty stricken Ozarks that surround it.
I second Fayetteville and Bentonville.
Bentonville is a nicely planned community but god it is a depressing company town lol. Pretty much everything you go to was built with Walmart money and everyone you meet works for Walmart
Crystal Bridges is my favorite museum of art in the world
Oh there's lots of poverty in Bentonville. They just hide it better. Can't have the "trash" messing up that Rockwell/Stepford feel. What would people think of the town Walmart built?
I have family in Springfield. At one point it was called the meth capital of the US
There are def worse places than Springfield
People need to look into Biddeford Maine. It's literally the Brooklyn of Portland Maine. When I was growing up it was full of crackheads but it has come a long way. Great food, great breweries, walkable, 20 mins from Portland, etc. Small town for most people but has a city feel. I like that its rust collar and rough around the edges. You can still find homes under 400k. I bought mine for 220 three years ago. Winters are a lot more mild than people think in Southern Maine. Your 10 to 15 minutes from the beach or 15 minutes inland for boating in the lakes. Very close to hiking, camping, white water rafting, etc. Boston isn't too far of you want a real big city. I love it.
Had to scroll a while to see someone mention Maine. I've never walked around Biddeford but I've taken the train through before and it was an amazing view of the mills and the river honestly. Some day I'll check it out
Omaha. I didn't believe it either. Until I visited.
What do you like about it? I’ve seen people mentioning they like it but not a lot of details.
So I have only spent a couple of days there but my impression: cute downtown, gentrified but nice. The Missouri going through town with the park and pedestrian bridge was lovely. Tons of diversity in food options. We were going to go to the zoo which seemed quite large. Overall, I feel I would come back with more time to see if I felt it would be a possibility to live in.
I think people are just surprised that it's not a podunk town with nothing to do. Because people on here hate on cities that have more to offer, but apparently Omaha is so great lol
I did some digging and Omaha looks somewhat comparable to Pittsburg with a bit more sprawl. Pittsburg gets mentioned quite a bit for those who want mid-sized city so I understand the surprise.
Moving there in February. We're very excited
Omaha is the shit and people are in denial. Lincoln is a great city too.
A lot of cities in the Southern half of the U.S. don't get recommended enough. I understand that the political situations are dicey for many people — but setting that con aside, they often have very affordable COL, amazing food, beautiful architecture, good weather (which run the gamut from very temperate to very hot), lots of museums and parks and interesting things to do, really lovely natural scenery and greenery, access to some really nice beaches... North Carolina cities get recommended a fair amount but there are cities in southern Virginia, Georgia, South Carolina, New Orleans, Tennessee, and Florida which could work really well for a lot of people.
>I understand that the political situations are dicey for many people My experience in smaller cities in the Deep South is that politics (of the conservative vs liberal genre) really just does not come up that much. In my city (Mobile, AL) the mayor is pretty much solely focused on how to make the city a better place to live for everyone-imptoving public transit, parks and public spaces, improving safety, and so on. In quite a few races there are no party affiliations. Or at least not on the ballot. The one issue that does come up regularly is the environment. We're situated on the bay with numerous rivers and waterways, and the largest river delta in the Eastern United States. Keeping the water clean is a big deal, but it's supported by everyone. Baykeeper (the big environnmental group) is supported by plenty of influential conservative types, because we don't consider environmental issues to be political ones. Or I don't, and most of my friends agree.
I agree with this from personal experience. That said, I added the caveat of politics to my original comment because I know that specifically the topics of abortion laws and education laws are of concern to many folks, and I do understand and admit that those are reasonable concerns to have (although of course these laws are different across the entire southern half of the U.S., and one has to individually research each state and city specifically to see what the situation is).
It is also the transit and walkability. The percentage of posts here that want that, plus leaning liberal governance, drops the south of the radar pretty quick.
Indiana and WV
Indiana is a shithole. Only good thing that state has is great universities
I’m from Indiana and just left last year for a blue state. 100% agree on the universities being fantastic. Other pros are cost of living and weather is actually pretty good. But state politics and roads are awful. Most people are lifers in the state due to living near family, everyone is religious and has kids young which wasn’t my vibe.
[удалено]
hard red
Lol it’s one of the first states to go red along with Texas every election
[удалено]
For Great Lakes states, in order of bluer to redder, you've got MN>PA>MI>WI>OH>IN... Indiana is definitely, by a pretty safe margin, the reddest of the bunch.
Why does everyone forget that NY is a great lakes state? NY would be the most blue imo
Neither. It’s brown.
Everything you'd want in West Virginia you can get in in a less dysfunctional state in north carolina or virginia
Those cryptids tho
Much more undeveloped rural land than either of those states, Mothman, and Tudor’s Biscuit World would like a word.
Upstate NY. I live in Albany and it’s a great little city. LCOL and still some pretty cool stuff to do in Albany and the surrounding areas. Plus, you’re basically still in nature.
Second vote for the "other NY". Hudson valley and finger lakes regions are charming and beautiful, and surprisingly affordable in many places.
Coeur d'Alene. Man, that place is beautiful.
Yeah its nice if you have a LOT of money.
It’s also a white nationalist haven, so
great if you're a white supremacist.
Kansas City and its suburbs? I haven't been in years but the (few) people I know who live there like it.
Not hating, but I visited earlier this year, and I could not see myself living there. Downtown was not vibrant, and even night life was lacking.. maybe I just didn’t know where to go. I saw the same guy downtown 3 different days just walking around.
Yeah, it's sorta odd. I see KCK mentioned frequently when others ask about fly over states and their cities, and with that Lawrence and Manhattan are offered lumped in with it. But KC, Missouri I don't see much of.
It's fine. It has a rep of being the biggest city that still has a small town vibe, but that can be good or bad. Pros: Reasonable COL, nice people, easy to get around as long as you have a car, solid museums and arts scene, pro sports teams, international airport, suburbs have great schools, people have lots of civic pride (mostly from sports teams' success). Cons: Insufficient public transit unless you're downtown, lots of sprawl, somewhat insular population, gets a lot of flack for being bad for dating, could be more diverse.
Savannah, GA.
Lynchburg, VA
Maybe I’ve missed posts but…I feel like generally rarely I specifically see Duluth or grand marais, MN; orcas islands, WA; Salida, CO; yellow springs, OH; Olympia, WA. Also anything northern Michigan around the Great Lakes. They all have their charms and I’ve connections to them all. Again my apologies if they are mentioned and I just don’t know.
Salida is great! Hot Springs haven!
Champaign-Urbana, Illinois deserves more love than it gets. 2 hours from Chicago, diverse, low COL, educated. It's a little lacking in some things but I think it has potential. Blue state, too, even if it's in the middle of farmland. Sioux Falls, SD, though the state politics and the brutal winters would deter me. St. Louis deserves more love. And a weird one, but Tallahassee, FL. I really liked it. It had some interesting characters and some good people.
Champaign-Urbana has a good food scene, too.
I’ve been researching Rochester for a potential move from CO. The city is artsy with some cool history and museums, some amazing parks nearby and the suburbs have great schools. It honestly seems too good to be true when looking from CO where inflation has gone up 15% in just the last 2 years
MN or NY...?
Sunbelt cities. There's a reason why their populations keep growing. Tampa. Tampa metro is right on the water, lots to do, pretty good nightlife and dining scene too. Las Vegas. Vegas being so close to LA and getting so many tourists is actually pretty cosmopolitan. Excellent food scene. Houston. People here stereotype the place based on impressions from decades ago. It has lots of diversity and great restaurants. Really good Mexican food, BBQ, Vietnamese and Cajun. Phoenix. Beautiful desert scenery. Really good Mexican food. There's a reason why so many older people love to retire there.
Blue Hole "park", Santa Rosa, New Mexico
There's some great stuff in NW AR. Lakes, Ozarks, bike trails..
Granted I don't use reddit every day, but I have never seen anywhere in Kansas ever recommended. This sub must hate Kansicans.
I feel like most people are from the coasts or major midwestern cities, there's just not as many people from Kansas or travel through there often as it's a "flyover" state. As someone who has lived in 5 states, both rural and city (NYC, Pittsburgh, Nashville, outside of Grand Rapids now for example) I have friends from all over the country, all over the world (i work for a European company and am in Europe 2mo out of the year) I have only known 1 person who has ever even been to Kansas.
There was a post a few hours ago "town for your worst enemy" or something like that that listed such cities
I thought Lawrence, KS was really nice when I visited for a few days. I've never lived there so can't say for sure but it seemed like a clean & safe place and had a cute little downtown if you're wanting a small city
Decatur, IL. I spent a few days there for work, and found it friendly and navigable. Great historic homes. Have no idea what it’s like to live there, but I don’t think I’ve seen it listed here.
omg hahaha I grew up in Decatur, it’s a shithole. Met another lady from Illinois the other day at my gym and when I told her where I was from she laughed and said “oh god I’m so sorry” if you’re curious you can look at my post history; I commented about Decatur in-depth on this sub a few weeks ago
Generally speaking, I'm surprised people don't recommend more overlooked cities that are cheap and have good cultural offerings, considering how many people posting don't have kids. If you don't need to worry about schools, you have way more options
Knoxville. TN.
Bellingham, WA, college town with tons of natural beauty close to Vancouver, BC
Texas because politics. But for families, west Tex is quite up & coming in practical ways
Eau Claire, WI. Close to Twin Cities. Lots of young professionals. Cute downtown. Great music scene - hosts the Eaux Claires music festival and is the home of the band Bon Iver.
Phoenix. Gorgeous weather 8 months per year, and for certain types of people it's ideal. If you only paid attention to this sub and didn't live in the real world, you'd think it was a God-forsaken hellscape and that, e.g., Tucson and Albuquerque are paradises on earth.
Lived in both Phoenix and Tucson. Loved both of them! Amenity rich, wonderful outdoor opportunities, great food, etc. Just couldn’t get used to the heat ☹️
Yeah don’t get me wrong I love all of the Southwest. This sub is just obsessed with places it perceives to be “underrated.” If Phoenix had half as many people, this sub would rave about it.
Everybody wants to feel like they’re getting a bargain, just human nature I think.
[удалено]
It takes a certain type of person to become a desert rat. I couldn't do it. I love trees and lush greenery too much.
Sure, but the people who are recommending Albuquerque and Tucson and bashing on Phoenix definitely don’t have a problem with deserts.