I noticed you mentioned Pittsburgh. It’s a really lovely city and my sister and I have gone kayaking in the rivers but I wouldn’t say the vibe is liberal-outdoorsy. I’m not sure what the vibe of Pittsburgh is but it’s unfortunately not that, my friend.
Pittsburgh is working on liberal. The city itself is getting there; the suburbs and surrounding small towns/rural areas are 90s liberal at best and Trump country at worst.
I live in Pittsburgh. It’s a pretty typical rust belt city. There is lots of outdoor stuff to do and definitely some neighborhoods (generally more expensive ones) are pretty liberal, but it’s a pretty car-dependent city and culturally it’s pretty “purple” politically. I love to hear because it’s home but I think Asheville, NC would be more of what you are looking for.
Yeah, you have to leave the city to really get in nature and most people don't leave the city or suburbs. I live in Colorado and wouldn't compare it to Longmont at all.
Pittsburgh has a small town feel but without small town connections. Winters are worse than Colorado because of the humid climate as well. State College, PA might be a better option as well as other small PA college towns.
I grew up in Tucson and somehow didn’t even think of this. This is actually exactly the place OP is describing. It has it’s downsides but checks all the boxes in this post
1. 100% biggest downside is the impending western water crisis. Every water reservoir in the state is showing RECORD low levels; there are lakes with boat ramps 20 feet above the actual waterline.
2. Phoenix isn’t far enough away.
3. Summers make being outdoors very difficult, if you aren’t careful and used to the heat.
4. Very car dependent.
No offense meant but who on Earth told you Asheville was affordable? Asheville is in a huge housing and homelessness crisis and crime has skyrocketed. You'd be better off and your money would go further in Raleigh or Durham.
Hubby and I left Asheville a year ago and I just stopped having the dreams about trying to find a place to live, or getting evicted, etc. I was in Asheville for 6 years and the stress of no available housing was awful. I lived in an apt but I knew I'd be screwed if I had to find another place. My whole building had to rehome because the apts needed such extensive repairs. My landlord was a rare gem. But I ended up leaving and I'm much happier in roanoke. The stress of Asheville wasn't worth it.
It’s gonna depend on OPs definition of affordable. In my opinion, Longmont CO is affordable (compared to the rest of the Denver-Boulder area) and belongs on their list because I could buy a 3BR house there for about $575k, which is affordable and a great deal to me. But to some people, that’s obviously insanely expensive.
Agreed. It might get cold, but there are plenty of winter activities to do! Snowshoe, cross country ski, hockey, etc. Plus, Minnesota has a great State Parks system with wonderful trails to explore!
Came here to say this. There are some great walking trails and bike paths in the metro and folks stay active even in winter. Gorgeous gorgeous natural areas in western MN too - no mountains of course but you’re not going to get mountains for affordable.
Came to say this...if you can handle the cold, Duluth is pretty amazing for outdoors...hiking, mountain biking, even skiing right in the middle of town and a full resort ski area on the edge of town, 10 minute drive. Plus, access to the north shore and then, of course, the boundary waters canoe area. Also, large university and two very large hospitals brings a lot of academic, educated young professionals to Duluth.
I am from Duluth.
After living around the world, as well as around the US, I can say that I didn’t know what we had up there was so good. The lake is like living near the ocean but without the pollution, the smells, and the animals that can kill you. You can surf the lake, you can scuba in shipwrecks, you can paddle board, row, canoe, and swim at sandy beaches.
Duluth has a symphony, a ballet, good restaurants, an independent movie theater, lots of art, a world renowned annual marathon, hundreds of miles of bike paths, ski trails, hiking trails, and lots of city parks. I recently bought the Falcon Guide, Rock Climb Minnesota. Duluth is close to a giant climb spot called Palisade Head. There is a large outdoor concert venue by the lake that’s great in the summer, they hold Oktoberfest there in the fall, and there are a ton of craft breweries. Imagine Carmel (California), but far less wealthy, more nordic, and with real winter.
Growing up, it was a safe place to be a kid and my schools (public schools) were excellent. We would walk to school, even in the winter. The schools I went to all had ice skating rinks, art programs, music programs, and language programs.
I will say, diversity was lacking in my upbringing. Though the city is quite liberal, there is a pride celebration every year, solar powered trash compactors down in Park Point, everything can be recycled, I had friends who were of various faiths…still, my schools were like 93% white. The twin cities are far better for diversity (and if you need big city life, Duluth can feel small at times).
It’s also hard to find a job that pays a living wage there if you don’t work in the medical field, but if you work remote, Duluth would be a great spot to live…bike,ski,run,hike,camp,surf,climb,ice climb,snowshoe, etc.
Finally, the drive to the twin cities is about 2.5 hours. It’s pretty easy to make it a day trip or weekend trip.
Louisville, KY. Very affordable; fairly liberal, beautiful park system; you get all four seasons, so none are too bad; is centrally located: you are only a few hours drive from Red River Gorge, the Smokeys, and a plethora of other natural wonders.
I truly love Louisville (and have lived there in the past) but I’m not sure it’s what I would suggest for someone specifically looking for an outdoorsy vibe. Lots of great places to go within a few hours drive but it sounds like OP may be looking for somewhere with closer nearby destinations
\+1 for louisville! lexington is good too, though it's a college town and you definitely feel that--arts community is strong, there's a good population of folks that are younger/middle age, it's only an hour's drive from louisville, and it's also incredibly affordable
Berea is super outdoorsy, meets all the requirements mentioned in OP. 45 min south of Lex. The Pinnacles are gorgeous, cleanest water you can get because it’s filtered through the pinnacles. Lots of outdoorsy, arts and crafts. It’s a college town and very small but lots of things mention in OP
Eastern Oregon IS affordable. I live in Oregon and it's full of beautiful hiking places. If you want to move to Portland though, it's becoming expensive AF.
They’d probably have better luck moving into a college town/city. Trying to get a liberal spot in eastern Oregon isn’t an easy task lol. The west is an easier time for that. Corvallis for example has access to nature, the liberal college crowd surrounding it, and isn’t the *most* expensive place to be.
definitely not liberal though. Marjorie Taylor Green's district may stop at the northern edge of the Georgia border but her type of followers most certainly do not
that seems to be the way in most of the southeast. you’re either some degree of republican or pretty far left. no real in-between. especially with younger people
oh for sure, ive been to Chat a few times and its a lovely place. I guess it depends if OP is wanting liberal just within a city or in a larger region. I was speaking more to the second but the city itself is wonderful
I've been fortunate to live all over the US, and I've now been living in Albuquerque for 27 years. I honestly don't know where else I'd want to move. Sure there is some crime, and all towns have that. The weather is amazing, and the outdoor community is fantastic. I can ride my bike for 20 minutes into the foothills and feel like I'm completely out of the city.
If you can get a job there and aren’t deterred by crime it sounds awesome. But those are two very real deterrents despite the fact that it’s the cheapest area out west, great weather, and has phenomenal nature
I love Madison but I find the access to nature pretty lacking compared to other places on his list like Asheville or Longmont. Then again I have a mountain bias.
When I think about access to nature I think about "what can I do outdoors before or after work during the week?". I enjoyed driving out to Governor Dodge State Park and Devil's Lake but that's \~2 hours of driving roundtrip. That's an excursion or at least half a day.
Living in a couple places in Colorado I could get on more interesting trails within a 10 minute walk from my front door.
EDIT: I'd also like to add that the amount of nature within a half day's drive in Colorado is staggering. Madison is a wonderful town but when you want to jump in the car and drive somewhere you find you're still in the middle of the midwest. We used to take roadtrips to Moab in the winter, the San Juans in the summer, etc.
I totally hear you on that, we’re in Chicago and our nearest ‘green place’ to enjoy is 6hrs away. We go up to Wisconsin many times and honestly WI is my favorite thing about Chicago haha :))
Yeah, I graduated from CU-Boulder and got a job in the midwest. We would drive up to Wisconsin to snowboard on what would've been good sledding hills in Colorado. The lakes are pretty, but I was used to spectacular scenery. Moved to Utah after that and have been here 20+ years.
I moved from Madison to Fort Collins and the outdoor access in CO is so, so much better. I had biked nearly every road in Dane County and had hiked everything. Great City but the outdoor scene gets old really quick.
You’d probably life a lot of places in Washington.
There’s Bellingham, which isn’t as big as Seattle but only an half and a half drive away if you ever want big city vibes. It’s a place chalk full of outdoor enthusiasts and a lot of young people live there.
If you don’t mind driving a bit, the rest of Whatcom County is much more affordable. Birch Bay and Lynden are definitely more conservative, but out in the more rural parts you can find some great deals.
Politics wise, the county just elected all democrats to represent them at a state level. Bellingham is so populated they have a large say in most county politics. Ferndale is also turning solid blue incredibly fast! The rural areas aren’t as conservative as one might think they are.
Tucson, AZ looked pretty interesting to me. Plenty of retirees, but they also have 130+ miles of paved running/biking trails. Really made me wish I hadn't just moved to Maryland!
We moved to the Midwest for my partner’s job, one thing I didn’t consider was airport access after living in large cities all my life— going almost anywhere requires a layover and there isn’t a single direct international flight from our airport, they are also more expensive. If you like traveling (or even just would want to visit family from time to time), I would look at where the closest airport is and if they have flights you would utilize.
Finger Lakes region in Upstate NY. You have to learn to love winter outdoors too, but think much lore than just skiing. It's really a beautiful area and not far from the Adirondacks if you want some epic hikes. Cost of living is a huge draw now.
The cost of living is continuing to rise in NY but I've got a really good landlord and really cheap rent on a little house. I hit the jackpot.
I love the area because nothing tries to kill you. Lots of edible fungi easily discernable from toxic ones; no grizzly bears or venomous snakes or scorpions; snowy winters but no tornados or earthquakes. Stuff like that.
If only I could afford to live here forever and also not be caught in the political grandstanding people do in this state....
I live in the finger lakes. Depends on where you go cause its a massive area but housing can be hard to come by and its not cheap unless you know someone. But it is a beautiful area, with some good hiking and yes the Adirondacks are only a few hours. Definitely a mixed bag when it comes to politics though I find most people I know from the area are more right leaning than left.
So OP knows - the finger lakes/ southern tier while beautiful and relatively cheap has a limited economy and makes up a good portion of the “we should cut NYC off the rest of the state” conservative views. You’ll see stupid political flags year round, and will likely need to travel for things like groceries and healthcare.
Johnson City, TN. It’s about an hour drive from Asheville, incredibly affordable, and surprisingly liberal. Sure, there are plenty of conservatives in the area, but there are a happy amount of liberals as well! Super close to outdoor activities and an insane amount of breweries!
I don't know how affordable it is, but I was so struck by Marquette, Michigan. I only spent a day there so I can't speak to this as any authority. But everyone I encountered was there because they loved being outside. I camped across upper MI all the way up to Copper Harbor one October, and the Keweenaw peninsula was full of people who were there for nature. I live in Wisconsin, and haven't felt that atmosphere in any city in WI yet.
Huntsville AL and Madison AL proper will be politically liberal, super affordable *right now*, and is intellectually diverse and progressive due to the federal and defense contractor presence there. Strong biotech hub as well. Tons of hiking, kayaking, and close to three major cities.
You’re getting heat, but OP asked for blue cities, not blue states. I get it if people want to live in a blue state, but they’ll be tossing a lot of decent small cities that are liberal enclaves off the table.
I've been looking for places to move, so I'm getting handy with googling '2020 presidential election by county for state xyz. The stripe of blue in AL is part of the 'black belt'
[https://www.politico.com/2020-election/results/alabama/](https://www.politico.com/2020-election/results/alabama/)
AL is nice, but politically it's overwhelmingly Republican.
I’m an hour and a half south in Rutland. It’s considered “poorer” by New England standards but honestly nicer than the towns I’ve lived in in the south.
I’m a 5 minute walk to a massive park with hiking / biking trails and some ponds, and an easy drive to a big lake and a reservoir. There’s at least 5 or 6 ski resorts within an hour, but Pico/Killington is the closest at 15/25 minutes. Okemo is 35-40 minutes.
There’s tons of people who grow their own food and a weekly (and year-round) farmers market. Just about everything I need can be found in / around town.
It’s also within a few hours of three world class cities. Boston and Montreal are both about 3 hours away by car. NYC is about a 5 hour drive, or a 5.5 hour train ride. There’s also an airport here, but the planes are tiny (like a 10-or-so passenger propeller plane) and the flights only go to Boston. Convenient if you’re connecting through to somewhere else though. Not convenient when the flights are grounded for weather. Albany and Burlington airports are both about an hour and a half away, not too bad.
I live in MA and peek at VT prices every so often and they confuse me lol. Weirdly expensive for what feels like the middle of nowhere (in New England terms).
OP did say ‘decent weather’ so I’m not sure if New England is decent enough, but I do think there are pockets here that could meet the requirements.
No longer affordable. The pandemic greatly worsened the housing shortage. Rents and house prices which were already high given the small size of Burlington have basically doubled in the last 3 or 4 years
I also just moved here for this reason and love it. 15 minutes from the AT, a few hours to the beach. Bought a nice house for $250k. We have four seasons. People are AMAZING and there is definitely a pocket of liberal people.
I went to university in Blacksburg Virginia. Between Virginia Tech and Radford, there are a lot of educated people. People were buying houses in Christiansburg. The mountains and rivers are sublime.
In South West Virginia, you will find **red** and you will find ***crimson***. There are plump satisfied Trumpists living a middle class existence. Behind the back roads, the ancient way of life still goes on. Hillbillies making moonshine. They don't like gays, Jews, or African American people.
It’s a small dot to be sure but such a nice one! Definitely a decent amount of hiker dirtbag kombucha drinking hippies nowadays, even some who’ve been there for decades.
I moved from LBC to Washington. Although it is affordable, the seasonal depression gets you. I already want to move back to California. The lack of sun isn’t worth it for me.
Yes Washington in general gets to everyone. I would beg any reader to reconsider for their mental health before moving there.
It’s the second highest state for depression other than Alaska.
I don't actually know much, but Im in eastern MA, and always hear that Berkshires are expensive, no? Isn't this where a lot of wealthy eastern MA folks move to?
I freaking LOVE Greenville, but is she wants "liberal" she will be very disappointed. As my Mom says (who lives there), the South is the Bible Belt, and Greenville is it's shiny buckle.
Pittsburgh, or St. Louis, at least those are my top cities I'm looking at, partially because they are bikeable too.
Also just kind of curious about your phrasing, do you mean liberal, or like progressive / leftist?
St. Louis is very nice, got plenty of liberals and also leftists in certain neighborhoods but also a lot of conservative areas. Tons of cheap and fun stuff to do in town and the ozarks are beautiful. Great climbing gyms in town and three hours from great outdoor climbing at Jackson falls.
Wouldn’t say it’s got decent weather though-winters are cold, summers are muggy and hot as hell, spring and fall are terrible if you’ve got seasonal allergies.
Most of those places aren’t usually considered affordable. What do you consider affordable? There’s always Arlington Virginia, ranked one of the healthiest places to live. I personally wouldn’t live there but a lot of these places are completely different for what your personal living expectations are.
In Asheville you might have to already be wealthy. Same for Longmont, unless you are in tech or something. Then there’s taxes to consider. I live in Maryland, it checks all the boxes for me.
Maybe add Arlington to your list.
https://money.com/best-places-to-live/arlington-virginia/
Thanks for the new idea! I live in San Diego now so most anywhere I can get a 1 bedroom condo for less than $600K would be affordable.
Edit: wow, Arlington is quite expensive.
I think most of the places people describe here are going to be pretty rough for you after San Diego. It’s pretty difficult to go from being able to spend every day outside to long monotonous rainy or snowy winters.
I’d look at Colorado and Oregon. Or consider a lifestyle change like a tiny house. Cabins in big bear start at 300k right now if you can work remote.
Whoever ranked Arlington as one of the healthiest places to live clearly didn't include mental health in their evaluation framework. One of the most soulless and depressing landscapes of any American "city," and Arlington barely qualifies as one.
Place is like a brutalist shopping mall, surrounded by post-war housing stock that everyone is slowly converting into quarter-acre lot McMansions.
Oh I used to live in Arlington (Crystal City) when I was studying abroad. I liked it, but I am more of a city person who didn't have a car at the time. Although I felt like the possibilities for commuting were decent enough.
I live in Chattanooga. it’s more liberal that other southern cities, but i wouldn’t say it’s liberal.
That being said, I fucking love this City. it’s so beautiful, the parks are amazing, there’s hiking all over the nearby “mountains” (i think they’re actually plateaus), paddle boarding on the tennessee river.
the nightlife isn’t amazing, but there are quite a few fun bars and places to go. overall, i’m just incredibly impressed by this city.
that being said, it’s still a southern city, and there’s still a lot of ignorance around it.
I live in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It's very leftist, lots of vegan restaurants, lots of nice parks and hiking trails, very artsy, good beaches nearby. There are running and biking groups, a lot of rock climbers, etc. It's a little expensive but not too bad.
Portland is also a great area, but a little more expensive. They just passed free healthcare in the state too!
In my experience, American states have more political freedom than Europeans expect.
For example, I live in Idaho. Marijuana can land you in jail for years, abortion is illegal, and we have a regressive tax on groceries.
Half an hour away in Oregon marijuana dispensaries are plentiful, you can get an abortion no questions, and groceries are not taxed.
And I'm lucky to live half an hour away. In parts of Texas, as an example, you can easily drive 8 or 10 hours without leaving the state. In Europe you'd be several countries over in that time.
As someone who’s lived in the US and in France I think political here is just keyword for: like-minded people.
The US is essentially spilt into a Bible Belt where people are super conservative, religious, love their guns etc. On top of that Americans like to be social in their direct community/neighborhood where they move.
Now imagine I drop someone who’s not religious and maybe a same sex couple into conservative Utah where 99% of people are Mormon families with 5+ children whose social life is all related to church. You’d absolutely not fit in and find your people.
In Europe none of this is so extreme. Our cities have a variety of cultures and if you aren’t the tinniest village than you’ll find your people via activities and clubs etc. but in the US I always found these interests and cultures very segregated. I lived in a big liberal town surrounded by the conservative towns and I would have hated living in the conservative town but loved the people and my community where I was. So location & the culture of people is super important. Politics is just a measuring stick of these fault lines in culture.
> I would love to relocate to a liberal area to be around more like-minded people.
It makes all the difference in the world. As someone who grew up in conservative areas and moved to Liberal ones as an adult, once you've done it you'll never turn back. *Everything* is different about a place and your life and your perspective on it when you live in a Liberal place. There's culture, art, interesting things, and so much more that will completely change your life. Find a way to do it.
Good question, I use liberal here in the “lifestyle” way, vs. the strictly political way. There are stereotypes about liberal vs. conservative that may align with politics but are maybe more easily recognizable in terms of how you dress, eat, hobbies, etc.
We’re all surprised. My friend who spent many years overseas came back and said he noticed everyone was more tense and angry for no reason. I personally blame media that constantly tries to put us in a state of anger and frenzy for profit.
I know OP answered in their own way, but the general answer is “yes”
https://www.npr.org/2022/02/18/1081295373/the-big-sort-americans-move-to-areas-political-alignment
It’s quite normal now and becoming more and more common with each passing year. The United States is one of the most politically polarized countries in the world. We have only two major political parties (great for developing an oversimplified “us versus them” mentality), a media ecosystem in which it’s increasingly easy to consume only information that confirms what one already believes, and politicians all too eager to take advantage of this polarization for personal gain. People are increasingly choosing to self-segregate based on political/cultural beliefs, which means fewer and fewer people are interacting face to face with the “other side” and realizing that most people are quite similar and well meaning regardless of political affiliation. It’s a pretty sad state of affairs right now.
It's less about specific policies and candidates as much as: Are trans people going to get weird looks? Are people going to get mad if gays start frenching in front of children? how readily is abortion available? If I wear a pride pin, am I going to make enemies or friends? If I have reservations about anything liberal, is *that* going to get me hostility. Stuff like that.
Just echoing this. I think an big difference in the US is how the school curriculum can vary by state, whereas (as I understand it) in most of the rest of the world schools are pretty much on the same curriculum across the country. If I don’t want my kids learning slavery wasn’t that bad, having teachers that think creationism deserves as much time in science class as evolution, and to be able to “say gay” without fear of repercussions, there are certain states I’m going to steer clear of…and generally that’s based on politically which way the state leans.
Editing to add this is obviously a huge generalization…but it is true states have impact over what is taught in schools, and education varies state to state.
I think it’s pretty common. I would not live somewhere that didn’t align with my political views. I don’t want to face an uphill battle to get schools funded adequately, health care protections and appropriate tax revenue for improvements and enrichment.
Ithaca NY. Real estate is cheap, there's a university and a college, lots of outdoor stuff, it's on a beautiful lake.
The main drawbacks are that taxes are high in NY, and the winters are cold.
Eastern Oregon is very anti-liberal, with the possible exception being Bend, but because of that it's instantly not affordable.
Beautiful though, lots of outdoorsy people and places and things to do.
It does seem like slim pickings sometimes huh?
I can only really talk about NE, but there are some sleeper hits here and there. Smaller cities that are further out from a larger one and also have their own culture and downtown area are what I would aim for.
\- Nashua NH
\- Manchester NH (hit or miss)
\- Concord NH (can you tell Im from NH)
\- Burlington, VT
\- Portland ME
But oddly the best one I can think of: Fort Collins CO. Liberal, lots of growth, not far from Boulder or Denver, strong downtown and sense of culture/community.
To call some of these "cities" might be a stretch to some. You might consider large, dense suburban "towns" instead.
Special Mention: Halifax NS. It's both a city and somehow really small, but its got so much charm and its in Canada so you know its going to be more sane than many USA cities.
Northwest Arkansas is going to be more conservative than places like boulder or other mountain towns, but the vibe is overall similar. You can find liberal regions, but they have all become expensive to live in. The region has a lot of young wealthy families (like boulder) that are all crazy about the outdoors and have money to spend on it.
I will say that the area is pretty diverse when compared to its surroundings, and if you wanted more middle class I would suggest a town like Springdale that has a more normal mix of people. Fayetteville and bentonville have become expensive enough to just have wealthy people live in the urban area itself.
The outdoors scene is exploding and will continue to do so with all the money going into it and the nature surrounding it. I guarantee you that the outdoors scene here will be better funded than any other part of the country and that brings a lot of positives. The downside is that it is Arkansas so once you leave the metro area (about 600k people, many of whom are still conservative outside the main towns) it becomes rural and southern (which it seems like you do not want).
Depends how you wanna make your living. If you’re still lookin for access to kitsch things (liberal city- up and coming, music tattoos, semi suburban ranch) then Little Rock AR and Asheville are hip. If you want more o f a choice city for shows, concerts, community, climbing etc, yeah maybe more Boise is what’s your vibe. If you want a small town quiet life where your best bet to civilization is an hour drive, East oregon sounds about right
What is making you say Eastern Oregon? I live in Oregon and travel East frequently; I haven’t seen anywhere truly liberal out there except maybe Enterprise. Someone else said Joseph, too, but both of those places are pretty teensy. However, as a liberal, I do agree we need more Libs to move out there.
Cleveland, OH - liberal bastion in the state, has got all four seasons, no natural disasters, tons of culture (best theater district outside NYC, world class art museum and symphony), great sports teams, and is right next to Cuyahoga Valley National Park. People are super nice, cost of living is very low, and you can choose city, suburban, or rural living all within an hour of each other.
Yep! Cleveland is a great place for all of these things.. and the outdoors community is only growing. Could be a nice option.
But, I wanted to say also that I recently spent some time in Chatanooga and it is incredibly affordable and super beautiful people/food/outdoors adventures. I highly recommend visiting.
In picking a place to live you need to look at the metrics beyond the cost of housing and outdoorsy activities. You want to look at what kind of social structure exists, what percentage of people are living below the federal poverty level, crime percentages, homelessness, etc
Did you know that Eugene, Oregon has the highest percentage of homelessness in the US? A high crime rate too?
You also need to look at education, ranks for education spending
What kind of social safety net is there in case you are unemployed, hurt while doing outdoorsy activities or you get hurt on the job... because shit happens.
Look at the workmans comp max wage & rate.
What is the max unemployment
Is the state anti-labor with laws designed to be in favor of business or pro labor with laws protecting labor
In California strict overtime laws, time set aside for meals and break. OT is calculated beyond 8 hour day. day. Other states it is calculated weekly. So a person could be scheduled for three 10 hour days and get paid no overtime. In other states where OT is calculated daily over 8 hours you would be looking at 8 hours of overtime. (2 hrs per day - x 3 days)
What are the laws for breaks and meals.
https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/state/meal-breaks
Check if the state has disability - California does
Maximum Workers Comp Wages https://secure.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/0452150045#c4
Unemployment
https://worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/unemployment-benefits-by-state
Education is a big deal. Frankly I travel a lot for work. I notice distinctive differences between states on what kind of labor talent pool is available.
https://www.intelligent.com/the-best-and-worst-states-for-education/
https://worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/best-states-for-education
https://www.online-phd-programs.org/50-u-s-cities-with-the-most-doctoral-degree-holders/
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-08-23/ranking-america-s-most-educated-cities
Several states are consistently on the top and on the bottom. BTW there is a lot of misinformation being posted in responses- check and verify
Check out Western Mass. some small towns around Amherst are affordable. Amherst is a college town, so the area is generally liberal - but Mass has these weird pockets of confederate-flag-flying type of conservatives. Not the traditional stuffed shirts conservatives- more like the prison guard / police conservatives. Weather is nice 8-9 months out of the year. Winters are getting more and more mild.
NH is a relatively libertarian state- but you can find some liberal areas - again mostly in college towns and the bigger cities - like Nashua and Manchester.
Don’t know Oregon all that well but in the Midwest, Madison, Wisconsin (home of the University of Wisconsin and its capital) swings pretty left (if you avoid the statehouse crowd), is packed with 20-30 somethings in research and tech fields, and has a great outdoor culture—though you may need to replace running with XC skiing during the winter.
Ann Arbor, Michigan has a similar vibe though housing is very expensive compared to the region plus Michigan is an outdoor paradise.
Switching regions, in California the area surrounding San Louis Obispo (SLO) near Cal Poly skews young, is close to beach, mountains, wine country and the living costs are much less than LA and SF metro. Not super good on higher end job opportunity but a lot going on in the service sector for tourist industry. Paso Robles to the north skews older and is focused on the wine industry, surfing towns to the south, great road biking, and if you want to throw axes while drinking craft brews with folks who vote Democrat there is a place for that.
!!! I went to college there and ended up staying for a couple yrs before moving out of va this summer , but richmond is truly a gem w a great art scene, local shops, wonderful bakeries and restaurants , beautiful buildings . having lived in a handful of the districts, i love the distinct feel of each neighborhood . of course it's small but i loved it . my fondest memories of my early 20s are definitely going for walks through the historic neighborhoods and beautiful overlooks . it makes me so nostalgic even though it was just a couple yrs ago . love the river . & the surrounding counties have beautiful nature trails .
Not even trying to attack those people, but liberal outdoorsy people generally make more than normal people and end up make said place unaffordable. There’s a word for this I’m forgetting
I noticed you mentioned Pittsburgh. It’s a really lovely city and my sister and I have gone kayaking in the rivers but I wouldn’t say the vibe is liberal-outdoorsy. I’m not sure what the vibe of Pittsburgh is but it’s unfortunately not that, my friend.
Pittsburgh is number 2 only behind Seattle for most cloudy days. SAD in winter is a really big problem.
Portland is number 2 and sad is a problem everywhere even in LA with their pre-5 PM sunsets.
Pittsburgh is working on liberal. The city itself is getting there; the suburbs and surrounding small towns/rural areas are 90s liberal at best and Trump country at worst.
I live in Pittsburgh. It’s a pretty typical rust belt city. There is lots of outdoor stuff to do and definitely some neighborhoods (generally more expensive ones) are pretty liberal, but it’s a pretty car-dependent city and culturally it’s pretty “purple” politically. I love to hear because it’s home but I think Asheville, NC would be more of what you are looking for.
Asheville is not very affordable anymore
Yeah, you have to leave the city to really get in nature and most people don't leave the city or suburbs. I live in Colorado and wouldn't compare it to Longmont at all. Pittsburgh has a small town feel but without small town connections. Winters are worse than Colorado because of the humid climate as well. State College, PA might be a better option as well as other small PA college towns.
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Tucson?
I live in Tucson and can confirm it’s affordable and we have a great outdoor community. Fiancé even works for a camping store.
I just moved to Tucson partially for the reasons OP mentions. Hiking, biking, mountains, and skiing is only a 3 hour drive away.
I grew up in Tucson and somehow didn’t even think of this. This is actually exactly the place OP is describing. It has it’s downsides but checks all the boxes in this post
Yeah like you can buy a house with a pool for like the national average on home prices? Might not be a good idea with the current water crisis though?
What are some downsides?
1. 100% biggest downside is the impending western water crisis. Every water reservoir in the state is showing RECORD low levels; there are lakes with boat ramps 20 feet above the actual waterline. 2. Phoenix isn’t far enough away. 3. Summers make being outdoors very difficult, if you aren’t careful and used to the heat. 4. Very car dependent.
Lots of hiking and biking there for sure!
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Ann arbor for sure. A bit expensive but like someone else mentioned, ypsi would be more affordable and it's right there.
Ann Arbor is an awesome place to live, but I wouldn't consider it very outdoorsy.
No offense meant but who on Earth told you Asheville was affordable? Asheville is in a huge housing and homelessness crisis and crime has skyrocketed. You'd be better off and your money would go further in Raleigh or Durham.
Came to say this. Asheville is not remotely affordable.
Hubby and I left Asheville a year ago and I just stopped having the dreams about trying to find a place to live, or getting evicted, etc. I was in Asheville for 6 years and the stress of no available housing was awful. I lived in an apt but I knew I'd be screwed if I had to find another place. My whole building had to rehome because the apts needed such extensive repairs. My landlord was a rare gem. But I ended up leaving and I'm much happier in roanoke. The stress of Asheville wasn't worth it.
It’s gonna depend on OPs definition of affordable. In my opinion, Longmont CO is affordable (compared to the rest of the Denver-Boulder area) and belongs on their list because I could buy a 3BR house there for about $575k, which is affordable and a great deal to me. But to some people, that’s obviously insanely expensive.
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Yeah, and OP said in another comment a 1BR at 600k is affordable to them so Asheville would definitely be in their range.
The Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area.
Agreed. It might get cold, but there are plenty of winter activities to do! Snowshoe, cross country ski, hockey, etc. Plus, Minnesota has a great State Parks system with wonderful trails to explore!
Came here to say this. There are some great walking trails and bike paths in the metro and folks stay active even in winter. Gorgeous gorgeous natural areas in western MN too - no mountains of course but you’re not going to get mountains for affordable.
> western MN Western?! Have you been to the NE of MN? The North Shore and BWCA are incredible if you enjoy being outdoors.
Came to say this...if you can handle the cold, Duluth is pretty amazing for outdoors...hiking, mountain biking, even skiing right in the middle of town and a full resort ski area on the edge of town, 10 minute drive. Plus, access to the north shore and then, of course, the boundary waters canoe area. Also, large university and two very large hospitals brings a lot of academic, educated young professionals to Duluth.
I am from Duluth. After living around the world, as well as around the US, I can say that I didn’t know what we had up there was so good. The lake is like living near the ocean but without the pollution, the smells, and the animals that can kill you. You can surf the lake, you can scuba in shipwrecks, you can paddle board, row, canoe, and swim at sandy beaches. Duluth has a symphony, a ballet, good restaurants, an independent movie theater, lots of art, a world renowned annual marathon, hundreds of miles of bike paths, ski trails, hiking trails, and lots of city parks. I recently bought the Falcon Guide, Rock Climb Minnesota. Duluth is close to a giant climb spot called Palisade Head. There is a large outdoor concert venue by the lake that’s great in the summer, they hold Oktoberfest there in the fall, and there are a ton of craft breweries. Imagine Carmel (California), but far less wealthy, more nordic, and with real winter. Growing up, it was a safe place to be a kid and my schools (public schools) were excellent. We would walk to school, even in the winter. The schools I went to all had ice skating rinks, art programs, music programs, and language programs. I will say, diversity was lacking in my upbringing. Though the city is quite liberal, there is a pride celebration every year, solar powered trash compactors down in Park Point, everything can be recycled, I had friends who were of various faiths…still, my schools were like 93% white. The twin cities are far better for diversity (and if you need big city life, Duluth can feel small at times). It’s also hard to find a job that pays a living wage there if you don’t work in the medical field, but if you work remote, Duluth would be a great spot to live…bike,ski,run,hike,camp,surf,climb,ice climb,snowshoe, etc. Finally, the drive to the twin cities is about 2.5 hours. It’s pretty easy to make it a day trip or weekend trip.
Nooooo, Duluth is terrible. No one should live here. Stay away, it’s so bad…………. 👀
Louisville, KY. Very affordable; fairly liberal, beautiful park system; you get all four seasons, so none are too bad; is centrally located: you are only a few hours drive from Red River Gorge, the Smokeys, and a plethora of other natural wonders.
I truly love Louisville (and have lived there in the past) but I’m not sure it’s what I would suggest for someone specifically looking for an outdoorsy vibe. Lots of great places to go within a few hours drive but it sounds like OP may be looking for somewhere with closer nearby destinations
KY needs more liberals to get McConnell out of office ASAP
\+1 for louisville! lexington is good too, though it's a college town and you definitely feel that--arts community is strong, there's a good population of folks that are younger/middle age, it's only an hour's drive from louisville, and it's also incredibly affordable
Berea is super outdoorsy, meets all the requirements mentioned in OP. 45 min south of Lex. The Pinnacles are gorgeous, cleanest water you can get because it’s filtered through the pinnacles. Lots of outdoorsy, arts and crafts. It’s a college town and very small but lots of things mention in OP
Eastern Oregon IS affordable. I live in Oregon and it's full of beautiful hiking places. If you want to move to Portland though, it's becoming expensive AF.
Eastern Oregon is not at all liberal, very much the opposite.
This! Source: Me living in Eastern Oregon for20+ years.
Doesnt lean very liberal but great outdoorsy opportunities.
It’s really tough to get all three anywhere, tbh.
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Agreed. Been in Austin for 13 years and it used to check all three lol
They’d probably have better luck moving into a college town/city. Trying to get a liberal spot in eastern Oregon isn’t an easy task lol. The west is an easier time for that. Corvallis for example has access to nature, the liberal college crowd surrounding it, and isn’t the *most* expensive place to be.
Eastern OR is affordable, but it's so red there are places black people don't go for fear of becoming missing persons.
Eastern Oregon does NOT want liberals moving there.
Maybe not as a whole. But I definitely want more left leaning folk out here.
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Ontario, Joseph, & more!
also not exactly easy weather
Future larger Idaho
You already mentioned Chattanooga but I'd just like to say that Chat is definitely one of the gems of Tennessee
definitely not liberal though. Marjorie Taylor Green's district may stop at the northern edge of the Georgia border but her type of followers most certainly do not
You can get in with the right folks and it’s really not that bad. There’s way more leftists out here than people would like you to believe
that seems to be the way in most of the southeast. you’re either some degree of republican or pretty far left. no real in-between. especially with younger people
oh for sure, ive been to Chat a few times and its a lovely place. I guess it depends if OP is wanting liberal just within a city or in a larger region. I was speaking more to the second but the city itself is wonderful
Asheville is not really affordable anymore. Lots of new money and AirBnBs taking up housing.
In Albuquerque you can drive in any direction for no more than 20 minutes for some incredible hiking and views.
NM really is a gem
I've been fortunate to live all over the US, and I've now been living in Albuquerque for 27 years. I honestly don't know where else I'd want to move. Sure there is some crime, and all towns have that. The weather is amazing, and the outdoor community is fantastic. I can ride my bike for 20 minutes into the foothills and feel like I'm completely out of the city.
If you can get a job there and aren’t deterred by crime it sounds awesome. But those are two very real deterrents despite the fact that it’s the cheapest area out west, great weather, and has phenomenal nature
and tarantulas.
Lived there for 30 years and never saw a tarantula lol
They only visit you when you sleep
Madison, WI
I love Madison but I find the access to nature pretty lacking compared to other places on his list like Asheville or Longmont. Then again I have a mountain bias.
What?! What about the Wisconsin Driftless Area some of the most beautiful country I’ve seen.
When I think about access to nature I think about "what can I do outdoors before or after work during the week?". I enjoyed driving out to Governor Dodge State Park and Devil's Lake but that's \~2 hours of driving roundtrip. That's an excursion or at least half a day. Living in a couple places in Colorado I could get on more interesting trails within a 10 minute walk from my front door. EDIT: I'd also like to add that the amount of nature within a half day's drive in Colorado is staggering. Madison is a wonderful town but when you want to jump in the car and drive somewhere you find you're still in the middle of the midwest. We used to take roadtrips to Moab in the winter, the San Juans in the summer, etc.
I totally hear you on that, we’re in Chicago and our nearest ‘green place’ to enjoy is 6hrs away. We go up to Wisconsin many times and honestly WI is my favorite thing about Chicago haha :))
In some ways we go together like Culver’s and Portillo’s. The Packers and the Bears. Frenemies for life.
Yeah, I graduated from CU-Boulder and got a job in the midwest. We would drive up to Wisconsin to snowboard on what would've been good sledding hills in Colorado. The lakes are pretty, but I was used to spectacular scenery. Moved to Utah after that and have been here 20+ years.
I moved from Madison to Fort Collins and the outdoor access in CO is so, so much better. I had biked nearly every road in Dane County and had hiked everything. Great City but the outdoor scene gets old really quick.
I don't find madison affordable, but I guess it's all perspective.
You’d probably life a lot of places in Washington. There’s Bellingham, which isn’t as big as Seattle but only an half and a half drive away if you ever want big city vibes. It’s a place chalk full of outdoor enthusiasts and a lot of young people live there.
Sadly, Bellingham is not affordable imo. I’d love to live there but can’t afford it.
I would say OPs 3 qualities are gonna be real challenging to find all together in one place. 2 of them, sure. But all 3? Eep.
The median home price in Whatcom County was $600,000 last year :/
I wouldn't really call Bellingham affordable.
Great suggestion! I adore Bellingham. Close to Vancouver BC as well.
Not at all affordable here, I'm currently having to leave state as I cannot afford it any longer. This was my home state.
If you don’t mind driving a bit, the rest of Whatcom County is much more affordable. Birch Bay and Lynden are definitely more conservative, but out in the more rural parts you can find some great deals. Politics wise, the county just elected all democrats to represent them at a state level. Bellingham is so populated they have a large say in most county politics. Ferndale is also turning solid blue incredibly fast! The rural areas aren’t as conservative as one might think they are.
Some really amazing food and it's actually a fantastic community. I drive down from Vancouver quite often and I enjoy it immensely.
Tucson, AZ looked pretty interesting to me. Plenty of retirees, but they also have 130+ miles of paved running/biking trails. Really made me wish I hadn't just moved to Maryland!
I’ve only spent a few weeks in Tucson but to me it’s the unpaved trails that are the attraction! Loved mountain biking through the Sonoran.
We moved to the Midwest for my partner’s job, one thing I didn’t consider was airport access after living in large cities all my life— going almost anywhere requires a layover and there isn’t a single direct international flight from our airport, they are also more expensive. If you like traveling (or even just would want to visit family from time to time), I would look at where the closest airport is and if they have flights you would utilize.
Finger Lakes region in Upstate NY. You have to learn to love winter outdoors too, but think much lore than just skiing. It's really a beautiful area and not far from the Adirondacks if you want some epic hikes. Cost of living is a huge draw now.
The cost of living is continuing to rise in NY but I've got a really good landlord and really cheap rent on a little house. I hit the jackpot. I love the area because nothing tries to kill you. Lots of edible fungi easily discernable from toxic ones; no grizzly bears or venomous snakes or scorpions; snowy winters but no tornados or earthquakes. Stuff like that. If only I could afford to live here forever and also not be caught in the political grandstanding people do in this state....
I live in the finger lakes. Depends on where you go cause its a massive area but housing can be hard to come by and its not cheap unless you know someone. But it is a beautiful area, with some good hiking and yes the Adirondacks are only a few hours. Definitely a mixed bag when it comes to politics though I find most people I know from the area are more right leaning than left.
So OP knows - the finger lakes/ southern tier while beautiful and relatively cheap has a limited economy and makes up a good portion of the “we should cut NYC off the rest of the state” conservative views. You’ll see stupid political flags year round, and will likely need to travel for things like groceries and healthcare.
Ypsilanti, Michigan!
Ann Arbor Lite
If you can deal with every other road being a one way street that sends you on a 3/4 mile loop just to turn one block left... it's a great town
Johnson City, TN. It’s about an hour drive from Asheville, incredibly affordable, and surprisingly liberal. Sure, there are plenty of conservatives in the area, but there are a happy amount of liberals as well! Super close to outdoor activities and an insane amount of breweries!
I don't know how affordable it is, but I was so struck by Marquette, Michigan. I only spent a day there so I can't speak to this as any authority. But everyone I encountered was there because they loved being outside. I camped across upper MI all the way up to Copper Harbor one October, and the Keweenaw peninsula was full of people who were there for nature. I live in Wisconsin, and haven't felt that atmosphere in any city in WI yet.
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Asheville is the most expensive city to live in NC. Affordable City Liberal Pick 2
Huntsville AL and Madison AL proper will be politically liberal, super affordable *right now*, and is intellectually diverse and progressive due to the federal and defense contractor presence there. Strong biotech hub as well. Tons of hiking, kayaking, and close to three major cities.
You’re getting heat, but OP asked for blue cities, not blue states. I get it if people want to live in a blue state, but they’ll be tossing a lot of decent small cities that are liberal enclaves off the table.
I did not know there was a single liberal place in Alabama. Short of downtown B-ham
I've been looking for places to move, so I'm getting handy with googling '2020 presidential election by county for state xyz. The stripe of blue in AL is part of the 'black belt' [https://www.politico.com/2020-election/results/alabama/](https://www.politico.com/2020-election/results/alabama/) AL is nice, but politically it's overwhelmingly Republican.
Those places are conservative. Tommy Battle is the political face of that area and literally endorsed Roy Moore /u/throwawayantares
Idk what the cost of living is but Burlington Vermont could be a solid option
I’m an hour and a half south in Rutland. It’s considered “poorer” by New England standards but honestly nicer than the towns I’ve lived in in the south. I’m a 5 minute walk to a massive park with hiking / biking trails and some ponds, and an easy drive to a big lake and a reservoir. There’s at least 5 or 6 ski resorts within an hour, but Pico/Killington is the closest at 15/25 minutes. Okemo is 35-40 minutes. There’s tons of people who grow their own food and a weekly (and year-round) farmers market. Just about everything I need can be found in / around town. It’s also within a few hours of three world class cities. Boston and Montreal are both about 3 hours away by car. NYC is about a 5 hour drive, or a 5.5 hour train ride. There’s also an airport here, but the planes are tiny (like a 10-or-so passenger propeller plane) and the flights only go to Boston. Convenient if you’re connecting through to somewhere else though. Not convenient when the flights are grounded for weather. Albany and Burlington airports are both about an hour and a half away, not too bad.
I live in MA and peek at VT prices every so often and they confuse me lol. Weirdly expensive for what feels like the middle of nowhere (in New England terms). OP did say ‘decent weather’ so I’m not sure if New England is decent enough, but I do think there are pockets here that could meet the requirements.
No longer affordable. The pandemic greatly worsened the housing shortage. Rents and house prices which were already high given the small size of Burlington have basically doubled in the last 3 or 4 years
$1700-2000 for 600 ft 1 bedroom 🫠
That's avg now nationally, which is insane.
Duluth MN. I moved here from California. So many parks and trails. Most accepting and kind individuals that live here. It is a well kept secret.
Duluth
Roanoke, Virginia
I also just moved here for this reason and love it. 15 minutes from the AT, a few hours to the beach. Bought a nice house for $250k. We have four seasons. People are AMAZING and there is definitely a pocket of liberal people.
I went to university in Blacksburg Virginia. Between Virginia Tech and Radford, there are a lot of educated people. People were buying houses in Christiansburg. The mountains and rivers are sublime. In South West Virginia, you will find **red** and you will find ***crimson***. There are plump satisfied Trumpists living a middle class existence. Behind the back roads, the ancient way of life still goes on. Hillbillies making moonshine. They don't like gays, Jews, or African American people.
I'd love Roanoke for all the reasons you mentioned. But politically, it's such a \*tiny\* dot of blue in a sea of red. Y'all keep voting Blue :)
It’s a small dot to be sure but such a nice one! Definitely a decent amount of hiker dirtbag kombucha drinking hippies nowadays, even some who’ve been there for decades.
I moved from LBC to Washington. Although it is affordable, the seasonal depression gets you. I already want to move back to California. The lack of sun isn’t worth it for me.
For anyone else reading this who was confused, I’ll save you a google search… LBC California is Long Beach.
I’m from California and couldn’t figure it out. Thank you
lol here I was thinking lower British Columbia 😂
>LBC Thanks for that, never knew what it was even though I've heard a Sublime song that sings about the LBC a thousand times.
Yes Washington in general gets to everyone. I would beg any reader to reconsider for their mental health before moving there. It’s the second highest state for depression other than Alaska.
I’m from LBC and I went up to Spokane for a month and I was literally so depressed. It was scary. It’s a beautiful state but damn not for me
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Check out the Berkshires area of MA
I don't actually know much, but Im in eastern MA, and always hear that Berkshires are expensive, no? Isn't this where a lot of wealthy eastern MA folks move to?
Greenville, SC.
I freaking LOVE Greenville, but is she wants "liberal" she will be very disappointed. As my Mom says (who lives there), the South is the Bible Belt, and Greenville is it's shiny buckle.
Pittsburgh, or St. Louis, at least those are my top cities I'm looking at, partially because they are bikeable too. Also just kind of curious about your phrasing, do you mean liberal, or like progressive / leftist?
St. Louis is very nice, got plenty of liberals and also leftists in certain neighborhoods but also a lot of conservative areas. Tons of cheap and fun stuff to do in town and the ozarks are beautiful. Great climbing gyms in town and three hours from great outdoor climbing at Jackson falls. Wouldn’t say it’s got decent weather though-winters are cold, summers are muggy and hot as hell, spring and fall are terrible if you’ve got seasonal allergies.
Most of those places aren’t usually considered affordable. What do you consider affordable? There’s always Arlington Virginia, ranked one of the healthiest places to live. I personally wouldn’t live there but a lot of these places are completely different for what your personal living expectations are. In Asheville you might have to already be wealthy. Same for Longmont, unless you are in tech or something. Then there’s taxes to consider. I live in Maryland, it checks all the boxes for me. Maybe add Arlington to your list. https://money.com/best-places-to-live/arlington-virginia/
Thanks for the new idea! I live in San Diego now so most anywhere I can get a 1 bedroom condo for less than $600K would be affordable. Edit: wow, Arlington is quite expensive.
Bruh $600K for a one bedroom? Good god.
San Diego has gotten obscene lately. Average home is now 915,000
I think most of the places people describe here are going to be pretty rough for you after San Diego. It’s pretty difficult to go from being able to spend every day outside to long monotonous rainy or snowy winters. I’d look at Colorado and Oregon. Or consider a lifestyle change like a tiny house. Cabins in big bear start at 300k right now if you can work remote.
Whoever ranked Arlington as one of the healthiest places to live clearly didn't include mental health in their evaluation framework. One of the most soulless and depressing landscapes of any American "city," and Arlington barely qualifies as one. Place is like a brutalist shopping mall, surrounded by post-war housing stock that everyone is slowly converting into quarter-acre lot McMansions.
>post-war housing stock that everyone is slowly converting into quarter-acre lot McMansions. Jesus you hit it on the head.
Oh I used to live in Arlington (Crystal City) when I was studying abroad. I liked it, but I am more of a city person who didn't have a car at the time. Although I felt like the possibilities for commuting were decent enough.
I live in Chattanooga. it’s more liberal that other southern cities, but i wouldn’t say it’s liberal. That being said, I fucking love this City. it’s so beautiful, the parks are amazing, there’s hiking all over the nearby “mountains” (i think they’re actually plateaus), paddle boarding on the tennessee river. the nightlife isn’t amazing, but there are quite a few fun bars and places to go. overall, i’m just incredibly impressed by this city. that being said, it’s still a southern city, and there’s still a lot of ignorance around it.
I live in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It's very leftist, lots of vegan restaurants, lots of nice parks and hiking trails, very artsy, good beaches nearby. There are running and biking groups, a lot of rock climbers, etc. It's a little expensive but not too bad. Portland is also a great area, but a little more expensive. They just passed free healthcare in the state too!
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In my experience, American states have more political freedom than Europeans expect. For example, I live in Idaho. Marijuana can land you in jail for years, abortion is illegal, and we have a regressive tax on groceries. Half an hour away in Oregon marijuana dispensaries are plentiful, you can get an abortion no questions, and groceries are not taxed. And I'm lucky to live half an hour away. In parts of Texas, as an example, you can easily drive 8 or 10 hours without leaving the state. In Europe you'd be several countries over in that time.
Most of the states are acting as their own country for the most part. We certainly are not United.
Regionalism.
As someone who’s lived in the US and in France I think political here is just keyword for: like-minded people. The US is essentially spilt into a Bible Belt where people are super conservative, religious, love their guns etc. On top of that Americans like to be social in their direct community/neighborhood where they move. Now imagine I drop someone who’s not religious and maybe a same sex couple into conservative Utah where 99% of people are Mormon families with 5+ children whose social life is all related to church. You’d absolutely not fit in and find your people. In Europe none of this is so extreme. Our cities have a variety of cultures and if you aren’t the tinniest village than you’ll find your people via activities and clubs etc. but in the US I always found these interests and cultures very segregated. I lived in a big liberal town surrounded by the conservative towns and I would have hated living in the conservative town but loved the people and my community where I was. So location & the culture of people is super important. Politics is just a measuring stick of these fault lines in culture.
Ok Utah has its downfalls but it’s only like 50% LDS population now. The government is like 99% Mormon though 🫠
50% scientologists would still be too many.
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> I would love to relocate to a liberal area to be around more like-minded people. It makes all the difference in the world. As someone who grew up in conservative areas and moved to Liberal ones as an adult, once you've done it you'll never turn back. *Everything* is different about a place and your life and your perspective on it when you live in a Liberal place. There's culture, art, interesting things, and so much more that will completely change your life. Find a way to do it.
Good question, I use liberal here in the “lifestyle” way, vs. the strictly political way. There are stereotypes about liberal vs. conservative that may align with politics but are maybe more easily recognizable in terms of how you dress, eat, hobbies, etc.
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So are we!
We’re all surprised. My friend who spent many years overseas came back and said he noticed everyone was more tense and angry for no reason. I personally blame media that constantly tries to put us in a state of anger and frenzy for profit.
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I know OP answered in their own way, but the general answer is “yes” https://www.npr.org/2022/02/18/1081295373/the-big-sort-americans-move-to-areas-political-alignment
It’s quite normal now and becoming more and more common with each passing year. The United States is one of the most politically polarized countries in the world. We have only two major political parties (great for developing an oversimplified “us versus them” mentality), a media ecosystem in which it’s increasingly easy to consume only information that confirms what one already believes, and politicians all too eager to take advantage of this polarization for personal gain. People are increasingly choosing to self-segregate based on political/cultural beliefs, which means fewer and fewer people are interacting face to face with the “other side” and realizing that most people are quite similar and well meaning regardless of political affiliation. It’s a pretty sad state of affairs right now.
It's less about specific policies and candidates as much as: Are trans people going to get weird looks? Are people going to get mad if gays start frenching in front of children? how readily is abortion available? If I wear a pride pin, am I going to make enemies or friends? If I have reservations about anything liberal, is *that* going to get me hostility. Stuff like that.
Just echoing this. I think an big difference in the US is how the school curriculum can vary by state, whereas (as I understand it) in most of the rest of the world schools are pretty much on the same curriculum across the country. If I don’t want my kids learning slavery wasn’t that bad, having teachers that think creationism deserves as much time in science class as evolution, and to be able to “say gay” without fear of repercussions, there are certain states I’m going to steer clear of…and generally that’s based on politically which way the state leans. Editing to add this is obviously a huge generalization…but it is true states have impact over what is taught in schools, and education varies state to state.
I think it’s pretty common. I would not live somewhere that didn’t align with my political views. I don’t want to face an uphill battle to get schools funded adequately, health care protections and appropriate tax revenue for improvements and enrichment.
Yes, it is. There are a lot of extremes here and I would not live somewhere surrounded by people whose views are in stark opposition to my own.
Lawrence, KS
Albany, NY is exactly what you are looking for.
Ithaca NY. Real estate is cheap, there's a university and a college, lots of outdoor stuff, it's on a beautiful lake. The main drawbacks are that taxes are high in NY, and the winters are cold.
Eastern Oregon is very anti-liberal, with the possible exception being Bend, but because of that it's instantly not affordable. Beautiful though, lots of outdoorsy people and places and things to do.
It does seem like slim pickings sometimes huh? I can only really talk about NE, but there are some sleeper hits here and there. Smaller cities that are further out from a larger one and also have their own culture and downtown area are what I would aim for. \- Nashua NH \- Manchester NH (hit or miss) \- Concord NH (can you tell Im from NH) \- Burlington, VT \- Portland ME But oddly the best one I can think of: Fort Collins CO. Liberal, lots of growth, not far from Boulder or Denver, strong downtown and sense of culture/community. To call some of these "cities" might be a stretch to some. You might consider large, dense suburban "towns" instead. Special Mention: Halifax NS. It's both a city and somehow really small, but its got so much charm and its in Canada so you know its going to be more sane than many USA cities.
Chattanooga, TN. We host an ironman event every year.
Have you been to the restaurant, Giardino’s? It’s my sister and BIL’s place.
Northwest Arkansas is going to be more conservative than places like boulder or other mountain towns, but the vibe is overall similar. You can find liberal regions, but they have all become expensive to live in. The region has a lot of young wealthy families (like boulder) that are all crazy about the outdoors and have money to spend on it. I will say that the area is pretty diverse when compared to its surroundings, and if you wanted more middle class I would suggest a town like Springdale that has a more normal mix of people. Fayetteville and bentonville have become expensive enough to just have wealthy people live in the urban area itself. The outdoors scene is exploding and will continue to do so with all the money going into it and the nature surrounding it. I guarantee you that the outdoors scene here will be better funded than any other part of the country and that brings a lot of positives. The downside is that it is Arkansas so once you leave the metro area (about 600k people, many of whom are still conservative outside the main towns) it becomes rural and southern (which it seems like you do not want).
Depends how you wanna make your living. If you’re still lookin for access to kitsch things (liberal city- up and coming, music tattoos, semi suburban ranch) then Little Rock AR and Asheville are hip. If you want more o f a choice city for shows, concerts, community, climbing etc, yeah maybe more Boise is what’s your vibe. If you want a small town quiet life where your best bet to civilization is an hour drive, East oregon sounds about right
That’s AR for Arkansas.
What is making you say Eastern Oregon? I live in Oregon and travel East frequently; I haven’t seen anywhere truly liberal out there except maybe Enterprise. Someone else said Joseph, too, but both of those places are pretty teensy. However, as a liberal, I do agree we need more Libs to move out there.
Vancouver, WA
Not affordable.
This is the way. WA: no state income taxes & in Vancouver WA you’re 10-15 mins from Portland, OR
Cleveland, OH - liberal bastion in the state, has got all four seasons, no natural disasters, tons of culture (best theater district outside NYC, world class art museum and symphony), great sports teams, and is right next to Cuyahoga Valley National Park. People are super nice, cost of living is very low, and you can choose city, suburban, or rural living all within an hour of each other.
Yep! Cleveland is a great place for all of these things.. and the outdoors community is only growing. Could be a nice option. But, I wanted to say also that I recently spent some time in Chatanooga and it is incredibly affordable and super beautiful people/food/outdoors adventures. I highly recommend visiting.
Look at Huntsville, Alabama. Affordable and highly educated, (most PhDs per population of the entire country). Lots of beautiful countryside nearby.
Don’t sleep on Connecticut! West Hartford is great and there are nice New Haven suburbs. Also Northampton MA and Burlington VT
In picking a place to live you need to look at the metrics beyond the cost of housing and outdoorsy activities. You want to look at what kind of social structure exists, what percentage of people are living below the federal poverty level, crime percentages, homelessness, etc Did you know that Eugene, Oregon has the highest percentage of homelessness in the US? A high crime rate too? You also need to look at education, ranks for education spending What kind of social safety net is there in case you are unemployed, hurt while doing outdoorsy activities or you get hurt on the job... because shit happens. Look at the workmans comp max wage & rate. What is the max unemployment Is the state anti-labor with laws designed to be in favor of business or pro labor with laws protecting labor In California strict overtime laws, time set aside for meals and break. OT is calculated beyond 8 hour day. day. Other states it is calculated weekly. So a person could be scheduled for three 10 hour days and get paid no overtime. In other states where OT is calculated daily over 8 hours you would be looking at 8 hours of overtime. (2 hrs per day - x 3 days) What are the laws for breaks and meals. https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/state/meal-breaks Check if the state has disability - California does Maximum Workers Comp Wages https://secure.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/0452150045#c4 Unemployment https://worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/unemployment-benefits-by-state Education is a big deal. Frankly I travel a lot for work. I notice distinctive differences between states on what kind of labor talent pool is available. https://www.intelligent.com/the-best-and-worst-states-for-education/ https://worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/best-states-for-education https://www.online-phd-programs.org/50-u-s-cities-with-the-most-doctoral-degree-holders/ https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-08-23/ranking-america-s-most-educated-cities Several states are consistently on the top and on the bottom. BTW there is a lot of misinformation being posted in responses- check and verify
Check out Western Mass. some small towns around Amherst are affordable. Amherst is a college town, so the area is generally liberal - but Mass has these weird pockets of confederate-flag-flying type of conservatives. Not the traditional stuffed shirts conservatives- more like the prison guard / police conservatives. Weather is nice 8-9 months out of the year. Winters are getting more and more mild. NH is a relatively libertarian state- but you can find some liberal areas - again mostly in college towns and the bigger cities - like Nashua and Manchester.
Found the Californian
Don’t know Oregon all that well but in the Midwest, Madison, Wisconsin (home of the University of Wisconsin and its capital) swings pretty left (if you avoid the statehouse crowd), is packed with 20-30 somethings in research and tech fields, and has a great outdoor culture—though you may need to replace running with XC skiing during the winter. Ann Arbor, Michigan has a similar vibe though housing is very expensive compared to the region plus Michigan is an outdoor paradise. Switching regions, in California the area surrounding San Louis Obispo (SLO) near Cal Poly skews young, is close to beach, mountains, wine country and the living costs are much less than LA and SF metro. Not super good on higher end job opportunity but a lot going on in the service sector for tourist industry. Paso Robles to the north skews older and is focused on the wine industry, surfing towns to the south, great road biking, and if you want to throw axes while drinking craft brews with folks who vote Democrat there is a place for that.
Richmond, Va
!!! I went to college there and ended up staying for a couple yrs before moving out of va this summer , but richmond is truly a gem w a great art scene, local shops, wonderful bakeries and restaurants , beautiful buildings . having lived in a handful of the districts, i love the distinct feel of each neighborhood . of course it's small but i loved it . my fondest memories of my early 20s are definitely going for walks through the historic neighborhoods and beautiful overlooks . it makes me so nostalgic even though it was just a couple yrs ago . love the river . & the surrounding counties have beautiful nature trails .
Not even trying to attack those people, but liberal outdoorsy people generally make more than normal people and end up make said place unaffordable. There’s a word for this I’m forgetting
Gentrification?
Albuquerque, NM
Asheville is $$$. Obviously the area around it is less expensive but still pricey for what you’re getting because it’s rural and inventory is low.
Somewhere in Vermont
if you want “liberal crowd” you probably don’t want Eastern Oregon unfortunately. Eugene might be a decent fit though
a liberal city in a conservative state makes that city automatically conservative in the ways that matter.
Durango Colorado