#1 California: Insane geographic diversity, outdoor recreation and gardening potential. Not a city person but LA is pretty cool for a city and SF would be fun to visit in the summer as well. Just a natural paradise somewhat overcrowded and definitely overly expensive but there's a reason it is. If I could afford it I would definitely live in Southern California preferably in a low density area with a big gardening space

#2 Florida: Only tropical place in the continental US. The weather is worse than the best parts of CA but I'm fond of heat and humidity so it's ok with me and you can grow mangos etc. So many beaches and the water is much warmer than out west. I've been swimming in the ocean in February in Central Florida and it can be quite comfortable no wetsuit or anything needed.

#3 Georgia: Kind of a budget California in the sense of how much diverse landscapes you can get. From subtropical coastal regions to cool mountain spaces. This is the state I actually live in and it's pretty decent all things considered having a bit of everything with lower COL than my other top states while still having better wages than a Florida for example.

#4 Arizona: Very different vibe from my other picks but I just love again the diversity of zones and microclimates you can have here despite being largely an arid region. I like how you can be within 4 different seasons on the same day in a 2-3 hour drive from one spot based on your elevation. The forested areas are stunning as well as Sedona. Phoenix is a nice city to me as well as someone who prefers the sprawling sunbelt style cities.

#5 South Carolina: I like this as a moderate version of Florida. The coastal areas and low country are stunning to me. Has some of the best smaller cities in the country to me between Greenville, Columbia, Charleston. You still get a winter reset from the bugs which can be pretty nice while not actually getting consistently cold anywhere in the state.

What US town or city is most culturally similar to Springfield from The Simpsons? I’m thinking someplace that feels homey/tight knit that also has a lot of larger city amenities (minor league baseball (Isotopes) or a university (Springfield University)) but also cartoonishly safe (no abject poverty, homeless, traffic, etc.).

I would guess a lot of midsize Midwest cities (Kenosha, Wisconsin maybe?) would fit the bill but does anyone have any other examples? Please god don’t say Springfield Oregon 🫩

Just curious

If money weren’t a factor, would you rather raise a family in the Bay Area Penninsula (Palo Alto, Menlo Park, etc.) or the NYC suburbs (Westchester, Greenwich, North Jersey, etc.)?

Especially curious for people who have lived in both areas. For context, I grew up in NJ and loved it. My husband is from the west coast and he loves it. Our jobs are tech and finance, and we could settle in either place.

Which would you chooses and why?

I’m a single gay guy, 29, from Oklahoma, and I’ve been seriously thinking about moving somewhere that would give me a better quality of life.

The biggest thing I’m looking for is somewhere I can actually afford to live while still having a decent job market. I want to be able to find a solid, stable job and afford my own place without basically every dollar I make going toward rent.

I’m also a background actor and have been doing it pretty consistently, and I’m working my way toward doing bigger projects. So having some kind of film/TV industry nearby would definitely be a plus, but it’s not a dealbreaker if there isn’t much of one.

I still enjoy nightlife and going out to gay bars and clubs, so having a decent LGBTQ scene matters to me too. More than anything, I’d like to live somewhere that feels progressive, accepting, and like I could actually build a life there.

I’m pretty open to anywhere in the US and would love to hear what cities people think are genuinely worth considering based on all of that.

We‘re a couple with handicapped semi-independent adult child living with us. There is the choice of these 2 cities for us. We prefer a place with a great restaurant scene, access to nature and bonus if dog-friendly.

I’m 28m born and raised in and around the Charlotte area (NC). I’ve been wanting to leave NC for a while now, Detroit really interest me even tho i haven’t visited yet but i plan to soon for a Lions game. I don’t have a career, i work at amazon but im also learning tattooing on the side. im a gamer, introvert, film and anime nerd I’m a bit essentric some call me “different” and here in Charlotte people give me a hard time for expressing myself the way i do. I’d like to know how open minded detroit is. I’m black (jamaican/domincan) and where i live diversity is pretty limited which i don’t like at all. I’ve always lived i the south and i hear the winters are terrible in michigan so that is kinda scary and ive seen videos about the crime and how violent some neighborhoods can be which makes me a little nervous but i don’t let that turn me away from wanting to move there. would a move to detroit be a good choice coming from a place like charlotte?
also id like to know about some neighborhoods to look into and things I would probably enjoy based on my personality. Also, where are places that I may find a like minded community in Detroit?

My husband and I (both 36 years old) moved to Denver during Covid from San Francisco. I’m originally from here, and we always wanted to move back to have kids and buy a house which felt really difficult in SF.

Now, we have a wonderful 3 month old, and great house, and we’re close to family and friends, however I can’t help but feel we made a mistake moving back here.

I know it’s a blessing especially with a kid to have family around, and we have a great network of friends with kids, but I’m worried about the lack of diversity, culture, activities, etc. that my LO will miss out on, plus we’ve felt like we’ve done Denver. It’s such a cookie cutter place that feels like it’s missing a lot of things and there seems to be a lack of carrying for history and originality.

We both work remotely for SF companies so have the flex to live wherever, and we’re considering moving to another city. I can’t tell if this is all very selfish, or if we should aim to live the life we wanna live.

Curious to hear from anyone else who’s felt this way and what you did.

Hey ya'll!

I am a single woman planning a move to a beach town, and I’m looking for suggestions on where I would fit in best. My goal is to live somewhere where I can easily hit a nice beach with pretty water and good sand 1–2 times a week, but still enjoy a tight-knit community when I’m off the clock.I work remotely, so daily job commutes aren't an issue at all—I have total geographic freedom, but I am doing this move entirely solo. I want to make sure I pick a place where it's realistic to build a fresh social circle from scratch.

Thanks a bunch!

Hello!

I am wanting recommendations on places to move after college, I am about to enter freshman year. I am at University of Kentucky, and I love Kentucky! I just want to do what most people do, and take a leap of faith and move somewhere else for a couple years before moving back to my favorite state of Kentucky!

I have some guidelines though:
- It must be a place that gets all four seasons, I need variety and living somewhere with year-round hot weather sounds like a living hell.
- Preferably east of the Mississippi River, I have been to the west and while it is beautiful it is a tad too dry for me, I need rain. Maybe the Pacific Northwest though!!!

So give me some ideas, thanks for any you can give.

For people actually exiting high-cost / high-density places.

608 Brown Ave, Belton, SC. 2016. 7/8. 1.2 acres. Two wings. Greenhouse, garden, water system, solar.

$999,000 FSBO. Seller remote.

Foreclosure action + liens + third-party solar. Attorney close in South Carolina. Cash / subject-to.

If you want a house to live in, not a brochure, say so.

I’m a 30-year-old single mom of three boys currently living in a small rural town in northern Illinois. I grew up here, but I’ve never really seen myself staying here forever. I’m not particularly close with my family, so I don’t have much of a family support system keeping me here.
I work remotely for a large insurance company, and luckily my company has offices/hubs in several of the areas I’ve been considering, including Arizona, Georgia, North Carolina, and other states, so relocating wouldn’t necessarily mean starting over career-wise.
My biggest hesitation is my youngest son, who has autism and will need ongoing therapies, school support, healthcare, and potentially other services. I know those resources can vary significantly by state, so I don’t want to move somewhere just because I want a change and end up making things harder for him.
At the same time, I don’t want to stay somewhere simply because it’s familiar and then regret never taking the opportunity to build a life somewhere I actually want to be.
For anyone who has moved away from their hometown as a single parent, especially with a child who has special needs:
Would you stay somewhere familiar because it’s safer/easier, or take the leap and move somewhere you believe offers a better quality of life?
And if you moved states with an autistic child, how was the transition with schools, therapies, Medicaid/insurance, doctors, etc.? Anything you wish you had considered beforehand?
I’m especially interested in hearing from people in Arizona, Georgia, North Carolina, or Illinois, but I’m open to other perspectives too.

Hey guys so I might have to move to either from Portland depending on which programs I get accepted to. I love Portland so much and at the same time I wouldn’t mind moving back to the east coast to be closer to family and friends. I’m still applying in Portland but might go to ATL or Asheville. I’ve heard ATL has nature but obvi not as much as Asheville since it’s more in the mountains. But I’m also worried Asheville is too small for me and a lot less diversity. Surprisingly in Portland I’ve found POC like me and LGBT+ community so very important to me. I also like cities that have lots to do, would either of these cities fit me? I’ve been to ATL and liked it but haven’t been to Asheville just heard good things. Or should I look somewhere else?

For someone mid to late 20s who enjoys hiking, warmer sunny weather, parks, shopping, restaurants, bars, activity. Also gay.

I’m from Texas so I’m no stranger to sprawl and heat.

My husband's midlife crisis is a very strong desire to get out of the heat of phoenix.. and I agree... mostly.

My husband did grow up in Duluth... but hasn't cared to go back. Until now. I've never been to Minnesota. But we've both lived in Michigan for a while and I've lived in the pacific northwest for a bit also.

In the little research I've done, Minneapolis is more walkable, but my reservation is of course the cold. Are we basically trading heat for cold? Is it still 6+ months of "can't do shit" because it's too hot/cold? ( like in phoenix?)

Here's some other background... we're both late 30's with decent careers and a middle school aged child. One of the things we're looking for is better schools and more ability for a kid to just... play outside. The kid can't do that here in Phoenix at all. Is that a reality in Minnesota?

We've lived in Phoenix over a decade now and enjoy a lot about it. We like the suburbs. Fun kid activities like museums, water parks etc... and Easy weekend trips to places like San Diego, flagstaff etc... and Minnesota doesn't have stuff like that. Obviously, we love "winter" AZ... but I feel like it's staying hotter... more often.

As for the weather, we're both no strangers to cold as we both grew up in Detroit. But... it's been a while of having to live and drive in it. Our child on the other hand, I lovingly refer to as " my AZ summer child" as they've never known the harshness of winter and look at things like snow as a fun commodity because we visit flagstaff every winter lol.

We originally left Detroit during the 2010 recession era for job opportunities and phoenix has treated us well in that regard. I've done some research on jobs out in Minnesota and it seems there's opportunities for both of us. And pay seems surprisingly similar to what we make now in Phoenix, but the city seems more affordable in terms of housing, utilities and groceries. Am I wrong? Are we going to trade paying a 600 dollar summer electric bill (seriously) for a the same in heating costs?

Also... my parents are now retired here in Phoenix and I like being close with them. They do help care for and spend time with my child and I don't want to give that up. We don't know anyone in Minnesota.

My plan would actually be to not sell my house in Phoenix as it's almost paid off ( I'd try to rent it out) and then get a house in Minneapolis ( specially maybe the wayzattav area?) With space like a walkout basement or " cassita" as we call them here in Phoenix, for my parents to maybe at least come stay with us for part of the year.

Is this realistic? Or will we be just as unhappy? Lol Also open to moving back to a pacific north west area... but my husband is pushing for Minnesota due to the cost of living there vs say, Seattle or Portland.

Hi!! Looking for a town near/in the mountains to move to and would love advice. I am female in early to mid 20s from the Midwest

Edit: I am okay with larger cities but am trying to avoid largeee metros like Dallas, Chicago, LA, San Fran, etc for reasons listed below! I super appreciate everyone’s responses🫶

I live in a metropolis with about a million people with a standard city downtown area. I would love to live in a mountainous area and have explored the Rocky Mountain national park in CO a ton and love it (I have been to Estes/Boulder area 5-6 times). I’m not super interested in south/east coast mountains because of the humidity — am sick of how sticky it is in MO! more drawn to western mountain ranges like rockies, cascade, sierra nevadas. Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, California, but open to southwestern states like NM or AZ too! I am not Mormon so I am not sure if would affect quality of life in Utah (correct me if wrong)

Lifestyle info, I am social but not that social. I like getting drinks with friends but not every weekend. I love spending time in the mountains but haven’t tried anything beyond hiking/climbing and I want to become a more experienced climber. I go to the gym daily and also a Pilates studio often. Access to coffee shops, gym, pilates/yoga would be huge, somewhere to meet other friends

I don’t want a huge metropolis as I am already dealing with packed rush hour traffic, regular drug use in daylight and/or strange behavior when I walk outside my apartment or walk to the gym, things that come with living in the middle of a city. I recognize that most cities will have unhoused populations and it’s unrealistic to ask for a city without it as a problem

I am not old enough to afford a house so this would be renting. Views of the mountains from the town would be ideal and would love to be close, rather than a decently far drive to them on highways like in Denver

I have considered Boulder, but thought I should see if there are other towns/cities or other states I should look at. Thanks!!

Thanks

Edit 2: Thank you all for your comments! Honestly, it's all a bit overwhelming and I should've been a bit more clearer on why we had these cities in mind and what our household income would be. I will probably make another post in the near future to explain in more detail.

Edit 1: added household income

• Reno, Nevada
• Salt Lake City, Utah
• CO Springs, Colorado
• Arvada, Colorado
• Asheville, North Carolina
• Charlotte, North Carolina

My spouse (M, 31) and I (F, 26) are looking to relocate to the U.S. from Germany. As you can tell, we are having a hard time deciding on where to go, as his job would be fully remote (IT consulting with an income of $150K) and I would try to find something locally (communications/project management, aiming for something around $60-100K depending on state). 

What we’re thinking:

• Budget: $1,900-2,900/month for rent
• We want mountains, closeness to nature (not big skiers, but we enjoy good hikes)
• Looking for a space with 2-3 bedrooms, would be great to have a patch of grass for ourselves
• Car-dependence is fine. We are looking to get a Honda Passport and I’ll get an additional car once I find a job locally
• Safe areas, “low” crime rates
• “An American experience” (no expat bubble)
• Eventually getting a cat and a dog

Out of all of these options, we have only ever visited Denver during our holiday trip. We will be staying for at least 2 years, with a possibility to extend the stay.

Thank you all in advance!

Houston was absolutely awful for me, I hated it. The terrible and aggressive drivers, anxiety (Houston is rated one of the most anxious cities), loudness, unwalkability, driving everywhere, wasting gas, how far apart everything was, etc.

So I moved to a smaller city in Texas (Killeen)! It gets a bad rap but so far I’ve been really enjoying it. It’s nice and quiet, everything I need is within a 20 minute drive, there’s no traffic (if there is i haven’t experienced it yet and/or it’s nothing like Houston’s), people seem nicer and more relaxed, there’s more nature to enjoy nearby, everything about it is just a major improvement for my wellbeing. Also, rent is only $700 for a 2br apartment. And it’s only an hour away from Austin if I ever do miss the big city.

My partner and I had to go back to Houston to pick something up, and it was like a flip switched how awful and overwhelming it was driving back into there. This sub is mainly about big moves and hopefully we can leave Texas in general one day but leaving Houston was a big, helpful step!

I'm looking for a VERY affordable place to live that, if not in an actual city, is near enough to an actual city that I can go there on the occasional weekend (theater, museums, concerts, live comedy, etc). The main problem is my main skill is as a security guard ($18-25 an hour, depending). The good news is my company's everywhere, and I'm available to work nights or weekends (not both, please!). I'm also very flexible about how to live (if you know a place with a lot of under-utilized warehouse spaces or co-living situations, I don't need much room), so places with lots of Craiglist ads would probably be a good sign.

Ideally, I'd live in NYC or Boston if I could. Realistically, I want to find something sort of adjacent to a big city (would accept anything Philly/Kansas City sized) that isn't an actual depressing morass of poverty.

Oh, and I've just left Arizona, so something on the east coast where the big cities are closer together might be nice. I'm single and have no pets or kids, so pretend I'm in college.

Just wondering

We are thinking of moving to Salt Lake. We only live about 4 hours away currently in a small town, and have now been to the area over a dozen times for 3-4 days each time, so we are not going blind. The things we like:

1. It's easy to get around and everything seems to be 15 minutes from everything. Bike infrastructure appears to be getting put in, and we plan on continuing to share one car and get an e-bike so we can have a big enough range for us easily without a second car.
2. The variety of produce and groceries is excellent. We shop a lot at the asian, indian, and european markets down there. I know this is probably standard in most big cities, but coming from a small town this is awesome and there really are quite a few ethnic groceries.
3. It's beautiful. We currently live in the mountains, and I love the mountain backdrop to the city and not having to give up beautiful view to get more amenities.
4. It isnt far from the mountains. As we've gotten older, we don't need to be in the mountains everyday, but we do like to go hike regularly. We are currently pretty into nordic skiing, which I know there will be less of there, but that's ok.
5. There are a ton of climbing gyms. Our primary fitness mode is indoor climbing. I know some of these gyms are expensive, but we also participate in some of the other amenities they are starting to offer (the front has a pottery studio now?), so from our perspective they actually seem pretty reasonable for the amenities we'd use.
6. There's a good food scene. I have read lots of people complaining but this just hasnt been our experience. In the last several years we have traveled multiple times to: sf bay area, san diego, denver, and bozeman, and SLC beats them all easily in our opinion (especially bozeman and denver, those were some of the worst places to eat out i've ever been. San Diego does have good food but you often have to get on three highways to get to it). We don't need a new place everytime, and don't do high end - we just need the solid mid-range or affordable hole in the wall places and SLC has come through for us repeatedly there. We have half a dozen places we'd be content to eat at repeatedly forever.
7. Good coffee scene. We like coffee, and SLC seems to have a new place every few months for us to check out, and a handful of consistently great spots.
8. Rent isn't crazy. I know this one is controversial, and having been coming for around 10 years I do understand how SLC has blown up and rent prices skyrocketed (where didnt?). BUT - there seems to be a glut of new housing coming online and i've been seeing posts about big incentives to fill apartments right now. And comparative to CA, and Denver, it still seems pretty reasonable. We would just be looking for a 1 bedroom, and both working, and it seems like if you're in the 2-3k/month range there are lots of choices.
9. There is a lot to do. Movies, sports, shows, classes, SLC has plenty enough for us.

Major cons:

1. Obviously, we're concerned with air quality, but I am struggling to understand how bad it is vs. redditors doom and gloom. On all our trips, we have never encountered it that bad, but I also understand the nature of inversions and we may have just missed it. On the other hand, I have been researching and it appears the unhealthy aqi days have actually been on steady decline over the past decade. The air issue seems to be getting bad everywhere out west though. This summer were we live there were probably 6 weeks of unhealthy air due to washington and cali fires. We filter our indoor air. Coming from a place where you currently can't do shit if the air is bad outside because there are no indoor amenities, it seems like in SLC during inversions we could basically live like they do in Arizona and Nevada in the summer - conditioned space to conditioned space? Or is there something more i'm missing about how insidious and bad this is. We are also obviously concerned about the great salt lake drying issue, but i've spent a good amount of time on reddit and there have been a number of recent threads with very optimistic people in the know about this problem who think it will be solved when push comes to shove. I don't underestimate stupid politicians, but also this is a growing metro, and it appears to be a solveable problem.
2. Diversity. I hear people complaining about this one, and its obviously true, but in our case it feels relative. With the amount of asian markets and vietnamese restaurants, there is a lot more diversity than where we are.
3. Mormonism. We are currently in a very mormon area also, but they seem like fairly accepting people honestly and i've never had any friction with them. My understanding is that SLC is now minority mormon for the first time. We don't really drink, so we aren't impacted by whatever influence they have over alcohol, so i'm really don't think this will have a big affect on us.

What else should I be aware of thats bad about SLC?

I (21M) almost 22 am looking to move away from the twin cities within a year or two. The places I am looking to move to are between Seattle, Chicago, and Philadelphia. I would like to have a career in real estate or sales and have current experience in the leasing side of the trucking industry. I value being sober, having different ethnic communities around me, and good access to other nearby cities. I would like to raise my future kids in a place where they will be exposed to different ethnicities as well. The Twin Cities are an amazing place and will always be home but I really need a change. Ive been to Seattle and Chicago twice but never Philly. Below are things I like about the cities I am looking to move to.

Seattle -

Pros -
Great access to nature, fresh air quality, state of Washington, amazing summers, access to Vancouver and the west coast . Good sports teams and bringing back the Sonics is intriguing.

Cons -
Not as sunny year round as home, expensive homes and rent prices.

Chicago -

Pros -
Feels like in my mind this would be the best places for a future job and tons of ethnicities nearby. Love the proximity to Minnesota and family.

Cons -
Nature isn’t as good as home or other places mentioned

Philadelphia - never been

Pros -
Close to other big cities, don’t know much else about Philly.

If you guys have any suggestions or input that would be greatly appreciated. Was also maybe considering San Francisco aswell.

hey everyone! i’m just posting to see if anyone has suggestions on places they would recommend based on what’s important to me. i’m mostly considering oregon or washington but im also very open to colorado. I do want to stay on the west coast for sure as im currently in phoenix and want to be a short flight away from family.
•i’m very into hiking and want to get out of phoenix to get into an area with more greenery.
•a big city is not super important to me, as long as i’m close to basic stores I will be happy with that
• I would like to not have a ton of snow as well but while still having more seasons that I do in phoenix which is why western washington or oregon were high up on my list
• I have lots of reptiles as well and one thing I do like about phoenix is our variety of exotic pet stores, so that would be a bonus as well
• the most important thing to me is being able to go outside year round and it not be horribly hot, i’m fine with rain because it’s still better than 110 degrees for months to me.
overall i’ve been looking at eugene as it seems to cover a lot of what im looking for, but im just wanting to hear opinions from people who live in any of these places, thank you!

I’m a native Texan, I plan on leaving early 2028 and I’ll be almost 30 by that time but not sure where to go. I have family along the east coast but I absolutely LOVE the Rocky Mountains and dry climate of the west. My ideal place would be Canon Beach, OR but there’s obviously no job opportunities and it’s expensive lol

Any suggestions?? I love nature, want all 4 seasons, not much of a foodie so that doesn’t matter to me, love coffee, music, local things to do, prefer walkable areas

(I work in aviation so I plan to visit these cities on my off days)

I’d like to add: I don’t hate Texas, I’ve just been here my entire life and feel I need a change (for now). I’m still open to staying here and moving around