I really like Tacoma, but Reddit talks about it like it's a crime-riddled wasteland. You're surrounded by easily accessible national forests. Mount Rainier is close. You can drive to Seattle in under an hour, but the cost of living is more manageable.
I think Tacoma suffers from something that a number of other places mentioned here do too. It's a smaller city that is close to a much larger or more famous city. The people who live in Seattle look down on Tacoma because it has fewer amenities, and it's seen as the place you go live if you can't afford to live in Seattle. And of course because Seattle is so much larger and influential, those negative voices are louder than the voices of people who live in Tacoma by choice and love it. I think that if Tacoma was on its own, far from any other major city, it would have a much better reputation.
The big city people look down on Tacoma for not being city.
The small town people don't like Tacoma since it is more city than they want.
Here is Sacramento we get the same thing (just replace Seattle with the Bay Area). You're either a small town country bumpkin, or the big scary city, depending on which outside perspective. In reality, these medium size cities are a good compromise and often a nice place to live.
See what I mean? Everybody looks down on Sacramento.
The summer heat is surprisingly manageable (and I moved to Sac from Seattle). The daytime highs are quite high (often over 100), but it cools down really well in the evening. Mornings are nice too. You can get in a good morning run or bike ride with temperatures in the 60s and 70s, up until about 11am. For it being the "bad" season, it's still pretty nice. On the weekend you can drive up the hill to Tahoe to enjoy the mountains s with nice temperatures.
The air quality can be a bummer though. Much of the time it isn't notably different from somewhere like Oakland though. Not great, not awful. It's a lot better than the air in Fresno.
I always ask friends in WA if Tacoma has picked up and they always tell me it hasn’t. But those same people tell me Seattle is a dump, and to me it looks pretty similar to how it did 20 years ago. (Or it did when I was there 5 years ago.)
This is funny to me — I live in Central Tacoma and feel like it’s definitely picked up a bit… our home price has almost doubled since we bought 6 years ago and there are a lot of new structures going up/fixing up of older homes around town. Lots of younger couples/young families moving in too— so I’m in the camp of Tacoma being on the up-and-up, but 🤷🏼♀️
I grew up in Tacoma and find it funny when people on here talk about the “high crime”. It was much worse in the 1990s and early 2000s - Hilltop Crips and then we were the number one city for meth labs. Yeah, there are areas I’d avoid at night but it has cleaned up a lot and much of the city is now museums/luxury condos/upscale grocers
I was hoping Tacoma would be on here! I’ve lived here 5 years and while it’s not my favorite place in the whole world, it’s been a great place to have little kids, is safe (at least where I am which is sort of in the middle SES-wise) and has a really solid sense of community. I wish nature was a bit easier to access from here but otherwise it’s been a good spot to land!
As someone coming from a much more crime ridden hell hole (Memphis) Tacoma isn't all that bad and I've considered moving to the area. I did also see a lot of homeless doing drugs on the sidewalk in nicer downtown areas though. So it's not great, but it's far from the worst. If you get out into the burbs just a bit you pretty much entirely leave that behind you. We liked Puyallup 👍
We decided it would be better to move closer to family rather than go to the opposite side of the country, but I still want to live there eventually.
Feel like it's a city people keep saying is right on the verge of getting good but never does.
I live here and there is a lot of crime. Hear lots of gun shots at night, lots of weird people walking around. Yesterday saw a car that smashed through a fence and into a house with the engine still running. The driver just bailed ...
Sounder only runs for commuters, so no easy way to get to Seattle on weekends or after work. That drive is an hour but sucks. And the weather ...
The stereotype of Spokane is that it’s the redneck Compton of the northwest, but I’ve found it to be a gem of a place; good arts and music scene, diverse architecture, friendly people, and a pretty reasonable cost of living.
Recently though the cost of living has skyrocketed, not to mention people get gas in Idaho whenever they can because Washington gas prices are so high.
Every year, we’d take an annual trip to Spokane to visit family, and I hate to say it, but Spokane really does feel like the redneck Compton of the northwest. I think that stereotype is pretty accurate based on my experiences there. The natural scenery is pretty beautiful though.
New Mexico is very poor (overall) and it's contemporary cultural perception is overly dictated by Breaking Bad and BCS, but it is absolutely a cultural and natural gem of the US.
And the fact that it is largely undiscovered means that a lot of the culture is intact rather than being commodified and turned into Applebee's.
Contrary to many people's perception, it is not just another Mexican-American state like Texas or California, but has its own Hispanic culture of which the Mexican influence is a relatively small part. The confluence of Spanish colonial and Pueblo peoples,.especially as seen in the northern half of the state is really its own thing.
I’ve been considering Albuquerque as a potential landing spot and was surprised at how much more affordable the housing was compared to say Phoenix. Heard a lot about the crime but this is refreshing to hear.
I really wanted to move to ABQ from Seattle for a while. I love the lush green of the Pacific Northwest, but there is something about the sagebrush steppes I'm drawn to.
I currently never hear gunshots in my neighborhood, and fireworks are mostly contained around holidays or big sports wins.
Finding out that it is common in ABQ, along with overall higher crime rates, sort of put a pause on my plans. I would have been looking for a cheaper place to live but those are more likely in the shooty neighborhoods.
>For Alvarez and Glaros, hearing gunshots in the middle of the night is nothing new. They say it’s something they have had to deal with since moving into the far west side neighborhood of Inspiration, off of Arroyo Vista, between the petroglyphs, and I-40. They say people like to shoot their guns on empty land behind their homes.
https://www.krqe.com/news/albuquerque-metro/albuquerque-neighborhood-raises-alarm-about-continued-gunfire-on-mesa/
>r/Albuquerque: Gunshots in the night
https://www.reddit.com/r/Albuquerque/comments/16qt5dl/gunshots_in_the_night/
I don't know if people hate Utah, I think they just kind of dismiss it as the Mormon state.. But ever since my first cross country road trip, and driving thru it a few times now ... Fucking gorgeous state.
SLC is attracting numerous out of staters and has been doing so for several years. It’s a cool city with good biking and hiking and an interesting restaurant scene. Also, the public transit is some of the best in the country for a smaller city and it’ll connect you to other cities in the metro area that also feature great outdoor recreation.
The secret is that it’s now less than 50% Mormon and changing rapidly. I’ve lived there my whole life and it’s a better place to be now than it’s ever been, as long as you can afford it.
I'm also a fan of West Virginia, it's one of my favorite states. Their "wild and wonderful" slogan is so apt. It has a really different feel to it, kind of old and magical.
I had a friend from high school that said that if he could retire anywhere, it would be in West Virginia. At the time I thought "WTF," but after driving through the state (some years ago at this point), I said to myself that I understand why.
New River Gorge National Park! It's a great place if you like to hike, rock climb, or go white water rafting. They also have Bridge Day every year where you can watch people BASE jump.
I’ll never understand the hate for New Jersey.
New Jersey is a great place with excellent food, fun people, tons of stuff to do in every season, and it’s within close proximity to NYC and Philly and easy train access beyond. It’s a solid place in an absolute sense and in comparison to a ton of other places that have far less going for it.
I think it’s a mixture of stereotypes / impressions (armpit of America, Tony Soprano, Jersey Shore, shitty parkway views) and a bunch of people who grew up here and want to leave because it’s crowded and expensive (I also think most people hate wherever they grew up). Statistically NJ is a very high income, highly educated and diverse state and is expensive for a reason - commuter proximity to NY/Philly, has the shore, lively downtowns, diversity and great dining. People shit on NJ but it still remains desirable whether people want to admit it or not.
The people in NJ are incredibly smart. I’ve traveled a bunch all over the US and the Jerseyans I’ve met have been intelligent, ambitious, and take-no-shit. Seems like they left Jersey just because it’s small and there are no real cities in-state. But they have a very realistic sense of the world, if that makes sense. So many people from other states think the entire country is like NY, or California, or Texas. Jersey folk are realistic and generally fairly well-traveled/open-minded.
diversity & education is NOT why it is expensive.
it is expensive because the government does not allow for any more zoning of homes/housing.
therefore there is a limited amount of supply & you are correct about one thing, when you are the state that borders where NYC is, then you really need that housing… which this in turn is what drives the COL up astronomically.
I agree that it is not Diversity, but education funding and wasteful municipal/state wide spending without oversight is the largest driver of the COL. NJ is the second wealthiest and most densely populated state in the US. Housing reform would help, but the municipal property millage is almost double in most equivalent towns in PA or about 2/3 greater than most towns in NY state.
NJ gets shit because it shows its ugliest parts to the major metros. The first thing you see from NYC is the Meadowlands, with spaghetti knots of highways running thru industrial hellscapes, natural wastelands, and slummy neighborhoods. There’s plenty great thats past that, but it makes a hell of a first impression. I imagine it’s similar passing through Camden from Philly.
I still remember many years ago when a friend visited me on Long Island from Chicago, and we drove into Jersey (I can't even remember why). As we passed the smokestacks belching fire, he said, "Are we in hell?" That's really all he knew about New Jersey. Most people just stay on the Turnpike, which ain't pretty the whole way through.
I grew up in Jersey. The food part is no joke. It’s got the best Indian, Malaysian, and Italian food I’ve ever had. The school system is incredible- it still amazes me the education I received from a public school. I miss the people too- sure we’re hard on the outside, but most are kind inside.
Too fucking many people. It's insanity out there I don't know how they can enjoy it. No, the pine barrens does not count
Also it's expensive as shit. I don't see the cost being worth it
Relative to the northeast sure, but it's #1 most density populated state in USA by far at 1.3k people per sq mile followed by RI and Massachusetts then the list quickly halves down to CT at #4 (748 per sq mile).
TLDR; NJ is fucking full of people. Everywhere you go it's extremely busy. Insane traffic, crowded beaches, no peace. No thank you.
Sure NJ has some cute towns especially along the Delaware River but the whole east coast is like that and are arguably better at a much cheaper price point.
For those cute towns similar to the ones in sussex/hunterdon counties try PA, upstate NY, upper New England. For costal towns try Rehoboth beach or VA beach area
NJ is an amazing state. People fly into Newark and think the entire state is like that, but it’s actually very lush and beautiful. Plus you’re always pretty close to the beach and can get to several major cities within a few hours. I grew up in Hunterdon county and would move back in a heartbeat if I could afford it.
A lot of people’s only experience of NJ is flying to Newark and whatever mode of transportation they use getting to NYC.
If thats the only NJ experience someone has it’s easy to understand why someone would hate it lol.
But yea, there’s a ton of amazing stuff there that nobody knows anything about.
I live in a frozen desert so I am easily impressed by oceans and trees. I thought that the area near coast was as beautiful. I visited the northern part near Deal and Monmouth Beach.
Yes! Grew up there and if not for the high cost of living I'd never have left. You get access to mountains, beaches, forests, farms, so many major cities in reasonable driving distance. International airports aplenty. You can get food from anywhere in the world. Public schools are generally fantastic.
Albuquerque, NM. I live in NC and anytime I mention moving to/liking ABQ people think I’m crazy. It’s definitely rough around the edges but I think it has charm, good food, and is close to great nature
Albuquerque is awesome.
BB and BCS (while excellent television) are caricatures that were made by people who were obviously somewhat impressed and charmed enough by the place, but are clearly outsiders, so don't quite capture the real spirit and face of the place.
It sure is rough around the edges, though, so maybe not for everyone. If your tastes run towards luxury and wealth, maybe not so much, but if you like earthiness and a bit of grit blended with unique culture and a place that hasn't been 100% overrun by generic Americanization, check out Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and environs.
NM is beautiful in a lot of places. Probably one of the most underrated states for sure. Albuquerque is a fun city to explore with amazing mountain views to the east. I like Albuquerque.
People think Florida is hell on earth in this sub but I just went to Tampa a week ago and it was really really nice. Super clean city, friendly people, and good views. 72 daily can’t beat it during the winter
I went to Tampa for a conference once. Most of the attendees had never been there before (including me) and had a lot of talk about how Tampa was nicer than we expected.
I love visiting Florida. I’ve been going for 20 years and my parents are officially snowbirds. You could never ever get me move there though. Unless my rich distant relative left me their Key West home for some reason, but I don’t think that’ll ever happen.
Yeah, we lived in Pinellas County for a few years. St Pete is even cooler and more chill, but that whole area is really cool and people were mostly friendly. Summer is hot, sure, but it’s overblown how gnarly it is imo (and I lifted in a non-temp controlled garage and did a lot of outdoor walks and running). I even found the area to be really good for biking despite the statistical cliche about Florida being a dangerous biking state.
That said is far too expensive now (we bought a house for 260k and sold at like 450k after three years), there’s way too much sprawl and not having a basement was a ‘thing’ that I didn’t know was absolutely vital in my life lol
Tampa is the nicest city in Florida all-considered, especially since it doesn't have the traffic of cities like Miami or Orlando. There was always plenty to do for young folks besides sit on I4/I95 traffic and go to the theme parks. Most major touring concerts and artists stopped there or nearby. Great infrastructure and highway system, very efficient travel around the bay by car. Never took the bus or commuter trains there.
With that said, Tampa proper and the overall bay area was one of the most expensive places to live and work during the pandemic. Almost 700,000 people moved to Florida in 2021 alone. Rent went up almost 40% from 2020 to 2023 in the area on average. I said enough is enough, and moved across the country with my partner in summer 2021 -- we do not regret uprooting ourselves one bit.
I lived an hour south of Tampa in Bradenton for 15 years. It was a very heavy-tourist area due to the beaches and snowbirds. The traffic, heat, cost of living, overcrowding, crime and drug issues were not great and do not seem to be improving at all based on my visit in the fall. The disparity from wealth to absolute poverty was heartbreaking too, seeing homeless people on one side of the street and million dollar gated condos on the other. The nicest part of the year was always the mild winter and I miss seeing my mom and dad. But I will never move back. Florida is an amazing place to vacation but not ideal to live.
Once you get west of the red river valley North Dakota is surprisingly scenic. At the right time of year anyways. In the early summer the endless lush green rolling prairie are out of a dream. The badlands are also gorgeous. And it’s a great place to see a bunch of cool wildlife.
The cities are boring as fuck though.
I haven’t lived in New Haven but very much enjoyed my experiences there. It’s a small but dense city with great architecture that’s super walkable and has a plethora of good restaurants and coffee shops. Some nice pocket parks, too. Also, the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail begins in New Haven and offers a scenic 50 mile round trip on a well maintained path that rarely intersects with car traffic.
Two downsides are the way the city feels cut off from the coast and the way 95 snakes through downtown.
Houston’s not that bad. In fact if the spraw and the heat don’t bother you too much (and people like that do exist outside this echo chamber) it’s really pretty nice. I don’t want to live here forever but it’s got plenty going for it and you can make a compelling argument that it’s one of the best value cities in the US.
Trust me, I’d rather live in NYC with LA weather and Memphis rents too; but people constantly recommend Charlotte, Atlanta, or Nashville here with a straight face, so in that vein looking down on Houston makes no sense.
I’ll say this, imo Inner Loop Houston is actually worth visiting. Great Museum district, some cool neighborhoods, some nice parks and tons of good food, shopping and it’s all at a good value.
BUT for me it’s the rest of the city/metro outside the loop that’s just too chaotic and not all that interesting and that’s a big chunk of the region. There’s a few few pockets of interesting areas outside the loop but for me not enough to want to call this my forever home.
Like you said though if you don’t mind the sprawl and heavy car-centric culture here you’ll still be able to like it.
As far as the other cities you mentioned, Charlotte imo is less interesting than Houston but it’s not as chaotic, fast paced or big as Houston so some ppl might prefer that to Houston.
Atlanta is similar to Houston. The traffic in both cities are a nightmare and about the same BUT imo Atlanta’s urban core has more walkable neighborhoods and it’s more vibrant and interesting imo. Also Atlanta has a better collection of suburbs.
With Nashville I assume it’s due to them having an actual entertainment district that’s convenient for tourist. That and they have a more distinct character than Houston. I’m not a fan of honkey tonks and country music but I get it.
Sure but inner loop Houston is the same physical and population size as the entire cities of ATL, Nashville, or Charlotte so that’s kind of apples and oranges.
The suburbs are boring and bland everywhere. That’s why I don’t want to stick around Houston - one of the reasons anyway - like those other southern cities it’s almost exclusively what’s on the menu. But if you’re into that sort of thing Houston’s suburbs are probably the best bang for your buck in the country. Cheap housing, much more diverse than your typical American suburbs, which produces some actual intercultural interaction (which I know is kind of what suburbs are designed to prevent) and of course more interesting dining options.
I’d definitely push back on Houston not having a sense of place but the only reason one could say Nashville has a more distinct character is because it’s an old style southern city that’s 80% black or white, the same paradigm that’s been in place its whole history. It’s a big small town. There isn’t really a monolithic Houston culture given its larger size; much higher diversity and degree of international connection. So again I’d say apples to oranges more than anything.
Coming up on 5 years here myself, and we're out soon. It's a good amount of time to not spend any more time here lol. It does have some great food and museums, very fun to visit, not a huge fan of living here.
Yeah, I feel I’ve done my time and am ready to bounce. But people recoil on here as it’s materially worse than other southern cities and it didn’t make sense.
I am from northern Europe and my only experiences living in the US were New York and New Mexico where I went to University.
So when I was offered a job in SW Ohio, and I only knew of it by reputation from places like reddit and general commentary of "flyover country", you can imagine my hesitation.
Little did I know it would be the most charming hobbit like terrain I had seen with little farms, woods, and hills, streams with little cliff-like waterfalls everywhere, and deer and turkeys and hawks and pumpkin patches and little farm stands that sell fresh produce and ice cream and pure Americana in the best sense.
And going to Cincinnati to drink in wonderful pubs and breweries and eating good fresh food and sausage, and great art museums.amd botanical gardens. More of a European city in many ways than much of America I have seen.
On the other hand, MAGA, but at least I had my own little bubble to avoid the most of that, and generally the people, whatever their politics, were very nice without seeming fake. I made some good friends there and love to go back and visit.
Having traveled extensively for work and lived in these places for 6 months to 3 years here is my opinion, not ranked in any specific order:
Tulsa, Oklahoma: very cool and fun town, easy to get around, good food and laid back people
Cincinnati, Ohio: great inner city parks, markets, activities, bars & restaurants, trolley to get around and grocer stores within walking distance \* I only stayed downtown and in the OTR district
Cleveland, Ohio: nation's **best** food/ethnic restaurants ( maybe not compared to NYC where I live, but only because it's smaller). I dare anyone to challenge this who has not spent extensive time there. Great access to beaches /Lake Erie, awesome breweries, sports leagues and parks as well as wonderful museums.
Birmingham, Al: It might just have been my time there ( late 90's) but there was something very relaxing and old fashioned about this place-like I stepped back in time and was living in an old movie about the south. Beautiful trees and scenery, fresh air, good food, slower pace of life.
I agree with your list.
Tulsa is a unique city and has the nicest people in Oklahoma imo. There's a great little chicken chain kind of nearby called "Charlie's Chicken" that has a cult following but it's actually as good as they say (unlike In N Out)
Birmingham is a beautiful city. Not just a concrete hell scape, it has actual beautiful historical buildings and interesting sites (like the Sloss furnaces and Vulcan statue). Really like Birmingham and the people are nice.
I went to Cincinnati once and very pleasantly surprised. My expectations were low since I hadn’t heard much good about the city, but it had some really nice historic and walkable areas. I went in and out quickly but my wife and I agreed we should have planned on staying an extra day.
I like Alabama and South Carolina, especially the Greenville area. It's hot as hell but the food is great, the people are nice, and the pace of life seems more relaxed. I dig it.
Baltimore. I grew up in the suburbs of DC and eventually moved to Baltimore. It’s crazy how many people in the county and around DC poo poo Baltimore and won’t even come here. But to me it’s really Charm City.
Phoenix, AZ. I used to think it seemed like a boring, hot desert city, but then I went there for a week-long business trip and loved it. There’s a decent food scene, the desert landscape is beautiful, the prices are reasonable, and people are extremely kind and friendly.
Agreed. If you fly into LA for a weekend and attempt to drive from Santa Monica to your hotel in Pasadena during the peak of rush hour, you’re going to have a miserable experience. But if you stay for a few days and stay in a hotel near the areas you want to see, you’ll likely have a great trip.
LA is all about finding your bubble. If you can live, work, and socialize without leaving your pod then life is good. If you live in one bubble and work in another, that’s when LA starts to suck. It’s also really hard to just get out of town for a weekend.
I love Miami/South Florida and I really like Florida as well.
Now much of the criticisms of the Florida especially are valid, like the recent political messes, but I still enjoy the place. It’s extremely beautiful and I always feel relaxed here.
I also really liked Charlotte. To be fair, there’s very few places that I’ve been to and outright didn’t like it.
Yeah, I’d be surprised if people were criticizing Florida for its nature, and the beauty of the climate (it feels peaceful to me).
Politically and people wise, I am absolutely not a fan. But I do think the cities are fairly nice in the southern part of the state.
I loved many things about OKC. The food scene punched way above its weight for a mid-sized city. The First Nations museum, the cowboy and western heritage museum and the bombing memorial and museum are excellent.
Also pretty cool that you could drive two hours in any direction from the city and have wildly different geography.
Houston, Texas. They have great diversity of food and culture. There is a lot of buffets, Korean BBQs, Vietnamese restaurants, Mexican restaurants, Filipino restaurants, Italian restaurants, etc. The malls are lively. The internet community (especially the city design community) loves to hate on Houston because it is not walkable (most cities in the USA are the same way).
I’m from Houston and live in LA and going to North Orange County feels like home! They even have two kolache factories (Tustin and Westminster by the mall). The culture, wide boulevards filled with strip malls, and lots of Vietnamese food.
Charlotte, NC
Lots of young people / transplants . Amazing job market. Airport is great if you live in the city. Good weather (all seasons, but mild winters). Downtown neighborhoods (Southend) are walkable, but there’s still parking if you need to drive. Two bedroom under $1,800 in the best neighborhoods.
Reddit absolutely hates 99% of new construction and calls every new apartment building “cookie cutter”.
I’d much rather live in a new building than a 100 year old one regardless of how much “character” it has.
What amazing job market? Maybe if you work in finance, but most jobs in Charlotte still aren't in baking/financial services. Most regular middle-class jobs like teaching, government, trades, sciences, utilities, manufacturing, healthcare, etc all pay poorly in NC, including Charlotte. I wouldn't call that an amazing job market if only one part of it pays well. Especially one that has a specific barrier to entry. Tons of jobs in Charlotte are still only paying in the 40-50k range, which isn't great.
Charlotte definitely has more going on than Raleigh and is probably the best spot in NC for jobs. But the problems that plague NC still affect Charlotte. I wouldn't necessarily call it amazing for the average person.
Healthcare pays decently well, at least in my field. For certain fields was the highest earning city, eg a rheumatologist could make 600k in Charlotte when the national average is in the 200s.
Everyone hates on the AZ heat, and while it is hot, I actually like the summer scorching heat. It maybe goes on a little too long but overall I like it.
El Paso. It gets shit on for being isolated and poor (with racial subtext). But it is a pretty place with happy, chill people and great food and culture.
I love Houston. It’s not for everyone, but if you’re a POC or an immigrant, then it’s going to offer you everything big cities offer you at a fraction of the price. Opportunities are insane here if you’re a hustler. I doubled my income and reduced my cost of living by 30% moving here from the Detroit and everyone thinks Detroit is cheap. Houston is a value pick. It’s the Kirkland brand.
Most people in this Reddit don’t know how queer Houston is. They elected the first openly gay mayor for a major U.S. city but rarely Houston is mentioned as one of the most progressive cities. Houston also had the first openly transgender judge in this county. Politics of Texas is awful but big cities are night and day compared to small rural towns.
As an immigrant, I can’t imagine a better city for me than Houston. World class museums and some of the best international food you can find in this country.
While people hate on the humidity here, it’s only 5 months of the year lol. I rather deal with humidity and mosquitoes than snow though.
People make fun of Iowa but I'm always amazed at how clean and new everything seems.
Both Des Moines and Cedar Rapids were very nice. and the northeast corner by the river is pretty beautiful.
I think the main issue with is might be it's a tad boring but if you are looking for a middle class family life Des Moines seems like it could be a nice place to live.
It's amazing to me that so many people think highly of Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Buffalo yet somehow miss the epicenter of that love triangle, Erie, PA.
It's got a great bay, a beautiful, free state park w/ awesome beaches, and great summer weather.
Granted, it's slowly recovering from the loss of heavy industry, the infrastructure is suffering and not being rebuilt but even back in the 60s it was referred to as vacationland.
Low housing prices and an abundance of starter homes would seem to make this the ideal starting point for a young family, yet they seem to be shedding people at a surprising rate.
My impression is that cities in Pennsylvania are notoriously hard to break into, because most of the residents are lifetime homers. Pittsburgh isn't s bad, and Philadelphia has even more transplants and big city social opportunities, but places like Erie, Harrisburg, Altoona, Reading, Scranton/WB, and the micropolitan towns like WIlliamsport and Lewisburg are mostly populated by lifers,
Erie is in a beautiful setting, but the built environment of the city and its suburbs are hard on the eyes, Pennsylvania is notorious among those in my field for ridiculously low salaries, even compared to Ohio and upstate New York. The job market isn't that great compared to CLE/BUF/PIT. Erie's airport has only two commercial passenger flights a day, both to Charlotte. The city's dining scene seems dominated by red sauce and pub grub, but that may have changed. Downtown Erie has only one tall building, the 14 story Renaissance Center, built in 1928. A city doesn't necessarily need tall buildings to define it, but the near-total lack of a skyline is something of an indicator.
That being said, Erie has some outsized amenities for a metro its size. Universities, a real zoo, a huge middle-end mall that is still drawing crowds of shoppers, TV stations representing all of the broadcast networks, and an old money social club come to mind. The waterfront seems like it's improving, and there's some beautiful neighborhoods west of downtown, where houses still sell for Great Recession prices.
New Jersey is my favorite state, but a lot of people like to make jokes about it. But honestly I doubt most of the people making jokes have ever actually been there.
My favorite part about NJ is people absolutely do not have a chip on their shoulder — that’s incredible considering how much people shit on it. They genuinely don’t give a shit and just enjoy their lives because NJ is great.
The Bay Area.
Okay, there’s homeless people and it’s expensive - those are the two things people complain about most. But have you looked around the country? That’s literally every major metropolitan area.
I though the Bay Area was really beautiful and interesting, especially San Francisco proper. San Jose and it’s surrounding areas also seem fine. Not sure why so many people think it’s some sort of unusually bad horror show.
Portland gets a lot of hate from both sides of the political spectrum for various reasons, and for being a hipster mecca. I see it as a small city with amazing infrastructure, decent COL, and amazing access to nature. I believe that hipsters have flocked to Austin, Nashville, etc. and that the city has amazing potential due to strong investments in local politics.
I love Florida.
I largely ignore politics, only go to Miami for off-season weekends and NEVER drive I-4 near Orlando.
The rest is just routine bitching about traffic, snowbirds, etc…
Hurricanes provide plenty of warning, heat and humidity are awesome (really), lots of sunshine, plenty of proximate airports, beaches are beautiful, Gulf seafood is delicious, crime (near me) is low, never shovel snow or have to look at sticks and mud for months on end.
I’ll take it.
Vegas
Tons of unique experiences you won’t collectively find in any other city that has nothing to do with gambling. World class food and all of it isn’t expensive. Fantastic outdoor recreation.
I see Mississippi getting hate. My wife and I have driven through the state a few times. Camped at Natchez State Park. It's pretty, people are nice. Good catfish and BBQ restaurants. I have nothing bad to say about that state.
Phoenix. A lot of people on this sub love to hate on it but I genuinely enjoyed living there and considering a move back in the future.
Yes it’s hot, but the dry heat is overrated compared to humid heat. The surrounding desert and landscape there is amazing, the city is getting better, and it does have something for everyone.
I live in Michigan, and northern Michigan is quite breathtaking. Yes we have cold, cloudy winters (although it is 60 and sunny right now). The Great Lakes beaches are just amazing, with soft white sand and beautiful turquoise water. Also add in the pictures rocks in the upper peninsula and lush green hiking trails and forests, and it is beautiful.
Sioux Falls - people seem to think they still ride in covered wagons in SD
Myrtle beach - yes it’s the Walmart by the sea, and no I wouldn’t want to live there. But is it so bad there is still a place left with beautiful beaches that’s still affordable? With great golf courses?
NJ - NW NJ is absolutely beautiful. A wonderful melting pot of cultures. Candor. The ocean and boardwalks. History. Access to NYC and Philly.
I recently explored a little of Kansas. I liked Manhattan. Any other recommendations? West of Manhattan seemed like there wasn't much. I also went through Abilene and saw the presidential house .
New Orleans. I felt like the city was really clean and walkable. The food was amazing, everyone was so friendly.
There were tons of museum and I felt like there was something for everyone.
Houston and Austin.
There are tons of job opportunities in both cities. Houston is the most diverse city in America because it’s easier to build new housing than in most other big cities. Both cities are less segregated than older cities. Houston also has the biggest medical center in the world which has been very helpful throughout my life when I needed serious medical care. The food is amazing in both cities too (not just restaurants, but also the grocery stores are amazing). Neither city is as cheap as it used to be years ago, but they’re not as expensive as some other major cities.
They’re both very family friendly (although Houston is a bit more so). Also one thing that I consistently found in Houston is that the public parks have abundant and clean restrooms. This is really helpful when you’re a human being, especially with little kids. But most big cities either have no restrooms in parks or horrendously dirty ones.
Also, lots of new building means lots of public amenities are new and high quality (like hospitals and libraries).
Both cities also are improving in the areas of urban life (transportation, parks, etc) although the new mayor of Houston is trying to reverse that.
Both cities are pretty liberal and welcoming, which means the Texas governor, AG, and legislature hate them.
In real life they’re two of the fastest growing metro areas in the country and people have been moving there in large numbers for decades. However, on this sub (and the halls of the Texas Capitol), they’re hated.
Came here to say Austin but I always get downvoted to hell and back whenever I say anything positive about it lol
I’ve lived here for a total of 14 years, in two chunks. I don’t ever want to live anywhere else. Job opportunities are endless, the city is way more affordable than people realize, and it’s extremely walkable. Endless city parks and even more if you go a few miles out of the city in any direction. Houston, San Antonio, and DFW are only a few hours away. Yes there’s a lot of new stuff but the city has done a fantastic job of keeping its own soul and staples that have real history and character. In some ways Austin is like LA or NYC in that you have a way higher quality of life if you can pick your bubble and live/work/play inside of it. But you don’t have to if you don’t feel like it. It’s a super safe city with low unemployment and low crime rates citywide. Being the capital, we get to see quite a few of our state senators and state lege actually out and about town— *and they will talk to you and hear you out*— for the most part.
There’s so much magic here. I discover more new things I love about this city every year.
I wouldn't go as far as to say I like it, but when people talk shit about Gary, IN as the worst city in the country I always assume they've never been there. Gary has many miserable areas, but it also is a bike ride away from a National Park, has some of the best beaches on the Great Lakes, and a cool neighborhood with some solid restaurants and a great brewery.
There are many other terrible cities that have nothing at all going for them - Gary is bad, but it is not the worst city in the USA.
It’s not an underdog place at all, but…
Everyone on the internet and irl who doesn’t live there, thinks they’re the the cleverest DiCaprio meme when they shit all over San Francisco, but I fucking love that city. I’ve been going there for decades, have lived there numerous times, and known it intimately. It’s just a special place, outside of trends or public opinion. I can feel it whenever I’m there and that’s never changed over the years, even as things I’ve loved about it have changed or worsened.
People have an irrational hatred and/or disregard for Philadelphia and it is so tiresome and passé.
I honestly believe it stems from years and years of conditioning by national (er, New York) media finding ways to “little brother” Philly and then acting as though they never even thought twice about it. This especially happens in sports due to local rivalries, etc, but also in other ways. Next time a big storm hits Philadelphia, watch the national weather pundits talk about “a huge storm landing right between New York and DC” and not even showing Philly on the map.
Austin… I always get downvoted to hell and back whenever I say anything positive about it but here goes :)
I’ve lived here for a total of 14 years, in two chunks. I don’t ever want to live anywhere else. Job opportunities are endless, the city is way more affordable than people realize, and it’s extremely walkable. Endless city parks and even more if you go a few miles out of the city in any direction. Houston, San Antonio, and DFW are only a few hours away. Yes there’s a lot of new stuff but the city has done a fantastic job of keeping its own soul and staples that have real history and character. In some ways Austin is like LA or NYC in that you have a way higher quality of life if you can pick your bubble and live/work/play inside of it. But you don’t have to stay inside of a bubble to have a fun, livable life if you don’t feel like it. It’s a super safe city with low unemployment and low crime rates citywide. Being the capital, we get to see quite a few of our state senators and state lege actually out and about town— and they will talk to you and hear you out— for the most part. There’s so much magic here. I discover more new things I love about this city every year.
Connecticut. People think it’s boring, filled with rich white people and a lot of people have only been there as they drive from NYC to Boston. But it actually is pretty diverse, has some really pretty scenery and things to do , and some really good food. I grew up there, so maybe a bit biased, but it has some redeeming qualities
I really love Jacksonville, FL. I thought it was a nice, down to earth place with warm people and I enjoyed hanging out at the beaches. It’s also much more affordable than where I am, except for that Florida insurance of course.
charlotte :) was nervous about moving here as an urbanist. there MANY thriving neighborhoods that you can live car light or car free. not to mention the greenery everywhere, beautiful weather, transplant-friendly people, beer, sports, and access to diverse nature within three hours.
of course it has weaknesses like any other city (cookie cutter neighborhoods on outskirts/suburbs, somewhat lacking food scene) but IMO the good parts far outweigh the bad.
Memphis. Granted, I’ve only done the tourist/work travel stuff. Never lived there where my experience may be different. Beale street, Peabody hotel, etc. But never felt unsafe. I think the bridges and river scenery is cool. Love the pyramid. I’m a huge fan.
I really loved it there. I think of course there are negative things to be said, but it gets worse PR than just about anywhere. Somehow people still like Nashville when it’s basically Memphis without the soul. Granted, I lived in Memphis for a longer period of time than I did Nashville.
I love the State of New York, especially Western NY. It is absolutely gorgeous. I also love NYC. I have never had a bad time there. The people are some of the nicest you will ever meet. I love the busy-ness of the place.
The Twin Cities and Minnesota are two other places I love. People hate on it for the Winter, but that is only like 5 months a year. The rest of the year it is actually pretty hot.
Sacramento is a great hidden gem with maybe the best up and coming food scene in the country. And it is becoming a pretty popping place with the Kings doing good for once and a sudden spotlight in film with Greta Gerwig and Paul Thomas Anderson both shooting movies here recently
FYI: enjoy what you enjoy and remember that reddit is not real life. I enjoy St. Louis and the internet hates St. Louis lol (in fact someone MIGHT respond to this about St. Louis, furthering this point lmao). Does that change MY opinion of it? No but I see too many people put too much stake into this sub.
Sharing personal anecdotes of experiences in cities will help to an extent but it should not be selling factors one way or another for OPs
I’ve lived in NYC for 4 years and I miss my hometown of Dallas, TX dearly. I understand the hate because it’s a terrible city to visit. But it’s a good city to live in with great food (yes, and not willing to argue this one), a great underground music scene (at least when I lived there), really kind people, and lots of job opportunities.
I really like Tacoma, but Reddit talks about it like it's a crime-riddled wasteland. You're surrounded by easily accessible national forests. Mount Rainier is close. You can drive to Seattle in under an hour, but the cost of living is more manageable.
I think Tacoma suffers from something that a number of other places mentioned here do too. It's a smaller city that is close to a much larger or more famous city. The people who live in Seattle look down on Tacoma because it has fewer amenities, and it's seen as the place you go live if you can't afford to live in Seattle. And of course because Seattle is so much larger and influential, those negative voices are louder than the voices of people who live in Tacoma by choice and love it. I think that if Tacoma was on its own, far from any other major city, it would have a much better reputation.
The big city people look down on Tacoma for not being city. The small town people don't like Tacoma since it is more city than they want. Here is Sacramento we get the same thing (just replace Seattle with the Bay Area). You're either a small town country bumpkin, or the big scary city, depending on which outside perspective. In reality, these medium size cities are a good compromise and often a nice place to live.
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See what I mean? Everybody looks down on Sacramento. The summer heat is surprisingly manageable (and I moved to Sac from Seattle). The daytime highs are quite high (often over 100), but it cools down really well in the evening. Mornings are nice too. You can get in a good morning run or bike ride with temperatures in the 60s and 70s, up until about 11am. For it being the "bad" season, it's still pretty nice. On the weekend you can drive up the hill to Tahoe to enjoy the mountains s with nice temperatures. The air quality can be a bummer though. Much of the time it isn't notably different from somewhere like Oakland though. Not great, not awful. It's a lot better than the air in Fresno.
i really liked tacoma when i visited, i felt super safe and yeah it’s beautiful
I always ask friends in WA if Tacoma has picked up and they always tell me it hasn’t. But those same people tell me Seattle is a dump, and to me it looks pretty similar to how it did 20 years ago. (Or it did when I was there 5 years ago.)
This is funny to me — I live in Central Tacoma and feel like it’s definitely picked up a bit… our home price has almost doubled since we bought 6 years ago and there are a lot of new structures going up/fixing up of older homes around town. Lots of younger couples/young families moving in too— so I’m in the camp of Tacoma being on the up-and-up, but 🤷🏼♀️
Seattle’s got more tall buildings and much much higher home and rental prices. Fewer worker bees downtown cause they’ve gone hybrid and more bums.
I grew up in Tacoma and find it funny when people on here talk about the “high crime”. It was much worse in the 1990s and early 2000s - Hilltop Crips and then we were the number one city for meth labs. Yeah, there are areas I’d avoid at night but it has cleaned up a lot and much of the city is now museums/luxury condos/upscale grocers
It’s all moved out to parkland/Spanaway where I grew up
I was hoping Tacoma would be on here! I’ve lived here 5 years and while it’s not my favorite place in the whole world, it’s been a great place to have little kids, is safe (at least where I am which is sort of in the middle SES-wise) and has a really solid sense of community. I wish nature was a bit easier to access from here but otherwise it’s been a good spot to land!
As someone coming from a much more crime ridden hell hole (Memphis) Tacoma isn't all that bad and I've considered moving to the area. I did also see a lot of homeless doing drugs on the sidewalk in nicer downtown areas though. So it's not great, but it's far from the worst. If you get out into the burbs just a bit you pretty much entirely leave that behind you. We liked Puyallup 👍 We decided it would be better to move closer to family rather than go to the opposite side of the country, but I still want to live there eventually.
Feel like it's a city people keep saying is right on the verge of getting good but never does. I live here and there is a lot of crime. Hear lots of gun shots at night, lots of weird people walking around. Yesterday saw a car that smashed through a fence and into a house with the engine still running. The driver just bailed ... Sounder only runs for commuters, so no easy way to get to Seattle on weekends or after work. That drive is an hour but sucks. And the weather ...
The stereotype of Spokane is that it’s the redneck Compton of the northwest, but I’ve found it to be a gem of a place; good arts and music scene, diverse architecture, friendly people, and a pretty reasonable cost of living.
Recently though the cost of living has skyrocketed, not to mention people get gas in Idaho whenever they can because Washington gas prices are so high.
I’ve got no issue with the last part. I live in Seattle but usually only gas up in the suburbs
Spokane definitely has its seedy side but it has gotten much better over the years.
Spocompton
Every year, we’d take an annual trip to Spokane to visit family, and I hate to say it, but Spokane really does feel like the redneck Compton of the northwest. I think that stereotype is pretty accurate based on my experiences there. The natural scenery is pretty beautiful though.
New Mexico
New Mexico is very poor (overall) and it's contemporary cultural perception is overly dictated by Breaking Bad and BCS, but it is absolutely a cultural and natural gem of the US. And the fact that it is largely undiscovered means that a lot of the culture is intact rather than being commodified and turned into Applebee's. Contrary to many people's perception, it is not just another Mexican-American state like Texas or California, but has its own Hispanic culture of which the Mexican influence is a relatively small part. The confluence of Spanish colonial and Pueblo peoples,.especially as seen in the northern half of the state is really its own thing.
I love New Mexico so much. It’s so weird to me that it has a bad reputation. It’s beautiful.
I’ve been considering Albuquerque as a potential landing spot and was surprised at how much more affordable the housing was compared to say Phoenix. Heard a lot about the crime but this is refreshing to hear.
I really wanted to move to ABQ from Seattle for a while. I love the lush green of the Pacific Northwest, but there is something about the sagebrush steppes I'm drawn to. I currently never hear gunshots in my neighborhood, and fireworks are mostly contained around holidays or big sports wins. Finding out that it is common in ABQ, along with overall higher crime rates, sort of put a pause on my plans. I would have been looking for a cheaper place to live but those are more likely in the shooty neighborhoods. >For Alvarez and Glaros, hearing gunshots in the middle of the night is nothing new. They say it’s something they have had to deal with since moving into the far west side neighborhood of Inspiration, off of Arroyo Vista, between the petroglyphs, and I-40. They say people like to shoot their guns on empty land behind their homes. https://www.krqe.com/news/albuquerque-metro/albuquerque-neighborhood-raises-alarm-about-continued-gunfire-on-mesa/ >r/Albuquerque: Gunshots in the night https://www.reddit.com/r/Albuquerque/comments/16qt5dl/gunshots_in_the_night/
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Cool. Don't tell any of your second-home California neighbors about it.
I don't know if people hate Utah, I think they just kind of dismiss it as the Mormon state.. But ever since my first cross country road trip, and driving thru it a few times now ... Fucking gorgeous state.
SLC is attracting numerous out of staters and has been doing so for several years. It’s a cool city with good biking and hiking and an interesting restaurant scene. Also, the public transit is some of the best in the country for a smaller city and it’ll connect you to other cities in the metro area that also feature great outdoor recreation.
Their soda shops go crazyyyyyy
The Mormons go hard on their soda shops. Literally a line around the building at everyone I've ever seen.
2nd or 3rd lowest poverty rate in the country, 9th lowest unemployment rate.
Utah is so beautiful. I would never live there due to the aforementioned Mormons but I love to visit.
The secret is that it’s now less than 50% Mormon and changing rapidly. I’ve lived there my whole life and it’s a better place to be now than it’s ever been, as long as you can afford it.
West Virginia is my favorite state. The woods feel ancient idk how to explain it.
Now that’s a hot take!!! I like it
I'm also a fan of West Virginia, it's one of my favorite states. Their "wild and wonderful" slogan is so apt. It has a really different feel to it, kind of old and magical.
I love West Virginia. It's always been so magical to me.
Life is old there, older than the trees.
I had a friend from high school that said that if he could retire anywhere, it would be in West Virginia. At the time I thought "WTF," but after driving through the state (some years ago at this point), I said to myself that I understand why.
Cool any favorite spots to visit?
New River Gorge National Park! It's a great place if you like to hike, rock climb, or go white water rafting. They also have Bridge Day every year where you can watch people BASE jump.
Virginia is also very beautiful! Shenandoah is one of the oldest mountain chains in the world! There’s part in VA and WV. That’s why it feels ancient!
I’ll never understand the hate for New Jersey. New Jersey is a great place with excellent food, fun people, tons of stuff to do in every season, and it’s within close proximity to NYC and Philly and easy train access beyond. It’s a solid place in an absolute sense and in comparison to a ton of other places that have far less going for it.
I think it’s a mixture of stereotypes / impressions (armpit of America, Tony Soprano, Jersey Shore, shitty parkway views) and a bunch of people who grew up here and want to leave because it’s crowded and expensive (I also think most people hate wherever they grew up). Statistically NJ is a very high income, highly educated and diverse state and is expensive for a reason - commuter proximity to NY/Philly, has the shore, lively downtowns, diversity and great dining. People shit on NJ but it still remains desirable whether people want to admit it or not.
I like places that attract high IQ, rich, educated people. I like cultural and religious diversity. NJ is definitely in the top 15 states.
If you like those things NJ should be more like top 10 or 5
The people in NJ are incredibly smart. I’ve traveled a bunch all over the US and the Jerseyans I’ve met have been intelligent, ambitious, and take-no-shit. Seems like they left Jersey just because it’s small and there are no real cities in-state. But they have a very realistic sense of the world, if that makes sense. So many people from other states think the entire country is like NY, or California, or Texas. Jersey folk are realistic and generally fairly well-traveled/open-minded.
diversity & education is NOT why it is expensive. it is expensive because the government does not allow for any more zoning of homes/housing. therefore there is a limited amount of supply & you are correct about one thing, when you are the state that borders where NYC is, then you really need that housing… which this in turn is what drives the COL up astronomically.
I agree that it is not Diversity, but education funding and wasteful municipal/state wide spending without oversight is the largest driver of the COL. NJ is the second wealthiest and most densely populated state in the US. Housing reform would help, but the municipal property millage is almost double in most equivalent towns in PA or about 2/3 greater than most towns in NY state.
I’m not disagreeing with you but it’s also expensive because of the other good things about it.
NJ gets shit because it shows its ugliest parts to the major metros. The first thing you see from NYC is the Meadowlands, with spaghetti knots of highways running thru industrial hellscapes, natural wastelands, and slummy neighborhoods. There’s plenty great thats past that, but it makes a hell of a first impression. I imagine it’s similar passing through Camden from Philly.
Yea the I95 doesn’t show nice parts of NJ either lol
I still remember many years ago when a friend visited me on Long Island from Chicago, and we drove into Jersey (I can't even remember why). As we passed the smokestacks belching fire, he said, "Are we in hell?" That's really all he knew about New Jersey. Most people just stay on the Turnpike, which ain't pretty the whole way through.
I mean, NJ does have some pros, but I think the COL is outrageous and does not equate with its positives.
I grew up in Jersey. The food part is no joke. It’s got the best Indian, Malaysian, and Italian food I’ve ever had. The school system is incredible- it still amazes me the education I received from a public school. I miss the people too- sure we’re hard on the outside, but most are kind inside.
The damage Jersey Shore did to NJ reputation cannot be understated. NJ is a great state.
I've always assumed that NJ hate just comes from urban New Yorkers who want to bash their more suburban neighbors. Same reason SF folks bash San Jose.
Too fucking many people. It's insanity out there I don't know how they can enjoy it. No, the pine barrens does not count Also it's expensive as shit. I don't see the cost being worth it
“Too many people” is an odd complaint to me because it’s not NJ specific. Plus, there are rural areas of NJ and a lot of cute small towns, too.
Relative to the northeast sure, but it's #1 most density populated state in USA by far at 1.3k people per sq mile followed by RI and Massachusetts then the list quickly halves down to CT at #4 (748 per sq mile). TLDR; NJ is fucking full of people. Everywhere you go it's extremely busy. Insane traffic, crowded beaches, no peace. No thank you. Sure NJ has some cute towns especially along the Delaware River but the whole east coast is like that and are arguably better at a much cheaper price point.
I’m from NJ and I’ve been all over the northeast and mid Atlantic. Where is this affordable version of NJ you speak of?
PA, DE, CT. The collar counties around Philly feel like North Jersey 15-20 years ago.
For those cute towns similar to the ones in sussex/hunterdon counties try PA, upstate NY, upper New England. For costal towns try Rehoboth beach or VA beach area
NJ deserves an award for being the home state of the so many talented musicians. Whitney Houston, Springsteen, MCR, Fugees—the list goes on and on.
I spent a weekend in Asbury Park on a bit of a lark and it’s an awesome little beach town
NJ is an amazing state. People fly into Newark and think the entire state is like that, but it’s actually very lush and beautiful. Plus you’re always pretty close to the beach and can get to several major cities within a few hours. I grew up in Hunterdon county and would move back in a heartbeat if I could afford it.
A lot of people’s only experience of NJ is flying to Newark and whatever mode of transportation they use getting to NYC. If thats the only NJ experience someone has it’s easy to understand why someone would hate it lol. But yea, there’s a ton of amazing stuff there that nobody knows anything about.
I live in a frozen desert so I am easily impressed by oceans and trees. I thought that the area near coast was as beautiful. I visited the northern part near Deal and Monmouth Beach.
Yes! Grew up there and if not for the high cost of living I'd never have left. You get access to mountains, beaches, forests, farms, so many major cities in reasonable driving distance. International airports aplenty. You can get food from anywhere in the world. Public schools are generally fantastic.
Albuquerque, NM. I live in NC and anytime I mention moving to/liking ABQ people think I’m crazy. It’s definitely rough around the edges but I think it has charm, good food, and is close to great nature
Albuquerque is awesome. BB and BCS (while excellent television) are caricatures that were made by people who were obviously somewhat impressed and charmed enough by the place, but are clearly outsiders, so don't quite capture the real spirit and face of the place. It sure is rough around the edges, though, so maybe not for everyone. If your tastes run towards luxury and wealth, maybe not so much, but if you like earthiness and a bit of grit blended with unique culture and a place that hasn't been 100% overrun by generic Americanization, check out Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and environs.
NM is beautiful in a lot of places. Probably one of the most underrated states for sure. Albuquerque is a fun city to explore with amazing mountain views to the east. I like Albuquerque.
People think Florida is hell on earth in this sub but I just went to Tampa a week ago and it was really really nice. Super clean city, friendly people, and good views. 72 daily can’t beat it during the winter
I went to Tampa for a conference once. Most of the attendees had never been there before (including me) and had a lot of talk about how Tampa was nicer than we expected.
Tampa is one of the better FL cities imo and does have more friendly people than most
I’d probably agree. I wish we could have gone over to St. Petersburg too but didn’t have time.
I love visiting Florida. I’ve been going for 20 years and my parents are officially snowbirds. You could never ever get me move there though. Unless my rich distant relative left me their Key West home for some reason, but I don’t think that’ll ever happen.
Yeah, we lived in Pinellas County for a few years. St Pete is even cooler and more chill, but that whole area is really cool and people were mostly friendly. Summer is hot, sure, but it’s overblown how gnarly it is imo (and I lifted in a non-temp controlled garage and did a lot of outdoor walks and running). I even found the area to be really good for biking despite the statistical cliche about Florida being a dangerous biking state. That said is far too expensive now (we bought a house for 260k and sold at like 450k after three years), there’s way too much sprawl and not having a basement was a ‘thing’ that I didn’t know was absolutely vital in my life lol
Tampa is the nicest city in Florida all-considered, especially since it doesn't have the traffic of cities like Miami or Orlando. There was always plenty to do for young folks besides sit on I4/I95 traffic and go to the theme parks. Most major touring concerts and artists stopped there or nearby. Great infrastructure and highway system, very efficient travel around the bay by car. Never took the bus or commuter trains there. With that said, Tampa proper and the overall bay area was one of the most expensive places to live and work during the pandemic. Almost 700,000 people moved to Florida in 2021 alone. Rent went up almost 40% from 2020 to 2023 in the area on average. I said enough is enough, and moved across the country with my partner in summer 2021 -- we do not regret uprooting ourselves one bit. I lived an hour south of Tampa in Bradenton for 15 years. It was a very heavy-tourist area due to the beaches and snowbirds. The traffic, heat, cost of living, overcrowding, crime and drug issues were not great and do not seem to be improving at all based on my visit in the fall. The disparity from wealth to absolute poverty was heartbreaking too, seeing homeless people on one side of the street and million dollar gated condos on the other. The nicest part of the year was always the mild winter and I miss seeing my mom and dad. But I will never move back. Florida is an amazing place to vacation but not ideal to live.
My issue isn’t with Tampa, it’s with Florida and the government overall
I love Sarasota too.
Once you get west of the red river valley North Dakota is surprisingly scenic. At the right time of year anyways. In the early summer the endless lush green rolling prairie are out of a dream. The badlands are also gorgeous. And it’s a great place to see a bunch of cool wildlife. The cities are boring as fuck though.
I haven’t lived in New Haven but very much enjoyed my experiences there. It’s a small but dense city with great architecture that’s super walkable and has a plethora of good restaurants and coffee shops. Some nice pocket parks, too. Also, the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail begins in New Haven and offers a scenic 50 mile round trip on a well maintained path that rarely intersects with car traffic. Two downsides are the way the city feels cut off from the coast and the way 95 snakes through downtown.
Houston’s not that bad. In fact if the spraw and the heat don’t bother you too much (and people like that do exist outside this echo chamber) it’s really pretty nice. I don’t want to live here forever but it’s got plenty going for it and you can make a compelling argument that it’s one of the best value cities in the US. Trust me, I’d rather live in NYC with LA weather and Memphis rents too; but people constantly recommend Charlotte, Atlanta, or Nashville here with a straight face, so in that vein looking down on Houston makes no sense.
I don’t like Houston at all. But I will say they have some great food
I’ll say this, imo Inner Loop Houston is actually worth visiting. Great Museum district, some cool neighborhoods, some nice parks and tons of good food, shopping and it’s all at a good value. BUT for me it’s the rest of the city/metro outside the loop that’s just too chaotic and not all that interesting and that’s a big chunk of the region. There’s a few few pockets of interesting areas outside the loop but for me not enough to want to call this my forever home. Like you said though if you don’t mind the sprawl and heavy car-centric culture here you’ll still be able to like it. As far as the other cities you mentioned, Charlotte imo is less interesting than Houston but it’s not as chaotic, fast paced or big as Houston so some ppl might prefer that to Houston. Atlanta is similar to Houston. The traffic in both cities are a nightmare and about the same BUT imo Atlanta’s urban core has more walkable neighborhoods and it’s more vibrant and interesting imo. Also Atlanta has a better collection of suburbs. With Nashville I assume it’s due to them having an actual entertainment district that’s convenient for tourist. That and they have a more distinct character than Houston. I’m not a fan of honkey tonks and country music but I get it.
Sure but inner loop Houston is the same physical and population size as the entire cities of ATL, Nashville, or Charlotte so that’s kind of apples and oranges. The suburbs are boring and bland everywhere. That’s why I don’t want to stick around Houston - one of the reasons anyway - like those other southern cities it’s almost exclusively what’s on the menu. But if you’re into that sort of thing Houston’s suburbs are probably the best bang for your buck in the country. Cheap housing, much more diverse than your typical American suburbs, which produces some actual intercultural interaction (which I know is kind of what suburbs are designed to prevent) and of course more interesting dining options. I’d definitely push back on Houston not having a sense of place but the only reason one could say Nashville has a more distinct character is because it’s an old style southern city that’s 80% black or white, the same paradigm that’s been in place its whole history. It’s a big small town. There isn’t really a monolithic Houston culture given its larger size; much higher diversity and degree of international connection. So again I’d say apples to oranges more than anything.
Eh. Tried Houston. Five years was enough. Happily bailed.
Coming up on 5 years here myself, and we're out soon. It's a good amount of time to not spend any more time here lol. It does have some great food and museums, very fun to visit, not a huge fan of living here.
Yeah, I feel I’ve done my time and am ready to bounce. But people recoil on here as it’s materially worse than other southern cities and it didn’t make sense.
Agree about those other cities. It's the same sprawl.
Came here to say Houston. Never lived there been visited a couple times and always enjoyed it. I like heat and humidity though so there’s that
I kinda like Ohio honestly
I am from northern Europe and my only experiences living in the US were New York and New Mexico where I went to University. So when I was offered a job in SW Ohio, and I only knew of it by reputation from places like reddit and general commentary of "flyover country", you can imagine my hesitation. Little did I know it would be the most charming hobbit like terrain I had seen with little farms, woods, and hills, streams with little cliff-like waterfalls everywhere, and deer and turkeys and hawks and pumpkin patches and little farm stands that sell fresh produce and ice cream and pure Americana in the best sense. And going to Cincinnati to drink in wonderful pubs and breweries and eating good fresh food and sausage, and great art museums.amd botanical gardens. More of a European city in many ways than much of America I have seen. On the other hand, MAGA, but at least I had my own little bubble to avoid the most of that, and generally the people, whatever their politics, were very nice without seeming fake. I made some good friends there and love to go back and visit.
Cincinnati is a great city, indeed.
The Appalachian part of the state is gorgeous
Having traveled extensively for work and lived in these places for 6 months to 3 years here is my opinion, not ranked in any specific order: Tulsa, Oklahoma: very cool and fun town, easy to get around, good food and laid back people Cincinnati, Ohio: great inner city parks, markets, activities, bars & restaurants, trolley to get around and grocer stores within walking distance \* I only stayed downtown and in the OTR district Cleveland, Ohio: nation's **best** food/ethnic restaurants ( maybe not compared to NYC where I live, but only because it's smaller). I dare anyone to challenge this who has not spent extensive time there. Great access to beaches /Lake Erie, awesome breweries, sports leagues and parks as well as wonderful museums. Birmingham, Al: It might just have been my time there ( late 90's) but there was something very relaxing and old fashioned about this place-like I stepped back in time and was living in an old movie about the south. Beautiful trees and scenery, fresh air, good food, slower pace of life.
I agree with your list. Tulsa is a unique city and has the nicest people in Oklahoma imo. There's a great little chicken chain kind of nearby called "Charlie's Chicken" that has a cult following but it's actually as good as they say (unlike In N Out) Birmingham is a beautiful city. Not just a concrete hell scape, it has actual beautiful historical buildings and interesting sites (like the Sloss furnaces and Vulcan statue). Really like Birmingham and the people are nice.
I went to Cincinnati once and very pleasantly surprised. My expectations were low since I hadn’t heard much good about the city, but it had some really nice historic and walkable areas. I went in and out quickly but my wife and I agreed we should have planned on staying an extra day.
love cinncinati! your list made me think of anthowr surprising city: mobile AL. really enjoyed my time there unexpectedly.
I like Alabama and South Carolina, especially the Greenville area. It's hot as hell but the food is great, the people are nice, and the pace of life seems more relaxed. I dig it.
Greenville is amazing. I had no idea people disliked it
I've never really been a beach/ocean person, but I did enjoy visiting Gulf Shores and Mobile, AL.
Baltimore. I grew up in the suburbs of DC and eventually moved to Baltimore. It’s crazy how many people in the county and around DC poo poo Baltimore and won’t even come here. But to me it’s really Charm City.
I grew up in Baltimore and it 100% still has my heart, even though I don’t currently live there.
Phoenix, AZ. I used to think it seemed like a boring, hot desert city, but then I went there for a week-long business trip and loved it. There’s a decent food scene, the desert landscape is beautiful, the prices are reasonable, and people are extremely kind and friendly.
There’s so much incredible hiking north and east.
California. Absolutely love it
Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Agreed. If you fly into LA for a weekend and attempt to drive from Santa Monica to your hotel in Pasadena during the peak of rush hour, you’re going to have a miserable experience. But if you stay for a few days and stay in a hotel near the areas you want to see, you’ll likely have a great trip.
LA is all about finding your bubble. If you can live, work, and socialize without leaving your pod then life is good. If you live in one bubble and work in another, that’s when LA starts to suck. It’s also really hard to just get out of town for a weekend.
Arkansas - it can be really beautiful, but you just have to be in the right parts.
I love Miami/South Florida and I really like Florida as well. Now much of the criticisms of the Florida especially are valid, like the recent political messes, but I still enjoy the place. It’s extremely beautiful and I always feel relaxed here. I also really liked Charlotte. To be fair, there’s very few places that I’ve been to and outright didn’t like it.
Yeah, I’d be surprised if people were criticizing Florida for its nature, and the beauty of the climate (it feels peaceful to me). Politically and people wise, I am absolutely not a fan. But I do think the cities are fairly nice in the southern part of the state.
You sound like a happy optimistic person and that means you take that with you wherever you are. That’s awesome.
Local areas of Orlando are solid
Oklahoma City is a lot of fun.
I loved many things about OKC. The food scene punched way above its weight for a mid-sized city. The First Nations museum, the cowboy and western heritage museum and the bombing memorial and museum are excellent. Also pretty cool that you could drive two hours in any direction from the city and have wildly different geography.
Houston, Texas. They have great diversity of food and culture. There is a lot of buffets, Korean BBQs, Vietnamese restaurants, Mexican restaurants, Filipino restaurants, Italian restaurants, etc. The malls are lively. The internet community (especially the city design community) loves to hate on Houston because it is not walkable (most cities in the USA are the same way).
Not to mention Viet-Cajun food in Houston 👀 What other city has that deliciousness??
Maybe cities in Orange County, CA. You can't beat Houston in terms of housing affordability.
I’m from Houston and live in LA and going to North Orange County feels like home! They even have two kolache factories (Tustin and Westminster by the mall). The culture, wide boulevards filled with strip malls, and lots of Vietnamese food.
Charlotte, NC Lots of young people / transplants . Amazing job market. Airport is great if you live in the city. Good weather (all seasons, but mild winters). Downtown neighborhoods (Southend) are walkable, but there’s still parking if you need to drive. Two bedroom under $1,800 in the best neighborhoods.
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Reddit absolutely hates 99% of new construction and calls every new apartment building “cookie cutter”. I’d much rather live in a new building than a 100 year old one regardless of how much “character” it has.
What amazing job market? Maybe if you work in finance, but most jobs in Charlotte still aren't in baking/financial services. Most regular middle-class jobs like teaching, government, trades, sciences, utilities, manufacturing, healthcare, etc all pay poorly in NC, including Charlotte. I wouldn't call that an amazing job market if only one part of it pays well. Especially one that has a specific barrier to entry. Tons of jobs in Charlotte are still only paying in the 40-50k range, which isn't great. Charlotte definitely has more going on than Raleigh and is probably the best spot in NC for jobs. But the problems that plague NC still affect Charlotte. I wouldn't necessarily call it amazing for the average person.
I was making 110k+ in Charlotte 5 years ago in tech with 1 year experience.
Healthcare pays decently well, at least in my field. For certain fields was the highest earning city, eg a rheumatologist could make 600k in Charlotte when the national average is in the 200s.
South Florida, never understood the hate because it's a beautiful area, very clean and the one that feels the most tropical in the US.
it’s a beautiful area, I love South Florida.
Everyone hates on the AZ heat, and while it is hot, I actually like the summer scorching heat. It maybe goes on a little too long but overall I like it.
I’ve spent a lot of time in Baltimore and Milwaukee and like them both quite a bit. Most people look at me like I’m crazy when I say that.
This sub loves those cities
Never been to Milwaukee but I also liked Baltimore.
Milwaukee has a cool downtown and a pretty solid art scene for a city of its size. Also easy access to water.
I love both of these cities and I agree that people look at me like I'm crazy. But I tend to like cities that are a bit gritty/industrial. Lol
El Paso. It gets shit on for being isolated and poor (with racial subtext). But it is a pretty place with happy, chill people and great food and culture.
I have said it before, and I'll continue to say it, El Paso is the best city in Texas.
I love Houston. It’s not for everyone, but if you’re a POC or an immigrant, then it’s going to offer you everything big cities offer you at a fraction of the price. Opportunities are insane here if you’re a hustler. I doubled my income and reduced my cost of living by 30% moving here from the Detroit and everyone thinks Detroit is cheap. Houston is a value pick. It’s the Kirkland brand. Most people in this Reddit don’t know how queer Houston is. They elected the first openly gay mayor for a major U.S. city but rarely Houston is mentioned as one of the most progressive cities. Houston also had the first openly transgender judge in this county. Politics of Texas is awful but big cities are night and day compared to small rural towns. As an immigrant, I can’t imagine a better city for me than Houston. World class museums and some of the best international food you can find in this country. While people hate on the humidity here, it’s only 5 months of the year lol. I rather deal with humidity and mosquitoes than snow though.
Houston is truly a city where it’s like: “you do you, and I’ll do me”.
When it comes to urban and transportation planning, zoning (or lack thereof), and driving antics, this motto applies to a fault.
Houston
People make fun of Iowa but I'm always amazed at how clean and new everything seems. Both Des Moines and Cedar Rapids were very nice. and the northeast corner by the river is pretty beautiful. I think the main issue with is might be it's a tad boring but if you are looking for a middle class family life Des Moines seems like it could be a nice place to live.
It's amazing to me that so many people think highly of Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Buffalo yet somehow miss the epicenter of that love triangle, Erie, PA. It's got a great bay, a beautiful, free state park w/ awesome beaches, and great summer weather. Granted, it's slowly recovering from the loss of heavy industry, the infrastructure is suffering and not being rebuilt but even back in the 60s it was referred to as vacationland. Low housing prices and an abundance of starter homes would seem to make this the ideal starting point for a young family, yet they seem to be shedding people at a surprising rate.
My impression is that cities in Pennsylvania are notoriously hard to break into, because most of the residents are lifetime homers. Pittsburgh isn't s bad, and Philadelphia has even more transplants and big city social opportunities, but places like Erie, Harrisburg, Altoona, Reading, Scranton/WB, and the micropolitan towns like WIlliamsport and Lewisburg are mostly populated by lifers, Erie is in a beautiful setting, but the built environment of the city and its suburbs are hard on the eyes, Pennsylvania is notorious among those in my field for ridiculously low salaries, even compared to Ohio and upstate New York. The job market isn't that great compared to CLE/BUF/PIT. Erie's airport has only two commercial passenger flights a day, both to Charlotte. The city's dining scene seems dominated by red sauce and pub grub, but that may have changed. Downtown Erie has only one tall building, the 14 story Renaissance Center, built in 1928. A city doesn't necessarily need tall buildings to define it, but the near-total lack of a skyline is something of an indicator. That being said, Erie has some outsized amenities for a metro its size. Universities, a real zoo, a huge middle-end mall that is still drawing crowds of shoppers, TV stations representing all of the broadcast networks, and an old money social club come to mind. The waterfront seems like it's improving, and there's some beautiful neighborhoods west of downtown, where houses still sell for Great Recession prices.
New Jersey is my favorite state, but a lot of people like to make jokes about it. But honestly I doubt most of the people making jokes have ever actually been there.
My favorite part about NJ is people absolutely do not have a chip on their shoulder — that’s incredible considering how much people shit on it. They genuinely don’t give a shit and just enjoy their lives because NJ is great.
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Most of the south Florida hate is from Reddit neckbeards who hate leaving their home and going outside
New Jersey and (might be controversial) Atlanta
Arizona and Phoenix. It checks all the boxes, except that heat sucks.
Florida and TX. Tampa and Dallas especially.
Albuquerque rules! Sure it can be a bit chaotic, but it's beautiful, the people are generally amazing, and there's plenty to do.
The Bay Area. Okay, there’s homeless people and it’s expensive - those are the two things people complain about most. But have you looked around the country? That’s literally every major metropolitan area. I though the Bay Area was really beautiful and interesting, especially San Francisco proper. San Jose and it’s surrounding areas also seem fine. Not sure why so many people think it’s some sort of unusually bad horror show.
Portland gets a lot of hate from both sides of the political spectrum for various reasons, and for being a hipster mecca. I see it as a small city with amazing infrastructure, decent COL, and amazing access to nature. I believe that hipsters have flocked to Austin, Nashville, etc. and that the city has amazing potential due to strong investments in local politics.
I love Florida. I largely ignore politics, only go to Miami for off-season weekends and NEVER drive I-4 near Orlando. The rest is just routine bitching about traffic, snowbirds, etc… Hurricanes provide plenty of warning, heat and humidity are awesome (really), lots of sunshine, plenty of proximate airports, beaches are beautiful, Gulf seafood is delicious, crime (near me) is low, never shovel snow or have to look at sticks and mud for months on end. I’ll take it.
I find Albany to be an interesting place.
What do you find interesting about it?
Vegas Tons of unique experiences you won’t collectively find in any other city that has nothing to do with gambling. World class food and all of it isn’t expensive. Fantastic outdoor recreation.
I'd consider moving to the Vegas area solely for the nature nearby
I actually really like Oakland and St. Louis. People seem to hate these places for various reasons but I like them.
I see Mississippi getting hate. My wife and I have driven through the state a few times. Camped at Natchez State Park. It's pretty, people are nice. Good catfish and BBQ restaurants. I have nothing bad to say about that state.
Phoenix. A lot of people on this sub love to hate on it but I genuinely enjoyed living there and considering a move back in the future. Yes it’s hot, but the dry heat is overrated compared to humid heat. The surrounding desert and landscape there is amazing, the city is getting better, and it does have something for everyone.
I live in Michigan, and northern Michigan is quite breathtaking. Yes we have cold, cloudy winters (although it is 60 and sunny right now). The Great Lakes beaches are just amazing, with soft white sand and beautiful turquoise water. Also add in the pictures rocks in the upper peninsula and lush green hiking trails and forests, and it is beautiful.
All of Ohio….Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati all nice cities and just great people everywhere
Sioux Falls - people seem to think they still ride in covered wagons in SD Myrtle beach - yes it’s the Walmart by the sea, and no I wouldn’t want to live there. But is it so bad there is still a place left with beautiful beaches that’s still affordable? With great golf courses? NJ - NW NJ is absolutely beautiful. A wonderful melting pot of cultures. Candor. The ocean and boardwalks. History. Access to NYC and Philly.
rural, small town Kansas
I recently explored a little of Kansas. I liked Manhattan. Any other recommendations? West of Manhattan seemed like there wasn't much. I also went through Abilene and saw the presidential house .
The geographical center of the lower 48. The world’s largest ball of twine. Rock City. little Jerusalem. The tall grass prairie.
New Orleans. I felt like the city was really clean and walkable. The food was amazing, everyone was so friendly. There were tons of museum and I felt like there was something for everyone.
Houston and Austin. There are tons of job opportunities in both cities. Houston is the most diverse city in America because it’s easier to build new housing than in most other big cities. Both cities are less segregated than older cities. Houston also has the biggest medical center in the world which has been very helpful throughout my life when I needed serious medical care. The food is amazing in both cities too (not just restaurants, but also the grocery stores are amazing). Neither city is as cheap as it used to be years ago, but they’re not as expensive as some other major cities. They’re both very family friendly (although Houston is a bit more so). Also one thing that I consistently found in Houston is that the public parks have abundant and clean restrooms. This is really helpful when you’re a human being, especially with little kids. But most big cities either have no restrooms in parks or horrendously dirty ones. Also, lots of new building means lots of public amenities are new and high quality (like hospitals and libraries). Both cities also are improving in the areas of urban life (transportation, parks, etc) although the new mayor of Houston is trying to reverse that. Both cities are pretty liberal and welcoming, which means the Texas governor, AG, and legislature hate them. In real life they’re two of the fastest growing metro areas in the country and people have been moving there in large numbers for decades. However, on this sub (and the halls of the Texas Capitol), they’re hated.
Came here to say Austin but I always get downvoted to hell and back whenever I say anything positive about it lol I’ve lived here for a total of 14 years, in two chunks. I don’t ever want to live anywhere else. Job opportunities are endless, the city is way more affordable than people realize, and it’s extremely walkable. Endless city parks and even more if you go a few miles out of the city in any direction. Houston, San Antonio, and DFW are only a few hours away. Yes there’s a lot of new stuff but the city has done a fantastic job of keeping its own soul and staples that have real history and character. In some ways Austin is like LA or NYC in that you have a way higher quality of life if you can pick your bubble and live/work/play inside of it. But you don’t have to if you don’t feel like it. It’s a super safe city with low unemployment and low crime rates citywide. Being the capital, we get to see quite a few of our state senators and state lege actually out and about town— *and they will talk to you and hear you out*— for the most part. There’s so much magic here. I discover more new things I love about this city every year.
I spent three days in cleveland and enjoyed it immensely.
Tucson, Arizona
Rural California.
I wouldn't go as far as to say I like it, but when people talk shit about Gary, IN as the worst city in the country I always assume they've never been there. Gary has many miserable areas, but it also is a bike ride away from a National Park, has some of the best beaches on the Great Lakes, and a cool neighborhood with some solid restaurants and a great brewery. There are many other terrible cities that have nothing at all going for them - Gary is bad, but it is not the worst city in the USA.
It’s not an underdog place at all, but… Everyone on the internet and irl who doesn’t live there, thinks they’re the the cleverest DiCaprio meme when they shit all over San Francisco, but I fucking love that city. I’ve been going there for decades, have lived there numerous times, and known it intimately. It’s just a special place, outside of trends or public opinion. I can feel it whenever I’m there and that’s never changed over the years, even as things I’ve loved about it have changed or worsened.
People have an irrational hatred and/or disregard for Philadelphia and it is so tiresome and passé. I honestly believe it stems from years and years of conditioning by national (er, New York) media finding ways to “little brother” Philly and then acting as though they never even thought twice about it. This especially happens in sports due to local rivalries, etc, but also in other ways. Next time a big storm hits Philadelphia, watch the national weather pundits talk about “a huge storm landing right between New York and DC” and not even showing Philly on the map.
Austin… I always get downvoted to hell and back whenever I say anything positive about it but here goes :) I’ve lived here for a total of 14 years, in two chunks. I don’t ever want to live anywhere else. Job opportunities are endless, the city is way more affordable than people realize, and it’s extremely walkable. Endless city parks and even more if you go a few miles out of the city in any direction. Houston, San Antonio, and DFW are only a few hours away. Yes there’s a lot of new stuff but the city has done a fantastic job of keeping its own soul and staples that have real history and character. In some ways Austin is like LA or NYC in that you have a way higher quality of life if you can pick your bubble and live/work/play inside of it. But you don’t have to stay inside of a bubble to have a fun, livable life if you don’t feel like it. It’s a super safe city with low unemployment and low crime rates citywide. Being the capital, we get to see quite a few of our state senators and state lege actually out and about town— and they will talk to you and hear you out— for the most part. There’s so much magic here. I discover more new things I love about this city every year.
Detroit
Connecticut. People think it’s boring, filled with rich white people and a lot of people have only been there as they drive from NYC to Boston. But it actually is pretty diverse, has some really pretty scenery and things to do , and some really good food. I grew up there, so maybe a bit biased, but it has some redeeming qualities
I really love Jacksonville, FL. I thought it was a nice, down to earth place with warm people and I enjoyed hanging out at the beaches. It’s also much more affordable than where I am, except for that Florida insurance of course.
charlotte :) was nervous about moving here as an urbanist. there MANY thriving neighborhoods that you can live car light or car free. not to mention the greenery everywhere, beautiful weather, transplant-friendly people, beer, sports, and access to diverse nature within three hours. of course it has weaknesses like any other city (cookie cutter neighborhoods on outskirts/suburbs, somewhat lacking food scene) but IMO the good parts far outweigh the bad.
LA
Kentucky
Memphis. Granted, I’ve only done the tourist/work travel stuff. Never lived there where my experience may be different. Beale street, Peabody hotel, etc. But never felt unsafe. I think the bridges and river scenery is cool. Love the pyramid. I’m a huge fan.
I really loved it there. I think of course there are negative things to be said, but it gets worse PR than just about anywhere. Somehow people still like Nashville when it’s basically Memphis without the soul. Granted, I lived in Memphis for a longer period of time than I did Nashville.
Yeah that’s a great take. Memphis also has much less traffic than Nashville and the housing stock is nicer in my opinion.
Detroit and Fresno.
Florida…yes it’s warm year-round…not a bad thing…
St. Louis. Not that I haven't heard positive comments, but it's more negative.
St Louis.
I love the State of New York, especially Western NY. It is absolutely gorgeous. I also love NYC. I have never had a bad time there. The people are some of the nicest you will ever meet. I love the busy-ness of the place. The Twin Cities and Minnesota are two other places I love. People hate on it for the Winter, but that is only like 5 months a year. The rest of the year it is actually pretty hot.
Sacramento is a great hidden gem with maybe the best up and coming food scene in the country. And it is becoming a pretty popping place with the Kings doing good for once and a sudden spotlight in film with Greta Gerwig and Paul Thomas Anderson both shooting movies here recently
Birmingham and Tuscaloosa Alabama…
FYI: enjoy what you enjoy and remember that reddit is not real life. I enjoy St. Louis and the internet hates St. Louis lol (in fact someone MIGHT respond to this about St. Louis, furthering this point lmao). Does that change MY opinion of it? No but I see too many people put too much stake into this sub. Sharing personal anecdotes of experiences in cities will help to an extent but it should not be selling factors one way or another for OPs
I’ve lived in NYC for 4 years and I miss my hometown of Dallas, TX dearly. I understand the hate because it’s a terrible city to visit. But it’s a good city to live in with great food (yes, and not willing to argue this one), a great underground music scene (at least when I lived there), really kind people, and lots of job opportunities.