How do I pick a city in which to live?

[Attack from the 3rd dimension]

Pretty simple question.

In about a year, I'm going to be looking for a job. I'm employable, my work is in some demand most anywhere.

By what criteria does one judge a town or city? How do you find that perfect balance of "small town feel" and "big city opportunities". So far I'm working along the lines of :

1) More than 50,000, less than a million (yes, that does make it easier in Canada)
2) Must have a good coffeshop
3) Hi Opal!
4) Must have a good bookstore

By what other criteria would you judge a potential place to live?

[pbbth]

When I was looking to move from Dallas I started looking at other places I could live. I worked within the criteria that the city had to be:

-equipped with public transportation
-someplace where they had actual seasons, not just Summer followed by about 6 weeks of cool weather (curse you, Texas heat!)
-someplace where theater, opera, museums, etc. are numerous

I compiled a list of places that fit these criteria (NYC, Chicago, Minneapolis, etc.) and started traveling to check out the places on my list. When I stepped off the plane in NYC I just knew that this is where I am supposed to live. It felt more like home in those first few moments than Dallas had in my entire life. I got out and saw the city, visited the theater, walked around some of the more residential areas, etc. It just felt more and more like home every time I saw something new or experienced a different facet of the city.

I recommend making a list of the attributes you are looking for in a city, finding cities that match those requirements, and packing a bag to visit them one by one. You might stumble into one and just know that it is your new home. You might stay somewhere that you just know you could never live there and be happy.

[Tripler]

I've had the pleasure of living in different regions of the US, and visiting different cities in a lot of those regions. Find an IRL close friend of yours that has had that chance, and start picking his/her brain.

I'd tell you to ask here, but your face-to-face friend will know your preferences and quirks a lot better than a bunch of "binary buds" online.

Tripler
Hell, I'd move back to Minot, ND if it didn't mean my eventual divorce.

[An Gadaí]

I recommend Charlottesville, VA. I think it matches your criteria although it might not quite have 50,000 people.

[Nawth Chucka]

Originally Posted by Tripler

Tripler
Hell, I'd move back to Minot, ND if it didn't mean my eventual divorce.

You say eventual like it'd be a gradual thing, sweetie...

There was a search site I used to find the city I love to live in most, Charleston, SC.

[Attack from the 3rd dimension]

Originally Posted by An Gadaí

I recommend Charlottesville, VA. I think it matches your criteria although it might not quite have 50,000 people.

I'm more hunting for rules by which to rank cities, than for cities to rank. There are tons of small-to-medium sized cities that I know little about, and I'd love to be able to easily rule out or rule in a given city.

Nanaimo, for instance, or Abbotsford, in BC, are two cities that I would like to be able to prioritize based on a some simple criteria, and then investigate the high ranked ones more carefully. Perhaps this is to analytical an approach.

Ireland would be high on the list were I to leave Canada, and, while I'm sure Charlottesville is lovely, I grew up in the 'Merican South, so....I'll probably stay in Canada.

[whiterabbit]

Is climate important for you? Having finally ended up somewhere that isn't disgustingly hot and humid and sticky in the summer, with a real winter with snow, I find I like it a lot. But I know people who love heat and humidity as well.

I'd only move somewhere with that kind of climate again if I had to, really. YMMV. But if it's important, it should be on your list.

[Attack from the 3rd dimension]

Originally Posted by whiterabbit

Is climate important for you? Having finally ended up somewhere that isn't disgustingly hot and humid and sticky in the summer, with a real winter with snow, I find I like it a lot. But I know people who love heat and humidity as well.

I'd only move somewhere with that kind of climate again if I had to, really. YMMV. But if it's important, it should be on your list.

Good point. I can do without prairie winters.

[Southern Yankee]

You need to come up with a list of criteria and rank them. Are schools important to you? Economic stats like median income, unemployment rate, job growth, etc. are all available for most places.

When we moved from NJ to Charlotte, our criteria included weather (wanted warmer); east of the Mississippi (family is all East coast); culture; available activities; schools (2 kids), and a few others. It was relatively easy to whittle the list down after that. Then we visited the best options and chose where we felt most comfortable.

[Heffalump and Roo]

Originally Posted by Nawth Chucka

There was a search site I used to find the city I love to live in most, Charleston, SC.

There are several search sites. I haven't been to one in a while, so you might have to google them. But many of them will ask successive questions about things like climate and educational levels, crime, housing, transportation and any number of things that you might not have thought about to filter down your choice. One of the sites even has a rundown of the kind of people that predominantly live in the city, like white collar workers, yuppies, empty nesters, young marrieds, etc. based on the demographics of the population. Sorry I can't link the site, it was a while ago that I was checking these things out.

Here's one though that gives a questionnaire to help you filter the places. And they have a lot of detailed demographics once you get there.

[USCDiver]

For US cities there is a great website, www.city-data.com that has demographic information on just about every city in the US. I don't know if something similar exists for Canadian Cities.

[sugar and spice]

My personally philosophy is go for a city with a growing and diverse economy. If you have that, things like independent coffee shops and revitalized downtown areas are soon to follow. Likewise a good economy brings other transplants, easier to build social connections.

[Heffalump and Roo]

Originally Posted by USCDiver

I don't know if something similar exists for Canadian Cities.

Oooh. I didn't even notice the Canada part. Sorry. I think my link only works for US cities, but I'm not sure.

Geocentrism strikes again! Sorry.

[Attack from the 3rd dimension]

Originally Posted by Southern Yankee

You need to come up with a list of criteria and rank them.

Exactly what I'm trying to do here. Some of these suggestions are one's that I've considered. Others are good thoughts that I will incorporate into my scheme.

[tomndebb]

If you have or plan to have kids: How are the schools?

If you follow local politics: How corrupt is the local system? Does cronyism prevent all reform?

How high are the taxes?

Do you get any benefit from taxes?
(For example, if city A has a higher tax rate than city B, but city A provides its own trash pickup, has much nicer parks with pools that are actually open and staffed in the summers, gets a 12" (30 1/2 cm) snowfall cleared off the streets in one and a half days instead of a full week, etc., the higher taxes might be worth it.)

Are all the radio stations Clear Channel (or some Canadian equivalent) or can one actually find classical or folk music or jazz or big band without laboriously loading each selection into one's MP3?
(I would not bother even comparing local TV news outlets. There are no good ones in North America.)

What do you seek in geographic locations? (E.g., I really enjoy visiting prairies, but I need hills, trees, and large bodies of water to keep my spirit alive. I would love to live near mountains or the ocean, but I can survive without those amenities.) Obviously, Tripler would enjoy living on the rolling prairies, but would he enjoy living on the utter flatland sections of Kansas and Iowa or Saskatchewan?

Even with an ability to get a job anywhere, will that job pay for your lifestyle? (I cannot address Canadian costs, but in the U.S. there can be remarkable differences in similar locations. Metro Chicago, metro Detroit, and metro Cleveland all have similar cost of living indicators, except in one area where Chicago can require one and a half to two times the cost to buy a house. Chicago's greater selection of entertainment and art may justify that expense, or it may not.)

As fuel costs continue to rise, what will any region see in availability? (In the U.S., heating costs in New England are substantially higher than in other locations and there have been periodic fuel shortages in some locations. Again, I do not know if any similar phenomenon occurs in Canada.)

How do you feel about different ethnic groups and how do local people feel about yours? (I would hope that most adults can cope anywhere, but it can play a role in the lives one's kids' experiences.)

[Attack from the 3rd dimension]

If you have or plan to have kids: How are the schools?
-This one is a tough one - Ranking schools - If you wind up in a well ranked school, does that just mean that the school is geared toward standardized tests?

Even with an ability to get a job anywhere, will that job pay for your lifestyle?
-I'm not sure I can get a job absolutely anywhere at all, but I'm reasonably employable. My lovely and talented wife is a Luddite, so paying for lifestyle isn't quite as bad as if my high tech fantasies were allowed free reign.


How do you feel about different ethnic groups and how do local people feel about yours? (I would hope that most adults can cope anywhere, but it can play a role in the lives one's kids' experiences.)

-Another good point. One of the reasons I happy enough to leave where we've been up till now is to expose the children to non-european people and cultures. We live in Haole-land, in the capitol, Honkyville.

[Scribble]

What countries are you willing to live in or move to? Do you definitely want to stay within Canada? Could you or would you get work visas to other countries?

And, just out of curiosity, what do you do for a living?

[Attack from the 3rd dimension]

Originally Posted by Scribble

What countries are you willing to live in or move to? Do you definitely want to stay within Canada? Could you or would you get work visas to other countries?

And, just out of curiosity, what do you do for a living?

I'm a citizen of the US and Canada. My wife is dual with Canada and Ireland. I'm an MD, so its pretty portable. but overall, I'd prefer to stay in Canada, as it's a terrific country and I'd have to go through certification stuff to go elsewhere..

[ZipperJJ]

Whatever you do, just don't move to Wullerton *spit*

[nivlac]

For me, an important criterion would be proximity to a prominent or at least decent college or university. That usually guarantees some diversity in the population, access to intellectual pursuits, and maybe front-line medical services. Also, having lived in various political climates, I'd factor in the political bent of the city.

[tomndebb]

Originally Posted by Attack from the 3rd dimension

If you have or plan to have kids: How are the schools?
-This one is a tough one - Ranking schools - If you wind up in a well ranked school, does that just mean that the school is geared toward standardized tests?

There are a lot of ways to rank schools--none of them perfect, of course.

Percent of students going on to college.
Percent of students receiving academic scholarships.
Rated literacy of the community. (Not attributable directly to schools, but the single variable that appears to account for the success of kids in school is the literacy and involvement of parents, so a highly literate population will tend to have decent schools.)
Percent of non-sport extracurricular activities. (Nothing wrong with sports or band, but if those are the only things that the district and parents are supporting outside the classroom, it implies a lack of interest in academics while drama, music beyond the marching band, debate, chess clubs, community service groups, a good school newspaper, and other activities demonstrate a more well-rounded approach to education.)

[Barbarian]

Your criteria are exceedingly vast, since you've included pretty much every city between 50,000 and 1 million in the whole damn country.

Given that, here's what I look for.
Employability: you're an MD, so demand is fairly constant everywhere, although it grows in larger centres.
Commuting: do you want to drive for kilometers, or walk to work? Do you want to walk to your groceries/pub/bakery/movies/bookstore?
What hobbies do you have? Like going to the cottage? Surfing? X-country Skiing? Snowboarding?
Do you want to live in an ethnic enclave, like Richmond B.C. (the world's largest Chinatown) or Surrey BC (biggest population of Indians outside of India)?

Do you want to be able to drive to a metropolis to see the theatre/big concert/nightlife/hot restaurants?

Do you speak French? Want your kids to speak it?

[Furious_Marmot]

The cynical answer: Live wherever the ratio of pay to cost of living is greatest. Then you can quit your job earlier and spend the rest of your life where you want.

The libertarian answer: This month's Reason magazine rank 35 US cities in terms of civil liberties. Unfortunately, since you live in Canada, this is useless.

The realistic answer: Throw a dart at a map, you can't plan for the crazy nonesense that will actuallyn happen to you, so don't bother trying.

[Attack from the 3rd dimension]

[quote=Barbarian]Your criteria are exceedingly vast, since you've included pretty much every city between 50,000 and 1 million in the whole damn country.

- That's why I'm looking for more, better criteria. Mine OP criteria are too broad.


Commuting: do you want to drive for kilometers, or walk to work? Do you want to walk to your groceries/pub/bakery/movies/bookstore?

- Excellent point. Walk. Luddite spouse likes walking. Personally, I'd take the hoverboard, but having a walkable city is huge. That's why Nanaimo is not looking good. However, that would be good for the rest of BC

What hobbies do you have? Like going to the cottage? Surfing? X-country Skiing? Snowboarding?
- Surfing. That narrows Canada rather fast, down to BC (Tofino, Vancouver Island), Nova Scotia and Newfoundland

Do you want to live in an ethnic enclave, like Richmond B.C. (the world's largest Chinatown) or Surrey BC (biggest population of Indians outside of India)?

Don't care.

Do you want to be able to drive to a metropolis to see the theatre/big concert/nightlife/hot restaurants?

Yup

Do you speak French? Want your kids to speak it?
- Nope. French is a hideously complex issue here. Let's pretend I dont care about the kids' french.

[Attack from the 3rd dimension]

Originally Posted by nivlac

For me, an important criterion would be proximity to a prominent or at least decent college or university. That usually guarantees some diversity in the population, access to intellectual pursuits, and maybe front-line medical services. Also, having lived in various political climates, I'd factor in the political bent of the city.

Cutting every city in Canada without a decent college or university would knock out quite a few, and leave a remainder rife with coffee shops and bookstores. Excellent thought for a first cut. If I then add in Tomanddeb's school tests, that might be a good model to run.

[Satellite^Guy]

I know you said you're looking for criteria to use, and not city suggestions, but if you're into surfing, and would like a place with culture, higher education, and the like, might I suggest Halifax?

Population: 360,000
Local university: Dalhousie University
Health care centres: QEII hospital, IWK hospital, others, I think...

Just my $.02

S^G

[gardentraveler]

Random criteria: Do you have family or friends that you'd like to be near? Is there a type of volunteer opportunity that you'd like to pursue in your spare time? If you like to cook, are there grocery stores that carry any specialized ingredients you like to use? If you eat out a lot, do they have the types of restaurants you're interested in?

I agree with sugar and spice that you want to look for a place with a diverse and growing economy so that you can ensure that existing businesses will survive and new businesses will crop up.

Good luck!

GT

[Attack from the 3rd dimension]

Originally Posted by gardentraveler

Good luck!

GT

Thanks for all the help guys. I think some of these criteria will be very helpful in evaluating potential spots.

[Antinor01]

My decision to move to Los Angeles from central Ohio involved the following criteria.

1. Boyfriend that wanted to move to Los Angeles.

I'm not sure if that will help for you or not.

[teela brown]

Here's my contribution:

Move to where there are a lot of employers and job options in your field. If there are only one or two places who would employ you, and there's an industry downturn, you're gonna get laid off and have to move all over again.

We lived in Ventura County where we moved when my husband was offered a job at the world's biggest biotech. Everything was fine for several years, then the economy tanked and the biotech laid off a bunch of people, including my husband. We were screwed, because there were no other employers in the area who needed anyone with my husband's biotech skills. We moved to the bay area specifically because it was biotech central. Even when he has been let go locally because his company was bought out or folded, it has been relatively easy for him to move to another company.

Just my 2 cents.

[Spectre of Pithecanthropus]

Originally Posted by nivlac

For me, an important criterion would be proximity to a prominent or at least decent college or university. That usually guarantees some diversity in the population, access to intellectual pursuits, and maybe front-line medical services. .

Care must be taken here if you include among 'academic pursuits' access to the research library. I believe most university libraries do make some kind of accommodation for non-affiliates, on the payment of a reasonable fee, but some don't. It's always struck me as painfully ironic that if for whatever reason I had to move to Cambridge, MA, I would be living next door to one of the largest research libraries in the world, but would be barred from using it--unless I had a job at Harvard.