Do you love your city? Sell it to me.

In My Humble Opinion
21

And I was going to suggest Las Vegas for pretty much the same reasons.
However, there is a high unemployment rate, but you might have better success if you have experience in the food service industry.
Certainly is a warm climate to say the least, although winter can be nippy.
And it is a 24 hour city - so that should not be a problem.
And due to economy, cheap(er) housing is available.

I would suggest that if you have a tendency to party too hard and gamble, this might not be the place for you - but otherwise, good time to get here as the economy is slowly picking up and I wouldn’t be surprised to see things turn around sooner than later - still lots and lots of people coming here! After NYC, Las Vegas was the second biggest tourist destination this Labor Day Weekend in the entire USA.

22

I love where we currently live.
Santa Clara CA.
You cannot beat the temperate weather.
Warm not hot.
Cold not freezing.
Usually mild and comfortable.
The economy is better than many places.
The BIG CITY is close.
Pacific ocean is equally close.
Mountains/ski slopes are a few hours drive, as are the vineyards.
Wonderful university.
Very diverse population. Many fine dining experiences.
A wonderful central park and library.
Lower taxes than San Jose.
And for the single & looking crowd … there are geeks everywhere. Piles of them. They fuel the economy.
Yes, rents are high. But not as high as nearby municipalities.

PS … The 49ers are coming.

23

Sounds like Portland East, only smaller.

24

I don’t think I could sell you on Calgary (it’s not small, and it’s not cheap, but you could be working in food service here tomorrow if you showed up today, and make at least minimum wage, which is $9.75/hr if you work in the kitchen), but I just wanted to say that making a big move while you’re still young is a very good idea. Once you get older and have lots more baggage, it gets much more difficult to pack up and try new locations.

Go Dorothy! :slight_smile:

25

Move to Tucson, you feel closer to heaven just by being here.

Well, I mean, that’s mostly because you feel depressingly close to death by being in the town, but hey, heaven!

26

Ha! I liked living in Tucson, mostly in the winter. I never really did get used to the sun and the heat, in 16 years. It was a bit much for me. But the cost of living is cheap (so are the wages), the food is good, the people are friendly and laid-back, and the sunsets are spectacular.

ETA: Of course, where you live there makes a huge difference. The far east side is fantastic, but central, like around Oracle and Grant, is hellish. Do not want.

27

Columbus, Ohio

Good-sized city without big city problems. The traffic flow is great compared to every other similarly-sized city I’ve been to. It’s a college town and a government seat, so jobs aren’t too hard to come by. We didn’t get hit by the recession nearly as hard as other places in the Midwest. It’s a great foodie town, with the best ice cream (Jeni’s–google it!) you will ever have. Wonderful farmer’s markets, lots of fun places to live near nightlife, or you can have a house in the country and depending where you go, you might still only be a 20-30 minute commute to downtown.

28

Maybe it’s your username, but I could have sworn I remember you, many years ago, talking about milking cows and stuff.

29

Another vote for Northern Nevada. I moved here 16 years ago from California and fell in love with the concept of being able to find a decent place to live of my own without having to have five or six roommates. I’m also keen on not having to have a 2-3 hour commute to work.

If you don’t drive, the bus system in Reno is trying to make itself useful; I don’t think it’s terrible. Certainly, getting to the city center (where a lot of those food-service jobs are) is usually pretty easy, but maybe not so much for just getting around in general.

There are actual seasons, and the ones here don’t involve either 99% relative humidity, or blizzards. We do have earthquakes and wildfires.

The environment is so-so for gays/athiests/vegetarians. It is getting more liberal every day, since more and more damned Californians keep moving here.:wink:

30

Wages in college towns are lower for restaurant work since there is a glut of able bodied persons.

31

Philadelphia, PA

Tons of restaurants all over the city at all levels. Shouldn’t have that much trouble finding a job.
Public Transportation is really good. You can live pretty much anywhere in the city limits and can get around without need of a car. Some areas take longer, but they are all accessible in one way or another.
Cultural events. There’s something to do somewhere pretty much every night of the week. Art, music, literature. You can find something whatever you are into.
Going back to the restaurant thing. There are plenty of good bars and restaurants to choose from.
Museums of all types! From really weird to standard to just a little bit weird.
If you’ve never been to the east coast Philly is a good place to base yourself, and then visit other places. NYC, DC, and Baltimore are short trips.
There’s some pretty nice nature right within the city limits.
The first zoo!
Speaking of first it’s a city jam packed with historical landmarks.

That’s my list. It’s a good city. I’ve lived in other places that I would also sell to you. But, I think Philadelphia fits your purposes best because of the three it’s the cheapest to live in.
Whatever you do. Good luck! It’s such a freeing feeling when you realize that you can go wherever you want to go and you aren’t really tied to a geographic location.

32

I love where I live, it’s a little, big city. 365,000 inhabitants, midway between Toronto and Detroit. Big events, professional sports, etc, in huge city venues, is only two hours away.

Home to a prestigious university, means plenty of culture and concerts, arts and hippies, etc. And always cheap housing available, for those new to town. The town is practically set up for new people! The campus is so beautiful it’s often referred to as ‘UWestern Ontario Golf and Country Club’, in jest. Major medical hub (How can that ever be a bad thing? And it’s Canada, universal health care!)

Lively foodie culture, restaurants constantly opening (and closing!). My husband and myself went round the world, more than once, on the profits of working in service in this town!

Large percentage of urban core housing of the Victoria era. Very pretty, very livable neighbourhoods. It has wonderful free festivals throughout the summer, and awesome beaches are under an hours drive away. Easy to escape to on a sunny afternoon!

It has all the conveniences of a bigger city while still feeling very small townish. When I walk my dog around I always end up reflecting on my good fortune to live in such a truly lovely place!

33

You know what’s funny? I actually am now a total farm girl. Gathered eggs and pulled weeds in the chicken yard today after being introduced to all the sheep and goats, the alpaca, the mini horse, the duck, and the turkeys and chickens. That was at someone else’s house, but not far away. And our neighbors have a bunch of horses. It’s fun.

Anyway, how complicated would it be to move to Canada? I assume i’d have to get a visa or something… what else? And what’s involved in that? I only have my phone for internet out here (but I still get reception!) So it’s a bit difficult to do a lot of research

34

I don’t know what part of St. Louis you live in, or anything about your history with living here, but I can say that earlier this year, I moved from one part to another (about 10 miles away) and it’s made a HUGE difference in my happiness with living here. St. Louis is an odd city in that it’s extremely neighborhoody with no huge vibrant downtown - we just have dozens of distinct city and suburban neighborhoods, each with something different to offer. So sometimes just jumping to a new hood can brighten your outlook?

On the other, more exciting hand, I had a good friend of mine move to Portland this year and he absolutely loves it. His sister lives in Eugene so that’s a small part of it too, but he is smitten with Portland. My boyfriend is getting the itch to move but I can’t imagine leaving my family at this point.

35

$50 for my city, sound good? SOLD!

I know I have that key around here somewhere…

36

OP, despite this sentence here, I would not suggest ruling out Boston. It is my city, and I love it ardently.

Now it’s true that the greatest drawback is the cost of living, but honestly our state minimum wage is higher than federal and if you can find a job in the city, starting pay is often higher than that. Enough to make a living, if you don’t mind roommates. And besides that, if you live and work in the city or some of the nearby areas (Quincy, for example) you can live completely without a car. So yeah, you’ll pay a lot for rent, but $70 a month will get you a T pass. Stack that up against car payments, insurance, gas, maintenance, etc. And it’s one of the most walkable cities in the country. Trust me, you won’t even miss having one.

I live in Dorchester which has some very rough spots and gets a bad rap, but there are plenty of nice neighborhoods that are safe and not too terribly pricey. Same for Southie.

As for food service jobs, we have six or so Whole Foods with great prepared foods departments within easy commuting distance. The pay scale, chances for advancement, and benefits with the company are fantastic. Plus you learn about food constantly and get all sorts of free goodies. (yes, I work for them though not that department and I ardently love my job too.)

In terms of arts, culture, music, history, education - we’ve got it all. You will never be bored. Especially if you like history. Boston is the cradle of the American Revolution after all (Sam Adams’ words, not mine. …well, okay. that one is Fanueil Hall is the cradle of liberty. :))

And we aren’t an outwardly friendly people, no. But as far as being gay, atheist, or whatever else, there’s few places better. Both in the fact that people will stay out of your business, and in terms of the law. This city is very progressive.

Can’t help you about the cold. :stuck_out_tongue:

37

Too complicated , I’m afraid. Waiting lists are long, and unless you have a skill set that is considered a shortage, no chance of jumping the queue.

Refugee status from the US is probably not going to be recognized. :smiley:

(Unfortunately, from what I hear, this is the quickest way to enter Canada: come from a third-world country where human rights are deplorable and claim refugee status.)

38

if a person had to have enough money first, so that Canada in her wisdom would consider them an OK person to retired there, how much we talking? eyeing savings

39

A lot of Canadians snowbird down to the US in their retirement years - as far as I know, if you stay just short of six months in Canada each year*, you don’t need to any special arrangements - you’re just a visitor then.

*I suggest you make them summer months, not winter months. :slight_smile:

40

From what I’ve seen in housing prices, you’re not going to beat St. Louis. Especially not Portland or Asheville. Indianapolis maaaybe, although it is much colder (and therefore you’d be combating either your own cheapness of gas bills or a landlord’s nailing it to the minimum allowed by law).

St. Louis has a lot of amenities and “free” activities that can’t be had for less elsewhere. I love Pittsburgh but rents have skyrocketed here – buying a house we’re a super affordable city but renting a place? Prices have gone up 30% in the past 5 years in “decent” city neighborhoods (eg the East End).