Delaware. Need I say more?
<strike> Hartford Whalers </strike> Carolina Hurricanes
In the words of the 'Canes current marketing slogan, “You’ll know when you go”.
Uke, the great thing about that book is that it shows you how to weight the different factors according to your preference. You’ll get results that fit with your desires.
For example: We wanted to live in or very near to a decent-sized city with many entertainment options, a relatively low cost of living, many job opportunities, a variety of educational institutions and relatively low crime. We didn’t want to live somewhere that is known for natural disasters.
Minneapolis was the number 9 city on Places Rated Almanac’s list. It would have been higher if the weather weren’t so cold. But crime would be higher too…
Minnesota is not for everyone. But we love it!
Canny,
Sorry if that last post sounded like I was using Rochester, Minnesota, as a stand-in for Assboink, Idaho. No offense intended.
Rochester always DOES end up high on recommended city lists. No traffic, no crimes, good jobs, fince schools, excellent medical institutions. Pittsburgh, Pa., usually comes in somewhere in the top ten, too.
Hey, KSO! THERE’S a thought! Why not join the Civic Boosters of Assboink? Many excellent employment opportunities in the local lead mines! Never a long wait in line when the Grand Opera comes to town! And the goatmeat pasties rivel the finest cuisine of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula!
Uke
I recommend where I live (Omaha) but only after you get married. Don’t get me wrong, there is a surprising amount of art & cultural activities here, but it’s more of a good place to settle down than a place to party.
Cost of living here is CHEAP. A 5 bedroom ranch in a nice neighborhood costs less than 100,000. Lots of IT jobs and less than 3% unemployment. So if you know computers (especially programming), you can, in many cases, name your salary. The area is fast becoming known as the “Silicon Prairie”.
People here are generally very polite and friendly. I can walk around at night without worries.
The only truly horrific thing about Omaha is the weather. We get both extremes. It can easily get up to 100 for a few weeks in the summer (typical is 80’s) and the winters can be sub-zero with dangerous windchills. It’s not for wimps.
My husband (Bons) is standing beside me telling me to tell you NOT to move here…he is originally from CT (Groton area) and was involuntarily moved here in the Air Force. But at least he got a bride out of it, and he hasn’t said anything about moving, ever. The place is growing on him, but he won’t admit it. It’s that kind of town. Embarrassing to admit you like it (because it is a bit square) but comfortable and sweet.
PR
If you’re not part of the solution you’re just scumming up the bottom of the beaker.
Oh, Ike, you do not live in New York City, you live in Brooklyn. Admittedly, one of the nicer parts of Brooklyn, but still . . .
And none of this nonsense about how “Brooklyn IS part of New York City!” Yeah, yeah, and Cindy Birdsong is one of The Supremes. Tell it ta Riley.
Whaddaya say, gang? Should I use the magic word and crush Flora like an insect?
Uke
East Tennessee is getting way too crowded.
Stay away.
Uke, I didn’t take offense about your comment regarding Rochester. It is not a suburb of the Twin Cities. It’s a small town in the middle of nowhere. Definitely not for me.
But who knows what KSO wants from new stomping grounds? Maybe he likes small towns with cold weather and excellent healthcare (the Mayo clinic is in Rochester). That’s why I suggested the book. I would never have thought of the Twin Cities as a place to settle down. Never crossed my mind. But the book suggested it, my husband had been here eons ago and liked it bunches, so we took a scouting trip in February 1997 and fell in love.
Yah shore, you betcha.
No you don’t want to live in Denver. It’s always cold and snowing- we got 6 feet overnight, and you have to ride horses to work. The government makes you ski- you can’t get a driver’s license until you pass the classes, and don’t give them that “my legs were cut off” BS. You have to sing “Rocky Mountain High” each morning while bowing towards the Coors brewery. Plus the traffic sucks because all the NEW PEOPLE WHO CAN’T DRIVE. grrrrrrr
John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt. That’s my name too.
Wait, no it isn’t.
I now live in Sparks, Nevada…It’s nice–lots of mountain views, beautiful Lake Tahoe is just under an hour away.
But I love California’s central coast. My daughter and I went to Monterey over Thanksgiving and we had a great time. We went to the Big Sur State Park and hiked among the redwoods. It was awesome! I’d move there in a minute if I could afford a house there on a teacher’s salary.
The weather is pretty much the same all year, the ocean is beautiful. In the morning you can hear seals barking. So cool!
–Gail
“Predictable, really I suppose. It was an act of purest optimism to have posed the question in the first place.” --John Cleese
Gail is right, the central coast is beautiful.
Wonderful sights, nice people a great place to live and relax.
1000 times better than Santa Barbara. Stay away from there, the people are scary. The weather is always stormy. The roads are often muddy. Frogs are considered the local pet of choice, so if you don’t own one you have to pay high taxes.
(Damn, I hope I saved my spot under the palm tree.)
pat
OK, well first of all, I’m a she–a hetero she, so I don’t care about the number of available women. It’s interesting that many of the places mentioned that got “good reviews” are already on my list–Seattle, Denver, central Cal. Omaha is not. (would insert smile face, if I knew how).
Canthearya–I’ll definitely check out that book. Thanks for the suggestion.
Stay away from the South!!!
We’re getting overrun with yanks 
(Just Kidding!)
P.S. Atlanta traffic STINKS!!!
Sorry about the gender-bending, KSO - I’m glad I could be of help.
Let us know where you end up going!
KSO: Good luck in your search. But personally, I wouldn’t dream of living anywhere else other than the Chicago area.
Rather than bore the rest of the posters to tears, if you’re interested in hearing any more, let me know and I’ll email you!
Montréal. J’l’adore icitte.
Do not, I repeat, do not (!) move to Florida. I just barely escaped there a few months ago with my intellect intact.
Plus, I hate the beach. Something about all that sand…
Well I do live in DC proper, but maybe I’m one of the lucky ones cuz I’m in a nice area that is growing rapidly and reasonably prostitute-free for the past few years. I also like the local Advisory Neighborhood Commissions, which are comprised of ordinary citizens and can significantly influence local laws & business operations for the betterment of the community. To do the same things in the burbs, you probably have to go to the Governor or some such entity.
I’ve always worked either in MD or VA so I have always had an easy drive to work against traffic; never more than 20 minutes. After a short time, you’ll learn the quick routes in & around the city and know which roads to avoid. Just about everything is a 15-minute walk in any direction and most people I know don’t even have a car.
I wouldn’t live here if I had children, though.
John is right about the soupy summers, but I can easily tolerate that. I’d much rather deal with that than the earthquakes on the west coast, hurricanes in the southeast, deep freeze of the north & northeast, and the… well… the nothing in the Midwest. He’s also right about it not being anywhere near as bad as you’ve probably heard. We’re in the news a lot but I think that per capita, incidents of crime are not too different than any other metro. After 12 years here I have never experienced anything remotely bad nor do I even know anybody who has, but I’m pretty streetwise and know where I can walk and what precautions to take. Then again maybe I’m just one of the lucky ones.
Most of all I like the diversity. You can’t walk down the street without seeing something or someone new & interesting almost every day (that’s probably true of any major metro).
However, life in the city will harden you. I don’t make eye contact with people any more as I pass and nobody ever says hello or thanks when you hold a door open. I’ve become accustomed to that so much that when I visited sleepy Roanoke VA a few years ago I was shocked time after time by random greetings a smiles from perfect strangers.
If I move, it will probably be to another country, or Florida- which is virtually another country.