Boulder, CO
I went to school there and enjoyed it immensely. Beautiful scenery, the plains to the East, the mountains to the West, nice weather, College town, a good tavern or two or three, decent music, and so on…
I suppose it’s a bit different now (I lived there '83-'89) but I’d give it a look if I was moving.
Another former Las Cruceno here. Las Cruces is a poor man’s Santa Fe, in a way; really more like a mini-Albuquerque with a very funky edge and a lot of very interesting people. It’s a place that can infuriate a long-time resident, yet being the “Land of Entrapment”, it’s hard to leave. Probably too small for the OP, though.
Philadelphia! Our weather is pretty good, and we have great food, entertainment, etc. It’s quite a large city, and there’s many, many universities. Check us out!
Sun, low humidity most of the year, no snow, almost no clouds. What else could you want? A Phoenix summer is far better than a Midwestern summer with 90 degree weather and high humidity. No freak snowstorms in March to ruin your spring. No endless days of rain.
Arizona is also great because if you want a change of pace, just go up north. Missing the White Christmas? Go up to the mountains and there it is. Miss the leaves changing colors? Head up north. In very few states can you experience the diversity of climate than in Arizona.
Phoenix has terrible air pollution. There are more than a few days when it’s so bad you’re aren’t supposed to physically exert yourself outdoors.
"American Lung Association giving Maricopa County its lowest grade for air quality in both ozone and particulates in 2005.
According to the association’s “State of the Air 2005” report, over 2.6 million, or 79%, of the county’s residents are at high risk for respiratory complications due to air quality."
Well, since you ruled out Montana, I suppose I’d pick Minneapolis or Portland, OR. Minneapolis is only ahead of Portland because I already live here and so does my family.
Well, never mind that, then.
Given that I can’t recommend here, the one thing I miss, living in Bozeman, is the leaves changing in the fall. So instead, I’ll recommend somewhere in the New England mountains, which have the best fall leaves of anywhere. And you can have something resembling wilderness, in reasonably close driving distance of major cities.
You people are nuts. Kansas City isn’t the biggest armpit in the Midwest (that belongs to Terre Haute, Indiana) but I can’t think of a single thing to recommend it unless you want a city with three riverboat casinos and don’t mind being flooded once every three or four years.
For the Midwest, Omaha isn’t too bad, Chicago is better (but much more expensive and dirtier) and I have no small bit of affection for Milwaukee. (Madison, WI is within an hour’s drive.) Other than that, go to the coasts; Boston, MA (just about as expensive as NYC, though), Seattle, WA, Portland, OR. I haven’t been to Austin, TX, in years, but it gets raves from everyone I know who has been there or lives there as being decidedly distinct from the rest of Texas. Minneapolis, MN is also decent. Ann Arbor, MI is a fun large college town.
The problem I have with Colorado is the food is all incredibly bland. I don’t really understand why. Good skiing, hiking and other non-water outdoor sport, but good luck finding good food.
Only move to Phoenix if you like strip malls, chain restaurants, and the color desert tan. Aside from Tempe (I do love Rula Bula), you could flatten Phoenix and replace it with new McDonalds and Starbucks franchises and not tell the difference. It’s also full of retired people complaining about how everyone else is moving there.
If I could move anywhere (without concern of cost)? San Francisco in a heartbeat (which is off of your list for the unexplained “no California” rule). The runner ups are Portland, Boston, and Seattle in no particular order. You couldn’t pay me to live in or around NYC for any money, though I wouldn’t mind visiting friends if I had any there.
Stranger
Huh? Are you sure you’re not confusing Denver with Des Moines? I’ve never heard that complaint about Denver, and I’ve lived in the area a long time. Usually it’s the opposite - Oooh, that’s too spicy! Denver/Boulder is a great food town. You must have been taken to Casa Bonita or something.
Aw, don’t hate. Here are a few things to recommend it fer ya:[ul][li]Very low cost of living.[]Great food. (KC BBQ!) []Wonderful Midwestern people[]No traffic[]Major league sports (I think the Royals are gonna win it all this year!)[]A downtown that, in the last 3 years, has gone from dead to hopping, thanks to a lot of outside investment[]…um… The Negro Leagues Hall of Fame[*]Er… only a few hours’ drive to the world’s largest ball of twine? [/ul][/li]
I grew up in KC, then went to school in Chicago, then spent about a year in various parts of California, and have now spent just over a year in Philadelphia attending school.
One thing I will say with some conviction is that Philly sucks. Yes, it’s got the food, the culture, the history. All that. But what really matters in a city is the people, and everyone around here is an *******. I loved Chicago. The SF Bay area is pretty great. But I’m afraid I can’t recommend the City of Brotherly Love, based on my experiences so far.
Don’t listen to him, incidental. Stranger shows impressive erudition on a wide range of topics, but dissing Kansas City? Cleary he has never enjoyed a night he can’t remember in Westport. Certainly he has never visited the Nelson or enjoyed the stark beauty of Northwestern Missouri or strolled through the Plaza in the Christmas season. I’m a vegetarian, and I’d still eat the barbeque in KC. Comparing it to Terre Haute? Perfidy!!
Disclaimer: I have not been to KC in about 10 years.
I’ve mostly spent time in Boulder and Colorado Springs, not Denver proper, although I’ve been to a couple of BBQ places in the Littleton area that people boasted of only to find them totally mediocre.
Stranger
Be serious! (hehe) I lived in Philly in the late eighties. Had I not been in school, I would have enjoyed it much more.
Thanks for all the replies guys. I find it reassuring to know that many of these cities I’ve either lived in or am applying to.
My field is pediatrics…I’m in the process of applying for my residency. Which is why I can’t go to a smaller city. My one major criteria for selecting a program is that it have it’s own, free-standing children’s hospital. I want the increased volume and patient referrals that come with a children’s hospital while I do my training. There really and truly aren’t any programs in some states. You can check Frieda and see for yourself. I really do love Montana, so I am bummed. I would go to Bozeman in a heartbeat.
Regarding California…I guess, it’s just that I know it’s a great state. I get it. It’s just that I’ve lived hand-to-mouth for eight years now, while I tried to get by on loans. I’m tired of it. For the first time in my life, I’m going to have a salary. I will have to start paying off loans, but I don’t want to sink all of my disposable income into a really pricey city. So, no NYC, no California and probably no Boston. Honestly, it’s not like I’m going to have oddles of free time to enjoy those cities anyway.
And yes, I know there are probably less expensive places to live in California. But I’m not willing to compromise on the strength of the program just to live somewhere in California. Also…there are about a 100+ programs for me to look at. It was just a lot easier to say “California is out” and ignore them. It cut down the number to evaluate significantly.
And Bayard, thank you so much for the kind words about Cinncinnati. Everyone in my class rags on the city, although the program is fabulous. In the words of my mother “Everyone is married there!” It’s reassuring to hear that somewhere, someone likes the city.
Madison does indeed have a brand new free-standing children’s hospital, along with 4 other “regular” ones, if regular includes veterans’ hospitals.
Just a follow-up on the California issue:
There are 19 programs in California.
Two of them are military (the military has it’s own free-standing match, for which I am not eligible.)
Six of them are in LA. One is a UCLA branch program. For a grand total of seven LA programs.
The remaining programs are in: Loma Linda (1), San Francisco (2), Oakland (2), Orange (2), San Diego (2), Sacramento (1) and Stanford.
I’m sure they are all fine programs. But, I’m also not big on a program where they split their patient population with another hospital, which seems to be a common California theme.
BTW, I know that adds up to twenty…one of the military programs is double counted in the San Diego category.
Have you thought about Baltimore? We have more hospitals than you can shake a stick at, including Kenney Krieger Institute. My father-in-law came to Baltimore for his pediatrics residency in 1968 at Hopkins/KKI and never left.
The winters are mild (in my opinion, but I’m from Canada and don’t blink an eye at winter), the summers are long, and the people don’t suck.
I’m married, so I don’t know about the singles scene, but I do like Cincy overall. I have heard nothing but good things about Cincy Children’s. (I’m not a doctor, but I eat at their cafeteria a lot, since I work about a block from there; the food’s good). My wife is a doctor at the University if Cincinnati hospital, FWIW. Anyway, if you come in town for an interview, PM me and I’ll buy you a pint.
Children’s hospital in St. Louis is free-standing in that it’s a separate physical hospital, although it is part of the Barnes-Jewish-Children’s conglomerate. I used to live in the neighborhood right around Children’s there. That was a fun place to live – very close to Forest Park (free zoo, art museum, and other stuff); lots of good bars and restaurants; MetroLink train to downtown and the airport; lots of decent rental units.
Best of luck to you!
For low cost of living, consider Columbus. I think it’s one of the cheaper good-sized cities to live in, and going by the electricity thread, there are a ton of Dopers around! 
Buffalo, New York. I’m serious. You get a lot for your money.
There was an article in New York Magazine recently about people moving to Buffalo.