I just got back from my first trip to Philadelphia. I‘ve been to nearly every major city in the US (save Miami and Minneapolis), and I was in awe for the entirety of my Philly trip.

There’s a common joke on this sub that the answer is always “Philly or Chicago”. And while I made my first trip to Chicago last fall, and fell in love with the city, it took me an extra year to get to Philly and truly make this comparison.

All I have to say is - wow. I truly believe this is THE most walkable city I’ve ever set foot in. Everything I encountered was seemingly built for the pedestrian. And the city is absurdly easy to navigate. I found myself walking places even when I could take the bus, just because it was that easy (and the weather was peak).

Every coffee shop I went to was great. Multiple jazz bars, and while not quite as good as Chicago’s scene, all very solid with cheaper cover fees and drinks. The food was incredible. The people were friendly. I enjoyed taking the subway, busses, and the train to the airport is a massive plus.

I know it was a weekend trip and I don’t live there, but for anyone who values walkability while still having large urban scale, Philly seems to be the spot. I was looking at apartments in the neighborhoods I visited and, as an educator, I was constantly able to find things in my price range. This is not true in most other walkable cities.

I’m sure there are some negatives, but I struggled to find any. Sure, I was in nicer areas, but I wasn’t exclusively in the tourist core. I went west of Penn and as far north as Temple. There’s some trash, but it didn’t bother me. And I found the statement that Philly “smells” to be almost entirely false.

I guess this post is to say that, after a year of scrolling this sub and wondering if people were to high on Philly, the answer is no. It’s that good.

I see people debating Chicago vs. California on here all the time, and since old threads on this sub actually helped me land on Costa Mesa a few years back, figured I’d pay it forward.

I lived in Chicago for the first 30-ish years of my life. Grew up in a quieter neighborhood and lived in the usual spots as an adult - West Loop, various North Side spots, etc. Chicago is still my favorite city in the country. The architecture, the arts/culture, the food, and how easy it is to find cool people and stuff to do are tough to beat. I’d genuinely move back someday and be totally happy.

My issues with it were the usual suspects, but they just stacked up over time. The long grey stretches, lack of actual nature/topography within a reasonable drive, and how heavily social life revolves around sitting in bars eating and drinking from November to April.

Moving to OC (specifically Costa Mesa) flipped my day-to-day. Having solid weather and trails right outside my door year-round made being active effortless instead of a chore. I ended up dropping a ton of weight without really trying just because my default weekend shifted from brewery hopping to being outside. The access to weekend trips in every direction is ridiculous compared to the Midwest.

My big hesitation with OC was feeling isolated from live music and culture, but it hasn’t been an issue. I just head up to LA once or twice a month for shows and concerts, then head back down to my quiet, cooler pocket near the coast. Best of both worlds for me.

Obviously you give things up. You're in a car a lot more, rent/housing is brutal, and you lose that dense, cohesive city feel that Chicago nails better than almost anywhere. But for where I was at in life, prioritizing sun, outdoors, and physical health won out.

Happy to answer anything if anyone is currently debating a Midwest -> SoCal move or trying to figure out if OC is actually livable for a city person. I'll acknowledge that this is all on the HCOL side of things. The shock actually wasn't as bad as I expected arriving here since I was already used to some of the higher-cost areas of Chicago. It's great that Chicago has a lot more affordable options as well.

Not necessarily Phoenix winter - mild, but close to it. I love how Flagstaff is a city without being too much city like the Phoenix Metro. Absolutely cannot be in the desert in the summer down there anymore. I've been a nomad for a little over 2 years so it's nice to move with the weather.

This summer and last summer I was in Flagstaff as a home base for 3-4 months, and from Jan 26' - June 26 I was in the Vegas area , both working IT contracts, doing door dash, and Walmart Spark. I got by decently enough. But now Doordash is garbage as well as Spark being oversaturated with drivers ,And IT work always slows down over winter (Onsite work , I don't work remote). Not sure where I'll be for the winter yet other than switching between Quartzsite, Havasu, And visiting my friend in Apache Junction. I suppose I could go back to Vegas if I had a decent job offer.

Anyway , wondering what y'all think is the closest city to Flagstaff for the winter months as far as size, decent amenities , not too expensive, while being relatively mild in the winter.

I currently live in Denver and make 100k in non-profit finance. I’ve been here five years and genuinely like it. I feel comfortable financially and love the winter combo of sun and snow.

The bigger thing is that my parents have started to have health problems and live in the Lansing MI area. Flights are getting more expensive, I don’t think they’re getting any cheaper ever, and I would like to spend more time with them as they age.

I am looking to potentially move to a city within a five hour drive to them. I love the sunshine and urbanism of Denver, so I am a bit worried to move to the upper Midwest. I’m in my thirties and would like to settle down and have 1-2 kids as well. So looking for a place where people are still single in their thirties but also commitment oriented. Biggest hobbies are comedy shows, arts & crafts, going out to eat, and yoga and I don’t drink much. Logically, Chicago seems like it would be a good fit - the only problem is that I’m a moderate Democrat and worry I would be annoyed by the all the taxes and fiscal mismanagement. I’m also considering Royal Oak, which is outside Detroit - this seems like a potential good fit. I worry Grand Rapids might be too small but would also consider. I have family in the Grand Rapids and Detroit areas, and college friends in the Detroit and Chicago areas. Is there anywhere you would recommend? I thought about Columbus but I’ve never been before.

Hi everyone,
I'm a second-year plumber apprentice non union currently living in Wildwood, New Jersey. I've been seriously thinking about relocating because of the high cost of living, taxes, and overall affordability.
A little about what I'm looking for:
Good opportunities for plumbers and tradespeople
Strong wages compared to the cost of living
Safe area to raise a family and kids
Affordable housing where buying a home is actually realistic
Not overly crowded or packed with traffic
Decent quality of life and sense of community
I don't mind cold or hot weather, but I'd prefer to avoid extremely harsh winters if possible
Rural or small-town areas are fine as long as jobs are available
I'm trying to find places where a working-class family can still get ahead without feeling house-poor or financially stretched every month.
For those who work in the trades, especially plumbing, where have you found the best balance of wages, housing affordability, job opportunities, and family life?
I'd love to hear where you live and why you'd recommend it (or avoid it).
Thanks in advance for any advice.

It looks like I’m going to be relocating to the Austin area and unfortunately I don’t have the time available to make a trip out there beforehand.

For work, it seems I’m going to be set up south of the Colorado River, specifically around the Sunset Valley area.

So as for my questions:

1. Do you still feel pretty connected to the culture of the overall city? For example, I live in Charleston SC and am within the city limits but am far enough from downtown that it feels distinctly different. Would it be similar here?

2. How is the area for singles in their late 20’s/early 30’s? Are there lots of things to do, lots of people in that age range?

3. How is the access to nature? From what I can tell it seems very road-heavy in that area and not overly walkable, but I don’t necessarily mind that as long as there is easy access to nature and walkability. Is the traffic getting into downtown pretty bad?

4. Kind of a broad final question, but is the area nice? If you live there already do you like it? And if you don’t but are familiar with it, would you like living there?

I appreciate all your help!

Top things that matter to me: nature, work, home space, year- round weather.

Work wise: nurse

Renting: safe and cozy, studio-1 bedroom with W&D, $1100-$1400/month.

Like to chill and be in my own space mostly. Greatly appreciate access to nature and solitude, good food, and cultural diversity.

Weather that changes and isn’t the same every day, but also not extreme is ideal. I enjoy clouds, wind, rain, sun, all the elements that come and go.

My husband and I live (mid-to-late 30s M/M) in NYC (Astoria) and we do well here. Lately it feels like there’s no way for us to actually get ahead. Owning a home is a dystopian fantasy at this point, and we’d be super happy just to have a meaningfully better day-to-day life for what we spend. We pay $4,500 a month for our apartment right now and its about 600 sq feet.

I’m Indian, he’s Greek, and we’re gay guys. No kids, now or ever, so schools don’t factor in. I work remotely in tech, and he works in HR ops at a big financial company. He’d have to find a new job wherever we go, so we need a city with a solid market for in-office HR roles.

I quit drinking a few years ago, but we still go out a lot: nice dinners, theater, drag shows, standup, concerts, movies (AMC A-Listers here dont mean to brag). We love being in the audience for basically anything.

What we’re looking for:

• A real queer community, ideally with plenty going on outside of bars, especially live entertainment like theater, shows, etc
• Somewhere it’s easy to make friends as adults, since we’d be starting over socially
• A neighborhood feel. I’d struggle anywhere I can’t walk to coffee or dinner, but we’re fine driving for everything else
• Enough space for a home office and a guest room so people can visit. Roughly $4-5k a month all in rent cost, and we’d like to buy eventually
• Storage space and real closets. Right now all our shit lives in storage bags, and I’d love to not do the NYC thing of having to shove all our summer stuff into suitcases during winter and vice versa, or put our shoes in those plastic hangers on the back of doors, or buy weird space saving collapsible tupperware and avoid buying any single use kitchen gadgets ever and just squeeze all my lemons by hand like a caveman til the end of time because we dont have room for a citrus squeezer in our tiny galley kitchen - just like have normal space for normal things
• A hub airport with good direct flights to Europe, since we’re over there a lot
• Seasons, ideally. Our favorite weather is NYC in the fall and spring, and we can handle most things beyond that

The scariest part is leaving the liberal bubble. Right now we don’t run into racist or bigoted people on a daily basis, and we never have to think about it which is awesome. Part of why we moved here. When we meet someone new at a coffee shop or through friends, it’s never a nasty shock that they vote against our rights or 'love the sinner hate the sin'. I know that’s a lot to ask of a new city, and I’m hoping people here can tell us where it’s realistic.

We’ve looked a little at North Jersey and Houston (I have family in Texas), but don't love Texas for a bunch of obvious reasons and North Jersey doesn't really solve the economic problem. If you’re queer or a person of color and left a big blue city, where did you end up and how does it feel day to day?

We are mostly unestablished with us being 18 and 19 with one vehicle. I've been cooking for a few years and intend on becoming a chef eventually and she wants to work in taxidermy. I hear oregon is on the more expensive side for young people compared to Wisconsin.

I need help please! Me (39f) and my husband (47m) are ready to move out of Texas. We’re both originally from Minnesota but have been in DFW for 13 years. But y’all, it’s time to jump ship. We have three boys (8, 4, 3months), but I’m stuck on where we should settle. I know that I’m not going to everything that I’m looking for, mainly because it doesn’t exist in the US, but I’m hoping to get close! At the moment Richmond, VA looks attractive but I’m trying to narrow the options down so we can feasibly visit our top choices within the next year. My husband WFH and travels and I’m a SAHM. He makes about $180k.

1) Weather. Something between Minnesota and Texas. Four seasons, but not too hot in the summer and not too cold in the winter.

2) Good education system. Because kids.

3) Easy access to both water and mountains. I’m open to both oceans and big lakes, but we’re water people. My husband loves skiing but I’m a chalet princess.

4) I’m torn between walkable city life and spread out suburban life. Do walkable suburbs exist? I don’t need much, just a park, coffee shop and a couple restaurants to walk to and I’m happy.

5) Politically anything but red.

6) Preferably on the eastern side of the US with easy access to an airport.

I have visited Oregon, Washington, and Maine. Yet the southern portion of Alaska appears comparable to all three states—if Ketchikan matches the images—since their coastal lines look quite alike.

The notable contrast lies in exemptions: Maine offers almost no property tax exemption for veterans, seniors, or homesteads, while Alaska seems relatively welcoming to veterans.

Hi, all! I'm(21F) currently a Junior in college here in Mississippi and will be graduating in 2028 with my Bachelor of Social Work. It's probably a bit too early to know definitively where I want to live but time is ticking and I really just want to hear about each city from firsthand experiences and if it aligns with what I'm looking for so I can finally make a decision. Here's my current shortlist and my current uninformed observations, happy to be corrected:

-Chicago, Illinois: Has the greatest variety and job availability for my field, lots of job mobility, but it's also the most expensive on paper and there's less nature access, it seems that it's more of a concrete jungle vibe? This is the only city on the list I have family in but I don't really know them so maybe that doesn't count lol

-Minneapolis, Minnesota: I absolutely love the nature access and the outdoorsy culture, there's good job availability, and the biking culture is nice, I do worry about the frigid social scene as well as how far the city is from other places, it's currently my #1

-Buffalo, New York: I'll be honest, proximity to border is the biggest draw, I don't know much about the city itself but weekend trips to Toronto or Hamilton is very enticing. Buffalo itself seems okay.

-Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: I absolutely love the weather and geography here, the job availability is pretty good, it's relatively affordable, I honestly can't remember the cons except I read something about really poor air quality?

-Providence, Rhode Island: I might love the idea of living here more than the practicalities, I love that it's in New England and near so many other metros, I don't know much about job availability in my field but this city is surprisingly expensive from what I've seen.

-Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Seems like a good middle ground between Minneapolis and Chicago(sorry if that's way off-base), it's close to Chicago so if I find Milwaukee too sleepy I could hop on the Amtrak to Chicago for the day and return home to my chill home city. I heard it was quite segregated though? I like diversity and integration.

And here's some info about me to give y'all more context of what I'm looking for:

-I'm a black lesbian woman. Frankly, I don't care about having a large black population and prefer diversity over a monoracial environment but I do want some semblance of a lesbian scene, especially with lesbians in my age group(21-25) which seems harder to find for whatever reason.
-I'm very introverted and don't care for nightlife, I would like a city that has a wide variety of things to do that aren't revolved around drinking/partying. I'm really into adult recreational sports currently, as well, as outdoor activities. I currently live in Oxford and really hate the college town, party culture.
-Because I'm so introverted, I typically don't do well with other introverts and would prefer a more friendly local culture that is easier to break into socially.
-Progressive culture is a must, by this, I really just mean somewhere where people care about their neighbors and those different from them without judgment and don't actively vote against their rights, that's it. Nowhere that's hostile towards POC, LGBTQ+, immigrants, women, etc. that's why I'm leaving Mississippi, after all.
-I'll be going into social work so job availability in the field is a must, I'm mostly interested in either medical or school social work, still deciding. I'll be getting my MSW in whatever city I settle in after a couple of years.
-affordability is also a factor, of course. Though I know this depends on salary and a lot of other factors.

Those are the main things, hopefully this all paints a clear picture of what I'm looking for and I can get some good advice! Thanks in advance!

Also, because I know someone will mention it, I'm actually not too concerned with Northern winters. I love four season weather and would love to experience actual snowy winters. To me, it's a matter of proper attire more than anything. Maybe I'm underestimating it though as a Southerner who's never experienced anything more than an inch of snow.

We are a couple in our mid 30s with young kids. We both work remote and are looking to relocate to a place on the east coast that’s affordable, not too cold, moderate politically but still high vaccination rates, good schools, friendly people/easy to make friends, and lots to do. We can move anywhere, if you love your suburb/ town please comment!

Hello everyone! Currently have 2 different job offers in banking, one is in Boston and the other is in Philly. The Boston offer is slightly more comp ~15% higher salary than in Philly.

Currently in a HCOL major city so used to the city life. Looking for the pros and cons of each city. 29M who is looking to live in the city (or near it) with the hopes of buying a house/town home in the next 3 years.

Thanks for any input & help!

I just re-signed my NYC lease, but I’m thinking this will be my last year here. I’m exhausted by the workaholic culture, insane cost of living, and lack of convenient access to nature. I moved 16 times before turning 18, and NYC is the longest I’ve lived anywhere, but I’m ready for a change.
I’m more of a homebody who loves the outdoors, animals, the gym, movies, and recently, swing and line dancing (occasional big city moments are nice as well) My partner is more social and loves concerts, recreational sports leagues, bars with friends, and the convenience of city life.

I work in fashion sales and marketing but am hoping to pivot industries without going back to school. My partner is a software engineer, so job opportunities are important for both of us.

He’s originally from Texas, and I’d love to live there for the culture, food, and lifestyle, but we’re both very liberal, and the current politics make it difficult to consider. I’ve suggested California, but he has the stereotypical Texan disdain for it, lol, and the cost of living isn’t much better than NYC.

We’re also both people of color, and diversity is extremely important to us. We don’t want to move somewhere just because it’s a liberal state if the surrounding community lacks racial and cultural diversity. We’d love somewhere with a strong multicultural community, especially good Mexican food and culture.
I prefer warmer weather, while he enjoys four seasons.

We’re open to driving and don’t need NYC-level walkability.
Ideally, we’re looking for a diverse, socially welcoming city with easier access to nature, a lower cost of living, good career opportunities, and enough going on for both of us.

Where would you recommend? Especially interested in hearing from people who left NYC and don’t regret it!

Edit:
Im black, white and nimiipuu and he is Mexican… I’d ideally like to be in an ares that has a high Mexican and black population… bonus points if there’s an indigenous community nearby

Asking this as someone who is thinking about moving in the next coming years and wants to live in a truly politically and culturally liberal if not progressive city. Yes, cities are typically more liberal than rural areas but there are some cities from my experience that seem liberal but actually are much more centrist/moderate and those are cities I hope to avoid.

For example, I’ve lived in Sacramento before, a heavily democratic city but they are very moderate. They elected a Moderate Democrat, Kevin McCarty, over a progressive (Dr. Flo Cofer) and have repeatedly shot down bills that would fund public transit, including long requested light rail to the airport. Also, they’ve kept their district in the hands of the Matsui Family for over 45 years. To me, that doesn’t seem like a truly progressive city even though the city votes about 60% Democratic in elections.

So, just wanted to ask people from this subreddit from their personal experiences is there any cities that you’ve lived in that, through how people voted for local leaders (mayor, council members, state and federal representatives), local or state measures, or overall culture was disappointedly moderate or more centrist? I realize this might be subjective but I’m sure there will be some consensus.

Hello, my partner and I are looking to move to the Midwest. We’d like good museums (or proximity to them), good nature access (hiking, camping,fishing), preferably not too much snow as my partner wouldn’t enjoy driving in the snow, and not racist with a Hispanic population preferably (my girlfriend is Hispanic) and good labor jobs.

Looking to move out of NYC..within a 200mi radius that covers about half of PA and Delaware, all of NJ, CT, RI. Goes a bit past Albany and Bingham...Also excludes Boston..economically it wasnt a choice anyways..Looking to live in or near a city (w/ a 30k+ population) or even the outskirts dont mind traveling to a city..30-40min for a uni...most importantly looking for a place with cheap rent..thinking about less than 1400 for a 1br or studio. A city is important so I can get a okish job...(20+/hr)

Dont think im in a position to be super picky but some nice things would be, nature/beautiful scenery, a few bars some unique diverse food places I guess some type of night life... Even one of the fore mentioned things would be great..

Hope this isn't a dream that can no longer come true..

2 years in vancouver and yet to make any long lasting for life friendships, i’ve done all I can and im gonna graduate soon, people here are so shy, introverted and eerily quiet, so cliquey.

They make their friends in highschool and call it a day and never try going forward, im honestly thinking getting my nursing bachelors and moving to the USA, because i cant imagine another decade here if it means such a dead social life, maybe it gets better in the workplace? I really doubt it, its beautiful here but gosh, so isolating and rainy.. Ive read some posts here and im thinking New orleans, NYC, Chicago.. what other suggestions do you guys have? id be a single woman of color so im just a teenie bit worried about racism but honestly if it means the city is social i don’t even care atp.

We have two little kids aged four and six months and are planning a move once my husbands contract is up for work at the end of next year. We love San Diego and live quite inland it’s a small town very safe all the neighbors know each other probably 40 minutes from the beach. I love the laid back vibe weather and access to fun stuff to do. We have an amazing community there but are completely priced out. We’re renting and want to buy our forever home. We just cant seem to bring ourselves to buy a shack here for what could be a mansion literally anywhere else. We want the ease of life of raising little kids and not being completely strapped for cash. Don’t need to be rich-just comfortable. My husband will look for a new job likely in the aerospace/robotics/aviation industry. Our top priorities are:

- Easy cost of living (doesn’t have to be the lowest)

- somewhere we can buy four bedrooms and a big yard where I’m not completely on top of the neighbors for under $700k?

- we are church goers

- open to a red blue or purple state emphasis on family friendly over specific political association (we’ve lived in all of them)

- no extreme weather (insane tornados/snow etc)

-good coffee and craft beer is a bonous

- we’re like 30s with kids looking for friends and community in a new home

-I’m an outside cat. I like trails hiking lakes and scenic places.

Four seasons or coastal city Prefered, touch of snow okay

I grew up in Hawaii between living there San Diego and Sacramento for the bulk of my life I say we have it easy. I like a beach town but I also loved the seasons of Sacramento and could do a nearby lake if not a coastal city. I haven’t traveled any further east than Colorado (which I liked) so I’m just looking online and guessing. Areas we’ve considered are Raleigh, Dallas, Charleston, Jacksonville, Huntsville, Omaha.

Expected income $200k ish.

Thank you!!

I've lived in big cities, smaller cities, and I've moved to different cities for both personal and for work reasons. What do you do when you can honestly see yourself living anywhere? I feel like the advice might be different for someone in their 20s vs someone who "should" be getting some settled in life as a late 30s working in corporate. If someone in their 20s felt this way, I would tell them to go explore and find that place you like! But for myself, I've already done the exploring, and can see myself experiencing even more. So what do you do when you could really be happy almost anywhere? How do you pick where to live and for how long?

Does it exist? For reference partner and I are approaching retirement age in a few years and trying to figure out a winter-time location. Florida is out. East coast (or easy east coast access preferred) what are we missing? EDIT - for those saying Asheville, we've been and aren't winter time temps in the 30s? That's what we are trying to get away from.

I'm in my early 30s, single, with a dog, and I've been contemplating leaving NYC for a while.

My background is small business accounting, and my remote contract ends Q2ish 2027, so my timing is flexible.

In terms of career, I'm planning to go back to school for the credits to sit for the CPA, and my main goal is a place with solid corporate accounting/finance jobs where I can actually move up.

Top priorities: strong accounting job market, opportunity to make friends, and better cost of living than NYC. I'd rather drive everywhere, so public transit doesn't matter, and I don't care about the arts scene too much.

Where would you go?

If anyone has any ideas, I'd greatly appreciate your input.