Travelers may know best!

I am ready to move away from Chicago and want to live in a city between 10,000 and 100,000 people. I work as a nurse, have no close family and can relocate to almost anyplace. My career allows relocation almost anywhere

I am open to any type of weather.

I am looking for advice from travelers/residents who have been around and know where the best places are.

So my question is: What is the best free- standing non suburban town to live in between 10,000 and 100,000 in the USA?

Here is my criteria:

Lots of college educated, professional people
Progressive people for town of its size
Natural Beauty
Culture
Good shopping
Big City within 150 miles
Good people
Clean tidy neighborhoods

I asked on another internet site and got these responses:

Fort Collins, Co
Tallahassee Florida
Mankato Minnesota
Salem Oregon
Manchester New Hampshire
Burlington, VT
Chapel Hill, NC

Your advice?

Not to offend you or anything since I think your question is legit BUT you will attract a large amount of bickering and city-bashing with this and all "which city is best" questions. This thread will eventually degrade to a few posters who will toot their city and bash others and the name calling and mudd slinging will begin. I suggest you do a little reasearch on each city and draw a conclusion for yourself.

Durango, Colorado is pretty good, but we don't have the shopping, and it's about 200 miles to a big city.

Eugene, Oregon! I'm not sure of the exact size, but it is everything else that you're looking for. My in-laws live there and love it, and we love to go visit them.

You're close to the ocean, in the beautiful Willamette River valley, with Portland and Seattle both within driving distance (Seattle's about 4 hrs, I think, and Portland around 2). Good shopping, a university, neighborhoods of all kinds for people of all incomes... I'd definitely check it out.

By all means, don't move to Mankato, MN. I lived there for a summer when I was in college, and it has VERY little going for it.

I love Fort Collins and Burlington. Clean fun college towns. Denver and Montreal fall into your mileage limits I believe. Mankato, I don't get that one. Manchester is ok, but it's starting to turn into a Boston bedroom community. Not familiar with the others.
I live 30 miles west of Chicago and I'm thinking about boogying out of here too.
Boulder is great too, but may be a little bigger than you want.

How about adding Flagstaff, Arizona to your list? Within a few hours of Phoenix/Scottsdale, yet up towards the mountains so you have a more temperate climate. Close to Sedona which is very beautiful. And also a "college town."

My vote goes to Mankato, MN. I went to college there and loved it. Great shopping, lots of trees, hills and great people. Very little crime and easy access to Minneapolis 80 miles away.

Prescott, Arizona may be another town to consider to meet your needs.

Connie -

Outside Magazine recently published their 10 Places to Live list - which is focused on things that interest active, outdoorsy people but also incidentally considers a lot of the criteria you mentioned and might be a good place to start in terms of resources. From what I recall, health care was a big source of employment in many of these areas. They are online at outsidemagazine.com. Good luck.

Wow, no California towns on the list yet? Since you didn't add cost-of-living to your criteria I'd vote for Santa Barbara. Definitely fits all your criteria -- one of the most beautiful places I've been. But the job market is tight and housing is pricey.

Littleton, NH.

Considering that she mentioned that she's a nurse, Santa Barbara is pretty much out of the running since she won't be able to afford to live there.

San Luis Obispo is also a great area, but the housing has got so high that I'm not sure if it's much of a choice on a nurse's income. Doesn't seem like there's much to choose from in California anymore in terms of affordability.

Charlottesville VA and Burlington VT would both fit the bill admirably. SO would Amherst/Northampton Massachusetts.

Boulder is a suburb, and Tallahassee on your list is a joke, right? WHich is to say it does not fit...

What is wrong with Tallahassee, Florida?. It gets my vote! Lots of trees, close to the beach, college educated people, two major Universities, State Capital, lots of culture. It is a great town.

Connie-
Here's a vote for Ann Arbor, Michigan. It's a health care and education mecca. Housing is a bit pricey, but depending on where you live in the Chicagoland area, it may not be a huge difference. Lots of culture, wonderful old neighborhoods and a real downtown. It's in an area of rolling hills, near to many small lakes and the Huron River. (You can canoe within the city limits.)

I'm biased and a former Ann Arbor resident but it gets my vote despite the weather!

Connie-
Here's a vote for Ann Arbor, Michigan. It's a health care and education (Univ. of Michigan Med Center and other health system options) mecca. Housing is a bit pricey, but depending on where you live in the Chicagoland area, it may not be a huge difference. Lots of culture, wonderful old neighborhoods and a real downtown. It's in an area of rolling hills, near to many small lakes and the Huron River. (You can canoe within the city limits.) Growth and urban sprawl are a bigger issue than before, but tight zoning and control is in place. Ann Arbor is the home to Tom Hayden and the SDS and there is still a great deal of tolerance for diverse opinions and people.

I'm biased and a former Ann Arbor resident but it gets my vote despite the weather!

Teri
I lived in florida for 7 years and dated a girl from Tallahasse. I agree it has trees and is the state capital. For the rest, I continue to disagree.

Look into Madison, WI, it usually gets a top rating in magazines as a best mid-sized town to live in. U of WI is there, Chicago is less than 150 miles away, state capital, lake in the middle of town & is one of the most highly rated cities for women to live in.

I second the vote for Prescott or Flagstaff Arizona. Flagstaff is bigger and has the college, but Prescott is just lovely. It has a beautiful town square and nice small-town feel, but it is easy to get to Phoenix.

x:
Nurses in California make 70K+ per year and they have a shortage. I wish I could transfer as easily and make that kind of money. Salary is relative though due to cost of living differences. But they now make considerably more than say police or firemen in California and have much more job flexibility. Almost double what teachers make.
Connie: Go for it! You're in the drivers seat.