christy

I've read all the magazine polls of where the "best places to live" are, but I'd love to hear from actual people who can tell me why they enjoy living in a particular city, area of the country. Anxious to move soon and would appreciate input, thoughts, ideas -- even just the name of a city...thanks soo much. Christy

Cheryl

You did not say where you live now. I think New York is the best place to live, and I do not think it needs any explanation.

Jenna

New England: quick access to mountains, lakes, ocean; short trip in winter to the islands if you get sick of skiing; fairly affordable.

Daisymae

Best place for what?

Boston: Academics, seafood, sports, music, art, access to skiing, sailing, actual trees and ocean, many scenic areas. Downside: Long, dark, dreary winter, and the Big-Dig traffic. Expensive real estate.

New York: Theater, music, art, fashion, shopping, diverse cultures, restaurants. Downside: unearthly expense of housing, size, crowds, breathless pace. All signs of nature have wrought-iron fence around them. Narrow-minded parochial New Yorkers have no idea there's anywhere else in the world, let alone the country.

Philadelphia: Music and art, accessible size, home-town flavor, sports, easy access to New York and Washington, reasonable real estate. Lovely "exurbia." Downside: always being compared to NY and Wash.

Washington: Front-row politics and diplomacy, restaurants, entertaining as a competitive sport, sense of history in the making (for better or worse) and
climate. Downside: July and August torture-by-weather; watching politics is like watching sausage being made; everyone gets caught up in the status circus. They have no idea that life exists outside the Beltway, so they're constantly mystified by American people's opinions.

Chicago: Music, sports, art, home-town feeling, hub of east-west travel, affordable housing, beautiful lake. Downside: too hot in summer, too bitter cold in winter; racial antagonisms. Much prejudice about anywhere that isn't Chicago, particularly any place Out East. Lake isn't ocean, if you care about that.

Seattle: Scenic, scenic, scenic. Accessible size. Good coffee and fish, gentle easy people, near REAL nature, moderate climate. Easy to get to Vancouver. Downside: Cloudy, rainy moderate climate. Far from most everything else.

San Francisco: Scenic, accessible size, restaurants, cosmopolitan feel, heart of West Coast academics and culture. Downside: stratospheric real estate prices, no place for homophobes. The occasional earthquake.

Los Angeles: Hey, it's L. A., man. Downside: Hey, it's L. A., man.

For my money, you need to match your personality to a mid-sized city not on this list if you are even asking this kind of question. E.g., Savannah, Charleston, and Raleigh are lovely Southern cities -- if you aren't Southern, you might not be comfortable. Rochester, Pittsburgh, Worcester are lovely northern cities, but if you aren't a northerner, you might miss the South. Madison, Indianapolis, St. Louis have a lot to recommend them, but you might need to be a midwesterner to enjoy all they have to offer.

Actually, the biggest question after climate is probably: city, suburb, exurb, or rural?

Kim

My picks:
1. Minneapolis/St. Paul: Big cities (but not huge) with different flavors. Wonderful lakes and parks. The people are friendly. The cost of living is not astronomical (at least it wasn't when I lived there). Good school system. There's tons to do.

2. Chicago: This is where I live now and it has energy without being frenetic. The blues and jazz is great here. There are so many festivals and museums it's hard to get bored here. There's a lot of theater as well. And of course, don't forget what a great time it can be to go to a Cubs game. The cost of living is not necessarily low though.

AJ

Minneapolis area. Great quality of life, schools, medical, moderate costs, arts, corporate headquarters, philanthropy, etc. Winters can be tough if you're unaccustomed. Great place to live and raise a family. However, our philosophy is to live here for the relatively inexpensive quality of life, and then spend our free time traveling to the great destinations of the world!

B.Irving

Madison, WI. It has alot of natural beauty as well as architectural beauty. A smaller city with big city entertainment. Culturally & academically diversified in many aspects because of the university & state government. & if you are looking for a place that has a fantastic farmer's market, there are none better or bigger than in Madsion.
It can get cold & snowy in the winter, but if you like winter sports or sports any time of the year, Madison has it. I lived there for 18 years, & have not moved far from there(did not have much choice about moving away from Madison) but make sure I get back to Madison at various times of the year.

Mike

Mike

Here are a couple more :
1) New York - can't beat the atmosphere and cultural & entertainment options that are availiable here. But it's not for everybody, prices are borderline insane, distance are huge, and pace is furious.
2) Chicago - Also, a wide array of different things to do, the lake, the city is beautiful. Weather can be a pain, though.
3) For small-town fans out there, how about Williamsburg, VA ? Quiet, beatiful town. Due to the tourist area and a college nearby, you have a lot of food and entertainment options. Only an hour from Virginia Beach,2 from the outer banks and 2.5 hours from DC. Yeah, and Busch Gardens right nearby.

Linda

Depends on your requirements--so I would say a diverse place where you can find it all--Texas. Besides, we don't have a state income tax. We do have beaches, mountains, deserts, hills, forests, lakes, big cities, small towns, excellent shopping, rodeos, NASA, the Alamo, Hill Country, etc. Check www.traveltex.com and see why "Texas is a whole other country."

Nikole

I've lived in many places, visited almost all 50 states and I still have to say there is no place like the Pacific NW. I personally prefer Portland over Seattle due mainly to the weather, less crowded, better downtown area. However, both are nice. Portland does not get as much rain as Seattle. Also, Portland has all that a big city has to offer plus it is safe and clean. If you don't wish to live in city limits there are lots of great suburbs just minutes from downtown Portland. If you have not visited...give it a try!

Place I would not live again ....New Orleans!

Dii

There are many wonderful places to live in the USA but I still love and miss Mpls./St. Paul and their suburbs. Quality of life is good, people are friendly and lots to see and do. I also miss the seasons. I live in Southern Ca. now and don't dislike it, but it is not like Mpls./St. Paul. The Midwest is a unique and wonderful place to live. I think many Midwest cities probably have a wonderful lifestyle.

Donna

I live in Nashua, NH, declared twice by Money Magazine to the be the "best place to live in America". I certainly agree. We're under an hour from Boston (in spite of the Big Dig) and all the historical and cultural attractions there, under two hours from the spectacular coast of Maine, an hour from the ocean and a variety of splendid seaport towns, an hour an a half from glorious Lake Winnipesaukee, under two hours from the beautiful White Mountains of NH, two hours from the Berkshires in MA, three hours from the Green Mountains of VT, about 5 hours from Montreal (where we go when we need a French/European "fix"), two-three hours from Cape Cod, and so on. We love the four seasons (each and every one), the people, the sense of community, and that there are no sales or income taxes (so far...).

sandra engley

Here is another voice from Southern New Hampshire. In addition to all the reason Donna mentioned above, we are near enough to everything, yet can still have that small town feeling. My town is 50 miles north of Boston, it has four apple orchards, rolling hills. Have had deer in my yard, and have seen racoons, fox, and moose a few miles away. No traffic, except on September weekends when people come from around the state and up from Mass. to pick the apples.

Jill Neave

Christy,
The majority of the replies suggest living in a big city. I live in a small town in South Carolina located about 15 minutes from the Georgia state line. It's never to hot...and never too cold (at least not for long). We're 5 hours from the beach and 2 hours from the mountains. It just doesn't get any better than this. God's beauty is all around!

Diane

I've lived in the three major cities, (or suburbs of) and my folks/inlaws have lived in the Gulf coast and central Florida areas, and Houston. But I've been in DC (downtown above Dupont Circle when I was young and single) and Montgomery County MD since I married and had a family. It is close enough to the ocean or the mountains for family vacations. The cultural diversity is unmatched. Washington DC and Baltimore are both great cities.

SDSam

I have lived in several areas of the USA and several foreign countries. My favorite place is where I live. San Diego, California is second to none. Great climate, beautiful city that is very liveable.

SDSam

I have lived in several areas of the USA and several foreign countries. My favorite place is where I live. San Diego, California is second to none. Great climate, beautiful city that is very liveable.

Samantha

I've lived in many big cities and small towns and no where have I been happier than the Hampton Roads area of Virginia, which combines VA Beach, Portsmouth, Chespeake, etc. Lovely weather, friendly people, big but not too big, culture, wonderful boardwalk by the ocean, abundant housing, close to D.C. and so on.

daisymae

Hi, Christy! How 'bout checking in and telling us what you think about what's already been written -- and tell us what you might think you're looking for. Also, check out the post "Narrowing down my search" re:a similar query, see what people have to say there.