Frankie, do tell us just how you managed to "delete" your own post?

Dukey, see your delete post.

i live in san diego and think it would be a great choice for a young woman. we have the beach, mountains, close to LA for concerts, night life, etc.
However, I love Portland and fly there to visit family as often as i can.
Portland is affordable, it's eco-friendly...

findyourspot.com is an interesting website that asks a lot of questions and then computes a bunch of places that match your criteria. Asks obvious questions and some not-so-routine ones as well. We are not planning to move in near future but found it fun to see what came up on our lists.

cool website,

My #1 was Williamsport, MA

You can afford to live in the Bay area. My daughter (an AA) rented an apartment in SF's Sunset District, within three blocks from Ocean Beach, for $900. She has moved to an area of Oakland near College Ave (south of Berkeley) which is also affordable. My niece (two years out of College) found a place near the Castro she and her boyfriend could afford.
It's possible to live here! I've lived on both the East and West Coasts and I'd suggest you pack your things and move out here ASAP!

I second Marinette's post. I've lived in SF for almost 6 years, and while I don't rake in the dough, I can definitely afford to live here in a decent 2 bedroom (shared) near the park, go out at to restaurants, baseball games, and such, AND pay off my student loans. With 5 years of PR experience, you should definitely be able to afford San Francisco!

I don't think you should move anywhere until you do some research on your own, such as temperature year long, costs, activities. You could move to one poster's suggestion , get there, hate it and blame us.

I don't live there but I second the poster who suggested Denver. My friend moved there from NYC and she'll never look back. LOVES IT. It's extremely affordable, lots of good restaurants, good singles scene (not like NYC but there are a LOT of NYC expats!) and near the mountains for heaps of outdoor activities. If I didn't already live in NYC I'd move there.

I have been to Melbourne and I would say Chicago reminds me of that city. I lived in Chicago for 8 years and absolutely think it's the greatest city in the US. However, doesn't sound like it's really up your alley, esp with the winters but they do make you tougher!

Good luck! Never been to the NW of US so can't comment on Seattle or Portland. What about San Jose/Silicon Valley? Again, don't know much about it except I just read an article about how it's booming with MEN. SINGLE MEN.

Wow! Thanks for all the responses!

Northern California and Portland are both sounding more and more intriguing.

Are there any medium-sized cities outside of San Fran that have young people? Monterey or somewhere in Marin County maybe?

And I'm pretty free on where I go as i'm planning on leaving my current job and finding a new one.

Thanks again

Monterey and Marin County are more family oriented. Maybe somewhere on the Pennisula like Foster City or Palo Alto would suit you? They're not going to be any cheaper than SF though.

But i'm really not a fan of the parts i could afford in SF.

I've never heard of Foster City and will definitely look into it. Thanks!

I was just in Portland, and I agree it would be a great option to check out.

From my experience, Foster City tends to be more families and such. You could check out some areas in the East Bay, such as Berkeley and parts of Oakland (the Rockridge area is fun). There are many areas of SF that are young, hip, and affordable, like Duboce Triangle, Noe Valley, the Panhandle, the Haight, the Inner Richmond and Inner Sunset areas, Twin Peak, Golden Gate Heights, Bernal Heights, the Mission, Alamo Square/NOPA, Glen Park (which is very up and coming), and South Beach.

Marin County is not particularly family oriented (the south part, that is) but it is incredibly expensive.

I'm thinking Portland. The better the weather, the more expensive the rent. Stick with the Pacific Northwest if you can handle the rain and gloom.

I agree with the suggestions for Denver and Chicago - I know people who live in both places who LOVE it. They are convenient and desirable places for friends to come visit and offer every modern convenience plus 4-season outdoor activities should you wish to partake.

For a smaller city - I totally recommend Kansas City, Missouri in the heart of the country. I moved there when I was 29 and stayed for 10 years. It is a regional center and booming so getting a job wouldn't be an issue. Housing is very reasonable so you could live in a new 4 BR house in the burbs, or a trendy loft condo downtown or midtown, or a craftman bungalow near one of the first outdoor shopping areas in the country, the Country Club Plaza.

The 30-something scene really is vibrant with diverse interests and everyone so friendly that one can't help but make tons of friends and have plenty to do. Heck, you could meet your future husband there like I did!!!

A midsize city can be a refreshing break!

Sorry to drop by but there seems to be folks with pretty good knowledge of the L.A. area on that thread.

I'm heading to L.A. for work in July and I will have 3 days to spare. I would like to get the most out of it. Any help would be appreciated, see thread: http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...1&tid=35011201

the west coast is so overrated. move to philadelphia that suppose to be a pretty cool city. or chicago, thats a great city. what do you want out of a place, weather, people, job, diversity, etc. figure out what you want then go from there. i live in the west coast now, originally from the midwest. the only good thing over here on the west coast is the weather othewise its overrated and too expensive, def not the place for me.

I've not lived there nor am I gay but I would LOVE to live in Palm Springs.

If I had to move inland, it would be the one place I would happily move.

Love the shopping, dining, attractions, geography, landscape and would KILL to own one of those fabulous mid century moderns!

although this thread was started back in late may, it seems to have been recently reactivated. so, ill add in my input.

first off, after reading everything inso is looking for, it amazes me that some peeps are suggesting such far off places as seattle and portland. those peeps didnt read her inquiry well enough.

ok, so shes single, 30, likes to go out on occasion, prefers west coast. likes visiting l.a., has perception of o.c. being family oriented, loves palm springs vibe, and overall seems somewhat price conscious.

the logical suggestion would either be san diego, or a smaller community that is relatively inexpensive to reside in, but still is within a reasonable radius of the locales she expressed an interest in visiting semi-frequently.