Well, what do ye think? I've seen quite a bit of the US, although there's still loads I haven't seen. What would ye think is the best city to live in and why?
Which is the nicest city to live in in the US?
Well, what do ye think? I've seen quite a bit of the US, although there's still loads I haven't seen. What would ye think is the best city to live in and why?
Simple one, New York City is the greatest and best city to live in, in the US if you can afford it. It has everything and is one of the top cities in the world. There are some nice, but affordable neighborhoods in Brooklyn and even the Bronx and Queens. (The three major boroughs that are not Manhattan itself.)
After that, Chicago is great.
Detroit is our worse and LA is no picnic either in my opinion.
My first choice would be Boston, then New York, then probably Seattle, although I've never been there. Chicago's nice, but given the choice, I'd rather live near oceans and mountains.
Never a big fan of Boston, a nice city but not a great city.Originally posted by fachverwirrt
I don't really know Seattle either. Though the climate would make An Gadaí feel at home. Emerald Isle to Emerald City.
You've got to choose your priorities, though. I am not fond of city dwelling, myself, and so I prefer those cities that retain a smaller feel than, say, NYC. Other things to consider are: do you have to worry about the schools? I like Rochester, but if I had kids I'd be out of here so fast I'd leave burn marks. (The Rochester City School District is proving that simply adding money doesn't fix all the problems in the schools. This isn't to say that there are no good schools in the RCSD, just that over all, their averages stink.) What is your personal view of the economy: Do you have skills that will always be in demand, or are you tied to a specific industry or position?
Other questions: How's the public transit? What are the utility costs, as well as straight rent/ownership costs?
To speak up in favor of my city, for a small city we've got a very vibrant theatre and orchestral life. And if one really needs to get the B-way experience, Toronto is just a couple hours away, with bus packages offered. And while we can't match NYC for museums, we've got a Hell of a lot more nature in the city or near it. And I have good 24 hour supermarkets. Which was something I really would have liked while I was living in the NYC area. ETA: But I should mention that we are under the Lake Ontario Snow Machine.
While it's not my choice, I think that someone should speak up for Frisco - it's got a truly unique feel, I believe.
I lived in San Diego until I was 15, then moved to L.A. County and then living in the city of Los Angeles for 17 years. Now I live about 100 miles north of Seattle, but I go to Seattle three days a week to work in the office. I've visited New Orleans numerous times, staying one- to two weeks each time. Not a big sample, but I'll give my impressions.
San Diego is renowned for its 'prefect weather'. Frankly, it was a bit warm for my tastes. Gastown didn't exist as it does now when I was there. Also, I was limited in my excursions because I was too young for a driver's license. In jr. high I spent a many or most of my weekends sailing at the Navy Sailing Club. The bay is a nice place to go sailing. When I was younger, families would go water skiing while we little people would play in the sand and the water. I fondly remember the smell of burning wood in the fire pits (beach fires are legal there), roasting hot dogs and marshmallows on straightened wire hangers, munching Winchell's doughnuts, and trying to stay warm in the foggy early mornings. San Diego is an attractive city, and there are funky parts too. Many days were spent with my older sister in Pacific Beach. The San Diego Air & Space Museum, the Natural History Museum, and the San Diego Zoo are all strong attributes for the city. I remember when I was little that I was glad I lived in San Diego instead of Los Angeles. My impression of San Diego is that there are two types of people: Those with money, and hippies. My sister had an album of local bands compiled by KGB Radio called Homegrown. I remember one of the songs (I have the record now, but my turntable is in storage) that went like this: Ocean Beach is breezy, you can live like a bum. Mission Hills is cool, but it sure ain't much fun. Julian has clean air, but it's too far to go. I just want to get back to the only place I know. But there's a fly in my soup. There's gum on my shoes. And I'm stuck in San Ysidro with a case of the blues. Oh, it can't be so hard to get back to El Cajon Boulevard! I find San Diego depressing nowadays. I suspect it's nostalgia for 'those halcyon days of youth' that will never be reclaimed.
Los Angeles. I lived in the very north of L.A. County when I was in high school, and for a few years afterward. The Mojave Desert is a fine place. Hot in the Summer (But it's a dry heat!), and freezing in the Winter. I learned to fly there, and I can't tell you how many fun days I spent riding my Enduro across the desert. Deserts are beautiful places. But there's not that much to do there, culturally. I loved it when I moved to L.A. So much to see and do! I lived in a little strip of L.A. proper between Culver City, Cheviot Hills, Palms, and Westwood. It seemed I was 20 minutes from anywhere. Hollywood? Up Robertson, 20 minutes. Santa Monica? Take the 10 for 20 minutes. My job near LAX? Sepulveda for 20 minutes. Venice Beach? Washington for 20 minutes. There are loads of ethnic restaurants, good pubs, great clubs, and just about anything you want to do. In the Winter you could go surfing in the morning, and then drive up to the mountains and snow ski in the afternoon. As a motorcyclist, I would ride my bike just about every day. But after 17 years, it was beginning to wear on my. I found the weather boring, and usually too hot. And the traffic was normally horrendous. (L.A. is one city where you really appreciate a motorcycle! Lane-splitting is permitted in California.) I just got fed up with the hot weather, the traffic, and the noise. I was laid off from my job just as I was closing on a house in Northern Washington, so I moved up here. I miss the good things about L.A. though.
New Orleans is hot. Africa-hot. It can be chilly and wet in the Winter, but mostly I've gone in the late-Spring and Summer. It's my favourite city, though I'd have to have friends there to bear the heat. The food is incredible. The music is fantastic. The architecture of the French Quarter is interesting. The friendliest people I've met have been in New Orleans. It's just too bloody hot for me.
Seattle is great. I work in Belltown, which is a pretty funky area. Good luck finding good Mexican food there. Southern California (Little Saigon, in Orange County) has better Vietnamese. But it's a walk of a block or few from my office to get Thai, Indian, Japanese, African, Pub, or a variety of other grub. Not the best of any I've had, but good enough and close. Summers are mild, which I like. Temperatures rarely get into the upper-80s. It's a glorious day today. The weather is perfect. Winters are typically wet and cold. New York City gets more rain, but it comes down all at once. Seattle's rain comes down slowly over a longer time. Public transportation is good. I often drive to a park-and-ride and take the bus downtown ($2.25). Buses downtown are free. There's the South Lake Union Streetcar (formerly 'Trolly', until someone noticed what the acronym spelled), and the monorail from the 1964 World's Fair runs a mile. Public transportation gets a lot of attention in Seattle. Between the buses, rail, and walking it's an easy city to get around in. Aside from the difficulty finding exceptional ethnic foods I don't like that lane-splitting on motorcycles is illegal here, and I wouldn't mind if the Winters were just a little warmer.
'Never say "no" to adventure. Always say "yes". Otherwise you'll lead a very dull life.' -- Commander Caractacus Pott, R.N. (Retired)
Great post Johnny
It definitely would not be everyone's cup of tea, but for my money you can't beat Hilo on the Big Island of Hawaii. You won't find a lot of sophisticated cultural events, but there is a fantastic astronomy center and good art, history, and natural history museums (for example, the tsunami museum is a fine place to visit). The local library is friendly and I'm always pleasantly surprised to see how busy it is - the parking lot is often quite full. The Farmer's Market has exquisite produce year 'round as well as tasty Asian treats made by locals who represent the island's many different Asian ethnic groups.
But the real draw, of course, is the proximity to the natural wonders of the island. Rainbow Falls and Kaumana Caves are right there, and a particularly beautiful stretch of the Hamakua coast line starts around Hilo. Best of all is Hawaii Volcanoes National Park - paradise for hikers and rock hounds. (HVNP is not in Hilo, but it's not too far away to drive there.)
The principle drawback - and the reason we do not live there even though our house is there - is the cost. It's quite expensive - food and gas cost a bundle. At the same time, well-paying work is nearly impossible to come by. If you have school-age children, the public schools are not impressive and while there are some good private options, that's a costly alternative.
Anywhere but here.
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Hmmm western suburbs of Cleveland hahaha
I really think it depends on what you value. The thing with the US being so big is that you really can get any kind of weather you're looking for. For me, that factors in *big time* when I think of places I would or wouldn't live.
I would love to live in Hawaii. But it is really expensive. Even compared to NYC or San Francisco.
I liked Hilo, including the daily rain showers, but my problem ( even as a vacationer ) was the sense that at some point "island fever" would set it. It was also just a little smaller than my preference as a metropolitan area, in terms of amenities more than the actual ( small ) size.
I've stated before that I'm most partial to my current home in the SF Bay Area, but I would state it exactly like that, not San Francisco in particular. Not that there is anything wrong with "The City", just I don't think of the area in those terms. The dozens of cities and towns of the region kinda comprise an organic unit to me ( though some are certainly better than others ). The only serious drawback to the region as I see it is cost - but that is a BIG drawback for many.
The Seattle and Portland areas would probably round out my top three. I'm pretty Pacific Coast-centric.
By contrast I was born in Ithaca in upstate NY, lived in NYC for two years and spent many an additional summer there. It would not make my list
Houston, Texas, baby. Houston's where it's at!
I, well...um...
Nah, Houston is really nice. It has its drawbacks (hot as HELL), but every city does. I'm happy to live here.
Houston, one morning last week:
I think Chicago's a pretty nice city. It's large and has every amenity you would want in a large city, but the neighborhoods and suburbs are pretty friendly and liveable. The weather can be a bit of an issue, true, but on a beautiful 80-degree June or September day, you'd think you were in heaven. It's got a lot of green space and of course the lake if you crave large bodies of water. And the city has kept virtually all of the lake front development-free, so the public can actually enjoy it.
Another bonus: both Wisconsin and Michigan are beautiful states if you like the outdoors, and they're close enough for a weekend trip.
Weather would be a big factor for me. I'm used to mild weather most of the year although cold weather doesn't bother me too much. I hate too much humidity. I'd ideally like to live somewhere where air conditioning wasn't a living necessity. Presumably the Pacific Northwest then would be my best bet in that regard. I've heard nice things about Vermont but it's apparently a deep freeze for 6 months of the year. I like snow but only because it is a relative novelty for me. I think it would get old pretty quickly.
Hey, that's where I live now. I have lived all over the city, and this area is probably my favorite so far.
The thing about LA is it's big. Really big. Way bigger than you would expect it to be. And that's just LA proper, if you get into everything that people consider "los angels" You are talking about the southern boarder of Ventura county all the way down to the norther boarder of Orange County from East LA to the ocean. It's about 70 miles north to south and 30 east to west. If you count all of orange county too (and some do) it's even further.
It's Big. And all that area is fairly densly poulated.
Given all that size, whatever you think you know about Los Angeles is probably wrong depending on what part of the city you are in. It is also probably 100% accurate, again depending. The only thing you can say with certainty is that the traffic really is worse here than most other places in the country, and the weather really is mostly sunny and in the low 80s for 85% of the year.
It's not a bad place to live, and it's a terrible place to live, and it's a great place to live all at the same time.
OK, screw Houston. There was a special weather advisory for Houston today, owing to the projected heat index of 105. In October.
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