Related Posts
Is opening a boxing gym worth it?
Leaving Las Vegas
Community Builder
Anyone heard of Prescient Healthcare Group?
More Posts
Overall, I feel like it’s getting better.
Bowl Leader
How much does Voice Actors make?
Bowl Leader
Conversation Starter
Conversation Starter
Additional Posts in Confession
Enthusiast
Chief
Visual Storyteller
Conversation Starter
Chief
Rising Star
Visual Storyteller
Chief
I think deep dish pizza is overrated.
Conversation Starter
Rising Star
Community Builder
Hulu commercial times are getting out of hand
Rising Star
Enthusiast
New to Fishbowl?
Download the Fishbowl app to
unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.
unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.
Look at Northern CA, Oregon (not Portland), Seattle, and Vermont.
The city I recommend the most is Minneapolis, MN. Specifically in Idina. You want to stay further away from the city there because it's dangerous. Idina is gorgeous - beautiful homes, affordable housing market, and great people/jobs.
I think Nevada is risky. Basically anywhere with drought that isn’t near a large body of water risks water restrictions and definitely insane power bills.
Coming from Dutch weather, the PNW isn’t a bad option. Seattle area, for example.
Chicago would probably be the closest fit for your criteria from a COL perspective. Denver is getting more expensive but is certainly progressive (and beautiful).
Beyond that COL is pretty high in the most progressive parts of the country.
If you get away from Denver metro area real estate is more affordable with the exception of Aspen, Vale, Beaver Creek and a few other resort areas. I suspect it's all a matter of preference. Recreational activities, hobbies, and if you're still working or retired. If you're tired of water,windmills, and tulips the high plains desert takes up roughly half the state
Rising Star
Move to Los Angeles, CA! Your going to love it, it’s pretty cheap, and it’s extremely safe rn💀
Rising Star
But there latino street food really is good tho lol
Enthusiast
Austin locally is quite unlike the test of Texas. Its claim is to "Stay Weird". Dont think everyone in the US is spending all our weekends protesting despite news coverage.
Chief
New York City! We just passed laws strengthening abortion rights.
California is an expensive basket case with great weather and nonstop fires. Colorado is where you want to go.
Oregon/Washington/Arizona are good. Winter doesn’t get too crazy. It does rain a lot in Oregon and Washington. Like 80% of the year lol
Pro
That isn’t true for Oregon. Portland is certainly prone to gray skies about 8 months of the year, but summer is amazing (no humidity, frequently not too hot) and even when it does rain, it is usually misty as opposed to real accumulation. There is a difference between Seattle and Portland weather.
Also, other areas of Oregon are not rainy at all. Bend and Eugene, for example.
Considering you just want to be within an hour or two of a city, I think you should look at the west coast. Especially Washington and Oregon. Both states are beautiful and have so many appealing towns and suburbs outside of the major cities. And while Seattle area in particular is expensive, Washington state has no income tax, and Oregon has no sales tax.
Some areas you should look into:
Bellingham, WA (by the Canadian border)
Bainbridge Island, WA
Eastside suburbs/exurbs of Seattle (further out you get, the less expensive it gets)
Vancouver, WA (on the Oregon border)
Olympia, WA
Bend, OR
Eugene, OR
Portland, OR (still way more affordable than most cities on the west coast)
Santa Rosa, CA
San Luis Obispo, CA
San Diego, CA
Santa Cruz, CA
Los Angeles, CA (laugh if you want, but it's a huge area with all kinds of housing options and affordability, especially if you're ok being a little further from the "city")
Anytime you’re going into a liberal and progressive state, you’re looking at uber high cost of living.
Rising Star
Illinois ain’t liberal outside of Chicago tho. MN, MD, NH, VT, ME, WA, OR have liberal sub-urban and rural areas tho.
Not all of the Europe is much more progressive, as Russia is in Europe.
There are plenty of options in CA, MA, NY, OR, WA, VT, but define affordable and what climate do you want
The fundamental problem is that on a local level, progressives in the US have created a regulatory environment that severely restricts development (think many environmental reviews, public comment periods, strict zoning rules; most red areas eschew these). While it's understandable in the abstract, in practice this means that progressive areas are underdeveloped and have material housing shortages, making them very expensive. It's unfortunate - and believe me, I'm no fan of governor Abbott or the discriminatory policies being pushed by most Republicans - but in their effort to stop little guys from getting stepped on, progressives have kept their cities from being affordable.
Tl,dr: Progressive policies make cities expensive so it'll be hard for you to find something that meets all your criteria
I would suggest Atlanta, GA. Outside of metro Atlanta, the state is very conservative but in the city and surrounding suburbs, people are very accepting (that's been my experience anyway). Midtown Atlanta is VERY gay. The city has tons of LGBT nightlife/events. There are dozens of gay restaurants and bars. Plus, the city is full of trees, beautiful parks, and charming neighborhoods within walking distance to midtown and downtown. The ATL airport is only a few miles south of town and is 2nd busiest airport in the world which means you can easily travel anywhere in the world and usually fly direct. I lived there for 8 years before I moved to NYC and loved my time in Atlanta.
Like everywhere, there are some drawbacks. Traffic is horrendous and public transit is almost non-existent. The state is mostly conservative (although statewide races are trending more liberal because of the large Atlanta population). Summers in the south can be rather hot and you rarely see snow during the winter.
If you decide to check out Atlanta (and I would recommend that you do) you should check out neighborhoods like Inman Park, Virginia Highland, Westside, Ansley Park, Morningside, and Lennox Park. These neighborhoods have great restaurants and shopping and are very pedestrian friendly. These neighborhoods tend to be family friendly and very close knit where neighbors look after each other and become friends with one another.
Midtown would be a good option if you are looking to live in a high-rise apartment or condo building. The scene is VERY gay and can be a ton of fun. Decatur is cute and welcoming as well. Although, Decatur is more of a hot spot for lesbians.
Even if you don't end up moving to Atlanta, you should plan a visit. You won't regret it.
Rising Star
Underrated comment from VP.
But Georgia is very closely divided so all liberal and lefty Floridians should move there right now.
Austin is lovely! I have very liberal/moderate views and so do most others living in the city. I just moved here a few months ago, it’s very warm though. You would probably like Denver, CO! It’s very liberal and not as hot outside. Austin is a special gem though!
Reproductive rights, youre correct. The state overall is very conservative. As for LGBT, all of the metros have thriving communities for LGBT and their allies. Austin and Dallas specifically.
Honestly? Nevada ain't too bad. Abortion access is enshrined in our state constitution, and Vegas makes too much tourist money on gay marriages to ever try and revoke that. Strip aside, we have lots of great restaurants, outdoor activities, legal marijuana, and entertainment to take advantage of. Our local governments fluctuate between red and blue with the wind, but we are overall an alarmingly progressive state. Anywhere you move in the States is sure to pale in comparison to even the worst place in Europe, so gird your loins.