Thinking about moving.

[norrina]

I was going to plug Charleston, but SamiHami already did a wonderful job. I've only been here a little over 2 years, but I absolutely love it here, and it already feels like home.

[BatCity]

I'll toss in Austin, Texas. I'm a native Californian who lived in Austin for 16 years and recently moved back to Northern California for work and family reasons...and would move back to Austin in a second given the chance.

It's smaller than Houston and not as diverse, but has a very high standard of living and is very much a university town with a highly educated population. It's quite beautiful and while the weather does have its extremes, it doesn't have long, cold Winters. 

As with everyone else, PM me if you like.

[guihong]

I'll plug Little Rock, Arkansas

It has more culture than you might think.  We have community theatre, a symphony, and lots of museums.  Heifer International is HQ'd here.

We have generally temperate winters and hot summers.

Although I've only been there once, the Fayetteville area is also growing.  That has the U of Arkansas and a brand new art museum.

It's very easy to get around, lots of shopping, and lots of community festivals.  There's a  huge Greek festival at the Greek Orthodox church every May. 

Fayetteville is 4 hours away; Memphis is 2.5 hours; New Orleans is about 7 hours via Jackson, Mississippi. 

[PastryGoddess]

OP what field are you in?

I'll plug the DC metro area.  We have a great job market and living in DC means that you will have friends from all over.  I live in MD, which is often called America in Miniature. You can get to 4 states with 1 hour of driving, 5 states with 2 hours of driving, 8 states with 4 hours of driving, 13 states with 6 hours of driving, 

While politics are important here, it's not as pervasive as you may think.  There is great food, tons of culture and nightlife, and you are no more than an hour away from being in the mountains if that's your thing.  In Virginia, there are a ton of wineries to visit. You can also get to the beach in as little as 45 min as well.  As far as weather goes, we can guarantee you ice for sure.  Some winters are mild with little snow, other winters can have 20 inches of snow.  we also like to give fun names to our weather, such as Hurriquake, Snowmageddon, etc.  Summers are humid, very very humid.  We don't do dry heat here.  You will get 100 degree weather with 90% humidity.  Spring is glorious, and Fall brings the changing of the leaves.

If you live on the Metro line, you won't really have to deal with congestion.  Most companies in the area give a transit benefit that it worth a certain amount of money.  You can use it for the Metro, parking, or commuter rail. 

[holly firestorm]

Wow, thank you so much, guys.  You've been a great resource.  I'm going to keep what you've all said in mind.  And anyone else who wants to weigh in...that would be great.

[Missy2U]

Gotta give a shout out to Chicago - it has pretty much everything you're looking for!  PM me and I can go into it further if you'd like. 

[z_squared82]

I’m from Cincinnati and as much as I like it, at least my part of town is difficult to move to unless you already know someone. It’s very much a small-town feel with everyone knowing everyone or having dated their cousin. And we are predominately German (and Catholic), but what that really means is we like beer. Second biggest Oktoberfest is the world! (or so we’re told).

I might actually suggest Indianapolis. Not congested, whole city laid out pretty much in a grid pattern, so easy to navigate. They have at least one SciFi convention a year in August (that I can’t remember the name of). Moderate climate, not so awful for allergies. And the nice thing about living in this area, is there are cities of comparable size within easy driving distance. I’m lucky I live in Cincinnati. Indianapolis, Louisville, Lexington, and Columbus (Ohio) are all two hours away. Indy is two hours away from Cincy (obviously), and probably two hours away from Columbus and Louisville. It’s easy to go do cultural things in these other cities on a Saturday. Super easy. People do it all the time.

Also, there is a MegaBus that drives from Cincy to Chicago. There’s probably something similar from Indy, making getting up there for conventions rather easy, too.

[PastryGoddess]

Gotta give a shout out to Chicago - it has pretty much everything you're looking for!  PM me and I can go into it further if you'd like. 

I lived in Chicago for college.  Love that city.  Summer in Chicago is wonderful

[jaxsue]

I'll toss in Austin, Texas. I'm a native Californian who lived in Austin for 16 years and recently moved back to Northern California for work and family reasons...and would move back to Austin in a second given the chance.

It's smaller than Houston and not as diverse, but has a very high standard of living and is very much a university town with a highly educated population. It's quite beautiful and while the weather does have its extremes, it doesn't have long, cold Winters. 

As with everyone else, PM me if you like.

I have a cousin in Austin. She loves it. I've been in TX many times, but not Austin. It's on my bucket list!

[MrTango]

I live in the Minneapolis, MN area.  Its hot in the summer, cold in the winter, the roads are full of potholes year-round, "Minnesota Nice" becomes "Minnesota Passive-Aggressive" on the roads, and we're continually disappointed by our professional sports teams.

Even with all of that, I would never want to live anywhere else.

[Cami]

Sorry to hijack the thread momentarily, but we visited Charleston last year and put it on our short list of "Places to move to when we can get out of this hell hole".

Consider Charleston, SC! It's beautiful, rich in history, has a sunny climate (the summers are hot, but that just means beach weather!). It's small enough that you don't feel lost but big enough that it attracts all kinds of cultural events. We have our annual Spoleto festival, of course, which is a huge arts festival. We have a large Greek community, complete with an annual Greek festival. There is no single dominant culture in Charleston; we have it all! I have friends from all over the world that have settled here. You can easily find any type of cuisine you could desire, from down home southern soul food to fine European cuisine. We also have the lowest gas prices in the country!

Our job situation is probably better than many areas. We have several very large employers in the area (Boeing, Medical University of SC, among others). Not knowing your field, it's hard to say much beyond that.

It's a great location, as well. it's a 6 hour drive to Disneyworld, if that's your thing. Or six hours the other way to Atlanta, if you have a desire to go. It's close to Asheville NC, where a lot of people go to see the leaves changing color. It's also a 30 minute drive to the beach. Boating, swimming, fishing and other water sports are very popular here.

Can you tell I love it here?   

I'm not much into Sci Fi or Cosplay so I couldn't tell you about that.

How is it to make friends there? Are people interested in newcomers, willing to make friends?

[Ginger G]

I live in Columbia, SC and I would also recommend Charleston!  I wish I could move there myself but I have a great job and don't want to leave it.  I try to visit as often as possible though, it's only about 1 and 1/2 hours away by car.

[jaxsue]

I grew up in NW MI, a beautiful place (Lake MI, lots of nature). It's not for someone who loves urban living or tropical weather, but if you love being close to nature I highly recommend it, especially my hometown.

[bestimw]

Oops, I'm late to the party but check out this link.  Take the test and it will tell you what state you'd fit best in.  I found it interesting.

http://science.time.com/2013/10/22/the-united-states-of-attitude-an-interactive-guide-to-americas-moods/

[jedikaiti]

I'm late, too, but I'll plug the Denver/Boulder area. The winters and bone-dry air will take some getting used to, but the traffic is not bad, and people are quite friendly.

DC is also a pretty great area, and if you live/work close to the Metro line, the awful traffic becomes much less of a concern. I miss the Metro.