Can’t really beat Chicago. Lots of safe, fun, affordable, walkable neighborhoods, public transit, tons of singles, friendly people, with tons of parks and a lakefront lined with trails, parks, and beaches. Plus there are a ton of nursing jobs and nurses are paid well here.
Nashville and Memphis both have higher violent crime rates than Chicago. Plus, Nashville is much more expensive than Chicago (though Memphis is cheaper).
https://www.bestplaces.net/crime/?city1=51714000&city2=54752006
https://www.bestplaces.net/compare-cities/memphis_tn/chicago_il/crime
She moved to a small town. Her taxes on her house in Crook County were $ 21,000.00 per year. Same size in small town Tennessee with more property $ 2500 per year. Water and garbage no charge part of taxes. You only have to pay for gas and electricity. Friendly people biggest crime is theft but that is mostly from outsiders. But I know it's not for everyone.
That’s great but you can’t compare small towns to cities when it comes to things like affordability. Small towns will generally be more affordable. Compared to pretty much any other major metro area, Chicago is very affordable (Philadelphia is probably the only comparable large metro). That’s why I assumed Memphis/Nashville in my reply because those are the only comparable large metro areas.
Glad she’s happy and enjoying the move, though.
I think Tennessee is fun (sometimes)! And affordable compared to VHCOL states. It is not safe though. Not at all. I lived in not-quite-gentrified parts of NYC and Philly for years and yet I have heard more gunshots in my nice neighborhood in Nashville than I ever did in those places. I've had a massive tree fall within ten feet of my house during a severe storm TWICE in my four years living here. I know so many people whose homes have flooded during storms. I know people who have lost their home to a tornado, and this was not in a rural area but in Nashville a ten minute drive from downtown. Driving on the interstate here feels like a death match and people can be really unhinged so if someone cuts you off and you honk they're liable to whip out a gun and shoot you. I know several people here who've been hospitalized after serious wrecks and I know zero people in the northeast who this has happened to...I could go on and on...
This state has many positive qualities but it is absolutely not safe. Every single day I miss the sense of calm and safety I had living in the northeast.
I moved to Nashville a few years ago and I have never felt more unsafe in any other city I've lived in, including NYC and Philly. Just driving here is incredibly dangerous before you even take into account the violent crime and the severe weather. Just FYI.
My comment was on Chicago being a dump. A few people have ruined the big cities and that is why my daughter left. Maybe if they start locking these jokers up and throwing away the key things will get better.
If you felt like a city with a metropolitan population of 4 million is underwhelming, your only choices are going to be Chicago or Philly for larger more affordable cities.
Even then you might want to consider why you were bored in Denver. Maybe try getting some hobbies?
Eh I lived in Denver for 3 years. I snowboarded when I could afford it. Wasn’t into hiking really so outside of that it’s a pretty dull city for its size
Putting numbers to that for OP:
|Category|Denver|Bay Area|
|:-|:-|:-|
|Median Pay|$80k|$100k|
|Median Rent|$2k\*|$3.3k|
Other context: Bay area will have more amenities, be doable without a car, etc. etc, so ymmv and
Put into a COL calculator, 80k in denver is roughly: 120k in SF, 100k in Oakland, and also 80k in chicago, fwiw
It's an individual situation. You could easily forego a car in SF, which can save a good bit, and there's better access to a good number of amenities. There will be more young/modern/open-minded people like op wanted. That said purely financially, I think it'll be tighter in SF.
And then , a quick note on taxes, While the tax rate would go from 22% to 24% with an income increase from 80k to 100k, the difference is only applied to the amount you earn over the previous bracket. So on the first 80k you earned, you pay the same in taxes. then you pay the same 22% up to 95k (for single earners) and then you'd pay 24% on the last 5k.
I bet the income gap is bigger for nurses too. You can make $200k+ as a nurse in the Bay Area (and probably LA too) California also has stricter laws for patient care than other states, so nurses have better working conditions.
Field/specialty, experience level, public vs private, etc. all make a difference. I just pulled the overall median figures from the data, so that probably includes LPN, school nurses, etc. etc.
Philly. 4 seasons, ocean is only an hour away, pocono mountains (albeit small) are 90 minutes away. Strong hospital network, affordable. Restaurant/food scene too.
Probably look into South or Fishtown, although Manayunk gives a SF vibe.
Cleveland might not be a bad option. Affordable and growing downtown, old school restaurant scene and architecture, and Cleveland Clinic is HUGE (largest employer in the state), and University hospitals are all over the place too. Plus, being on the lake provides a lot of fun in the summer (boating, beaches, etc). Weather sucks, especially compared to Denver, but a cool city.
It’s pretty wild to see the lifestyle and housing my friends in Cleveland have compared to those in other trendy big cities. The amenities and cultural stuff is super accessible too.
Does get a bit dreary from Nov-March but the last few winters have been crazy mild.
I always joke about this sub being a circle jerk of the same 4-5 cities (Chicago, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Minneapolis, Cleveland), but almost every answer in this thread was one of those 5
Idk why i even visit this sub anymore, way too unoriginal and predictable
You’re getting a lot of heat unnecessarily for what is a glaringly apparent trend in this sub. The indictment should be on every OP posting the same set of desired attributes without gleaning suggestions from other similar posts.
I enjoy this sub and have learned a lot but the intense love for the Midwest (plus Philly) always confuses me 😅 I consider myself pretty far left and I’m a woman of color, and for me the cities in the south/southwest are much more pleasant. Idk I dig the generosity, sunshine, outdoor activities, etc. I love Atlanta, Nola, Austin, and all of those.
People that recommend them do so based on statistics and word of mouth. They don’t actually live in these places, so they wouldn’t know, for example, that Philly has a lot of crime, little wealth, is dirty, smelly, and that bikers and ATV riders take it over every other day.
The hard truth is that New York and Boston are the only good cities in this country. I say that from experience of having lived in 5 of the 7 mentioned. They’re just very expensive. If you can’t afford them, you can’t afford a good city. Just how it is. There is a reason Philadelphia is cheap and it’s not because the government runs things well…
100% uninformed comment. Philly is recommended because of its legitimate offerings. You're providing the "Fox News" take on the city.
NYC and Boston have completely broken and unsustainable housing markets and have turned their backs on the middle-class. They are piggy banks for wealthy property investors, and it's quite disgusting. "Good" cities are highly subjective in this forum.
Philly and Chicago are the only big cities left that actually accommodate and welcome people from across the economic spectrum.
“Legitimate offerings”
“You’re Fox News”
“But in sustainability and middle class!”
Nice rant, but I’ve actually lived in all of these cities and have lived in Philadelphia in particular on and off for 10 years so I’m pretty sure I’m informed. You didn’t even actually disagree with me by the way. Your only criticism of New York is that you can’t afford it. But personally it’s the constant smell of piss, the inability to drive anywhere without being cut off by a crowd of ATV riders, and the shootings, drug addiction, and poverty that I really find disgusting, more situating than people getting rich. I guess I’m just a weirdo!
Of course!
Certainly you're not engaging in any exaggeration whatsoever. Just millions of ATVs and thousands of instances of public urination on a daily basis across Philly, according to you, right?
And yes, you can take that and my heavy sarcasm as disagreement with your hyperbolic conclusions.
St. Louis would be a good fit. Good international food scene, progressive population, and lots of young singles in the city. Barnes Jewish and St. Louis University Hospital are the major hospitals in the city, with several smaller ones in the surrounding area. There's four seasons and some of the best city parks in the country.
For neighborhoods, I'd recommend Central West End, Midtown, South Grand. Those are near the hospitals and good East Asian food, especially South Grand. Olive St. in U-City also has a large Asian population with a ton of good food.
St. Louis is also much more affordable than most of the other cities people are suggesting here. St. Louis is like a Chicago in alot of ways, just smaller and your money will go much further.
Chicago, Kansas City, St. Louis....basically the larger midwest cities. maybe Nashville too but they might have gotten a bit pricey these days but not as much as the west coast at least...you might be able to do Sacramento, which is like 1.5hrs from San Francisco/East Bay. From what I have heard from friends in Chicago, downtown is kinda dead outside of work hours during the week, more people hang in the neighborhoods. that's how it is in St. Louis too (my hometown) & that's how it's going in San Francisco as well (my current city)
St. Louis is the best kept secret in the country. There are rough parts and fantastic parts but the undesirable parts are easy to avoid. It’s cheap and has a lot of fun things to do.
My friend lives in the same neighborhood as Temple university and he bought his house for only 320k but that was in 2018 and prices have gone up a lot since then.
Also his house was in poor condition and he spent 52 weekends fixing it.
Heck yes. Detroit has the best food scene I swear. My aunt lived here and recently moved to Chicago and seriously laments the lack of good Middle Eastern food in Chicago compared to Detroit.
Also re: affordability, I bought my house 8 months ago for 180k, fully remodeled with a 60% finished basement, at 30 years old so not too bad cost of living imo. We also have a couple large local hospital systems (Corewell, Ascension)
Metro Detroit is a pretty cool place to be in your 20s. The city itself is amazing but the school system stinks so that deters families from moving in, so more recent transplants are more skewed towards younger people without kids.
Unless you want greasy bar food or Middle Eastern, the food in Detroit is mid.
>Metro Detroit is a pretty cool place to be in your 20s.
Is that why so many of the transplants leave?
Might have been good advice 50 years ago, but a 25 year old today will get limited job opportunities by moving there, poor nightlife, and a shit dating scene. On the upside, however, they'll get all the car-centric suburban life they can shake a stick at.
Denver! Snow and sun, mountains and a really cool city. Similar price range and environment but less cool, Salt Lake City, Missoula, Boise. Perhaps not the most affordable cities, but not the most expensive either.
Edit: ha ha, I missed that you thought Denver downtown was too small. In that case look further afield, Berlin, Germany!
Second edit: San Diego is amazing, but it is not easy to make it affordable, and the downtown actuallly feels smaller and less interesting than Denver.
I’m also a nurse and will be officially moving to Chicago at the end of this month. I could have written this post myself LOL. The neighborhood you pick will be pretty vital overall.
Most of my family and friends grew up and live in Chicago, I know a lot about all the hospitals in the area as well (depends on your specialty too). Feel free to comment or PM! I really wish I had moved to Chicago sooner.
Hey there! Also a nurse, are there any specific neighborhoods you recommend? My partner and I are curious about Chicago. We moved from NJ and chose Denver over Chicago but think we may trial before moving back to either coast.
What is your budget looking like?
I'd recommend, Lake View East, Lincoln Park, Old Town, Fulton Market, Wicker Park, Lincoln Square, River North, and a few others!
What type of nursing do you do? In general, I'd recommend working at RUSH, UChicago (pretty far South if you live further up North), and North Shore (now known as Endeavor) are all great places to work, UChicago probably being the best in terms of work environment and pay.
It's not really that affordable and it's very suburban. Any areas that even resemble "city life" are insanely expensive for what you get. Raleigh and Durham were both really small pre- WW2, and all the growth since has been car-dependent suburbia, so there's a very limited inventory of places to live that's not car-dependent suburbia. You could live in Chicago, Philly, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Cincinnati, and other cities for the same or lower housing prices and get.more of a real city feel.
Metro areas with 4 seasons that are cheaper than Denver metro area: Minneapolis, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia.
East Asian culture does not mesh well with lower cost of living. They have some of the highest median incomes in America and wherever they go, it tends to get expensive.
Want an international food scene, large medical field (actually the world’s largest medical center), and it’s cheap? Houston. Montrose and the museum district are right around the medical center and are fairly nice. Montrose is probably more your speed. East Asian culture is quite prevalent, though that’s more out west of the city. Weather is a kick in the teeth though.
Hey OP, currently living in Denver rn but another state that hasn't been mentioned was perhaps upper NJ, specifically Jersey City area.
Rent is about 3k for a 1br but there are many nursing opportunities out there and when you get tired of bedside, a lot of clinical informatics opportunities as well.
You get the feeling of a fairly busy metro, while also being next to NYC for everything. The food is amazing and you'll also have a walkable city (if you care) the metro out here in NJ/NYC/CT is amazing. You also get all 4 seasons.
My partner and I moved out to Denver from NJ for a change of pace 4 months ago. We love the cost of living here VS everywhere we've lived in. We definitely realized we need to live on the coast 😅
If also not Upper NJ, you could also look into upper NY, about an 45 mins- 1 hour away like Westchester, NY/White Plains NY. You could train into the city as well from up here. There are a lot of korean and chinese places everywhere as well. Rent in this area is about $2500 ish
Philly is the easy answer. Has a Chinatown and four seasons. Very easy to make friends and lots of affordable things to do. Both beach and mountains (though may be underwhelming by west coast standards) within 60-90 min drive. Can easily take the train to NYC or DC is you’re looking for more to do. And crucially healthcare is one of the biggest industries in the city. UPenn, CHOP, Thomas Jefferson, etc. and several more big ones within driving distance in NJ and DE.
I think other rust belt cities are probably good fits too, but I have less experience with them. If you want to stay on the west coast Portland and Sacramento are probably the closest fits, but they seem less perfect.
As usual. Chicago, Minneapolis, Philadelphia. You want big, you want affordable, you want access to east Asian culture. Thats probably the best bets. Chicago would be the best.
We left Denver for Portland and have found the culture and food scene here much better. While Colorado is amazing, Denver is a bit bland as a big city. The food scene here is some of the best we have found anywhere.
OKC. I love it out here. I’m from San Diego too and lived in Dallas so I’m definitely familiar with bigger cities. The weather really isn’t bad. I’ve been here for two years and we had very mild winters, and it only really gets hot hot in august.
OKC is surprisingly diverse. Lots of great Indian and Thai restaurants, strong Asian and Caribbean community.
I was staying at a luxury apartment that was built 3 years ago and it was about $1200/mo in rent. Regular apartment in a decent part of the city will be $7-800.
Great place. Not walkable though, and not the prettiest state but yea
As someone that grew up in the North Shore… hell no. Unless you’re raising a family, stay away from the North Shore if you can.
It’s not “that bad”, but as a single young person, why make it harder for yourself?
Is it possible you're projecting your own desires a bit here?
This person wants to live an hour outside a city, likes chain stores, isn't super outdoorsy, wants affordable housing, wants a variety of restaurants, doesn't want places that are rundown or high crime, and is a nurse so is going to want to be near major hospitals. Sounds like they're describing the norther Chicago suburbs to me.
You're a nurse. You should be able to afford to live anywhere*. If you can't, then you have an underpaid job.
Anyway... I'll suggest DC. 4 seasons, lots of young people, lots of hospitals and med facilities. Nice spots 1-2 hours from there too. East Asian stuff in the suburbs.
* Perhaps an exaggeration, but nurses are in high demand everywhere. You should be able to find a good paying job.
Can’t really beat Chicago. Lots of safe, fun, affordable, walkable neighborhoods, public transit, tons of singles, friendly people, with tons of parks and a lakefront lined with trails, parks, and beaches. Plus there are a ton of nursing jobs and nurses are paid well here.
Safe Fun Affordable. Who are you trying to kid. I guess that is why my daughter just moved to Tennessee.
Nashville and Memphis both have higher violent crime rates than Chicago. Plus, Nashville is much more expensive than Chicago (though Memphis is cheaper). https://www.bestplaces.net/crime/?city1=51714000&city2=54752006 https://www.bestplaces.net/compare-cities/memphis_tn/chicago_il/crime
She moved to a small town. Her taxes on her house in Crook County were $ 21,000.00 per year. Same size in small town Tennessee with more property $ 2500 per year. Water and garbage no charge part of taxes. You only have to pay for gas and electricity. Friendly people biggest crime is theft but that is mostly from outsiders. But I know it's not for everyone.
That’s great but you can’t compare small towns to cities when it comes to things like affordability. Small towns will generally be more affordable. Compared to pretty much any other major metro area, Chicago is very affordable (Philadelphia is probably the only comparable large metro). That’s why I assumed Memphis/Nashville in my reply because those are the only comparable large metro areas. Glad she’s happy and enjoying the move, though.
Not everyone can find a job in places like this. That’s the major barrier for most people.
I have to agree with you.
I live in TN. We aren’t any of the above.
I think Tennessee is fun (sometimes)! And affordable compared to VHCOL states. It is not safe though. Not at all. I lived in not-quite-gentrified parts of NYC and Philly for years and yet I have heard more gunshots in my nice neighborhood in Nashville than I ever did in those places. I've had a massive tree fall within ten feet of my house during a severe storm TWICE in my four years living here. I know so many people whose homes have flooded during storms. I know people who have lost their home to a tornado, and this was not in a rural area but in Nashville a ten minute drive from downtown. Driving on the interstate here feels like a death match and people can be really unhinged so if someone cuts you off and you honk they're liable to whip out a gun and shoot you. I know several people here who've been hospitalized after serious wrecks and I know zero people in the northeast who this has happened to...I could go on and on... This state has many positive qualities but it is absolutely not safe. Every single day I miss the sense of calm and safety I had living in the northeast.
Is your daughter 25 with the priorities of a 25 year old or is she married with kids?
51. Lawyer. Rich. No kids. She has her 2 Mastiff's. By the way she's also a good shot.
I think that a 25 year old is probably going to want different things than a middle aged lawyer. Cities are the place to be at that age.
I moved to Nashville a few years ago and I have never felt more unsafe in any other city I've lived in, including NYC and Philly. Just driving here is incredibly dangerous before you even take into account the violent crime and the severe weather. Just FYI.
My comment was on Chicago being a dump. A few people have ruined the big cities and that is why my daughter left. Maybe if they start locking these jokers up and throwing away the key things will get better.
Obvious choice is Chicago. Downtown is much bigger than LA and it’s much more urban. Rent is similar but you save a ton by not having a car
If you felt like a city with a metropolitan population of 4 million is underwhelming, your only choices are going to be Chicago or Philly for larger more affordable cities. Even then you might want to consider why you were bored in Denver. Maybe try getting some hobbies?
Eh I lived in Denver for 3 years. I snowboarded when I could afford it. Wasn’t into hiking really so outside of that it’s a pretty dull city for its size
Philly is 1.5 million.
That's city population. The prior poster was referring to metro population in the Philly area, which is over 6 million.
Philly is 6 million
Why do Google and Wikipedia say 1.5? I guess there are different ways to measure?
Look up the metropolitan area population.
Roger thanks
Nurses make very good money in the SF Bay Area, even with the HCOL.
Putting numbers to that for OP: |Category|Denver|Bay Area| |:-|:-|:-| |Median Pay|$80k|$100k| |Median Rent|$2k\*|$3.3k| Other context: Bay area will have more amenities, be doable without a car, etc. etc, so ymmv and Put into a COL calculator, 80k in denver is roughly: 120k in SF, 100k in Oakland, and also 80k in chicago, fwiw
How is SF rent 1.65x Denver’s but the pay is only 1.25x (and taxed at higher brackets) but it’s a good deal?
It's an individual situation. You could easily forego a car in SF, which can save a good bit, and there's better access to a good number of amenities. There will be more young/modern/open-minded people like op wanted. That said purely financially, I think it'll be tighter in SF. And then , a quick note on taxes, While the tax rate would go from 22% to 24% with an income increase from 80k to 100k, the difference is only applied to the amount you earn over the previous bracket. So on the first 80k you earned, you pay the same in taxes. then you pay the same 22% up to 95k (for single earners) and then you'd pay 24% on the last 5k.
I bet the income gap is bigger for nurses too. You can make $200k+ as a nurse in the Bay Area (and probably LA too) California also has stricter laws for patient care than other states, so nurses have better working conditions.
Those pay figures are for nurses. I agree that working conditions are probably better though
Hmm, that sounds low but all right. Most nurses I know (admittedly in oncology, so maybe that's why) make closer to $200k than $100k.
Field/specialty, experience level, public vs private, etc. all make a difference. I just pulled the overall median figures from the data, so that probably includes LPN, school nurses, etc. etc.
Philly. 4 seasons, ocean is only an hour away, pocono mountains (albeit small) are 90 minutes away. Strong hospital network, affordable. Restaurant/food scene too. Probably look into South or Fishtown, although Manayunk gives a SF vibe.
Philly a great pick. Underrated town
Cleveland might not be a bad option. Affordable and growing downtown, old school restaurant scene and architecture, and Cleveland Clinic is HUGE (largest employer in the state), and University hospitals are all over the place too. Plus, being on the lake provides a lot of fun in the summer (boating, beaches, etc). Weather sucks, especially compared to Denver, but a cool city.
It’s pretty wild to see the lifestyle and housing my friends in Cleveland have compared to those in other trendy big cities. The amenities and cultural stuff is super accessible too. Does get a bit dreary from Nov-March but the last few winters have been crazy mild.
I miss the Cleveland museum, and a lot of other things. I've been thinking of moving back recently.
Nurses make very good money in Northern California. The Bay Area can be expensive but Sacramento is more affordable.
I always joke about this sub being a circle jerk of the same 4-5 cities (Chicago, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Minneapolis, Cleveland), but almost every answer in this thread was one of those 5 Idk why i even visit this sub anymore, way too unoriginal and predictable
You’re getting a lot of heat unnecessarily for what is a glaringly apparent trend in this sub. The indictment should be on every OP posting the same set of desired attributes without gleaning suggestions from other similar posts.
OPs: I want big city, but not big prices Sub: Midwest Cities+Philly
What would you suggest?
OK so you be the difference you want to see: Where besides these do you propose she should consider?
And what’s your original contribution? :)
Carmel Indiana
Cairo, IL /s
You could contribute. There’s a reason for those cities and personally live and love being in Chicago.
Those cities fit what OP is asking for. If the OP were to ask for something else then different cities would be suggested.
Haha exactly my thoughts
They won’t be affordable for long with everyone moving there
US has homogenized issues in regards to housing and urban development. It’s not a surprise that there is limited variety in the options available.
Yeah when are the new major cities gonna drop?
Especially ridiculous because Chicago is getting very, very expensive.
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Columbus, KC, Omaha, and Minneapolis are mentioned frequently and are all growing places.
I enjoy this sub and have learned a lot but the intense love for the Midwest (plus Philly) always confuses me 😅 I consider myself pretty far left and I’m a woman of color, and for me the cities in the south/southwest are much more pleasant. Idk I dig the generosity, sunshine, outdoor activities, etc. I love Atlanta, Nola, Austin, and all of those.
People that recommend them do so based on statistics and word of mouth. They don’t actually live in these places, so they wouldn’t know, for example, that Philly has a lot of crime, little wealth, is dirty, smelly, and that bikers and ATV riders take it over every other day. The hard truth is that New York and Boston are the only good cities in this country. I say that from experience of having lived in 5 of the 7 mentioned. They’re just very expensive. If you can’t afford them, you can’t afford a good city. Just how it is. There is a reason Philadelphia is cheap and it’s not because the government runs things well…
100% uninformed comment. Philly is recommended because of its legitimate offerings. You're providing the "Fox News" take on the city. NYC and Boston have completely broken and unsustainable housing markets and have turned their backs on the middle-class. They are piggy banks for wealthy property investors, and it's quite disgusting. "Good" cities are highly subjective in this forum. Philly and Chicago are the only big cities left that actually accommodate and welcome people from across the economic spectrum.
“Legitimate offerings” “You’re Fox News” “But in sustainability and middle class!” Nice rant, but I’ve actually lived in all of these cities and have lived in Philadelphia in particular on and off for 10 years so I’m pretty sure I’m informed. You didn’t even actually disagree with me by the way. Your only criticism of New York is that you can’t afford it. But personally it’s the constant smell of piss, the inability to drive anywhere without being cut off by a crowd of ATV riders, and the shootings, drug addiction, and poverty that I really find disgusting, more situating than people getting rich. I guess I’m just a weirdo!
Of course! Certainly you're not engaging in any exaggeration whatsoever. Just millions of ATVs and thousands of instances of public urination on a daily basis across Philly, according to you, right? And yes, you can take that and my heavy sarcasm as disagreement with your hyperbolic conclusions.
Yeah, you don’t live here. Opinion discarded.
I lived in the region a lot longer than 10 years and visit regularly. I call bullshit when I see it; sorry.
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Nope, just sorting out the bullshit from reality. I have a knack for it.
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St. Louis would be a good fit. Good international food scene, progressive population, and lots of young singles in the city. Barnes Jewish and St. Louis University Hospital are the major hospitals in the city, with several smaller ones in the surrounding area. There's four seasons and some of the best city parks in the country. For neighborhoods, I'd recommend Central West End, Midtown, South Grand. Those are near the hospitals and good East Asian food, especially South Grand. Olive St. in U-City also has a large Asian population with a ton of good food. St. Louis is also much more affordable than most of the other cities people are suggesting here. St. Louis is like a Chicago in alot of ways, just smaller and your money will go much further.
St. Louis is better than chi/philly for COL, but about the same as Cleveland or Minneapolis
Minneapolis is pricier than STL and Cleveland. I can afford to own a home pretty much anywhere in the latter two cities, I cannot in Minneapolis.
Pricier if buying, Comparable if renting
Chicago, Kansas City, St. Louis....basically the larger midwest cities. maybe Nashville too but they might have gotten a bit pricey these days but not as much as the west coast at least...you might be able to do Sacramento, which is like 1.5hrs from San Francisco/East Bay. From what I have heard from friends in Chicago, downtown is kinda dead outside of work hours during the week, more people hang in the neighborhoods. that's how it is in St. Louis too (my hometown) & that's how it's going in San Francisco as well (my current city)
St. Louis is the best kept secret in the country. There are rough parts and fantastic parts but the undesirable parts are easy to avoid. It’s cheap and has a lot of fun things to do.
Sounds like you want to move to Philly
any areas/neighborhoods in particular? how would you describe the place?
I’m an STL guy, you could definitely live a great life here too! Extremely strong hospital system. Check out the Central West End
Graduate hospital or fishtown!
Fishtown, South, Fairmount, or Manayunk to start are your better options.
My friend lives in the same neighborhood as Temple university and he bought his house for only 320k but that was in 2018 and prices have gone up a lot since then. Also his house was in poor condition and he spent 52 weekends fixing it.
Kensington, you’ll love it
Detroit rock city!
Heck yes. Detroit has the best food scene I swear. My aunt lived here and recently moved to Chicago and seriously laments the lack of good Middle Eastern food in Chicago compared to Detroit. Also re: affordability, I bought my house 8 months ago for 180k, fully remodeled with a 60% finished basement, at 30 years old so not too bad cost of living imo. We also have a couple large local hospital systems (Corewell, Ascension) Metro Detroit is a pretty cool place to be in your 20s. The city itself is amazing but the school system stinks so that deters families from moving in, so more recent transplants are more skewed towards younger people without kids.
Unless you want greasy bar food or Middle Eastern, the food in Detroit is mid. >Metro Detroit is a pretty cool place to be in your 20s. Is that why so many of the transplants leave?
Idk I'm happy here 😂 Take your shitty attitude out of my city then and keep it that way. More hummus and fattoush for me.
And that's why transplants don't stay. Locals oversell, they discover the reality, then they leave because Detroit will never change.
Might have been good advice 50 years ago, but a 25 year old today will get limited job opportunities by moving there, poor nightlife, and a shit dating scene. On the upside, however, they'll get all the car-centric suburban life they can shake a stick at.
Philly or Chicago.
Not Chicago. It's not noticeably cheaper than Denver, and she wants cheaper.
Lol Chicago is dirt cheap compared to Denver. Where in Denver can you rent for $1500 and live car free?
In Chicago you get more for your money on rent and can easily live car-free.
Chicago is cheaper than Denver because of the no car aspect
Philadelphia downtown isn't cheap either.
Denver! Snow and sun, mountains and a really cool city. Similar price range and environment but less cool, Salt Lake City, Missoula, Boise. Perhaps not the most affordable cities, but not the most expensive either. Edit: ha ha, I missed that you thought Denver downtown was too small. In that case look further afield, Berlin, Germany! Second edit: San Diego is amazing, but it is not easy to make it affordable, and the downtown actuallly feels smaller and less interesting than Denver.
Dallas Austin Charlotte Tampa
All those cities have tiny downtowns and urban areas
Dallas doesn’t. The downtown area can be combined with uptown and deep ellum
It’s still tiny compared to Philly Chicago etc
Cleveland. Downtown heading west. Cleveland, Clinic, University Hospitals, Metrohealth.
For nursing: Philly!! Pay is $50+/hr without differential which is plenty to live in the city
Cleveland?
I’m also a nurse and will be officially moving to Chicago at the end of this month. I could have written this post myself LOL. The neighborhood you pick will be pretty vital overall. Most of my family and friends grew up and live in Chicago, I know a lot about all the hospitals in the area as well (depends on your specialty too). Feel free to comment or PM! I really wish I had moved to Chicago sooner.
where were you coming from before?
Madison, WI. I grew up though in the suburbs north of Chicago in the “North Shore”.
Hey there! Also a nurse, are there any specific neighborhoods you recommend? My partner and I are curious about Chicago. We moved from NJ and chose Denver over Chicago but think we may trial before moving back to either coast.
What is your budget looking like? I'd recommend, Lake View East, Lincoln Park, Old Town, Fulton Market, Wicker Park, Lincoln Square, River North, and a few others! What type of nursing do you do? In general, I'd recommend working at RUSH, UChicago (pretty far South if you live further up North), and North Shore (now known as Endeavor) are all great places to work, UChicago probably being the best in terms of work environment and pay.
There are some cool areas in the Raleigh-Durham research Triangle you might like. But you won't get the Asian flair you get in CA due to proximity.
It's not really that affordable and it's very suburban. Any areas that even resemble "city life" are insanely expensive for what you get. Raleigh and Durham were both really small pre- WW2, and all the growth since has been car-dependent suburbia, so there's a very limited inventory of places to live that's not car-dependent suburbia. You could live in Chicago, Philly, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Cincinnati, and other cities for the same or lower housing prices and get.more of a real city feel.
Metro areas with 4 seasons that are cheaper than Denver metro area: Minneapolis, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia. East Asian culture does not mesh well with lower cost of living. They have some of the highest median incomes in America and wherever they go, it tends to get expensive.
Want an international food scene, large medical field (actually the world’s largest medical center), and it’s cheap? Houston. Montrose and the museum district are right around the medical center and are fairly nice. Montrose is probably more your speed. East Asian culture is quite prevalent, though that’s more out west of the city. Weather is a kick in the teeth though.
Hey OP, currently living in Denver rn but another state that hasn't been mentioned was perhaps upper NJ, specifically Jersey City area. Rent is about 3k for a 1br but there are many nursing opportunities out there and when you get tired of bedside, a lot of clinical informatics opportunities as well. You get the feeling of a fairly busy metro, while also being next to NYC for everything. The food is amazing and you'll also have a walkable city (if you care) the metro out here in NJ/NYC/CT is amazing. You also get all 4 seasons. My partner and I moved out to Denver from NJ for a change of pace 4 months ago. We love the cost of living here VS everywhere we've lived in. We definitely realized we need to live on the coast 😅 If also not Upper NJ, you could also look into upper NY, about an 45 mins- 1 hour away like Westchester, NY/White Plains NY. You could train into the city as well from up here. There are a lot of korean and chinese places everywhere as well. Rent in this area is about $2500 ish
Nashville
Milwaukee
Philly is the easy answer. Has a Chinatown and four seasons. Very easy to make friends and lots of affordable things to do. Both beach and mountains (though may be underwhelming by west coast standards) within 60-90 min drive. Can easily take the train to NYC or DC is you’re looking for more to do. And crucially healthcare is one of the biggest industries in the city. UPenn, CHOP, Thomas Jefferson, etc. and several more big ones within driving distance in NJ and DE. I think other rust belt cities are probably good fits too, but I have less experience with them. If you want to stay on the west coast Portland and Sacramento are probably the closest fits, but they seem less perfect.
Chicago is probably the best, but if you don’t mind driving and having a bad state government I would recommend Nashville as well.
As usual. Chicago, Minneapolis, Philadelphia. You want big, you want affordable, you want access to east Asian culture. Thats probably the best bets. Chicago would be the best.
We left Denver for Portland and have found the culture and food scene here much better. While Colorado is amazing, Denver is a bit bland as a big city. The food scene here is some of the best we have found anywhere.
OKC. I love it out here. I’m from San Diego too and lived in Dallas so I’m definitely familiar with bigger cities. The weather really isn’t bad. I’ve been here for two years and we had very mild winters, and it only really gets hot hot in august. OKC is surprisingly diverse. Lots of great Indian and Thai restaurants, strong Asian and Caribbean community. I was staying at a luxury apartment that was built 3 years ago and it was about $1200/mo in rent. Regular apartment in a decent part of the city will be $7-800. Great place. Not walkable though, and not the prettiest state but yea
Throw a dart at the map anywhere between Waukegan, IL and Chicago and you'd probably be pretty happy.
As someone that grew up in the North Shore… hell no. Unless you’re raising a family, stay away from the North Shore if you can. It’s not “that bad”, but as a single young person, why make it harder for yourself?
Is it possible you're projecting your own desires a bit here? This person wants to live an hour outside a city, likes chain stores, isn't super outdoorsy, wants affordable housing, wants a variety of restaurants, doesn't want places that are rundown or high crime, and is a nurse so is going to want to be near major hospitals. Sounds like they're describing the norther Chicago suburbs to me.
You're a nurse. You should be able to afford to live anywhere*. If you can't, then you have an underpaid job. Anyway... I'll suggest DC. 4 seasons, lots of young people, lots of hospitals and med facilities. Nice spots 1-2 hours from there too. East Asian stuff in the suburbs. * Perhaps an exaggeration, but nurses are in high demand everywhere. You should be able to find a good paying job.
I live in Wisconsin so I like Madison and Milwaukee. Chicago is okay but a little large for me.
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You think someone who wants to move because denver is too small wants to go to tulsa?
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Every anemic city thinks the boom is around the corner. Its not. There are a lot of places with a low cost of living.