Boulder Colorado; Nashville Tennesse, Palo Alto California (1 Viewer)

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So here's the deal.
I'm tired of living in and around the NYC area I think, and I want to move in a year plus/minus.

But, I haven't really been anywhere in the US other than up and down the east coast a bit, and pretty well everywhere else, other than Philadelphia, I have been looks shit. I asked around, and Boulder, Nashville and Palo Alto have been recommended as places to have a look at. The problem with Philadelphia is there is still too many people.

I dont want to give up and move back to Ireland just yet. There are some good points to living over in this place. Either way I'll probably stay around NYC for the next short while to gather up some cash.

But have any of yis been anywhere in the US that you would think about moving to?
What about Canada, I hear Vancouver is meant to be deadly. I could probably scam my way into Canada somehow.
Have any of you been those places listed above there?

The reason I want to move is there is too many people here. Its grand for a short while, but I'm getting a bit sick of it now.
Also, I might be having chislers at some point (mainly to be allowed post in the Thumped Dads thread) and I dont want them growing up around here.
Things we like :
Mountains, rivers, not millions of people and cars everywhere all the time, anyone who would vote for Barack Obama.

Things we dont like : Republicans. Scorching summers.


Basically I want to live somewhere I can have chickens.
 
At one time i would have gladly moved to San Francisco, Seattle or Boston. Las Vegas would get a look in too. Probably still would - I'd say it's a great place to raise kids.

On that note, this thread is moving to lifestyle.
 
I heard that Vancouver is great for animation,FX, and design work but shit for Music/bands/interestiing scene. Is this true?

Have you thought about Long Island? Its beautiful there, in parts.
 
I was in Boulder, Nashville and Palo Alto last year. Didn't see a whole lot of Nashville so can't comment too much there. Just that its small enough. I'd imagine one could get bored there.

Palo Alto I've been to quite a lot (cos of my job). It is a great spot. But its a student town really, and Palo Also only really consists (in terms of whats interesting and whats nice) of University Avenue and Stanford. Other than that, not a whole lot. And I certainly couldn't ever consider myself living there.

I was in Boulder for the first time in September, and have to say the place took my breath away. I was there for 4 days and want to go back (and bring my bike with me). No high rise. None of those big fuck-off chains like Starbucks or that. The chamber of commerce down there took a conscious decision to keep them shower out, and the place is definitely the better for it. The city lies at the foot of the Rockies and I'd imagine you'd never get bored exploring those.

Downsides to Boulder - I didn't really see this myself in the short space of time I was there, but I have a mate who lives there and when I spoke to him about the place he felt it was a little too small for his liking. He was considering moving down into Denver cos thats where he socialised mostly (Denver didn't impress me at all). He said the average age in Boulder is low 20s as its mostly populated by students. Its an expensive place to live. Property is through the roof, and rents are high enough also. Plus, its under snow for a good few months of the year.

I'd still live there though. I wouldn't live anywhere else in America except Boston or San Francisco (only place in California that I like really). But Boulder edges the vote for me.
 
Why do you want to move from NYC? Just out of interest.

And how did you manage to get your hands on a visa? Lucky bastard! :)

I spent a couple of years in Mountain View - just down the road from Palo Alto. Like scutter says, Palo Alto doesn't have a whole lot to offer. There's the university, the main street, the shopping center and thats about it. If I wanted to do something I'd always have to jump on the Caltrain up to San Francisco.

Would you not consider San Francisco? Its not such a big city - you don't get overwhelmed by the size of it and its easy to get around. Culturally, there is a lot going on there. The people are really laid back. The weather is great - 9 months of t-shirt weather and a nice dry heat - never humid. And if you wanted to get out of the city there are plenty of places to go hiking, mountain biking etc. Tahoe is just a few hours up the road for skiing.
 
So, I am not leaving NYC right this minute anyway. I bought a gaff here, and did it all up, so I am a little bit committed to being here in the short term.
But, I dont like it because a) its got too many people in it, b) to me its ugly, c) the traffic is ridiculous and d) its really loud.
These things stress me out.

I would like to live somewhere there isn't constant traffic and hordes of people.
I like country, and I can probably get a work from home type job. The other half is a maths teacher, and they are always in demand in the US it seems.

So I want somewhere that has easy access to rivers / mountains / ocean / woods. I also like space. I dont care about fancy restaurants or nights out that much. I get my kicks elsewhere. I do care about with whom and where my (potential) kids are growing up. And I care about making enough money to not be worried about having somewhere to live and stuff to eat. It would be nice to have a non-brain dead job.

I would give up some of he above, but in NYC i sort of give up all of them, although my job isn't brain dead.
I feel like I am paying this huge premium to be living somewhere I dont really want to be.


The problem is, when I look around the US (so far) the other places I see are either redneck and boring or also really densely populated.

I will have to look at San Fran.
Thanks for the replies guys. I will look around at stuff more online, and maybe ask some more specific questions to some of you... if thats cool.

How did I get the Visa?
Emm, I wrote some software that caught the eye of a big shot science guy here, he invited me over, we talked and he basically got me a job in a university. So, the Uni just did all the work, and got me my visa.... then I married my gf who is American. So, yeah, I can get a green card now.
 
How did I get the Visa?
Emm, I wrote some software that caught the eye of a big shot science guy here, he invited me over, we talked and he basically got me a job in a university. So, the Uni just did all the work, and got me my visa.... then I married my gf who is American. So, yeah, I can get a green card now.


Wow. Thats pretty impressive how you got the visa. Kudos!

I'd love to spend some time on the East coast. But the only way of getting a visa is to (a) get relocated there by your company (b) like you, catch the eye of a potential employer. And since I don't work for a company and have done nothing special, that rules me out of both.
 
If I were ready to move to a place in the US where I didn't want to be in a mid-sized city, I'd be in Portland, Maine. But even there, you're quite close to Boston, you're on the coast, spitting distance from just about any kind of nature you could ever want, and there's a good mix of people. Like, you get your bumpkins, but it's got enough of a population of broad-minded artsy folk that it wouldn't be totally stultifying.

And it's fucking beautiful. Plus, you could probably sell your NY gaff, buy a HUGE house in Portland and work half-time, living partly off what you'd make by trading a NY gaff for a Maine one.

Portsmouth, NH is also beautiful, but maybe a bit TOO small. Still, it's technically commutable to Boston.

All of New England (except Rhode Island which sux) is great to live in, and it's such a good mix of good cultural and urban centres and nature, but somehow, despite its compactness, you never really feel hemmed in. You can always escape the city easily, and you can live on less.

Portland, dude. We'll come and visit you. I'm still trying to convince a bunch of my favourite people to move there with me.
 
Humbolt, CA or Eureka, CA. Well laid back. Not too many shit-kickers. Good wine. Loads of outdoor stuff. Not too far from San Francisco.
 

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