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dcmacdaddy · Feb 23, 2009, 09:59 PM

I am looking to re-locate somewhere else in the country. So, I set up a new blog just to host a survey and get
feedback on my possible choices from the world at large. I would appreciate some of your input into my choice.
The blog can be found here (Help Me Find A Place To Live). Feel free to comment here or over on the blog site.

Thanks!

The locations I am considering are as follows.

Burlington, VT
Boston, MA
Buffalo, NY
Chicago, IL
Cleveland, OH
Duluth, MN
Madison, WI
Milwaukee, WI
Someplace Else

hyteckit · Feb 23, 2009, 10:15 PM

How about Canada?

dcmacdaddy · Feb 23, 2009, 10:22 PM

Originally Posted by hyteckit

How about Canada?

I've looked into it and getting work permits and/or residency permits seem difficult at best. I loved Halifax when I visited there in 2001 but I am not sure I want to pack up and move to another country just yet. If I did want to do that, I would probably try Ireland first.

gumby5647 · Feb 23, 2009, 10:23 PM

I'd suggest Omaha

http://www.city-data.com/city/Omaha-Nebraska.html

Railroader · Feb 23, 2009, 10:30 PM

Originally Posted by dcmacdaddy

I am looking to re-locate somewhere else in the country. So, I set up a new blog just to host a survey and get
feedback on my possible choices from the world at large. I would appreciate some of your input into my choice.
The blog can be found here (Help Me Find A Place To Live). Feel free to comment here or over on the blog site.

Thanks!

The locations I am considering are as follows.

Burlington, VT
Boston, MA
Buffalo, NY
Chicago, IL
Cleveland, OH
Duluth, MN
Madison, WI
Milwaukee, WI
Someplace Else

The only place I might pick would be Madison. Even then... ewww.

Those are not good choices.

Someplaces else = Seattle, San Diego, Austin, TX, Traverse City, MI,

SpaceMonkey · Feb 23, 2009, 10:31 PM

Seriously, I have all of the Upstate NY pride in the world, but I would not suggest that anyone move to Buffalo.

hyteckit · Feb 23, 2009, 10:37 PM

Denver, CO

Housing market is still good. Job market is still good. Skiing is good. Lots of nature. You get to enjoy all the seasons. They are into exercising and eating healthy as well. So I'm sure there's Trader Joe's or the equivalent.

And they have:

Fairly liberal/progressive community with a local art/music/theatre scene
[I want to patronise local coffee shops, bistros, cafés with a funky home-grown
flair and NOT some chain store shop selling the same stuff as everywhere else

They are not into chain stores.

macsareawesome123 · Feb 23, 2009, 10:37 PM

Some questions you should answer for all of us are:

What kind of weather do you like? or accustomed too?

What kind of weather would you be willing to be around?

What you like about Brooklyn, What you don't like about Brooklyn?

What your looking for in a city?

PS: My favorite city in the world is seattle. I had to leave home to find that out. I live in Providence, RI right now and it is a beautiful city. I just moved here from boston. Both places are uncomfortably cold, so I look forward to moving back to the west coast.

Look forward to helping you decide!

subego · Feb 23, 2009, 10:39 PM

Chicago's awesome, but the weather sucks pretty hard.

dcmacdaddy · Feb 23, 2009, 10:44 PM

All my criteria for what makes a place desirable to me can be found at the blog I linked to. And a handy, PollDaddy poll is right there for you to make a selection. So, check out the blog (Help Me Find A Place To Live).

NOTE: I have already submitted the blog link to the blog search engines at both Google and Yahoo and to Reddit. (No, I would never submit it to Digg. Blecchhh!) If you can think of any other places where I could submit this site to get feedback I would be much obliged.

Captain Obvious · Feb 23, 2009, 10:54 PM

Originally Posted by subego

Chicago's awesome, but the weather sucks pretty hard.

You did see Duluth, Madison, and Buffalo on his list?
We're right on the dip of the jetstream. Our weather is a hell of a lot better than those places.

subego · Feb 23, 2009, 11:05 PM

Originally Posted by Captain Obvious

Our weather is a hell of a lot better than those places.

Proud of You™

macsareawesome123 · Feb 23, 2009, 11:06 PM

OK I enjoyed your blog and believe you should choose to live somewhere on the westcoast, prefferably seattle or the bay area. 3-4 seasons in both places.

The reason why I think you should move to the westcoast is:
camping opportunities
more trader joes less star market
A lot of nice parks to take your dog too.
chance to see a different westcoast lifestyle
a chance to enjoy being outside year round
See snow on your terms

macforray · Feb 23, 2009, 11:20 PM

Originally Posted by SpaceMonkey

Seriously, I have all of the Upstate NY pride in the world, but I would not suggest that anyone move to Buffalo.

I second that. I'm near Syracuse and have been most of my life. If I were to pick an upstate city I would pick Rochester.

I don't think I'm sticking around here forever. Three out of four seasons are great. the fourth one sucks.

Shaddim · Feb 23, 2009, 11:38 PM

Durham, NC.

shifuimam · Feb 23, 2009, 11:46 PM

Indianapolis. It's within driving distance of Chicago and Cincinnati and whatever city in Kentucky shares a river with Cincy, cost of living is butt cheap compared to most metro areas, and it's not the sh!thole the Internet tries to make it out to be.

I've lived there my whole life, and have absolutely loved it. It's ridiculous to live in a city where housing is four or five times as expensive, just for a little extra glamour. I'd rather spend a week vacationing in a place like San Francisco or New York than actually live there, TBH. Indianapolis has plenty of stuff to do if you're interested in more than clubbing and constantly going to expensive events to pass the time.

Stay away from Cleveland...everyone I know from there says it's a complete dump. You'd be better off living in the suburbs of Cincinnati if you're interested in Ohio.

If you don't like butt cold weather and twelve feet of snow in the winter, stay far away from Minnesota. It just depends on what you're looking for.

Cold Warrior · Feb 23, 2009, 11:51 PM

You don't appear to be interested in the South. Charlotte, NC, is nice though and would have your four seasons with some snow too. Atlanta is a hole; don't even consider it.

dcmacdaddy · Feb 24, 2009, 12:44 AM

Originally Posted by SpaceMonkey

Seriously, I have all of the Upstate NY pride in the world, but I would not suggest that anyone move to Buffalo.

Originally Posted by macforray

I second that. I'm near Syracuse and have been most of my life. If I were to pick an upstate city I would pick Rochester.

I don't think I'm sticking around here forever. Three out of four seasons are great. the fourth one sucks.

Yeah, I am just east of Syracuse in De Witt--Didn't we have this conversation already--so I know about the upstate winters. Of course, I just came back from a 45-minute walk in 14F with a windchill of about 2F so I might not be the best one to critique a place on how cold and snowy it gets.

I included Buffalo because I lived there for two years in the late 1980s during my first attempt at college. I liked that it had a small-town feel while still being a big city. I know it is depressed economically--and from what I have read, gotten worse in the last few years--but I always enjoyed my time there and liked to visit.

I am leaning more towards Burlington, Vermont or Madison, Wisconsin. Both places get a lot of snow--I want there to be snow on the ground from Thanksgiving to Easter so I can snowshoe pretty much every weekend--and have a small college-town vibe to them. I have a friend who grew up in Wisconsin and she is quite keen on Madison. I grew up in both Ithaca (home to Cornell University and Ithaca College) and Albany (living one street away from the uptown campus of SUNY Albany) so I am familiar with the plusses and minuses of life in a college town. Overall I tend to like the vibe that comes from a college town.

And some of you may scoff but Cleveland has a lot going for it relative to other Rust-Belt cities like Erie, PA or Detroit. But that is a third-tier choice on my list.

dcmacdaddy · Feb 24, 2009, 12:46 AM

Originally Posted by shifuimam

If you don't like butt cold weather and twelve feet of snow in the winter, stay far away from Minnesota. It just depends on what you're looking for.

Look one post up. I am one of those weirdos who likes "butt cold weather and twelve feet of snow in the winter".

SpaceMonkey · Feb 24, 2009, 12:53 AM

Originally Posted by dcmacdaddy

Yeah, I am just east of Syracuse in De Witt--Didn't we have this conversation already--so I know about the upstate winters. Of course, I just came back from a 45-minute walk in 14F with a windchill of about 2F so I might not be the best one to critique a place on how cold and snowy it gets.

I included Buffalo because I lived there for two years in the late 1980s during my first attempt at college. I liked that it had a small-town feel while still being a big city. I know it is depressed economically--and from what I have read, gotten worse in the last few years--but I always enjoyed my time there and liked to visit.

I am leaning more towards Burlington, Vermont or Madison, Wisconsin. Both places get a lot of snow--I want there to be snow on the ground from Thanksgiving to Easter so I can snowshoe pretty much every weekend--and have a small college-town vibe to them. I have a friend who grew up in Wisconsin and she is quite keen on Madison. I grew up in both Ithaca (home to Cornell University and Ithaca College) and Albany (living one street away from the uptown campus of SUNY Albany) so I am familiar with the plusses and minuses of life in a college town. Overall I tend to like the vibe that comes from a college town.

Fair enough. I also grew up in Ithaca. My impression of Buffalo (secondhand so take it for what it's worth) is that even the public sector is going downhill, so I don't know how much of the vibe is there that you are looking for.

goMac · Feb 24, 2009, 02:21 AM

Not the midwest.

Edit: Actually, Portland fully fits your criteria. God knows we have Trader Joes coming out our ears. Normally we don't have full seasons, but that seems to be changing. We got dumped with a lot of snow this winter. Not midwest lots of snow, but we had about a foot on the ground for a while. The only catch is no one here in the northwest knows how to deal with snow, so when it happens, the city can shut down for weeks.

sdilley14 · Feb 24, 2009, 02:38 AM

Madison FTW!

sdilley14 · Feb 24, 2009, 02:41 AM

Or Middleton, WI, which is a nice suburb of Madison. I believe it was number one on one of those "best places to live in America" polls done by CNN a while back.

Paco500 · Feb 24, 2009, 03:22 AM

Originally Posted by dcmacdaddy

I am leaning more towards Burlington, Vermont or Madison, Wisconsin.

Madison has got ca$h. Could be interesting.

Railroader · 08:43 AM

Originally Posted by dcmacdaddy

All my criteria for what makes a place desirable to me can be found at the blog I linked to. And a handy, PollDaddy poll is right there for you to make a selection. So, check out the blog (Help Me Find A Place To Live).

NOTE: I have already submitted the blog link to the blog search engines at both Google and Yahoo and to Reddit. (No, I would never submit it to Digg. Blecchhh!) If you can think of any other places where I could submit this site to get feedback I would be much obliged.

Never mind then. I didn't realize this thread was about driving traffic to your blog. Personally, I would consider this thread spam.

Big Mac · Feb 24, 2009, 08:46 AM

It's a good thing I can't see the original three posts. . . .

Cold Warrior · Feb 24, 2009, 09:13 AM

At least Burlington VT will be near Middlebury. Great school, beautiful campus. I was there years ago.

dcmacdaddy · Feb 24, 2009, 09:31 AM

Originally Posted by Railroader

Never mind then. I didn't realize this thread was about driving traffic to your blog. Personally, I would consider this thread spam.

Nope. Not about driving traffic to my blog. (Thanks for the smarmy reply, though.) It's about getting feedback from a wide variety of users to help me make an informed decision. As I said to a friend in an e-mail,

"I have put the power on the intarweb to work for me.
I have created a blog to solicit input from the web on
some options for where I should live. I submitted the
link to the blog search engines at both Google and
Yahoo and to the Reddit news aggregator site.

In addition, I have posted this request on a web-chat
forum for which I am a long-time (8+ years) member.
I hope this gets picked up by Google and/or Yahoo. I
think the collective power of the web would be useful
in getting feedback on my quest for a new place to live."

I have received quite a bit of quality feedback from MacNN'ers, here in this thread, on my blog, and via e-mail. And I am much obliged to all those members who took the time to provide useful and meaningful replies.

PS: If you checked my profile you would realize this is not my personal blog. Hence, why I said in my original post, "I set up a new blog". This blog will consolidate all the feedback I get in one location and help me better make an informed decision. I am in the process of copying all the (useful and informative) replies from this thread into the blog so I have all my feedback in one easily accessible location.

dcmacdaddy · Feb 24, 2009, 09:34 AM

Originally Posted by Big Mac

It's a good thing I can't see the original three posts. . . .

Could be the hampstor acting up again. I was having problems late last night and this morning getting entire pages to load.
Yes. I know this is your sarcastic way of saying you have me on ignore--You must feel great thumping your chest like this for all to see--but I thought I would play along with you just to humor you. Ta!

dcmacdaddy · Feb 24, 2009, 09:35 AM

Originally Posted by Paco500

Madison has got ca$h. Could be interesting.

Ha! If I move to Madison I'll be sure to buy a giant SUV and never, ever, ever use my turn signals. If I do that, he will find me eventually.

Doofy · Feb 24, 2009, 09:36 AM

I reckon it's time you got out of the States, D.

So here ya go, found a nice apartment for you:
http://www.montecarlo-realestate.com...de+monaco.html

dcmacdaddy · Feb 24, 2009, 09:46 AM

Originally Posted by Doofy

I reckon it's time you got out of the States, D.

So here ya go, found a nice apartment for you:
Real Estate Monaco Monte-Carlo - LA PLUS BELLE VUE DE MONACO

HA! Thanks. Although, the glamourous rock-star lifestyle is not really my cuppa.
I really am a mountains and winter kind of guy. This is more my style.
Swiss Chalets - Barboleuse Switzerland

sdilley14 · Feb 24, 2009, 10:03 AM

http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2007/...mag/index.html

dcmacdaddy · Feb 24, 2009, 10:16 AM

Originally Posted by sdilley14

http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2007/...mag/index.html

Cool. Thanks for the link.

My only concern would be this from the listing "On the downside, winter is tough, and there's not great ethnic diversity." I am okay with tough winters but definitely want a bit of ethnic and cultural diversity. If nothing else for the increased likelihood of getting decent ethnic food. Although, after looking at Google Maps, Middleton is not that far from Madison, so I could go into Madison for my food fix.

On a side note, I might take a trip out to Wisconsin in late March to check out things. If I do I might PM you and some of the other Wisconsinites on here for a possible meet-up.

Dakar V · Feb 24, 2009, 10:23 AM

Originally Posted by Big Mac

It's a good thing I can't see the original three posts. . . .

I know you can see one of them, since they were quoted.

dcmacdaddy · Feb 24, 2009, 10:25 AM

Originally Posted by Dakar V

I know you can see one of them, since they were quoted.

Maybe he can't "see" any of Railroader's posts as well.

Railroader · Feb 24, 2009, 10:28 AM

My reply was the fourth post.

Dakar V · Feb 24, 2009, 10:29 AM

Originally Posted by Railroader

My reply was the fourth post.

Yes, and?

Railroader · Feb 24, 2009, 10:29 AM

Originally Posted by dcmacdaddy

Nope. Not about driving traffic to my blog. (Thanks for the smarmy reply, though.) It's about getting feedback from a wide variety of users to help me make an informed decision. As I said to a friend in an e-mail,

"I have put the power on the intarweb to work for me.
I have created a blog to solicit input from the web on
some options for where I should live. I submitted the
link to the blog search engines at both Google and
Yahoo and to the Reddit news aggregator site.

In addition, I have posted this request on a web-chat
forum for which I am a long-time (8+ years) member.
I hope this gets picked up by Google and/or Yahoo. I
think the collective power of the web would be useful
in getting feedback on my quest for a new place to live."

I have received quite a bit of quality feedback from MacNN'ers, here in this thread, on my blog, and via e-mail. And I am much obliged to all those members who took the time to provide useful and meaningful replies.

PS: If you checked my profile you would realize this is not my personal blog. Hence, why I said in my original post, "I set up a new blog". This blog will consolidate all the feedback I get in one location and help me better make an informed decision. I am in the process of copying all the (useful and informative) replies from this thread into the blog so I have all my feedback in one easily accessible location.

So, you took all the time to say that but not your reasons here? Sounds like you were trying to drive traffic somewhere. That is spam.

Railroader · Feb 24, 2009, 10:30 AM

Originally Posted by Dakar V

Yes, and?

He said he couldn't see the first three.

Dakar V · Feb 24, 2009, 10:31 AM

Originally Posted by Railroader

He said he couldn't see the first three.

You quoted the first post. Therefore, he can see it.

dcmacdaddy · 10:43 AM

Originally Posted by Railroader

So, you took all the time to say that but not your reasons here? Sounds like you were trying to drive traffic somewhere. That is spam.

Man, you really are a dick, aren't you?
Don't worry. I reported myself already. I'll let you all know when I get my infraction points.

Railroader · Feb 24, 2009, 10:43 AM

Originally Posted by dcmacdaddy

Man, you really are a dick, aren't you?
Don't worry. I reported myself already. I'll let you all know when I get my infraction points.

I am not the one resorting to name calling.

Don't worry. I didn't plan on reporting you for calling me a "dick". Just for starting a spam thread.

Railroader · Feb 24, 2009, 10:44 AM

Originally Posted by Dakar V

You quoted the first post. Therefore, he can see it.

Burn.

d4nth3m4n · Feb 24, 2009, 10:45 AM

dude, come back to ithaca. hang out with me.

d4nth3m4n · Feb 24, 2009, 10:46 AM

Originally Posted by SpaceMonkey

Fair enough. I also grew up in Ithaca. My impression of Buffalo (secondhand so take it for what it's worth) is that even the public sector is going downhill, so I don't know how much of the vibe is there that you are looking for.

wait, really? i graduated from ACS in '98. who are you?

Dakar V · Feb 24, 2009, 10:46 AM

Originally Posted by Railroader

Burn.

So, between this and the dog turd comment in the cigar thread, are you having a bad week or something?

dcmacdaddy · Feb 24, 2009, 10:56 AM

Originally Posted by d4nth3m4n

dude, come back to ithaca. hang out with me.

Ahhh . . . good old Ithaca. Who described it as "the place where clouds go to die"?

Nah, It was a nice place to live as a kid and teenager but not the place for me to live as an adult. But I should come for a visit. I've been living in Syracuse since June 2008 and have only been down to Ithaca once (for the Apple Festival last September).

Doofy · Feb 24, 2009, 11:01 AM

sdilley14 · Feb 24, 2009, 11:11 AM

Originally Posted by dcmacdaddy

Cool. Thanks for the link.

My only concern would be this from the listing "On the downside, winter is tough, and there's not great ethnic diversity." I am okay with tough winters but definitely want a bit of ethnic and cultural diversity. If nothing else for the increased likelihood of getting decent ethnic food. Although, after looking at Google Maps, Middleton is not that far from Madison, so I could go into Madison for my food fix.

On a side note, I might take a trip out to Wisconsin in late March to check out things. If I do I might PM you and some of the other Wisconsinites on here for a possible meet-up.

Middleton itself isn't greatly diverse, but the city pretty much pours over into Madison, which of course is pretty diverse in its own right. And if you dig the vibe of college towns, you'd really like Madison. And one of my favorite parts; all of the bars (and I believe restaurants) in Madison are smoke free!

Yeah, if you're ever in the area let me know. I live in La Crosse, WI, which is about 1.5-2 hours from Madison, but I make trips to Madison once or twice a month. Good times!