Support NeoGAF

[DorkLord54]

Grand Rapids, MI at #13 is a HUGE LOL.

No. NO.

I'll move out of the state before I move to GR. Don't know why they have such a haughty attitude towards Detroit there when statistics show more people would rather live with a bunch of professional crooks in D.C. than with Cruz's roadies (or in Michigan in general)

 

[darkazcura]

I feel like desirability shouldn't be included in this for more objective rankings. I say this because the top 5 seems to have pretty mediocre-above average job market scores, and it seems like the really high desirability scores are scewing the results a bit. If I wanted to see a list of 'best places to live,' IMO, I wouldn't want a score based on whether people from other areas want to move there or not scewing the results. In general, though, I really like how in depth they seem to go. Nice!

 

[phanphare]

There's a beer brewed an hour or so west of Raleigh called Red Oak that I absolutely LOVE. I wish you could get it over in the Smoky Mountains area but its only really available in the Greensboro and Raleigh areas. Awesome beer.

the beer scene in NC really is incredible

if any of yall haven't been to wicked weed in asheville take a trip. they've probably still got coolcumber on tap for the summer which is delicious. they've also got a basement section just for sours and they are all great. I've literally never had a beer there that was less than damn good and some that are the best I've had in its particular style (their farmhouse ale with fig comes to mind).

 

[brau]

I thought Portland OR was at least on the top 10 from all the comments i ever heard before making the move here.

 

[diehard]

Some of the criteria is weird.. Denver is basically #1 because people want to move there.

People wanting to move someplace doesn't .. actually make that place better to live in.

 

[Raven117]

I wonder if Evilore knew this before he settled to Austin Texas

Suspicious

Is Austin really that great? What say you Gaf

It was before about 2010. That's when the occupation started.

As for the Dallas haters, Dallas is quietly becoming much cooler (ie the resurgence of Deep Ellum and Bishop Arts).

Houston will always be the more international of the cities due to oil. Yes, it has diversified, but oil and gas is still the heart and soul of that town.

 

[Goro Majima]

Representing # 3 on the list - Northwest Arkansas. I moved here less than a year ago and I absolutely love it. The cost of living is low, the surrounding Ozark mountains are gorgeous (the greenery is seriously something to behold), the job market is great, traffic is rarely a problem, and people are usually well-educated thanks to the University of Arkansas and the corporate HQ of Walmart being located here.

I have family outside of Colorado Springs that I visit often and I love it there too. As a North Carolina transplant here in Northwest Arkansas, Colorado, and some places back home are probably the only places I'd be willing to move to.

Edit: I'd move back to DC as well if a good job opportunity presented itself when my kids are older.

NW Arkansas is really nice if you are a fan of fall. My girlfriend and I made a trip from Lubbock to Bentonville then on to Eureka Springs last Halloween to check out some fall foliage. Spent a whole day at Crystal Bridges Museum and walking around trails. Talked about how it would probably be a nice place to live. Definitely less conservative than Lubbock!

All this love for NWA is making me homesick.

A major negative to NWA is being 25+ and single. It's a barren wasteland for dating past a certain age. I have too many friends back home that are hopelessly single and its partially because the dating pool is very limited unless you're okay with single moms being the norm. This partially has to do with the fact that people in that area get married and have kids in their early 20s which is really young compared to most metropolitan areas where women may wait until their late 20s/early 30s.

If you're already married and looking to start a life and a family, the area is really amazing however.

 

[Vex_]

A link to the full list and article, and more details if you click on the specific city.



Top 25 (out of 100):

15) Charlotte, NC

Maybe just a little bit lower please? Like so low it is off the list?

 

[tiggerkiddo]

Ugh its bad enough here in Denver with housing rates rising at an insane rent. Gonna move out to somewhere more affordable. Nice city though

 

[Grover Cleveland]

Maybe just a little bit lower please? Like so low it is off the list?

Why?

 

[gatti-man]

Let's be real unless you're pretty wealthy or work from home living in Austin sucks. The traffic problem this city has is beyond terrible. We have no major public transport and the public transport we do have is borderline unusable. We also just threw uber and Lyft out.

Austin has a bunch of cool things to do. Too bad I don't do most of it because traffic scares me away. I've lived here for 23 years. This city is in terrible shape at the moment and it's only going to get worse traffic wise. Gentrification has completely taken over central east and west side of Austin. It's not the city it was even 10 years ago.

I mean I love my home value doubling over the past 7 years but please if you are thinking about moving here. Do yourself a favor and live close to work/work from home.

It was before about 2010. That's when the occupation started.

As for the Dallas haters, Dallas is quietly becoming much cooler (ie the resurgence of Deep Ellum and Bishop Arts).

Houston will always be the more international of the cities due to oil. Yes, it has diversified, but oil and gas is still the heart and soul of that town.

Dallas is great if you like BIG cities. I really like visiting Dallas. And their sports car/motorcycle scene is far superior to austins. Houstons humidity (for me) is exasperating. I could never live there. I debate moving to SA or Dallas all the time. Austin is becoming a nuisance.

 

[AngmarsKing701]

Durham isn't nearly the cultural epicenter that Raleigh is. Especially when you have neighboring Cary and Apex on the rise.

And Holly Springs, where I am. Durham is going through a revitalization built around the Performing Arts Centre. It's not nearly as much of a mess as it was even five years ago.

 

[LegendofJoe]

All this love for NWA is making me homesick.

A major negative to NWA is being 25+ and single. It's a barren wasteland for dating past a certain age. I have too many friends back home that are hopelessly single and its partially because the dating pool is very limited unless you're okay with single moms being the norm. This partially has to do with the fact that people in that area get married and have kids in their early 20s which is really young compared to most metropolitan areas where women may wait until their late 20s/early 30s.

If you're already married and looking to start a life and a family, the area is really amazing however.

You could always move back when you find someone worth settling down with. Find a cool house that they love, buy it as a surprise, and then say you have to marry me now. It worked for Bill Clinton.

 

[Ripenen]

Austin is great except horrible traffic and severe allergies.

 

[hom3land]

the beer scene in NC really is incredible

if any of yall haven't been to wicked weed in asheville take a trip. they've probably still got coolcumber on tap for the summer which is delicious. they've also got a basement section just for sours and they are all great. I've literally never had a beer there that was less than damn good and some that are the best I've had in its particular style (their farmhouse ale with fig comes to mind).

Looking forward to trying them when they come to beericana!


http://www.beericana.com/breweries/

 

[God Dayumm]

25) Harrisburg, PA

I call Bullshit.

 

[Secret Character]

The presence of the military increases rent prices higher than they otherwise would be. Hampton Roads in Virginia has the same problem. But you're right, rent prices are still great compared to a lot of places like DC, San Fran, NY, etc.

This.

For those unaware, there are 4 military installations in Colorado Springs. We have the Air Force Academy to the north, Schriever Air Force Base to the east, Ft. Carson to the South, and the ever famous NORAD literally in the mountains to the west. The city is a huge military hub and it's a mess for certain things.

Rent is getting high all over town. My old apartment, which was a very small studio, is now going for almost $700/mo. I fear moving from my current living situation because it's very inexpensive compared to other places in town.

Jobs are rough here. The majority of the high paying jobs in the city are military contracts. Many of those require some kind of clearance in order to be eligible. Employers that have these kind of jobs would rather hire somebody fresh out of the military that already has one than have to pay for a new employee to get one. It's the reason my current IT job is paying significantly less than the national average.

Now, if you think these things are bad enough, you have to factor in that there are a very high number of people who are coming here for the legal weed. You literally can't drive a few blocks in this damn city without seeing another dispensary. It's making entry level jobs harder to find, it's causing the vagrant population to explode, and the benefits of the extra tax revenue isn't really being seen. Chalk that up to a city government who is incredibly conservative and would bend over backwards to please the US Olympic HQ than do anything to address the actual needs of the city.

Gah, I could go on forever about this damn town. I hate it here. The only reason I'm even here still is because of family obligations.

 

[Rur0ni]

I do enjoy San Jose (10). Rents are insane, but I'll have to endure.

 

[Vex_]

Why?

1. Place is boring as shit. If you aren't really into drinking or smoking (bars) that immediately cuts out 90% of the city's worth.

2. Attitudes. This is a big one. For some reason (maybe it's the humid ass weather here) people have this contagious attitude problem here. Doesn't matter where you go.

3. Job market is horrible. All positions are always filled except for the worst ones (call centers aka sweatshops). Glad I'm no longer in that situation where I have to look for work. Because, fuck.

4. All of the sports teams are horrible. All of them. The panthers are just really good at getting close, and failing. There are no champions in NC.

5. Charlotte has a lot of traffic, for seemingly no reason. I've been in more populated cities with better traffic. Charlotte needs better roads (more lanes or something).

6. Building on 5: if you do not have a car, and you need to get around. You're as good as done. Rarely is anything within walking distance. There are no "corner stores". There's no "I'm gonna run to the store real quick." No. YOURE DONE. You WILL ride the bus. You WILL drive. There are no subways, no nothing. "Get a car, or you arent getting very far."

7. Building on 6. Because everyone needs to "drive to survive" in that shithole of a city, you get a lot of drivers that shouldn't actually be driving. Thus, you get idiots on the road. Why is it so hard to stay within your own lane? Do people there not know how to drive straight? OH AND DONT GET ME STARTED ON HOW THEY DRIVE IN INCLEMENT WEATHER. As soon as any snow or ice starts to build up (even if it's not much or just on the side somewhere), just stay inside and call out from work. Unless you want to die.

+Only great thing about Charlotte is the cost of housing. You can save a ton of money and live pretty well. They also maintain what little roads they have well (in comparison to say, NYC) because they can't afford to let them go or Charlotte will literally shutdown.


Tldr; assholes, and asshole drivers. Wait. Where was I going with this?

 

[Aeriscloud]

Harrisburg? Have they even seen the closed Arcelor Mittal plants. Source: I've been there dozens of times

Anything in close proximity to Steelton should be automatically disqualified.

Camp Hill is alright though.

 

[Macam]

San Diego being that high is bullshit. Place is racist as fuck if you go to the outer edges of it.

This is pretty much the case in every major city.

 

[victreeb3l]

NYC should be 1-10 so this list is bunk.

That said if I had to move out I'd probably pick Seattle. Love the city and the state is full of incredible nature.

 

[WhiteWaterM00se]

Harrisburg is a complete joke. I live there.

Very high taxes, high under employment, higher crime rate, ridiculous parking fees, your buying absolute garbage in the housing market here.

I personally don't feel it belongs on the list.

 

[WhiteWaterM00se]

I call Bullshit.

I second that.

 

[Lord Morairty007]

Happy to see Denver number 1. Even though I live in citie's suburb where rent is not that bad. But Living in the city limits in Denver is expensive.

 

[phanphare]

Looking forward to trying them when they come to beericana!


http://www.beericana.com/breweries/

man, that's a good looking list of breweries. I can also recommend Bird Song and Olde Mecklenburg. Bird Song does your typical modern craft brew stuff but Olde Mecklenburg does traditional German style beers. they're really good. the copper is the most popular but all their stuff is good. Bird Song will almost assuredly have their jalapeno pale ale and that thing is just delicious. good stuff.

 

[hom3land]

man, that's a good looking list of breweries. I can also recommend Bird Song and Olde Mecklenburg. Bird Song does your typical modern craft brew stuff but Olde Mecklenburg does traditional German style beers. they're really good. the copper is the most popular but all their stuff is good. Bird Song will almost assuredly have their jalapeno pale ale and that thing is just delicious. good stuff.

Are you from Asheville? My wife heard someone at work that said she had heard that you could go tubing in asheville and stop at breweries as you go down the river. Have you heard of this? I know you can bring beer with you.. But the idea of visiting breweries as we make our way down the river sounds awesome.

 

[phanphare]

Are you from Asheville? My wife heard someone at work that said she had heard that you could go tubing in asheville and stop at breweries as you go down the river. Have you heard of this? I know you can bring beer with you.. But the idea of visiting breweries as we make our way down the river sounds awesome.

nah I'm in charlotte. haven't heard of that but it sounds awesome.

::snip::

well this is certainly a post. agree about the traffic though. also if you think charlotte is boring you might want to look inward. it's a big city. you can do pretty much whatever you want. also as far as sports, it ain't all about them rings man. lighten up. hornets games are fun, panthers games are fun. hell, knights games can be fun and I hate baseball. the checkers are cool too.

 

[WhiteWaterM00se]

You know, I've lived all over for my job. Coast to coast, north to south. You could pick any Couple of places that probably should be on the list: Fargo, Sioux Falls, Anchorage, Madison, Overland Park, Traverse City, A few places along the Redneck Rivera, Charlottesville, Greenville SC, Knoxville, Indianapolis, Cincinnati metro area, Ann Arbor, Portland ME, Salt Lake City, Burlington, just to name a few.

More than Harrisburg, DC and a few others.

 

[hom3land]

nah I'm in charlotte. haven't heard of that but it sounds awesome.

Headed to Charlotte for a preseason Panthers game in 2 weeks. Any taprooms in walking distance from the stadium?

 

[phanphare]

Headed to Charlotte for a preseason Panthers game in 2 weeks. Any taprooms in walking distance from the stadium?

the game against the patriots? I think I'm going to that one actually.

there are some good spots in south end I believe but that might be stretching the walking distance aspect. most restaurants nowadays have a decent beer selection with at least a few local brews on tap so if you just pop your head in somewhere you should be able to find something solid. I know the Unknown Brewing Co. is down the street from the stadium but I've only had one of their beers so I don't know how solid they are overall. also the stadium has some good local stuff on tap. it's more expensive but it's cool that it's in there. I think NoDa usually has like 4 or 5 different beers on tap in there.

 

[Nathan_Drake]

Charleston is #19. Take that #20+

High five. ok I am cheap and live and work in Summerville but same thing ha


and Charleston is also not a big city.

 

[Grover Cleveland]

the game against the patriots? I think I'm going to that one actually.

there are some good spots in south end I believe but that might be stretching the walking distance aspect. most restaurants nowadays have a decent beer selection with at least a few local brews on tap so if you just pop your head in somewhere you should be able to find something solid. I know the Unknown Brewing Co. is down the street from the stadium but I've only had one of their beers so I don't know how solid they are overall. also the stadium has some good local stuff on tap. it's more expensive but it's cool that it's in there. I think NoDa usually has like 4 or 5 different beers on tap in there.

Yeah the only true "taprooms" I know that are in walking distance of the stadium are Duckworth's on Tryon and 7th and Craft Tasting Room which is right beside Unknown.

But yeah, it's like you said, pretty much any restaurant/bar in the area is going to have the local hits: Olde Meck, Heist, NoDa, and Birdsong among the NoDa breweries, and then Triple C, Sycamore, Unknown, Lenny Boy from South End.

 

[Izayoi]

Representing Seattle! It's a beautiful place!

Unless you're trying to buy a house in the city, in which case maybe not so much.

 

[God Dayumm]

Harrisburg is a complete joke. I live there.

Very high taxes, high under employment, higher crime rate, ridiculous parking fees, your buying absolute garbage in the housing market here.

I personally don't feel it belongs on the list.

And some of that would be tolerable if we were talking about a large booming city with lots of nightlife and culture and things to do. I like Harrisburg for what it is, but I don't see it ranking high in the desirability index. The city has potential but it is still far from being a "best place to live"

NYC should be 1-10 so this list is bunk.

That said if I had to move out I'd probably pick Seattle. Love the city and the state is full of incredible nature.

I could see NYC being left out of this list because it is not an affordable city, it has shady places, it has dirty places. But then I see San Francisco there, lmao

 

[Vex_]

nah I'm in charlotte. haven't heard of that but it sounds awesome.



well this is certainly a post. agree about the traffic though. also if you think charlotte is boring you might want to look inward. it's a big city. you can do pretty much whatever you want. also as far as sports, it ain't all about them rings man. lighten up. hornets games are fun, panthers games are fun. hell, knights games can be fun and I hate baseball. the checkers are cool too.

Panthers already lost and the season hasn't even started yet! Like, wtf? They are ass. Checkers games are actually p cool.

Another thing about Charlotte is because it is a southern city, there is no shortage of good food.

 

[kagamin]

Within the top 25 isn't bad I guess.

 

[Head of Vengarl]

North County San Diego should be #1 on that list. Best weather and coastline in the country. I'd move there in a heartbeat if I didn't work for my family business.

 

[hom3land]

the game against the patriots? I think I'm going to that one actually.

there are some good spots in south end I believe but that might be stretching the walking distance aspect. most restaurants nowadays have a decent beer selection with at least a few local brews on tap so if you just pop your head in somewhere you should be able to find something solid. I know the Unknown Brewing Co. is down the street from the stadium but I've only had one of their beers so I don't know how solid they are overall. also the stadium has some good local stuff on tap. it's more expensive but it's cool that it's in there. I think NoDa usually has like 4 or 5 different beers on tap in there.

Yea coming with 2 other Boston transplants to see baby goat Garoppolo.

 

[phanphare]

Panthers already lost and the season hasn't even started yet! Like, wtf? They are ass. Checkers games are actually p cool.

Another thing about Charlotte is because it is a southern city, there is no shortage of good food.

dude, it's preseason football. who cares?

Yea coming with 2 other Boston transplants to see baby goat Garoppolo.

I chuckled

 

[Mental Atrophy]

Lived in Denver for several years and loved it there. I just missed trees--otherwise I'd probably still be there.

 

[Andrew Korenchkin]

Tucson is one of the worst places to live in the US (PS, Catalina Foothills is not part of Tucson). I don't know why the fuck it's even on this list.

No Scottsdale? Fuck this list.

Boise, Idaho, though. Very underrated from what I can tell zipping through map quest. It might be a good place for me to live.

 

[GhostBed]

This list is very reassuring as I'm moving to CO next year. Woohoo!

 

[Intheflorsh]

Fucking how could Toledo even make the list? Also, Indianapolis is way higher than I would expect.

 

[Pastry]

Let's be real unless you're pretty wealthy or work from home living in Austin sucks. The traffic problem this city has is beyond terrible. We have no major public transport and the public transport we do have is borderline unusable. We also just threw uber and Lyft out.

Austin has a bunch of cool things to do. Too bad I don't do most of it because traffic scares me away. I've lived here for 23 years. This city is in terrible shape at the moment and it's only going to get worse traffic wise. Gentrification has completely taken over central east and west side of Austin. It's not the city it was even 10 years ago.

I mean I love my home value doubling over the past 7 years but please if you are thinking about moving here. Do yourself a favor and live close to work/work from home.



Dallas is great if you like BIG cities. I really like visiting Dallas. And their sports car/motorcycle scene is far superior to austins. Houstons humidity (for me) is exasperating. I could never live there. I debate moving to SA or Dallas all the time. Austin is becoming a nuisance.

I enjoy SA. Ten or fifteen years ago I would have told you that the city was boring but a lot has changed. As long as you live near the inner core it's a fun place. Outside the inner loop is just boring suburbs though.

 

[NYCmetsfan]

Oh man people really hate NYC. Like, bringing it up in this thread for no reason kind of hate. It's a real nice place to live if you've got it all figured out

People hate the best

If you can't make it here....

 

[Huge Succeeded]

Lancaster, PA at 54? Hmm...

I mean, if you like heroin and meth, Lancaster is the place for you tho

 

[hom3land]

Lancaster, PA at 54? Hmm...

I mean, if you like heroin and meth, Lancaster is the place for you tho

That seems to be a growing demographic...

 

[Googly Eyes Dog]

The elitism within New York is unparalleled with any other city in the world. If this thread is any indication, New York City may as well be down the road from Heaven; a mecca of culture, advancement, and importance. Every other city must bow down to it's greatness. No other collective populous of people come close.

All these silly flyover states - who need them? They don't matter. They may as well not exist. If you were not born and raised in New York, you are sub-human and do not deserve to live. Truly the greatest city on Earth. Never mind the 55 thousand homeless people. The insanely expensive rent that only the economic elite can afford. The filth and pollution. The overcrowded traffic scene. No, no - clearly this city is the singularity of human perfection, and nothing comes close.

For a city that has voted Democratic for the last 7 (seven) presidential elections, they sure have a bone to pick with lower-income folks. New York - home of Wall Street - you think would be a liberal's nightmare. A wet-dream of capitalism run amok, where the wealthy few hide away in their luxury penthouses while the unfortunate starve on the streets. How progressive.

And then lists like these come out and they act all smug.

Ha ha yeah this list sucks *avoid stepping on dead rat* those flyovers have no culture *strategically dodges several homeless families* why do they all complain this place is so expensive lol *collects inheritance check from great grandfather* not everything's even expensive I mean just look at this three dollar slice pizza *bites into cardboard with ketchup poured onto it*

 

[hurricanes]

Oh man people really hate NYC. Like, bringing it up in this thread for no reason kind of hate. It's a real nice place to live if you've got it all figured out

NYC is dirty trashland with constant construction noises everywhere. But food is unmatched in any other eastern city.
And againt the norm I like my time in NJ (Millburn township) quite a bit. It is a clean and quiet place with friendly neighbors and stellar schools if you have kids. And it is an hour drive into Manhattan.

Edit: In D.C. now, not feeling the No. 8 greatness.