Not meaning to talk smack, to each his own, but I am surprised at the number of Dallas votes. I've been in the DFW area for five years and can't wait to get out. I have really enjoyed time spent in: - Nashville (live music lover's dream) - Melbourne, FL (small town feel near nice beaches) - Richmond, VA (class 4 rapids running through downtown)
Dean, I meant only from the standpoint of physical beauty, in no way factoring in the social part of the equation. I also qualified it by saying it is the most beautiful in my experience. I'm guessing some parts of Canada or Alaska might be just as tremendous. As for the political aspects, I agree it can be a little over-the-top liberal. I don't care for the junkies and the transient horde on the streets in Portland, either. I love the environment (in a Ducks Unlimited sort of way), but am revolted by the eco-terrorists who exist there -- not cool. However, although I'm politically conservative, I'm probably a little more tolerant of a lot of artsy-fartsy liberal types. I just think it makes for a good cultural mix.
Nashville is a good suggestion. Cool town. What about Knoxville? Its on the river, not too big, not too small. Might be pretty cool. Anyone have the scoop on K-Town.
Knoxville seems pretty "industrial" to me, kinda like St. Louis. Now, Oak Ridge is a nice town. I'm still trying to figure out how someone put KC and St. Louis on the same list. To me, those places are like night and day. I hate St. Louis.
All I have ever heard from relatives who live in Nashville and Knoxville is gawd I wish we could move. It's so freakin boring here...nothing to do anywhere. Again, they have been there for decades... After all, it really comes down to weather. After you have lived somewhere for 4 or 5 fives years, you've already seen and done everything there is to do. Just like here in KC. How many times can I go downtown or to the plaza before it gets really dull. The summer's are awesome and the winter sucks major donkey....go figure
No offense, but what is "awesome" about 95 frigging degrees, no rain, and humidity? I would take today over that!
Seattle, Washington Portland, Oregon Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina Chicago, Illinois Tulsa, Oklahoma
BTW, I'll add Dean's entry of Asheville, NC to my runner-up list. Great place! A little small town for my personal taste, but beautiful setting, and the people in NC seem to be a bit friendlier than SC.
I love Omaha. Couldn't really ever picture myself living there just because I would get bored pretty easily. But its a great place to vacation and spend a few days at the CWS. Downtown area is extremely nice.
big red- i agree that portland is the most beautiful city in america. the green, with the cascades and mt. hood just can't be matched. colorado can't touch oregon as far as beauty goes. (western oregon, that is). the only place i've been that is more beautiful is western b.c. in canada. the drive up the pacific coast from vancouver to whistler is unreal. the contrast of snow-capped mountains, green forests, and the pacific ocean are like no other place i've ever been. i hadn't hear that joke, by the way...it's a good one. c&c- i think you're being a little harsh. although portland definitely has a liberal/eclectic feel, by no means is it as bad as you say. sure, you can find eco-terrorosts, but you can find right-wing freaks that like to shoot up abortion clinics in oklahoma, it doesn't seem to ruin the sooner state. people that extreme are disliked here, too. plus, i've lived here 8 years and don't know any...and i'm a "liberal" to boot!!! sounds like you've spent some time up here, at least. if you're ever up here, be sure to let me know. i have a hunch we'd get along over a brew much better than you might think.
I never knew OKC was this large. I came across this the other day: http://www.demographia.com/db-uscity98.htm I guess it's the small town feel here. Still, kind of boring, and very blah in the winter time. OKC has more people than: Atlanta Miami Pittsburgh Kansas City, MO Oakland St Louis Notice all these cities have NFL teams? ...not like I want one here, though.
In fairness, those cities have more populous suburbs. But most people are surprised when they find out OKC has 1.2 million people in its MSA. The problem with this town is the incorporated area. It's ridiculous. Look at the area on that chart and compare it to any of the other major cities. THAT's why this doesn't feel like a big city.
to really gauge the size of a city, you have to include the metro area. the city limits are measured so differently from place to place, it's deceiving.
I'll limit myself to places I've actually lived. Best place to live is Seattle, about 20 years ago. It sucks now. Too many people, and real estate prices are laugh-out-loud silly, and so are the residents. Pretentious, crowded, overpriced, and commercialized to the point where you can't seem to find a "real" piece of city anywhere. Boston's an interesting place to live. However, you could make all your own water by buying hydrogen and burning it, and you'd probably save over what you pay for sewer fees in Beantown. Also gotta love a city that's actually going to *remove* an artery (I don't care whether they've built the Big Dig, that city has waaaaay too much traffic to be even considering removing any roadways) The T is great -- just don't ever plan on doing anything later than 10:00 p.m. No better way to encourage responsibility than to have a public transportation system that shuts down before the bars do. Minneapolis kicks butt, if you can tolerate the winters. Best schools in the country, great people, etc. The winters are a wee bit harsh, of course. I'm awful fond of Baton Rouge, but I can't recommend it to anyone because I don't know what they're looking for out of a city. Let's just say that it *really* works for me. Might work for you, might not. Stay far, far away from Charlottesville, Virginia. It's like the fifth circle of hell, only more rich people watching steeple chases. Oh, and more traffic. Yellow Springs, Ohio is nice, in a Rod Serling sort of way. Just don't drink the water. Oh, and you can visit the Stoops' hometown easily from here -- Youngstown is just down the road. Be sure and get at least one meal at Youngs Dairy. It rocks. Hmm. Think that's about it. Also lived in New York city and some hick spot in Mississippi, but both were too brief for me to offer any advice. Plus, I was four months old when I moved away from New York
You'll be pleased to know that on February 7th, the freeway construction of 114 from the Southlake/Grapevine border to Westlake will be complete. BTW, here are my Top cities: 1. DFW - For obvious reasons. I've lived here for 21 of my 27 years of existence on this planet. 2. San Antonio - To echo what JK said. Despite all the touristy attraction SA has, I've always thought of the Alamo City as a city with a small town feel, kind of like OKC. 3. Denver - Close to the Rockies. huge airport. Major sports town. 4. Northern California (SF/SJ/Oak) - Great place to visit, but you've got to have some serious dough to live there. And like C&C said, don't leave home without your American Communist card, especially if you're going to live in Santa Cruz. 5. Portland - My wife and I went up to Portland on our honeymoon. Weather was awesome and like somebody else said, it's a jewel. But like C&C said, it's a liberal haven. And my bottom city: 1. Buffalo - The city that smells 24/7. The first time I visited was back in 2000 and the only thing I remember about the city was the stench. Best thing about Buffalo is Niagara Falls and Toronto.
For those looking at AZ... Scottsdale is extremely expensive. It's almost completely built out, and what new houses there are start at $500K and up. We live in Cave Creek, five minutes from north Scottsdale and probably $100K less or more. We'd do anything to live back in OK. The heat out here is bearable after a few years, but COL is pretty high and both jobs and people are pretty transitory. We've had tons of friends move back home as soon as they get out here.
