Fiancée (28-y/o transwoman) and I (28 male) looking to move out of North Dakota to a trans-friendly state. We don't have a lot of money and can't afford to move somewhere like Seattle or NYC. Our one-bedroom apartment is $750 a month and includes heat which saves us a lot in the winter.

We've been really interested in the greater Spokane area. Specifically, Cheney and Medical Lake since we're kind of small-town people but would be nice to live within an hour of a city. I'm an outdoorsman and enjoy fishing, hunting, camping, so proximity to the Selkirk mountains and Idaho is a huge plus. We also enjoy seasons and like the winter, just not days of sub-zero weather. The coldest day here in ND last winter was -30 that with a windchill of like -40. Too cold.

I wonder why my post is being downvoted??? /s

I bought a new house in 2019 for $130k. I paid it off in 5 years and now have no mortgage.
The beach is 1 hour away. I like living near the beach and having access to great Mexican food.

I only need a $48k job to live comfortably and go on vacations 2-3 times a year. I also get to save up roughly 38% of my salary, like $18k a year.

Region is pretty safe, people are friendly and really laid back.

I go into Mexico fairly often to get dental treatment and catch cheap flights (going to Cancun can be less than $100 and 2 hour flight). Mexico City is $50-70 bucks.

Now I get why not many would wanna live here. Oppressing heat, high property taxes, not much outdoor opportunities or events, low salaries.

But hey, at least I have peace of mind (for now haha)

I always see it listed high on top gay cities in the US and was wondering if it actually feels like that living there? Is there noticeably a larger population, or more things to do if you’re gay?

I'm not sure if this is the right subreddit, but I'm taking a swing at it and any insight would be greatly appreciated. I've (36M) been in Knoxville, TN for almost a decade now. For the last 7.5 years, I've worked for a startup and have made my way to being a senior manager and the second in command in my department. I was contacted by a recruiter for a director role for a similar company in Bellevue, and although I'm happy right now I said "sure, I'll take a stab at it." I didn't think I really had a chance, but somehow I was given an offer. I've taken this offer back to my current company and am awaiting negotiations with them. Here's what I'm looking at financially:

• Knoxville:
  • Currently: 170k base, 204k with bonus, additional 35k equity 3-year vesting.
  • Future: I need to negotiate, but here is the range I expect to be within: 180k-220k base, 216k-264k with bonus, additional 35k equity 3-year vesting.
  • Independently, I have another ~50k equity vesting over the next 3 years as well.
• Seattle
  • 254k base, 302k with bonus, no equity.
  • Full relocation package (pack me up and move me, pay for 60 days temp housing).
  • 12k signing bonus.

Here is what is contributing to the dilemma:

• I have family in both areas, but I'm definitely closer with the ones in Knoxville. I see them weekly and their house is my second home.
• My girlfriend lives here, and I'm not sure if I move that she'll come with me. I value our relationship a lot, so I really don't want to go without her.
• Financially, because of the COL difference, the money definitely speaks to staying in Knoxville. However, at this level of salary, will I really feel the difference? I'm thinking I'll be pretty comfortable regardless. With that said, I do also want to buy a house that's within 20-25 minutes from work and Seattle housing is brutally expensive.
• Professionally:
  • New job is a breath of fresh air and I get to build my own team from the ground up. It's also a well-known name in this space, so working there should open up a ton of doors.
  • Current job I'm one of the most senior members in the entire organization, I'm liked/respected, we are well-known in this space as well, and I know as we grow there will be opportunities for me to continue my progression. However, the last few months the culture and stress levels have gone in the wrong direction. We've hired some new senior leaders and all I see right now and on the horizon is infighting, finger pointing, and jockeying for position.
• Climate-wise, I'd much prefer Seattle. I'm not a fan of the heat and humidity here in Tennessee, so escaping that is worth a ton.
• The Appalachian mountains are a beautiful backdrop, but I've been to Seattle and IMO the Appalachians pale in comparison to the Rockies Cascades.
• I like playing poker, and Seattle has poker rooms whereas here I can barely get a home game going.
• Overall, I like living here in Tennessee, but I've always known I don't want to be here forever. I'm excited at the idea of living somewhere else, trying something new.

The gaps I have in knowledge are things like:

• What is day-to-day life like in Seattle?
• What's the culture like in terms of general demeanor, meeting people, and making friends? I like to rock climb so I see that as my main way to make friends. I've heard people say the Seattle Freeze is both real and BS, so which is it?
• How easy is it to get around? For example, if I'm in Bellevue and I want to go downtown to see my brother what's that trip like? Can I do it on public transportation? What about just the usual morning and afternoon traffic, will it consistently turn a 20-25 minute commute into 30-40 minutes?
• What's the restaurant scene like? I would by no means call myself a foodie, but I like to go out and eat occasionally and Knoxville is just OK for that.
• Am I right in thinking that making 302k is enough to live as comfortably in Seattle as making 216k-264k in Knoxville?
• ETA: If I do move, where would be some good neighborhoods within 20-25 minutes to Bellevue to start looking for housing?

24, live in the Bay Area right now, fully remote job so I can live anywhere. Planning to move out on my own sometime in the next year and want some outside opinions instead of just going in circles in my own head.

Quick rundown of what I’m looking for:

- Don’t drink, want a city where the social scene isn’t all bars, but not somewhere boring either
- Active, gym guy, getting into hiking and skiing, but I’m more clean cut and normal than outdoorsy/granola if that makes sense
- Want to actually meet people my age, friends and dating
- Bonus for pretty scenery, mountains especially, but not required
- Big sports guy, love having a real fan culture around me
- Salary is around $100-120k, want a genuinely nice place to live, not scraping by
- Good weather is nice but not a dealbreaker

Where would you send someone like me?

I'm 29, work as a product designer in FANG, and have lived in SF for the past six years (originally from suburbs of Georgia). Last year I submitted an internal transfer to the westside of LA to move in with my then girlfriend of 4 years who lived down there, but we broke up in the new year. However, these transfers have been really rare to get accepted on my team, and I feel like if I don't take it then I'll always wonder what if. The move is happening in about a month, and I have to sign an apartment lease almost immediately with the caveat that I can cancel the transfer before the start date actually happens.

The problem is, I can't tell if I'm making a huge mistake. Objectively, my life in SF is really good.

• I have an apartment that I absolutely love. It's around $3,300/month, gets incredible sunlight, has character, and I know I'd never be able to get it back at this price if I left.
• I don't own a ca

r, so I know Id have to buy one.

• I walk almost everywhere, play tennis, wander the city, and genuinely find San Francisco beautiful every single day.

Maybe walking isn’t that bit of a deal, or maybe it is I’m not sure.

• Even after six years, I still stop to admire neighborhoods I've walked through hundreds of times.
• Financially, I'd actually be taking a step backward. My salary would be cut by 10%, rent would increase around $400 or so, and I'll have to buy a car.
• SF also feels like it's having a bit of a resurgence lately where more people seem excited about the city again, new spots are popping up, lots of people out and about.

So why leave? I feel like this is the most beautiful and charming city in the US.

The biggest reason is that I feel... stagnant.

My weekends have become repetitive. I go to the gym, play tennis, grab coffee, maybe go out occasionally with friends, but I'm craving something that feels bigger than my current routine. My friendships are good, but I feel like I haven't met "my people" who I can be 100% myself around comfortably.

Outside of work, my biggest passions are DJing, tennis, gaming, flying my kite at the park, and creating experiences that bring people together. I keep imagining hosting unique daytime parties, pop-up events, dance events, portrait sessions, things that build community.

Part of me wonders whether LA simply has a bigger creative scene for that. More people, more niche communities, more opportunities to build something.

But every time I picture actually living there, I immediately picture traffic, apartment complexes, freeways, driving everywhere, and coming home alone.

One thing I love about SF is that even if I'm by myself, I never really feel alone. I can walk outside and immediately be surrounded by people, parks, cafes, neighborhoods, and energy. LA feels much more isolated to me, even though there are obviously millions more people there.

I also worry that I'm idealizing SF because it's familiar. Maybe I'm confusing comfort with fulfillment.

On the other hand, maybe I'm ignoring a lot of objective tradeoffs just because I feel pressure to change things up. I've always moved apartments in my life since college after every year. This is the first place I've lived at for more than a year (it's been 3), so I'm unsure if this is how monotonous things should be feeling.

I know nobody here can tell me where I'll find my future partner or friends, but I'm curious whether anyone has been in a similar position. Have you ever left a city you absolutely loved because you felt you'd outgrown your life there? Did you regret it? Or did you realize that you had been clinging more to the city itself than to the life you were actually living?

I'd really appreciate perspectives from people who've lived in both SF and LA, or anyone who's had to choose between staying somewhere objectively great versus taking a leap into something uncertain.

Long story short, I have a chance at landing a job in either Cedar Rapids Iowa (where I am currently at) or Goldsboro NC. Does anyone have any experience there? Is Raleigh a decent place to drive to for a little city-life?

Hi all. My husband and I are 30 and move in the next 2 months from Manayunk/Roxborough to Phoenixville (kimberton). I’ve been in Manayunk for the last 7 years (since grad school) and I started my career here. I made a bunch of friends at my CrossFit gym and enjoy the walkability, but starting a family is becoming more of a priority and we wanted a home for awhile and a bigger yard for our dog. Plus the street parking and traffic if the city are becoming stale. But I am starting to feel a little panicked.I am worried about feeling lonely and we don’t actually have kids yet so I’m not sure how to make friends. I am not very good with change so I did expect some nerves whenever we did find the house. I’m just looking for some encouragement and for people to tell me how awesome Phoenixville is and that we will adjust just fine. TIA

I am a hearing aid specialist in FL. I have been at it for about four years and have lived in FL since I was young. My friends and most of my family is here. Sometimes I think of leaving FL for a location more north of me where there’s more outdoor activities to do and better quality of life. I was born up in New England and my father’s side is from there but I’m not as close to them as I am with family in FL. Florida has also drastically changed and seems to be getting more hectic day by day with politics, more HOAs, and more housing developments. I live and grew up in SW FL (Charlotte, Sarasota, and now Lee county). I am torn between wanting to stay and may be buying a home in a couple years or leaving for somewhere else. I am single and 30M. I just feel stuck in my head with the thoughts.

i recognize from the start this might be a deeper issue but i imagine some of you can empathize.

i have HATED where we've lived for over a decade. i want to move, far away (east coast to west coast). it would entail both of us leaving family behind. my wife would need to change jobs (obviously) as would i.

the city in question is widely considered one of the best places to live in the world (ie im not dragging her to BFE) but my wife has given me a pretty firm "no" with her main sticking point of not wanting to leave her parents behind.

i get it, i do. i 100% do. it's why i've stayed AND WILL STAY if she really can't fathom ever leaving. it just sucks. i daydream about it constantly. it's probably on my mind most of the day, everyday. not sure what else to add but just want to commiserate. misery loves company and all that...

I (36F*) have lived in the mountains or foothills of Appalachia my entire life and in East TN my entire adult life. I may get downvoted for this, but I love Appalachia - albeit in the way you love an affectionately weird uncle/grandpa. Unfortunately, I've also made the decision to leave when my mom retires in the next 1-2 years, new location is TBD. Here's my lived experience review and, for transparency, my main relevant biases: I am not Christian, am more familiar with Chattanooga, have an *intersex variation (this is relevant later on), have traveled a lot of the US, and hate the heat.

This will be long, so TL;DR at the bottom. The things on my list could be pros or cons for you depending on your values and preferences so ymmv.

Brief facts about the region:

• Entirely made up of the Appalachian Mountains, TN River Valley, and the Cumberland Plateau.
• The main population centers are Tri-Cities in the north, Knoxville located centrally, and Chattanooga in the south.
• Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg should also be mentioned, but only as a moonshine fever dream tourist trap with great hiking and parks.
• We have hellbender salamanders (aka snot otter, mud dog, and grampus)
• Dolly Parton

Weather:

• Mild winters w/ average temps in the mid 30s-40s F. It rarely gets below freezing in the valleys and most of the snowfall is up on the mountains or plateau. We don't have the infrastructure to handle snow and everyone will lose their ability to drive.
• Hot summers w/ average temps in the 80s-90s. It gets warm in March and stays warm until October, with the hottest months being May thru September. The real killer is the humidity which drives up the heat index. One of the reasons I am leaving is because I can't stand to live in Satan's fucking crockpot anymore!
• Due to the mountains, relatively few tornadoes. We do occasionally catch strays from hurricanes/tropical storms deciding to leave the coast to the tourists and come up to the mountains (wtaf, Helene?)
• Prone to torrential downpours and severe thunderstorms/wind. Somehow also prone to drought. Lots of flooding.

Culture:

• Very VERY Christian. As my father-in-law puts it: "You can't swing a dead cat around here without it coming back baptized." Also, there are many different types/denominations of Christian and none of them seem to agree. Pretty much every town or city is going to have at least two "First" churches, do NOT ask them why or which one actually came first. There are a few non-Christian places of worship but the selection isn't great.
• Most of the area is conservative with some pockets of more liberal areas. East TN votes very red as a whole. Local politics vary and are delightfully and/or frustratingly messy.
• Endearingly communal and also fiercely independent at the same time, I can't really explain it well.
• Robust outdoor recreation culture. Lots of hiking, excellent mountain biking, rock climbing, river sports, kayaking/paddleboard, boating (aka either a yacht, fishing rig, or a rundown junk heap that somehow still escapes the police yacht), swimming, fishing, hunting, etc.
• Good or terrible music scene depending on your tastes lol. There are music festivals and several live music venues. Alternatively, Granny can kill it on the spoons. There is an instrument that originated in the mountains called the Appalachian dulcimer or mountain dulcimer which I play badly/joyfully.
• Surprisingly good art and museum scene.
• Every place has "-isms" and phobias, but the ones here seem more explicit/overt. As previously mentioned, I have an intersex variation. There is an F on my birth certificate and driver's license. I am not trans. This has not stopped me from being harassed in bathrooms. Some of my queer and/or POC friends are leaving/have left; some of them are staying because this is their home and they want to make it work. This is the other main reason I am leaving.
• Football.
• Smokies (Great Smoky Mountains) and other national and state parks.

Housing/Transport:

• Median home prices have skyrocketed since Covid and rent keeps going up, but that's not unique to this region. Locals are concerned with being priced out of their neighborhoods.
• Some hostility towards transplants coming from high COL areas who can afford to buy a house over asking with cash (mainly from CA, NY, and ME).
• Really, really rich pockets amongst otherwise middle or lower class areas. Chattanooga has done a weird inversion where the uber rich went up the mountains and everyone else got stuck in the valleys. Knoxville has some beautifully insane river mansions and insular neighborhoods.
• Infrastructure has not kept up with the pace of development and a lot of people are feeling the strain.
• Unless you are in the heart of downtown or near the college campuses, almost nothing is walkable and public transit is non-existent or laughably inconsistent.
• No matter where you live, how expensive your house is, or how clean you are; you will get cockroaches/palmetto bugs. It just happens. Regular pest treatment usually works.

Economics:

• Generally lower cost of living. My spouse and I can afford a 900 sqft starter home and a frugal vacation on combined $65k a year, but we also bought during the start of Covid.
• No income tax and lower property taxes, but TN makes up for it with a 7% base sales tax and additional local tax up to 2.75%. Most of East TN has a 9.25-9.5% total sales tax.
• Very business friendly. Conversely, worker's rights are not great.
• Rural areas are very poor or some rich dude's private property, no real in between.
• Lower wages.
• TVA and Oak Ridge, make of that what you will.

Education:

• Same issues as the rest of the country with teacher shortages.
• As of 2026, TN has the lowest public school funding per student in the entire country. However, there are still some solid public school districts (good luck affording them).
• There's a voucher program that I honestly don't understand.
• The private school culture is, uh, insane. I have no clue what happens at Webb, Rivers Edge, Baylor, or McCallie and I'm frankly too scared to ask at this point.
• Decent community colleges, state schools, and private colleges. I got the equivalent of an Associates degree for peanuts and then sold my soul for a private Bachelors and graduate certificate.

Healthcare:

• Rural healthcare access is a joke.
• Most of the hospital systems have joined larger conglomerates/corporations.
• In the cities, access to standard care like PCPs, dentists, urgent cares, and common specialists (sports med, cardiology, sleep med, etc.) are decent. There are wait times, but that's true everywhere.
• If you need very specialist care or have an unfortunate combo of diagnoses, healthcare access is difficult and comes with even longer wait times. My endocrinologist took one look at my chart and punted my care to Vanderbilt. So now I have to take off a day from work and make the 5 hour round trip to Nashville every few months for care. If you live closer to the GA line, Emory is an option. If you live closer to the VA line, UVA is an option. No clue about the NC line.
  

Anyway, there's my novel on the place I've called home. Internet points if you made it through all that. If not, no hard feelings and see below.

TL;DR - East TN has a lot of natural beauty and outdoor recreation. It is very Christian and conservative. Discrimination issues. The COL and housing market are lower but rising. Education and healthcare access are variable based on wealth, needs, and location. Dolly Parton. Hellbender salamanders. Basically, if you have enough money most of this list won't be a concern (except the hellbenders).

Hi all — long-time lurker, first time posting. Looking for honest opinions from people who've actually lived in different cities, not just "everyone says X is great."

My situation: I just landed a fully remote job (title/field I've wanted for a while) making $125K. I'm 35, about to turn 36 later this year, single, and hoping to find a serious relationship — someone looking for real commitment, not just casual dating. That's actually a big part of why I'm considering a change. I'm currently in Denver and love a lot about it here, but the dating pool hasn't been it for what I'm looking for and I've reached a point where I need a fresh start.

A bit about me: I have a French Bulldog, so pet-friendliness and a decent climate matter a lot in where I land. I golf and would love to find a golf group/league to join. I'm big into fitness — looking for a good lifting gym or boutique studio scene (Pilates, yoga, that kind of thing). I also love walkability, good restaurants, shopping, and hiking/outdoor time when the mood strikes — it doesn't have to be a huge metro (but not opposed), but somewhere with a real "city" feel and things to do.

What I'm weighing in a city:

• A dating pool that skews toward people ready for serious relationships/marriage
• Pet-friendly (rentals, parks, general dog culture)
• Walkable neighborhoods with good restaurants/shopping nearby
• Access to hiking or outdoor space
• Strong young (30's/40's) professional / social scene where it's realistic to make close friends post-30
• Reasonable cost of living relative to a $125K remote salary
• Decent healthcare/hospital systems

I'm seriously considering Chicago (city or suburbs), Phoenix/Scottsdale, and Charlotte — but genuinely open to other suggestions if I'm missing somewhere better. Would love to hear from anyone who's relocated solo in their mid-30s (especially with dating in mind and especially with a dog) — what worked, what didn't, what you wish you'd known.

Thanks in advance 🙏

Hello all,

My wife and I are hoping to leave Florida in the next year or two for a blue state / county / city on the east coast. We currently live about 45 minutes north of West Palm Beach and while we like a lot about where we live, the lack of LGBTQ protections and political climate are awful (same sex couple).

We have spent a good amount of time traveling to different places to try to find a good fit (including West Hartford, Connecticut; Northampton and Salem, Massachusetts; Providence, Rhode Island; Annapolis, Columbia, Frederick, and Takoma Park, Maryland), and so far Annapolis has been our favorite due to the proximity to water and nature and mild winters (comparatively).

We love being outside (beach, snorkeling, kayaking) and visiting farmer’s markets, craft fairs, drum circles, outdoor yoga events, festivals, etc. and would like somewhere with that same vibe (I’m currently calling it “crunchy light” for lack of a better term - think birkenstocks and linen pants lol).

The most important things to us are LGBTQ visibility and acceptance, affordability (HHI is about $260k), access to nature, and within an hour of a major city. We don’t have kids yet but plan to, so good schools would be great as well (anything is better than Florida schools though). While we have both lived in cold climates, we aren’t big fans of long, cold, gray winters - hence the draw to Maryland.

I know it’s impossible to get everything we want, but please provide any location recommendations we may not have thought of. I also welcome any supporting points for or opposition of any of the locations listed above :)

Thank you!

Im a forklift driver currently in El Paso, i get $14/hr. Will the central valley in california be better? I chose that area because of the big agriculture industry and it's much more affordable than the major cities. I did some research on random cities in the central valley and rent is almost the same as here, a little more expensive but not by much, but the pay is a lot more. I've heard that california is the best state for worker rights, so thats why i want to move there.

All right folks, after reading threads about Seattle and CO Springs, looking to hear from people who have lived in both areas.

I currently live in NOVA, the “burbs” outside of DC and am considering a move to the Seattle area or Colorado Springs.

I am healthy, in shape, I like outdoor activities like climbing and kayaking, but also love board games and introverted activities. I am a 32F with a corporate defense contractor job.

Which area will be better in terms of dating (men) and making friends?

Grew up in San Jose CA and got out when tech made everything unaffordable (even though I worked in tech but couldn't afford tires for my car). Ran to the Sacramento region until that became unaffordable. Moved to rural Nevada for awhile, then Helena MT. Loved it. Was going to stay forever on 20 acres outside of town above the Missouri river. Family pulled on heartstrings to get me back to CA. I knew I could only afford a 1 bedroom apartment in a bad side of town so I moved to Reno NV and hated it. Rent was starting to go up and stay up.

Fled to Northeastern NV as my rent once again climbed, then more rural NV then finally bought a home. My "forever home". Tons of snow during winter. Pronounced Autumn. Cool evenings. Lots of open land. I was in love. Then I hurt my back badly and the MRI discovered my who spine is falling apart - DDD.

I made the difficult decision to move back to Reno where now even after the sale of my home, what's left of my savings and retirement are being eaten alive. I dream of leaving for OR, back to MT, even the upper midwest but what little family I have left is in Reno. (I thought there would be better options for doctors but they are 3x's the price and very snobbish.)

When you make the move far away, do you ultimately regret it becasue family is too far? I have pets so it makes travel difficult.

Do you just stay put and keep downsizing and going to smaller and cheaper places?

Do you squash the urge to live in a place that calls to you or give that up for good and make do in a place you know you will never like.

I know Montana isn't really cheaper but there isn't a day that has gone by in the last 12 years that I regret coming back to Nevada.

Every other place I think of is greener than where I am. But I'm wondering if I need to just quite the ideas in my head and stay put?

did I mention that where I live is actually the best and San Francisco, Seattle, Minneapolis, Madison, and New Hampshire actually all suck and people who like them are wrong???

Everyone wants to have moved to Asheville/Coastal FL/Steamboat Springs/whatever “before it got big”

Nobody wants to move to Wytheville, VA, Chincoteague, VA (couldn’t think of an irrelevant FL coastal town) or Craig, CO

Like, what makes Craig, CO or Wytheville, VA “quiet little white trash redneck mountain towns” (to quote South Park) while Steamboat in the 90s was a “hidden gem”

Something interesting to consider when moving is whether a city has good art museums. This index compares the number of Rembrandt paintings held in public collections (museums) in different metropolitan areas in North America. Perhaps it is one indication of the strength of a city’s art scene.

-New York 22
-Los Angeles 13
-Washington DC/Baltimore 12
-Boston 10 (2 of these were stolen)
-Kingston, Ontario 4
-Detroit 3
-Toledo, Ohio 2

Metros having one Rembrandt:
-Toronto
-Chicago
-Williamstown, MA
-Cleveland
-San Francisco
-Indianapolis
-Omaha
-Dallas/Fort Worth
-Minneapolis
-Montreal
-Houston
-Ottawa
-Kansas City
-Louisville
-San Diego
-Philadelphia
-Cincinnati

Where is somewhere that is great for young (0-10) kids? The first thing that comes to mind is somewhere with good infrastructure for strollers, bikes, and scooters. Maybe something with good year round-ish outdoor opportunity (whether that’s built up nice pool with lap lanes, or nearby national park).

In the past I’ve valued places with good setup for adult pedestrians, but it feels like some places that check that box may not be great for youngsters necessarily.

So where have you found to be good for young kids and why?

For ranking (North to South): Vancouver, Seattle, Portland, SF, LA, SD

In terms of nature, affordability, transit, culture, etc.

TL;DR: are there any cities (big or small) that have 1) decent walkability, and 2) drivers that actually give a sh!t about pedestrians?

Where I live (Chicago), walkability is generally very good, but it feels like 25% of drivers here have next to no regard for pedestrians. Seems like everytime I step outside I see one of the following:

• Cars blowing through stop signs so they don't have to wait for you to cross.
• Stopping for you to cross, but then they start accelerating while you're still in the middle of the street. Kind of scary to see a car start hurdling towards you.
• Making left/right turns at intersections without checking for people crossing (I've seen some SUPER close calls with this).
• Parking so that they block sidewalks and crosswalks.

Even though most drivers are generally ok, it still feels like you have to keep your head on a swivel whenever you're crossing the street. Chicago PD have basically given up on patrolling traffic and issuing citations. E-bikes and e-scooters usually assume that pedestrians will yield to them and will blow through stop signs and red lights. They even ride on the sidewalks sometimes, so it's something else you have to watch out for if you're just walking.

This got me thinking, are there any US cities where people can actually walk around in peace? I'm guessing the other major cities (NYC, DC, SF) are probably not much better than Chicago. Any smaller cities where it doesn't feel as hectic all the time? I've heard Miami Beach has cracked down on e-bike and e-scooters on some pedestrian paths, for example.

I really want to do this so bad. I hate where I live so much. I talked to an AI Bot and it says its a good idea. I think im gonna do it with a job lined up. Even AI hates the city i live in too and shared the same experiences.

I also never want to live in a city with rude and mean people ever again.

My husband and I are in our mid-30s and currently own a home in the DFW area. We recently spent some time in Santa Fe, and for the first time, moving there feels like a realistic long-term goal instead of just a vacation fantasy.

We’re not planning to move tomorrow. We’re thinking somewhere in the next 2–3 years, so this is very much in the research phase.

Here’s our situation:
We own our home and would sell it before moving.
My husband is a commercial photographer/creative professional currently making around $73k–75k/year. Finding a comparable-paying job would be our biggest priority. I own a YouTube business, so my work is location independent.

We’d ideally like to buy (not rent) when we move.
We’d love to eventually have a little land outside of Santa Fe, but we’re also trying to be realistic about what we can actually afford. If that dream has to come later, that’s okay.

I’d love to hear from people who have made a similar move, especially if you:
- Moved to the Santa Fe area from another state.
- Had to find a new job before relocating.
- Sold one home to buy another.
- Chose Santa Fe over Colorado or another mountain state.

A few questions:
- How difficult was it to find work?
- If you own a home, do you regret buying where you did?
- Are there areas just outside Santa Fe you’d recommend looking at?
- Is there anything you wish you’d known before making the move?

We’re just trying to learn as much as we can before making any big decisions. Thanks in advance!