The 10 Best U.S. Cities to Live and Work

[Spion]

Madison, WI - spent two weeks there last year. Yes, it's liberal, it's a college town, it's very safe, everyone's very polite, but in many many ways it's as dull as ditchwater, and if you like good scenery, forget it - endless cornfields, no hills above about 200m for hundreds of miles

Washington DC - I spent a few days there once and enjoyed it, but I get the impression it's a city of contrasts and is in a huge conurbation. It's a strange inclusion, IMO, as all the other cities seem like smallish ones that tick all the boxes for a safe family life

 

[upsidedownwalrus]

Yeah I heard that in parts, DC was the roughest place in the USA

 

[doddles]

Madison, WI - spent two weeks there last year. Yes, it's liberal, it's a college town, it's very safe, everyone's very polite, but in many many ways it's as dull as ditchwater

As I said - it's too small for my tastes. But how many towns of its size in the USA have more going on? Not many I'd say. It's also only a 2.5 hour drive from Chicago, where there's plenty to do. But yeah - in many ways its ranking reflects its advantages in terms of raising a family, economic opportunity, excellent public facilities, etc., rather than its excitement factor, for which you really need a large city**.

and if you like good scenery, forget it - endless cornfields, no hills above about 200m for hundreds of miles

True that the scenery isn't stunning, but it's a relatively short distance to the Mississipi Bluffs to the west and the shores of Lake Michigan and Lake Superior to the east and north. Pleasant rather than stunning - much like a lot of the southern English countryside.

** And there's no guarantee in the USA that a large city is going to be interesting/exciting to live in. Of all the US cities I've visited, the only ones I'd consider living in are NY, Chicago and San Francisco. Many such as Boston , San Diego, Atlanta, are boring as hell IMO.

 

[phildwyer]

Yeah I heard that in parts, DC was the roughest place in the USA

I wouldn't set foot in 90% of it.

 

[Pie 1]

This is apparently the best cities in the United States to live and work.

Opinions?

All about safety, schools & job security/living standards, I bet.
i.e. idendakit US suburbia.

I know people in Raleigh, Austin, Albuquerque & Athens & having been to all of them at one time or another, only Austin stands out as being anything other than nice but fucking dull.
(although the area around Albuqueque is of course stunning)

The only sound in most of these places is air con units, lawn sprinklers & the odd overhead jet.

 

[upsidedownwalrus]

No views on Santa Fe?

 

[D]

Santa Fe is gorgeous. And, as I said earlier, has Albuquerque nailed as far as the arts go...but this is going on reputation. I know a lot of folks who've lived there. I've only visited both places, Santa Fe quite briefly. And I was pretty young.

 

[upsidedownwalrus]

My friend was convinced that Santa Fe was amazing, but I told some other friends and they laughed and when I said he was from Kansas City, they said something like 'oh right, that explains everything'.

But the pics I've googled of it do look nice - one bit of america I've seen pics of that looks older than about 200 years...

 

[Gavin Bl]

Flagstaff is nice, but not a city, as a Brit would understand it.

 

[doddles]

The only sound in most of these places is air con units, lawn sprinklers & the odd overhead jet.

And ride-on mowers on the weekend.

 

[phildwyer]

My friend was convinced that Santa Fe was amazing, but I told some other friends and they laughed and when I said he was from Kansas City, they said something like 'oh right, that explains everything'.

But the pics I've googled of it do look nice - one bit of america I've seen pics of that looks older than about 200 years...

Santa Fe's alright--a bit precious I thought, and completely geared around tourism. If you want to buy Navajo turquoise jewelry it's the best place in the world.

There are lots of similar but nicer towns in New Mexico, Taos springs to mind. Donald Rumsfeld and Julia Roberts both live there. But not together, for then there would be no God.

 

[Spion]

What about Denver? I reckon that'd be an alright place to live, but then I like to balance access to a bit of culture with access to a lot of scenery, and it has the latter nearby in spades.

I'd also choose a smaller town on the Cal coast, say Santa Cruz, near enought to SF but not right in it

 

[upsidedownwalrus]

Yeah - Denver appeals to me for that reason

 

[FridgeMagnet]

Yeah I heard that in parts, DC was the roughest place in the USA

DC, Baltimore and Philadelphia - very close cities on the East Coast - routinely compete for the title of "murder capital of the USA". Given that DC wins a lot and it's also a centre of government so has a significant proportion of residents to support that who are (unfortunately) unlikely to be murdered, you can guess what the statistics indicate for real people.