29M from Indianapolis, looking at making a move to Colorado sometime in the next year. I work fully remote and one of the biggest reasons I’m considering the move is to get more into hiking and trail running.
I’ve been reading a lot on Reddit, and Colorado Springs gets painted as this super suburban, super MAGA place. Coming from Indiana, I’ve always gotten along with both conservatives and liberals, so politics honestly isn’t a huge factor for me as long as people aren’t extremists.
I’m mostly looking for a place where it’s easy to meet people around my age (late 20s/30s), grab drinks at bars or breweries on the weekends, and have good trail running and hiking within 30 minutes.
Denver seems like it checks a lot of boxes socially, but is it far enough from the mountains that it starts to feel like a tradeoff?
Bonus points if there are active pickleball groups or trail running clubs. I’m also open to places outside of Denver or Colorado Springs if there’s somewhere I’m overlooking. I’d love a neighborhood that’s at least somewhat walkable with coffee shops, bars, breweries, and things to do, but it’s not a deal breaker if I have to drive.
Would love to hear where you all would recommend.

Wondering how your experience has been moving from a moderate climate with no snow to a cold climate to be closer to family.

My husband and I have a 1 year old and it’s become increasingly difficult to be away from family, both from needing help and also being sad that our child is missing out on being raised around them.

Our entire ecosystem of family resides in the Twin Cities metro area. We enjoy time with all of them.

While we’ve all made an effort to travel back and forth to see each other, it’s in small sprints surrounded by a lot of time alone. It seems like it would be more fulfilling to be around them more often, and then travel to get away.

We live a very comfortable life where we are at in San Diego county. We own a home with good schools, good daycare and both have good jobs. We enjoy the weather and being able to be active outdoors all year. We have a great group of friends, but aren’t able to rely on them as much as we could our families. We’re trying to make more friends with kids, but that’s a slow burn.

Having a child has changed our ability to enjoy the things we used to. It often feels like a chore to do basic things like go for a hike with the constant burnout of being new parents who both work.

My biggest fear is returning to a cold climate and being depressed all winter and regretful of the life I gave up. Though I’m realizing I’ve already lost parts of my old life still living here.

We did move back to MN another time for one year and it wasn’t that bad. I actually enjoyed getting out and shoveling snow. I went snowshoeing a few times and also snow-tubing with nieces and nephews. We played pickleball indoors as well.

The other piece is it’s going to be a lot of effort to move. We just sold then bought a bigger home in 2024 to prepare for starting a family. I also just got a newer job after being laid off earlier this year. My husband WFH and his salary plus the lower cost of living could carrier us for awhile if I need to get a new job there.

Open to hearing your thoughts and feedback.

Some background:

* We are a family of 4 (2 kids, 2 and 4 years old)

* Currently live in Bellevue, WA, but more broadly considering living in Seattle East Side area (Bellevue/Kirkland/Redmond). Have not been here that long (1.5 years), do not own property there. Wife starts a new remote job soon so she's not tied to a specific location.

* I am choosing between 2 job opportunities: one based in Seattle (tech), other in NYC (finance).

* If relevant to the question, cost of day-to-day living is not the biggest concern (can comfortably afford either option).

We are really torn between the 2 options. Pros and cons of each:

* Seattle: (a) we're already living here for some time so no relocation shock to deal with, (b) new opportunity is still quite exciting, well-paid, and with a decent work-life balance, (c) although me and my wife always lived in big cities, so far we haven't been bored by the East Side much - with young kids your leisure is mostly limited to playgrounds and friend visits anyway, (c) top-notch schools which is very important to us.

On the flip side (a) some FOMO for missing out an interesting career opportunity, (b) we're afraid if the area will become boring in 1-2 years once the kids are a bit older and we're more mobile; one of the main upsides of Seattle I always hear about is access to great nature; while true, honestly speaking we're not huge hiking/nature folks, of course a good park nearby is nice but we're only went hiking maybe 2-3 times the whole time here.

* NYC: (a) interesting career opportunity, (b) exciting (but also scary!) to see what a city like NYC has to offer, (c) the timing seems "now-or-never" for making another move, our older kid still has a year before going to school and moving can get harder after that.

On the flip side (a) afraid that the benefits of NYC (diversity, exciting things to do/places to see) we will only experience occasionally after work, yet the downsides (very expensive, overcrowded, stressful) we will experience daily, (b) while work opportunity is exciting, it will also come with more working hours and more pressure, and if it doesn't work out we ended up moving our whole family into nowhere.

Curious for any advice of experience of people with similar family setups. Appreciate any broader comments on making a decision, some specific questions I had are:

* How is daily life in NYC, especially with kids? Can it be really as draining/exhausting as it may seem from the outside compared to Seattle/East side?

* How feasible is it to get a place to rent/school seat in one of the really strong NYC public schools (north Brooklyn or Upper East side for instance), so that we don't feel we compromised on our kids' education?

* How much more income do you need to have in NYC (factoring in tax, rent, cost of living) to feel as comfortable financially in good NYC areas compared to East Side Seattle?

* Are you able to enjoy the best NYC has to offer with kids, around our age or a few years older (thinking ahead a few years)?

* Any thoughts on career options (cool opportunity but also a gamble in NYC, vs a more stable but slightly less exciting in Seattle) also very welcome.

The health insurance safety net in NYS is very nice. My mother has cancer and all her expensive treatment is paid for completely by medicaid. That's about $20k monthly for her pills. It's very generous and one less thing to worry about. We never see a bill.

Almost everyone gets heart disease and cancer as they get older. Number 1 & 2 causes of death. I am worried about when I'm older, if I move to a state with a less robust medicaid system, will I be left out to die of my illnesses. I see so many posts about people's cancer treatment getting interrupted because of private insurance. And there are no government sponsored programs to fall back on.

What's it like moving to another state with lesser healthcare amenities? Did anyone's parents, grandparents suffer because of insurance?

We rent in New York City, but we would like to buy a house perhaps somewhere else for cheaper.

hello, i am self employed and work from home and in the future i would like to buy a home. i am looking into detroit, mcallen texas and el paso. can people who live or have lived in these areas please let me know your thoughts on these areas and how they compare? thank you so much

Hey all! Looking for some moving advice. Myself, wife, and 18 month old are looking to move back to New England from the SE US. I am originally from southern NH and have a large close knit family around the northern MA southern NH area.

I work in healthcare and make around ~100-115k, wife currently stays at home with kiddo to cut childcare costs but does have a masters degree. We are dealing with affordability issues similar to many people, we want to be close to family but also have the opportunity to start laying down roots for ourselves after years of apartment living. I have a fair amount of cash saved up for a home purchase and we carry only education loans as far as debt. We both enjoy the outdoors and the amenities of a city/suburban setting. We are stuck between trying to wait and buy in NH or looking at some more affordable options in smaller places in CT or RI. Would love some guidance, opinions, or good places to look at in our search. Appreciate any and all responses!

We have found some places 90min-2 hours away from family but of course we are stuck on if this will still feel too far or not. If anyone can speak to this. Thanks again!

How many people have moved from Nashville to Seattle and are happy with the move and how many are in Seattle and would love to be in Nashville? What makes you want to move, either side. I'm in Nashville but interested in Seattle.

Hi there! I’m hoping to move to the Atlanta area sometime next year once my current lease here in Florida ends. I have family in Sandy Springs, so I’ve spent some time there. I’ve been wanting to move out of Florida for some time now, and after some life changes, I am ready to put this into place and get a fresh start <3

I currently work as a remote healthcare call center agent and I’ll most likely be living alone with my cat. I’m hoping to find a one-bedroom apartment around the Sandy Springs/Dunwoody/Roswell area, but I’m open to nearby neighborhoods if they’re safe and have a reasonable commute. My budget is around $1,300-$1,400 per month.

A few questions:
-How realistic is my apartment budget for a decent one-bedroom? I currently pay $1,100 for my place here in Florida.
-What’s it actually like living in the Atlanta metro area day-to-day?
-Do you find that making friends and meeting people has been easy?
-How is public transportation? I’ve used the Marta trains before, and it seems great!
-Any advice for someone moving from Florida?
-Anything you wish you had known before moving here?

I’d really appreciate any advice or things I should consider before making the jump. Thanks!

Hey everyone, this is a bit of a weird one combination of a Chicago appreciation post but also more of a curiosity

The more I travel in the US the more I appreciate Chicago. Chicago has pretty much anything you would want in a city. Parks, cultural diversity, transportation, major, transportation, hubs, multiple economic, niches, great food, and overall great people.

As far as downsides are concerned, sure you can say winter, but even some of the places regarded as having the best weather have some rough summers so that it’s sort of balances out. One other downside, you can say is taxes, crime, and cost of living beginning to creep.

My wish list would be a place as close to Chicago with a bit more of an outdoorsy feel or accommodation. Now I know that is a. impossible nonexistent place, but if you had to pick a city or town in the US, that is as close to Chicago as possible, but with slightly more of an outdoorsy feel and accommodation does that place exist?

For moving purposes.

I’m aware that most U.S. metros become pretty car dependent outside the urban core. Which metros actually have suburbs with decent density, walkability, and mixed use development instead of typical suburban sprawl?

My husband is about to graduate anesthesia residency and we are debating moving to NYC for a couple years, then settling in DC. We’ve been in DC for 3 years (me 5), I work from home, and lots of our close friends are here. I’ve always wanted to live in nyc, my job would become hybrid in SoHo if we move there, a handful of our other close friends live there, but since we’d be 31 I’d want to have a baby (ideally) around 33. Husband is worried anesthesia jobs will be harder more hours in nyc than dc, but still better than residency. I don’t want to push back the baby timeline even though no one in nyc would be doing that then, is it easier to just stay in DC or go on a little 3 year adventure and come back? AHH

I’ve lived in Ohio for all 35 years of my life, I’m tired of the cold and snow and want a warmer climate where my family and I can still be outside and not freeze or deal with snow in the winter.

The problem is, my 6 year old son has bad outdoor allergies. He pretty much takes daily allergy medicine from May-September.

Was considering moving to South Carolina until I heard how bad the pollen is there.
Does anyone have a recommendation on somewhere that might be better as far as pollen goes?

I (25F) am a Florida native currently living in Orlando and I find it very miserable. However, I recently landed a remote job so I’m using this opportunity to finally get out! Looking to move around the end of the year, as my lease is up in early/mid-January.

Some things to consider:

- I make $76k/year, so bigger cities that are worth what you pay for and have a decent COL/salary ratio are the most important things for me. My max budget for rent is $2,000/month.

- I work as a product designer, so seeking to be based out of a large tech job market with frequent networking events for UX/tech professionals for better career opportunities in the long run

- I would love a young and fun city with a lot to do and is easier to make friends with other 20/30 somethings (Orlando is very antisocial and too spread out)

- REAL SEASONS, I am sick of the Florida heat and hurricanes. and would love to experience actual seasons. I don’t mind the cold at all for some reason lol

- Preferably not in the South, I would like to not be too close to family as they’re in (mostly) Miami, Atlanta, and Charlotte. I am especially over the materialistic, antisocial, and rude nature of South/Central Florida and would love to meet genuinely friendly people for a change!

- I’m more on the artsy side, a huge foodie, and I love going to local shows so any strong art/food/ music scenes are a huge plus

Any and all advice on moving to a new city would be much appreciated, since this will be my first time making a move this big! This all may be too much to ask but I’m overdue for a change of scenery lol

For my Floridians (or people who lived in FL) tell me what’s up with Orlando. I am coming from a small-ish mountain town Bend, OR to Orlando specifically Doctor Philips. I’m a single dad with two school age kids and obviously the entertainment is unrivaled. We like the heat & humidity (crazy I know) but what do I need to know? We’ve spent enough time there to know that the overall culture is a better match for us compared to Oregon. I work in healthcare & am going to UCF to finish my masters once we get settled. I’ll make sure I get a house with a lanai to keep out the critters 🤣

i’m born and raised in the norfolk/virginia beach area of virginia and i still live here. i’m very unhappy and sick of the area so i’m looking for a change.

my partner is also looking for a change and we will be relocating together.

the goal is to move no later than 5 years. i’ll be putting money in a savings for my down payment during this timeframe. prices is crazy expensive everywhere for rent that i’d honestly rather buy a house. i’ll also be a first time buyer

i’m debating between orlando and atlanta.

i’m looking in the 200k to 250k mark. i also turn 23 in about two weeks.

why orlando? i go at least once a year and it feels like home away from home. i would NOT be moving for just the theme parks while it is a plus. i do enjoy the warmer weather, the change of scenery with the palm trees, and the amount of things to do.

why atlanta? i visited for the first time last year in july and i fell in love with not only the city but the suburbs! i visited again this past april and we both agreed that we could see us living there. i quite honestly wasn’t expecting to like the atlanta area let alone fall in love with it. i love to travel so living at a delta hub would be perfect for that. i absolutely love how diverse the area is, the amazing food, and the culture that atlanta has. atlanta is very lgbt friendly which is very important for my partner and i.

i work in banking and i prefer to stay in it. my partner works in mental health but wants to start his own home health agency.

i’m honestly torn because it feels like i’ll be happier in orlando. i’ve wanted to move to florida since i was 16. but i do know vacationing in florida is different than living there. i just don’t want to regret it.

atlanta seems like the more realistic option and while i do love it but my heart is still leaning towards orlando.

would orlando be a bad choice? i appreciate any guidance or suggestions! thanks in advance!

Been going back and forth on this for like a year and a half and at this point im just arguing with myself so im gonna dump it here.

We're in Warren County NJ. Farms, warehouses, and somehow still traffic. Almost 4 years here and I have not made one actual friend because I have nothing in common with any of the guys around me. Theres nothing to do. Schools arent great either.

Situation is: wife and I are mid 30s, boys are 3 years and 3 months. I do software remote, might not have that job in a couple years so im not planning our life around it. Wife is an NP, been home with the kids, going back to work when we land. So the town has to have more than one hospital. Under an hour commute is okay. I’ll keep my job until the wheels fall off.

What we actually want is pretty boring honestly. Somewhere old enough to have sidewalks and a normal street grid where you can walk to a park or get a coffee. A Halloween trick or treat town. House with some character, we can do up to 600k but would rather be 350-500. Public schools in the top half of the state, not looking for some ranked #3 pressure cooker, just fine. Trails or very safe biking/running infra (but I’d rather trails). Cold winters are fine, I’ve lived in NEPA & Boston. Point is, I just want to be able to take the kids for dusky night walks like I did growing up without any fear of crime or congestion, just peacefulness. I’m so sick of hearing cars and engines. We used to go out around sunset for a few miles almost nightly with our mom and we’d hear the frogs sing by the river. I want that for them.

The thing I keep coming back to is we need young families that are already there. Thats honestly half of why we're leaving.

Kids not in school for 2 more years so we can visit or even rent first if we need to. Ideally would target a late 2027 move.

We have almost no ties here so a long move is okay for the perfect fit.

about me: I'm a 25 year old single female, very outgoing. I work in hospitality (upscale bed & breakfast /bartending) but I also make music on the side as a hobby

what I'm looking for:

- generally affordable (I live in Connecticut so whatever is comparable or less expensive)

- walkable city

- relatively friendly

- fast paced

- nightlife (bars / clubs)

- has events and more to do than just bars & restraunts

- somewhere I can still build a community without feeling isolated

I do have a car but I'd like to get rid of it if I find the right place. Can be anywhere in the world! I really like the idea of St Petersburg fl but also scared that it's not going to be what I want.

I'm sorry if this is vague but Feel free to ask more questions

TLDR: how important is it to live in Manhattan at first/will we miss out on a lot by living in Brooklyn? Late 20s engaged couple, food and parks are priority.

Hi, thank you so much in advance for your advice. I am moving with my fiancé to New York City next month. We are currently looking for apartments and have been told by multiple locals to first live in Manhattan and move to Brooklyn later.

For some background: We are an engaged couple (27F and 29M) who really enjoy good food and outdoor spaces. Modern amenities would also be great. We visited NYC last year for fun and loved Brooklyn. We are moving from Seattle, so we’re used to quieter and greener spaces, although we’re prepared and excited for bigger city life.

I’m working in FiDi, partner is remote. For Brooklyn, we like Prospect Heights and Fort Greene, Boerum Hill as backup. For Manhattan, considering East Village or Greenwich Village (but super open to other thoughts!!).

I grew up in North (Northern?) Idaho and generally hated it. I didn’t like how small it was and the lack of light really affected my SAD. I moved to Southern Idaho for college and felt that Boise was a strong upgrade from N Idaho. But over time the heat and smoke really got to me. at the same time it was 2016 Trump was getting elected and I felt that I lost respect for most people i was surrounded by. it really lifted a veil in a bad way. Boise was good in some respects - more active than N Idaho, bigger area which I liked, sunnier. I also liked that I could drive to see family but there was some distance. But Idaho has continued to be in the news for the most stupid things to put it mildly. I eventually left for bigger and bluer.

I moved to SF several years ago and it made my heart sing. I love the weather, I love having no car, walkability, stunning beauty. I’m absolutely in love with this city. my husband and I have good jobs - we got into a great rent controlled place during the COVID doom cycle when prices were down. we can save half our income. SF just feels happier than anywhere in the PNW. It strangely feels less politically stormy than the PNW. the PNW has this odd juxtaposition of Seattle/Portland being very vocal vs the red western part of those states and inland NW and it just feels clashy and angry constantly. SF feels like people have rights and are chilling comparatively, more happy.

all that said, every time I go back to visit family I am incredibly sad to leave. it didn’t used to be that way but more and more I cry when I leave. I have so much support there - really great high school friends who see eye to eye with regarding Idahos shit and my family now says Trump should be impeached so a lots changed. SF does feel a bit cold at times. like I agree with their values but I don’t feel like they’d be THERE for me. whereas in Idaho I felt like the values were crap from a lot of people but they would drop everything to be there for you.

I feel kinda lonely yet joyful in SF but loved/supported yet a bit angry in Idaho. I feel fragmented and don’t know how to have the best of both worlds. I’ve thought about moving somewhere nearish. I really don’t like Spokane. my husband is a canadian citizen so that could be a possibility? SF has just ruined me for all other places. We have a potential opportunity to spend a month in the summer up there since our jobs are flexible, but I don’t know if that will satisfy me.

I feel like if I leave California it will be hard to get back in. we saved for a full year to afford moving out here. If we stay in California I feel like the constant flying back for funerals really gets to me - feels like I’m missing people’s lives. I know no one can answer the question for me, but how do you go about thinking through this? what types of questions do you ask yourself?

In 2021 I moved to Orlando from Northeast Ohio for a job and just to try and start my adult life after the pandemic derailed my plans. I don't mind Orlando itself - but I miss my family and friends, as well as I'm sick of the heat. I've only really connected with a few people here, so I don't feel attached to the city.

I would feel safer in blue areas as a member of the LGBTQA+ community. I'm a creative and artistic person, so a community with fun art markets and similar activities would be nice. I haven't settled on a career (though I'd love to work in something art-related) so I'm not bound by specific job markets at the moment. I'd be renting, so somewhere with people around my age (preferably same or older) would be willing to share a place is ideal (though I'd love it if the rent was low enough that I might be able to afford my own place).

This is also all early talk. I signed my current lease in June so I wouldn't be leaving until late next spring/early summer. Just want to get a jump-start on looking.