<p>Hi! Just wondering…do any of you plan on living in the city where you go to college (undergrad OR grad) ? I like traveling around but I know I will have to settle down somewhere. I am going to pick a permanent home based on a combination of factors including (not in any particular order):</p>
<li> location: I much prefer the Eastcoast, but will consider alternatives depending how they stack up in other areas. Don’t care for the South</li>
<li> Weather: I actually love winter and I don’t like summer if its hot…also not too fond of natural disasters like tornados and earthquakes :)</li>
<li> Transportation: Must have a good public transport system ince for medical reasons I cannot drive. Also would like a good degree of walkability!</li>
<li> Safety: Of course.</li>
<li> Affordability: Want to be able to get a decent one bedroom apartment OR a tiny house since it will just be me (unless I get married but I am basing it on living single)</li>
</ol>
<p>I dunno if I will settle down in the city of my future gradschool OR if I will return to my undergrad city but here are a few places that come to mind…any opinions on these places based on experience? </p>
<p>Boston
Upstate NY (I already know NYC would be too much for me)
Pittsburgh
Philly
Other parts of PA
Bloomington (Indiana)
Seattle
Chicago
London
Montreal
DC
Somewhere in VA
Somewhere in Maine or another part of New England</p>
<p>Any thoughts, experiences, additions, suggestions? As you can see, I woudl be willing to go international! : - )</p>
<p>Add Toronto. It's a fantastic city! (Granted, my opinion might be somewhat biased...)
(I'm happy to see you have Montreal, though. It has great bagels.)</p>
<p>For VA, you have to narrow it down. Huge differences between the mountains in the SW and W, Tidewater, central VA, the N Va suburbs and Arlington and Alexandria.</p>
<p>I count four liveable cities--Boston, Chicago, London and Montreal.</p>
<p>The first two are just awesome, London is, well London.</p>
<p>As for Montreal, I live there and I can tell you it's a great place to live if you can handle lots of snow and VERY cold temperatures. We've got some of the best food in North America (second only to NY in my opinion), THE best clubs and bars, mostly hot girls, and a great downtown core (not too mention that if you live in Mtl, you're never further than 20 mins from downtown). The only bad part here is the fact that the French-heavy laws keep some U.S. retailers away, so the shopping is average (no Banana Republic, we just got Old Navy, etc...) but well-priced. Overall, it really is a great place to live, especially if you're a student.</p>
<p>My vote goes for Seattle although I've yet to live there. My friend goes to Seattle University and from what I hear, the city is great. Cloudy weather (I hate sunny weather), friendly people, lots of things to do like concerts in the park, you can go "island hopping" by ferry, Canada isn't too far away, and plus it's the birth place of so many greats (musicians, Amazon, etc...).</p>
<p>I am from Chicago. I loved it so much. They get music before the south does. There is also so much to do. Chicago has a good bus system and train system. Since it is in the midwest, you actually get to experience the full extent of each season. Also, it's pretty safe, as long if you have some street smarts. I'm not sure about affordability...the only thing I know is that it's less expensive to get an apartment in Chicago than in D.C.</p>
<p>thanks for the input. I have been to Chi-town once when I was little....took the bus from St. Louis to go to a wedding. Didn't get to go anywhere, but I would love to go back there.</p>
<p>the DC area is quite awesome. i used to live there, and the weather was good, with a decent amount of snow. there is so much to do there, if ur into museums, history, monuments, and beautiful parks (especially when the cherry blossoms are in bloom in spring). i have a bias towards the maryland burbs, as i was born there, plus baltimore isnt that far, but fairfax county on the virginia side is also good.</p>