A snowy small town with a starry night sky
October 20, 2018 11:56 AM
I am plotting a move. Researching big cities is easy, but finding out about small towns is hard. So I'm looking for advice on small towns to research and visit. Priorities: United States. 4 seasons, including snow. Community I can get involved in and get to know my neighbors -- volunteering, a mainline/progressive/queer-friendly Protestant church (ELCA/Lutheran, UCC, Episcopal, Methodist, etc.), hopefully some local arts organizations. More neighborliness, less traffic. Access to the outdoors. Dark night sky / low light pollution. Access to coldwater scuba diving a plus.
I have been planning to leave my current city for several years, and the time is finally right. I was initially planning to move to a different city (which still might happen). But I recently heard the founder of Red Ant Pants (a women's workwear company) speak. She told her story of moving from Missoula to a very rural town in Montana, founding her own company, building community, and starting a music festival and local charitable foundation. It made me wonder -- could I actually make the small town thing work?
What got me excited was her descriptions of neighbors coming together to support each other after wildfires, and also how the whole town comes together to make the musical festival work every year. I'm burned out on horrible traffic and dream of being close to the wilderness and having more peace and quiet, so that aspect appealed, too.
This excerpt from a Minnesota Public Radio article sounded like paradise to me:
My community is nothing like I expected and everything that I had hoped. Growing up in a huge city like Philadelphia, I had no idea what to expect from a small (REALLY small) town. What I have found is that it is one of the most artistically creative places I have ever been. To be able to participate in a molten iron pour or attend a barn dance or string quartet performance with your neighbors is so inspiring. I have been more artistically energized here in this town of 750 than any of the “big cities” I have lived in. People seem actually more open-minded than in the metropolitan areas in which I have lived. Since you know everyone, suffering is more real, as is joy.
-Adrienne Sweeney, moved to Lanesboro 10 years ago
I grew up in the urban/suburban Upper Midwest and miss it -- culturally, and also the climate and the local nature. I've been out here in the Pacific Northwest west of the Cascades for 6 years, and I just don't click with the PacNW culture or the preponderance of sword ferns and sogginess. I miss four seasons, especially snow and real, crisp fall. I miss the North Woods. 2 seasons (rain season and fire season) with some blur around the edges is not my thing.
I'm a single 30-year-old straight woman, and I'd like to make close friends where I live, get married, and have kids. I don't see that happening here. My closest friends and my family are incredibly scattered geographically, unfortunately, so moving to be with a particular group of people isn't a real option.
For the past few years, I've been planning on moving to Minneapolis/St. Paul in the spring of 2019. I was also considering Duluth, and have visited there. But now that I'm thinking about small towns, I'm also considering the rest of Minnesota, as well as Michigan, Wisconsin, Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, and upstate New York. I have family in Cleveland or Chicago, so I'd consider interesting-sounding towns in other states within four or five hours' drive of either of those cities. Bigger cities are easier to research but small towns are hard to find out about without visiting. What small towns should I consider?
I'd like to get involved in a local artistic community. Not terribly picky on this front. I like making things, and I've always been a dabbler, so I am down to learn whatever's available locally -- whether it's puppetry or sculpting or metalworking or glassblowing or helping out at the local theater. I also like harmony singing and playing my violin in a small group (simpler classical stuff, or a variety of kinds of popular and folk music), so music is an option too.
I'm politically progressive, but (I think) willing to live somewhere politically diverse -- it's community, kindness, and respect that I'm looking for.
I also enjoy scuba diving. I am willing to travel for it rather than having it next door, but nearby nice scuba would be a bonus. So northern MN with its small wild lakes and Lake Superior is appealing to me, as is northern WI and the Apostle Islands area. It would be nice to live somewhere (or very close to somewhere) with really dark skies, a place where I can actually see the stars at night and enjoy using a telescope.
Practical considerations:
- I'm selling my house here and would like to rent for a year or so in my new town. How do you rent for the first year in a small town if you don't want to immediately buy a new home? Are there generally homes and apartments for rent? Where do you find out about them?
- I'm celiac. I'm used to making this work and cooking for myself, but if there's a local gluten-free brewery or bakery or restaurant, it's exciting to know about!
- I can't BYOHusband/BYOFamily. I'll have to date.
- My career expertise is in large-scale commercial construction. It's possible I could work remotely, or I could try to transition into whatever industry is available locally (residential, light commercial, etc). My career concerns are too specific to describe completely here, but I am a union plumber, licensed in plumbing/pipe trades, can run work and model/detail in CAD/Fab MEP/Revit, and have the qualifications to pretty easily switch adjacent careers (like being a plumbing engineer or being a welder) if it was best local work option. So feel free to mention local construction activity if you're familiar with it, but don't exclude any towns even if you don't think the work situation is favorable. I'm willing to get creative career-wise, and so I'll worry about this aspect after I have a list of potential places to check out.
- I have enough saved money and banked health insurance hours to take, say, 4 months off to find my next home, and still have another 6 months to find a job. I don't plan on taking a whole 10 months off, but there's also not a real need to execute a lightning move and career search either.
I have been planning to leave my current city for several years, and the time is finally right. I was initially planning to move to a different city (which still might happen). But I recently heard the founder of Red Ant Pants (a women's workwear company) speak. She told her story of moving from Missoula to a very rural town in Montana, founding her own company, building community, and starting a music festival and local charitable foundation. It made me wonder -- could I actually make the small town thing work?
What got me excited was her descriptions of neighbors coming together to support each other after wildfires, and also how the whole town comes together to make the musical festival work every year. I'm burned out on horrible traffic and dream of being close to the wilderness and having more peace and quiet, so that aspect appealed, too.
This excerpt from a Minnesota Public Radio article sounded like paradise to me:
My community is nothing like I expected and everything that I had hoped. Growing up in a huge city like Philadelphia, I had no idea what to expect from a small (REALLY small) town. What I have found is that it is one of the most artistically creative places I have ever been. To be able to participate in a molten iron pour or attend a barn dance or string quartet performance with your neighbors is so inspiring. I have been more artistically energized here in this town of 750 than any of the “big cities” I have lived in. People seem actually more open-minded than in the metropolitan areas in which I have lived. Since you know everyone, suffering is more real, as is joy.
-Adrienne Sweeney, moved to Lanesboro 10 years ago
I grew up in the urban/suburban Upper Midwest and miss it -- culturally, and also the climate and the local nature. I've been out here in the Pacific Northwest west of the Cascades for 6 years, and I just don't click with the PacNW culture or the preponderance of sword ferns and sogginess. I miss four seasons, especially snow and real, crisp fall. I miss the North Woods. 2 seasons (rain season and fire season) with some blur around the edges is not my thing.
I'm a single 30-year-old straight woman, and I'd like to make close friends where I live, get married, and have kids. I don't see that happening here. My closest friends and my family are incredibly scattered geographically, unfortunately, so moving to be with a particular group of people isn't a real option.
For the past few years, I've been planning on moving to Minneapolis/St. Paul in the spring of 2019. I was also considering Duluth, and have visited there. But now that I'm thinking about small towns, I'm also considering the rest of Minnesota, as well as Michigan, Wisconsin, Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, and upstate New York. I have family in Cleveland or Chicago, so I'd consider interesting-sounding towns in other states within four or five hours' drive of either of those cities. Bigger cities are easier to research but small towns are hard to find out about without visiting. What small towns should I consider?
I'd like to get involved in a local artistic community. Not terribly picky on this front. I like making things, and I've always been a dabbler, so I am down to learn whatever's available locally -- whether it's puppetry or sculpting or metalworking or glassblowing or helping out at the local theater. I also like harmony singing and playing my violin in a small group (simpler classical stuff, or a variety of kinds of popular and folk music), so music is an option too.
I'm politically progressive, but (I think) willing to live somewhere politically diverse -- it's community, kindness, and respect that I'm looking for.
I also enjoy scuba diving. I am willing to travel for it rather than having it next door, but nearby nice scuba would be a bonus. So northern MN with its small wild lakes and Lake Superior is appealing to me, as is northern WI and the Apostle Islands area. It would be nice to live somewhere (or very close to somewhere) with really dark skies, a place where I can actually see the stars at night and enjoy using a telescope.
Practical considerations:
- I'm selling my house here and would like to rent for a year or so in my new town. How do you rent for the first year in a small town if you don't want to immediately buy a new home? Are there generally homes and apartments for rent? Where do you find out about them?
- I'm celiac. I'm used to making this work and cooking for myself, but if there's a local gluten-free brewery or bakery or restaurant, it's exciting to know about!
- I can't BYOHusband/BYOFamily. I'll have to date.
- My career expertise is in large-scale commercial construction. It's possible I could work remotely, or I could try to transition into whatever industry is available locally (residential, light commercial, etc). My career concerns are too specific to describe completely here, but I am a union plumber, licensed in plumbing/pipe trades, can run work and model/detail in CAD/Fab MEP/Revit, and have the qualifications to pretty easily switch adjacent careers (like being a plumbing engineer or being a welder) if it was best local work option. So feel free to mention local construction activity if you're familiar with it, but don't exclude any towns even if you don't think the work situation is favorable. I'm willing to get creative career-wise, and so I'll worry about this aspect after I have a list of potential places to check out.
- I have enough saved money and banked health insurance hours to take, say, 4 months off to find my next home, and still have another 6 months to find a job. I don't plan on taking a whole 10 months off, but there's also not a real need to execute a lightning move and career search either.
I live in the Boston area, and it seems to me there are a lot of places north of here that might be a good fit. Would Portland, ME be too big for what you're looking for? I'm thinking also of smaller cities like Portsmouth, NH and Newburyport or Amesbury, MA. Close to the ocean, lots of outdoor enthusiasts, progressive community (which may be easier or harder to find, depending). Brattleboro VT, maybe? A drive from the coast, but closer than Chicago...
Might you consider renting in a smaller city for a year to look for a more permanent place in an outlying town?
posted by Sublimity at 12:14 PM on October 20, 2018
Might you consider renting in a smaller city for a year to look for a more permanent place in an outlying town?
posted by Sublimity at 12:14 PM on October 20, 2018
I'm in the Seacoast region of New Hampshire (Strafford and Rockingham counties), and it checks a lot of your boxes.
4 seasons, check, with plenty of snow, and dang, do we do fall well. Loads of opportunities to get involved in the community--political action is obviously very big, both at a local and national level, but there's also just a general sense of community mindedness. Our city has monthly art walks and galleries, and progressive mainline churches (lots of rainbow flags outside of them, at least).
There are a ton of smaller towns (Rollinsford, Barrington, Lee, Madbury, Northwood...) in the under 10,000 people range, where you have honest to goodness direct democracy in the form of town meeting (YMMV on that), along with some slightly larger cities (Portsmouth, Dover, Somersworth...) in the 10,000-30,000 range.
The skies are relatively clear; obviously, the further you get from the coast and up into the mountains, the better things get. There is, apparently, scuba diving around here, both off the coast and in the lakes.
Rentals of houses and apartments are possible in the bigger cities, particularly closer to UNH; the market is a bit tight (but easing up a bit), and there's starting to be a bit more construction of housing (which, good for you job-wise).
posted by damayanti at 12:16 PM on October 20, 2018
4 seasons, check, with plenty of snow, and dang, do we do fall well. Loads of opportunities to get involved in the community--political action is obviously very big, both at a local and national level, but there's also just a general sense of community mindedness. Our city has monthly art walks and galleries, and progressive mainline churches (lots of rainbow flags outside of them, at least).
There are a ton of smaller towns (Rollinsford, Barrington, Lee, Madbury, Northwood...) in the under 10,000 people range, where you have honest to goodness direct democracy in the form of town meeting (YMMV on that), along with some slightly larger cities (Portsmouth, Dover, Somersworth...) in the 10,000-30,000 range.
The skies are relatively clear; obviously, the further you get from the coast and up into the mountains, the better things get. There is, apparently, scuba diving around here, both off the coast and in the lakes.
Rentals of houses and apartments are possible in the bigger cities, particularly closer to UNH; the market is a bit tight (but easing up a bit), and there's starting to be a bit more construction of housing (which, good for you job-wise).
posted by damayanti at 12:16 PM on October 20, 2018
Just a tip on renting: when you decide on a place, find a Realtor there, they do that as well as sales. Probably most properties will be on the MLS but also they'll likely know everybody and will negotiate the rental terms for you. They get a commission for bringing you in so you don't have to pay them, and it's not usually much legwork for them.
posted by Lyn Never at 12:19 PM on October 20, 2018
posted by Lyn Never at 12:19 PM on October 20, 2018
Traverse City?
posted by Nerd of the North at 12:20 PM on October 20, 2018
posted by Nerd of the North at 12:20 PM on October 20, 2018
Bearsville/Woodstock NY (Lake Minnewaska)
Millbrook, NY (just quaint as f**k - my hometown hee - lots of horse farms with large fields/open sky)
Coldsprng, NY (Hudson River)
Redhook, NY
Saratoga Springs, NY (Lake George)
Pittsfield, MA
Williamstown, MA
Wellesley, MA (Whitin observatory)
Bennington, VT
New Milford, CT
Kent, CT (Candlewood Lake)
Arts friendly, all - possible gatehouse/guesthouse rentals - varying costs, I lived in several (Pawling, NY - not known for arts, but Quaker Hill is lovely)
Truro, MA (Cape Cod)
Hard to meet all your specific criteria with each! Good luck!
posted by misondre at 12:35 PM on October 20, 2018
Millbrook, NY (just quaint as f**k - my hometown hee - lots of horse farms with large fields/open sky)
Coldsprng, NY (Hudson River)
Redhook, NY
Saratoga Springs, NY (Lake George)
Pittsfield, MA
Williamstown, MA
Wellesley, MA (Whitin observatory)
Bennington, VT
New Milford, CT
Kent, CT (Candlewood Lake)
Arts friendly, all - possible gatehouse/guesthouse rentals - varying costs, I lived in several (Pawling, NY - not known for arts, but Quaker Hill is lovely)
Truro, MA (Cape Cod)
Hard to meet all your specific criteria with each! Good luck!
posted by misondre at 12:35 PM on October 20, 2018
I grew up in Appleton, Wisconsin. It's not "small" exactly (pop ~75,000), but it ticks a lot of your boxes, and there are loads of smaller towns around there if that's your preference. (Though I think if you go a lot smaller, it'll be very hard to date.) There are plenty of people around our age -- I have a lot of friends who stayed or moved back -- and a great art scene. We get touring shows, there's a conservatory, we have a massive music festival in August, a couple good museums, a lively, walkable downtown. There's also a LOT of good food and beer (including a couple places with gluten free options). It's an easy drive to nature, which is one of the things I miss the most. The university ensures a diversity of political viewpoints; my extremely progressive mom is super involved in left-wing politics and has no shortage of opportunities there. Plus, it is really cheap! And plenty of rental stock, which I agree is a good plan to start out with -- live downtown!
It's a great town. If I weren't from there, I'd totally live there.
posted by goodbyewaffles at 12:51 PM on October 20, 2018
It's a great town. If I weren't from there, I'd totally live there.
posted by goodbyewaffles at 12:51 PM on October 20, 2018
Idaho? There's the Central Idaho Dark Sky Reserve ("The Reserve includes portions of Blaine, Boise, Custer, and Elmore counties, the communities of Stanley, Lower Stanley, Smiley Creek, Ketchum*, and Sun Valley.") and a whole lot of access to outdoor recreation (but I have no idea about scuba). It tends conservative overall and Mormon in parts, but a friend who I know to be progressive is very happy there after moving from SoCal. But I guess the question is, how small of a small town do you want? The smaller the town, the smaller the dating pool.
* Ketchum has a newsletter that seems to be adorable. "We’re here to make history, folks. The first ever, City of Ketchum-sponsored Trailing of the Sheep Parade (not to be confused with the parade of 1000+ sheep) will take place on Main Street on Sunday. See you there!"
As for upstate NY, I spent a couple summers at a music program in Schroon Lake (when you leave Lake George, pass Saratoga and keep going). I got the impression very few people actually lived there year round because of how hard the winters are, but it was super cute. NB the dark skies in upstate NY aren't as dark as the skies around the continental divide. They're darker than the big cities, but there's still quite a bit of built (and lit) area up there.
posted by fedward at 12:59 PM on October 20, 2018
* Ketchum has a newsletter that seems to be adorable. "We’re here to make history, folks. The first ever, City of Ketchum-sponsored Trailing of the Sheep Parade (not to be confused with the parade of 1000+ sheep) will take place on Main Street on Sunday. See you there!"
As for upstate NY, I spent a couple summers at a music program in Schroon Lake (when you leave Lake George, pass Saratoga and keep going). I got the impression very few people actually lived there year round because of how hard the winters are, but it was super cute. NB the dark skies in upstate NY aren't as dark as the skies around the continental divide. They're darker than the big cities, but there's still quite a bit of built (and lit) area up there.
posted by fedward at 12:59 PM on October 20, 2018
Per my list above, my dad and many family friends were gay (Millbrook - two churches fit as well. Pawling - my landlords were a gay older couple... the rest welcoming, too, in my experience - not Key West/P-town level, but lovely places (easy to get to low light).
The Hudson Valley has the Roosevelt and Oleana estates on the Hudson River (think Hudson River School type vistas) with wide, expansive views. Not sure about night access, but if you’re doing photography, back roads are scenic year round and you can ask for access to other places with a note in a mailbox. Or find local arts/historical assns.
There is Vassar College with open park-like gardens and ponds, an Audubon Reserve - starts with a T... (very leafy), The Hitchcock estate, Bennett College May still be standing - abandoned for years - glorious old buildings, huge open lawn... and then schools with huge lawns Dutchess Day, Millbrook School.
posted by misondre at 1:00 PM on October 20, 2018
The Hudson Valley has the Roosevelt and Oleana estates on the Hudson River (think Hudson River School type vistas) with wide, expansive views. Not sure about night access, but if you’re doing photography, back roads are scenic year round and you can ask for access to other places with a note in a mailbox. Or find local arts/historical assns.
There is Vassar College with open park-like gardens and ponds, an Audubon Reserve - starts with a T... (very leafy), The Hitchcock estate, Bennett College May still be standing - abandoned for years - glorious old buildings, huge open lawn... and then schools with huge lawns Dutchess Day, Millbrook School.
posted by misondre at 1:00 PM on October 20, 2018
Take a look at Viroqua, WI.
posted by belladonna at 1:57 PM on October 20, 2018
posted by belladonna at 1:57 PM on October 20, 2018
Hamilton, MT
posted by Grandysaur at 2:07 PM on October 20, 2018
posted by Grandysaur at 2:07 PM on October 20, 2018
This question screams Ithaca, NY to me.
posted by peacheater at 2:12 PM on October 20, 2018
posted by peacheater at 2:12 PM on October 20, 2018
Marquette, MI
posted by themoonfromthesea at 2:12 PM on October 20, 2018
posted by themoonfromthesea at 2:12 PM on October 20, 2018
Great answers so far, thanks everyone. To clarify my original post, I'm particularly partial to Midwest/Great Lakes area because I'm from there and have family sort of around there. But I'm open to exploring those states I mentioned that are further east, too (Maine, NH, Vermont, and upstate NY -- probably not Massachusetts, due to expense and possibly cultural factors).
Forgot to include my budget -- in the longer term, I'd like to be able to get a small home (900 sq ft to 1500 sq ft) for under $300,000. If I can get a home for $150,000 or lower, even better. I am not sure if I want land with my home yet, which I know might change things, but this is at least a ballpark figure.
posted by cnidaria at 2:20 PM on October 20, 2018
Forgot to include my budget -- in the longer term, I'd like to be able to get a small home (900 sq ft to 1500 sq ft) for under $300,000. If I can get a home for $150,000 or lower, even better. I am not sure if I want land with my home yet, which I know might change things, but this is at least a ballpark figure.
posted by cnidaria at 2:20 PM on October 20, 2018
Check out Bennington, VT! It fits the bill 100%. (if you end up there, memail me for a church rec.)
posted by missmary6 at 3:27 PM on October 20, 2018
posted by missmary6 at 3:27 PM on October 20, 2018
I think pretty much the whole state of Vermont has what you want. Burlington is the biggest city but it's small enough that someone has already mentioned it in this thread about small towns. Other than Burlington, the whole rest of the state is nothing but small towns with lots of politically progressive people. Art isn't my thing, but arty stuff seems to be everywhere. Near me, for instance, there's community theater, a couple of different places that have gallery space and offer art classes to kids and adults, an arts residency program, and several towns have live music in a park weekly during the summer. And I'm in a random small town between Burlington and Montpelier, not any place you would have heard of. Vermont is definitely a place where you can find the small-town community you're thinking of. And we've got snow, dark nights, and lots of outdoor recreation. Apparently people scuba dive in Lake Champlain.
posted by Redstart at 3:35 PM on October 20, 2018
posted by Redstart at 3:35 PM on October 20, 2018
If you were thinking about the Twin Cities before, it would be easy to pivot to Northfield, MN. The two liberal arts colleges make for a vibrant small community and its only 40 minutes to Minneapolis. Lanesboro really is charming though.
posted by advicepig at 3:48 PM on October 20, 2018
posted by advicepig at 3:48 PM on October 20, 2018
Look up the North Shore of Lake Superior....Grand Marais is touristy, but not so touristy just out of town and has the wonderful North House Folk School and a vibrant arts community. It also has a UCC Chuch, which advertises itself as welcoming to folks of all stripes (and marshalls up the local pride parade in their parking lot). Housing costs are CRAZY on the water, but not as nuts just inland, still with gorgeous views. Thunder Bay (1.5 hr away, but in Canada) has an active cold water diving community (as I'm sure does Duluth). There are several smaller towns along the north shore, some of which are commuting distance to Duluth. And it's one of the most scenic drives in the USA, so checking it out is never a wasted trip. The North Shore is a growing (but not crazy booming) area, so likely some work opportunities in your lines of work. There are 4 distinct seasons, and oh so dark skies. It's a gorgeous corner of the world!
posted by Northbysomewhatcrazy at 5:23 PM on October 20, 2018
posted by Northbysomewhatcrazy at 5:23 PM on October 20, 2018
There's a whole belt of pretty countryside and lovely small towns from the Hudson Valley in NY through the Berkshires and then the Pioneer Valley in MA up into Vermont. There are some urban areas in there (of course NYC is south of the Hudson Valley, but there's also Springfield MA and some others), but it's full of towns that have a lot of people looking for what you are. Of course, in some of these places, you get the thing where it's a lot of "city" people just in a smaller place, but that seems to vary a lot.
A friend from Michigan moved to Traverse City for similar reasons and while she loves a lot about it, she has found it hard to meet people because the population is so seasonal. I had also thought of Cape Cod or the Maine Coast, but I think you'll find the same thing there.
I lived in the aforementioned NH Seacoast area and was really impressed with the community. Portsmouth is probably too big. Newmarket is a sweet town.
posted by lunasol at 5:59 PM on October 20, 2018
A friend from Michigan moved to Traverse City for similar reasons and while she loves a lot about it, she has found it hard to meet people because the population is so seasonal. I had also thought of Cape Cod or the Maine Coast, but I think you'll find the same thing there.
I lived in the aforementioned NH Seacoast area and was really impressed with the community. Portsmouth is probably too big. Newmarket is a sweet town.
posted by lunasol at 5:59 PM on October 20, 2018
A caveat about the "arm" of Cape Cod: while it does have four seasons, it may not necessarily have as much snow as you may want, since the ocean acts like a giant insulator and that makes for a slightly-warmer-than-you'd-think microclimate. My parents live in East Sandwich on the edge of Cape Cod Bay, about an hours' drive from my brother's family on more of the mainland, and often my brother will have snow while my parents won't.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:11 PM on October 20, 2018
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:11 PM on October 20, 2018
Yellow Springs, Ohio. Prototypical progressive-artsy small town, with the benefit of only being a few miles away from some larger cities, including a big Air Force base that somewhat recession-proofs the area.
posted by kevinbelt at 8:56 PM on October 20, 2018
posted by kevinbelt at 8:56 PM on October 20, 2018
Ripon WI is another nice place. It has about 7,000 people and a college with 800 students.
The arts scene is centered around the local college, where there are art openings, theatrical performances, music events, poetry readings, etc. Community members are invited to play on the orchestra, sing on the choir, and play in the band. There is also community theatre, called the Ripon Summer Players. The town of Green Lake is within spitting distance, and they have a great music festival and an arts and community Center called The Green Lake Town Square. Appleton, mentioned previously, is 45 minutes away.
For religion, the First Congregationalist Church is UCC and "open and affirming" of LGBT folk. There is also a Unitarian church in town.
There are gluten free options at J's BBQ, which is a Texas style BBQ.
I think people do scuba diving in Green Lake. It's deep.
A great public library is here, part of a consortium that can get things from across the region.
You can buy a house for under $100,000. For rentals, check the ads in the Ripon Commonwealth newspaper.
The city was founded as a utopian feminist commune in the 19th century, had a stop on the underground railroad, and later founded the anti-slavery Republican party's
Ripon is 90 minutes from Milwaukee and madison and 3 hours from Chicago, if you want access to bigger cities occasionally.
posted by mortaddams at 3:56 AM on October 21, 2018
The arts scene is centered around the local college, where there are art openings, theatrical performances, music events, poetry readings, etc. Community members are invited to play on the orchestra, sing on the choir, and play in the band. There is also community theatre, called the Ripon Summer Players. The town of Green Lake is within spitting distance, and they have a great music festival and an arts and community Center called The Green Lake Town Square. Appleton, mentioned previously, is 45 minutes away.
For religion, the First Congregationalist Church is UCC and "open and affirming" of LGBT folk. There is also a Unitarian church in town.
There are gluten free options at J's BBQ, which is a Texas style BBQ.
I think people do scuba diving in Green Lake. It's deep.
A great public library is here, part of a consortium that can get things from across the region.
You can buy a house for under $100,000. For rentals, check the ads in the Ripon Commonwealth newspaper.
The city was founded as a utopian feminist commune in the 19th century, had a stop on the underground railroad, and later founded the anti-slavery Republican party's
Ripon is 90 minutes from Milwaukee and madison and 3 hours from Chicago, if you want access to bigger cities occasionally.
posted by mortaddams at 3:56 AM on October 21, 2018
With family in Cleveland, you could take a look at some of the smaller towns bordering Cleveland on Lake Erie; Sandusky, Lorain, Elyria to the west, Mentor or Painesville to the east. The local economies & arts/culture & social scenes are pretty variable among the towns along the lakefront, but housing should be pretty cheap and you're about 45 minutes highway driving time from the city proper, not an unreasonable distance for work/arts & culture/dating travel.
(Minor weather note: the eastern edge of Cleveland all the way to Buffalo gets hit with lake effect snow fairly regularly so if you would prefer not to deal with a LOT of snow maybe concentrate your search west of Cleveland.)
posted by soundguy99 at 7:43 AM on October 21, 2018
(Minor weather note: the eastern edge of Cleveland all the way to Buffalo gets hit with lake effect snow fairly regularly so if you would prefer not to deal with a LOT of snow maybe concentrate your search west of Cleveland.)
posted by soundguy99 at 7:43 AM on October 21, 2018
Sounds like Wenatchee, WA and the surrounding area would suit you.
posted by OkTwigs at 8:19 AM on October 21, 2018
posted by OkTwigs at 8:19 AM on October 21, 2018
Seconding Spring Green, WI. Madison would be a wonderful larger city getaway should you desire more people / big events. When researching Spring Green I'd also recommend looking up the American Players Theater. Additionally, popping a canoe onto the Wisconsin River is one of the best things. The Shitty Barn hosts a wonderful local concert series in the summer. The landscape is also surprisingly hilly, there are some really cool hikes places to camp nearby. Look up Devil's Lake State Park. Spring Green is awesome.
posted by sewellcm at 3:00 PM on October 22, 2018
posted by sewellcm at 3:00 PM on October 22, 2018
Look into Zumbrota MN. Great little arty community south of the Minneapolis/ St. Paul metro area. It is adjacent to Rochester MN which is currently in a building boom. Diving might be a bit iffy in the area but it is still a reasonable drive to Duluth and Lake Superior but not so close you may get jaded to it's beauty.
posted by The Violet Cypher at 2:34 PM on October 23, 2018
posted by The Violet Cypher at 2:34 PM on October 23, 2018
If you haven't already decided, consider western Wisconsin, from Viroqua (mentioned) up through St. Croix Falls. La Crosse and Eau Claire are small cities that tick your boxes; even smaller cities like River Falls, Chippewa Falls, Hudson, and Menomonie do, too. Alma, Pepin, Prescott, New Richmond, Somerset, Osceola, St. Croix Falls, and Viroqua (probably the coolest of this bunch) are smaller yet but have interesting flavor.
posted by Leona at 11:07 AM on November 1, 2018
posted by Leona at 11:07 AM on November 1, 2018
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by hijinx at 12:07 PM on October 20, 2018