Where should I live? 2021 pandemic burnout edition

August 8, 2021 4:58 PM

I’m ready to move in the US, but where to?

I was born and raised in the Pittsburgh area and spent my entire childhood and adolescence desperately wanting to leave. I left for college in Chicago and loved it there and ended up staying for 11 years. Then my dad got sick and I moved back to Pittsburgh almost six years ago and bought a house here four years ago.

Now as I’m hitting a milestone birthday and feeling burnt out from life in general, I’m ready to go somewhere else in the US. I work remote (and have since before the pandemic) so I can work anywhere as long as my internet is decent. I’d be selling my house here and buying in the new place and hopefully the market stabilized a bit before I do that.

My big focus right now is Vermont - looking at Montpelier, Burlington, and Brattleboro - as it seems to hit most of try requirements, but I’d love other options to consider!

Things I’m looking for:
- Preferably not the Midwest. I’ve lived here my whole life and want something different.
- Not super hot or desert
- Options for a 2 bedroom house with a yard for under $250k
- No close neighbors, but able to get to a town for something to do in a half hour by car. I love little main streets with a few bars, restaurants, stores, etc.
- (Very) Liberal community/area even if the state is red. I’m nonbinary and often don’t feel safe in conservative areas.
- Nature nearby, especially hiking
- Decent sized airport within a few hours’ drive since I travel pretty regularly
- Bonus: Good craft beer scene nearby

Thank you for your help!

posted by anotheraccount to Home & Garden (11 answers total)

Vermont is pretty much exactly what you want. You might also take a look at Ithaca, NY and surrounding towns.
posted by Redstart at 5:42 PM on August 8, 2021 [5 favorites]

Santa Fe. While technically “high desert”, it’s probably not what you’re thinking of when you say “desert”.
posted by ellenaim at 6:45 PM on August 8, 2021

Best answer: Vermont hits almost all the marks except that " - Options for a 2 bedroom house with a yard for under $250k" may be a sticking point. In particular you'll find yourself at the edge of that half hour by car into town for something to do - and you'll likely find that there is a direct relationship between how liberal an area is and how much housing costs. I'd suggest as additional options looking up near St. Albans, as well as in and around Barre Vermont. Feel free to PM if you want more specific thoughts. I lived 13 years in Pittsburgh (and Swissvale, Wilkinsburg, and Dormont) before moving up here, so I'm glad to offer comparisons as well as references to friends who would be able to speak more directly to your nonbinary safety concerns.
posted by meinvt at 7:25 PM on August 8, 2021 [7 favorites]

I love little main streets with a few bars, restaurants, stores, etc.

I live in one of those Vermont towns (Randolph). Our housing prices have gone a little bonkers lately but something near your price point should be manageable, especially if you are handy. Montpelier wouldn't work but outside of it might. Presume all of Chittenden County except the very outer reaches won't hit those price points. There's a nice BTV Tech workers Slack that I belong to which is nice and friendly and I'd be happy to invite you if you want to get a feel for more parts of the state.
posted by jessamyn at 7:47 PM on August 8, 2021 [2 favorites]

Check out Northampton, MA, and the cute towns around there.
posted by vrakatar at 8:19 PM on August 8, 2021 [7 favorites]

I'd recommend the Northwest, but that house pricing could be a problem. Of course, if you don't mind being a half hour out of town, you have a lot more options that'd be in your price range, especially being TOWN, as opposed to MAJOR METROPOLITAN AREA. So... anywhere on the western side of Oregon and Washington, pretty much, so long as it's not too close to Portland, Seattle, or Eugene.
posted by stormyteal at 8:23 PM on August 8, 2021

College towns in the NE may be worth a look - for example Ithaca and Rochester. (You don't have to go far to meet people with unpleasant opinions. But, in town, you're probably good. Is Canada an option? Whether Halifax or the Montreal suburbs are liberal depends on your perspective and probably your skin color. But, they're better than many options.
posted by eotvos at 5:39 AM on August 9, 2021 [1 favorite]

post your q here too

https://old.reddit.com/r/SameGrassButGreener/
posted by lalochezia at 6:19 AM on August 9, 2021 [1 favorite]

The northern half of Rhode Island or the eastern part of Connecticut sound like they might fit. For example, Smithfield, RI, is nice, for example; I live a few towns to the east of there. Follow up Route 146 from Providence, RI, toward Worcester, MA, and you will hit a bunch of smaller communities scattered through the woods. (Heck, Worcester isn't bad, except for the city itself.)

Being "out in the country" a ways can get you into fairly politically-red country, but the overall tone here in New England is blue.
posted by wenestvedt at 6:58 AM on August 9, 2021

Asheville NC, or Blacksburg VA (price maybe iffy), or Knoxville TN (stay closer to town).
Note the easy zillow url for getting price ideas on any Town-ST: https://www.zillow.com/Town-ST/houses/2-_beds/
posted by Press Butt.on to Check at 8:29 AM on August 9, 2021 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Brattleboro, VT was my hometown and 6 or 7 years ago, real estate was brutally low (I use that term as someone who had to sell inherited property at crazy low prices, especially compared to Massachusetts 90 minutes away).

Brattleboro is super liberal for the most part, you're going to find everything you mentioned.

A quick look shows that although prices have gone up there are still some good deals to be found. A few neighboring towns that you would want to look at:

• Guilford (4 bedroom, 1.45 acres, $245k)
• Townsend (3 bedroom 0.5 acres, $179k)

Putney is also uber-liberal and right off the interstate, but looks expensive now. Other towns in the area you will likely be in a more red-leaning area, but honestly, Vermonters tend to not lean into partisanship or judgment and if your neighbors are far enough away it doesn't matter anyway. So look into towns like Whitingham, Jacksonville, Marlboro and right over the river are New Hampshire towns like Swanzey and Westmoreland which, yes are technically in another state, but a 15-20 minute drive to downtown Brat.

Brattleboro itself should not be ruled out by any means. West Brattleboro in particular has pockets that are rural in nature.

Also, when you say "as long as the internet is decent", you may want to do your due diligence and define what decent means to you, it's Vermont and broadband connections have patchy coverage.
posted by jeremias at 3:22 PM on August 9, 2021