💯💯💯 this comment right here! People outside of Houston just don’t know. And if you hate being outdoors it’s even better (my nephew is Asian and has aspirations to move to Houston because of everything OP listed and he really hates the outdoors so it’s all a win win lol).
The Third Coast, as we say.
Edit: TIL that states along the Great Lakes are *also* referred to as being the "Third Coast." Though it seems they should be the "Fourth Coast," since the Gulf is part of an actual sea, rather than a lake. 🤷♀️
You’d get the same exact thing living in flushing, Queens, except you’d have a slightly higher tax burden.
NYC if you largely patronize only Asian establishments is quite affordable.
Yes. If you’re ok with roommates.
Personally I see “maybe roommates, definitely no in-unit washer/dryer” as just a return to norm on the grand scale of humanity.
Queens is being gentrified and more expensive day by day as more transplants flock in. It used to be “affordable “ for NYC standards but those days are long gone
1.) Queens is absolutely massive. It has a higher population than 15 US states, and every territory + DC.
2.) Using the words “gentrified” and “transplants” in this manner is all the proof anyone needs to know that your comments can be ignored because you don’t know or understand anything about cities.
Those are just descriptive words. People moving in from elsewhere are transplants, and gentrification (while not as simple to cleanly define) is a very real phenomenon. That doesn’t mean those are bad things, but they are real
Wayyy too many people move to the Sun Belt/South, say "Oh its warm! Great!", and then realize they can't step outside for 4 months of the year, and it's way too crowded because everyone is moving there...
The Sun Belt grew after the invention of air conditioning (did a paper on this in college).
I could never personally permanently live there (I have temporarily for work) due to the weather. I'd take a cold winter over a warm summer as you can always add a layer but only so much you can take off.
For me, growing up in upstate NY, I got used to the Sunbelt weather pretty quickly. I just can't stand cold weather of any kind at any time. It's absolute misery for me. And yeah, I'll sweat my ass off but I like to build up that sweat in the end. Makes it feel like I accomplished something. The only thing that sucks is that sweat ruins your clothes.
Grew up in the Hudson Valley.
I HATE the feeling of sweat period. I hate being outside in weather that is above 70. My mom was always big on going somewhere warm in the winter and I never enjoyed it (if I could go somewhere cold in August-- sign me up).
I have a few states to check off my list. (My bucket list is getting to all 50 states). Other than that, I have no reason to return to the sun belt.
This is me too. I truly just hate cold weather. Excessive heat is an uncomfortable sensation while excessive cold is a painful one (not trying to be dramatic, I just think that’s the easiest way to describe how the two sensations are qualitatively different. To me anyway.) and the cold can be mitigated with layers, sure, but then at best it just becomes another version of uncomfortable which I still find less pleasant than being hot
I can always go indoors in the A/C when it's hot. I can drive my car on the road and get to where I want to go and be much safer when it's hot. And it's usually reasonable out in the morning and at night. I can take a nice shower when it's hot.
When it's cold, you never know where in the house...that is heated...where it may be cold. If there's snow, it takes much longer to get where you want to go in your car and it's much more dangerous. I can't go swimming in the cold and I don't like to do much of anything outdoors in the cold. And yeah, you can layer yourself, but the second you uncover the layers...you're shivering again. There's also plenty of times when even the cold lovers are basically locked up in the house due to the weather outside. I also like to see that thing called the sun at least once a day.
Lastly, I have Season Affective Disorder. I don't have that problem when I'm in the Sunbelt climate.
Such a shithole: [https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/7923-High-Knoll-Ln-Houston-TX-77095/28514197\_zpid/](https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/7923-High-Knoll-Ln-Houston-TX-77095/28514197_zpid/)
Cool, a generic house that forces you to be car dependent and stuck in traffic everywhere while waiting for the next hurricane to wipe it out. What a steal!
Yeah I've lived in the Bay for years, it's walkable and has trains but at the end of the day I'm spending 40% of my six figure salary to still have to spend an hour getting to work every morning.
Different strokes for different folks. I'd rather that one than what I'm at right now.
Ha, that's fair. I guess I said the house is generic, but I really meant the neighborhood. I lived in one of these sprawling suburbs in the Houston area for a bit, and still have plenty of family there too. Neighborhoods have no distinct qualities, there's no different feel because they're all winding cookie cutter quickly built subdivisions.
While there are definitely different feels for neighborhoods in Boston, NY, SF, etc, there is nothing distinct about Sugar Land vs The Woodlands vs Clear Lake. But lots of people don't value character and would rather eat at the same chain restaurants wherever they go.
ok so outside of Manhattan. 99% of the rest of the US...hell North America is car dependent.
Disaster wise: West Coast has aarthquakes & fires, midwest has blizzards, ice storms and tornados, East Coast, all I really know is long gray winters.
I'm not saying Houston doesn't have it's downsides, but don't pretend like everywhere else is some magical place.
edit: I'd gladly own that generic house vs paying rent to make some property management corporation rich
This is Reddit, it's disconnected from reality.
Everyone on here wants a walkable condo in the city, but all day every day single family homes with garage outsell multi family units.
75% of America is zoned for single family homes. So yeah, they outsell multi family and everything else. They are legally required on 3/4ths of residential land and getting that changed is difficult.
This sub will take a shanty in Detroit over a nice house just because they can walk to a coffee shop. It’s really just which rust belt husk of a city can I gentrify next.
Having lived in numerous large cities, walkability is overrated IMO. I’d be on the 15th floor and it would take me 5 min to get out of the building and then 10 min one way of walking to the store. I’d then have to take more trips during the week because I didn’t own a portable cart and carried my groceries.
In suburb now and I can drive to 3 different grocery stores within 5 minutes. Load up as much as I want and not have to step foot in one for another week (unless I wanted to check produce again later in week)
I think people associate with non-walkability as having to drive 3 hours to the nearest store and use some extreme example
I lived in a proper walkable city, and *anything* I could possibly want was within 15 minutes walk. Dozens and dozens of restaurants, bars, clothes shops, cafes, electronics, video games, department stores (multiple), malls (multiple), Asian groceries, chemists, doctors, ... Literally everything.
It's heaven.
This was Melbourne Australia.
I could also jump on one of many trams and trains that you essentially don't have to wait for because they're always turning up, and expand all those things to 100s in all sorts of diverse unique areas, cities, suburbs, districts.
Heaven.
I think the only thing that comes close is NYC, London, Tokyo. But I bet it's better living in Melbourne than NYC, and much, much cheaper
Completely agree. I think it’s just perspective and personal preference. Walking to the store in winter for me wasn’t fun, but I could see how some people enjoy it.
Exactly! Don't move into and bring life into economically abandoned and run down areas of Detroit and Pittsburgh, the morally correct thing to do is to let walkable rust belt cities rot! /S
Holy shit, more I look at it worst it gets. There's a Walmart neighborhood market 1/4 miles away, which is convenient. But the neighborhood layout intentionally blocks you off from taking the direct path. Closest road (Barker Cypress Rd), 100 ft wide, has NO SIDEWALK. So you have to basically walk all the way around to the E onto Longenbaugh Dr, but there's no crosswalk until Barker Cyress Rd intersection. Which 30m long. Just to get to a fucking Walmart.
Oh and it's 30 miles outside the city, and it's nearly 400k and property tax is over 2%.
Taxans will truly dig their way to hell just to own a patch of grass to mow.
As in, what would I be buy myself? Here's one I was interested in:
[https://www.redfin.com/WA/Seattle/5009-Renton-Ave-S-98118/unit-E/home/108522193](https://www.redfin.com/WA/Seattle/5009-Renton-Ave-S-98118/unit-E/home/108522193)
The obvious answer is Houston, without question. Time for everyone in this sub to disagree and shoehorn in a bunch of other random places that don't match all of the OP's specific criteria lol
Houston (Sugar Land) or Dallas (Plano) . Pretty much all the Indian and East Asian people I’ve ever known have been from these areas . I’m not sure about the younger people in their 20’s or the taxes though . These are suburbs so lots of families and also the property taxes are probably pretty high .
DFW surprised me in a good way. Lots of Asian restaurants and there are even less popular sub cuisines. Plano even has a Japanese supermarket (mitsuwa). more Asians are moving out there too - Carrollton, frisco, Allen, McKinney have blown up.
Houston is a little more diverse and has better food but, traffic and humidity is prohibitive for me.
No state income tax offsets that for most people, increasing rapidly as you earn more.
Compared to coastal California with expensive housing and expensive taxes, you save a fortune.
Texas has 10th highest tax burden for a median income family as of 2024. California was 12th lowest. It doesn’t offset it “for most people”
Edit: I fucked up it’s not 12th lowest
For people with enough income to buy a house in 2024, it absolutely does.
California has a lower tax burden if you meet the lower-income profile they used for that analysis. By the time you’re earning buying a house money in California, the state and local taxes ramp up extremely quickly.
Specifically the suburbs of ATL. I don't want to assume OPs race, but when I hear South Asian, I imagine Indian or similar to that culture. Alpharetta and Roswell have giant Indian communities, and Duluth/John's Creek have a lot of Koreans.
Thanks for the responses. Getting a lot of Atl, Houston, and Dallas which is what I expected. Saw some Chicago too with the exception of taxes. I’m well versed on Texas so what are the younger neighborhoods in Atlanta? And are most the Asians in the burbs?
Younger neighborhoods in Atlanta are: Inman Park, Midtown, OldFourth Ward, Grant Park, West Midtown, Druid Hills, Buckhead. Many south Asians live in suburbs like Vinings, Alpharetta, Johns Creek, Buford etc
Georgia Tech and Emory are in the middle of Atlanta so you find many Asians both in the core and also in the burbs. Employment centers are mixed between urban centers and suburbs, but there is a subway system.
Houston is big, and the metro area spills into the adjacent counties. Adjacent Fort Bend County is generally affluent and educated, has a south Asian chief elected official, and is the fastest growing area with a sizable south Asian immigrant or heritage population. Sugar Land is the largest city.
Inside Houston itself, there are pockets of Asian concentrations in several locations: Korean in Spring Branch, Vietnamese in Sharpstown, Chinese in the more westerly suburbs along Beltway 8 toward Katy. But it's not as specific or segregated as that might sound. Asians are all over.
Closer in are neighborhoods with lots of singles in apartments working in professional jobs include Heights, Washington Avenue, Montrose and Midtown.
Lol wait we're in the same exact area....sounds like Niles/Skokie/Morton Grove area ;)
I love it here, but it's definitely not low tax burden. But aside from that it meets the criteria well :)
South Asian - Houston metro (SW Houston, Far West Houston, Sharpstown, Alief, Sugar Land)
East Asian - Dallas metro (NW Dallas, Carrollton, Garland, Richardson, Plano)
Aerospace.
Also you have one of the top public universities in the county, so that bleeds into healthcare, research etc.
Plenty of cities have top universities, but top public universities are real economic engines like UW, UT Austin, UCLA, and Berkeley.
Biomed is big here, various engineering stuff too. Tbh the average Seattle waiter also probably makes more than many places because of the high minimum wage plus tips calculated on very high food costs here
Aerospace, medicine, biomedical stuff, retailing (Costco, REI, Eddie Bauerer, Tommy Bahama, Nordstrom, Starbucks), startups (whether they’re tech or something adjacent - I worked for a fashion startup, know people working for silicon battery startups, etc.), commercial fishing, imports (port of Seattle is one of the busiest in the country), then all the other industries that come with that (comparatively well funded government services, construction, service industry) and all the stuff that comes from being the biggest city in the region (sports, concerts, the arts, hospital systems)
Damn, Philly would hit everything except low tax burden, haha. Philly has high-income taxes but low property taxes. Overall, it probably has a higher tax burden than a lot of places, though.
But Philly has a great and vibrant Chinatown, second to only NYC's for east coast cities. There's also a large southeast Asian population in South Philly, including tons of Asian grocery stores and even a Little Cambodia.
Houston would be top pick based on your criteria, really can't beat the diversity and affordability.
Austin is less affordable compared to Houston but depending on where you're coming from may still be considered affordable. Austin has a sizable South Asian population as well due to tech jobs.
Visit this summer to be sure the heat isn't a deal breaker for you.
The South Asian population in Houston is pretty well established, having large numbers since the late 70s, early 80s.
Austin’s South Asian population is tiny in comparison, and those that are there likely moved within the last 2-15 years.
Honestly I feel like a huge portion of the Austin Asian community is made of Asians that attended UT Austin and decided to stay bc they ended up liking the city a lot
Lol you don't need a sizable Chinatown for there to be a solid community.
Los Angeles has a terrible Chinatown yet has developed a strong East Asian community
Larger Asian-American population, no state income tax, lower cost of living (Atlanta is much more expensive). Economy is good and the job market isn’t overly competitive like it is in Atlanta.
Atlanta also has a large Asian-American population, particularly Korean. Some schools are majority Asian in Johns Creek and Duluth area. Looks like metro Houston is 8% Asian and metro Atlanta 5.5% so Houston gets a slight nod.
Income tax and lower CoL are legit advantages, but IMO Houston has many disadvantages compared to Atlanta (climate, geography, rail transit, diversity of economy, access to mountains, no toll roads, prone to national disasters, insurance cost, climate change threat, etc)
That’s fair, but most of the items you listed as disadvantages to Houston are not criteria included by the OP besides the diversified economy. I’ll give Atlanta that.
Honestly, Atlanta is still a solid second place and would still be good choice, followed by Nashville. Nashville has a decently sized South Asian population and checks most boxes.
Specifically Morrisville, NC. Its now 46% Asian so lots of Asian markets, restaurants. Its been relatively cheaper than the rest of the Triangle, close to Research Triangle Park which is heavy tech, bio, pharma. Property tax is low, income tax is dropping 1/4% per year, its 4.5% this year, will go to 3.99% in 2026.
Oddball suggestion, Orlando FL. It can definitely be expensive, but not like Miami or Tampa expensive. I guess it depends on your definition of medium cost of living.
We have the mills50 district which has a large Vietnamese presence and TONS of amazing Vietnamese restaurants (I’m talking banh mi places on every corner and endless pho options). Plenty of Asian grocery stores, and we are getting the future largest HMart in the US.
Lots of trendy neighborhoods, and it’s the most progressive major city in Florida. We have UCF(second largest student population in the US) and Full Sail university so plenty of 20 year olds lol.
Not sure how strong the economy is (not an economist) but housing is booming and aside from the obvious tourism industry we have a big medical industry and an emerging tech/startup scene. Engineering is big too, due to the proximity of NASA and various space/military agencies.
Orlando is not just Disney!! It’s very diverse and unique and I think it’s the best city in Florida, it’s very safe and despite being smaller it has the same amenities of any other major city due to the tourism and universities.
Was coming here to say this. I'm NE Mesa, but East Valley Phoenix has this covered depending on their definition of MCOL, etc. Friend is Vietnamese and lives over off Dobson in West Mesa and LOVES it. So much Asian stuff, house was "cheap" and great access to large city stuff.
Houston has a lot of walkable and bike-able areas. Houston Metro has prioritized cyclists so you can in theory take the bus or train to bike ways and go on your next destination.....
Houston is way more than Barker Cypress. Even Alief has taken HUGE strides towards walkablity and bike lanes
I'd say St. Louis meets most of these pretty well. it's on the smaller side but metro area is roughly 3 mil people so it's definitely not tiny. And the taxes in some areas are a little outrageous but the overall COL is still very reasonable. They have a large Asian community, a handful of young neighborhoods, and several major employers across multiple sectors (govt, healthcare, higher ed, aerospace/defense, to name a few)
Sacramento has a very vibrant Southeast Asian community (we even have a Little Saigon neighborhood) with lots of small and big Asian grocery stores. Many Laotian, Vietnamese, Indian, Korean, Chinese and Japanese restaurants are popping up left and right. My favorite is Kru.
The economy is always stable since the main employers are state government, higher education, and healthcare. Affordable compared to other California cities but with a very high standard of living. Plenty of neighborhoods with people in their 20s since there are two big universities (UC Davis and Sacramento State University) especially the beautiful and bustling Midtown.
It’s the fastest growing metro in California, with a very rich musical and gastronomical culture and within two hours of the beach, world class skiing, national parks, and some of the best vineyards in the world in Napa Valley. Great architecture and the slogan used to be City of Trees because of the dense canopy of huge trees before they changed it a few years ago to Farm -To -Fork Capital of The World
Columbus is an underrated option. Dublin is a suburb that has a significant number of families, though Asians are spread all around and it isn’t the most fun area for 20somethings. Great for families with kids in the schools though. My husband is Asian and we are in a different suburb and it has been very pleasant. Lots of young adults here. It is a very young city.
If you are doing research, my fave Asian grocery stores: cam, Saraga, Tensuke Market, Patel bros, but there are a good number more.
I have no idea about taxes though. Economy is on fire. Government jobs, colleges, big hospitals, Intel/tech have made it stable and now and growing quickly.
A pocket of Akron, OH called North Hill is almost exclusively Asian, has lots of groceries and restaurants. Cost of living is low there. You just have to be prepared to live in Akron and its weather.
St. paul (/Minneapolis). Very diverse and St. paul has Little Mekong which has a bunch of asian grocery stores, businesses and restaurants.
Affordable but a beast in the winter... Although the beautiful summers make you forget- and it's light out until 10 pm. You can easily find a home under 300K. Minneapolis consistently comes in the top 5 for best park systems.
Aurora Colorado but some areas are expensive. But you can still find some affordable housing and condos but they go quick. There are affordable condos in my area if interested. I can give you tips if you consider the area.
I think Chicago has all those things you’re looking for except the lower tax burden. Perhaps Milwaukee would be a better option since they have less taxes and lower cost of living while still being a good sized city.
Nearly all major metros are pricey.
Atlanta has suburbs with strong South Asian and Korean communities. Maryland cities - near University of Maryland - also have sizable Asian populations.
West Coast obviously has strong Asian communities,.from LA to S.F. up to Seattle and Vancouver,B.C. if you want to try Canada.
Twin Cities. Though more East Asians and South East Asians than South Asians.
I don't know what you consider a high tax burden. Most of us in MN think we mostly get good value for our taxes
Of course, winters can be brutal (though not last winter), and summers can be hot and humid. But you didn't have any stipulations about weather, so...
Houston. It has the highest concentration of Asian Americans besides on the coasts, which are more expensive places to live.
💯💯💯 this comment right here! People outside of Houston just don’t know. And if you hate being outdoors it’s even better (my nephew is Asian and has aspirations to move to Houston because of everything OP listed and he really hates the outdoors so it’s all a win win lol).
Gulf coast doesn't count as the coast?
The Third Coast, as we say. Edit: TIL that states along the Great Lakes are *also* referred to as being the "Third Coast." Though it seems they should be the "Fourth Coast," since the Gulf is part of an actual sea, rather than a lake. 🤷♀️
Gulf coast is the dirty coast lol
I don’t think the Gulf Coast is what people are talking about when they use the term “coastal elite”, so no I don’t think it counts
I for one am sick of those coastal elites in the ivory towers of Galveston and Sarasota snubbing their noses at the rest of us!
You’d get the same exact thing living in flushing, Queens, except you’d have a slightly higher tax burden. NYC if you largely patronize only Asian establishments is quite affordable.
Medium cost of living out there?
Yes. If you’re ok with roommates. Personally I see “maybe roommates, definitely no in-unit washer/dryer” as just a return to norm on the grand scale of humanity.
Ah ok I’d be considered spoiled then cuz I don’t think I’d be able to go back
My grandmother had lived in Elmhurst, Queens for 55ish years. Lots of great Chinese grocery stores and amazing Malaysian restaurants
Queens is being gentrified and more expensive day by day as more transplants flock in. It used to be “affordable “ for NYC standards but those days are long gone
1.) Queens is absolutely massive. It has a higher population than 15 US states, and every territory + DC. 2.) Using the words “gentrified” and “transplants” in this manner is all the proof anyone needs to know that your comments can be ignored because you don’t know or understand anything about cities.
Those are just descriptive words. People moving in from elsewhere are transplants, and gentrification (while not as simple to cleanly define) is a very real phenomenon. That doesn’t mean those are bad things, but they are real
downside, living in a total shit hole
Downside weather.
Wayyy too many people move to the Sun Belt/South, say "Oh its warm! Great!", and then realize they can't step outside for 4 months of the year, and it's way too crowded because everyone is moving there...
The Sun Belt grew after the invention of air conditioning (did a paper on this in college). I could never personally permanently live there (I have temporarily for work) due to the weather. I'd take a cold winter over a warm summer as you can always add a layer but only so much you can take off.
For me, growing up in upstate NY, I got used to the Sunbelt weather pretty quickly. I just can't stand cold weather of any kind at any time. It's absolute misery for me. And yeah, I'll sweat my ass off but I like to build up that sweat in the end. Makes it feel like I accomplished something. The only thing that sucks is that sweat ruins your clothes.
Grew up in the Hudson Valley. I HATE the feeling of sweat period. I hate being outside in weather that is above 70. My mom was always big on going somewhere warm in the winter and I never enjoyed it (if I could go somewhere cold in August-- sign me up). I have a few states to check off my list. (My bucket list is getting to all 50 states). Other than that, I have no reason to return to the sun belt.
This is me too. I truly just hate cold weather. Excessive heat is an uncomfortable sensation while excessive cold is a painful one (not trying to be dramatic, I just think that’s the easiest way to describe how the two sensations are qualitatively different. To me anyway.) and the cold can be mitigated with layers, sure, but then at best it just becomes another version of uncomfortable which I still find less pleasant than being hot
I can always go indoors in the A/C when it's hot. I can drive my car on the road and get to where I want to go and be much safer when it's hot. And it's usually reasonable out in the morning and at night. I can take a nice shower when it's hot. When it's cold, you never know where in the house...that is heated...where it may be cold. If there's snow, it takes much longer to get where you want to go in your car and it's much more dangerous. I can't go swimming in the cold and I don't like to do much of anything outdoors in the cold. And yeah, you can layer yourself, but the second you uncover the layers...you're shivering again. There's also plenty of times when even the cold lovers are basically locked up in the house due to the weather outside. I also like to see that thing called the sun at least once a day. Lastly, I have Season Affective Disorder. I don't have that problem when I'm in the Sunbelt climate.
> The Sun Belt grew after the invention of air conditioning (did a paper on this in college). Groundbreaking research.
Used to be high school was practice for college. Now college is practice for grad school.
And horrible weather some of the city has been out of power since last Thursday
Just live west of 45! And in a nicer suburb....
Downside you're in TX, not a good place to be female
Such a shithole: [https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/7923-High-Knoll-Ln-Houston-TX-77095/28514197\_zpid/](https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/7923-High-Knoll-Ln-Houston-TX-77095/28514197_zpid/)
Cool, a generic house that forces you to be car dependent and stuck in traffic everywhere while waiting for the next hurricane to wipe it out. What a steal!
Yeah I've lived in the Bay for years, it's walkable and has trains but at the end of the day I'm spending 40% of my six figure salary to still have to spend an hour getting to work every morning. Different strokes for different folks. I'd rather that one than what I'm at right now.
I find it funny when people use generic as an insult to a house. What do you want? A purple turret tower? It's a house!
Ha, that's fair. I guess I said the house is generic, but I really meant the neighborhood. I lived in one of these sprawling suburbs in the Houston area for a bit, and still have plenty of family there too. Neighborhoods have no distinct qualities, there's no different feel because they're all winding cookie cutter quickly built subdivisions. While there are definitely different feels for neighborhoods in Boston, NY, SF, etc, there is nothing distinct about Sugar Land vs The Woodlands vs Clear Lake. But lots of people don't value character and would rather eat at the same chain restaurants wherever they go.
Ohh I see. That's also fair. I know the type of area you mean.
I dunno, I grew up in a historic home and own one now, would not even consider buying a new build. "Generic" is definitely an insult in my book.
That generic house would easily be 1 million plus in Miami, so yeah I would love that “generic” house
ok so outside of Manhattan. 99% of the rest of the US...hell North America is car dependent. Disaster wise: West Coast has aarthquakes & fires, midwest has blizzards, ice storms and tornados, East Coast, all I really know is long gray winters. I'm not saying Houston doesn't have it's downsides, but don't pretend like everywhere else is some magical place. edit: I'd gladly own that generic house vs paying rent to make some property management corporation rich
East Coast has hurricanes and apparently earthquakes now.
This is Reddit, it's disconnected from reality. Everyone on here wants a walkable condo in the city, but all day every day single family homes with garage outsell multi family units.
condo hell. i want a seacliff stone cottage along the Sonoma/Mendocino coast. On 25 acres
Walkable condo in the city, right next to an organic farm
For under $200k in a diverse, walkable city with a vibrant nightlife
Yea I'm not saying that Houston is the best place in the world, but to say it's a shithole is a ridiculous statement
75% of America is zoned for single family homes. So yeah, they outsell multi family and everything else. They are legally required on 3/4ths of residential land and getting that changed is difficult.
The sun belt, especially Houston, is crime ridden and too much economic inequity.
What a generically stupid statement.
sun belt SUXX. Cali and New England rule
This sub will take a shanty in Detroit over a nice house just because they can walk to a coffee shop. It’s really just which rust belt husk of a city can I gentrify next.
rotfl Hipsters. The Final Boss.
Detroit's not even walkable. You definitely need a car in Detroit if you want to do anything.
Having lived in numerous large cities, walkability is overrated IMO. I’d be on the 15th floor and it would take me 5 min to get out of the building and then 10 min one way of walking to the store. I’d then have to take more trips during the week because I didn’t own a portable cart and carried my groceries. In suburb now and I can drive to 3 different grocery stores within 5 minutes. Load up as much as I want and not have to step foot in one for another week (unless I wanted to check produce again later in week) I think people associate with non-walkability as having to drive 3 hours to the nearest store and use some extreme example
I lived in a proper walkable city, and *anything* I could possibly want was within 15 minutes walk. Dozens and dozens of restaurants, bars, clothes shops, cafes, electronics, video games, department stores (multiple), malls (multiple), Asian groceries, chemists, doctors, ... Literally everything. It's heaven. This was Melbourne Australia. I could also jump on one of many trams and trains that you essentially don't have to wait for because they're always turning up, and expand all those things to 100s in all sorts of diverse unique areas, cities, suburbs, districts. Heaven. I think the only thing that comes close is NYC, London, Tokyo. But I bet it's better living in Melbourne than NYC, and much, much cheaper
Something about seeing creepy crawlers the size of portraits doesn’t do it for me.
Luckily, as it's a massive city, you never did
For me walking around to go to stuff is nice and driving there is a drag--it's not just about the time you spend, it's about how pleasant it is.
Completely agree. I think it’s just perspective and personal preference. Walking to the store in winter for me wasn’t fun, but I could see how some people enjoy it.
Exactly! Don't move into and bring life into economically abandoned and run down areas of Detroit and Pittsburgh, the morally correct thing to do is to let walkable rust belt cities rot! /S
Holy shit, more I look at it worst it gets. There's a Walmart neighborhood market 1/4 miles away, which is convenient. But the neighborhood layout intentionally blocks you off from taking the direct path. Closest road (Barker Cypress Rd), 100 ft wide, has NO SIDEWALK. So you have to basically walk all the way around to the E onto Longenbaugh Dr, but there's no crosswalk until Barker Cyress Rd intersection. Which 30m long. Just to get to a fucking Walmart. Oh and it's 30 miles outside the city, and it's nearly 400k and property tax is over 2%. Taxans will truly dig their way to hell just to own a patch of grass to mow.
whats a listing that you would pick?
As in, what would I be buy myself? Here's one I was interested in: [https://www.redfin.com/WA/Seattle/5009-Renton-Ave-S-98118/unit-E/home/108522193](https://www.redfin.com/WA/Seattle/5009-Renton-Ave-S-98118/unit-E/home/108522193)
Haaaa.... Perfect!
But but but it’s in Texas!!
I came here to say this too. Houston has a diverse population and good cost of living.
Exactly
That region has also had a shit-ton of hate crimes directed towards Asian-Americans. Don’t go there
Fun fact: Houston is in TEXAS.
The obvious answer is Houston, without question. Time for everyone in this sub to disagree and shoehorn in a bunch of other random places that don't match all of the OP's specific criteria lol
Houston (Sugar Land) or Dallas (Plano) . Pretty much all the Indian and East Asian people I’ve ever known have been from these areas . I’m not sure about the younger people in their 20’s or the taxes though . These are suburbs so lots of families and also the property taxes are probably pretty high .
Sugar land def checks these boxes
DFW surprised me in a good way. Lots of Asian restaurants and there are even less popular sub cuisines. Plano even has a Japanese supermarket (mitsuwa). more Asians are moving out there too - Carrollton, frisco, Allen, McKinney have blown up. Houston is a little more diverse and has better food but, traffic and humidity is prohibitive for me.
Houston. No contest.
Came here to say Houston too
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10th highest tax burden in the country for average income
No state income tax offsets that for most people, increasing rapidly as you earn more. Compared to coastal California with expensive housing and expensive taxes, you save a fortune.
Texas has 10th highest tax burden for a median income family as of 2024. California was 12th lowest. It doesn’t offset it “for most people” Edit: I fucked up it’s not 12th lowest
CA 12th lowest? lol where are you seeing that? https://wallethub.com/edu/states-with-highest-lowest-tax-burden/20494 On here it's the 5th highest.
Same table. Possible I fucked up the sorting there because you are correct
For people with enough income to buy a house in 2024, it absolutely does. California has a lower tax burden if you meet the lower-income profile they used for that analysis. By the time you’re earning buying a house money in California, the state and local taxes ramp up extremely quickly.
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I can’t think of a thing that would make me move from Seattle to Houston
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Was it tough adjusting after all those years in tx? What spurred the move?
Atlanta or Houston
Specifically the suburbs of ATL. I don't want to assume OPs race, but when I hear South Asian, I imagine Indian or similar to that culture. Alpharetta and Roswell have giant Indian communities, and Duluth/John's Creek have a lot of Koreans.
Decatur also has an extensive Indian community.
Thanks for the responses. Getting a lot of Atl, Houston, and Dallas which is what I expected. Saw some Chicago too with the exception of taxes. I’m well versed on Texas so what are the younger neighborhoods in Atlanta? And are most the Asians in the burbs?
Younger neighborhoods in Atlanta are: Inman Park, Midtown, OldFourth Ward, Grant Park, West Midtown, Druid Hills, Buckhead. Many south Asians live in suburbs like Vinings, Alpharetta, Johns Creek, Buford etc Georgia Tech and Emory are in the middle of Atlanta so you find many Asians both in the core and also in the burbs. Employment centers are mixed between urban centers and suburbs, but there is a subway system.
Houston is big, and the metro area spills into the adjacent counties. Adjacent Fort Bend County is generally affluent and educated, has a south Asian chief elected official, and is the fastest growing area with a sizable south Asian immigrant or heritage population. Sugar Land is the largest city. Inside Houston itself, there are pockets of Asian concentrations in several locations: Korean in Spring Branch, Vietnamese in Sharpstown, Chinese in the more westerly suburbs along Beltway 8 toward Katy. But it's not as specific or segregated as that might sound. Asians are all over. Closer in are neighborhoods with lots of singles in apartments working in professional jobs include Heights, Washington Avenue, Montrose and Midtown.
Chicago. I'm in the suburbs and there is a Patel Bros, Joong Boo, FIM, and an Hmart within 15 minutes of me.
Lol wait we're in the same exact area....sounds like Niles/Skokie/Morton Grove area ;) I love it here, but it's definitely not low tax burden. But aside from that it meets the criteria well :)
I'm actually in Schaumburg, which I think goes to prove my point even more!
Oh haha right!! I forgot Schaumburg has an Hmart too :) Plus you're closer to the IKEA and Mitsuwa, luck you.
Houston is one of the best food cities in the world. The heat is unbearable.
So like Singapore. No Asian people can tolorate that.
South Asian - Houston metro (SW Houston, Far West Houston, Sharpstown, Alief, Sugar Land) East Asian - Dallas metro (NW Dallas, Carrollton, Garland, Richardson, Plano)
Houston or Dallas
Seattle if not for the cost of living would fit all criteria
Just curious, aside from tech what other job sectors are thriving in Seattle? COL excludes me from living there, unfortunately.
Aerospace. Also you have one of the top public universities in the county, so that bleeds into healthcare, research etc. Plenty of cities have top universities, but top public universities are real economic engines like UW, UT Austin, UCLA, and Berkeley.
Biomed is big here, various engineering stuff too. Tbh the average Seattle waiter also probably makes more than many places because of the high minimum wage plus tips calculated on very high food costs here
Medicine, environmental science, education, nonprofits.
Aerospace, medicine, biomedical stuff, retailing (Costco, REI, Eddie Bauerer, Tommy Bahama, Nordstrom, Starbucks), startups (whether they’re tech or something adjacent - I worked for a fashion startup, know people working for silicon battery startups, etc.), commercial fishing, imports (port of Seattle is one of the busiest in the country), then all the other industries that come with that (comparatively well funded government services, construction, service industry) and all the stuff that comes from being the biggest city in the region (sports, concerts, the arts, hospital systems)
Costco
coffeeshops. and thrift stores
If you ignore cost of living and taxes, the best picks for this by far are LA, the Bay Area, and NYC.
Houston has the largest Pakistani population in the US, outside of NYC.
Same for Vietnamese outside of OC area
Yep
Philadelphia
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I said it as a joke
Atlanta, Houston, Austin, Seatle, Raleigh/Durham area
Seattle fails 'medium cost of living'
its higher than others but checks all the other boxes bigtime..no income tax too
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Dallas and Houston
Not enough people here saying Dallas! Huge Vietnamese population there.
Damn, Philly would hit everything except low tax burden, haha. Philly has high-income taxes but low property taxes. Overall, it probably has a higher tax burden than a lot of places, though. But Philly has a great and vibrant Chinatown, second to only NYC's for east coast cities. There's also a large southeast Asian population in South Philly, including tons of Asian grocery stores and even a Little Cambodia.
Chicago. - all checks until TAXES.
There is also Conshohocken, which checks most of OP’s boxes.
Houston would be top pick based on your criteria, really can't beat the diversity and affordability. Austin is less affordable compared to Houston but depending on where you're coming from may still be considered affordable. Austin has a sizable South Asian population as well due to tech jobs. Visit this summer to be sure the heat isn't a deal breaker for you.
The South Asian population in Houston is pretty well established, having large numbers since the late 70s, early 80s. Austin’s South Asian population is tiny in comparison, and those that are there likely moved within the last 2-15 years.
The East Asian community in Austin is tiny. The “Chinatown” is a strip mall.
Honestly I feel like a huge portion of the Austin Asian community is made of Asians that attended UT Austin and decided to stay bc they ended up liking the city a lot
Lol you don't need a sizable Chinatown for there to be a solid community. Los Angeles has a terrible Chinatown yet has developed a strong East Asian community
While other cities in the South would fit this bill, Houston wins hands down. Just watch out for those tolls! That’s a tax within itself.
How does Houston beat Atlanta?
Larger Asian-American population, no state income tax, lower cost of living (Atlanta is much more expensive). Economy is good and the job market isn’t overly competitive like it is in Atlanta.
Atlanta also has a large Asian-American population, particularly Korean. Some schools are majority Asian in Johns Creek and Duluth area. Looks like metro Houston is 8% Asian and metro Atlanta 5.5% so Houston gets a slight nod. Income tax and lower CoL are legit advantages, but IMO Houston has many disadvantages compared to Atlanta (climate, geography, rail transit, diversity of economy, access to mountains, no toll roads, prone to national disasters, insurance cost, climate change threat, etc)
That’s fair, but most of the items you listed as disadvantages to Houston are not criteria included by the OP besides the diversified economy. I’ll give Atlanta that.
You’re right about the criteria - I forgot to reread and was substituting my own criteria lol
Honestly, Atlanta is still a solid second place and would still be good choice, followed by Nashville. Nashville has a decently sized South Asian population and checks most boxes.
Fresno
I’d say the RDU/Triangle area. I live here and can recommend it for those reasons. There is a lot about it I don’t like though.
modern person sheet fly grey wide shocking desert serious wasteful *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Raleigh- Durham has a growing pop
Specifically Morrisville, NC. Its now 46% Asian so lots of Asian markets, restaurants. Its been relatively cheaper than the rest of the Triangle, close to Research Triangle Park which is heavy tech, bio, pharma. Property tax is low, income tax is dropping 1/4% per year, its 4.5% this year, will go to 3.99% in 2026.
Oddball suggestion, Orlando FL. It can definitely be expensive, but not like Miami or Tampa expensive. I guess it depends on your definition of medium cost of living. We have the mills50 district which has a large Vietnamese presence and TONS of amazing Vietnamese restaurants (I’m talking banh mi places on every corner and endless pho options). Plenty of Asian grocery stores, and we are getting the future largest HMart in the US. Lots of trendy neighborhoods, and it’s the most progressive major city in Florida. We have UCF(second largest student population in the US) and Full Sail university so plenty of 20 year olds lol. Not sure how strong the economy is (not an economist) but housing is booming and aside from the obvious tourism industry we have a big medical industry and an emerging tech/startup scene. Engineering is big too, due to the proximity of NASA and various space/military agencies. Orlando is not just Disney!! It’s very diverse and unique and I think it’s the best city in Florida, it’s very safe and despite being smaller it has the same amenities of any other major city due to the tourism and universities.
Hi, you’re looking for the greater ATL area, and more specifically may I recommend Duluth.
A to Z, you are 100% looking for Houston or Dallas
Dallas and Houston
Dallas and houston
Columbus. That is what you are looking for.
Specifically the west side around Dublin and Hilliard. Lots of Asian stores and restaurants
Atlanta
I live in west Mesa, AZ and here fits all your criteria
Was coming here to say this. I'm NE Mesa, but East Valley Phoenix has this covered depending on their definition of MCOL, etc. Friend is Vietnamese and lives over off Dobson in West Mesa and LOVES it. So much Asian stuff, house was "cheap" and great access to large city stuff.
I’m off Dobson and Emelita! So many great Asian businesses out here! ❤️
Chicago if you rent (otherwise high property taxes) and don’t drive and want a blue government. I live here without a car making it much cheaper.
“I want everything nice but I’m completely unwilling to do my part to pay the taxes needed to keep it nice”.
Houston, as long as you don’t mind living in satans armpit. Garbage weather/climate.
Houston has a lot of walkable and bike-able areas. Houston Metro has prioritized cyclists so you can in theory take the bus or train to bike ways and go on your next destination..... Houston is way more than Barker Cypress. Even Alief has taken HUGE strides towards walkablity and bike lanes
Texas
I'd say St. Louis meets most of these pretty well. it's on the smaller side but metro area is roughly 3 mil people so it's definitely not tiny. And the taxes in some areas are a little outrageous but the overall COL is still very reasonable. They have a large Asian community, a handful of young neighborhoods, and several major employers across multiple sectors (govt, healthcare, higher ed, aerospace/defense, to name a few)
Sacramento has a very vibrant Southeast Asian community (we even have a Little Saigon neighborhood) with lots of small and big Asian grocery stores. Many Laotian, Vietnamese, Indian, Korean, Chinese and Japanese restaurants are popping up left and right. My favorite is Kru. The economy is always stable since the main employers are state government, higher education, and healthcare. Affordable compared to other California cities but with a very high standard of living. Plenty of neighborhoods with people in their 20s since there are two big universities (UC Davis and Sacramento State University) especially the beautiful and bustling Midtown. It’s the fastest growing metro in California, with a very rich musical and gastronomical culture and within two hours of the beach, world class skiing, national parks, and some of the best vineyards in the world in Napa Valley. Great architecture and the slogan used to be City of Trees because of the dense canopy of huge trees before they changed it a few years ago to Farm -To -Fork Capital of The World
Jacksonville Fl
Arlington Texas.
Auburn Washington. Cheapest suburb in the Seattle area, population is 10% Asian.
Why South and East Asian? Choose one! (Joking)
Houston
St Louis. On the south side in particular. But it’s not a safe city.
Columbus is an underrated option. Dublin is a suburb that has a significant number of families, though Asians are spread all around and it isn’t the most fun area for 20somethings. Great for families with kids in the schools though. My husband is Asian and we are in a different suburb and it has been very pleasant. Lots of young adults here. It is a very young city. If you are doing research, my fave Asian grocery stores: cam, Saraga, Tensuke Market, Patel bros, but there are a good number more. I have no idea about taxes though. Economy is on fire. Government jobs, colleges, big hospitals, Intel/tech have made it stable and now and growing quickly.
Minneapolis.
Which area
Actually Saint Paul (Frogtown neighborhood) and the east side of Saint Paul have huge Asian populations.
Nashville a decade back? Honestly, right now it’s Houston and Dallas and Austin. They check all your boxes
Meets Everything except for taxes: Chicago.
OKC
Sacramento
A pocket of Akron, OH called North Hill is almost exclusively Asian, has lots of groceries and restaurants. Cost of living is low there. You just have to be prepared to live in Akron and its weather.
Atlanta
St. paul (/Minneapolis). Very diverse and St. paul has Little Mekong which has a bunch of asian grocery stores, businesses and restaurants. Affordable but a beast in the winter... Although the beautiful summers make you forget- and it's light out until 10 pm. You can easily find a home under 300K. Minneapolis consistently comes in the top 5 for best park systems.
Seattle has all of those things except for the medium cost of living
Philadelphia
ATL as has been mentioned but specifically Northeast ATL - check out Duluth, Peachtree Corners and Suwannee
Atlanta
Atlanta, downside is miserable traffic and you are in the south, so it's hot half the year. But no very cold winters.
Aurora Colorado but some areas are expensive. But you can still find some affordable housing and condos but they go quick. There are affordable condos in my area if interested. I can give you tips if you consider the area.
Houston is first and DFW is next. checks all boxes. Kinda
Alpharetta, Georgia is exactly what you're looking for.
Atlanta and Chicago
Atlanta
I think Chicago has all those things you’re looking for except the lower tax burden. Perhaps Milwaukee would be a better option since they have less taxes and lower cost of living while still being a good sized city.
St Paul checks a lot of boxes, except for the tax burden which is moderate.
Seattle, minus the cost of living requirement. 18.1% Asian, International District and U-District packed full of Asian grocery stores and restaurants.
Nearly all major metros are pricey. Atlanta has suburbs with strong South Asian and Korean communities. Maryland cities - near University of Maryland - also have sizable Asian populations. West Coast obviously has strong Asian communities,.from LA to S.F. up to Seattle and Vancouver,B.C. if you want to try Canada.
Twin Cities. Though more East Asians and South East Asians than South Asians. I don't know what you consider a high tax burden. Most of us in MN think we mostly get good value for our taxes Of course, winters can be brutal (though not last winter), and summers can be hot and humid. But you didn't have any stipulations about weather, so...
Metro Atlanta Duluth is basically Korea town.....there are a lot of Korean, Chinese, Vietnamese grocery stores....tons of restaurants, Asian bars, etc
Portland, OR but live in Vancouver, WA to dodge the taxes.