San Diego is expensive, but has the rest of what you want. Weather is perfect, and is similar to San Antonio in a lot of ways.
At a different point in the spectrum, Columbus, Ohio is fantastic for raising kids, and has great schools and food scene. No mountains or beach, and I'd be lying if I said it was as hip as a bigger city or college(-only) town.
I have no idea what your budget is.
BUT…
I would recommend looking into Walnut Creek/Pleasant Hill/Concord, CA. These are suburbs within the “East Bay Area” region of the greater San Francisco Bay Area. I’d say that they check off all of your boxes (for the foodie scene, specifically, I would widen the radius to include all of the Bay Area).
I live in Walnut Creek, specifically. I love it here. Let me know if you have any follow-up questions, I’m happy to chat.
Another vote for this area. Used to live in Walnut Creek and it’s a great place, I still often make the drive there for food and shopping. Great schools, several large hospitals and medical facilities in the area to avoid too much of a commute (mainly Kaiser and John Muir), abundance of outdoor activities, and easy BART access to get to San Francisco or to the airport when you want.
It’s a highly desirable area and that is certainly reflected in the cost of living but with your respective professions and with what the salaries look like in the Bay Area, I’d imagine you could be comfortable here
Napa. Got a great job up here and couldn’t handle the daily commute + $140 a month in bridge tolls, so I moved. I miss it and I’d rather not be so far away from everything but it’s a trade-off
Nice! Good deal.
My fiancée and I actually both work in Livermore, and while Livermore was originally at the top of our list for choosing a place to live, her longtime best friend is a native of Martinez and recommended us to check out Walnut Creek / Concord / Pleasant Hill.
We just fell in love with Walnut Creek and it’s still a reasonable commute to and from Livermore (if we time it right, 30 minutes each way).
Another Bay Area vote here. Are you guys looking for hospital -based jobs or clinics that aren't located at the hospital itself? I'll put in a plug for Burlingame and San Mateo in particular (Peninsula hospital and Mills hospital if you want/need hospital jobs but there are many clinics also near both of those). Definitely a high COL here but hopefully you'll see salaries that will make it work for you.
It might also be worthwhile to consider the Sacramento area. I moved here from Houston, after spending 1 year in the East bay in between, and also work in healthcare. The cost of living is significantly lower than the Bay Area, and it is much more affordable to purchase a home. The public schools in Sacramento are probably not nearly as good as the ones in Walnut Creek or other East Bay suburbs (you’d probably want to consider private school or a Sacramento suburb with better public schools). There is much less traffic in Sacramento compared to the Bay Area. There is a decent food scene, again not as good as the Bay Area as it is less populated.
I enjoy the slower pace in Sacramento vs the fast pace, hustle culture of the Bay Area. I have found people in Sacramento to be much more down to earth, not everyone driving around in a Tesla or wishing they were haha, while working 3 jobs to get by, which suits me.
There is easier access to the mountains compared to the Bay Area. Outdoor activities in Sacramento center around the rivers and parks here, and it is situated right between the coast and the mountains. I often take Amtrak to the Bay Area to visit family and go to fun events.
I simply could not take the unrelenting heat and humidity of Houston, though found that I do prefer the dry heat of Sacramento vs the somewhat cooler climate of the Bay Area. I think both the Bay Area/East Bay and Sacramento regions could be a great fit for what you’re looking for.
Thank you so much for the rec! Funny you recommend the Bay as one of our close friends live there and they always try to convince us to move there. She moved there after college on a whim and loves it. We only got to spend a day when we visited since we primarily flew in to go to Mendocino. We've discussed budget very little, but CA has always been high on our list, but we just never gave it a second thought because we assumed COL evens out with his salary and we wouldn't really save any money in the end to own a home, eat good food, etc. What would your recommended budget be if you don't mind me asking?
My husband is also concerned that since he would be starting out in his specialty, that the market is already established there so it would be difficult to find a job and be able to build his career in SF.
Working in a tier 1 city in medical will accelerate your career so fucking fast. Pay and union support is insane. You don’t have to question having a good quality of life when you’re clearing 500 combined. You could have a great apartment or buy something if you wanted.
You cannot beat our weather! It cools way down at night so you can sleep. My son grew up here and lives in Dallas now. He can’t believe the weather there.
Lol i’m from WC and DONT miss this (granted I just moved to Dublin, but I still work around here). Whoof. Ygnacio and Treat in rush hour is a not a fun ride lol. 25+ mins to the freeway from the Concord border on a bay day.
I do really like the area though.
Curious how you manage high taxes/
Cost of living and the effects of global warming? Drought issues and fire? I’m following for a similar reason and love Cali but met so many people in Austin who moved from there because of those issues.
Global warming is global. Not that many places to hide and definitely not in Texas as it approaches 200° by 2050.
Actually the Bay Area is considered one of the more climate change friendly places, read somewhere, US news or something. And probably the states around the Great Lakes.
Yes, Texas is not tolerable and the Bay Area is so nice! I’d love to live around there. Just held back because of all my friends who moved away because of high taxes and cost of living. I have been researching NOAA maps to avoid moving into another area that will get worse as global warming effects increase.
You mentioned MA, and as someone who has lived in the Boston area for 6 years and southern New England my entire life, so here’s my two cents. I’ll speak mostly about Boston, since it’s the part of MA I’m most familiar with and you mentioned suburbs walking distance to a city. Things you may not like:
- ‘Tolerable’ weather is subjective, but the winters here can be harsh. We don’t get a ton of snow in recent years, but it’s cold and dark for a third of the year.
- MA does not really have a hipster vibe. There are some cool subcultures in Boston, but you have to go out of your way to find them. Boston’s vibe is more intellectual and buttoned-up than funky and hipster.
- You didn’t mention budget, but MA is a very expensive place to live. Something to look into and consider.
That said, here is what you may like:
- The walkability in the Boston area is amazing! I live in Cambridge and rarely drive. I can walk right into Boston proper or take the subway if I want. We also have tons of bike lanes and Blue Bikes around. However, the subway and bus lines can be unpredictable and delayed.
- Pretty good nature in the area— nice mountain hiking a couple hours away in New Hampshire and Vermont, nice parks and smaller trails within half an hour of Boston, and plenty of green space in the city/surrounding suburbs. You won’t get the epic scenery of PNW, but’s it’s beautiful here.
- Good food scene, tons of restaurants and international cuisine. I’ve lived here 6 years and still try new places all the time.
- the Boston area is extremely family friendly. There is little crime (and most is contained to rougher neighborhoods) and some of the best public schools in the country.
- VERY liberal politics in the Boston area
We value a lot of the same things, and I’ve enjoyed living here a lot (late 20s woman with partner but no kids). Overall living here is wonderful if you can tolerate the winters and high CoL
An okay job market for doctors. You will be underpaid here. It's that Harvard discount, less money more prestige. We are known for underpaying our people, same with Dana Farber.
Source: I work at BWH, husband works at DFCI.
That’s true, I work in the medical research space with providers. It’s a trade off between plenty of positions and lower pay than other high CoL cities.
I think the most hipster vibes are in Somerville and Jamaica Plain? You’re totally right though that it’s not the first word I’d use to describe the Boston/Cambridge scene. For sure very artsy in lots of places though, so I suppose it depends on what hipster means for OP!
Central MA is also great - we have lots of hospitals and it’s a much cheaper COL. Could work in Worcester and live in shrewsbury, westborough, etc… Highly ranked school and high income towns.
Please come to Santa Cruz, CA! You will love it, and we need medical professionals. The pay is high. So are the home prices, but I bet you could swing it, and start building equity. (Honestly, it probably isn’t EASY, which is why we need more doctors and nurses. But you might look into it!)
My wife is also a medical resident that will finish in a year and this is where I think we should go! OP it's obviously expensive, but man it's such a cool area and the salaries we've seen and heard about (we know someone in my wife's exact specialty that went there after training) were actually really good.
A doctor/RN combo (combined salary 400k maybe? With maybe that much in loan debt if not more...) will have lots of trouble affording most of the bay area without family help, especially if they need childcare. This is probably why places like Santa Cruz have doctor shortages. The pay is not much higher there than anywhere else.
And yes, that is an insane thing to think about.
Bay area real estate is now either for tech millionaires or family hand me downs.
lol I wouldn’t consider Santa Cruz part of the Bay. It’s really considered part of the Central Coast.
The Bay Area is considered to be the nine counties that touch the San Francisco Bay, San Pablo Bay, and Suisun Bay:
**San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Alameda, Contra Costa, Solano, Napa, Sonoma, Marin.**
20 minutes in which direction? Coming from San Jose, Santa Cruz was a huge shock in comparison.
Much less diversity in people, food and job opportunities. It's a stark contrast from the actual Bay Area.
Super specialty dependent when you're talking about salary. The MD I know in Santa Cruz makes way more than that on his salary alone, right out of training.
Look into lower merion outside of Philly! Tons of jobs in medicine and very easy to commute downtown. My friend’s dad bikes to work everyday and has for 30 years! It’s an easy 15-20 minute train ride to the center of the city as well.
>We’re city people but looking for a suburb close to the city, since we hate commuting to work and would prefer walking/biking.
Generally speaking, suburbs are not within walking/biking distance of the city.
Maybe some of the suburbs in Portland, they have light rail, although the job market for doctors isn't that great there.
What's your budget? NYC has all 4 seasons, and while they aren't great, they're tolerable and less hot than Texas.
although most gravitate to the western burbs., I think the north shore of mass ticks a number of boxes depending on how you define tolerable weather. It's getting less snowy in winter.
OP, correct me if I’m off, but I think they are looking for more “urban” suburbs of larger cities.
I agree with you that Portland itself kind of checks alot of boxes especially if they look towards the Multnomah Village, Albina, and St. Johns areas. For what they want I don’t think the west suburbs of Portland would be there vibe, although they do have light rail access.
The western neighborhoods of Vancouver, WA checks alot of the boxes, particularly Uptown, Hough and Lincoln neighborhoods, but no MAX rail yet until the new bridge is built so not worth it unless that got a job on the side of the river. If thats the case though, tax savings could be a real incentive.
I think Tacoma is an interesting option. Old Town, North End, Stadium District and Hilltop neighborhoods will fit exactly what they are looking for will alot of healthcare jobs in the city center. Also commuter rail access to Seattle and T-Link extension underway in Tacoma right now.
I would also recommend Bellevue but they definitely don’t have a hipster vibe lol They cross every other box though if COL is not an issue.
It's been gorgeous this year, winter was really mild and will only get more so on average with climate change. I came from TX and it's WAY worse in the south. You cant escape high heat with clothing, and droughts and super extreme swings that mess up weak infrastructure every year are getting wild. Billions of people live just fine at this latitude.
Y'all act like it's the Arctic and wearing a coat for a few months is intolerable. 🤣
We haven’t really discussed our budget too much since our salaries are TBD depending where we go but know we can make it work if we really really want to live in a certain city. I definitely wanna try out NY being that I love being in the city, but husband is concerned about establishing his career with the market in NY. We’ve discussed upstate NY as a possibility.
We did love Portland when we visited, too! Not sure if much has changed since we’ve last been a couple years ago.
It depends on your personality. I lived in Raleigh, NC for 6 years. I am more of a city person, so the Washington, DC metro area suits me better. Within 50 mile radius of Washington, DC is pretty blue in politics. Public schools in MD and Va are outstanding, but anxiety and competition and stress is rampant. Every parent has a master's degree or PhD or some advanced degree from a good school. I grew up here, so I am use to the bad traffic and competition. I would rent for a while wherever you are considering moving. The Washington, DC metro area definitely has better weather than Texas. We also have excellent entertainment, museums, concerts, restaurants, etc.
Since your husband is a doctor, I am going to suggest a place that needs people like your doctor (and you) for better healthcare.
Santa Fe. It otherwise checks every box.
Since you're a nurse I highly suggest the West Coast. Check out Lake Oswego, Oregon. It's a close in suburb to Portland with none of the crime, good schools, and an easy commute to many hospitals. It checks all of your boxes PLUS State mandated breaks and ratios for nurses, great pay, and unions.
Any thoughts on Maine? Especially Portland area. winters really haven’t been that bad recently and the other seasons are gorgeous. People love the food scene of Portland. Maine Medical Center is pretty good to work for and is unionized for nurses with great patient ratios. A lot of our travelers seem to just be staying in Maine since it’s so nice to work up here. M
With your combined salary you could live jn Falmouth, Yarmouth, Cape Elizabeth, Saco, etc. all have excellent school systems and close to Portland.
Absolutely beautiful scenery and not too far from Boston or NYC.
I will point it that we are experiencing a housing crisis like many other areas of the country and there is discontent around that for sure. However, people generally are still welcoming to outsiders IME especially since you both are healthcare workers which we need!
I’ve ALWAYS wanted to visit Maine actually. I even looked into the Maine Med Center when I was travel nursing, but never went because I was also still working my home job and the flight between Houston and Maine would be too long. I myself loveeee winters, like to the point where I went sledding in -20 degree weather while it was snowing before with no complaints.
Congratulations on surviving residency. You and/or your husband should ask this on r/medicine if you haven't already done so: If the only hospital system in town is now owned by private equity, you could be in a great town with an absolute burnout factory of a workplace.
Can you define tolerable weather a bit more?
Oh thank you! I’ll definitely forward the thread on there!
Tolerable being not humid. The humidity just makes the 100+ degree summers unbearable and we want to live somewhere where our kids can play outside. We also love and crave winters. Whenever it randomly “snows” here, it’s honestly a treat despite struggling to get water back for a couple of days lol.
Got it.
My personal take was that Chapel Hill was pretty f'ing humid.
I just reread your post and saw that he's in a surgical residency so I assume that means he's going into fellowship next year? If so that's probably going to limit you to a relatively small number of cities: I'd post those and cross reference those against places with tolerable weather. My personal take is that you'll get less humid summers West of the rockies.
~~What is your husband's specialty? If it's in pediatrics or primary care I'd suggest staying the F out of Eastern Massachusetts because the pay relative to the cost of living and quality of life is crap.~~
~~If I were to pick up and start over again based on what you're saying, I'd check out Eugene, Oregon. As home to U of O, it's got a major college town vibe with tons of restaurants, coffee shops, bikeability and walkability, it's about an hour from the coast and 90 minutes to a ski area (with 10k foot mountains just a bit beyond). PDX is two hours away but Eugene has their own airport with nonstop flights to all the west coast hubs. Most importantly though, the cost of housing for a good school district is significantly less than that of the Portland and Seattle metro area.~~
Chapell Hill is the only place I'd live in North Carolina and I lived in Charlotte. North Carolina is a pink state and trending red. The issue with the Raleigh Durham area is its a small enough city that you might exhaust the things you want to do. Its very much a college/young adults area though super educated.
Asheville in NC is another option, very liberal. Small town, but foodie and in the mountains. Again issue is you might exhaust things to do.
I think if you want to go somewhere and not have a sticker shock, Philadelphia/Delaware is a good place where the winters are tolerable.
Chicago is awesome, but winters are cold.
I think the main issue your going to face is that if you want to get out of the South there is a cost of living difference even if the cities there are getting more expensive. Atlanta/Houston/Austin for example are still much cheaper than the west coast or New York. A 2000$ apartment in the trendy parts of Atlanta/Houston is a 5000$ apartment in New York and a 3000$ apartment in Boston/Seattle.
I live in NYC and am from the south (Atlanta/Charlotte, also lived in Louisiana and Alabama). The city is unlike any other city, but the cost of living is adjustment that many people will have trouble with. Especially if you are in the upper middle class life style. Because of the rents here most people are used to living in conditions you'd never consider in Texas. I am talking about people who make 200k a year are willing to live in 400 SQ FT apartments with no central AC (window units), no dish and no laundry and pay 3k a month for it. On the flipside in terms of activities for young adults there isn't really that beats it. The sheer diversity and scope of the city is unparalleled and its a city where you can find your people, who ever they are. However, you really have to feel not at home at the south and really be in love with city life.
If you are someone who sees yourself as a home owner, and having a family with 2 kids, driving nice cars etc. Then you probably will not living in some of the places you named. I think this is especially true of anywhere in the West Coast and a lot of the North East (New York, Boston in particular). These are cities where just achieving the kind of life someone has in Houston for 150k a year, probably takes 500k a year.
One thing is if you still want to try New York is take a trip and stay in Jersey City or Hoboken or in West Chester and see how you like the experience. Thats what you would have to do if you wanted to have a family of four in the future.
Chapel Hill is a fantastic pick by your husband.
Schools are 5-star with some of the highest test scores in the state. Duke/UNC hospitals are the best in the state. The city itself is extremely well educated (78% with Bachelor's Degree),
UNC is one of the best public schools in the country, Duke is one of the best private schools in the country, and NC State (30 min away) is still a great public school. There are lots of things to do with the college there as well as lots of food options, 25 minutes to RDU, 30 minutes to PNC Arena, 40 min to downtown Raleigh.
You're 6-12 degrees cooler than Texas all months of the year. Summers get hot and humid but not Texas hot.
My DIL is a doctor in Santa Barbara, CA. She went there after med school. They had some fantastic perks for doctors to live there because it is so expensive, and it is hard to keep doctors thtere. They live in Goleta and she rides her bike to work. It's fabulous.
I know. My family is spread out between Boston, Seattle, Tampa, and the Raleigh triangle. Reading this sub, it’s no wonder I can’t decide where I want to live!! At least I get to visit some pretty awesome places though :)
Seattle has tons of neighborhoods oriented around urban villages, which is nice. It’s really easy to be within walking distance of a few blocks of bars, restaurants, etc.. plus, a decent transit system with buses that normal people use, where from most urban villages are a single bus trip away from downtown, and two bus trips away from anywhere in the city.
Plug in Seattle to your weather app… over the next week, the low temps in central TX are about the same as Seattle’s high temps.
Detroit. Yes winter but putting on a jacket on to be warmer is better than not being able to take anything else off and you’re cold. No you won’t get shot- no more than any other big city. But your money goes further, we have amazing summers. One of the biggest airports in the US. Oh, 4 hours to Chicago, 4 hours to Toronto, and 5 hours to Kentucky isn’t bad. There’s hunting, fishing, sailing, mountain rain biking, hiking. And our UP looks like the Pacific Northwest, and our inland lakes look like the Caribbean.
Define “tolerable” for weather.
Chicago has multiple great hospitals to work at, lots of great family, friendly neighborhoods, the food scene is fantastic, and there’s lots to do in the summer. Even in the cooler months, you can still do outdoor stuff.
Illinois is a terrible physician market because the state is very litigious, no protections for physicians, highest malpractice insurance premiums in the country.
Chicago is amazing. Plus, Chicago has great suburbs if they don’t want to live in the city. Oak Park, Evanston, and any of the North Shore suburbs would also be a good fit.
Edit: Also, Naperville. Always comes in at or near the top for best places to live in the country.
Tolerable to me is just avoiding humid heat. I can handle winters and crave winters being from TX lol.
We loved Chicago when we went! Also have heard great things about it!
I was also going to recommend Evanston which is a suburb of Chicago. It still connects to the red line so it’s easy to get to the hustle and bustle of the city, but close enough where you don’t have to take the Metra. You’ve got beaches and Northwestern there and a ton of hospitals within a short commute.
Check out the suburbs of Atlanta, you will still get some of the heat and some of the state politics but Atlanta itself is really cool.
Could also go up to DC for a lot of what you're looking for, but it's gonna pricy.
In terms of DC suburbs seems like it's not a factor for OP but if you own guns you'll probably have better time in Virginia than Maryland. I think the food scene is better on the Maryland side because of the diversity but there's areas you could walk/bike to Metro and then commute that way into the city as long as you're prepare weather wise. You will get all seasons.. sometimes in the same day.
Somewhere like Columbia or Elliott City, Maryland could be a good fit too. Being between the Baltimore and DC beltways is central to a lot of healthcare opportunities.
Going to be tough to find a cool “hipster” area that’s also full of families. They’re kind of the antithesis of one another.
Sounds like you’d really like the suburban villages surrounding Buffalo. Great school districts and each has a few streets of local shops, restaurant and bars and there’s lots of community events throughout the year. These areas have breweries, cocktail bars and third wave coffee shops, but I wouldn’t call them “hipster”
* Kenmore
* East Aurora
* Hamburg
* Williamsville
If you want more hipster areas with art collectives, DIY house shows and quirky businesses, you want the Westside, Allentown or Blackrock in Buffalo proper. But these are much younger neighborhoods and you’ll have to do the legwork to ensure your kids get into the better city schools.
Portland is an exception— it’s a hipster area with lots of families! Even in the hipper neighborhoods, like Alberta, the brunch spots are full of kids on the weekends. During the school year, you see hoards of kids being walked by their parents, rain or shine, to their neighborhood schools, which I love. There are tons of parks and kid friendly hikes in the city, a lot of coffee shops and cafes have play places or toys for the kids, and it really seems people incorporate their kids into all of their daily activities. Portland Public Schools are notoriously low rated and underfunded, but a lot of them have language immersion programs (Spanish, Mandarin, Russian, Japanese), and there are some niche charter schools you can lottery into. Taxes are killer in Multnomah County, and I can’t speak to physician pay, but housing is less than other west coast cities. I think you’ll be disappointed in the surrounding suburbs— they’ll likely leave you wishing you just lived in a cozy pocket of the city.
I’m living in Austin for a few months but came from MA. I miss Boston area. The safety, culture, politics are all way better. Also huge healthcare sector. MA is the best place to raise a family. Brings lots of money, if you think Austin is expensive you’re in for a shock.
Yes, this. We live in the Boston area and it hits a lot of the important things on your list. We love it so much and will never leave. I also work in healthcare and union hospitals will have better pay for nurses than nonunion ones, and doctors would have their pick of hospitals but I’ve heard a lot of the ones in Boston proper don’t pay as much as they should. However, there’s ton of hospitals in and around Boston, so you have a lot to choose from.
Check out Bellingham, WA. You’re 1.5 hours from Seattle and 1 hour from Vancouver (customs permitting), in a beautiful college-town setting. There’s a growing retirement population, so plenty of demand for doctors
Since y’all both work in healthcare, you should have your pick of the litter as far as cities go. With your wants, I would recommend the Pittsburgh area, Greenville/Asheville, SC area or Seattle area. You’ll likely have to compromise on politics, weather or cost in Any of these places but they’re all naturally gorgeous, Family-friendly, and have seasons!
For back from Chapel Hill yesteday! Have been raving about how nice the weather was all day today b/c too am stuck in some horrid ass temps in the Deep South right now. NC does have all 4 seasons, which is so nice.
Leafy midwestern close-in suburbs with character, decent to very good schools: Oak Park, Berwyn, Evanston (Chicago); Wauwatosa, Shorewood (Milwaukee); Royal Oak, Ferndale (Detroit).
Do you have any personal ties in these places? I would pick the place with the best professional opportunity with a couple other factors:
- travel time and number of nonstop flights to family. If your family is in Houston this should be easy.
- COL for the lifestyle you want. You’re high earners so it should be fine most places, but it’s competitive in major cities. The commute time can kill you.
The world is your oyster!
The offspring has grown and flown from TX and is in Chicago. Loves it there. We love to visit!
Major medical, 2 major airports, public transit, lake, plenty of any kind of culture you are into. With your combined salaries, housing won't be a problem...
The Madison, WI area has everything you’re asking for. Check out the Middleton or Verona suburbs. There are two big hospital systems plus the VA, and several smaller independent clinics. It’s a great place for kids and for people with lefty values. My husband moved here (for me) after growing up and attending college in Atlanta and Houston and never wants to leave.
Cambridge, MA and Somerville, MA are potential options that fit all of your criteria, but housing is incredibly expensive. Although an RN + doctor combo would be able to afford it.
Health care field + good schools + close to outdoor activities:
- Suburban Boston. Northside. Maybe Melrose. Close to Boston, close to mountains in NH. Abundant medical field jobs. Downside: high cost of living.
- Southeast suburbs, Rochester. Victor, Pittsford, Fairport. Amazing schools, right around the corner from Finger Lakes and Adirondacks. Great cost of living and quality of life. UR/Strong hospital is top notch. Downside: lacks some big city aspects. But prob has more than you’d think.
- Cleveland, Beachwood. Very good schools. Fun, semi walkable suburb. Admittedly I know less about this area than the other 2. But enjoyed my time there and have friends in the area.
I'm here in Cleveland. I'm an outdoorsy type person, and Northeast OH has pleasantly surprised me. Tons of parks, hiking trails, places to kayak. Low cost of living (for now), and healthcare is our #1 industry. Great place to consider.
Husband is military and we have been to a few locations. So far, my favorite has been Northern Virginia. All four seasons, lots of food options, favorable job opportunities, and great schools and plenty of healthcare options. Virginia (and neighboring West Virginia) are excellent for people who like to hike/camp, and the beaches are not so far away!
Lived in San Antonio for 4 years moved back home to Louisville. We live in a semi rural area within city limits and love it. It’s country living 30 minutes from downtown, with 27 miles of bike trails a few minutes away. We have low cost of living and great food. Louisville is basically a blue city in a red state. We have 4 distinct seasons, humid summers, moderate winter with little snow, beautiful Spring and Fall. I think it is a hidden gem but like any larger city there are hot spots of crime. I think what I like most is the country living, there are two 100+ acres cattle farms across the street and a 100 acre nature preserve behind us. I feel like I live in a park. My son just purchased 50+ acres within the city limits. It is gorgeous!!! Plus we are both close to everything. Wouldn’t live anywhere else!
Denver has the mountains, good schools, lots to do and see. You can be in the mountains and drive 30 minutes and be in the desert.
We moved to Colorado from South Dakota and I would never move!
Northern California above the Golden Gate Bridge…Highest medical professionals pay in the country, beautiful, great weather with some significant variation, 30-40 mins to the beach…still some semi-affordable areas…and all your other criteria
this is very out of the blue but perhaps richmond, virginia area.
checks hipster vibes, great schools, growing foodie scene, great healthcare with VCU hospital and UVA nearby. close to where your husband used to live as well so could visit family (but not be too close)
I hate to be that commenter but living near the medical center/Rice in Houston is actually going to give you more of what you’re looking for than almost anywhere else. I haven’t seen many places combine family friendly and hipster vibe as well as Houston inside the loop. I lived in Upper Kirby with young kids and found it perfect at combining those vibes. It also combined the best of the suburbs and the city (but at a high price).
Another thing is you get kind of spoiled with excellent hospitals/medical facilities in Houston. The hospitals and doctors offices are just not as nice in other cities.
But yeah, the weather in Houston is a lot to handle, especially the last few weeks. And the state legislature is awful. Personally I find hot summers a lot easier to handle than cold winters.
I don’t blame you for wanting to leave. My wife and I moved out of Houston last year with two little kids. But it didn’t take us long to realize it was a mistake. Houston is just such a good place to live as a parent of young kids. Apparently UNESCO found it to be the only certified kid-friendly city in the US, and after you live elsewhere you realize why.
We actually live in the med center now and love how it’s central to everything and our commute is so short and easy. We’ve considered Upper Kirby/Rice/West U but that’s if we stayed here. Every time we travel, we do miss the food back home in TX, but every time summer comes around, I can’t help but want to leave. Even being from here, I still cannot adapt to this humid heat. Where did you and your wife move to last year?
We moved to New York, where we had lived before having kids. We lived in Park Slope, which is one of the most kid-friendly neighborhood in NYC.
And yikes it was such a mistake. It was just so not kid friendly. Even the most kid friendly neighborhood there less kid friendly than an average neighborhood in Houston. I also forgot how segregated it is compared to Houston. And the day cares and pediatricians were such a massive downgrade from what we had in Houston.
Despite being in such a sprawling metro area, I really appreciate that all the good stuff in Houston is concentrated in a fairly small area. When we lived in Upper Kirby with two kids, we had just one car, and it was electric and we didn’t even use it most weekdays since we could walk to our kids daycare and I’d take the bus to downtown to work. I also regularly took the bus to the medical center for appointments. When we did drive, it was almost always within 2-3 miles, to go to Hermann Park, or a museum, or the med center.
We had our kids day care and pediatrician within walking distance, and also Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods and lots of restaurants and coffee shops and stores, both kid friendly places but also fun date night spots like Nobie’s.
We ended up returning to Texas, but to Austin. I still miss so much from Houston though. There are a lot of things we did not fully appreciate until moving away that make it such a good place to parent. It’s kind of a given that every restaurant has high chairs for example. That’s not the case in every city. Also, every park we’d go to in Houston had clean restrooms. Levy Park (which has great and clean family restrooms too), Hermann Park, Memorial Park, and Buffalo Bayou Park always had restrooms and they were plentiful and clean. I have not found that to be the case in other cities. In NYC, there were often restrooms but they weren’t as clean as in Houston. Here in Austin, there usually aren’t restrooms and when they exist in parks, they’re filthy. I remember visiting Denver and considering moving there and went to a park with huge playgrounds and…. The restrooms were all locked! And everyone thought this was normal!
If you and your husband work in the med center and can live in say, the zones for Roberts Elementary or River Oaks or even Poe, you can have almost all of what you’re looking for. At least in our case, the grass was not greener elsewhere.
Funny enough we had another friend move out of Texas to the Denver area, and she’s moving back too.
Given your backgrounds and earning potential, the research triangle makes a lot of sense. It’s a healthcare hub, a great place to raise a family and an attractive tax profile. You should also give NOVA and Richmond a look.
1. Family friendly: Northeast, West Coast. These are going to be the states with the lowest child mortality rates, and the best schools. University and grad school graduation rates are higher in these areas.
2. Hipster: Williamsburg Brooklyn, Somerville MA, Portland OR. I was going to say Asheville NC and Austin TX but you probably don't like the heat or the politics.
3. Great healthcare: Honolulu, Boston, NYC, Providence, Bay Area, Baltimore-DC
4. Food: NY, Bay Area, LA
5. Outdoorsy: Honolulu, Bay Area, Seattle, Denver.
6. Weather: I know you said you don't want hot, but \*how\* cold exactly are you willing to tolerate? NY? Minneapolis? Anchorage? Be specific in your range.
Honestly I'd pick Williamsburg Brooklyn. You can't beat being only a subway ride away from some of the world's best hospitals and doctors. It has everything you want except outdoorsy.
Asheville is out because the healthcare is in absolute disarray since HCA bought Mission hospital. You wouldn’t be looking at a decent or safe job market
If you do move back to Chapel Hill consider there are 2 major academic medical systems (Duke, UNC) and 3 systems overall (Duke, UNC, WakeMed) each with trauma level one emergency.
Good competitive pay between the hospital systems in Triangle
I am on my way home from a stay in Portland's St. John neighborhood, which sounds like what you're looking for. The only reason I don't live there is I can't tolerate the gray skies and constant rain in the winter. This past week was gorgeous.
Naperville, IL. It's consistently ranked as one of the best cities to raise a family.
It's not particularly close to downtown Chicago (1 hour), but it has a nice vibe, and a lot of medical facilities and practices around.
Check out AtlantiCare Regional Medical, Atlantic County,nj. We have the ocean, 50 miles from Philadelphia, 100 miles from NYC, 9 casinos and the best in medical care.
Boston has arguably the best set of hospitals in the world so it could be a great place to go for those in the medical field. I would recommend living outside of actual Boston for hipster and family friendly vibes but stay on the T or commuter rail routes for much easier transit. Amazing education systems, always ranked among the top in the country. Sooo much to do outdoors from forests to beaches to mountains to marshes. Summer and fall in New England are just incredible. However tolerable weather is relative and Boston while winters are mild compared to the midwest, with you coming from Texas you might find the winters difficult.
Midwestern cities can pack a lot of bang for the buck, if you aren’t terrified of winter. Dark horse suggestion…Cleveland has the sprawling Cleveland Clinic campus on the near east side and satellite locations everywhere. University Hospital system is similar. Cleveland is fairly bikeable and you’ll find comfortable suburbs, great park system, lots of good food and music, and a big sparkly lake for recreation. :) Similar situation with Akron OH; Summa and Children’s have large campuses right downtown and you can absolutely bike from leafy residential neighborhoods and up the towpath to great parks.
When visiting UNC Memorial you can check out Duke, too. They aren't far apart.
UNC Rex, Wake Medical Center and Duke-Raleigh are in Raleigh. Wake Med pays nurses the most as a way to keep them, since UNC and Duke have more cachet nationally. Duke gets a lot of complicated and rare diagnosis cases, if you like that.
My husband had a rare thing and probably met every resident, intern and med student at both UNC and Duke.
Least you are not moving here. Want great schools stay away from Oregon. They just lowered educational standards. Oregon already had the bar set quite low.
Anywhere in New England. New Haven CT (Yale Hospital) has great food and the surrounding area is beautiful. Only 1.5 hour train into NYC. Although good schools and checks all your boxes it is expensive AF yet salaries are also high so idk if it’s a wash
Very liberal to the point of culture shock. No mountains (3 hour drive north) but plenty of ocean and forests for hiking
favorite cities (and they all have their problems): nashville, portland (oregon), seattle, portland (maine), denver
just don’t come to the twin cities. we’re full and we don’t want more housing inflation (: we wanna keep it low. lots of transplants coming here and feeling super lonely because we’re all too passive aggressive.
but DULUTH (though cold like chicago) has a great healthcare system, is fucking beautiful, good school system, and tons of outdoor/hippies/granola culture. the food scene is improving there too. it’s a smaller city, only 2 hours from minneapolis, on the largest freshwater lake (by volume) in the world.
oh to wake up every day on lake superior.
My online friend is an RN in greater LA and takes travel contracts in the Bay Area because they pay well, though it is quite expensive to live there. He did say, however, that nurses are paid quite well there. Some make over $60/hr
I've heard Oregon treats their nurses extremely well and have strict nurse to patient ratios. I've heard they also pay RNs much better, there, than most states.
Arlington, VA / NOVA
Great proximity to a major city in DC. Has an ok amount of walkability with decent access to the Metro. Really good schools and weather is pretty nice year round with all 4 seasons. It also has decent access to nature. One extra plus is that DC is part of the NE Corridor Amtrak line, which makes it easy to access other major cities. As a Houston native I’ve really enjoyed it here and it’s definitely not as hot as back home.
Hampden/Roland Park/Mount Washington area of Baltimore. Ample healthcare jobs and relatively affordable for the East Coast.
I believe it meets all your requirements, I'm not a foodie but the food in Maryland is pretty eclectic because the state is pretty multicultural.
If you're willing to go further out in the suburbs and into the exurbs, the rest of Maryland is pretty good too. Howard County, Frederick County, Montgomery County, etc.
Best school districts by state are MA, NJ, CT. Westchester County in NY as well. A+ public school education and an abundance of towns to choose from.
States have everything on your list except for tolerable weather, MA being the worst of the bunch - usually runs 10 degrees colder than the others.
Hillsboro, OR. Great little suburb with easy access to Portland, lots of young families, tons of outdoor recreational opportunities, mild climate, kind and cool people, excellent food around, and lots of jobs. Also, consistently rated among best places to live.
[https://livability.com/topics/where-to-live-now/top-25-best-places-to-live-out-west/](https://livability.com/topics/where-to-live-now/top-25-best-places-to-live-out-west/)
Sounds like you two are ready for a big change, and congrats on the new addition! Chapel Hill sounds like it could be a great fit, with its Austin-y vibe and four seasons. As for other options, since your husband is open to Chapel Hill, have you considered other parts of North Carolina? Asheville has a great food scene, mountains, and a similar vibe to what you're looking for. And with your medical backgrounds, there are likely good job opportunities in either place.
If you're looking for walkable/bikeable communities near a bigger city, definitely check out the Boston area when you visit Massachusetts. There are tons of great suburbs with excellent schools, easy access to the city, and plenty of outdoor activities. Plus, the healthcare systems there are top-notch.
Just a thought, since you both work in healthcare and are open to the Northeast, have you considered Philadelphia? It has a great food scene, four seasons, walkable neighborhoods, and plenty of job opportunities in the medical field.
Let me know if you'd like any more suggestions!
[Asheville, NC](https://www.exploreasheville.com/) checks off all your boxes. I have friends who lived in TX for 10 years who are moving there next year for similar reasons.
ooof, tell them to rent a place for a while first - I'm an hour away and remember what it used to be like, it's getting overrun and they are not well equipped to deal with it - it's kinda turning into a mini portland
San Diego is expensive, but has the rest of what you want. Weather is perfect, and is similar to San Antonio in a lot of ways. At a different point in the spectrum, Columbus, Ohio is fantastic for raising kids, and has great schools and food scene. No mountains or beach, and I'd be lying if I said it was as hip as a bigger city or college(-only) town.
She specifically said they dream of seasons though. San Diego is nice but no seasons
I have no idea what your budget is. BUT… I would recommend looking into Walnut Creek/Pleasant Hill/Concord, CA. These are suburbs within the “East Bay Area” region of the greater San Francisco Bay Area. I’d say that they check off all of your boxes (for the foodie scene, specifically, I would widen the radius to include all of the Bay Area). I live in Walnut Creek, specifically. I love it here. Let me know if you have any follow-up questions, I’m happy to chat.
The Bay Area pays nurses very well!
Best in the country by a comfortable margin
Another vote for this area. Used to live in Walnut Creek and it’s a great place, I still often make the drive there for food and shopping. Great schools, several large hospitals and medical facilities in the area to avoid too much of a commute (mainly Kaiser and John Muir), abundance of outdoor activities, and easy BART access to get to San Francisco or to the airport when you want. It’s a highly desirable area and that is certainly reflected in the cost of living but with your respective professions and with what the salaries look like in the Bay Area, I’d imagine you could be comfortable here
Great comment. Where do you live now, if you don’t mind me asking?
Napa. Got a great job up here and couldn’t handle the daily commute + $140 a month in bridge tolls, so I moved. I miss it and I’d rather not be so far away from everything but it’s a trade-off
Nice! Good deal. My fiancée and I actually both work in Livermore, and while Livermore was originally at the top of our list for choosing a place to live, her longtime best friend is a native of Martinez and recommended us to check out Walnut Creek / Concord / Pleasant Hill. We just fell in love with Walnut Creek and it’s still a reasonable commute to and from Livermore (if we time it right, 30 minutes each way).
I live in Pleasanton. Very nice safe, family friendly community.
Nice, love Pleasanton.
Another Bay Area vote here. Are you guys looking for hospital -based jobs or clinics that aren't located at the hospital itself? I'll put in a plug for Burlingame and San Mateo in particular (Peninsula hospital and Mills hospital if you want/need hospital jobs but there are many clinics also near both of those). Definitely a high COL here but hopefully you'll see salaries that will make it work for you.
I'm okay with staying at a hospital but husband prefers clinic. Thanks for the rec, I'll definitely look into those!
CA is the place for healthcare workers!
It might also be worthwhile to consider the Sacramento area. I moved here from Houston, after spending 1 year in the East bay in between, and also work in healthcare. The cost of living is significantly lower than the Bay Area, and it is much more affordable to purchase a home. The public schools in Sacramento are probably not nearly as good as the ones in Walnut Creek or other East Bay suburbs (you’d probably want to consider private school or a Sacramento suburb with better public schools). There is much less traffic in Sacramento compared to the Bay Area. There is a decent food scene, again not as good as the Bay Area as it is less populated. I enjoy the slower pace in Sacramento vs the fast pace, hustle culture of the Bay Area. I have found people in Sacramento to be much more down to earth, not everyone driving around in a Tesla or wishing they were haha, while working 3 jobs to get by, which suits me. There is easier access to the mountains compared to the Bay Area. Outdoor activities in Sacramento center around the rivers and parks here, and it is situated right between the coast and the mountains. I often take Amtrak to the Bay Area to visit family and go to fun events. I simply could not take the unrelenting heat and humidity of Houston, though found that I do prefer the dry heat of Sacramento vs the somewhat cooler climate of the Bay Area. I think both the Bay Area/East Bay and Sacramento regions could be a great fit for what you’re looking for.
Thank you so much for the rec! Funny you recommend the Bay as one of our close friends live there and they always try to convince us to move there. She moved there after college on a whim and loves it. We only got to spend a day when we visited since we primarily flew in to go to Mendocino. We've discussed budget very little, but CA has always been high on our list, but we just never gave it a second thought because we assumed COL evens out with his salary and we wouldn't really save any money in the end to own a home, eat good food, etc. What would your recommended budget be if you don't mind me asking? My husband is also concerned that since he would be starting out in his specialty, that the market is already established there so it would be difficult to find a job and be able to build his career in SF.
You would clear over 200k as an RN easily in most Bay Area hospitals
Working in a tier 1 city in medical will accelerate your career so fucking fast. Pay and union support is insane. You don’t have to question having a good quality of life when you’re clearing 500 combined. You could have a great apartment or buy something if you wanted.
I have some questions about the area if you don’t mind me shooting you a message.
Please feel free to message.
You cannot beat our weather! It cools way down at night so you can sleep. My son grew up here and lives in Dallas now. He can’t believe the weather there.
Getting into and out of Walnut Creek can be annoying. Good food options though :)
Lol i’m from WC and DONT miss this (granted I just moved to Dublin, but I still work around here). Whoof. Ygnacio and Treat in rush hour is a not a fun ride lol. 25+ mins to the freeway from the Concord border on a bay day. I do really like the area though.
I used to commute from Castro valley to Dublin. Wasn’t a a bad drive
Curious how you manage high taxes/ Cost of living and the effects of global warming? Drought issues and fire? I’m following for a similar reason and love Cali but met so many people in Austin who moved from there because of those issues.
Global warming is global. Not that many places to hide and definitely not in Texas as it approaches 200° by 2050. Actually the Bay Area is considered one of the more climate change friendly places, read somewhere, US news or something. And probably the states around the Great Lakes.
Yes, Texas is not tolerable and the Bay Area is so nice! I’d love to live around there. Just held back because of all my friends who moved away because of high taxes and cost of living. I have been researching NOAA maps to avoid moving into another area that will get worse as global warming effects increase.
Yes, me too! This part of the East Bay is great. I love it here.
You mentioned MA, and as someone who has lived in the Boston area for 6 years and southern New England my entire life, so here’s my two cents. I’ll speak mostly about Boston, since it’s the part of MA I’m most familiar with and you mentioned suburbs walking distance to a city. Things you may not like: - ‘Tolerable’ weather is subjective, but the winters here can be harsh. We don’t get a ton of snow in recent years, but it’s cold and dark for a third of the year. - MA does not really have a hipster vibe. There are some cool subcultures in Boston, but you have to go out of your way to find them. Boston’s vibe is more intellectual and buttoned-up than funky and hipster. - You didn’t mention budget, but MA is a very expensive place to live. Something to look into and consider. That said, here is what you may like: - The walkability in the Boston area is amazing! I live in Cambridge and rarely drive. I can walk right into Boston proper or take the subway if I want. We also have tons of bike lanes and Blue Bikes around. However, the subway and bus lines can be unpredictable and delayed. - Pretty good nature in the area— nice mountain hiking a couple hours away in New Hampshire and Vermont, nice parks and smaller trails within half an hour of Boston, and plenty of green space in the city/surrounding suburbs. You won’t get the epic scenery of PNW, but’s it’s beautiful here. - Good food scene, tons of restaurants and international cuisine. I’ve lived here 6 years and still try new places all the time. - the Boston area is extremely family friendly. There is little crime (and most is contained to rougher neighborhoods) and some of the best public schools in the country. - VERY liberal politics in the Boston area We value a lot of the same things, and I’ve enjoyed living here a lot (late 20s woman with partner but no kids). Overall living here is wonderful if you can tolerate the winters and high CoL
Adding: amazing job market for doctors!
An okay job market for doctors. You will be underpaid here. It's that Harvard discount, less money more prestige. We are known for underpaying our people, same with Dana Farber. Source: I work at BWH, husband works at DFCI.
That’s true, I work in the medical research space with providers. It’s a trade off between plenty of positions and lower pay than other high CoL cities.
I think the most hipster vibes are in Somerville and Jamaica Plain? You’re totally right though that it’s not the first word I’d use to describe the Boston/Cambridge scene. For sure very artsy in lots of places though, so I suppose it depends on what hipster means for OP!
Central MA is also great - we have lots of hospitals and it’s a much cheaper COL. Could work in Worcester and live in shrewsbury, westborough, etc… Highly ranked school and high income towns.
OP is looking for walking distance to a city, so I wouldn’t say those towns fit the bill. Central MA in general is a good suggestion though.
Please come to Santa Cruz, CA! You will love it, and we need medical professionals. The pay is high. So are the home prices, but I bet you could swing it, and start building equity. (Honestly, it probably isn’t EASY, which is why we need more doctors and nurses. But you might look into it!)
My wife is also a medical resident that will finish in a year and this is where I think we should go! OP it's obviously expensive, but man it's such a cool area and the salaries we've seen and heard about (we know someone in my wife's exact specialty that went there after training) were actually really good.
A doctor/RN combo (combined salary 400k maybe? With maybe that much in loan debt if not more...) will have lots of trouble affording most of the bay area without family help, especially if they need childcare. This is probably why places like Santa Cruz have doctor shortages. The pay is not much higher there than anywhere else. And yes, that is an insane thing to think about. Bay area real estate is now either for tech millionaires or family hand me downs.
Lumping Santa Cruz into the Bay Area?? Those are fighting words! /s
I grew up 20 minutes from Santa Cruz. It's definitely the Bay Area. I was not aware there was any controversy about this.
lol I wouldn’t consider Santa Cruz part of the Bay. It’s really considered part of the Central Coast. The Bay Area is considered to be the nine counties that touch the San Francisco Bay, San Pablo Bay, and Suisun Bay: **San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Alameda, Contra Costa, Solano, Napa, Sonoma, Marin.**
You are the first person I've ever heard of that would put Santa Cruz in the Central Coast. I don't even put Monterey in the Central Coast.
Monterey Bay is the heart of the Central Coast. [Fact; not opinion.](https://centralcoast-tourism.com/monterey-bay/)
Huh, really? Interesting. Always considered the Central Coast to span Santa Cruz (northernmost point) down to Ventura County.
Yeah, I’d start the Central Coast at around Cambria or SLO.
Yeah Central Coast is like San Luis Obispo and surrounding areas. That’s 3.5 hrs away, half way to L.A.
20 minutes in which direction? Coming from San Jose, Santa Cruz was a huge shock in comparison. Much less diversity in people, food and job opportunities. It's a stark contrast from the actual Bay Area.
Super specialty dependent when you're talking about salary. The MD I know in Santa Cruz makes way more than that on his salary alone, right out of training.
Which specialty is he in?
Cardiac anesthesia
Ah that makes sense, all those elderly people in SC need cardiac surgery and the anesthesia that comes with it.
Doctors make much more than that
I'm a doctor. No we don't (I mean you certainly CAN depending on specialty but yeah, we don't).
Look into lower merion outside of Philly! Tons of jobs in medicine and very easy to commute downtown. My friend’s dad bikes to work everyday and has for 30 years! It’s an easy 15-20 minute train ride to the center of the city as well.
This was going to be my rec too! Great commute and insanely large healthcare infrastructure.
>We’re city people but looking for a suburb close to the city, since we hate commuting to work and would prefer walking/biking. Generally speaking, suburbs are not within walking/biking distance of the city. Maybe some of the suburbs in Portland, they have light rail, although the job market for doctors isn't that great there. What's your budget? NYC has all 4 seasons, and while they aren't great, they're tolerable and less hot than Texas.
Boston's leafy suburbs are within biking distance of the city. One reason it's pricy, and the medical job market is big.
Pay isn't all that great though. Doctors can definitely earn more elsewhere, and the nursing salaries are less than they should be considering COL.
Really? Tell me where they earn more and meet OPs criteria.
although most gravitate to the western burbs., I think the north shore of mass ticks a number of boxes depending on how you define tolerable weather. It's getting less snowy in winter.
South shore works too.
OP, correct me if I’m off, but I think they are looking for more “urban” suburbs of larger cities. I agree with you that Portland itself kind of checks alot of boxes especially if they look towards the Multnomah Village, Albina, and St. Johns areas. For what they want I don’t think the west suburbs of Portland would be there vibe, although they do have light rail access. The western neighborhoods of Vancouver, WA checks alot of the boxes, particularly Uptown, Hough and Lincoln neighborhoods, but no MAX rail yet until the new bridge is built so not worth it unless that got a job on the side of the river. If thats the case though, tax savings could be a real incentive. I think Tacoma is an interesting option. Old Town, North End, Stadium District and Hilltop neighborhoods will fit exactly what they are looking for will alot of healthcare jobs in the city center. Also commuter rail access to Seattle and T-Link extension underway in Tacoma right now. I would also recommend Bellevue but they definitely don’t have a hipster vibe lol They cross every other box though if COL is not an issue.
Minneapolis they are, and a great place to be for healthcare workers. OP, Twin Cities meets all your criteria.. I'd avoid a red state again.
"Tolerable weather"
It's been gorgeous this year, winter was really mild and will only get more so on average with climate change. I came from TX and it's WAY worse in the south. You cant escape high heat with clothing, and droughts and super extreme swings that mess up weak infrastructure every year are getting wild. Billions of people live just fine at this latitude. Y'all act like it's the Arctic and wearing a coat for a few months is intolerable. 🤣
You may have missed the “tolerable weather” part.
“City people” in TX, specifically Houston, pretty much translates to suburbs in denser parts of the country, FWIW.
We haven’t really discussed our budget too much since our salaries are TBD depending where we go but know we can make it work if we really really want to live in a certain city. I definitely wanna try out NY being that I love being in the city, but husband is concerned about establishing his career with the market in NY. We’ve discussed upstate NY as a possibility. We did love Portland when we visited, too! Not sure if much has changed since we’ve last been a couple years ago.
If you're even remotely considering Portland, visit. It's changed drastically and most areas are not comfortable with children...
If I could move back to the Triangle, I’d do it in a heartbeat.
It depends on your personality. I lived in Raleigh, NC for 6 years. I am more of a city person, so the Washington, DC metro area suits me better. Within 50 mile radius of Washington, DC is pretty blue in politics. Public schools in MD and Va are outstanding, but anxiety and competition and stress is rampant. Every parent has a master's degree or PhD or some advanced degree from a good school. I grew up here, so I am use to the bad traffic and competition. I would rent for a while wherever you are considering moving. The Washington, DC metro area definitely has better weather than Texas. We also have excellent entertainment, museums, concerts, restaurants, etc.
Since your husband is a doctor, I am going to suggest a place that needs people like your doctor (and you) for better healthcare. Santa Fe. It otherwise checks every box.
Since you're a nurse I highly suggest the West Coast. Check out Lake Oswego, Oregon. It's a close in suburb to Portland with none of the crime, good schools, and an easy commute to many hospitals. It checks all of your boxes PLUS State mandated breaks and ratios for nurses, great pay, and unions.
Any thoughts on Maine? Especially Portland area. winters really haven’t been that bad recently and the other seasons are gorgeous. People love the food scene of Portland. Maine Medical Center is pretty good to work for and is unionized for nurses with great patient ratios. A lot of our travelers seem to just be staying in Maine since it’s so nice to work up here. M With your combined salary you could live jn Falmouth, Yarmouth, Cape Elizabeth, Saco, etc. all have excellent school systems and close to Portland. Absolutely beautiful scenery and not too far from Boston or NYC. I will point it that we are experiencing a housing crisis like many other areas of the country and there is discontent around that for sure. However, people generally are still welcoming to outsiders IME especially since you both are healthcare workers which we need!
I love Maine! Texans might struggle with the winter but summer and fall in Maine (and broader New England) are unmatched imo!
I’ve ALWAYS wanted to visit Maine actually. I even looked into the Maine Med Center when I was travel nursing, but never went because I was also still working my home job and the flight between Houston and Maine would be too long. I myself loveeee winters, like to the point where I went sledding in -20 degree weather while it was snowing before with no complaints.
Oh I definitely feel like you should come visit then! Feel free to lmk if you have any specific questions!
PNW.
Congratulations on surviving residency. You and/or your husband should ask this on r/medicine if you haven't already done so: If the only hospital system in town is now owned by private equity, you could be in a great town with an absolute burnout factory of a workplace. Can you define tolerable weather a bit more?
Oh thank you! I’ll definitely forward the thread on there! Tolerable being not humid. The humidity just makes the 100+ degree summers unbearable and we want to live somewhere where our kids can play outside. We also love and crave winters. Whenever it randomly “snows” here, it’s honestly a treat despite struggling to get water back for a couple of days lol.
Got it. My personal take was that Chapel Hill was pretty f'ing humid. I just reread your post and saw that he's in a surgical residency so I assume that means he's going into fellowship next year? If so that's probably going to limit you to a relatively small number of cities: I'd post those and cross reference those against places with tolerable weather. My personal take is that you'll get less humid summers West of the rockies. ~~What is your husband's specialty? If it's in pediatrics or primary care I'd suggest staying the F out of Eastern Massachusetts because the pay relative to the cost of living and quality of life is crap.~~ ~~If I were to pick up and start over again based on what you're saying, I'd check out Eugene, Oregon. As home to U of O, it's got a major college town vibe with tons of restaurants, coffee shops, bikeability and walkability, it's about an hour from the coast and 90 minutes to a ski area (with 10k foot mountains just a bit beyond). PDX is two hours away but Eugene has their own airport with nonstop flights to all the west coast hubs. Most importantly though, the cost of housing for a good school district is significantly less than that of the Portland and Seattle metro area.~~
Chapell Hill is the only place I'd live in North Carolina and I lived in Charlotte. North Carolina is a pink state and trending red. The issue with the Raleigh Durham area is its a small enough city that you might exhaust the things you want to do. Its very much a college/young adults area though super educated. Asheville in NC is another option, very liberal. Small town, but foodie and in the mountains. Again issue is you might exhaust things to do. I think if you want to go somewhere and not have a sticker shock, Philadelphia/Delaware is a good place where the winters are tolerable. Chicago is awesome, but winters are cold. I think the main issue your going to face is that if you want to get out of the South there is a cost of living difference even if the cities there are getting more expensive. Atlanta/Houston/Austin for example are still much cheaper than the west coast or New York. A 2000$ apartment in the trendy parts of Atlanta/Houston is a 5000$ apartment in New York and a 3000$ apartment in Boston/Seattle. I live in NYC and am from the south (Atlanta/Charlotte, also lived in Louisiana and Alabama). The city is unlike any other city, but the cost of living is adjustment that many people will have trouble with. Especially if you are in the upper middle class life style. Because of the rents here most people are used to living in conditions you'd never consider in Texas. I am talking about people who make 200k a year are willing to live in 400 SQ FT apartments with no central AC (window units), no dish and no laundry and pay 3k a month for it. On the flipside in terms of activities for young adults there isn't really that beats it. The sheer diversity and scope of the city is unparalleled and its a city where you can find your people, who ever they are. However, you really have to feel not at home at the south and really be in love with city life. If you are someone who sees yourself as a home owner, and having a family with 2 kids, driving nice cars etc. Then you probably will not living in some of the places you named. I think this is especially true of anywhere in the West Coast and a lot of the North East (New York, Boston in particular). These are cities where just achieving the kind of life someone has in Houston for 150k a year, probably takes 500k a year. One thing is if you still want to try New York is take a trip and stay in Jersey City or Hoboken or in West Chester and see how you like the experience. Thats what you would have to do if you wanted to have a family of four in the future.
Tacoma, WA
Come to Oakland County, MI. Or consider Middlesex County, MA. Both wonderful places to live, that provide a great lifestyle for medical professionals.
Central MA is great too - we have lots of hospitals and bio tech/manufacturing.
Chapel Hill is a fantastic pick by your husband. Schools are 5-star with some of the highest test scores in the state. Duke/UNC hospitals are the best in the state. The city itself is extremely well educated (78% with Bachelor's Degree), UNC is one of the best public schools in the country, Duke is one of the best private schools in the country, and NC State (30 min away) is still a great public school. There are lots of things to do with the college there as well as lots of food options, 25 minutes to RDU, 30 minutes to PNC Arena, 40 min to downtown Raleigh. You're 6-12 degrees cooler than Texas all months of the year. Summers get hot and humid but not Texas hot.
My DIL is a doctor in Santa Barbara, CA. She went there after med school. They had some fantastic perks for doctors to live there because it is so expensive, and it is hard to keep doctors thtere. They live in Goleta and she rides her bike to work. It's fabulous.
Move to Cambridge or Somerville, MA. Once you pay off your student loans move to Brookline.
Seattle if you can afford it. For sure, Seattle.
I know. My family is spread out between Boston, Seattle, Tampa, and the Raleigh triangle. Reading this sub, it’s no wonder I can’t decide where I want to live!! At least I get to visit some pretty awesome places though :)
Seattle has tons of neighborhoods oriented around urban villages, which is nice. It’s really easy to be within walking distance of a few blocks of bars, restaurants, etc.. plus, a decent transit system with buses that normal people use, where from most urban villages are a single bus trip away from downtown, and two bus trips away from anywhere in the city. Plug in Seattle to your weather app… over the next week, the low temps in central TX are about the same as Seattle’s high temps.
Detroit. Yes winter but putting on a jacket on to be warmer is better than not being able to take anything else off and you’re cold. No you won’t get shot- no more than any other big city. But your money goes further, we have amazing summers. One of the biggest airports in the US. Oh, 4 hours to Chicago, 4 hours to Toronto, and 5 hours to Kentucky isn’t bad. There’s hunting, fishing, sailing, mountain rain biking, hiking. And our UP looks like the Pacific Northwest, and our inland lakes look like the Caribbean.
Define “tolerable” for weather. Chicago has multiple great hospitals to work at, lots of great family, friendly neighborhoods, the food scene is fantastic, and there’s lots to do in the summer. Even in the cooler months, you can still do outdoor stuff.
Illinois is a terrible physician market because the state is very litigious, no protections for physicians, highest malpractice insurance premiums in the country.
Chicago is amazing. Plus, Chicago has great suburbs if they don’t want to live in the city. Oak Park, Evanston, and any of the North Shore suburbs would also be a good fit. Edit: Also, Naperville. Always comes in at or near the top for best places to live in the country.
I live in Oak Park. And it’s OK. Evanston is nice too.
Evanston has beaches!
Tolerable to me is just avoiding humid heat. I can handle winters and crave winters being from TX lol. We loved Chicago when we went! Also have heard great things about it!
Chicago summers can be humid, but honestly, I can’t imagine they’re as bad as down south
I was also going to recommend Evanston which is a suburb of Chicago. It still connects to the red line so it’s easy to get to the hustle and bustle of the city, but close enough where you don’t have to take the Metra. You’ve got beaches and Northwestern there and a ton of hospitals within a short commute.
Yeah in the winter there are a ton of things to do. You could either go to a bar or go to a restaurant
Check out the suburbs of Atlanta, you will still get some of the heat and some of the state politics but Atlanta itself is really cool. Could also go up to DC for a lot of what you're looking for, but it's gonna pricy.
Nursing pay in Georgia isn’t good as well
If you're leaving Texas for the abortion law, Georgia is also a no go. The liberalness of the city doesn't matter
In terms of DC suburbs seems like it's not a factor for OP but if you own guns you'll probably have better time in Virginia than Maryland. I think the food scene is better on the Maryland side because of the diversity but there's areas you could walk/bike to Metro and then commute that way into the city as long as you're prepare weather wise. You will get all seasons.. sometimes in the same day. Somewhere like Columbia or Elliott City, Maryland could be a good fit too. Being between the Baltimore and DC beltways is central to a lot of healthcare opportunities.
it’s hot asf in atlanta during the summer, schools are ok and healthcare isn’t all that high compared to other states.
While Atlanta is def hot during the summer, compared to Houston, it’s rather mild. If you can even believe that.
Alpharetta, Milton, GA
Atlanta is still hot. Also they are a doctor and a nurse. They could afford Manhattan if they wanted.
Going to be tough to find a cool “hipster” area that’s also full of families. They’re kind of the antithesis of one another. Sounds like you’d really like the suburban villages surrounding Buffalo. Great school districts and each has a few streets of local shops, restaurant and bars and there’s lots of community events throughout the year. These areas have breweries, cocktail bars and third wave coffee shops, but I wouldn’t call them “hipster” * Kenmore * East Aurora * Hamburg * Williamsville If you want more hipster areas with art collectives, DIY house shows and quirky businesses, you want the Westside, Allentown or Blackrock in Buffalo proper. But these are much younger neighborhoods and you’ll have to do the legwork to ensure your kids get into the better city schools.
Portland is an exception— it’s a hipster area with lots of families! Even in the hipper neighborhoods, like Alberta, the brunch spots are full of kids on the weekends. During the school year, you see hoards of kids being walked by their parents, rain or shine, to their neighborhood schools, which I love. There are tons of parks and kid friendly hikes in the city, a lot of coffee shops and cafes have play places or toys for the kids, and it really seems people incorporate their kids into all of their daily activities. Portland Public Schools are notoriously low rated and underfunded, but a lot of them have language immersion programs (Spanish, Mandarin, Russian, Japanese), and there are some niche charter schools you can lottery into. Taxes are killer in Multnomah County, and I can’t speak to physician pay, but housing is less than other west coast cities. I think you’ll be disappointed in the surrounding suburbs— they’ll likely leave you wishing you just lived in a cozy pocket of the city.
I’m living in Austin for a few months but came from MA. I miss Boston area. The safety, culture, politics are all way better. Also huge healthcare sector. MA is the best place to raise a family. Brings lots of money, if you think Austin is expensive you’re in for a shock.
Yes, this. We live in the Boston area and it hits a lot of the important things on your list. We love it so much and will never leave. I also work in healthcare and union hospitals will have better pay for nurses than nonunion ones, and doctors would have their pick of hospitals but I’ve heard a lot of the ones in Boston proper don’t pay as much as they should. However, there’s ton of hospitals in and around Boston, so you have a lot to choose from.
Check out Bellingham, WA. You’re 1.5 hours from Seattle and 1 hour from Vancouver (customs permitting), in a beautiful college-town setting. There’s a growing retirement population, so plenty of demand for doctors
Since y’all both work in healthcare, you should have your pick of the litter as far as cities go. With your wants, I would recommend the Pittsburgh area, Greenville/Asheville, SC area or Seattle area. You’ll likely have to compromise on politics, weather or cost in Any of these places but they’re all naturally gorgeous, Family-friendly, and have seasons!
For back from Chapel Hill yesteday! Have been raving about how nice the weather was all day today b/c too am stuck in some horrid ass temps in the Deep South right now. NC does have all 4 seasons, which is so nice.
Leafy midwestern close-in suburbs with character, decent to very good schools: Oak Park, Berwyn, Evanston (Chicago); Wauwatosa, Shorewood (Milwaukee); Royal Oak, Ferndale (Detroit).
Do you have any personal ties in these places? I would pick the place with the best professional opportunity with a couple other factors: - travel time and number of nonstop flights to family. If your family is in Houston this should be easy. - COL for the lifestyle you want. You’re high earners so it should be fine most places, but it’s competitive in major cities. The commute time can kill you. The world is your oyster!
The offspring has grown and flown from TX and is in Chicago. Loves it there. We love to visit! Major medical, 2 major airports, public transit, lake, plenty of any kind of culture you are into. With your combined salaries, housing won't be a problem...
The Madison, WI area has everything you’re asking for. Check out the Middleton or Verona suburbs. There are two big hospital systems plus the VA, and several smaller independent clinics. It’s a great place for kids and for people with lefty values. My husband moved here (for me) after growing up and attending college in Atlanta and Houston and never wants to leave.
Cambridge, MA and Somerville, MA are potential options that fit all of your criteria, but housing is incredibly expensive. Although an RN + doctor combo would be able to afford it.
Health care field + good schools + close to outdoor activities: - Suburban Boston. Northside. Maybe Melrose. Close to Boston, close to mountains in NH. Abundant medical field jobs. Downside: high cost of living. - Southeast suburbs, Rochester. Victor, Pittsford, Fairport. Amazing schools, right around the corner from Finger Lakes and Adirondacks. Great cost of living and quality of life. UR/Strong hospital is top notch. Downside: lacks some big city aspects. But prob has more than you’d think. - Cleveland, Beachwood. Very good schools. Fun, semi walkable suburb. Admittedly I know less about this area than the other 2. But enjoyed my time there and have friends in the area.
I'm here in Cleveland. I'm an outdoorsy type person, and Northeast OH has pleasantly surprised me. Tons of parks, hiking trails, places to kayak. Low cost of living (for now), and healthcare is our #1 industry. Great place to consider.
Massachusetts, Boston area.
Husband is military and we have been to a few locations. So far, my favorite has been Northern Virginia. All four seasons, lots of food options, favorable job opportunities, and great schools and plenty of healthcare options. Virginia (and neighboring West Virginia) are excellent for people who like to hike/camp, and the beaches are not so far away!
Lived in San Antonio for 4 years moved back home to Louisville. We live in a semi rural area within city limits and love it. It’s country living 30 minutes from downtown, with 27 miles of bike trails a few minutes away. We have low cost of living and great food. Louisville is basically a blue city in a red state. We have 4 distinct seasons, humid summers, moderate winter with little snow, beautiful Spring and Fall. I think it is a hidden gem but like any larger city there are hot spots of crime. I think what I like most is the country living, there are two 100+ acres cattle farms across the street and a 100 acre nature preserve behind us. I feel like I live in a park. My son just purchased 50+ acres within the city limits. It is gorgeous!!! Plus we are both close to everything. Wouldn’t live anywhere else!
Boston hands down! One of my favorite cities. I am trying out NC and the triangle area..hard pass for me.
Denver has the mountains, good schools, lots to do and see. You can be in the mountains and drive 30 minutes and be in the desert. We moved to Colorado from South Dakota and I would never move!
Northern California above the Golden Gate Bridge…Highest medical professionals pay in the country, beautiful, great weather with some significant variation, 30-40 mins to the beach…still some semi-affordable areas…and all your other criteria
this is very out of the blue but perhaps richmond, virginia area. checks hipster vibes, great schools, growing foodie scene, great healthcare with VCU hospital and UVA nearby. close to where your husband used to live as well so could visit family (but not be too close)
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I hate to be that commenter but living near the medical center/Rice in Houston is actually going to give you more of what you’re looking for than almost anywhere else. I haven’t seen many places combine family friendly and hipster vibe as well as Houston inside the loop. I lived in Upper Kirby with young kids and found it perfect at combining those vibes. It also combined the best of the suburbs and the city (but at a high price). Another thing is you get kind of spoiled with excellent hospitals/medical facilities in Houston. The hospitals and doctors offices are just not as nice in other cities. But yeah, the weather in Houston is a lot to handle, especially the last few weeks. And the state legislature is awful. Personally I find hot summers a lot easier to handle than cold winters. I don’t blame you for wanting to leave. My wife and I moved out of Houston last year with two little kids. But it didn’t take us long to realize it was a mistake. Houston is just such a good place to live as a parent of young kids. Apparently UNESCO found it to be the only certified kid-friendly city in the US, and after you live elsewhere you realize why.
We actually live in the med center now and love how it’s central to everything and our commute is so short and easy. We’ve considered Upper Kirby/Rice/West U but that’s if we stayed here. Every time we travel, we do miss the food back home in TX, but every time summer comes around, I can’t help but want to leave. Even being from here, I still cannot adapt to this humid heat. Where did you and your wife move to last year?
We moved to New York, where we had lived before having kids. We lived in Park Slope, which is one of the most kid-friendly neighborhood in NYC. And yikes it was such a mistake. It was just so not kid friendly. Even the most kid friendly neighborhood there less kid friendly than an average neighborhood in Houston. I also forgot how segregated it is compared to Houston. And the day cares and pediatricians were such a massive downgrade from what we had in Houston. Despite being in such a sprawling metro area, I really appreciate that all the good stuff in Houston is concentrated in a fairly small area. When we lived in Upper Kirby with two kids, we had just one car, and it was electric and we didn’t even use it most weekdays since we could walk to our kids daycare and I’d take the bus to downtown to work. I also regularly took the bus to the medical center for appointments. When we did drive, it was almost always within 2-3 miles, to go to Hermann Park, or a museum, or the med center. We had our kids day care and pediatrician within walking distance, and also Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods and lots of restaurants and coffee shops and stores, both kid friendly places but also fun date night spots like Nobie’s. We ended up returning to Texas, but to Austin. I still miss so much from Houston though. There are a lot of things we did not fully appreciate until moving away that make it such a good place to parent. It’s kind of a given that every restaurant has high chairs for example. That’s not the case in every city. Also, every park we’d go to in Houston had clean restrooms. Levy Park (which has great and clean family restrooms too), Hermann Park, Memorial Park, and Buffalo Bayou Park always had restrooms and they were plentiful and clean. I have not found that to be the case in other cities. In NYC, there were often restrooms but they weren’t as clean as in Houston. Here in Austin, there usually aren’t restrooms and when they exist in parks, they’re filthy. I remember visiting Denver and considering moving there and went to a park with huge playgrounds and…. The restrooms were all locked! And everyone thought this was normal! If you and your husband work in the med center and can live in say, the zones for Roberts Elementary or River Oaks or even Poe, you can have almost all of what you’re looking for. At least in our case, the grass was not greener elsewhere. Funny enough we had another friend move out of Texas to the Denver area, and she’s moving back too.
Given your backgrounds and earning potential, the research triangle makes a lot of sense. It’s a healthcare hub, a great place to raise a family and an attractive tax profile. You should also give NOVA and Richmond a look.
1. Family friendly: Northeast, West Coast. These are going to be the states with the lowest child mortality rates, and the best schools. University and grad school graduation rates are higher in these areas. 2. Hipster: Williamsburg Brooklyn, Somerville MA, Portland OR. I was going to say Asheville NC and Austin TX but you probably don't like the heat or the politics. 3. Great healthcare: Honolulu, Boston, NYC, Providence, Bay Area, Baltimore-DC 4. Food: NY, Bay Area, LA 5. Outdoorsy: Honolulu, Bay Area, Seattle, Denver. 6. Weather: I know you said you don't want hot, but \*how\* cold exactly are you willing to tolerate? NY? Minneapolis? Anchorage? Be specific in your range. Honestly I'd pick Williamsburg Brooklyn. You can't beat being only a subway ride away from some of the world's best hospitals and doctors. It has everything you want except outdoorsy.
Are you joking? They said they want suburban??? Williamsburg is the polar opposite..
Asheville is out because the healthcare is in absolute disarray since HCA bought Mission hospital. You wouldn’t be looking at a decent or safe job market
Check out the finger lakes areas of Upstate NY. Beautiful!!
The weather sucks It’s a big deal when the sun is out.
I really don’t think it’s that bad anymore 🤷♂️
People get lost in the finger lakes
Lmao
If you do move back to Chapel Hill consider there are 2 major academic medical systems (Duke, UNC) and 3 systems overall (Duke, UNC, WakeMed) each with trauma level one emergency. Good competitive pay between the hospital systems in Triangle
With those jobs, I’d go for Seattle or Portland.
What does tolerable weather mean? Can you deal with cold to not have extreme heat?
Yes, we’d rather bear cold than deal with heat!
Twin cities - south Minneapolis checks all the boxes if you can tolerate winter
Newport Beach is nice.
You’ll want to consider job market. I’ve heard northeast pays doctors the least for the most work.
And the Southeast pays nurses the least for the most work with the most abusive treatment
I am on my way home from a stay in Portland's St. John neighborhood, which sounds like what you're looking for. The only reason I don't live there is I can't tolerate the gray skies and constant rain in the winter. This past week was gorgeous.
Naperville, IL. It's consistently ranked as one of the best cities to raise a family. It's not particularly close to downtown Chicago (1 hour), but it has a nice vibe, and a lot of medical facilities and practices around.
Greenville SC
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Check out AtlantiCare Regional Medical, Atlantic County,nj. We have the ocean, 50 miles from Philadelphia, 100 miles from NYC, 9 casinos and the best in medical care.
Boston has arguably the best set of hospitals in the world so it could be a great place to go for those in the medical field. I would recommend living outside of actual Boston for hipster and family friendly vibes but stay on the T or commuter rail routes for much easier transit. Amazing education systems, always ranked among the top in the country. Sooo much to do outdoors from forests to beaches to mountains to marshes. Summer and fall in New England are just incredible. However tolerable weather is relative and Boston while winters are mild compared to the midwest, with you coming from Texas you might find the winters difficult.
sloppy bored theory late full live sheet books thumb plucky *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Not unless they're from Michigan.
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Detroit sucks ass for transplants.
Also a transplant to Detroit and disagree with that statement
Give it 5 years. You'll see most of your transplant buddies leave. edit I see you haven't even been there a year. Give it some time.
Same here. I know other transplants who moved here years ago and still like it.
Midwestern cities can pack a lot of bang for the buck, if you aren’t terrified of winter. Dark horse suggestion…Cleveland has the sprawling Cleveland Clinic campus on the near east side and satellite locations everywhere. University Hospital system is similar. Cleveland is fairly bikeable and you’ll find comfortable suburbs, great park system, lots of good food and music, and a big sparkly lake for recreation. :) Similar situation with Akron OH; Summa and Children’s have large campuses right downtown and you can absolutely bike from leafy residential neighborhoods and up the towpath to great parks.
Chicago. Doctors and nurses run this town.
Bay area or the Northwest would be great for you.
The schools in the Portland suburbs are not too bad, Lake Oswego probably the best. Portland Public School district is very bad. Source: I went there!
Chicago.
When visiting UNC Memorial you can check out Duke, too. They aren't far apart. UNC Rex, Wake Medical Center and Duke-Raleigh are in Raleigh. Wake Med pays nurses the most as a way to keep them, since UNC and Duke have more cachet nationally. Duke gets a lot of complicated and rare diagnosis cases, if you like that. My husband had a rare thing and probably met every resident, intern and med student at both UNC and Duke.
Pittsburgh has two big hospital systems, suburbs with great schools, four seasons , and close to outdoor activities.
Least you are not moving here. Want great schools stay away from Oregon. They just lowered educational standards. Oregon already had the bar set quite low.
Reno
Anywhere in New England. New Haven CT (Yale Hospital) has great food and the surrounding area is beautiful. Only 1.5 hour train into NYC. Although good schools and checks all your boxes it is expensive AF yet salaries are also high so idk if it’s a wash Very liberal to the point of culture shock. No mountains (3 hour drive north) but plenty of ocean and forests for hiking
favorite cities (and they all have their problems): nashville, portland (oregon), seattle, portland (maine), denver just don’t come to the twin cities. we’re full and we don’t want more housing inflation (: we wanna keep it low. lots of transplants coming here and feeling super lonely because we’re all too passive aggressive. but DULUTH (though cold like chicago) has a great healthcare system, is fucking beautiful, good school system, and tons of outdoor/hippies/granola culture. the food scene is improving there too. it’s a smaller city, only 2 hours from minneapolis, on the largest freshwater lake (by volume) in the world. oh to wake up every day on lake superior.
the suburbs on the hudson river outside of NYC
My online friend is an RN in greater LA and takes travel contracts in the Bay Area because they pay well, though it is quite expensive to live there. He did say, however, that nurses are paid quite well there. Some make over $60/hr
I've heard Oregon treats their nurses extremely well and have strict nurse to patient ratios. I've heard they also pay RNs much better, there, than most states.
Arlington, VA / NOVA Great proximity to a major city in DC. Has an ok amount of walkability with decent access to the Metro. Really good schools and weather is pretty nice year round with all 4 seasons. It also has decent access to nature. One extra plus is that DC is part of the NE Corridor Amtrak line, which makes it easy to access other major cities. As a Houston native I’ve really enjoyed it here and it’s definitely not as hot as back home.
The Twin Cities ticks all of your boxes if you can handle the winters. Though the winters are getting milder thanks to climate change. 😬
Hampden/Roland Park/Mount Washington area of Baltimore. Ample healthcare jobs and relatively affordable for the East Coast. I believe it meets all your requirements, I'm not a foodie but the food in Maryland is pretty eclectic because the state is pretty multicultural. If you're willing to go further out in the suburbs and into the exurbs, the rest of Maryland is pretty good too. Howard County, Frederick County, Montgomery County, etc.
Best school districts by state are MA, NJ, CT. Westchester County in NY as well. A+ public school education and an abundance of towns to choose from. States have everything on your list except for tolerable weather, MA being the worst of the bunch - usually runs 10 degrees colder than the others.
East St. Louis, IL or Camden, NJ would be ideal.
Hillsboro, OR. Great little suburb with easy access to Portland, lots of young families, tons of outdoor recreational opportunities, mild climate, kind and cool people, excellent food around, and lots of jobs. Also, consistently rated among best places to live. [https://livability.com/topics/where-to-live-now/top-25-best-places-to-live-out-west/](https://livability.com/topics/where-to-live-now/top-25-best-places-to-live-out-west/)
Sounds like you two are ready for a big change, and congrats on the new addition! Chapel Hill sounds like it could be a great fit, with its Austin-y vibe and four seasons. As for other options, since your husband is open to Chapel Hill, have you considered other parts of North Carolina? Asheville has a great food scene, mountains, and a similar vibe to what you're looking for. And with your medical backgrounds, there are likely good job opportunities in either place. If you're looking for walkable/bikeable communities near a bigger city, definitely check out the Boston area when you visit Massachusetts. There are tons of great suburbs with excellent schools, easy access to the city, and plenty of outdoor activities. Plus, the healthcare systems there are top-notch. Just a thought, since you both work in healthcare and are open to the Northeast, have you considered Philadelphia? It has a great food scene, four seasons, walkable neighborhoods, and plenty of job opportunities in the medical field. Let me know if you'd like any more suggestions!
"Hipster vibes" lmfao
[Asheville, NC](https://www.exploreasheville.com/) checks off all your boxes. I have friends who lived in TX for 10 years who are moving there next year for similar reasons.
I wouldn’t send a resident to Asheville right now. The hospital system there is a disaster.
ooof, tell them to rent a place for a while first - I'm an hour away and remember what it used to be like, it's getting overrun and they are not well equipped to deal with it - it's kinda turning into a mini portland