Geeky Cities With Nice Weather

[Thes Hunter]

Hello fellow nerds!


I'm about 4-5 months away from needing to put together a list of cities I'd like to live in. I'll be setting up a list of places I would like to interview for a new job. And because almost every small city (and up) have the type of job I am looking for, My finance and I have decided we would like to live some place warmer than Michigan (if we can).

So we are searching for Geeky, smart, dorky places to live that have better weather than southeastern Michigan. This is both in Warmth (so the southern US is good), and in Sunlight. Which unfortunately disqualifies Seattle. I don't think there is enough Vitamin D or sun lamps that would make me be able to deal with Seattle's overcastness. Sorry Seattle, it's nothing personal.

(Also California has been deemed too expensive, but if you live there and think it's totally rocking the nerd scene, help me lobby for it.) :smallwink:


Our list currently has:
Scottsdale, AZ
Chapel Hill, NC
Orlando, FL

Which seems pretty bare. (And Scottsdale might not be too geeky either), so please help me flesh it out.




And before you make a comment saying "You should come to Xville, because at least we're not Detroit", please see this video.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZzgAjjuqZM
And know that comparisons to Detroit does not equate geeky cities with nice weather.

Also, these need to be US cities, I can't get the job I'm looking for overseas.

[DeadManSleeping]

My finance and I have decided we would like to live some place warmer than Michigan (if we can).

First, it is good to see people thinking about their finances when making moving decisions. Very responsible.
Don't you dare edit out that error. This joke is too damn funny

Second, I wish I could recommend my very geeky city, but it's in Ohio, so it's basically just Diet Michigan. Although we're having a very balmy February, so, yay global warming?

[arguskos]

Second, I wish I could recommend my very geeky city, but it's in Ohio, so it's basically just Diet Michigan. Although we're having a very balmy February, so, yay global warming?
Columbus is pretty boss actually. There's a good college community in the area, excellent food, a reasonable cost of living, and of moderate size. There's a lot to like about the ol' Bus. :smallwink:

Also, if you didn't catch it, Thes, I too live in Columbus, Ohio.

[DeadManSleeping]

Yeah, but not the weather, which is what I was referring to. It's a rather good city, yes, but the weather isn't the best. It's REALLY spastic.

[arguskos]

Yeah, but not the weather, which is what I was referring to. It's a rather good city, yes, but the weather isn't the best. It's REALLY spastic.
Oh. Yeah. It... it really has its moments. So how about that 60 degrees like a month ago? The hell was that about, Ohio?

[DeadManSleeping]

Or the one TOMORROW. Did the groundhog see a tanning mirror, or something?

The point is, Thes, while we'd love to have you here, we're pretty sure we're not for you.

[Thes Hunter]

I did think that Cincinnati was a significant improvement over Detroit, which may mean we could look into adding Columbus (and possibly Indy) as one of our back up cities.

Though you sir are correct in thinking that Columbus isn't quite the warm cozy place I am dreaming of. :smallbiggrin:

But sometimes you have to blend and balance all of the factors in what makes a great city.

(Though being a Wolverine, I don't know if I can legally live in Columbus. One time I was almost not served at a Bar when I showed them my ID saying I lived in Ann Arbor.) :smallbiggrin:


As for blending, I would probably list Rochester Minnesota as my number 1 choice, expect for my Honey not liking his job prospects there, and it more cold than Detroit. (Though more sunny). But it's all about balancing all the factors, which is why I need nerds to tell me where they love living. (Even if it happens to be in Ohio) Because the place being nerdy might tip the city in it's favor over it being cold.

[DeadManSleeping]

Well, for one, I see so much Michigan swag where I work, I have a hard time believing you'd catch any **** except on campus during/right after football season.

For two, Columbus isn't exactly the nerdiEST city, but it's QUALITY nerdery. Our game shops are thinly spread, but generally pretty awesome. We have Ohayocon plus Ohio State's anime group puts on conventions that are actually good.

Oh.

ORIGINS.

The second largest gaming con in existence happens right in this very city. I can WALK there if I'm left with zero other options. Also, there's good parking not a 10 minute walk from the convention center if you are smart (AKA, you know somebody who found the good parking first :smallwink: ). Whatever city you choose, you're trading this away, so keep it in mind.

Also, there's wonderful people like MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

[Keld Denar]

Oh come on...Seattle weather isn't THAT bad...and we are like, one of THE geekiest cities in the US!

[Don Julio Anejo]

Seattle for super high levels of regular geeky with average weather where it rains 365 days a year but never gets below 5 degrees (that's Celsius for you Yankees).

Or.. San Francisco for very flamboyant geeky.

Or, alternatively, Vancouver! We've got Seattle weather, San Francisco flamboyance (our mayor rides a bike in tight spandex shorts to work) and levels of geeky reaching over 9000! (but only if you speak Cantonese).

BTW, congrats on finishing med school :smile:

[Thes Hunter]

BTW, congrats on finishing med school :smile:

Ssssshhhhh...... Don't give it away. Mysterious things are mysterious. :)


I'd like to believe you that Seattle isn't that bad, but I find what I dislike the most about Michigan winters is less the cold and more the dreary overcastness. In Wisconsin it was colder, but it was either snowing or sunny. But I didn't feel as much of the winter blahs.


So come on people Iknow there has to be more cool geeky cities that are warm!

Oh, btw Austin is one of the exceptions to the (theres a place for me in every city). This makes me sad.

[smellie_hippie]

Johnson City TN? :smallamused:

Alternately, I could suggest Knoxville. I have no true rating for how "geeky" these places are... But good med prospects and access to some cool people I happen to know. :smallamused:

[Maelstrom]

Scottsdale is nice, but as you've ruled out the entirety of CA because of expenses, you may as well add Scottsdale to the lists as well.

But Sacramento (and it's many suburbs) is sunny through most of the year, close to both San Francisco (Ocean) and Tahoe (mountains) and is quite a geek-rich environment and not nearly as pricey as SF or Southern CA...

[Totally Guy]

I'd love to live in New York City. I met loads of awsome geeky people there. I had a t-shirt on and ate ice cream in central park in October!

[The Succubus]

London is a wonderful city with wonderful weath-

*bursts out laughing*

I can't believe I almost managed that with a straight face. Nah, London's a hole.

[Alarra]

Oooh, you could come live by us. There's lots of geeks here and the weather is much nicer than SD, MN and IA anyway, haven't spent much time in MI to know how cold it gets there. I think we've had maybe one faint dusting of snow this year. It is moderately expensive here though, not CA expensive, but not cheap.

[Ursus the Grim]

I'd love to live in New York City. I met loads of awsome geeky people there. I had a t-shirt on and ate ice cream in central park in October!

New York, due to its size, could definitely fulfill your geek requirement. Really depends on where you live within it, though. There's a reason so many people live there, and its generally because you are within walking or biking distance of everything you might do on a regular basis.

The weather's pretty decent for a city, too. Tends to be on the chilly side during winter, but at least its not Detroit London overcast and rainy all the time. Right now it's about 35F in Michigan, and about 43 in NYC.

Edit:
Note that, while NYC is expensive, you can easily live in one of the more reasonable suburbs nearby. I grew up about 15 minutes away from the two most popular ways in, and a single woman working an office job was able to keep a house afloat. Also, don't forget that in many cities (NYC especially)m you generally get paid more for the same job. Hence me making 14$ at one entry-level position and minimum wage at another. Different sides of the river.

[wxdruid]

One thing to watch out for in Florida and along the Gulf Coast is the occurrence of Hurricanes. Anywhere along there can be hit during Hurricane season and your house has the possibility of getting severely damaged or flattened.

Other than that, maybe avoid Tornado Alley in TX, OK, KS, AR?

[Telonius]

I've heard good things about Austin, Texas, though I've never been there personally.

The Washington, DC, area is awash with geeks. While it is warm, and there's quite a bit of sun, I'm not sure the weather here could be described as "good." The cost can be an issue; if California's out, DC might be out too.

EDIT: On the plus side, we do have the Maryland Renaissance Faire right down the road.

[Coidzor]

You like swamps, thunderstorms, and hurricanes? What about tons of traffic on a commute along the interstate?

Because while Florida seems to have a concentration of geekiness to it for whatever reason, the weather and humidity can be oppressive, as can the number of people and tourists. Air conditioning is something that's essential for survival, though you probably already knew that in general terms, coming from Michigan that's going to be all the more vital for you.

That said, I have some sources and could rustle up some information from those with an ear to the ground in the Orlando area if you'd like.

I suppose any further information I could give about other locales would require further information as to what your minimum city size would be.

[Lappy9001]

I saw that Chapel Hill up there, and NC is a pretty good choice. I'd also recommend Greensboro and Raleigh.

Dunno what flavor of geeky you're looking for, but we've got a good couple of Anime cons in NC, and the location puts you closer to other big ones like Dragon*Con in Atlanta. Also, there are some very good local video game stores in Greensboro and a good campus vibe; can't speak for Chapel Hill, though.

The weather is sporadic, but almost always mild. However, it's worth noting that if you live here long enough, you might start to freak out at the smallest snowflake :smalltongue:

[Holocron Coder]

Well, there's always Atlanta. It's home to half a dozen conventions (including Dragon*Con, MomoCon, JordanCon, AWA, etc, etc) and includes GaTech (which, really, it's hard to get geekier than GaTech).

Not quite as many gaming stores as I'd like, but enough of them for most people, if you're willing to drive/live right outside the perimeter. Personally, I drive up to Lawrenceville/Buford (about 40min from my apartment) to visit a gaming/comic store up there, partially for nostalgia, partially 'cause it's actually a really good store.

Also, if the rumors are true about medical school, we have an entire medical district in downtown /random.

And since it's in Georgia, the weather tends to be on the warm side, with only the occasional (mild) flooding. We rarely get snow and aren't usually overcast (although we are, at the moment).

[Psychonaut]

I've lived in many parts of the US in the past, but the only ones that I'd describe as geeky cities are Austin and Portland (OR). They're both nice cities with large communities of geeks, indie types, etc., though Portland is probably out of the question for the same reason as Seattle. (I do think that people exaggerate how much it rains there, but aside from the summer, the majority of the year is rather dreary, with a lot of clouds even when it isn't raining.) Also, my friends there say that it's very hard to get a job right now. On the plus side, it's an excellently designed city, with bus and bike routes nearly everywhere and several great parks. You can be in the middle of the city and feel like you're out in the middle of the countryside in some of them, save for the background traffic noise. It's also a very beautiful area in general.

Austin is warmer in both senses of the word, full of friendly people and with a lot of geeky types in the mix. Despite their reputation, Texans in general are some of the most hospitable and down-to-earth USians I've met, and Austin has a much more liberal population than the rest of the state (which may be a plus or a negative depending on your POV). Texas also supposedly has weathered the recession better than most other states, so it should be easier to find a job than it might in other places. Downsides: it gets very hot in the summer, often hovering around 90-105 degrees Farenheit from mid-June to mid-September, which drove me crazy when I lived there because I constantly felt too tired to do anything (although it beats the excessive heat and humidity of New Orleans). Also, it's much less well-planned than any other city I've lived in, so you basically need to drive to get anywhere outside your neighborhood and there are near-constant traffic jams in some areas. And there's a lot of oak and cedar around, so if you have allergies, you may want to factor that in as well.

Edit:


Other than that, maybe avoid Tornado Alley in TX, OK, KS, AR?

Not really an issue in Austin, BTW. Texas is such a large state that it's hard to make a general statement about the weather there like you can with some other states. What's true in the north isn't true in the south, what's true in the east isn't true in the west, etc. Worst Austin gets is a major drought every decade or so and maybe the occasional flash flood (not sure about the latter, I think it's more of an issue in San Antonio and the hill country).

[Tyndmyr]

My finance and I have decided we would like to live some place warmer than Michigan (if we can).

The good news is, this is a long list.

I suggest the DC/baltimore area. Note that being in one of the towns around these two cities instead of actually deep within them is much better. Lower crime, better driving, etc. As long as you're between them, you essentially have the benefits of being in a city without the downsides.

Very geeky area. I have rather a lot of game shops within driving distance, and know of a *lot* of games. Local conventions are a thing, if you enjoy that.

Also, the local economy took much less of a hit than many areas did. Very strong tech industry locally, if that's your bag.

[wxdruid]

Edit:

Not really an issue in Austin, BTW. Texas is such a large state that it's hard to make a general statement about the weather there like you can with some other states. What's true in the north isn't true in the south, what's true in the east isn't true in the west, etc. Worst Austin gets is a major drought every decade or so and maybe the occasional flash flood (not sure about the latter, I think it's more of an issue in San Antonio and the hill country).I'm referring to the National Weather Service definition of Tornado Alley. There are actually two areas that have a higher occurrence (compared to the rest of the US) of tornadoes in the US. There is one area to the south and one a bit farther to the north. (http://www.nssl.noaa.gov/hazard/img/ttor8099.gif) This is based on actual occurrences of tornadoes from 1980 to 1999.

[valadil]

Geeky Cities...

Come to Boston. We've got colleges everywhere. There are multiple game stores in walking distance of me. And...


... With Nice Weather

Nevermind.

[The Durvin]

Did somebody really say the Gulf Coast? I live there. Don't move to the Gulf Coast. I don't know about anything west of New Orleans or east of Tallahassee, but everything in between is awful. We've got the worst economy in Florida and the worst water-quality in the entire US. Also, there is neglible geeky. Don't move here.

I can almost recommend my hometown, Richmond, VA. It's a fair-sized city in a good climate--no few hurricanes, unlike where I am now, and a temperate climate that's rarely too hot or too cold. Back in my day (prior to 2005), it was a kinda backwards city, but for some reason my leaving triggered the first real urban renewal since the 1930's. I don't know about actual conventions, but my brother's an active gamer there, and my dad is part of a DIY electronics group called HackRVA. There's an awesome science museum built in an old train station that was a replica of the Pantheon; there's an effing amazing art museum (if you're ever looking for monster inspiration, check out their collection of Hindu demon statuary); a great hipster community downtown to balance out the yuppies in the West End, the hicks in Lakeside, and the ghettos of Fairview; and, uh, Edgar Allen Poe's house...um...eclectic shopping distict with readily available bowler-hats...the graves of eight presidents...kayaking right in the middle of the city...a haunted overpass...

[Keld Denar]

Eh, I'd go for somewhere in the Bay area. They have nice weather, tolerant people, and decent beer. You can't ask for too much more than that.

Plus, Fax Celestis lives down around that neighborhood. Who's cooler than Fax?

[Ursus the Grim]

I can almost recommend my hometown, Richmond, VA

Yeah, actually. I retract my previous statement. Virginia is warmer and has accessibility to conventions. I lost a member of my group last week going to Katsucon, and Otakon in Baltimore is a relatively short drive. . . unless they moved it. I'm in Fredericksburg at the moment, and there are six different gamestops in driving distance. Its pretty nice down here. Though I'll always be a Jersey Boy, these "southern" states, they aren't so bad.

[polity4life]

I see we're going to have another Red Wings expatriate spreading the good word. I expect to see another red jersey in an arena somewhere seeing as how the NHL won't accept the fact that southward expansion was not terribly wise...but I digress

Are you looking for a new permanent address or is this move merely a stepping stone move on the road to something greater?

[Telonius]

Oh yeah, sports! DC and Detroit don't have that much of a rivalry going, so cheering for the Caps shouldn't be too awful for you. And if you find you're missing the Lions, the Redskins should make you feel right at home; we're just about as awful as you guys were a few years ago. :smallbiggrin:

[polity4life]

Oh yeah, sports! DC and Detroit don't have that much of a rivalry going, so cheering for the Caps shouldn't be too awful for you. And if you find you're missing the Lions, the Redskins should make you feel right at home; we're just about as awful as you guys were a few years ago. :smallbiggrin:

The key difference between the Lions and the Redskins is that at least the Redskins try to sign big name free agents and they have some willingness to go to DC, even if they are over the hill...but I digress.

The reason I ask is that, obviously, other considerations should be accounted for and those considerations differ slightly depending if the move is permanent or not.

Apart from finding your choice climate and level of geekiness, look at the city budget reports for the past few years and be sure to give a year or two prior to 2007 a look to set a baseline (market changes take about two to three years to truly manifest in public-sector accounting). If they're running in the red, have high debt servicing costs, or have a higher debt-to-asset ratio then those should be red flags. Those cities will likely experience some budget cuts, and therefore service cuts, in the near future and those cuts may impact you.

Be especially aware of cuts to the golden cow line items of local government: fire and police. And, if you're really bored, give the special purpose districts like school districts a look to see how healthy they are. Since you're coming from Michigan, and more importantly the Detroit area, you should know what to look for.

[Anarion]

Eh, I'd go for somewhere in the Bay area. They have nice weather, tolerant people, and decent beer. You can't ask for too much more than that.

Plus, Fax Celestis lives down around that neighborhood. Who's cooler than Fax?

+1 for the Bay Area. Things get noticeably cheaper if you get outside of San Francisco proper and go east or south (don't go north, all the rich people live in Marin County and uh don't go west because...ocean).

Also, although it's true that the area is more expensive than most of the nation, it's also got higher average salaries for many jobs compared to other locations, which mitigates the problem a little bit.

[OverdrivePrime]

What? No one's mentioned Milwaukee yet? Inconceivable! :smalltongue:

Seriously though, we're highly geek-centric here in Brew-Town, and our weather is... interesting!

[Artemis97]

If you think you can stand the heat and don't mind the possibility of needing to board up your windows and "hunker down" or evacuate in the event of a Hurricane, as wxDruid mentioned, Florida isn't a terrible place to live. Now, Orlando's about as inland as you get, so the risk from hurricanes are a bit lessened.

As for the Geeky side of things, I know Orlando is host to quite a few conventions and gaming competitions. There's also a few colleges in the area, so there's going to be things for college aged people to do and places to cater to geeky interests. There's also Disney and Universal right there, so that's always fun. Florida residents get reduced rates on tickets and stuff. It's nice to be able to pop over on a weekend just for a day. The shopping in the theme parks are especially choice for movie merchandise and the like. There's a really nifty science museum there too with an IMAX/panoramic theater that runs those really cool immersive documentaries.

I live a few hours away in south Florida, so I can't tell you what it's like to live specifically in Orlando. However, general Florida life, it's hot here. We've been averaging 70-80 degree days in February. It can get to over 100 in the summer. I will second and third and fourth the need for air conditioning. It's absoultely necessary. Also, you're going to need a car. Florida, and Orlando especially, is not pedestrian friendly. I read an article that listed Orlando as one of the worst cities for pedestrian safety. Public transportation is lacking, too. I know Orlando has a bus system, as I've seen them driving around, but I don't know how efficient it is. Also, Florida is a tourist destination, doubly so for Orlando. Depending on your feelings abotu that, it either gives you a ton of fun stuff to do, or a bunch of kitchy tacky things to deal with.

Having lived in Florida for most of my life, I'll admit I'm looking for something different. But I don't like the sun or the sand and the surf. But if you like that stuff, it's not a bad place to live. You said you like warm weather, and we have plenty of that. There's the occasional rainy day, but they move through quickly. Most rain storms go by in 10 minutes and it's sunny again, unless they're a big thunderstorm, but those are always fun to watch.

[see]

Warm + Sunny + Geeky - CaliforniaExpenses = Austin, Texas.

[Tebryn]

Scottsdale is nice, but as you've ruled out the entirety of CA because of expenses, you may as well add Scottsdale to the lists as well.

But Sacramento (and it's many suburbs) is sunny through most of the year, close to both San Francisco (Ocean) and Tahoe (mountains) and is quite a geek-rich environment and not nearly as pricey as SF or Southern CA...

Scottsdale also gives the ability to work in the city while living in say....Tempe or Glendale or Peoria. Scottsdale is just the higher end area of Phoenix really, it's a sub-city in a vast sprawl. A lot of sun but every day is like walking on the sun.

[ShortOne]

I would recommend Cambridge, Massachusetts as a geeky city. While normally not temperate at all, this winter has been very atypical (40-50 most days.)

[ForzaFiori]

Clemson, SC. it's a small town, but if you need something you can only find in a city, there are several fairly close (Greenville/Spartanburg is maybe 45 minutes away and a small city, Charlotte, Atlanta, and Colombia are all 2-3 hours depending on traffic) it's also a college town, which means plenty of smart people (and therefor, geeks), as well as having more things to do than most towns (Evanescence started their US tour in Little John Colosseum on campus). Its situated just off of I85 as well, making travel easy. If you don't wanna live in a college town, there are several other small towns in the area, like Seneca, Central, Pendleton, Liberty, or Anderson if you like to have at least some of the trappings of a city.

Weather wise, it gets up to a little over 100 in some summers, and we get maybe 6in. of snow in a year. Even when we have "blizzards", they're maybe 2ft, and happen less than every 20 years. (last one was in 86). Natural disasters almost never hit - its too far inland for hurricanes, wrong side of the mountains to even be close to tornado country, and the closest fault line is in Charleston at the coast and hasn't caused trouble in years. The worst we've had in as long as i've been alive was a couple of the smallest tornados possible that came up during a thunderstorm. I think two horses recieved shallow cuts, and the roof of a barn was pulled up. While it rains here, it's nowhere near like your see in Seattle or on the coast. It tends to rain more in the spring and winter. Though we've been in a drought for a while, so most of the time, no one has any idea when it'll rain. Also, while it's not quite as hot as the SW, it tends to be more humid, which can be worse sometimes.

It's also beautiful. the town is in the foothills of the blueridge mountains on the shore of Lake Hartwell. You can be at the beat in 4ish hours, in the mountains in 2 max. They even get enough snow in the mountains that there are ski lodges. (though a lot were shut down this year, since nowhere got snow)

The only thing some people worry about is the fact that there's a nuclear plant in the area. (as in close enough that if something goes wrong, not only will you hear the siren, but even that probably wont help) but hey, at least it means you know where your energy comes from. Plus, I've toured the place and know some people that work there, and they're constantly up to date on safety. Also, it brings in nuclear engineers, which means more geeks.

There's even a MENSA group in the Upstate (Piedmont Area Mensa) if you happen to be a member. They tend to be centered more in Greenville, but it's not too far away. Once again, more geeks.

[Thes Hunter]

Thank you all for the great advice! I really appreciate it, and if more people come along and have other places they wish to nominate, please by all means.

And since Don Julio gave it away, one of the selection criteria is if there is a Internal Medicine residency at a program that also has a Hemetology/Oncology residency.

This is the direction I am heavily leaning right now, and unless Pediatrics or Ob/GYN startle me with how much I like them. If they do, then I will have some thinking to do, and will have to re-evaluate all the programs and locations. But with my time table becoming shorter and shorter, I have to make guesses and plans on those guesses, and my bet is that I will go Internal medicine. That gives me a couple years before I need to decide if I want to specialize, and if I want to specialize. But since I'm considering specializing, I should apply to programs that have the Hem/Onc fellowship I think I'm interested in.


Johnson City TN? :smallamused:

Alternately, I could suggest Knoxville. I have no true rating for how "geeky" these places are... But good med prospects and access to some cool people I happen to know. :smallamused:

I am definately checking those two out. Even though JC might be a little on the small side for Matt.:smallwink: I think the geek more than makes up for it. :smallbiggrin:



Scottsdale is nice, but as you've ruled out the entirety of CA because of expenses, you may as well add Scottsdale to the lists as well.

But Sacramento (and it's many suburbs) is sunny through most of the year, close to both San Francisco (Ocean) and Tahoe (mountains) and is quite a geek-rich environment and not nearly as pricey as SF or Southern CA...

I think it's expensive in terms of property taxes, vs. home prices and other such things. Basically when I ask my sweetie about places and he says "It's really expensive" I need to have either data to back me up to show that he is wrong, or some other reason to override him.

And when I say Scottsdale, that's where the hospital is... our family lives in other parts of the Phoenix metro area, and we may as well. So our family, and it being a Mayo is part of the big reasons we like Scottsdale over other Californian sites. :smallsmile:


I'd love to live in New York City. I met loads of awsome geeky people there. I had a t-shirt on and ate ice cream in central park in October!

We both love NYC, and he has family out there, but at the salaries we would be making, we would need to do planes, trains and subways to get to our worksites, and we both like shorter commute times. There are some great cancer hospitals out there, but they would have to give us some really good perks for us to consider it. :smallsigh:



Oooh, you could come live by us. There's lots of geeks here and the weather is much nicer than SD, MN and IA anyway, haven't spent much time in MI to know how cold it gets there. I think we've had maybe one faint dusting of snow this year. It is moderately expensive here though, not CA expensive, but not cheap.

DC is on the list we have been kicking around, It's all down to finding a residency that satisfies my criteria. :smallsmile:



I've heard good things about Austin, Texas, though I've never been there personally.

The Washington, DC, area is awash with geeks. While it is warm, and there's quite a bit of sun, I'm not sure the weather here could be described as "good." The cost can be an issue; if California's out, DC might be out too.

EDIT: On the plus side, we do have the Maryland Renaissance Faire right down the road.

Austin would be on the list, but the last time I looked they did not have a residency that met my criteria (Namely the program also had to have a Heme/Onc fellowship, among some other things).



You like swamps, thunderstorms, and hurricanes? What about tons of traffic on a commute along the interstate?

Because while Florida seems to have a concentration of geekiness to it for whatever reason, the weather and humidity can be oppressive, as can the number of people and tourists. Air conditioning is something that's essential for survival, though you probably already knew that in general terms, coming from Michigan that's going to be all the more vital for you.

That said, I have some sources and could rustle up some information from those with an ear to the ground in the Orlando area if you'd like.

I suppose any further information I could give about other locales would require further information as to what your minimum city size would be.


Matt went to school down in Florida, so he has a lot of friends from there (whom he only sees during Gen Con, which is why many of you haven't seen as much of him). So Orlando would be great... but when I checked again, they may not have a residency that meets my criteria. :smallconfused:

So we will have that on hold temporarily. Jacksonville looks like it will make the list by Default, because it's not in Minnesota, and it has a Mayo Clinic. :smallbiggrin: (I'd be cool with Minnesota... but if I think someplace warmer (and not so IBM) is just as good, My honey would appreciate it.)



I saw that Chapel Hill up there, and NC is a pretty good choice. I'd also recommend Greensboro and Raleigh.


Raleigh-Durham is a possibility.... but I need good intelligence on some 'malignancy'. (and yes I kept that vague on purpose).


Well, there's always Atlanta. .

Atlanta has potential.. Thank you very much for your suggestion.


Come to Boston. We've got colleges everywhere. There are multiple game stores in walking distance of me.


Valadil, it's not just the cold that keeps Boston off the list. We have several good friends in the area, and we know how expensive it is to live in the city. But if a colleague of mine points out how really awesome one of the Boston hospitals are for what I want, then it might make it to the list... but as of right now, the expensive and the weather will keep me from considering Havard, and Mass Gen.


....

I can almost recommend my hometown, Richmond, VA. .../QUOTE]

I will have Richmond to the list to consider. Thank you very much.

[QUOTE=Keld Denar;12772340]Eh, I'd go for somewhere in the Bay area. They have nice weather, tolerant people, and decent beer. You can't ask for too much more than that.

Plus, Fax Celestis lives down around that neighborhood. Who's cooler than Fax?


I will probably check on a few programs in the bay area... but given my honey's initial response, and the programs there all have increased competitiveness due to the desirability of the area... I don't know if I will find one that matches my needs.

(My honey has said he will move anywhere I need to be... but I would like to pick a place we both like, if I can. :smallbiggrin: )



...

Are you looking for a new permanent address or is this move merely a stepping stone move on the road to something greater?

It could be for 3 years, it could be for 6, or it could be forever... people can tend to get 'stuck' where they do their residency at. So we are going at this from the mindset it may be permanent.


Clemson, SC. it's a small town,

Unfortunately the only Heme/Onc fellowship in SC is in Charleston. :smallconfused:



First, it is good to see people thinking about their finances when making moving decisions. Very responsible.


Deadmansleeping, I usually do not lol when people point out typos, but when I realized my mistake, I did. Bravo.

----

Thank you everyone for your suggestions, you guys have been a huge help.

Sorry that I could not respond to everyone's personally, but I am sure you guys get the gist.


If anyone else has any other suggestions, I welcome them. Please keep them coming. I can research the programs, but it's much harder to research where geeks like living. :smallbiggrin:

[Thes Hunter]

Sorry for the double post, but does anyone know anything about the Geekiness of Jacksonville FL?

Or Louisville, KY

Or Winston-Salem, NC

Or Dallas, TX?

[Xondoure]

Oh come on...Seattle weather isn't THAT bad...and we are like, one of THE geekiest cities in the US!

I mean really, just hop down in august and you'll be buying a house by september.

Good thing too because come october you'll be having second thoughts until the next august.

[Dr.Epic]

Baltimore's not too bad, and they have a few cons each year as well.

[Alarra]

Baltimore's not too bad, and they have a few cons each year as well.
No, Baltimore's great. Their cons are fun, though I haven't gone often. There's tons to do. And, most importantly, she could hang out with Zeb and me.

[Thes Hunter]

The fiancée is *shrug* when it comes to his home town of Chicago. So Baltimore is a possibility. There's at least one big name there. ;-)

I found the only 2 heme/onc programs in Virginia are in Rochmond and Charlotteville(?).

So Richmond remains most definitely in play. :)

I asked about Louisville, Dallas, and Winston-Salem, because they all have programs I'm potentially interested in, and no one had said anything about them. Should I assume they are a geeky cultural wasteland?


And if I decide I don't need to specialize, many other options open back up.
And today the universe definitely was telling me I don't need to in order to see serious crap go down. Can't give details, but for what is usually a pretty routine outpatient primary care office full of sneezes, sniffles and high blood pressure med changes, I sent a lot of very sick people to the hospital today.

I have about 4 months to decide what I want to be when I finally grow up. A lot of thinkings ahead.:smalleek:

[kyoryu]

If you can afford it, San Diego.

Very geeky (ComicCon, anyone?). Best weather in the US. Close to even more geekiness (lots of game companies between San Diego and OC). San Diego's a bit more affordable than OC/LA, and you can even try something like Oceanside or other areas in between.

One of the few places that you can surf and ski the same day. You're basically a few hours away from *any* kind of terrain you'd want. Desert? Forest? Mountains? You've got it.

[Thes Hunter]

We had the California discussion the other night, and decided that it might be possible one day when I make 2-3x what he makes, but not when I make 1/2 his income. :)

Though part of his retirement plan makes sense I that he wants to live somewhere the money is good, but the cost of living dosent kill you. Makes pretty good sense to me, but we will see where the offers fall after this long journey is over. Which is anywhere from 4-7 years from now.

[Katana_Geldar]

Where I live is nice. :smallbiggrin:

[Thes Hunter]

But unfortunately if I trained in Australia, or any other country, I would have to completely redo my training in the US. I prefer not to 'waste' 3-6 years of my life. ;-)

Though I agree Sydney sounds pretty nice, until one gets to the spiders. :)

[Katana_Geldar]

That's what we tell to scare of not nice people. Spiders are everywhere...

You just have to be smart about it.

[Elyssian]

Well Austin, TX is great but Houston's medical center is top notch, plus in Texas you have three faire's throughout the year...

[Katana_Geldar]

Okay, I take that back about the nice weather. It's pouring today. :(

[Mando Knight]

Rolla, MO has decent weather at least 50% of the time. And about 25% of its population from August through April (and parts of May) are students at a tech university, so it's fairly geeky.

However, by 50% of the time, I mean that like most of the rest of the Midwest within its band of latitude, the world rolls dice and checks the weather table every other day.

[Thes Hunter]

Well Austin, TX is great but Houston's medical center is top notch, plus in Texas you have three faire's throughout the year...

I have family in Dallas, which makes it lean in favor than Houston.


And Austin, though awesome, doesn't have a program I am looking for. :smallfrown:

Though once I am done with my training, Austin might be a choice again.


Rolla, MO has decent weather at least 50% of the time. And about 25% of its population from August through April (and parts of May) are students at a tech university, so it's fairly geeky.

However, by 50% of the time, I mean that like most of the rest of the Midwest within its band of latitude, the world rolls dice and checks the weather table every other day.



Unfortunately Rolla also doesn't have the type of program I am looking for. :smallfrown:


----


After talking with an adviser today, Nashville, and Atlanta have made the list!

[armourer eric]

Don't rule out Sn Diego jst because it is in CA, property values are still toast AND property tax rates are low. Not to be intentionally ppolitical, but San Diego ismuch more conservative than the rest of the state and you have Comic-Con a great downtown nightlife, and clean oceans. I have a farm 60 miles east of downtown up in the mountains. I love it here.

[Bonecrusher Doc]

Charlottesville VA - and the UVA/Martha Jefferson hospital system - is awesome. You should definitely look into it some more. I don't think it's quite in the league of Seattle or Austin when it comes to gamer geekiness, but it's a beautiful area and the weather is lovely. Not as humid as other places further south, and all sorts of outdoor activities from rock climbing to hiking the Appalachian trail to whitewater rafting. I know there are gaming stores and a SCA group. There is an outdoor mall with frequent live music and other festivals. My cousin used to play fiddle with an Irish folk music band in the pubs around C'ville. There are more runners per capita than any other city in the US except for Boulder, CO. (I don't know if you like running or not.) Hmm what else... civil war reenactments nearby. Not far from the DC area with all of its conventions, etc, but you don't have to live with the horrid Northern Virginia traffic. PM me if you would like to know more! :smallbiggrin:

PS Also if you like Dr. Seuss, we sometimes call Charlottesville "Hoo-ville".

[Philistine]

I wouldn't say that Dallas is an especially geeky city, in the way that Austin is. Dallas is a big enough city, though, that you should be able to find like-minded people to hang out with. For example: I have a sister who lives nearby in Arlington, and who is very much into musical theater; to my knowledge, she's been part of 3-4 productions with at least two separate community theater groups just in the past 6 months or so.

[Lord Loss]

Come live in Qubec, Canada for a winter. That way, by the time you leave everything will seem like nice weather.

...or was that not the answer you were looking for?

[Thes Hunter]

Don't rule out Sn Diego jst because it is in CA, property values are still toast AND property tax rates are low. Not to be intentionally ppolitical, but San Diego ismuch more conservative than the rest of the state and you have Comic-Con a great downtown nightlife, and clean oceans. I have a farm 60 miles east of downtown up in the mountains. I love it here.

A friend of mine just got a job out in San Diego, and I visited out that way a good number of years ago. I will absolutely say, it is a beautiful place to live, and one I would enjoy living in... but I'll wait until I have an actual paying job before I consider even San Diego. :smallwink:

---

@Bonecrusher Doc - I will certainly add Charlotteville to the list to consider! Thanks!

@Phillistine - I wish Austin had what I wanted... I may add Houston to the list, but really the reason why Dallas gets play is because of my awesome sister living there.

[Artemis97]

Sorry for the double post, but does anyone know anything about the Geekiness of Jacksonville FL?

Or Louisville, KY

Or Winston-Salem, NC

Or Dallas, TX?

I can't speak personally to the geekiness level of Jacksonville, but I do know there are a few gaming tournements held there. I know one of my friends did a Marvel vs Capcom one up there. Also, being a large city, there's bound to be something to suit you.

[Karoht]

Hello fellow nerds!

Greetings. I would like to make the case for Austin Texas.


1-Housing is apparently pretty cheap.

2-Austin has a 'keep Austin weird' group. Check that out.

3-I have a friend there who says that jobs are decently available, including in IT. IT jobs means IT crew which means geeks.

4-Said friend works for Blizzard Entertainment doing phone, email, and in-game customer support. It's a booming department which will likely be expanding/is already expanding right now given that Blizzard will be launching 3 major titles this year.

5-Food. Austin is home to some great Tex Mex, along with having a good core of food trucks with some pretty awesome cuisine. And lots of little mom and pops restaurants which serve some pretty unique stuff. Food Network has quite a few shows that visit Austin every year for the food and feature them on shows like Eat Street, Dinners Drive Ins and Dives, and others.

6-Friend who lives there says that he sees flyers all the time for DnD groups at the supermarket community boards.

7-The weather is warm. Very. But you can look that up yourself, I only have that information second hand.


Best of luck. May you and your nerdity find a happy home.

[arguskos]

Sorry for the double post, but does anyone know anything about the Geekiness of Jacksonville FL?

Or Louisville, KY

Or Winston-Salem, NC

Or Dallas, TX?
Dallas has crap for geekiness. I lived there for a few years in Richland, and was highly disappointed, despite looking for gaming stuff pretty hard. If you live there for family, alrighty then, but it's not a geeky city really. Has great eats though.

[Karoht]

I thought Texas had a load of conventions that go through, along with the Renn Faire's and such. Or am I horribly mistaken/overestimating the number/quality/impact of such events?