Best Cities/Places in the USA to Live????

yacob.naif
10+ year member

CarAudio.com Veteran
What's up everybody,

I'm sitting here at 5AM, 1 1/2 hours before i have to go to work, haven't gotten a minute of sleep tonight. It's currently STILL 80+ degrees in my house, my a/c's broken, and the only one of my roomates who still stays here now that's school's out has the only working air conditioner in his room, but stays locked in there 24/7 with his wife, errr, girlfriend //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/rolleyes.gif.c1fef805e9d1464d377451cd5bc18bfb.gif

I'm sitting here, realizing more and more that i'm pretty much wasting my life away here in Kent, OH.

Around here, the social climate consists of people who fall into two, and only two, categories. The first is the most widely spread social group of them all, the people who's lives revolve around drinking themselves beyond any state deemable as 'social' drinking night after night. They seem pretty content doing this anywhere, for any reason, with anyone, regardless of whether or not they actually share more interests beyond the drinking with any of those said people.

The other group of people, who are also spread thick across the earth, are those who feel 100% content simply finding one sole person who they can attatch to emotionally, and spend every last moment with that person, barring out any social content or connections they had previous to that emotional attachment.

There's nothing else here. There's aquaintances at school, there's friendly chit chat at, oh say, Mr. Hero, or Bob Evans, and of course the people that fall into category A are always more than happy to share a few laughs with you when you stop into their favorite bar to grab a bite to eat, but of course as i said earlier, they really don't care WHO they're talking to, they're just happy to be talking to SOMEONE while they're drinking.

There's no tangeable person-to-person car tuning scene, no car audio scene, no real music scene, except for he obscure isolated groups of fans for particular groups here or there, most of which have probably been banded together since they all went to high school together //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/rolleyes.gif.c1fef805e9d1464d377451cd5bc18bfb.gif

But honestly, p2p networking doesn't really go deeper than that around here. People come here to go to class, chit chat, drink at the bars, but at the end of the day, they really all just go home to wherever they're originally from, and hang out with their true friends, their high school buddies.

Anyways, i know i'm not the only person who feels this way about where they're currently living these days, so i wondered if any people who are currently living in, or have had experience living in, places with ACTUAL engaging social scenes, could chime in about some of the cool places they're living, or places they've lived.

I think it's really getting to me lately that something inside me just knows i'm wasting my time staying here just because "i'm already here, and have a job" and "because it's easy"

I think i'm actually ready to move on. Get some money together, find a place to stay on the ol' craigslist, and hit the road. I know there's gotta be places in this huge country where people actually get together and share hobbies rather than sitting in isolated pockets and chatting about them online. Cause right now, honestly, i'm still stuck at the point where MOST, not all, but MOST of my friends are the same ones i've had since high school, and over the years, i'm learning more and more than i'm not nearly as similar to them as maybe i once thought.

I wanna move somewhere where i can meet genuine friends, who actually connect on a higher level than "we used to smoke lots of pot together and knock over trashcans back in the day" hehe.

So where are you guys at? What's the social scene like where you live?

Are there actually things to go and see and do, and be able to meet new people with similar interests/hobbies?

Or am i being paranoid, and everywhere on earth is limited to drinking, or commiting to confinement in a 2-person microcosm of society //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

And NO i haven't been drinking //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif And NO, i'm not really THIS cynical on a daily basis. But i'm being sincere about wanting to leave this place. I wanna know what else is out there, where are some of the happening places some of you have experienced in your days.

I need room to breathe, dammit! I was hoping finally moving out of my parents house would be a growing/learning experience for me, but honestly, i don't think an hour or so down the highway, is really cutting it. I need to go somewhere new, and find new things to do/people to meet/places to hang out/ etc. etc. etc.

 
And also, i'm pretty sure what sparked my sudden motivation to move, was watching a pretty sweet documentary on GG Allin and the murder junkies a few days ago.

I still think GG Allin was a complete nutbag, and i'm really not all that suprised he's dead, but he actually had a pretty interesting philosophy about life.

He said our entire current society revolves around finding a place to settle down, get a bunch of loans, buy a house, get a job, open a bank account, get bills, etc.

And while i don't agree with it completely, he said that this was more or less holding everyone back. He said he lived his life with no bills, no house, he even only had one pair of pants, and a shirt //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/uhoh.gif.c07307dd22ee7e63e22fc8e9c614d1fd.gif But regardless, he said he was living the best way anyone could, with no chains holing him back, he was free to do whatever he pleased. Someone could call him up on the other side of the country and tell him to come live there, and he could just go. He didn't have to check his schedule, or 'take care of a bunch of things' first, he always knew he didn't have any obligations.

Sadly, and somewhat hipocritically, you could say, he was also a complete bum, and a junkie to boot, which ironically enough, i would say, is a pretty **** big obligation, and some pretty thick chains holding him back from a lot, if not MOST of life's oportunities.

But indirectly, that got me thinking about how although it's not THAT easy, it's really not IMPOSSIBLE to do what you want, go other places. He did it at the drop of a hat. So maybe i should stop confining myself to Kent, and Akron just because i'm already here. There's a lot of possibilities out there.

Anyways, that is all. I'm gonna go get some breakfast at the same McDonalds i go to EVERY morning //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/crying.gif.ec0ebefe590df0251476573bc49e46d8.gif

 
I felt the same way. I was in Las Vegas, and felt that i was never meant to leave that place. I was born there and lived out there for 24 long years. I am in Tampa now, and i got here in September. The area is so much larger than Vegas, and i just love the water. All in all, i think my 25th birthday coming up next month, should be a bit of an interesting one as it is my first away from home. I love it. There is a car audio scene out here. there is always stuff going on outside, always parties if youre into that sort of thing, or just many many places to chill with your friends.

Its awesome out here, but it sure does get Humid.

 
I like the following cities/areas:

Salt Lake City (favorite)

Denver

Toas (New Mexico)

Jackson Hole (WY)

Portland (Maine)

Keene (NH)

Stamford/Fairfield (Conn)

Northern Cali > Southern

Upstate NY is good too

Chapel Hill (NC)

 
I love Orlando!!

of course ive been here all my life. but it is an evolving metropolis, there is always something to do and the car audio scene is growing daily. cost of living doesnt **** donkey balls yet either.

 
Wow, awesome to know there's actually cities with active scenes out there.

It's so easy to take your daily routine for granted, easy to forget how much is out there.

Cali may be a bit too expensive for me. Florida could actually be doable.

I have friends in Fort Lauderdale and Tampa, and my step-brother's going to be going to school in Daytona Beach. I should swing down and spend some time down in FLA.

To the people living in florida, how many of you are on a proffessional salary vs. college students/high school students that aren't living at home?

Just wondering how doable living would be down there while still going to school.

Tuition is paid by my pops as long as I get B's or better, i'd just have to take care of food/rent/toys, the essentials //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

Tampa was actually on my short list of cities to look into on craigslist, esp. because it's only ~20hrs. from ohio, would save $$$ on moving/traveling vs. airfare to the west. Back when my main hobby was dubs (cars not wheels) i would drive 20-25hrs. to bring cars home from all over the map, so it really wouldn't be that crazy a trip.

 
Being a country boy at heart I have to say that of all the places that I have lived (and there have been way to many), Nashville,Tn(music capitol of the world), Asheville NC, Charlotte and Birmingham are four of my favs, with Austin Tx(live music capital of the world) a close 5th. I grew up in Miami and absolutely hate it there and I presently live in Port St Lucie Fl(only because I have a good job with a great company). For people who actually care to interact and have a cultural scene I would say that Charlotte NC is a great place to be. Relatively low cost of living and a great sports town, plenty to do outside and always some where to go with a growning music scene. Birmingham is very much the same way just a bit smaller. I am going to try to transfer to Charlotte in the next year, I love it there.

 
Winnipeg, MB (Slurpee Capital of the World) //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/frown.gif.a3531fa0534503350665a1e957861287.gif

Cant offer much advice about US cities, but if you ever think of Canada, I wouldnt go anywear but some place in BC. The Okanagan Valley is amazing. I know i miss it.

 
IL, chi-town and surrounding suburbs. its pretty awesome place to live, get a mix of all kinda of weather. lots of things to do, big caraudio scene, great job oppprtunites and the colleges are great. did i mention lots of caraudio shows //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif

 
I would say Detroit...but you'll even get your *** kicked in the suburbs around here...lmao...

haha. if your into drugs, arson, or prostitutes then move to detroit. i lived in orlando for a brief amount of time and the cost of living sucked balls. too many tourists. i kinda liked the florida cost, but the heat would kill me //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/crap.gif.7f4dd41e3e9b23fbd170a1ee6f65cecc.gif

 
haha. if your into drugs, arson, or prostitutes then move to detroit. i lived in orlando for a brief amount of time and the cost of living sucked balls. too many tourists. i kinda liked the florida cost, but the heat would kill me //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/crap.gif.7f4dd41e3e9b23fbd170a1ee6f65cecc.gif

Yea Michigan has 3 cities in the TOP 5 of the most dangerous and crime infested cities in the Nation....HORRIBLE....Detroit...Flint...and Saginaw.....and Detroit laid off half of their cops....LMAO...how's that for trying to revive a city?

 
Yea Michigan has 3 cities in the TOP 5 of the most dangerous and crime infested cities in the Nation....HORRIBLE....Detroit...Flint...and Saginaw.....and Detroit laid off half of their cops....LMAO...how's that for trying to revive a city?

when i lived their i found a dead body and it took the cops 4 hours to come and pick it up. i didn't know saginaw made it. it's getting closer to me //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/crap.gif.7f4dd41e3e9b23fbd170a1ee6f65cecc.gif

 
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yacob.naif

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