# The 10 Best U.S. Cities to Live and Work



## editor (May 27, 2009)

This is apparently the best cities in the United States to live and work. 

I've never been to any of them!

No. 1: Huntsville, Alabama
No. 2: Albuquerque, New Mexico
No. 3: Washington D.C.
No. 4: Charlottesville, Virginia
No. 5: Athens, Georgia
No. 6: Olympia, Washington
No. 7: Madison, Wisconsin
No. 8: Austin, Texas
No. 9: Flagstaff, Arizona
No. 10: Raleigh, North Carolina

Opinions?

http://lifehacker.com/5270632/the-10-best-us-cities-to-live-and-work


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## phildwyer (May 27, 2009)

They've obviously gone for the small ones. I can vouch for Austin and Flagstaff, which are basically college towns with a Western edge.  I lived in DC for a year, got bored quickly.  It's a company town, and the local government is mad (they re-elected an admitted crackhead as Mayor).  Albuquerque is alright, lots of Indians who don't like white people much.  Never been to the others, but imo it's a joke to compare any of them to New York or San Francisco, which are the two best cities in the world never mind the USA.


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## HobgoblinMan (May 27, 2009)

Albuquerque makes the list due to the amount of hot dogs and jumping frogs.


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## 5t3IIa (May 27, 2009)

"Personal finance site Kiplinger has released their annual list of the best cities in the United States to live and work. The key this year: It's all about where you can find—and keep—a good job."

That's boring though innit. Flawed reasons are flawed.


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## Yuwipi Woman (May 27, 2009)

We usually make the top 10.  We were first in the mid-90s.  I'm a bit suprised we didn't this year because we have the lowest unemployment rate in the country.

The list seems to default to smaller cities that are large enough to have access to cultural events, but still have some "hometown" feeling to them.  The whole American thing about tree-lined streets and kids playing baseball in the field behind the house tends to make the list.


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## grimble (May 27, 2009)

The only one I've been to is Washington DC (a few times).  Once you've done the museums (which are ace) it's deadly.  Not a decent bar in town.  And very humid.  Still extremely dangerous in parts too.


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## trashpony (May 27, 2009)

Alberquerque's alright but I don't really like Flagstaff - full of nobby students. And Olympia - meh.

It's a very suburban list really


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## skyscraper101 (May 27, 2009)

My friend from Washington D.C. was very disparaging about it for employment purposes.

I'm sure its ace if you work for the government though.


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## Yuwipi Woman (May 27, 2009)

This is my neighborhood.  It made This Old House's list of top places to buy a fixer-upper.  Notice the very American emphasis on playing with the kiddies and access to zoos and parks.

http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/photos/0,,20208115_20473871,00.html

(That's definitely not my house in the picture.)


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## abe11825 (May 27, 2009)

I have been in Albuquerque a few times, and passed thru DC for a couple days. But I haven't been to the other cities as of yet. Albuquerque is insteresting because if you go into Old Town, there are people all over the city selling jewelry. It's a nice place to window shop or pick up a turquoise necklace or ring. Last time I was in New Mexico, I didn't shop too much, but went to the Zoo and the Musuem. People flock there as well. It was good. 

I'm surprised Boston didn't make the list... usually makes _some_ sort of list anyway...


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## Detroit City (May 27, 2009)

trashpony said:


> It's a very suburban list really



indeed it is trashpony


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## Meltingpot (May 27, 2009)

Madison always does well in these lists despite its being cold in winter. There's apparently a lot going on there for a city of about a quarter of a million.


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## FridgeMagnet (May 27, 2009)

Flagstaff seemed quite nice when I went there but I wasn't there for very longy. I hear good things about Austin, in that I know people who like the place who I feel some connection to. I wouldn't live in DC, no thank you. Apart from that I don't know.

Out of all of the places in the States I've been to I think I'd most prefer San Francisco, though for some reason, the only one where several people actively said "oh you should come and live here" was Sedona - and that's just from passing through. I have no idea why. I don't think the climate in Arizona would agree with me.


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## HobgoblinMan (May 27, 2009)

From watching "The Wire" why is Baltimore not on the list???


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## D (May 28, 2009)

No. 1: Huntsville, Alabama (I've been there two or three times - a long time ago [about 20 years]...as far as I know, there's little there besides the ginormous NASA center)
No. 2: Albuquerque, New Mexico (I've been here and nearby Santa Fe has lots more to offer in terms of the arts)
No. 3: Washington D.C. (lived here, did not enjoy it)
No. 4: Charlottesville, Virginia (visited once - how on earth is Charlottesville, VA a city?)
No. 5: Athens, Georgia (never been - REM's home town and... home to a folk/indie scene?)
No. 6: Olympia, Washington (supposed to be lovely)
No. 7: Madison, Wisconsin (big, liberal, college town in the midwest)
No. 8: Austin, Texas (a visit there is in order ... last time I was there was the late 80s, before Austin became the hotbed of cultural activity it is now)
No. 9: Flagstaff, Arizona (visited several times.  Again, from my perspective, it's not a city, really, but it's a nice place in any case)
No. 10: Raleigh, North Carolina (never been)


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## Detroit City (May 28, 2009)

FridgeMagnet said:


> Out of all of the places in the States I've been to I think I'd most prefer San Francisco,



thats cause their weather is very much like that in teh UK...you'd feel right at home.  moderate temperate climate with good amounts of rain and fog.  never gets too hot or too cold.  yea, i can see you there right now.


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## turing test (May 28, 2009)

No. 1: Huntsville, Alabama
I used to live about 100 miles from Huntsville.  It’s a smallish town, and Alabama is a very southern state. Very religious, conservative ect ect.

No. 2: Albuquerque, New Mexico
I have heard it’s beautiful but never been.  In general New Mexico is one of the prettiest places I have been in the US.

No. 3: Washington D.C.
It’s just a big assed city with a lot of good restaurants.  Its former mayor was a crackhead so it’s got that going for it.

No. 4: Charlottesville, Virginia
Never been.

No. 5: Athens, Georgia
I used to live right near there.  It’s mostly just a college town.  When the students go away I have heard it’s dead. It’s got a great cycling community and the country side there is glorious.

No. 6: Olympia, Washington
Never been, but Seattle is very nice. 

No. 7: Madison, Wisconsin
Never been, but its damned cold.  Also it has a reputation for being very liberal 

No. 8: Austin, Texas
If I had to live in Texas again it would be Austin.  It’s got a marketing campaign the slogan of which is “Keep Austin Weird.” It’s also a college town but bigger than Athens. God I hope I never have to live in Texas again.

No. 9: Flagstaff, Arizona
Never been

No. 10: Raleigh, North Carolina
I have family in the area, which is known as the research triangle because of all the Universities. The weather is nice, but traffic is horrible on account of the areas rapid growth and utter indifference to public transit. It has very nice beaches and Mountains near by.


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## D (May 28, 2009)

Detroit City said:


> thats cause their weather is very much like that in teh UK...you'd feel right at home.  moderate temperate climate with good amounts of rain and fog.  never gets too hot or too cold.  yea, i can see you there right now.



or perhaps it's because SF is a fantastic city besides the weather

who knows


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## doddles (May 28, 2009)

The two places on the list I've been to are DC and Madison.

DC is great for a visit to see al the sights, museums, White House etc. But otherwise I found it dull. The restaurants/bars were pretty boring, the town itself is non-descript. I suppose if you like the quiet life and have a lot of money it could be OK.

I lived in Madison for almost 8 years. Although it's too small for my liking, it's got a lot going on for an American town of its size. Partly that's because of the University, which is close to the middle of town and has 42,000 students. But it's also the State Capitol, which gives it far more cultural attractions than most college towns, and also direct flights to a number of big cities like Chicago, DC and NY. For the USA it is very liberal, and is nicely situated between 3 lakes. Yes it's freezing in the winter - the lakes are usually frozen solid for 3 months - but the summer is long and hot, punctuated by enormous thunderstorms. It's got very low unemployment, a lot of high-tech/bio-tech, low crime rate, good schools. And I have to say, friendly locals.


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## scifisam (May 28, 2009)

Huntsville is a good place to get work if you're an astrophysicist. Other jobs, not so much.


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## Meltingpot (May 28, 2009)

Detroit City said:


> thats cause their weather is very much like that in the UK...you'd feel right at home.  moderate temperate climate with good amounts of rain and fog.  never gets too hot or too cold.  yea, i can see you there right now.



San Francisco's a great city in some ways but didn't someone once say the worst winter he'd ever experienced was summer there?

Someone on a different board where we discussed the US talked up Wisconsin to me once. A visit to the US isn't on my agenda (finances wouldn't allow it for one thing), but if it was I'd certainly consider it.


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## jæd (May 28, 2009)

FridgeMagnet said:


> Flagstaff seemed quite nice when I went there but I wasn't there for very longy. I hear good things about Austin, in that I know people who like the place who I feel some connection to. I wouldn't live in DC, no thank you. Apart from that I don't know.
> 
> Out of all of the places in the States I've been to I think I'd most prefer San Francisco, though for some reason, the only one where several people actively said "oh you should come and live here" was Sedona - and that's just from passing through. I have no idea why. I don't think the climate in Arizona would agree with me.



San Francisco is the only place outside of New York I'd be prepared to live. Only problem is that restaurants (ie not Diners) close very early (shut up before 22.30 some of them...!) and so do the clubs. (There's not much to do after 3am...!)


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## inflatable jesus (May 28, 2009)

I'm currently trying to decide where I want to live. My current five year plan involves buying a house and having kids so I'm looking for somewhere where house prices are reasonable but that has decent public schools (Jesus, when did I get so boring).

I've spent the last two years in Central New Jersey and it's nice being close to New York but house prices and taxes are pretty steep around here.

I'm tempted by the Washington DC suburbs. Honestly, I'm getting too old to be that bothered about nightlife and at least I would know that the local economy isn't going to die anytime soon.

Do any of you know anything about Delaware? My missus wants to move to the Newark area. It seemed nice enough when we have visited friends there but I don't really know much about the place.


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## FridgeMagnet (May 28, 2009)

D said:


> or perhaps it's because SF is a fantastic city besides the weather
> 
> who knows



I didn't get that one at all, I didn't think the weather was anything like the UK - far more "continental" with extremes of temperature. Seattle seemed more like the UK. I just liked SF because it seemed to have an interesting history, a broader mix of groups than you find in many places and a lively cultural life. Also some of the best coffee I've ever had.


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## FridgeMagnet (May 28, 2009)

inflatable jesus said:


> Do any of you know anything about Delaware? My missus wants to move to the Newark area. It seemed nice enough when we have visited friends there but I don't really know much about the place.



Everybody used to take the piss out of the area when I was there, though that could have just been snobbery.


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## inflatable jesus (May 28, 2009)

Where were the people that were taking the piss out of it from?

And what did they say? I'm genuinely interested.


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## MikeMcc (May 29, 2009)

Out of the places on the list the only one I've been to is Raleigh.  They actually have an area called Research Triangle Parkway (RTP).  Rahleigh is a nice enough town, like most places in the US it's Anytown USA.

Personal favourites?  Top of the list is San Francisco, it's like an old style European city in that it has different areas with different cultures and is compact enough to be able to get around fairly easily.  I liked San Deigo, but that place is scattered all over the place.  I also liked Connetticut, stayed in Wilmington and Mystic, lovely countryside and food.


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## nick h. (May 29, 2009)

I'd move to San Francisco tomorrow. Amazing curry, draught Strongbow, people who walk and use public transport and consequently aren't morbidly obese, great bicycle shops, fantastic women, no rednecks, very accepting of the LGBT community (there's a great restaurant staffed by transsexuals), lots of new thinking (Silicon Valley is just some of it), people always ready to try unusual things, the Exotic Erotic Ball (sex in public, hey why not?), great food shops...there's nothing it hasn't got.


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## Meltingpot (May 30, 2009)

MikeMcc said:


> Out of the places on the list the only one I've been to is Raleigh.  They actually have an area called Research Triangle Parkway (RTP).  Raleigh is a nice enough town, like most places in the US it's Anytown USA.
> 
> Personal favourites?  Top of the list is San Francisco, it's like an old style European city in that it has different areas with different cultures and is compact enough to be able to get around fairly easily.  I liked San Diego, but that place is scattered all over the place.  I also liked Connecticut, stayed in Wilmington and Mystic, lovely countryside and food.



Yes, I wouldn't mind New England (I changed planes in Boston once) except that it gets cold in winter. Some lovely scenery there.

http://www.scenicnewengland.net/photo/photos/ourbest/ourbest.php


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## upsidedownwalrus (Jun 1, 2009)

My American mate in China said that in his opinion, the overall best place in the USA, in terms of good climate, right size (small enough to be friendly but big enough to have lots of night life and stuff), scenery, etc, was Santa Fe in New Mexico.


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## Spion (Jun 1, 2009)

Madison, WI - spent two weeks there last year. Yes, it's liberal, it's a college town, it's very safe, everyone's very polite, but in many many ways it's as dull as ditchwater, and if you like good scenery, forget it - endless cornfields, no hills above about 200m for hundreds of miles

Washington DC - I spent a few days there once and enjoyed it, but I get the impression it's a city of contrasts and is in a huge conurbation. It's a strange inclusion, IMO, as all the other cities seem like smallish ones that tick all the boxes for a safe family life


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## upsidedownwalrus (Jun 1, 2009)

Yeah I heard that in parts, DC was the roughest place in the USA


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## doddles (Jun 2, 2009)

Spion said:


> Madison, WI - spent two weeks there last year. Yes, it's liberal, it's a college town, it's very safe, everyone's very polite, but in many many ways it's as dull as ditchwater


As I said - it's too small for my tastes. But how many towns of its size in the USA have more going on? Not many I'd say. It's also only a 2.5 hour drive from Chicago, where there's plenty to do. But yeah - in many ways its ranking reflects its advantages in terms of raising a family, economic opportunity, excellent public facilities, etc., rather than its excitement factor, for which you really need a large city**.



> and if you like good scenery, forget it - endless cornfields, no hills above about 200m for hundreds of miles


True that the scenery isn't stunning, but it's a relatively short distance to the Mississipi Bluffs to the west and the shores of Lake Michigan and Lake Superior to the east and north. Pleasant rather than stunning - much like a lot of the southern English countryside.

** And there's no guarantee in the USA that a large city is going to be interesting/exciting to live in. Of all the US cities I've visited, the only ones I'd consider living in are NY, Chicago and San Francisco. Many such as Boston , San Diego, Atlanta, are boring as hell IMO.


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## phildwyer (Jun 2, 2009)

RenegadeDog said:


> Yeah I heard that in parts, DC was the roughest place in the USA



I wouldn't set foot in 90% of it.


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## Pie 1 (Jun 2, 2009)

editor said:


> This is apparently the best cities in the United States to live and work.
> 
> Opinions?



All about safety, schools & job security/living standards, I bet.
i.e. idendakit US suburbia.

I know people in Raleigh, Austin, Albuquerque & Athens & having been to all of them at one time or another, only Austin stands out as being anything other than nice but fucking dull. 
(although the area around Albuqueque is of course stunning)

The only sound in most of these places is air con units, lawn sprinklers & the odd overhead jet.


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## upsidedownwalrus (Jun 2, 2009)

No views on Santa Fe?


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## D (Jun 2, 2009)

Santa Fe is gorgeous.  And, as I said earlier, has Albuquerque nailed as far as the arts go...but this is going on reputation.  I know a lot of folks who've lived there.  I've only visited both places, Santa Fe quite briefly.  And I was pretty young.


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## upsidedownwalrus (Jun 2, 2009)

My friend was convinced that Santa Fe was amazing, but I told some other friends and they laughed and when I said he was from Kansas City, they said something like 'oh right, that explains everything'.

But the pics I've googled of it do look nice - one bit of america I've seen pics of that looks older than about 200 years...


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## Gavin Bl (Jun 2, 2009)

Flagstaff is nice, but not a city, as a Brit would understand it.


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## doddles (Jun 3, 2009)

Pie 1 said:


> The only sound in most of these places is air con units, lawn sprinklers & the odd overhead jet.


And ride-on mowers on the weekend.


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## phildwyer (Jun 3, 2009)

RenegadeDog said:


> My friend was convinced that Santa Fe was amazing, but I told some other friends and they laughed and when I said he was from Kansas City, they said something like 'oh right, that explains everything'.
> 
> But the pics I've googled of it do look nice - one bit of america I've seen pics of that looks older than about 200 years...



Santa Fe's alright--a bit precious I thought, and completely geared around tourism.  If you want to buy Navajo turquoise jewelry it's the best place in the world. 

There are lots of similar but nicer towns in New Mexico, Taos springs to mind. Donald Rumsfeld and Julia Roberts both live there.  But not together, for then there would be no God.


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## Spion (Jun 3, 2009)

What about Denver? I reckon that'd be an alright place to live, but then I like to balance access to a bit of culture with access to a lot of scenery, and it has the latter nearby in spades.

I'd also choose a smaller town on the Cal coast, say Santa Cruz, near enought to SF but not right in it


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## upsidedownwalrus (Jun 3, 2009)

Yeah - Denver appeals to me for that reason


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## FridgeMagnet (Jun 3, 2009)

RenegadeDog said:


> Yeah I heard that in parts, DC was the roughest place in the USA



DC, Baltimore and Philadelphia - very close cities on the East Coast - routinely compete for the title of "murder capital of the USA". Given that DC wins a lot and it's also a centre of government so has a significant proportion of residents to support that who are (unfortunately) unlikely to be murdered, you can guess what the statistics indicate for _real_ people.


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