Places If you HAD to relocate ...

[Plannerbabs]

Based on travels and where family and friends are, I'd go with, in no particular order:

New Orleans, LA
Manchester, UK
Los Angeles, CA
Hong Kong
New York, NY
Winslow, AZ
Bombay Beach, CA
Montpellier, France
London, UK
Portland, OR

Nothing in the middle. I live in flyover country and it's time to fly away.

 

[GratiotStreet]

If I HAD to relocate -


Chicago
Toronto

then theres a huge gap

Seattle
Bend, OR
Denver
Vancouver, BC
Portland, OR
Philadelphia
New Orleans
Missoula, MT

 

[Rygor]

I did the FindYourSpot.com quiz and this is what it came up with for my Top 10. Of course it's only limited to the USA.

Portland, Oregon City of Roses
This Oregon city has the nation's largest forested municipal park, the aptly-named Forest Park…

Population: 2,000,000 | Average Home Price: $259,000 | Precipitation: 36" | Snow: 5"


Little Rock, Arkansas Where America Comes Together
All Maybelline products distributed in the U.S. are made in this fashion-conscious spot…

Population: 595,600 | Average Home Price: $177,000 | Precipitation: 48" | Snow: 5"


Norfolk, Virginia Heart of the Hampton Roads
This spot was the only American city completely destroyed and rebuilt in the Revolutionary War; a British cannonball in St. Paul's Church wall is a reminder…

Population: 1,606,000 | Average Home Price: $182,000 | Precipitation: 45" | Snow: 7"


Baltimore, Maryland The Sparkling Harbor City
This Atlantic seaboard city is home to the National Aquarium…

Population: 651,000 | Average Home Price: $310,000 | Precipitation: 40" | Snow: 18"


Charleston, West Virginia The Home of Hospitality
For a taste of yesteryear, catch the boat races at this West Virginia city's annual Sternwheel Regatta...

Population: 248,000 | Average Home Price: $216,000 | Precipitation: 41" | Snow: 26"


Eugene, Oregon The Emerald City
This Oregon city is home to the Hendricks Park Rhododendron Garden, famous all over the world for its beautiful blossoms...

Population: 142,000 | Average Home Price: $226,000 | Precipitation: 48" | Snow: 7"


Corvallis, Oregon Heart of the Willamette Valley
This Oregon city hosts "da Vinci Days," a festival of unique events revolving around art, science and technology...

Population: 50,000 | Average Home Price: $225,000 | Precipitation: 43" | Snow: 6"


Salem, Oregon The Heart of Oregon
This capital city is the home of the Oregon State Fair, as well as the state's largest on-going fine arts & crafts fair…

Population: 143,000 | Average Home Price: $200,000 | Precipitation: 39" | Snow: 6"


Cincinnati, Ohio The Queen City
This big Ohio city with the small-town feel is home to baseball's first professional team: the Reds started in 1869…

Population: 1,690,000 | Average Home Price: $161,000 | Precipitation: 39" | Snow: 19"


Honolulu, Hawaii America’s Tropical Paradise
This state capital has long been an important port city; its name is Hawaiian for "protected bay"…

Population: 905,300 | Average Home Price: $786,000 | Precipitation: 23" | Snow: 0"

 

[rosierivets]

San Francisco, all the way.

 

[cparton]

This is fun! I'm definitely a small town girl for the long-haul, but would love to live in these cities for a while...

Vienna
Prague
Sapporo, Japan
Galway, Ireland
Copenhagen
Taos, New Mexico
Quebec City
Pondicherry, India
Marrakech, Morocco
Dawson City, Yukon!

 

[PlanICan]

If I had to relocate...not that I would ever want to leave Southern Indiana....

1. Riga, Latvia
2. Portland, Maine
3. Toronto
4. Amsterdam
5. Anywhere in Fiji
6. Boulder, Colorado
7. Sedona, Arizona
8. Sydney, Australia
9. London
10. Barcelona

 

[Hceux]

yes...I have stayed at the marina a few times.

Ah, so you got to see the best part of Kingston as it is close to the marina. Beyond this area though isn't all that great because it looks like a typical suburb town.

However, I do sometimes miss this part of Kingston.

Wow, if I HAD to relocate, then where would I want to live?

In no particular order:

- the Thousands Islands Parkway area, especially the area between Ivy Lea and Brockville, Ontario, Canada
- the old town of Edinburgh, Scotland
- old town of Galway, Ireland
- Slanthill, Ireland, somewhere by the sanddunes and the coastlines
- English Bay of Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Bloor Street West Village in Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Brighton, England, by the pier
- the islands of Lake Champlain, VT, USA
- Chester and Liverpool, NS, Canada

Wow, I can't even come up with a tenth city on the list. Am I that picky? Or have I not travelled enough?

Anyways, I admit that this thread has me really thinking... what makes a place so special, desirable, and attractive to live?

Recently, I came across the "Best places to live in Canada" list and I'm not attracted to many of the top 50 cities that I've visited or been through. http://www.canadianbusiness.com/rankings/bestplacestolive/list.jsp

After being away from Cyburbia for probably two years maybe more, it was interesting to return to my old post and read it.

I think it was this thread that got me to start really thinking about what do I want from the community that I shall live in. Reading Richard Florida's "Who's Your City?" book last summer pushed me even more. It really helped me with deciding where about I wanted to purchase my first home. I think I lucked out with finding a good one that matches with a lot of things on my "want in my home and in my neighbourhood" list as the picking in this area is quite slim. The only thing that would make it more awesome would be if my home were a mid-century modern home. Instead it's a mid-century home that looks like a cross between a cape cod and a war-time home.

And, if I could, I would add the downtown area of Kingston, Ontario. I have returned to this area briefly a few times last fall and I do see that the downtown area is starting to change. A department store has left, while a pharmacy store took over it. Several stores have shut down probably because of the economy and slumping tourism. But, I still like it quite a bit. Only if I could live in this area and have my work in the same town!

I have also started noticing that communities that are nice to visit aren't necessarily always nice communities to live in. For example, I was in Stratford, Ontario, recently. It's a popular arts & culture town mostly because of its four theatres that put own many high-quality theatre shows. It has a lovely park system. Many of the homes are well kept; the town didn't experience the usual razing of the downtown core during the 1950s and 1960s because the city was actually in a slump during those years. Now, the downtown core is looking beautiful with all of its original two- or three-storey red brick buildings with nice shops and restaurants on the main floor and nice condos going in on the upper floors. Real estate is pricey, in my opinion. However, I'm not sure if I'd like to live there. My two friends who are from there say the same thing too.

With this kind of dialogue that I have with myself once in a while, I am quite sure that my original list is more a reflection of a list of communities that I like to visit rather than a list of communities that I'd like to live in.

 

[judeth]

I am thinking

Portree on the Isle of Skye, Ecosse ( tradition)
Santa Fe, NM, USA ( sheer beauty and design)
Mackinac Island MI, USA ( No cars)
Tewantin, QLD Australia ( small town, no fuss)
Coogee Beach, NSW (great beach, common beach access)
Portland Oregon ( light rail, liberal)
Mukilteo, Seattle, USA ( beauty and no crowds)
Douglas, MI USA ( you would not believe, no postal service, too small)
Charleston, SC USA ( charm and boiled peanuts)

 

[mendelman]

Rogers City, MI.

This must be simply due to family. Otherwise, I am rather perplexed. I grewup in Alpena, MI - one hour to the south.

 

[bobcatplanner]

Hmmm...if I had to relocate, my top choices would be Portland and Seattle.

I also wouldn't mind Albuquerque, Denver, Phoenix, Tucson or Chicago. If I had to go to the East Coast, I wouldn't mind Philadelphia or New York (if I could ever afford it!). I'm pretty content in Austin for now though ;-).

 

[teofilo]

This is fun! I'm definitely a small town girl for the long-haul, but would love to live in these cities for a while...

Taos, New Mexico

Makes me wonder what you would consider a small town...

 

[shoegazer]

Also without factoring in cost of living or employment opportunities:

Amsterdam
- I've never seen a place that has so many alternative modes of transportation (eg. wide bike lanes, trams, metro, canals).
- My political views are similar to many of the Dutch (very liberal)

Vancouver
- A big city with easy access to the best ski hills in Canada
- Nothing beats mountains, beaches, parks, and mild weather

Portland
- I'm a big music geek AND a big planning geek (the perfect match?)

Montreal
- I like the laissez-faire culture that's been there since the corporate headquarters moved out
- Close to the Adirondacks and the Laurentians

St. John's (Newfoundland)
- George St. + some of the nicest people I've ever met

Paris
- I've been reading "The Walkable City" by Mary Soderstrom

Sapporo
- Capital of Hokkaido, which is supposedly the most scenic part of Japan
- I want to go snowboarding in Niseko

Tokyo
- I'm a big city guy, so why go to the biggest in the world?

Berlin
- Another liberal city with lots to see and do

Prague
- Pretty girls and architecture

 

[Shellac And Vinyl VelocitY]

-bump-

If our political environment deteriorates too much more then I'll be relocated to:
Vancouver, B.C.

 

[DVD]

I would want to do a little time in each city, but Japan has always interested me as a place to go. Amsterdam has its perks, but you got me at pretty girls in Prague.

 

[luckless pedestrian]

RJ, a little homesick are we? ;-)

my list, though they aren't strictly cities:

San Francisco
Medocino, California
St. Paul, MN (no, really, I love it there)
Montreal, near McGill
London, in the neighborhood near the botanic garden
Bath, England
any town in the Cotswolds, England
Kyoto, Japan
Florence, Italy, near Lake Como
here, in Bar Harbor, but on the western bay

wow I think I still agree with this list but I would add

Saratoga, NY
Stiges, Spain
Port Townsend WA

 

[HomerJ]

-bump-

If our political environment deteriorates too much more then I'll be relocated to:
Vancouver, B.C.

I've always had the option but never took too seriously applying for Irish citizenship (something I am eligible for based on family). Perhaps if the next 5-10 years keep going down the same path I should seriously consider it. I certainly don't mind the prospect of being an ex-pat free to regulary enjoy fresh Guinness on tap in Dublin or Galway.

 

[Bubba]

I certainly don't mind the prospect of being an ex-pat free to regulary enjoy fresh Guinness on tap in Dublin or Galway.

I attended some training about a year ago that was being done by a buddy of mine with a fed agency - I texted him a few days beforehand to see if he wanted to grab a beer the night before. The exchange after the initial text:

Him: Can't - I'm flying back that day and won't get in until late.
Me: Where are you?
Him: Hang on...
.
.
.
Him: sends me a pic from the Guinness rooftop bar in Dublin
Me: I hate you.

 

[P1nr_Bill]

In no order and without all that much thought...

• Malaga, Spain
• Galway, Ireland
• Mérida, Mexico
• Amsterdam, Netherlands
• La Plata, Argentina
• Flagstaff, AZ
• Washington, DC
• Vancouver, Canada

What about whether I could afford to live in the place with a typical urban planner's salary? Sure, I'd say San Francisco and London like everyone else, but there's no way I can afford to pay ₤2,000 a month for a basement studio apartment in a neighborhood where I wpuld get assaulted by chavs the moment I stepped outside.

From my experience most urban planner salaries are generally set at a moderate-reasonable point that is affordable for the city they're in. We didn't get in this field to get rich - except the ones that go into property development maybe. However planners don't typically live in squalor to pursue our passion.
I have a salary somewhat on the high side in the field over all because I live & work in a somewhat expensive city. Funny thing is it makes it hard to want to relocate even if I know cost of living is less elsewhere if on paper it means a pay cut. lol

 

[DVD]

Flagstaff? What? You want to be a lumberjack? They do have a small tight knit planning department though.

 

[SlaveToTheGrind]

Zell am See, Austria
Lucerne, Switzerland
Saint-Lurent-sur-Mer, France
St. Andrews, Scotland
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Santorini, Greece
Bandon, Oregon
Ketchikan, Alaska
Cinque Terre, Italy
Helsinki, Finland