Moving-Help Me Decide!

[Ranger Butch Force]

So, I want to move out of this town and I have four places in mind.

Boston, Mass
Austin, TX
Fort Collins, CO
Portland, OR

I'm seriously considering throwing a party and picking one out of a hat.

[Novelafemme]

Hi RBF,

What appeals to you about each of those places? Can you handle the heat in Austin, the overcast weather in Portland, the snow in Boston (I know virtually nothing about CO)? I totally know what you mean about picking a place from a hat. I am sooooooo ready to move. :)

[Corkey]

So, I want to move out of this town and I have four places in mind.

Boston, Mass
Austin, TX
Fort Collins, CO
Portland, OR

I'm seriously considering throwing a party and picking one out of a hat.


Are there job opportunities in any of these places?
Will you and the weather get along?
What of community, is there one?
Can you afford to live there?
Commute distances?
Arts, theater, unless it doesn't matter to you?
Taxes, not texas.
Home v.s. renting?
Are your ex's in the area?

Just a few thoughts. Welcome to the Planet.

[ruffryder]

hehe.. nice!

I just moved from N.E. Colorado to N.E. Florida. I love it here! I loved Colorado too, don't get me wrong. It was just time for a change..

Looks like you got some great spots picked there, tough choice. I guess it depends what your interests are and what you are looking for. Gonna fore-go the snow for TX? That's what I'll probably miss most in Colorado along with the mountains. As for Fort Collins, spending time there myself, I know it's a college town. It is close to the mountains! So that's a plus. If you go for Colorado I would say Loveland, Estes Park, or suburb of Denver, like Aurora. However, if you are into the college scene, beer, people expressing themselves then Ft. Collins is for you! Boulder is another place just like Ft. Collins.

I know someone in Colorado that would love to go back to Oregon.
I been to Boston and it is a great place also! Huge, but great!

I hope you get some more ideas and opinions/experiences.. good luck!

[apretty]

Portland--It's where young people go to retire!

TZt-pOc3moc

*plus, Juney lives there! :)

[Greyson]

I vote for Portland, Oregon. IMO, Portland is a great city. Powells Book Store, a bicycling friendly city. Portland is not too big or too small. Queer Community, Arts, "affordable" housing. No sales tax! Close to Seattle and a bit of a longer drive to Vancouver, B.C. The natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest is incredible. Mountains, Ocean, rivers, agricultural land.

As for the weather, I don't live there so you should talk to some of the locals there but what I have seen there is "spit and drizzle" rain, light snow and friendly people.

[Ranger Butch Force]

Here's why I chose these places.

Boston, Mass
Pros
I have friends that live there.
It's a big city with lots of neighborhoods.
There's an ocean RIGHT THERE!
Cons
It's expensive to live there.
I like snow, but not THAT much snow!

Austin, TX
Pros
I have friends that live there.
There is a huge Burning Man community there.
The weather is similar to where I live now.
Cons
The weather is similar to where I live now.

Fort Collins, CO
Pros
Lots of outdoorsy stuff to do.
Quite a number of factorys there (although I'd transfer within my current company)
Easy town to get around in.
Cons
Don't know anyone there.
Altitude

Portland, OR
Pros
The ocean is RIGHT THERE!
There's green stuff everywhere.
I don't mind the rain.
Cons
Don't know anyone there.

[Ranger Butch Force]

To add to all of this-

All my life I've moved because someone wanted me to move to where they are. Now, it's MY turn to move where I want to move to!

There are things that I need in these cities and they are, in no particular order:

Must have a good sized Burning Man community
Must have a good sized GLBT community
Must have a decent night life
Must have a good public transportation system
Must have an arts type of district

This is what I can think of off the top of my head, and there really ain't much there!

[BullDog]

Another vote for Portland. It has all those things on your list.

It is tough to find a job though and even when employers are hiring they tend to be slow as molasses to actually get someone hired for a job. In this economy I am not sure it is worse than the other places on your list or not.

I love Portland!

[Ranger Butch Force]

Someone asked if I had ex's in any of those cities. The answer is no. Not yet anyways.

[Abigail Crabby]

Having lived in Boston, I couldn't ever do that winter weather again

I have considered Austin - Poppi and I have talked about it. Nice gay community.

Any place that snows more than the 3 or 4 inches of snow I get now I vote against lol

[Gayla]

I will start by saying that I don't know anything about Boston. :)

I vote Portland. It's got a similar feel to Ft. Collins but is much cooler. There's a ton of outdoor stuff to do, much of which is similar to the types of outdoor stuff in Ft. Collins, just less of the rugged mountain kind of thing and more trees. They've also got a MUCH larger and more active BF and GLBT community than Ft. Collins.

If the heat/humidity isn't an issue than I'd say Austin. I've heard the food there is pretty good.

[princessbelle]

My vote is Portland as well.

I recently visited there for the first time and completely fell in love with it.

The ocean is a picture right out of a book. The rocks the clifts and the beach...everything you would want.

If you love the ocean, which it seems from your posts is a plus, don't settle for anything but being at least near it.

Someday i will live near that vast beautiful giant being of water....got a feeling it will be Portland for myself. :)

Good luck!!!!

[Amber2010]

You are so lucky to be able to pick up and just try something new in a new city or state. All of those cities have great things to do and I would look them up to check out what would be interesting to me. My personal favorite would be to be near the beach but I am a beach girl myself. lol

[Gemme]

Here's why I chose these places.

Boston, Mass
Pros
I have friends that live there.
It's a big city with lots of neighborhoods.
There's an ocean RIGHT THERE!
Cons
It's expensive to live there.
I like snow, but not THAT much snow!

Austin, TX
Pros
I have friends that live there.
There is a huge Burning Man community there.
The weather is similar to where I live now.
Cons
The weather is similar to where I live now.

Fort Collins, CO
Pros
Lots of outdoorsy stuff to do.
Quite a number of factorys there (although I'd transfer within my current company)
Easy town to get around in.
Cons
Don't know anyone there.
Altitude

Portland, OR
Pros
The ocean is RIGHT THERE!
There's green stuff everywhere.
I don't mind the rain.
Cons
Don't know anyone there.

To add to all of this-

All my life I've moved because someone wanted me to move to where they are. Now, it's MY turn to move where I want to move to!

There are things that I need in these cities and they are, in no particular order:

Must have a good sized Burning Man community
Must have a good sized GLBT community
Must have a decent night life
Must have a good public transportation system
Must have an arts type of district

This is what I can think of off the top of my head, and there really ain't much there!

I'm in Austin and I really like it. Though I am a delicate flower and don't care for the heat and we are in the midst of the worst drought in more than 50 years, I like it. Anyone who knows me knows that means something.

There is a EXCELLENT community here in Austin, spread from the deep south parts of the city to cleaner and thinner aired parts of the city. As far as public transportation goes, it is good if you are downtown and/or close to the heart of the city. Okay elsewhere, but certainly not great. Austin is the music capital! The heart of the nightlife and the heart of the art district and the heart of the city are basically one big heart. :stillheart:

I'm not a Burning Man-er, but it sounds like you already know that that's good here.

I'm going to throw something else out there. It's a cheaper cost of living here versus OR. I'm only really comparing TX to OR right now because they are the only two on your list that only have one con.

There is the beige versus green thing. However, luckily, there are a bunch of places where you can plant your own green things so that you have green around all the time, should you so desire.

Oh, and when it does rain in Austin....and it will for more than 12 seconds, one day....it differentiates between cold and warm rain. The PNW only has cold rain. That might not make a difference to you, but if I'm getting rained on, I don't want it to feel like needles.

Take this for what it's worth. Of the four, I've only lived in Austin, though I did spend more than 4 years in WA, so I do have experience in the PNW. I can say that if you don't choose Austin, my feelings wouldn't be hurt if you did choose Portland, cuz there are some nice folks there too. If you choose CO or MA with winter coming.......you are a masochist and really should be in Austin, where we can keep an eye on you.

[Arwen]

Austin, TX
Pros
I have friends that live there.
There is a huge Burning Man community there.
The weather is similar to where I live now.
Cons
The weather is similar to where I live now.


AUSTIN! :)

I would say subscribe to the community threads and hang out with the BFP people that are here there. (that makes sense if you read it fast...I think.)

But Austin throws regular parties. We are a good group and we live all over so you can whine about those of us who are too far south or those of them who are too far north.

Truly, Austin is a good fit if you are weird and like to celebrate your weirdness.

But it is hot. Ungodly this summer. But we don't get too much cold which is one of the reasons I left Denver.

Are you a sports fan? We've got that.
Music fan? We've got that too.
Food lover? OMGay do we have that.

And, if you can, visit each one. :)

But really, why waste all that time? Move to Austin. It's where the cool kids go.

Unless you are a cool kid who lives somewhere else. (CYA and running now)

[Arwen]

really should be in Austin, where we can keep an eye on you.


HAHAHAHA! JINX!

[Apocalipstic]

Boston is soosososososo expensive.

All my Austin pals love it there and cost of living is not bad at all.

I have always wanted to live in Oregon for some reason, though I have not been there.

Colorado, I have no clue.

[justkim]

Fort Collins is a great town! College town, if that is what you like.
Your not that far from Denver and really the Altitude isn't anything, only a mile above sea level, hence the name Mile High City... now it does take a while to get use to but not long at all...

Good luck no matter where you go...

[Starbuck]

Having lived 35miles from Boston for almost 3 years, I can tell you I HATED the winters there!! It would snow, that would freeze, then it would snow on top of the iced snow and then do it all over again! And having to move your car so plowing could get done was a real pain in the butt too!

And don't get me started on how RUDE the drivers are in Boston! They will cut you off then flip you off like you did something wrong. It's a whole different style of driving up there. You have to learn to jump out in the smallest of spaces or you'll end up sitting and sitting waiting to get out, then people are honking at you. I certainly learned a new way to drive up there!

BUT! The best thing about Boston that I love is the Boston Red Sox! I got to see them twice at Fenway Park (pronounced pock) and I've been a fan ever since.

[Corkey]

I'm partial to Colorado myself. The fishing hunting and outdoor sports are unmatched. I like snow, yes even feet of it. Living in the great NNE we get our fair share.
There is community to be found in Colorado, as well as hot springs and a lively college community. Oh and one can get an ostrich burger without having to import it.

[scootebaby]

i vote for austin....i lived there briefly and think its the best place ive ever been! if i ever move again it will be to austin!!

[Tawse]

a little about the public transportation part of the equation...

http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2011/02/08/10-best-cities-for-public-transportation


Boston and Portland are on the list for the top 10.

And I will say Atlanta now has the previous Bus Maintenance Director from Portland - and he's one hell of a sharp cookie when it comes to running a maintenance fleet - so unless they've gone to pot since he left - they should have a good reliable bus fleet. And they don't have any CNG buses - which means they have better reliability than a CNG or CNG / Diesel mix fleet. (bus cng engines are notorious for having reliability issues)

[iamkeri1]

I have never been there, but since from your other choices it seems you don't mind snow, I would recommend Massachusetts. Of your four choices, it is the only one where same-sex marriage is legal. Also they have universal health care. Their unemployment is down over 1% in the last 6 months. Real personal income is up a little from the low of 2009. Housing, on the other hand is super expensive.

Best wishes to you whatever you decide.
Smooches,
Keri

[J. Mason]

Portland or Austin would be my picks!

[Liam]

All of the places you are considering are college towns, I've always considered that a plus, in terms of diversity and culture. I am familiar with Fort Collins, and I wish I lived there, rather than 45 miles north. I've lived in Portland, and I think it is a wonderful city. I'm a gardener, and I like the longer growing season there, and rain has never bothered me, I grew up in the Pacific Northwest.

Best of luck in this new chapter of your life.

[sweetiefemme]

So, I want to move out of this town and I have four places in mind.

Boston, Mass
Austin, TX
Fort Collins, CO
Portland, OR

I'm seriously considering throwing a party and picking one out of a hat.

My vote is Portland Oregon!

[T4Texas]

You may call this a biased opinion, but I promote all things Texan and Texas. Austin has a lot of attractive features. It's a college town, so you know theres always something going on. It has a fantastic night life (and not all country music either). The food is a great mix of everything from Tex-mex to gourmet. The hill country is in your backyard which is a great location for camping, hiking, tubing and other outdoor pursuits. Plus you get the added bonus of the rest of the state and all it encompasses.
I've never been to Boston, but I think the weather would be a negative. Portland is beautiful, has a lot going on and would also be a good choice. Fort Collins I don't know anything about so can't say on that one.
Austin's only downside is the weather. It's hot and humid a bit, but heck, that's what they make air conditioning for.
Texas is a state of mind. When I landed here, I was on my way back to Cali from Florida and only planned to stay here a couple of days visiting. That was 34 years ago. Oh, and did I mention, the girls in Texas are not like anyplace else...

[Ranger Butch Force]

I am actually looking for biased opinions. Tell me why you love the city, or state, so much. There may be some things I have not taken into account in my decision.

As of now, I am actually leaning more towards Portland.

[blush]

I've been in Austin for 18 years. It's certainly a great town. A consideration for moving might also be traffic. If you know you're going to commute, Austin traffic is pretty horrid. Pretty damn horrid. As in, you'll spend hours in it.

Also, the music is amazing. But the tourism and capitalism has kinda dampened the authenticity (IMO).

Good luck with your search!

[Ebon]

I lived in Boston for 3 years and hated it. It's small and too expensive plus my second day there I got called the N word which tarnished my whole time there. Funny thing is I have never been called that in Texas in the whole time I've been here. I was very happy to move away from Boston although I did meet some awesome people and I did have some good times.

Don't come to Austin it's too hot. The nightlife is fun for about 2 weeks then it's the same stuff over and over again. Blush is correct about the music as well.

Portland and Colorado I have never been to but I hear Portland is very nice. Colorado has snow so I wouldn't go there if you don't like snow.

[fever]

I don't see WA state there, which is right next to BC Canada!!! We have a good sized kink community, and can certainly witness a burning man. Oh, you mean something else! 'scuse me. lol

I can't imagine living anywhere but the PNW. The sky, trees, ocean breeze, lots of community, and the rain is what makes all the lovely GREEN colour. I had a visitor from Denver once who couldn't get over how GREEN and lush this area is. The femmes are very friendly, too. I admire you, though, for moving where YOU want to move.


So, I want to move out of this town and I have four places in mind.

Boston, Mass
Austin, TX
Fort Collins, CO
Portland, OR

I'm seriously considering throwing a party and picking one out of a hat.

[crashhere4eva]

So, I want to move out of this town and I have four places in mind.

Boston, Mass
Austin, TX
Fort Collins, CO
Portland, OR

I'm seriously considering throwing a party and picking one out of a hat.

Hi Ranger,
I don't know you but see your post here so hope you don't mind my input? I am from MA and have been in Austin. I of course love MA (from Cape Cod) however, it is very expensive to live there. In fact, it's why I came out to the midwest. It is beautiful and Boston is full of history and it has a flare to it that just makes you feel good being in it. If you are considering Boston, keep in mind the expenses. There are a lot of taxes in MA and the cost of living is high. I of course paid a lot living right there near the beach on the Cape. It will depend on your income, family situation and expenses. When I left home, I originally went to Austin and it was great. It was also beautiful and much more affordable than MA. There were plenty of jobs too. I eventually wound up in Iowa which I also like. For me, it came down to researching the cities, states and I had to consider what my needs were for my new city. Good luck!

[Diva]

Why I Love Austin ~ by Janey Hall

Austin is a sorta~large city with a not~so~large~city feel. If You stay away from the commercialism of those big music festivals which will suck every dime out of any pocket You possess, there are some amazing small venues with the authentic music which has made Austin the Live Music Capital of the World. They have performances at the airport and grocery stores, for heaven's sake!

I'm in love with Austin as this is where I grew up......and I left it......but I came back because there is no other place I'd rather be!

The popular saying is "Keep Austin Weird" and we do our best to keep it that way. The old~timers work hard to keep it authentic.......and restore and keep things the same as best as they can. It's campy and fun and real!

As mentioned, Austin is home to The [great] University of Texas.....but also has a wonderful community college network in Austin Community College, with campuses all over the area, along with St. Edwards, Huston~Tillotson and Concordia! The History Museum is amazing here, complete with an IMAX theatre. The LBJ Library is also pretty outstanding, as well as Austin Museum of Art and Laguna Gloria.

Austin is home to one of the largest population of Mexican Freetail Bats and when they migrate here in March (through October), they reside underneath the Congress Avenue Bridge........their dusk~flight is an amazing site to behold, as they fly out for dinner. (There's always a group that flies right over my home as there's a woods in back!)

The Colorado River runs right through the middle of the city, with Barton Springs spilling out into that.....lots of water activities ~ kayaking, canoeing, stand~up paddling, and ~ of course ~ swimming in the Springs, where the water temperature is a constant 68 degrees!

There is a traffic issue, but it is an outdated highway system and there are ways around that and certainly can't be the single reason to stay away when everything else is so amazing! It's not Houston, LA and certainly not Atlanta where traffic is concerned, that's to be sure! (I've lived in 2 of the 3 and trust me, they're worse than Austin ever thought about bein'! ;) )

If You need wide open spaces, it's just a short drive to The Hill Country, where You'll find the best peaches around! A little over an hour will get You to San Antonio, if it's an authentic Mexican flair You want. The River Walk is lovely!

All that to say that Austin is an amazing place to live and thrive! I. LOVE. AUSTIN!!!!!!!!!!!

[msW8ing]

I am actually looking for biased opinions. Tell me why you love the city, or state, so much. There may be some things I have not taken into account in my decision.

As of now, I am actually leaning more towards Portland.

Spending the bigger part of my life in the PNW..Portland is amazing..it's so diverse..the gay community is HUGE..and very supportive..so many events and fun things to do...live theater..festivals...shopping...near the ocean..mountains and trees..the waterfalls alone are absolutely breathtaking..I lived near Boston and will never go back there not even to visit...Colorado is beautiful.but to much snow for me..although I know a couple amazing people in Tx never been there except to drive through it...if I could go back and live anywhere it would be Portland..well actually a sort of suburb call Beaverton. It actually has 4 seasons.

[Oiler41]

Pros for Austin:

Four hour drive to the beach
The economy has held up well in Texas
No state income tax
Cost of living is reasonable
Good community here
Fairly central in the U.S. so getting elsewhere to visit isn't too bad.
Yes, the summers get hot and this one has been exceptionally so, but generally there is always a breeze in this area and the humidity isn't even close to what it is on the Gulf Coast.
Austin is the liberal center of Texas.

I've been to Boston; expensive and a long way to get to anywhere else.
I've never been to the PNW, but I'm not a fan of rain all the time, and again, long way to go to get to anywhere else.
I've been to Colorado; Not anywhere I would consider living. Fun to visit though.

I'm in Austin. I love it here. I'm dug in.

Glynn