And the winner is...

Well that took me longer than I expected.  I've been working on my spreadsheet analysis of the 11 cities on my list.  And, OK, I haven't been working non-stop.  I actually finished it about 2 weeks ago, then I sat on it to see if my feelings about any of the categories or their ratings changed.  This morning, I tweaked a couple things, and finally feel like the spreadsheet is designed the way I want it to be.  (Thanks to my statistician friend for teaching me how to make a spreadsheet and how to make this one better!)

Forgive me if I'm repeating my last post.  It's been a month since I wrote it /sighs at self/ so I probably already said this.  But anyway...

I started the analysis by compiling a list of every category I researched, then ranking each category as "most important" "moderately important" and "less important."  Things like friends went in the first category, food and commute times went in the second, and sports and child/teacher ratios in the third.  Next, without really remembering the relative importance of each category, I made a separate (and very long) list of my research in each of those categories, then within each category, rated each city from "very good" (5) to "very bad" (1).  Finally, I assigned a weight to each category.  For example, while friends and fresh water are both in my "most important" category, I think friends are more important to my happiness and quality of life, so I have friends more weight than water.

Here are my results, from highest score to lowest.  Some commentary will follow:

1. Cleveland 75.7
2. Portland 72.4
3. Washington, DC 72.3
4. Chicago 68.2
5. Columbus 67.8
6. Denver 67.5
7. Des Moines 67.4
8. Asheville 65.6
9. Raleigh 62.1
10. Philadelphia 58.8
11. Los Angeles 53.6

The three most unexpected results were how high Cleveland and Columbus scored, and how low Raleigh scored.  

While ranking the cities, I tried very hard to combat any pro-Cleveland bias, fearing that because I'm currently in Cleveland and enjoying life, I might be giving it too much credit.  I'll never know if I let some unfair bias seep into my assessment of Cleveland, but I also knew as I was doing the exercise that it didn't matter, because I like Cleveland and I think I'd be happy settling down here, regardless of its results.

Columbus, while only scoring a 5, which is solidly in the middle, did far better than I expected.  While ranking each city, Columbus never stood out for any particularly great qualities.  But Columbus also never stood out for any bad qualities either -- it's just a gently pleasant city, and one I will at least consider in my job search.

Raleigh surprised me with how low in the rankings it finished.  I have a lot of good feelings for the place, but I'll have to think hard about whether those good feelings (which might be error-riddled nostalgia?!?) outweigh the below-average showing in my assessment.  I think if I seriously consider a return to North Carolina, it should be to Asheville instead, which I also enjoyed and which scored higher.

Portland and Washington mostly lived up to my expectations.  As I ranked the cities and Portland scored 5 after 5 in so many "quality of life" categories, I knew it would wind up near the top.  And Washington has a combination of objective factors I'd really like in a city and a few subjective factors, like plenty of loved ones and an easy job market.  I thought Chicago would end up near the top; I'm only surprised that its actual score wasn't closer to DC and Portland.

LA and Philly's rankings were also predictable based on how they rated as I went through each category. LA especially, had 1 after 1 in so many categories.  Where LA shines, it really shines, but it has too many problems and too many things I wouldn't like about living there.  Philly's low score was a combination of overall shabbiness, and getting the lowest score in my most heavily-weighted category (friends and loved ones).

Denver and Des Moines in the middle of the pack seems about right.  I really liked both cities for very different reasons, but both have some weaknesses when compared to some of the other cities so neither was likely to wind up at the top of the list.  I'm amused that their scores were almost identical (67.5 and 67.4) because they sure didn't score the same in most of the categories!

Since that was a lot to write and to read, I'll save more thoughts for a post in a few days.

Now What?

So I am all done with this part of my research and my next step will be taking all that data and organizing it and ranking everything.  I'll rank both the importance of each factor to me (example: Number of friends = high, weather = medium, number of sports teams = low) and how each city ranks within that category.

I expect in the end that the results of my rankings will more or less conform with my feelings on each city.  I think I've already noted (maybe not in the blog, but to people who've asked about it) that I can just feel a few places rising to the top and some dropping to the bottom.  Much of that has/had to do with my feelings about each place when I visited.  But some good impressions have been reinforced by some of my research.

What I'm curious to see if which city, if any, surprises me and winds up ranking really high on all of these objective factors, when my feelings and memories about the city didn't have it ranked quite so high on my list.

I expect this project will take a few days (during which I'll also be spending a lot of my time at the Film Festival) so don't be surprised if I go AKB (away from blog) for a little while.

Asheville Revisited

This is the last recap, praise the lord. These took much longer than I expected! And I've run out of steam, so this one will be pretty short, too.

Asheville is very pretty, being nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains. I don't feel the need to go on about how pretty the mountains are, they just … are. And that has the added benefit of making the city terrain hilly, so I'll get my exercise when I walk about town.

The architecture in Asheville varies. Downtown still has some old buildings that are attractive, and some big old southern homes. But it's not all beautiful. Asheville's half-a-skycraper is about as boring as you can get. And outside of the old southern homes, there's not a lot of cohesion to the housing. Some are good-looking and modern condos, some are 1950 ranches, some are … you get the picture. The man-made objects in Asheville are not, on the whole, ugly. But I don't remember Asheville for its man-made beauty either.

The people are very nice. Like central North Carolina, people seem courteous and willing to talk for a while with strangers. I'm a little worried about the greater Asheville area being labelled a “evangelical epicenter” – I just kind of think I won't fit in there. But my own observations and Paul and Heather's statements make me think Asheville itself would be a pretty good fit for me, with people being rather liberal and open-minded and accepting of differences.

A non-too-ugly church in Asheville.

I don't have many friends there, but I have at least three, which is more than I would hope for in a fairly small and out-of-the-way city like Asheville. I also spent some time with my friends' friends, and wouldn't mind seeing more of them if I lived there, so I'm confident that between the people being nice and having pals to introduce me to people, I'll find a social circle that fits me well.

Things I think I'd like about Asheville:

• It's real funky. Lots of artist studios, independent restaurants and businesses (i.e., not chains!), community activities like drum circles, theaters, etc.
• As the smallest city on my list, I'd like the pace and the ease of things. Now, because it's in the mountains, Asheville is kind of sprawling (it can't spread out evenly in a circle). But the up side of that is most of the drives are easy, if a little on the long side. Prices are reasonable, waits are short, that sort of thing.
• The physical environment, from the mountains to the weather. Asheville gets all four seasons, with mild winters and not-too-hot summers, plus a mix of sunny and rainy days. And I've never lived in the mountains but think it would be a real treat.

Two not-too-ugly buildings downtown.

Things I think I'd dislike about Asheville:

• Similar to Raleigh, I'm a little nervous about some of the ugly attitudes that can be found in the South. And western North Carolina (outside of a few larger towns) is not exactly a bastion of enlightenment. It's where, for example, people like Eric Rudolph go to hunker down after bombing abortion clinics and the Olympics. (Not to say that crazy people can't be found everywhere, but I don't think it's a coincidence that a religious whack job would feel at home out there.)
• It's not super accessible from other places I might want to be. It's kind of a long drive to Cleveland, but a shorter one to DC. Because it's small, there are fewer flights in and out of town than I'm accustomed to, and my searches usually can't find direct flights to either DC or Cleveland.
• Could I find a job there? Almost definitely not in my niche field of the law. Maybe in another field of law? Would I run into the problem of not being from the area? I don't know if Asheville is provincial when it comes to hiring in “conservative” fields like the law. Maybe I'll call my pal Kenny, see what he thinks. He's originally from Virginia, so he'd have an outsider's perspective.

Des Moines Revisited

The people in Des Moines were quite pleasant. They'd say hello on the sidewalk, and everyone I tried to chat up about the city took the time to talk about their home. The people (surprise!) very Midwestern. Down-to-earth, but not stodgy, not too serious, but not all spacy either. The pace of everything seemed a little slower than, say, Cleveland and definitely slower than Chicago, but the pace didn't drag.

At the blues concert.

I don't doubt that neighbors in Des Moines would be neighborly and that I'd be able to casually meet people. I'm a little worried about whether there are a lot of people in my peer group (which I consider 30s and 40s) who are unmarried and have no children. Not that those are the only people with whom I make friends, but it's easier to plan things when your friends don't have family obligations. Now, my demographics research did not turn up information that Des Moines is notably more family-heavy than most other cities on my list. But a number of the locals I talked to, without being asked, said they thought I'd be a little unusual, being still single and 37.

Having only one friend in Des Moines, and a Warcraft friend at that (i.e., not a “real life” friend) I am a little worried I'll be lonely, at least at first. But I remind myself that I've made friends everywhere else I've lived – even unfriendly Washington – so I won't worry too much about Des Moines. And nothing I've heard from people who know the place leads me to believe it's one of those towns that on the surface is nice to newcomers, but never really lets them into the true social circles of the city.

Des Moines is kind of a plain city. It's not ugly, but nothing about it really stands out as being really attractive either. Some of the neighborhoods are nice, and there is a large sculpture garden downtown. And of course some individual buildings are attractive, as are some homes, but the architecture leans towards the generic rather than the interesting. The town is not dense at all, which means there is green space everywhere, and that helps make it look pleasant. But it's all the same kind of green space: Grass and trees. Des Moines is totally flat, so there's not even change in terrain to distract the eye.

Offspring of The Thinker and that rabbit from Donnie Darko.

Now, one thing I really liked about Des Moines is how quickly one can escape the city and its suburbs and be out in the country. So if I want a change of pace, escaping the city will be really easy. Having said that, the only place to escape to is … flat land with cornfields as far as the eye can see. Different from the city itself, but not particularly beautiful.

You've got to admit though... This is really charming!

Things I think I'd like about Des Moines:

• Des Moines felt really comfortable, and even easier than, say, Cleveland. Everything is an easy 15 minute drive away, nothing is hard to access, parking is plentiful. There is enough infrastructure to support the people (groceries, restaurants, tables at the library) so there's not a lot of standing in lines or waiting for seats. Traffic is light. As someone who can be really bothered by all sorts of common irritants like traffic, waiting, and other people, having and easy life would please me.
• I like Iowa generally. The small towns, the farms. And I actually like open and flat (although admittedly it could get dull after a while). I like that Iowa matters in presidential elections. And I think participating in a caucus would be really interesting.
• This is a town where I think I could easily achieve my (minor) dream of owning a house! The homes are reasonably priced, especially compared to incomes. And there were enough nice neighborhoods of older homes, I know I could find a place I like.

The Art Museum.  A non-rink-a-dink art museum, at that.

Things I think I'd dislike about Des Moines:

• I'm worried I'll get bored. Or maybe not bored, but run out of new experiences to try. Des Moines is pretty small, and less ethnically diverse than most bigger cities, so there might be fewer festivals and restaurants, etc.
• It's a combination of fairly far away from the people I love, and it's not exactly a tourist destination. So I'm looking at doing a lot of travel to see my friends and family.
• People will make fun of me for moving there. Hell, people made fun of me for visiting there! LOL. (I can withstand such teasing; I needed something to list as a thing I wouldn't like about Des Moines, hehe.)

Cleveland Revisited (And um... still visiting...)

I've been continually revisiting Cleveland for the past three months now, as I've let myself fall behind my research schedule. /sighs at self/

Anyway... Cleveland is my hometown, and fortunately, I grew up in a town that doesn't drive people away in droves. Well, yeah, they tend to leave in droves because the jobs are heading out of town. But people don't leave because it's a crappy place to live. And in large measure, it's a nice place to live because the people here are pretty friendly and down-to-earth.

Example: Mom and I went to the Cleveland International Film Festival yesterday. The walk from the parking garage to the movie theaters is pretty convoluted, especially when you need to add elevators to the route, as we did. I swear, at least 8 people along the way asked if we needed help finding our way. Some of them even stopped other people to ask for help, so it felt like we were escorted the whole way by guides pointing out our path. Another example: I tend to smile and nod as I pass strangers on the street, but around here, most people beat me to it, usually with a “hello” as well. I have noticed one downside, which is that not everyone seems very aware of current events, even really big things that dominate the news for a whole week. Not everyone is out of touch, but it seems to be more than in, say, Washington, D.C. This latter observation isn't a big deal, but I notice it.

I also have many friends in the area, and of course, my mom and dad live in Cleveland. So I wouldn't have to worry about building a social network, although I expect I'll be able to make more friends fairly easily anyway.

Despite the photos in this blog post, which I took on my walk today, I will have to rank Cleveland somewhere in the middle when it comes to looking good. Mostly, I think Cleveland suffers from interesting architecture in either its homes or in most of its skyline. Now, there are a large number of individual buildings that are quite attractive (the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame, the art museum, a whole bunch of Eastern Orthodox and Catholic Churches), but the city sort of lacks cohesion. Ditto with the homes: There are a lot of old homes with character (which I like), but they seem to be outnumbered by 1950s development type homes and 1980s pre-mini-mansion type homes. The town doesn't look awful, but it could look a little better.

The landscape is decent, though. Cleveland is right on the lake (I could see it if I walked down to the corner and stood on a chair). There's plenty of green, mostly because Cleveland lacks a large swath of dense urban landscape. And the Metroparks, a sprawling green ring that circles the county for like 60 miles (and which you've seen in at least one of my noon photos) is accessible from all over, providing bike paths, fitness courses, nature walks, a river, golf courses and horseback riding. So nature is very close. The whole west side of Cleveland is pretty flat, as it is the very start of the Great Plains. The east side is gentle hills, being the very edge of the Allegheny Mountains.

Things I think I'd like about Cleveland:

• It's a really easy town to live in. As a friend once describe, if you decide you want to go to a movie, you can be out of the house and in your seat in 20 minutes. Because driving is easy, parking is easy, there won't be a line at the theater, you don't have to travel forever to get to the place, etc. And this example can be repeated all over town. If I want a massage or a dentist checkup, there's usually a space available the next day; no waiting a week or a month for an appointment. In other than the absolute best or trendiest restaurants, there is never a wait. (Exception: Out in the suburbs where there aren't enough places to eat and everyone clamors for the culinary delights of places like Chili's.) And the cost of living is reasonable, which adds to its feel of an “easy” place to live.
• Lots of friends here, and my parents. Friends for fun and laughter, parents for company and for that kind of help that I'm usually only comfortable asking from family. Plus, one of these years my parents will be old (not yet, mom and dad!), and it would be nice for them to have a daughter nearby to keep an eye on them or help with the heavy lifting.
• For most of the year, the weather. I like all four seasons, which it has. I like snow, which it has. I like cloudy, which it is. Long and cold winters will start to wear on me, but I think I can accept that trade-off for three other nice seasons.

Things I think I'd dislike about Cleveland:

• From what I can tell, Cleveland's economy is not completely in the dump. Not like, say, Detroit. Hell, it doesn't even have the worst unemployment of the 11 cities on my list! But Cleveland's economy usually takes a dive before the country overall, and can be slower to bounce back. And so much of the industrial base that was here between WWII and the 1990s is gone or diminished. Some of that has been replaced with new industries, like healthcare. But I think it's bad for the city that there is a no robust and stationary industry that actually makes things.
• Speaking of economy... Not sure what kind of job I can get around here. I knew from the start that in most places I went, I wouldn't be able to work in the field of commodities regulation, and that's OK. But can I get something in legal field at all? I am open to new fields, but I'd prefer to choose something new, not be forced into something new due to lack of jobs.
• Winter has the potential to really suck.

Five months of this could really suck.

Raleigh Revisited

As you probably know by now, I lived in Raleigh for a year and a half, and lived in nearby Durham for 3 years, so I am pretty familiar with the area, although some on my knowledge is out of date. I liked my time in both cities, especially Raleigh. I won't go into all of the reasons I liked the area now though, and will limit this post to the people and the pretty.

Raleigh, Sir Walter.

First, the people in the area are super nice. I met several people in totally random ways while I lived there, like walking down the street or at the library. Men and women both. I knew everyone in my 12-unit building in Raleigh, and most in my 10-unit in Durham. When I was in Raleigh a few months ago, I talked to a man who I met at my old apartment building. He emailed me a few weeks later to see how my search was coming along, and offered to suggest places to live if I moved back to the area. Another man I met while leaving the Cafe wound up sitting and listening to my tales of travel and jobs for about 45 minutes. Total stranger, but genuinely interested in what I was up to.

When I returned to the Court of Appeals, my old pal John was delighted to see me, even though I got his attention by staring in his winder like a crazed stalker (hmm, maybe because I stared at him like a crazed stalker?). And Judge Wynn was of course as gracious and welcoming as always. My friend Deena is the most outgoing person I know, and has the biggest heart. While I only have a few real friends left in the area, I am certain I will make more.

My old home near downtown.

Raleigh is somewhere in the middle, well, maybe closer to the bottom, in terms of prettiness. There are very charming old neighborhoods. Much of downtown is pretty, with lots of green space. And the terrain isn't boring – the whole area is kind of gently rolling hills. But I think Raleigh (and the whole area) is suffering from growing so quickly. The new buildings going up downtown are too big for the space, and aren't anything special. Raleigh made its nice pedestrian mall into a road. What cities are turning pedestrian spaces into roads these days? /puzzled and disbelieving look/ And believe me, downtown Raleigh's traffic is not so heavy it needs another road.

The increased population has also resulted in tons of boring mass-produced homes springing up all over town, most of which aren't anything special. While leaving Raleigh, I saw some of the sprawl that's sprung up in the past decade. It used to be, once I passed the car lots heading north on Route 1, I wouldn't hit another traffic light for miles and miles. This past visit, I hit at least 10 traffic lights that didn't used to be there. Aside from being a sign of too many people moving to the area, it's resulted in a lot of hastily-erected buildings and the erosion of the area's natural beauty.

Now, Raleigh is not ugly the way that Charleston is ugly. And it's in a part of the country with plenty of rain, so the trees and grass and flowers are in good shape. But I wouldn't say Raleigh is among the best-looking of the cities I've seen.

Things I think I'd like about Raleigh:

• The people are super-nice (see above). Even with the large influx of non-North Carolinians in recent years, the people are still friendly to strangers and not in a big hurry or full of self-importance. At the same time, Raleigh is not full of uneducated yokels or some of the more unsavory stereotypes one can find in the south (i.e., racists).
• Despite its really fast growth rate, Raleigh still seems to be an “easy” place to live. Traffic isn't that bad (in most places). Restaurants aren't jam-packed. Things aren't too expensive. People and employers value a good work-home balance.
• Sweet tea! /closes eyes, daydreams about sweet tea/

The Legislative Building, surrounded by green space.

Things I think I'd dislike about Raleigh:

• I'm scared that Raleigh won't be the Raleigh I remember. While it's only been 11 years since I left, I saw a lot of changes, and I know the population has grown by about 40%. I liked that it was a somewhat sleepy smallish city. I doubt it's that sleepy any more, and I know it's not smallish. How many of the places I enjoyed back in 2000 are now gone or replaced? (This last bit is less of a fear: When I visited in 2011, a whole lot of my hangouts were still there!)
• Every once in a while, I'd encounter someone (usually male, usually pretty old, usually from some rural part of NC) who'd start talking to me, then casually mention how “Ni**ers were ruining the state for the rest of us” or something. The first time that happened, I was shocked into silence – Who still talks that way?! Especially to a stranger?! It only happened a couple of times, but it was a reminder that I was living in the South, and that sometimes meant I'd encounter brazen racists.
• Nothing else really, except that lingering suspicion that (to quote Asheville, NC native Thomas Wolfe) “you can't go home again” and that the reality of moving back to Raleigh won't live up to my high expectations.

Portland Revisited

Portland is in the upper half of my 11 cities in terms of beauty for two reasons: It is very green and builders are required to make buildings attractive and donate money to purchase public art. Thanks to all the rain in Portland, there are lots of trees and lots of grass, and everything is very colorful. Portland also dubs itself “Rose City” or “City of Roses” because of how many rose gardens it has. Indeed, there are parks all over town. Not just rose parks, but other green space too.

Downtown

When it comes to man-made beauty, Portland is also pretty high on the list. For example, there are parking garages in downtown Portland. But unlike in, say, Charleston, where why are on every corner and are ugly, the parking garages in Portland are disguised to look like normal buildings. And there is an emphasis on putting office space on top of the buildings, with helps to fill in the space in the city center, instead of sprawling outwards.

A pretty lady & some public art.  Locals laugh at this statue because no one in Portland uses an umbrella or wears a suit.

On my walking tour of Portland, I learned that companies that build downtown are required to apply 1% of the costs of building to funding public art. So everywhere you go, there are statues and sculptures and murals. I wouldn't say the architecture is the most beautiful (that's Chicago) but both downtown and residential buildings are certainly pleasant to look at. Plus, as a fan of (good looking) industrial architecture, I am delighted by Portland's many bridges.

Lots of public porn, too!

Portland is about 1.5 hours from the ocean, and a 2 hour drive away from Mount Hood. The high desert is just on the other side of the Cascade Mountains, and one of the most beautiful drives of my whole trip is along the Columbia River, just outside of Portland. The terrain of the city includes a nice mix of flat areas and hilly areas, so the exercise will be good without totally wearing me down every day.

The people in Portland seemed kind of reserved, but not unkind or snooty. People were willing to talk to me about their home, and everyone said they liked it. But few were as enthusiastic about living in Portland as the people in Denver were about Denver. That's OK, I'm not much a cheerleader even for things I like a lot. Portland's best ambassador for me is my friend Kristian, who I met at American U, but sadly, transferred to the West Coast after our sophomore year. /Shakes fist at Kristian!/ I trust Kristian's opinions both because I know him and because I think my outlook on life is similar to his. So if he perceived Portland one way, I suspect I will too. He has this to say:

“My experience in Portland is that people are incredibly open and friendly. There are certainly stuck-up self-important snobs, but they tend to be stuck up about whatever weird subculture they're really into (bikes, tattooing, ice climbing) and not about, say, their job with the State Department.  It's irritating, but mostly ignorable.  And it's a small price to pay for living in a place where there are a thousand thriving subcultures and people really are passionate about their weird hobbies.” And:

“People are (as the sociologists put it) "civically engaged" – they join clubs, organize things, know their neighbors, participate in the adult soapbox derby, etc. … The people are mostly very friendly, but not interfering.”

Other than Kristian, however, I don't know anyone in Portland. That could make it a little harder to make friends and to learn about the city. :(

This is someone's front yard, and part of a shrine that sprang up to honor a bike rider killed by a car.

Things I think I'd like about Portland:

• How civically engaged the people are, coupled with the fact that they are civically engaged in a way I think are good ways of living (support public transportation, labor rights, the environment, public beauty, etc.). And of course, the benefits that flow from people being interested in their community, like good libraries, good schools, good city planning, etc.
• The weather throughout most of the year. As you know, I like it cloudy and chilly but not downright cold. I can deal with rain, especially when it's the kind of misty-rain that Portland usually gets. (Big exception to this below.)
• The city is really funky and off-beat, which I think will suit me. From old fashioned arcades to the March Fourth Marching Band, I expect I'll always be able to find something unusual to see or do. And I'd feel special being the most straight-laced person in town.

Things I think I'd dislike about Portland:

• Hmm... How far it is from Cleveland and DC. It's nearly as far as LA, and apparently more expensive to fly to. I do have some extended family in southern Washington State who I could see sometimes, but I've never been so far from my parents or sister on a permanent basis.
• The average temperature in winter is just over freezing. And Portland gets most of its rainfall during the winter. Which means almost-freezing rain for three months. Cold and wet. Ugh!
• What if I have a hard time making friends? Only knowing one person in town will leave me feeling lonely.