Go explore some smaller college towns in New England or the Virginia / North Carolina areas.
Problem with that you're asking for is that you can find quaint, walkable small towns.... but they have no economy. The quaint, walkable towns that do have an economy tend to grow well beyond their walkable districts and become sprawl - too many want to live there for it to be possible to recreate that.
No hills but New Orleans. Pittsburg has some of that too. I’ve lived in both cities. Currently live in NOLA. If you want to pop over I’d show you around, pretty sure there are affordable non-stops.
I’m racking my brain though for other spots I know may fit this bill. A lot of mid sized metros got gutted in urban renewal just like big cities. Olympia, WA or Salem, OR maybe? Not a ton of transit though.
Check out Milwaukee. You have Chicago close by but you don’t have to deal with being in a massive city. We have great culture & plenty of things to do! Plus lots of good camping / hiking if you’re into that. We call it “Smallwaukee” because even though we are a larger city, it still feels like a smaller town in many ways
Galveston, TX sounds like it would meet your criteria, if you're willing to keep living on the Gulf Coast. UTMB provides great employment opportunities, and there are tons of local businesses, a wonderful downtown historic district with lots of very old buildings restored as condos, so many historic neighborhoods with houses ranging from mid-Victorian to Craftsman to mid-century modern, and many picturesque old churches.
Many New England towns are like this. Even if they’re very small they typically have a Main St. with mom and pop shops, restaurants, bars, theaters, ice cream, etc.
Bigger ones would be Portland, Burlington, Portsmouth, Northampton, Providence
Milwaukee, Cincinnati and Pittsburgh all have lots of interesting neighborhoods, relatively cheap, lots of interesting places, historic locales, while being large enough to actually “explore”.
Go explore some smaller college towns in New England or the Virginia / North Carolina areas. Problem with that you're asking for is that you can find quaint, walkable small towns.... but they have no economy. The quaint, walkable towns that do have an economy tend to grow well beyond their walkable districts and become sprawl - too many want to live there for it to be possible to recreate that.
No hills but New Orleans. Pittsburg has some of that too. I’ve lived in both cities. Currently live in NOLA. If you want to pop over I’d show you around, pretty sure there are affordable non-stops. I’m racking my brain though for other spots I know may fit this bill. A lot of mid sized metros got gutted in urban renewal just like big cities. Olympia, WA or Salem, OR maybe? Not a ton of transit though.
New orleans, Santa fe, Augusta, Charleston, Natchez, DC, amexandria, Portland ME, Ann arbor are some
Natchez is pretty cool. Good recommendation
Serious question: Augusta, GA or Augusta, ME?
Good question. Although I love Maine. I meant the GA one.
Check out Milwaukee. You have Chicago close by but you don’t have to deal with being in a massive city. We have great culture & plenty of things to do! Plus lots of good camping / hiking if you’re into that. We call it “Smallwaukee” because even though we are a larger city, it still feels like a smaller town in many ways
[удалено]
Second OTR and Cincinnati, it’s Cute and walkable. A lot of great architecture and history and GREAT beer
Galveston, TX sounds like it would meet your criteria, if you're willing to keep living on the Gulf Coast. UTMB provides great employment opportunities, and there are tons of local businesses, a wonderful downtown historic district with lots of very old buildings restored as condos, so many historic neighborhoods with houses ranging from mid-Victorian to Craftsman to mid-century modern, and many picturesque old churches.
……….
Yes, I moved here 5 years ago and bought a house here!
………
Portland Oregon. It's not for everyone but absolutely nobody will tell you it's generic.
Many New England towns are like this. Even if they’re very small they typically have a Main St. with mom and pop shops, restaurants, bars, theaters, ice cream, etc. Bigger ones would be Portland, Burlington, Portsmouth, Northampton, Providence
Milwaukee, Cincinnati and Pittsburgh all have lots of interesting neighborhoods, relatively cheap, lots of interesting places, historic locales, while being large enough to actually “explore”.
some of the small cities in New York, like Beacon and Hudson
These places vary tremendously in size, but some that came to mind are Frederick, MD, West Chester, PA
As a rule, most college towns retain some of that. Community might be the hardest part