Since this is a running blog, Atlanta has the best running community.
Dallas has the best economy and continues to grow.
Miami is tough. I have never seen an area where neighborhoods can change so quickly. The weather and terrain for running are poor.
Phoenix is in the middle here. Every time I visit, I tell myself that I am in the middle of the desert. Not much grows here. Why do so many people live here? Are we sure that so many should live here?
I've been to all of them. Miami is the only one that is unlivable.
Living In The City wrote:
What says you?
If you want a good sized city with some awesome culture I'd personally pick Charlotte. Amazing weather and some okay-ish sports teams haha. Also some amazing trail systems, and the US National Whitewater Center 20 minutes up the road
William Faulkner is 2nd Rate wrote:
dan carlin hardcore history man wrote:
“Perks”: filth, disease, weirdo leftists, crime, overcrowding, astronomically high taxes, suppression of individual freedoms, gross people.
I'm sorry your wife left you for the yoga instructor.
How does that work? Like you, yoga instructors are gay.
Atlanta is the least-awful of the options listed.
Atlanta for the win. Summers are hot and sticky but not unbearably long. Crime and traffic are big issues, but where you live can make a big difference for both. Chattahoochee river is fun. Stone Mountain, Zoo, Botanical Gardens, outdoor concerts at Chastain Park and Lakewood, and a museum dedicated to Coca Cola. Best part about Atlanta is that a lot of the suburban sprawl neighborhoods resisted the trend to clear cut and cram houses shoulder to shoulder (partly due to terrain and drainage, but also a conscious decision in many cases).
Dallas is a distant second. Summers are very long. 90s from May through October with several weeks of 100+ common in the middle of summer. Everyone at some point in time in Dallas has a vehicle damaged in a hail storm. Suburbs are soul sucking sprawl with no mature trees and houses jammed together like sardines. Downtown Dallas is a dump despite efforts to clean it up and make it more user friendly for people living in uptown. Only big plus is that a long day's drive will get you to the Rockies.
Phoenix is pretty dreadful and might become unlivable if global warming pushes temps up any higher in the summer. And water is going to be a big problem as the Colorado River is at record lows with no signs of recovering any time soon.
Miami gives Phoenix a run for its money. You have to pay a premium to make sure you have a home that meets Hurricane Andrew building standards. If you buy pre-Hurricane Andrew construction, you risk losing it all when Miami gets hit by the next big one. And you do have to evacuate whenever a hurricane targets Miami. That usually means spending 12-16 hours on the road to get to a hotel in GA or AL. Miami is full of tourist year round and lots of people pretending to be an international playboy.
perspective needed wrote:
Mid-size?
Dallas is the #9 largest city in the US and Phoenix is #5, moved ahead of Philadelphia recently. Is Chicago "mid-size" too?
Exactly. Mid-size city isn't a multi-million metro population. Mid-size is like several hundred thousand or barely over a million at most. I'm thinking a place like Memphis, Omaha, Charleston is a mid-size city. All of the cities listed in the post are like 6 million or more in the metro.
A lot depends on your age and what you are looking for. None are good for running and these are not mid-size cities, they are big and have all of the issues that come along with big cities. Some nicer mid-size cities are San Diago, Charlotte, Raliegh, Sacramento, Austin and Tampa.
Flagpole wrote:
Jogger262 wrote:
I agree that Miami sucks. Tampa hasn’t been hit by a major hurricane in the 35 years I’ve lived here. Irma was the only real scare, and it was basically a bad thunderstorm here. It’s about the same odds as an earthquake in Northern California. The difference is you have at least a 72 hour warning that a hurricane is coming, so you can evacuate and avoid danger.
Central FL is hotter than the coastal cities, and your still not safe from a major hurricane. Why live in FL if you aren’t close to the beach?
1) Remember I said "if I had to live in Florida".
2) Central Florida still has less damage from major hurricanes than coastal areas. I would still leave the state if a major hurricane were coming across my property, but the chance it would still be there is greater than if right on the coast.
3) I am not one to want to go to the beach every freakin' day, and from Central Florida, the beach can be had in 2 hours or less. Big deal.
I get it, FL is not for everyone.
I cross beautiful causeways surrounded by water everyday whether or not I go to the beach. The only real cities in Central FL are Orlando, which is a tourist traffic nightmare or Tallahassee, which is a mix of government and college students. Outside of that, there are some beautiful areas but lack culture and are very redneck. It’s also even hotter without the gulf or Atlantic breeze. Some good running though, especially in Clermont.
To each his own
I've lived in Phoenix for 15 years and highly recommend it. Endless running options between canals and mountain trails. Depending on your location, 2-3 hour drive to Flagstaff for altitude/snow. Great weather 9 months out of the year, and running is bearable during the summer if you go early or after the sun sets (a treadmill also helps). Strong economy and reasonable cost of living. I live in an area (Gilbert) that's a great place to raise a family with excellent schools, tons of parks, and low crime.
The only one I can speak to is Atlanta, as I've lived here for 3 years (Midtown). If you live in Midtown/parts of Downtown/some of the suburbs, then it's really not too bad. Crime is definitely a problem, and I personally don't like a lot of the "progressive" stuff. Both haven't really affected my life that much so far. Cost of living is definitely increasing here like everywhere, although housing costs are probably pretty comparable or cheaper than the cities you listed. Luckily, I currently don't have to commute. It would definitely decrease my quality of life if I did though, as traffic is awful. I would strongly urge you to find a way to reduce your commute time if you moved here.
Summers suck for running imo, but most of the rest of the year is pretty good. Trails are at least a 20 minute drive out of the city, which is a downside. I'm able to run 70-80 mpw living in Midtown, although it would be nice to have trails. Atlanta has a pretty fun racing scene for the amateur runner, although outside of the Peachtree most of the Atlanta Track Club races are probably too weak for a subelite.
Jogger262 wrote:
Flagpole wrote:
1) Remember I said "if I had to live in Florida".
2) Central Florida still has less damage from major hurricanes than coastal areas. I would still leave the state if a major hurricane were coming across my property, but the chance it would still be there is greater than if right on the coast.
3) I am not one to want to go to the beach every freakin' day, and from Central Florida, the beach can be had in 2 hours or less. Big deal.
I get it, FL is not for everyone.
I cross beautiful causeways surrounded by water everyday whether or not I go to the beach. The only real cities in Central FL are Orlando, which is a tourist traffic nightmare or Tallahassee, which is a mix of government and college students. Outside of that, there are some beautiful areas but lack culture and are very redneck. It’s also even hotter without the gulf or Atlantic breeze. Some good running though, especially in Clermont.
To each his own
I ended up in Florida by accident, and in Orlando specifically. It is not a great running city, and it used to be exactly as described: a tourist trap and nothing else.
But it has evolved quite a bit over the last 20 years and is a solid midsize city. It is the swing county in a swing state politically, it’s dining seen as expanded significantly, and there are a lot of other good aspects,good medical care, an economy that is evolving, and a manageable enough size that you can make an impact among them.
Still, while it is home and a good place to live, I’d not pick it as a new home if I was starting from scratch and could choose anywhere.
But I still felt the need to correct any misimpressions about Central Florida.
San Diego.
"Mid-sized"... Lol.
Atlanta and Dallas are the 2nd and 4th busiest Airports (by # of passengers) -in the WORLD.
meh, mid-sized.
OK
EWR wrote:
"Mid-sized"... Lol.
Atlanta and Dallas are the 2nd and 4th busiest Airports (by # of passengers) -in the WORLD.
meh, mid-sized.
OK
So I guess that means those cities are bigger than Tokyo or NYC since their airports are busier?
Boulder bro
Boulder is the best bro, commuters outside Boulder gonna hate
Gowanus Rowing Club wrote:
Brooklyn. Small town feel, but close enough to NYC to have all the big city perks.
Brooklyn, in fact, is so close to NYC that it is part of NYC. Been that way since 1 January 1898. Brooklyn had a population of 2,736,074 in 2020, according to Wikipedia. If it were a city independent of New York City, it would be the fourth largest in the USA behind 1) NYC (minus Brooklyn), 2) Los Angeles, and 3) Chicago and ahead of 5) Houston, 6) Phoenix, and 7) Philadelphia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brooklynhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_cities_by_populationDoes Boston qualify as a mid-sized city with its 2020 population of 675,647 (24th largest US city)? Is it eligible for inclusion in this discussion? I suppose winters would be darker and colder than here in Manhattan. Despite my being a conservative and from the Bronx, I think Boston is very desirable. I lived in or barely outside of San Diego (2020 population of 1,386,932 (8th largest US city)) for several years and it was quite nice; all hail its very comfortable weather.
None of the above IMHO - I have lived in Phoenix for 11 years and Dallas for 1 and LA for 3 and DC for 2. I wouldn't get near Florida.
I agree with the other posters - Raleigh (booming place), Salt Lake City, Denver metro region which is huge and include Bolder Boulder, and San Diego are all better than your list. I actually liked running in DC, even in the summer heat. Winter is good now with global warming. Lots of jobs there but bad traffic if you insist on living away from your job.