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Ask HN: What's the best place in the U.S. to live and work cheaply?

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Re: Ask HN: What's the best place in the U.S. to live and work cheaply?

#71

Post by gtank »

Tloewald wrote: post #31
jboggan wrote: post #13

Athens, GA. It's a college town with a rather remarkable density of culture (music, arts, food) and a very low cost of living. I've been gone a little over a year, but you can live in very nice areas with roommates for under $400 a month. Hell, a lot of folks rent entire houses for under four figures a month. It's also in the middle of a large swath of country (despite having a walkable urban center) and has high qua…

Avoid the South if you're black, Hispanic, or mediterranean in appearance. (Or have kids you'd prefer not to be taught racism by their peers.) I lived im Tuscaloosa, AL — another college town — 2006-2012. We came with open minds. My wife, a half Puerto Rican professor, was nearly arrested for driving while Hispanic, my mother (who is vietnamese) had racist epithets screamed at her while walking our kids in an upscale…

As a former longtime resident of the south, including a few years in Tuscaloosa (we seem to have overlapped - 2008-2010), I'd advise against judging the region by the standard of Tuscaloosa. I know it's a huge college town and that seems like it should be a positive influence, but it's not. The University of Alabama is a lingering bastion of negative southern stereotype.

I suggest Atlanta as a counterexample - a real city, full of educated and inclusive people, art, culture, a nascent modern tech scene, and several good schools which notably lack racism as a cultural touchstone.

Re: Ask HN: What's the best place in the U.S. to live and work cheaply?

#72

Post by Tloewald »

reggie_n_DC wrote: post #60
Tloewald wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But catholics are barely tolerated.

And Atheists, homosexuals, and non-Christians are treated like criminals.

Atlanta is an island of civilization compared to most of the south (including decent sized cities like birmingham which are not). Don't excuse GA by citing Atlanta.

Re: Ask HN: What's the best place in the U.S. to live and work cheaply?

#73

Post by bobfirestone »

Las Vegas, NV

Tony Tseh Hsieh and his downtown project are spending ~$350 million to build a tech community in downtown Las Vegas.

- Las Vegas is a cheap place to live. Depending on your needs you can rent a house for under $1500/mo. - You can hop on a plane and be in San Francisco in an hour. There are direct flights to most major cities. - There are tech events most nights of the week for when you want to get out. - There are a bunch of new co-working spaces if you want to have a place to work outside of where you are living or Starbucks.

Re: Ask HN: What's the best place in the U.S. to live and work cheaply?

#75

Post by jboggan »

reggie_n_DC wrote: post #60
Tloewald wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But catholics are barely tolerated.

And Atheists, homosexuals, and non-Christians are treated like criminals.

This is a popular annual event in Athens, GA: http://boybutante.org/

I fail to comprehend how they've operated for 25 years without being arrested or run out of town. Or maybe your statements are just groundless.

Re: Ask HN: What's the best place in the U.S. to live and work cheaply?

#76

Post by mikelbring »

w1ntermute wrote: post #69
jzf wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

yes, this is good. I can relate. what worries me is how tired you are to that opportunity... unless you are the absolute best

I would definitely suggest putting some extra effort into networking if in that position. Fly out to SF for some conferences and use Twitter like a maniac. It'll pay off if your job goes south and you have to end up looking for something else. You'll probably have to move in that case though.

Absolutely. I've been to both NYC and SF in the last 12 months.

Re: Ask HN: What's the best place in the U.S. to live and work cheaply?

#77

Post by mikelbring »

jzf wrote: post #52
mikelbring wrote: post #39

I work remotely from home in the middle of Nebraska. I get paid a SF-like salary but pay little in rent in comparison.

yes, this is good. I can relate. what worries me is how tired you are to that opportunity... unless you are the absolute best

I moved out of a larger tech center where I had a on-location job to where I am now (back to where I was raised). However, I didn't move until after working from home for a year and knowing I was protected for the long term.

Re: Ask HN: What's the best place in the U.S. to live and work cheaply?

#78

Post by ToniVlaic »

tsaoutourpants wrote: post #22

Miami, FL. You can get an apartment with a water view for $1K, or by a house off the water for $100K. This is not as cheap as the middle-of-nowhere destinations others have suggested, but offers vibrant culture, nightlife, and sun.

In what area of Miami is that?

Especially there is no way to buy a house for $100k in a decent neighborhood.

Re: Ask HN: What's the best place in the U.S. to live and work cheaply?

#79

Post by gtank »

joshmlewis wrote: post #21

Greenville, SC It's a perfect blend of small/big town atmosphere. The downtown has won awards and you can live right next to everything for rather cheap. I rented a 3 bedroom apartment on Main Street for around $1200 a month and ended up making money on rent through renting out the extra rooms. It has an incubator, code school, and lively coworking space and a ton of great restaurants. You also have a few colleges on…

I've spent tons of time in Greenville. The wholly-walkable downtown hosts lots of restaurants (recommended: The Lazy Goat), coffee shops, the Greenville Symphony Orchestra, and an extensive park along the river. Local breweries, nearby colleges - everything you'd expect from a small city renaissance, but Greenville's started 10 years early and is pretty well along now.

Re: Ask HN: What's the best place in the U.S. to live and work cheaply?

#80

Post by sogrady »

Portland, ME. Several colleges in the area, can rent an apartment in town for http://startupportland.com), high end craft beer (Allagash, etc) and a great food scene if you're into that (e.g. http://www.bonappetit.com/columns/the-foodist/article/portla...).

The one negative people tend to bring up is the weather, but Portland tracks Boston temps pretty closely. It won't be mistaken for Miami or Southern California, but the foliage is fantastic and snow can be fun.

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