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

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

#81

Post by colinismyname » Sat, Nov 09, 2013, 10:41 PM UTC

cglee wrote: post #56

colinismyname wrote: post #5

Missoula, MT. Recently started up a non-standard publishing company there, and the culture is stellar, it's a college town (full of culture and young people doing fun stuff), very low cost of living (rented a massive house with a bar/cafe in the basement for about $1400/month), and zero sales tax. Quality of life is best I've found anywhere in the US (and I've been to all contiguous 48 states several times, looking f…

You know anything about the tech/startup scene in Bozeman?

Less than I'd like, actually — the scene is connected with Missoula's, but it seems to be a somewhat loose connection (despite the two cities only being a three-hour drive through beautiful country from each other).

They do have a solid community, though, from everything I've heard so far. http://Startupbozeman.com has some info, and I went to the HATCH conference this year (http://hatchexperience.org/) which takes place in Bozeman, and met some wonderful representatives from the city. Good people, a nice downtown, and though not QUITE as walkable or cheap as Missoula, it's absolutely beautiful over there, and I always enjoy a visit.

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

#82

Post by colinismyname » Sat, Nov 09, 2013, 10:42 PM UTC

sullivanmatt wrote: post #25

Central Iowa has a growing tech / startup sector that is home to many new tech companies. Cost of living is insanely low. I live in Ames, Iowa and work for a medium-sized tech company founded in 2008. Salaries here are comparable to what you'd find in Minneapolis or Kansas City, but with an even lower cost of living. If you're going to bootstrap a startup, Central Iowa is the place to be. Lots of talent and super low…

I just spoke at a conference in Des Moines, and there seems to be a real groundswell of support and enthusiasm for entrepreneurship in the state. Great to see. Lots of good people.

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

#83

Post by helloimben » Sat, Nov 09, 2013, 10:51 PM UTC

fiatmoney wrote: post #40

Madison, Wisconsin. The University of Wisconsin & the fact that it's a state capital generates a lot of cultural attractions, and you'll probably find it easy to hire some bright CS/engineering students if you get to that point. The core is very dense & walkable compared to other small Midwestern towns since it's on a tiny isthmus between two lakes (a nice geography too if you're into outdoor activities, although the…

Agreed 100% on Madison. It's is one of the most beautiful cities I've ever witnessed, and the culture there is energized and unique. I've had the opportunity to bootstrap my company there, and it's something I wouldn't have been able to achieve in many other cities, especial SF.

That said, I'm beginning to find the internet at large the best "place" to build a company. I've begun to realize that in many ways location has become less and less important to the potential success of a company. I'm experiencing this first hand, as are countless others around the globe.

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

#84

Post by gtank » Sat, Nov 09, 2013, 10:58 PM UTC

Zancarius wrote: post #62

abruzzi wrote: post #38

I think most of "flyover" country would satisfy you question, but here in New Mexico, you can find a decent apartment for $500/mo (my mortgage on a house with a quarter acre is $800/mo) I'm in the south, but most of northern New Mexico would be similar. You wouldn't be living in the top neighborhoods (though my house is in a historic desirable little town) but despite what you saw on Breaking Bad, nowhere in NM will…

The other advantage is the hiking, sparse desert beauty, the sunsets, and the history if you're into the Wild West sort of thing (beware the rattlesnakes). Also, being in the southern part of NM myself, the military history and influence might be of some interest (Trinity Site comes to mind, but it's now only open once a year). There's also the somewhat embarrassing bits like the UFO museum in Roswell--but we try not…

Speaking for northern NM: I was in Albuquerque recently and can't say enough of the hiking nearby. The city actually backs into the Sandia Mountains, which are full of good trails.

If you're into the history, brief drives north or east put you into easily-reachable ghost town territory.

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

#85

Post by dave3773 » Sat, Nov 09, 2013, 11:30 PM UTC

cglee wrote: post #56

colinismyname wrote: post #5

Missoula, MT. Recently started up a non-standard publishing company there, and the culture is stellar, it's a college town (full of culture and young people doing fun stuff), very low cost of living (rented a massive house with a bar/cafe in the basement for about $1400/month), and zero sales tax. Quality of life is best I've found anywhere in the US (and I've been to all contiguous 48 states several times, looking f…

You know anything about the tech/startup scene in Bozeman?

Not sure about the startup scene here, but the major tech employers I know about in Bozo are RightNow/Oracle, Zoot and Montana State University. Keep in mind, though, that one doesn't move to Montana for the salary. Also, real estate in the Gallatin valley is expensive compared to other places in MT. I moved back to MT (grew up in Butte) 2 years ago and while the salary isn't great, it beats the hell out of Los Angeles traffic.

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

#86

Post by gte525u » Sat, Nov 09, 2013, 11:34 PM UTC

jboggan wrote: post #67

Tloewald wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But catholics are barely tolerated.

Having been friends and intimately involved with several Catholics in Georgia I'm really curious where this statement comes from - because it's literally the first time I've heard it.

I'll back GP up. I'm in GA but not in ATL. At my current employer, it's acceptable/funny to post the 95 thesis on other employee's doors/desks if they are a known catholic. At my previous employee, printing/posting jack trick's cartoons was considered acceptable.

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

#87

Post by mark_l_watson » Sat, Nov 09, 2013, 11:37 PM UTC

abruzzi wrote: post #38

I think most of "flyover" country would satisfy you question, but here in New Mexico, you can find a decent apartment for $500/mo (my mortgage on a house with a quarter acre is $800/mo) I'm in the south, but most of northern New Mexico would be similar. You wouldn't be living in the top neighborhoods (though my house is in a historic desirable little town) but despite what you saw on Breaking Bad, nowhere in NM will…

I also like New Mexico a lot and my wife and I almost moved there 15 years ago when we were looking for an inexpensive place to live that was also fun to live in. We ended up in the mountains of Central Arizona, similar to New Mexico.

We are now living in Silicon Valley for six months because I wanted to do a contracting job here. This is a fun area also but we are blown away by the high cost of living. Sometimes it is very important to have coworkers co-situated, but otherwise let workers live where they want. I am now working with people who spend two hours a day commuting. That is a huge hit in wasted time.

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

#88

Post by caw » Sun, Nov 10, 2013, 1:00 AM UTC

antjanus wrote: post #18

twcooper wrote: post #10

Austin, TX. No income tax, cheap housing even near the UT campus, and 6th Street/Lake Travis to keep you occupied.

I would say that Houston falls in the same category. Very cheap living, no income tax, very awesome place. And just like Austin, a great place for devs to work. I remember having a whole discussion bout how Austin was a RoR town, while Houston was a PHP/.Net city. There's definitely a ton of jobs on both sides. You can make anywhere between 60-90K as a developer, and spend $600-$900 for a nice 1-2br apt. Midtown livi…

I currently live in Austin, and it's definitely great, but the traffic is killer if you're commuting. A couple of my coworkers live up north in the suburbs, and their commute is 30 min without traffic. With traffic, it's 1-1.5 hours. Live music everywhere though, and lots of interesting eats, like the Austin food trailers.

I like Atlanta mentioned elsewhere in the thread, having lived there for a number of years. Tons of cool stuff to do, and interesting concert venues like the Masquerade and Tabernacle. I lived in Midtown, but even if you don't want to live in the city the suburbs are nice.

People like to make fun of Houston for being a huge sprawl with no zoning regulations, but if you want Texas with more of an Atlanta feel, you'll get your pro sports teams, museums, and mega concert venues there. It's still close enough to go visit Austin for a weekend (only 3ish hours). Houston and Atlanta also have the advantage over Austin in terms of airports and where you can fly direct. Going from Austin means you burn more time with connections and layovers.

If you move to Texas from the south though, you're going to miss the tea. Tea here is cold and unsweetened by default. "Texas sweet tea" isn't as sweet as southern style sweet tea.

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

#89

Post by Tloewald » Sun, Nov 10, 2013, 1:12 AM UTC

jboggan wrote: post #67

Tloewald wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But catholics are barely tolerated.

Having been friends and intimately involved with several Catholics in Georgia I'm really curious where this statement comes from - because it's literally the first time I've heard it.

It's an exaggeration on my part. I'd far rather be a Catholic in the south than non-white.

I am told (by my Catholic friends who live[d] in Alabama) that Alabama is considered a missionary region for Catholics. The local Books-a-millions have any Catholic literature in -- I am not making this up -- "World Religion" (not enough space in the third of the store devoted to Christian books.

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

#90

Post by reggie_n_DC » Sun, Nov 10, 2013, 1:17 AM UTC

gtank wrote: post #71

Tloewald wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

Spending 6 years in a place like Tuscaloosa pretty much spoils any interest in spending more time in the south. I've heard lovely things about Athens but after my daughter came home from the University of Alabama preschool and announced that she did not like black people, I quit my job and moved my family to a Union state.