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Ask YC: Mid-sized, livable, hacker-friendly towns?

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Re: Ask YC: Mid-sized, livable, hacker-friendly towns?

#51

Post by sharksandwich »

larrykubin wrote: post #39
pius wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thanks for the info, I'm city shopping right now and I'm planning to check out Austin at SXSW. Any Austin tips for me? I try to avoid having a car at all costs, so it's good to know you've found that feasible.

This probably is moving away from what davidw was asking, but here's my quick guide to Austin. The 6th street advice depends on who you are. If you are looking for live music, definitely 6th St. and the clubs on Red River. If you want cheaper drinks (like $1 Rum and Cokes of low quality), want to party with more of college-age crowd, are single and looking for attractive women, you will be very happy there. Very litt…

I moved to Austin this past August and am really enjoying it. Very friendly, active city with a large technology sector

larry's list covers the highlights much better than I could, although he unconscionably omitted a barbecue guide. Here's my list 1 - Salt Lick 2 - Rudy's 3 - Ironworks 4 - Stubb's

Salt Lick and Rudy's are both a little outside the city, but definitely worth the trip if you're renting a car

Other than that, I'd be sure to see the UT campus, downtown, and Town Lake

Re: Ask YC: Mid-sized, livable, hacker-friendly towns?

#54

Post by iamelgringo »

KB wrote: post #26
dfranke wrote: post #3

Somerville, MA fits the bill pretty well, for sufficiently small values of "decent climate".

I lived in Cambridge, MA (Harvard Square in particular) for two years and would say that Somerville, Arlington, and Cambridge are all good places to check out. Boston and the surrounding area has become one of the leading centers for BioTech research, so that would be a big plus for your wife. I currently live in Providence, RI which is about an hour south of Boston. Smaller hacker community, but at least there is on…

Loved Providence. Beautiful city, great history. Best airport on the Northeastern seaboard.

We moved to California from Providence. The * best * assortment of restaurants in the whole country, as far as I'm concerned. The Boston Globe often says that 9 out of the 10 best restaurants in Boston are in Providence. Good entertainment scene, arts scene, etc...

Downsides: The townies (locals) get a little crusty, and you have to get used to the idea of government == corrupt.

We moved to LA so my wife could try out the film scene, and because my contract work in health care was drying up fast.

The winter's do get kind of long, though. And if you hear people talking about a coming, "Noreestah" go to the store and buy all the bread and milk you can. :)

If you do move to Providence, be sure that you live on the East Side of town. It can be really hard to make friends if you're living anywhere else. The native Rhode Islandics aren't really used to people from anywhere else, and it takes a long time to make any headway in the friends department. The East Side has RISD and Brown, so people on that side of town are a lot friendlier and used to strangers and "ethnic people". (My landlord's phrase, not mine. Ironic because he was very Irish. :D ).

Heck, anywhere in New England is pretty nice, and you can drive from one state to another in less than an hour. It's all pretty close.

Re: Ask YC: Mid-sized, livable, hacker-friendly towns?

#56

Post by patrickg-zill »

You may want to consider Almeria, Spain. Large contingent of Brits and other expats, excellent weather, excellent services, and at least one University in-town, others nearby. A quick 45 minute flight to Madrid. Old Roman bath nearby , Mediterranean Sea, then beach, then 30 minutes away are foothills/rocky terrain.

If staying in the USA, the area outside Philadelphia (Main Line) or going a little farther, Lancaster, PA, will have excellent access to just about anywhere on the East Coast, while being as small to mid-size as you want, as you can choose between mostly-rural to mostly-urban as you travel west on Rt. 30 out of Philly.

Re: Ask YC: Mid-sized, livable, hacker-friendly towns?

#57

Post by culley »

Albuquerque is nice. Not Flat Decent city with interesting things to do. Fair community of hackers, coders and makers. Lots of movie money, lab money and spin offs. It's really booming around here lately Still possible to live walking distance to good food, bars, music, parks, and grocery stores for minimal green (especially compared to Bay Area).

Santa Fe is expensive and full of retirees who are snobs. It's close enough to drive up or train up (coming soon) if you'd like to visit, but no one should live there.

The only caution is NM is the land of entrapment. Stay for more than 2 years and you will never move away. (the spanish have been here for 500 years).

Re: Ask YC: Mid-sized, livable, hacker-friendly towns?

#58

Post by nose »

kirubakaran wrote: post #13

Move to Coimbatore, India. Great climate, natural beauty, five big engineering colleges, low pollution, low living cost ($300/month=great life), many libraries, awesome eateries etc.

Thanks for the heads up. Do you know of some good companies around there?

Re: Ask YC: Mid-sized, livable, hacker-friendly towns?

#59

Post by falsestprophet »

wallflower wrote: post #48
falsestprophet wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is strange. The only place in America I would leave Chicago for is San Fransisco.

Chicago has the best waterfront in my option and the best summers. The restaurant and art scene are top-notch. The winters though...

Oh God, I know. One of my highest priorities in life is to be able to be somewhere else during the Chicago winter.

Re: Ask YC: Mid-sized, livable, hacker-friendly towns?

#60

Post by kirubakaran »

nose wrote: post #58
kirubakaran wrote: post #13

Move to Coimbatore, India. Great climate, natural beauty, five big engineering colleges, low pollution, low living cost ($300/month=great life), many libraries, awesome eateries etc.

Thanks for the heads up. Do you know of some good companies around there?

No I don't. If you have specific interests in mind, I can try to find out through my friends.
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