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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?

#71

Post by ardit33 »

dfranke wrote: post #3

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

Lived in Davis sq, and I can say it can get pretty boring after a year. Cambridge is nice. Climate sucks. I mean cold is bearable, by i couldn't stand the lack of light. I got winter's blues in there. Locals suck. You will never learn the names of your neighbors. Students everywhere, which gets annoying after a while. Stupid puritanism everywhere. The 24hr store in Davis sq. closes at midnight, b/c the city doesn't want people to work past midnight. Alcohol is heavily regulated. Heck, there even are no happy hours. (they are illegal). and they call themselves liberals? Ah, and racism is rampant. I had a black girlfriend for a while, so I know.

I liked the boat house, in the Charles river, were you could register for $120/year, and learn how to sail. The urban transport is pretty good (better than bay area).

For me it was good for a year or two, and then it ended up being boring. Moved to SF, and my quality of life improved a lot. people are just way much friendlier in here.

edit. there are a lot of biotech jobs around there (in Cambridge mostly). Lot's of tech jobs, but it is mostly big coorporations, and nothing too exiting. Few startups, but no near the number of startups in SF bay area. But housing is cheaper, about %30 cheaper, but still very expensive (third most expensive area, after NYC, and SF). And you can meet lot's of smart people, with masters, phd's, etc. More intellectual than the bay area.

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

#72

Post by davidw »

cmer wrote: post #21

What didn't you like about the bay area? Mountain View or Sunnyvale seem to be the perfect fit for what you're looking for!

I want to live someplace I can get around by bicycle. Perhaps that's technically possible in, say, mountain view, but mountain view isn't really a town unto itself, but a suburb or exurb or something. For all practical purposes, all those peninsula towns are part of a big, urban area that stretches from SF to San Jose. I agree that it would be good in a lot of other ways, and it's a tough decision, but in terms of livability I get sick of it every time I'm there, and I'm unenthusiastic about trying to raise a child there.

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

#73

Post by davidw »

wallflower wrote: post #47
olefoo wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And you aren't even thinking about Corvallis? I mean Eugene and Corvallis both have most of the features you listed, plus you're an hour away from the coast and from the mountains... For those looking to plug in to the Willamette Valley Tech social networks http://barcamp.org/BeaverBarCamp is coming up on March 1st in Corvallis.

I've been armchair-surfing the Portland tech scene. This blog about the PDX tech scene is interesting.. http://siliconflorist.com/ "Calagator, the community project designed to give Portland one tech calendar to rule them all, has quickly begun to show signs of progress. In fact, events have begun populating the calendar already." http://calagator.org/ I didn't know Oregon (Corvallis) had such a vibrant technology cu…

I don't know that Corvallis is big enough to be really "happening", although it's a pleasant enough place. Portland is a better bet if you can stand the climate. Unfortunately, I really can't. The endless gray just wears me down mentally. I need regular time outdoors and sunshine. For others though, I'd heartily recommend Portland.

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

#74

Post by menloparkbum »

biotech is more of a limiting factor than hacker-friendly. there are only three places in the USA: bay area, boston area, philadelphia suburbs / new jersey. none of which are mid-sized.

Boulder is nice, but I can't stand the people in Colorado. I would not say it is 'hacker friendly.' New Mexico is an interesting place to visit, sort of... but a horrible place to live.

My favorite mid-sized town in the USA is probably Portland.

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

#75

Post by davidw »

babo wrote: post #66
mixmax wrote: post #37

Copenhagen is a great place. I'll buy you a beer if you go here :-)

Sipping beer on a nearby hilltop... :-)

Denmark seems cool in a lot of ways, but unfortunately one of those ways is the climate - not to mention it completely fails the topography test: our house in downtown Innsbruck is about 3 times higher than the highest point in Denmark.

I actually have to say that Innsbruck isn't such a terrible place, but it's a bit too small and doesn't seem to have much of a tech scene. The area is gorgeous though:

http://www.welton.it/photos/innsbruck/

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

#76

Post by davidw »

menloparkbum wrote: post #74

biotech is more of a limiting factor than hacker-friendly. there are only three places in the USA: bay area, boston area, philadelphia suburbs / new jersey. none of which are mid-sized. Boulder is nice, but I can't stand the people in Colorado. I would not say it is 'hacker friendly.' New Mexico is an interesting place to visit, sort of... but a horrible place to live. My favorite mid-sized town in the USA is probabl…

You're 100% correct about biotech being a limiting factor. I can find some kind of programming job pretty much anywhere, but biotech really is about clusters...sigh. That said, she can only work at one job, so if she gets one of the few jobs in someplace like Boulder or Portland or wherever, that's good enough.

What don't you like about NM? I've never been there but it always seemed kind of interesting/different. And the people in Colorado...?

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

#77

Post by davidw »

pg wrote: post #28

In the US any college town that size should fit the bill. It will be cheaper if not a suburb of a big city (Boulder is pretty expensive), and have a better climate if in the west. Portland might be the optimum.

Sure... it's not hard to look up college towns in the west, but I'm also looking for information on the 'feel' of places. Some people have posted negative opinions about New Mexico, for instance, which is something I wouldn't have found out on my own.

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

#78

Post by davidw »

bilbo0s wrote: post #42
jotto wrote: post #9

milwaukee, wisconsin, GE medical

Only having read his description, I would say Milwaukee is definitely NOT for him. Madison would be more his speed. It is full of startups and a big university. Bio tech, medical and video gaming are the big things in Madison startup-wise. Milwaukee is good for financial, corporate and real estate type things. Fun fact: Over the last decade, GE Medical has outsourced a LOT of tech people. Many were made offers in Mad…

Sounds like a nice place (voted up), but fails our climate and topography tests. Maybe it's right for someone else reading though, I read about it a little and it sounds like it's got a very good feel to it in terms of size and population.

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

#79

Post by menloparkbum »

davidw wrote: post #76
menloparkbum wrote: post #74

biotech is more of a limiting factor than hacker-friendly. there are only three places in the USA: bay area, boston area, philadelphia suburbs / new jersey. none of which are mid-sized. Boulder is nice, but I can't stand the people in Colorado. I would not say it is 'hacker friendly.' New Mexico is an interesting place to visit, sort of... but a horrible place to live. My favorite mid-sized town in the USA is probabl…

You're 100% correct about biotech being a limiting factor. I can find some kind of programming job pretty much anywhere, but biotech really is about clusters...sigh. That said, she can only work at one job, so if she gets one of the few jobs in someplace like Boulder or Portland or wherever, that's good enough. What don't you like about NM? I've never been there but it always seemed kind of interesting/different. And…

Different is a good word for NM. It is "kind of interesting" but it is also completely disgusting. Think of the worst place you have ever accidentally driven through in the USA. Now imagine that place is in the desert and everyone who lives there is on crystal meth. That is Albuquerque. Santa Fe is more of a retirement town that happens to have an atomic research facility.

I don't like stereotypical republicans or phony outdoorsy liberal types, so I didn't get along with anyone in Colorado.

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

#80

Post by ereldon »

davidw wrote: post #72
cmer wrote: post #21

What didn't you like about the bay area? Mountain View or Sunnyvale seem to be the perfect fit for what you're looking for!

I want to live someplace I can get around by bicycle. Perhaps that's technically possible in, say, mountain view, but mountain view isn't really a town unto itself, but a suburb or exurb or something. For all practical purposes, all those peninsula towns are part of a big, urban area that stretches from SF to San Jose. I agree that it would be good in a lot of other ways, and it's a tough decision, but in terms of li…

i get around on a bicycle in mountain view, palo alto, and the other towns around here. you just need to figure out the bike routes.
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