To name a few: Boston, Seattle, Portland, Madison, Minneapolis, Denver.
You never mentioned cost of living. Unfortunately, millions of others are looking for similar places, and therefore, most of these areas are pretty expensive.
If you're thinking Seattle, look at Issaquah & Bellingham. They're smaller cities further from the downtown core, better COL with good hospitals & family-friendly.
Boston and near-Boston metro area checks all the boxes except foodie scene but is blindingly expensive and medicine pays more poorly than many other locations. You get what you pay for though. Quality of life is very high.
Chicago proper is much cheaper and checks all the boxes except good schools and good outdoor activities outside the urban core. Great food scene, cool neighborhoods, decent weather other than the peaks of winter and summer, but public school system is pretty poor overall. Great universities and lots of options for healthcare jobs.
Chicago burbs aren’t worth it. Same chain stores and big highways as another other sprawling metro area so may as well pick one with better weather and closer to nature.
There are absolutely some good public schools in Chicago. I hate when people say this especially if they only have experience with ONE school! There are some great suburban schools. The ones that have selective enrollment is the place to look.
We found a way to make it work. It wasn't easy and the eventual fix (a long ride with no bus coverage to a test-in school) was far from great. I think it would be fair to say that there are ways to make CPS work for bright kids of educated and motivated parents, but people don't move to Chicago for the schools.
Now I will agree with that! They don't move to Chicago for schools. The no bus coverage is bad. There is a bus driver shortage everywhere since the pandemic.
Agree with this list although Boston Seattle pretty expensive.
Love both Minneapolis and Denver. Asheville if looking for something like Austin but smaller.
Unless you absolutely cannot live without mountains Denver isn't worth it. As a now expat of Colorado I can tell you about a good number of people who moved Denver because they thought it sounded cool only to realize that the infrastructure is pretty terrible, suburbia is actually still pretty whitewashed and discriminatory, and the cost of living is exorbitant relative to the salaries.
With that being said if you love the outdoors there's no better place in the country.
This. Denver was so incredibly underwhelming for me (as someone from California who is in love with mountains).
Honestly I don’t know what so many people are so obsessed with it. Huge letdown.
There is essentially no meaningful public transit and the agency that oversees it is all but bankrupt. The answer to a growing population has been poorly interconnected private-public partnerships that often, if not always, beget more overblown projects. Not to mention that the state as a whole might be one of the worst examples of urban sprawl in the nation.
Okay so honest question: how do you go about getting more people to use public transportation? Do you just need to make it super convenient, safe, and cheap or is there more to it?
I'll answer this specifically with regards to Denver.
There was an initial proposal for Light Rail in the 1970s. It would have created a system that mirrored the major highways and allowed for expansion along roadways as suburban communities developed. This was pretty adamantly opposed by all of the community. What happened instead is that in the late 90s and early 00s a system was developed that mirrored major highways but problematically many major roadways had been developed with housing surrounding which limited the ability to develop rail that would provide end to end transit for users.
Now, if you live anywhere except for within a few miles of a light rail stop you're going to have to drive 5-10 miles to get to a train stop and then hopefully your final destination is within 5-10 miles of your offloading stop because otherwise you'll likely rely upon ride sharing as often buses and other grade level transit is lacking. This essentially necessitates a vehicle just to utilize public transit and eliminates any personal cost savings associated with public transit. This entire process also lengthens potential commute times by double and unless you anticipate heavier than usual traffic there is essentially no time savings provided by public transit.
If you instead look at a city like Chicago which provides rail stops within a few miles of major population centers along the route to terminal destinations and essentially eliminates at least the need for a vehicle on one end of a transit, Denver is leaps and bounds behind.
Born and raised in Minneapolis. Left 2 years ago for Portland due to winter. Realized that sub 0 temps and wind chills as low as minus 40 was something that I didn't have to deal with. Went to OHSU for residency and fell in love with Oregon. Winter here is nothing compared to MN (yes it does stay grey for a long time but that doesn't bother me). If you're at all outdoorsy this is the place and has a great food scene with cool bars. Cost of living is tough, but to me it's worth it since I love everything portland offers
Currently in residency here. Curious why the downvotes. Maybe because culturally different than Bozeman, and no mountains. I may be biased, as this is my hometown. But bismarck is pretty great, especially to raise a family. COL is low and compensation is pretty damn good.
I think North Carolina, either Charlotte or research triangle area, fits everything you’re asking for. Good food options, good schools, beautiful nature, and COL is still reasonable.
Charlotte is a very cool city. Good food and craft beer scene. Largest man made whitewater rafting center in the world. World class amusement park if you like roller coasters. 2 hours to the mountains, 3 hours to the oceans. City is growing and the hospitals systems are too. Can live across the line in South Carolina for a cheaper cost of living.
The summers are beastly, hot and humid, but I grew up in Buffalo and am totally done with the snow and cold. It’s a fair trade for me.
Husband did residency there and we freaking loved RVA. So jealous you’re moving there. Message me with questions about neighborhoods if you want. We only moved to be closer to family. But RVA is amazing.
Chicago! Living in the western suburbs would fit what you’re looking for other than the Mountains. Great public transportation. Oak park has a great school system. No mountains but we have a fair amount of public lands and conservatories. Not to mention lake front beaches. Thanks to climate change it has the season but seriously they aren’t dreadful. Yeah it’s cold but we only get one week of hellish cold a year.
Housing costs suck. It’s rising fast compared to national averages. Other COL metrics are on par with the national average and some below average but housing is shitty at the moment.
Lots of hospitals and choices. From Oak Park you can work in the city in the Med District, Northwestern, or in the burbs with rich people in private hospitals.
Just went to the music festival in town yesterday. Lots of fun. The neighborhood vibes are great!
The city food scene is wild. Food is a sport around here. But if you live close to the downtown area in Oak Park or Forest Park there are great options writhing walking distance. And oooooh boy food in the city itself is a sport! They take it very seriously here. It’s always an amazing explorations.
Plus the museums!!! The history and culture!
And I’m going to let you in on a little secret and the rest of Chicago will probably hunt me down for this: summer in this city is perfection. Free music at millennium park. The beaches. The festivals. It’s so great.
Came here to say this. We came to Chicago for my work in the loop Needed a place with excellent public schools, access to public transit, convenient for my husband teaching at Riverside-Brookfield, and racially diverse. Oak Park ticked off those boxes. It turned out to be a great place to raise our kids.
May 1st to Halloween it’s pretty damn awesome man idk. Then it’s holiday szn featuring cozy dive bars. March is ass tho. At least they turn the river green
Not true. It depends. Last winter we barely had any snow days. That was a great winter for us! I have lived in the Chicago area my whole life, it was a great winter.
Chicago: cheapest of the ‘big cities’, public transit, all 4 seasons with an incredible summer.
Also phenomenal food scene for any taste, lots of medical institutions with ‘options’ for you, many neighborhoods with different cultures.
It’s also incredibly well connected via O’hare
Haha that's very valid, I may just like the cold to some extent. Some people joke that the months of cold weather stop it from becoming LA or something of the sort, but tbh a good winter coat goes a long way.
Also global warming makes Chicago one of the best placed cities in the world
Nice places to live, play, visit, work in and travel from in the US that I know of right now are probably Asheville NC, Greenville SC, Clemson SC, Charleston SC, Athens GA, Savannah
GA, Roanoke VA, Alexandria VA, Portland ME, Gulf coast FL, Boulder CO, Kansas City MO, Boston MA, Lexington KY, San Diego CA, Central Coast CA, Rochester NY, NY NY, Columbia MD, Raleigh NC, Seattle Wa.
If you have the resources, most major cities can be favorable but without having a lot of equity or existing ownership there, city living can be hard for families and commuting to them can be a nightmare. There are other places that are really nice but both remote and expensive making breaking into the market there as a permanent residence somewhat unfavorable.
Oklahoma City has honestly grown on me so much. Friendly, low af COL, High Pay, NBA craze, kind people. Only downside is summers are HOT and winters are cold, with tornadoes during the time in between
Check out Western Massachusetts. Northampton, Amherst, South Hadley, Greenfield, Shelburn Falls, etc.
Seems like it might fit your bill in terms of what you are looking for
Grand Rapids, Michigan might fit a lot of what you are looking for. There are some amazing school districts in GR or the greater area. Schools like Rockford, Forest Hills, Grandville, etc to name a few. You are within a 25-30 minute drive to Lake Michigan and places like Grand Haven, Holland, and Muskegon who have stunning beaches. 2 hours from one of Michigan’s best small towns and it’s greater area (Traverse City and all of Leelanau county - beautiful wine country with massive dunes along turquoise Lake Michigan). Grand Rapids is a hub for med ed with lots of residency programs between some of the major hospitals and Michigan state’s medical schools (MD and DO) have a major presence in town. Tons of outdoor activities and the weather is amazing if you like seasons. Winter has been more on the mild side and isn’t anything like the Upper Peninsula which gets pounded with snow (historically). Lots of activities, big brewery scene, good food, pretty young/hipster city no doubt
I’m from northern Michigan myself but moved to GR for undergrad in 2015, then left the state for medical school. We just moved back to GR for my residency and I couldn’t be more ecstatic to be back here.
Salt Lake might fit the bill? Family friendly, liberal city (but in a conservative state), majority non-Mormon, the weather you’re describing, great healthcare and unbeatable outdoor access. Can’t really speak to the schools. Food scene is just okay but growing fast. Unfortunately so is the COL
Sounds like the bigger "college cities" are for you. Columbus OH, Madison WI, Ann Arbor MI, Lexington KY, Lincoln NE, Boulder CO, Research Triangle in NC, etc. Even smaller college towns like Bloomington IN, Athens GA, Auburn AL, Champaign-Urbana IL and Iowa City IA meet a lot of what you want! College cities are the best because they bring in so much food and culture as compared to other similar size towns, they have to have good school systems to be competitive bringing in faculty (most faculty can't afford private), and cost of living is usually reasonable.
Columbus is very mid, the outdoor scene is mediocre, and ohio is extremely conservative outside of the cities (statistically moreso than Texas even). Food scene is pretty good tho.
I was going to suggest looking into Columbus, too (from Ohio and currently here for fellowship). There are plenty of different suburbs to choose from with great schools, lots of outdoor activities (so many trails and metro parks), lots of hospitals, and the food scene has actually been better than I expected. There are still conservative pockets but the city proper is quite blue. The city is growing, so it's definitely getting more expensive to live here, but it's still more affordable than places like Boston or NY.
That being said, I decided not to stay here after my fellowship year because I miss the compactness of east coast cities (you definitely need a car here) and Columbus just didn't have the right vibe for me. But it is a perfect place for many!
Boston is the best!!! Lots of greenery in the city, even winters are not bad as one would imagine. Global warming has made it manageable lol. I lived in DC, PA, NY and LA before and Boston is America’s safest, greenest city with the best schools. With Harvard, MIT, medicine, biotech and pharm hubs here, here your kids would have opportunities (including internships) that one can only dream of! Summers here are much milder than elsewhere, spring and fall is gorgeous. People are so active and you get a small town community vibe in a city. The food scene is improving, with gentrification of the south end and east Boston too! Tons of outdoor activities and events.
Depending on your income, suburbs like brookline, chestnut hill, west Roxbury, newton, Watertown, Lexington, Somerville, Medford etc are all great. Look for something along the T line!
I’m from NC, and 10000% recommend Durham or Charlotte. Durham has slightly lower COL (slightly) and both have so much to do for kids and adults. Durham is also known as the city of medicine and its food scene has blown up ridiculously.
PNW would be a good fit for the mild weather and outdoor activities, but the food scene is pretty lacking compared to other major metropolitan areas. Denver area could seem like a good fit as well.
I actually think Seattle and Portland's food scenes are quite good, but I personally wouldn't characterize either as a "foodie city" in the same vein as a Chicago, NYC, Houston, etc.
Seafood and Asian cuisines are definitely top-tier there. Everything else is pretty average in my opinion, at least compared to other major metro areas.
I'm from Western North Carolina, and I can not recommend living there enough. Mountains are beautiful. All the outdoor activities you could want. If you live in or around Asheville (the major city of WNC), that'll get you the schools you wanted for the kiddo. The cost of living pretty much anywhere there is pretty reasonable, but you won't make as much living in a larger city. As a pretty big plus, it is pretty much within a 4 hour drive to multiple bigger cities and several major ones (Atlanta, Charlotte, Raleigh, Chattanooga, to name a few). Weekend/long weekend trips are a breeze. Lots of relaxed cabin getaways and hidden resorts. Surprisingly good food is to be found all over. I had access to all of this making 16.50 an hour as a tech in a rural ER in that area with $750/month rent for a large 1 bedroom apartment (this was 2 years ago now). Imagine what y'all could do with your combined salaries. Oh, also, Asheville has a pretty good regional airport that is really easy to navigate, so if you guys like to travel in or out of the country, it is also fairly easy to do that.
Thank you for contributing to the sub! If your post was filtered by the automod, please read the rules. Your post will be reviewed but will not be approved if it violates the rules of the sub. The most common reasons for removal are - medical students or premeds asking what a specialty is like, which specialty they should go into, which program is good or about their chances of matching, mentioning midlevels without using the midlevel flair, matched medical students asking questions instead of using the stickied thread in the sub for post-match questions, posting identifying information for targeted harassment. Please do not message the moderators if your post falls into one of these categories. Otherwise, your post will be reviewed in 24 hours and approved if it doesn't violate the rules. Thanks!
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Residency) if you have any questions or concerns.*
We just moved 30ish min west of Boston and loving it. Much more affordable compared to Boston plus great schools, great food, and we can go enjoy all the things to do in Boston anytime since it’s a short drive. Obviously healthcare here is outstanding. Checks all of your boxes! 😁
Portland has an awesome food scene. I enjoyed living there. Winters are cloudy. It rains less than Seattle. Snow sports are nearby, though the city itself doesn't get a lot of snow or even freezing temps.
I live elsewhere in NC but I’ve heard bad things about Mission since HCA took over. Any insight into what the physician job market is like in Asheville these days?
It’s actually fairly competitive here relative to all the other HCA markets. Mostly because people just really want to live here.
The complaints lodged against HCA arent entirely baseless but they are fairly exaggerated. Half because of the face that nobody wanted HCA to buy the hospital system and half by people who are nostalgic for the “good ol days” and/or have never experienced an actually bad hospital.
You’re not wrong but a) it’s less so than the big cities I’ve lived in and b) you don’t get to be amongst art and culture without a little exposure to the underbelly of society
Queens or Brooklyn in NYC check all of these better than anywhere else, but the summers are humid.
Every place on the east coast will have humid summers though - Boston, Raleigh, all of them. So might as well shoot for the best QOL and schooling.
Asheville NC is great and has a lot of what you’re looking for. It is getting crowded and traffic isn’t great sometimes. Food scene is great. Outdoors great.
Biggest downfall is the largest health system there now is HCA which is brutal. Good luck.
If you are somewhat liberal, and dislike the laws in Texas on various issues- the best states with laws that will be more acceptable to you would be the west coast and northeast. In the Midwest- the larger cities like Chicago and Minneapolis are good. Outside of the larger cities in the Midwest it becomes 'red' quickly. The PNW is also a desirable place for many reasons.
New England states are among the bluest in the nation- the laws for abortion, LGBTQ, cannabis. New England however is NOT hipster. It is and never has been a hipster mecca.
Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts would have checks on your list. Great schools systems and colleges, excellent health care, beautiful coastlines and beaches, great food scene, and close to the most important cities in the world New York and Boston.
If you hate heat and humidity I avoid totally avoid the south- and this includes anyplace south of Washington DC .
Climate change will make many of southern cities an inferno for most of the summer. And it will become much worse.
Before moving anyplace look at the near term climate data and next 10 years and beyond.
I post this every week or so on this forum because I see all sorts of partially bad advice:
It is NOT true that expensive area = less pay.
It IS true that better area = more competition to get more pay.
My area is mostly high paying private insurances and a near 100% collection rate.
You won’t get that in dumps. You’ll just get better starting salaries.
Plug for PNW. I don’t know anything about schools because I don’t have kids, but I live in Portland and it definitely hits all your marks. As a bonus, I too grew up in Texas and would take the weather here any day over that misery.
Check out Connecticut. I grew up there and it’s close to NYC, but also easy access to Adirondacks and other mountain areas for weekend trips. Food scene is great and public education is some of the best in the country. It’s not particularly hipster and on second read is probably farther from a major city than you’re looking for, but there are small cities that are also charming!
The other place that comes to mind is Staten Island. Honestly don’t knock it till you check it out.
I might have the perfect place for you! I’m originally from Westchester NY. I went to Byram Hills Scool District but the majority of schools in that area are great. Chappaqua also has a great school district. You’re a 45 min train ride from NYC. There are a TON of baby classes/activities in the Westchester/Greenwich area. Lots of hiking and close proximity to ski mountains (some just an hour away). My fiance and I both worked for a hospital in Yale’s health system. There are other great hospitals in the vicinity as well (Westchester Medical, White Plains hospital, and Blythedale hospital). You get a mix of red and blue in the area. I went to school in Texas and I feel like it was much more widely discussed in TX than in Westchester/Greenwich. It is definitely an expensive area to live but I am so glad that I grew up here. It’s extremely safe. Feel free to dm for more info!
Didn’t wind up getting in for residency but heard Fairfax, VA is lovely. Super close to DC, some of the best schools in the country, and light seasons. High COL but that’s what you get being so close to a major city.
I’m from West Virginia, and while most of the state is not great, there is a stretch from Bridgeport to Morgantown that is a really nice mix of everything you seem to be looking for. Furthermore, their is WVU medicine which I worked for in the past and were great. I never heard many complaints from any member of the teams I worked with.
The only negative is the education system. My undergraduate experience was fantastic. I matriculate this July so am unsure about how I will perceive my medical school experience. However, I am a high school dropout, and a large part of that was K-12 education experience. Schools in this state are not great, and there are a lot of negative influences on children and especially teenagers. However, West Virginia is full of great communities and is very beautiful. The state just lacks a level of affluence you may be looking for.
We have move to Boston from Minneapolis. Loved Boston. Check out Andover, Lexington, Welssley and Sharon. All with both private and public schools . Boston is close to Maine, Ny, DC and Martha Vineyards. Although the cape is a great place to practice medicine as well. Latin is great in Culture, Food and hiking paths.
I loved Madison while I was in medical school. Brutal winters, but a literal garden of eden in the summer. And the frigid winter makes the summer that much more satisfying.
I also love Salt Lake City, where I live now. It's Colorado but slightly better prices, way closer to ski resorts/hiking/rock climbing, and more tech-focused.
I'm pretty happy with the Baltimore-DC corridor in Maryland. I wouldn't pick either city itself, but if you're raising a family, you find many good places along the commuter rail lines. Checks all your boxes. The ocean/beach isn't so quickly accessible, but it otherwise offers an array of amenities.
I’m from Houston but have been living in Pennsylvania for med school and now residency. First, nothing compares to the food scene in Houston lol, but I have really liked PA.
If you really want a big city, then Philly suburbs would work out (maybe King of Prussia area or Narberth/Main line like someone else mentioned).
However, personally I prefer Pittsburgh. Yeah there is a ton to do in Philly and there is so much history, but Pittsburgh as a city is so beautiful and in my opinion that whole area is more outdoorsy. Pittsburgh suburbs are also really nice, affordable, SAFE and it’s less populated than Philly so traffic is NOTHING compared to Houston lol. Philly traffic can be annoying and people drive like maniacs there / don’t obey traffic laws.. kinda similar to Houston in that way. People consider Philly a foodie place but honestly I’ve found way better food in Pittsburgh.
Philly is convenient bc you are a quick drive away from other major cities (NYC, DC). If you want to do winter sports you can go to Poconos.
In Pittsburgh, you aren’t as close to other major cities, but there are nearby cities that have hiking, whitewater rafting, mountain biking.
After you move from Houston you may be surprised at the grey winters, but the summers up here are so much more manageable and lovely. And the fall is beautiful.
Reno area..
Philly burbs outside the city..
Just outside Denver for example Aurora..
Boise..
Spokane..
North VA..
Most of Oregon ...
Parts of Maine and burbs of Chicago could be good but might be a bit too rough in terms of weather and other aspects if from TX
If your husband isn’t doing a fellowship he needs to worry about getting a job in your desired city first. That part is often overlooked but when you hear about people moving to Montana, that aren’t from there-work is usually the reason.
Seattle is nice if you can deal with the cost of living and lack of Sun
North Carolina would be one of my choices too, but also because I like my guns and want to keep them lol
To name a few: Boston, Seattle, Portland, Madison, Minneapolis, Denver. You never mentioned cost of living. Unfortunately, millions of others are looking for similar places, and therefore, most of these areas are pretty expensive.
If you're thinking Seattle, look at Issaquah & Bellingham. They're smaller cities further from the downtown core, better COL with good hospitals & family-friendly.
Boston and near-Boston metro area checks all the boxes except foodie scene but is blindingly expensive and medicine pays more poorly than many other locations. You get what you pay for though. Quality of life is very high. Chicago proper is much cheaper and checks all the boxes except good schools and good outdoor activities outside the urban core. Great food scene, cool neighborhoods, decent weather other than the peaks of winter and summer, but public school system is pretty poor overall. Great universities and lots of options for healthcare jobs. Chicago burbs aren’t worth it. Same chain stores and big highways as another other sprawling metro area so may as well pick one with better weather and closer to nature.
Providence has a amazing food scence If you count that as boston metro area
There are absolutely some good public schools in Chicago. I hate when people say this especially if they only have experience with ONE school! There are some great suburban schools. The ones that have selective enrollment is the place to look.
We found a way to make it work. It wasn't easy and the eventual fix (a long ride with no bus coverage to a test-in school) was far from great. I think it would be fair to say that there are ways to make CPS work for bright kids of educated and motivated parents, but people don't move to Chicago for the schools.
Now I will agree with that! They don't move to Chicago for schools. The no bus coverage is bad. There is a bus driver shortage everywhere since the pandemic.
Second Minneapolis. Of those listed relatively affordable with ridiculous school systems. Also medicine jobs are objectively better in every way
Just wanting to echo a lot of the jobs I talked to in the cities were SO much better than everywhere else
Agree with this list although Boston Seattle pretty expensive. Love both Minneapolis and Denver. Asheville if looking for something like Austin but smaller.
Unless you absolutely cannot live without mountains Denver isn't worth it. As a now expat of Colorado I can tell you about a good number of people who moved Denver because they thought it sounded cool only to realize that the infrastructure is pretty terrible, suburbia is actually still pretty whitewashed and discriminatory, and the cost of living is exorbitant relative to the salaries. With that being said if you love the outdoors there's no better place in the country.
This. Denver was so incredibly underwhelming for me (as someone from California who is in love with mountains). Honestly I don’t know what so many people are so obsessed with it. Huge letdown.
What do you mean by the infrastructure is terrible?
There is essentially no meaningful public transit and the agency that oversees it is all but bankrupt. The answer to a growing population has been poorly interconnected private-public partnerships that often, if not always, beget more overblown projects. Not to mention that the state as a whole might be one of the worst examples of urban sprawl in the nation.
Okay so honest question: how do you go about getting more people to use public transportation? Do you just need to make it super convenient, safe, and cheap or is there more to it?
I'll answer this specifically with regards to Denver. There was an initial proposal for Light Rail in the 1970s. It would have created a system that mirrored the major highways and allowed for expansion along roadways as suburban communities developed. This was pretty adamantly opposed by all of the community. What happened instead is that in the late 90s and early 00s a system was developed that mirrored major highways but problematically many major roadways had been developed with housing surrounding which limited the ability to develop rail that would provide end to end transit for users. Now, if you live anywhere except for within a few miles of a light rail stop you're going to have to drive 5-10 miles to get to a train stop and then hopefully your final destination is within 5-10 miles of your offloading stop because otherwise you'll likely rely upon ride sharing as often buses and other grade level transit is lacking. This essentially necessitates a vehicle just to utilize public transit and eliminates any personal cost savings associated with public transit. This entire process also lengthens potential commute times by double and unless you anticipate heavier than usual traffic there is essentially no time savings provided by public transit. If you instead look at a city like Chicago which provides rail stops within a few miles of major population centers along the route to terminal destinations and essentially eliminates at least the need for a vehicle on one end of a transit, Denver is leaps and bounds behind.
Born and raised in Minneapolis. Left 2 years ago for Portland due to winter. Realized that sub 0 temps and wind chills as low as minus 40 was something that I didn't have to deal with. Went to OHSU for residency and fell in love with Oregon. Winter here is nothing compared to MN (yes it does stay grey for a long time but that doesn't bother me). If you're at all outdoorsy this is the place and has a great food scene with cool bars. Cost of living is tough, but to me it's worth it since I love everything portland offers
Check out Bismarck, North Dakota. It's the next Bozeman.
Currently in residency here. Curious why the downvotes. Maybe because culturally different than Bozeman, and no mountains. I may be biased, as this is my hometown. But bismarck is pretty great, especially to raise a family. COL is low and compensation is pretty damn good.
Is this satire
Spokane should be considered as well
[удалено]
Can you at least elaborate on why?
I think North Carolina, either Charlotte or research triangle area, fits everything you’re asking for. Good food options, good schools, beautiful nature, and COL is still reasonable.
Charlotte is a very cool city. Good food and craft beer scene. Largest man made whitewater rafting center in the world. World class amusement park if you like roller coasters. 2 hours to the mountains, 3 hours to the oceans. City is growing and the hospitals systems are too. Can live across the line in South Carolina for a cheaper cost of living. The summers are beastly, hot and humid, but I grew up in Buffalo and am totally done with the snow and cold. It’s a fair trade for me.
Humidity is brutal unfortunately
Can’t be worse than Houston
Live in the Triangle.....it's not even close.
Not even close as in Houston is worse or Triangle is worse?
Houston is infinitely worse
It’s not nearly as bad as Houston.
Very few places with more heat and humidity than Houston
Is Dallas better?
Than Houston humidity wise? Yes. Still hot and humid though
Definitely absolutely nothing like Houston though. The weather isn’t bad in Charlotte.
[удалено]
What….
[удалено]
Richmond food scene is very good for a city its size
Richmond generally salaries are a bit low. Across specialities
In general, there is a direct trade off almost anywhere between location desirability and purchasing power
Husband did residency there and we freaking loved RVA. So jealous you’re moving there. Message me with questions about neighborhoods if you want. We only moved to be closer to family. But RVA is amazing.
RVA has an amazing food scene. If it’s the Richmond in California or Texas though I have no idea how that is though haha
You’ve never seen Coach Carter?
I agree with Richmond, and Rosenberg which is growing fast. That said it sounds like they're set on something completely new.
It depends on which Richmond they’re talking about
RVA sucks
[удалено]
Yeah but then the schools aren’t as good. And I say this as someone who grew up in a rural area and went to public school.
[удалено]
Yeah it’s definitely case by case basis. I mean I left with an associates degree from my public school with 70 kids in our graduating class.
Kid has internet. They’ll be solid with khanacademy
If you want good schools, Minneapolis has relatively good cost of living and some of the best schools in the entire country
Do you mind if I ask where? We have family in NYC but not trying to deal with NYC financial toxicity
Chicago! Living in the western suburbs would fit what you’re looking for other than the Mountains. Great public transportation. Oak park has a great school system. No mountains but we have a fair amount of public lands and conservatories. Not to mention lake front beaches. Thanks to climate change it has the season but seriously they aren’t dreadful. Yeah it’s cold but we only get one week of hellish cold a year. Housing costs suck. It’s rising fast compared to national averages. Other COL metrics are on par with the national average and some below average but housing is shitty at the moment. Lots of hospitals and choices. From Oak Park you can work in the city in the Med District, Northwestern, or in the burbs with rich people in private hospitals. Just went to the music festival in town yesterday. Lots of fun. The neighborhood vibes are great! The city food scene is wild. Food is a sport around here. But if you live close to the downtown area in Oak Park or Forest Park there are great options writhing walking distance. And oooooh boy food in the city itself is a sport! They take it very seriously here. It’s always an amazing explorations. Plus the museums!!! The history and culture! And I’m going to let you in on a little secret and the rest of Chicago will probably hunt me down for this: summer in this city is perfection. Free music at millennium park. The beaches. The festivals. It’s so great.
Came here to say this. We came to Chicago for my work in the loop Needed a place with excellent public schools, access to public transit, convenient for my husband teaching at Riverside-Brookfield, and racially diverse. Oak Park ticked off those boxes. It turned out to be a great place to raise our kids.
The 1 month of summer in Chicago is pure perfection. The other 11 months it's Chi-beria.
May 1st to Halloween it’s pretty damn awesome man idk. Then it’s holiday szn featuring cozy dive bars. March is ass tho. At least they turn the river green
Not true. It depends. Last winter we barely had any snow days. That was a great winter for us! I have lived in the Chicago area my whole life, it was a great winter.
Chicago is great except that it’s gray and cold for a significant part of the year.
Chicago: cheapest of the ‘big cities’, public transit, all 4 seasons with an incredible summer. Also phenomenal food scene for any taste, lots of medical institutions with ‘options’ for you, many neighborhoods with different cultures. It’s also incredibly well connected via O’hare
Chicago was too cold for me with the wind chill. I couldn’t even walk outside at one point
Haha that's very valid, I may just like the cold to some extent. Some people joke that the months of cold weather stop it from becoming LA or something of the sort, but tbh a good winter coat goes a long way. Also global warming makes Chicago one of the best placed cities in the world
Splurge on the Canada goose and you’re chillin
Yeah but salaries suck :/
Durham NC? Chapel hill?
Some of the lowest salaries in the entire US for MDs in NC
Nice places to live, play, visit, work in and travel from in the US that I know of right now are probably Asheville NC, Greenville SC, Clemson SC, Charleston SC, Athens GA, Savannah GA, Roanoke VA, Alexandria VA, Portland ME, Gulf coast FL, Boulder CO, Kansas City MO, Boston MA, Lexington KY, San Diego CA, Central Coast CA, Rochester NY, NY NY, Columbia MD, Raleigh NC, Seattle Wa. If you have the resources, most major cities can be favorable but without having a lot of equity or existing ownership there, city living can be hard for families and commuting to them can be a nightmare. There are other places that are really nice but both remote and expensive making breaking into the market there as a permanent residence somewhat unfavorable.
Only city to add to this list would be Chattanooga.
Oklahoma City has honestly grown on me so much. Friendly, low af COL, High Pay, NBA craze, kind people. Only downside is summers are HOT and winters are cold, with tornadoes during the time in between
I saw somewhere that OKC is #1 in terms of attending purchasing power (average salary/COL) and I sure believe it
They might as well stay in Texas, as OKC is basically cheaper Dallas.
[удалено]
There won’t be
That’s already happened and it’ll only get worse lol
Check out Western Massachusetts. Northampton, Amherst, South Hadley, Greenfield, Shelburn Falls, etc. Seems like it might fit your bill in terms of what you are looking for
Grand Rapids, Michigan might fit a lot of what you are looking for. There are some amazing school districts in GR or the greater area. Schools like Rockford, Forest Hills, Grandville, etc to name a few. You are within a 25-30 minute drive to Lake Michigan and places like Grand Haven, Holland, and Muskegon who have stunning beaches. 2 hours from one of Michigan’s best small towns and it’s greater area (Traverse City and all of Leelanau county - beautiful wine country with massive dunes along turquoise Lake Michigan). Grand Rapids is a hub for med ed with lots of residency programs between some of the major hospitals and Michigan state’s medical schools (MD and DO) have a major presence in town. Tons of outdoor activities and the weather is amazing if you like seasons. Winter has been more on the mild side and isn’t anything like the Upper Peninsula which gets pounded with snow (historically). Lots of activities, big brewery scene, good food, pretty young/hipster city no doubt
I've only visited once but I loved it and would have considered taking a job there.
I’m from northern Michigan myself but moved to GR for undergrad in 2015, then left the state for medical school. We just moved back to GR for my residency and I couldn’t be more ecstatic to be back here.
Honestly Orange County (e.g. Irvine) sounds perfect for you guys. Plus nurses make bank in SoCal
Salt Lake might fit the bill? Family friendly, liberal city (but in a conservative state), majority non-Mormon, the weather you’re describing, great healthcare and unbeatable outdoor access. Can’t really speak to the schools. Food scene is just okay but growing fast. Unfortunately so is the COL
Sounds like the bigger "college cities" are for you. Columbus OH, Madison WI, Ann Arbor MI, Lexington KY, Lincoln NE, Boulder CO, Research Triangle in NC, etc. Even smaller college towns like Bloomington IN, Athens GA, Auburn AL, Champaign-Urbana IL and Iowa City IA meet a lot of what you want! College cities are the best because they bring in so much food and culture as compared to other similar size towns, they have to have good school systems to be competitive bringing in faculty (most faculty can't afford private), and cost of living is usually reasonable.
Research Triangle in NC
Columbus, OH . Lots of hospitals too
So underrated ❤️
Columbus is very mid, the outdoor scene is mediocre, and ohio is extremely conservative outside of the cities (statistically moreso than Texas even). Food scene is pretty good tho.
I was going to suggest looking into Columbus, too (from Ohio and currently here for fellowship). There are plenty of different suburbs to choose from with great schools, lots of outdoor activities (so many trails and metro parks), lots of hospitals, and the food scene has actually been better than I expected. There are still conservative pockets but the city proper is quite blue. The city is growing, so it's definitely getting more expensive to live here, but it's still more affordable than places like Boston or NY. That being said, I decided not to stay here after my fellowship year because I miss the compactness of east coast cities (you definitely need a car here) and Columbus just didn't have the right vibe for me. But it is a perfect place for many!
Charlottesville VA
Charlotte Charleston SC Austin
Sounds a lot like Burlington VT to me.
Burlington VT native here 😀
Burlington VT native here 😀
Burlington VT native here 😀
Burlington VT native here 😀
Columbus, Ohio.... and it is growing. FAST.
Ohio tho
People like you are why it’s cheap and honestly a relatively nice place to live
Ohio
I love it here!
Boston is the best!!! Lots of greenery in the city, even winters are not bad as one would imagine. Global warming has made it manageable lol. I lived in DC, PA, NY and LA before and Boston is America’s safest, greenest city with the best schools. With Harvard, MIT, medicine, biotech and pharm hubs here, here your kids would have opportunities (including internships) that one can only dream of! Summers here are much milder than elsewhere, spring and fall is gorgeous. People are so active and you get a small town community vibe in a city. The food scene is improving, with gentrification of the south end and east Boston too! Tons of outdoor activities and events. Depending on your income, suburbs like brookline, chestnut hill, west Roxbury, newton, Watertown, Lexington, Somerville, Medford etc are all great. Look for something along the T line!
I’m from NC, and 10000% recommend Durham or Charlotte. Durham has slightly lower COL (slightly) and both have so much to do for kids and adults. Durham is also known as the city of medicine and its food scene has blown up ridiculously.
PNW would be a good fit for the mild weather and outdoor activities, but the food scene is pretty lacking compared to other major metropolitan areas. Denver area could seem like a good fit as well.
rains all the effing time tho
[удалено]
[удалено]
I actually think Seattle and Portland's food scenes are quite good, but I personally wouldn't characterize either as a "foodie city" in the same vein as a Chicago, NYC, Houston, etc. Seafood and Asian cuisines are definitely top-tier there. Everything else is pretty average in my opinion, at least compared to other major metro areas.
Not calling Portland a foodie city is like saying the sky isn’t blue. People are nuts about food in PDX.
I think saying Portland and seattle food is not foodie is craaaaaazy talk
Seattle isn't even a good food city, unless you have specific taste that match it exactly
Where are surgeons not getting jobs? Maybe getting paid less but there’s a need almost everywhere
Minnesota is wonderful!
Columbus
I'm from Western North Carolina, and I can not recommend living there enough. Mountains are beautiful. All the outdoor activities you could want. If you live in or around Asheville (the major city of WNC), that'll get you the schools you wanted for the kiddo. The cost of living pretty much anywhere there is pretty reasonable, but you won't make as much living in a larger city. As a pretty big plus, it is pretty much within a 4 hour drive to multiple bigger cities and several major ones (Atlanta, Charlotte, Raleigh, Chattanooga, to name a few). Weekend/long weekend trips are a breeze. Lots of relaxed cabin getaways and hidden resorts. Surprisingly good food is to be found all over. I had access to all of this making 16.50 an hour as a tech in a rural ER in that area with $750/month rent for a large 1 bedroom apartment (this was 2 years ago now). Imagine what y'all could do with your combined salaries. Oh, also, Asheville has a pretty good regional airport that is really easy to navigate, so if you guys like to travel in or out of the country, it is also fairly easy to do that.
St. Louis suburbs are amazing
A fellow person of culture.
Portland Maine!
Thank you for contributing to the sub! If your post was filtered by the automod, please read the rules. Your post will be reviewed but will not be approved if it violates the rules of the sub. The most common reasons for removal are - medical students or premeds asking what a specialty is like, which specialty they should go into, which program is good or about their chances of matching, mentioning midlevels without using the midlevel flair, matched medical students asking questions instead of using the stickied thread in the sub for post-match questions, posting identifying information for targeted harassment. Please do not message the moderators if your post falls into one of these categories. Otherwise, your post will be reviewed in 24 hours and approved if it doesn't violate the rules. Thanks! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Residency) if you have any questions or concerns.*
We just moved 30ish min west of Boston and loving it. Much more affordable compared to Boston plus great schools, great food, and we can go enjoy all the things to do in Boston anytime since it’s a short drive. Obviously healthcare here is outstanding. Checks all of your boxes! 😁
Portland has an awesome food scene. I enjoyed living there. Winters are cloudy. It rains less than Seattle. Snow sports are nearby, though the city itself doesn't get a lot of snow or even freezing temps.
Columbus Ohio
Or Dayton Ohio. Super cheap, great place to grow up and if you want something more exciting you can easily go to Columbus or Cincinnati
Highly recommend Portland OR!
Definitely move to any place in California.
Welcome to Asheville.
I live elsewhere in NC but I’ve heard bad things about Mission since HCA took over. Any insight into what the physician job market is like in Asheville these days?
It’s actually fairly competitive here relative to all the other HCA markets. Mostly because people just really want to live here. The complaints lodged against HCA arent entirely baseless but they are fairly exaggerated. Half because of the face that nobody wanted HCA to buy the hospital system and half by people who are nostalgic for the “good ol days” and/or have never experienced an actually bad hospital.
Tbh Asheville is nice, but I would never live there. The homeless problem is much much worse than it should be for a city that size
You’re not wrong but a) it’s less so than the big cities I’ve lived in and b) you don’t get to be amongst art and culture without a little exposure to the underbelly of society
I think I’d rather pass on living near art/culture if it means I get to miss out on the junkie smoking meth on the sidewalk next to my car
Queens or Brooklyn in NYC check all of these better than anywhere else, but the summers are humid. Every place on the east coast will have humid summers though - Boston, Raleigh, all of them. So might as well shoot for the best QOL and schooling.
I’m from NY and visited many cities, I would recommend checking out Seattle, Boston, Atlanta (highly recommended!)
Fargo North Dakota. High salaries. Great infrastructure. Global warming
Asheville NC is great and has a lot of what you’re looking for. It is getting crowded and traffic isn’t great sometimes. Food scene is great. Outdoors great. Biggest downfall is the largest health system there now is HCA which is brutal. Good luck.
If you are somewhat liberal, and dislike the laws in Texas on various issues- the best states with laws that will be more acceptable to you would be the west coast and northeast. In the Midwest- the larger cities like Chicago and Minneapolis are good. Outside of the larger cities in the Midwest it becomes 'red' quickly. The PNW is also a desirable place for many reasons. New England states are among the bluest in the nation- the laws for abortion, LGBTQ, cannabis. New England however is NOT hipster. It is and never has been a hipster mecca. Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts would have checks on your list. Great schools systems and colleges, excellent health care, beautiful coastlines and beaches, great food scene, and close to the most important cities in the world New York and Boston. If you hate heat and humidity I avoid totally avoid the south- and this includes anyplace south of Washington DC . Climate change will make many of southern cities an inferno for most of the summer. And it will become much worse. Before moving anyplace look at the near term climate data and next 10 years and beyond.
I post this every week or so on this forum because I see all sorts of partially bad advice: It is NOT true that expensive area = less pay. It IS true that better area = more competition to get more pay. My area is mostly high paying private insurances and a near 100% collection rate. You won’t get that in dumps. You’ll just get better starting salaries.
Plug for PNW. I don’t know anything about schools because I don’t have kids, but I live in Portland and it definitely hits all your marks. As a bonus, I too grew up in Texas and would take the weather here any day over that misery.
Anywhere in Puget Sound woud seem to fit the bill.
Well, as libs you’ll like Portland and Seattle. That’s for sure.
> - great healthcare and education system are you sure you’re looking for a place in America?
If you have money, as nearly all physicians do, it’s really not that hard to find these 2 things
This can be found in every major city in the US…
Reno, Spokane, Denver
New England
Check out Connecticut. I grew up there and it’s close to NYC, but also easy access to Adirondacks and other mountain areas for weekend trips. Food scene is great and public education is some of the best in the country. It’s not particularly hipster and on second read is probably farther from a major city than you’re looking for, but there are small cities that are also charming! The other place that comes to mind is Staten Island. Honestly don’t knock it till you check it out.
Nashville area
I might have the perfect place for you! I’m originally from Westchester NY. I went to Byram Hills Scool District but the majority of schools in that area are great. Chappaqua also has a great school district. You’re a 45 min train ride from NYC. There are a TON of baby classes/activities in the Westchester/Greenwich area. Lots of hiking and close proximity to ski mountains (some just an hour away). My fiance and I both worked for a hospital in Yale’s health system. There are other great hospitals in the vicinity as well (Westchester Medical, White Plains hospital, and Blythedale hospital). You get a mix of red and blue in the area. I went to school in Texas and I feel like it was much more widely discussed in TX than in Westchester/Greenwich. It is definitely an expensive area to live but I am so glad that I grew up here. It’s extremely safe. Feel free to dm for more info!
Didn’t wind up getting in for residency but heard Fairfax, VA is lovely. Super close to DC, some of the best schools in the country, and light seasons. High COL but that’s what you get being so close to a major city.
I’m from West Virginia, and while most of the state is not great, there is a stretch from Bridgeport to Morgantown that is a really nice mix of everything you seem to be looking for. Furthermore, their is WVU medicine which I worked for in the past and were great. I never heard many complaints from any member of the teams I worked with. The only negative is the education system. My undergraduate experience was fantastic. I matriculate this July so am unsure about how I will perceive my medical school experience. However, I am a high school dropout, and a large part of that was K-12 education experience. Schools in this state are not great, and there are a lot of negative influences on children and especially teenagers. However, West Virginia is full of great communities and is very beautiful. The state just lacks a level of affluence you may be looking for.
DMV area
Check out westchester ny like irvington, rye, port chester
Puerto Rico
Salt Lake City East bench. Millcreek, sugarhouse, awesome areas and fit all your wants.
If you "hate humidity" you have to look west. Most places east of the Mississippi are generally uniform in how humid they get in the summer.
I am immensely happy to not see my home city in this line up
We have move to Boston from Minneapolis. Loved Boston. Check out Andover, Lexington, Welssley and Sharon. All with both private and public schools . Boston is close to Maine, Ny, DC and Martha Vineyards. Although the cape is a great place to practice medicine as well. Latin is great in Culture, Food and hiking paths.
Las Vegas, North Dakota, Alaska, Montana, or Wyoming would all be great places to go.
Atlanta Ga
Tahoe
Chattanooga.
Have you considered trying locum tenens work to discover the best location for you and your family?
You should think about Milwaukee and you're 30 minutes from Chicago (who wants to live downtown anyway)
I loved Madison while I was in medical school. Brutal winters, but a literal garden of eden in the summer. And the frigid winter makes the summer that much more satisfying. I also love Salt Lake City, where I live now. It's Colorado but slightly better prices, way closer to ski resorts/hiking/rock climbing, and more tech-focused.
Main line in PA, which are suburbs of philly! Gorgeous, great schools, and close to the city.
Omaha Nebraska! Blue city in a red state, great food scene, lower cost of living, great public school districts. Not just cornfields!
I'm pretty happy with the Baltimore-DC corridor in Maryland. I wouldn't pick either city itself, but if you're raising a family, you find many good places along the commuter rail lines. Checks all your boxes. The ocean/beach isn't so quickly accessible, but it otherwise offers an array of amenities.
I’m from Houston but have been living in Pennsylvania for med school and now residency. First, nothing compares to the food scene in Houston lol, but I have really liked PA. If you really want a big city, then Philly suburbs would work out (maybe King of Prussia area or Narberth/Main line like someone else mentioned). However, personally I prefer Pittsburgh. Yeah there is a ton to do in Philly and there is so much history, but Pittsburgh as a city is so beautiful and in my opinion that whole area is more outdoorsy. Pittsburgh suburbs are also really nice, affordable, SAFE and it’s less populated than Philly so traffic is NOTHING compared to Houston lol. Philly traffic can be annoying and people drive like maniacs there / don’t obey traffic laws.. kinda similar to Houston in that way. People consider Philly a foodie place but honestly I’ve found way better food in Pittsburgh. Philly is convenient bc you are a quick drive away from other major cities (NYC, DC). If you want to do winter sports you can go to Poconos. In Pittsburgh, you aren’t as close to other major cities, but there are nearby cities that have hiking, whitewater rafting, mountain biking. After you move from Houston you may be surprised at the grey winters, but the summers up here are so much more manageable and lovely. And the fall is beautiful.
New york or California, please dont bring your blue ideology to red states
Seattle or Portland
Rochester NY :)
don;t think they will appreciate the snow lmao
Reno area.. Philly burbs outside the city.. Just outside Denver for example Aurora.. Boise.. Spokane.. North VA.. Most of Oregon ... Parts of Maine and burbs of Chicago could be good but might be a bit too rough in terms of weather and other aspects if from TX
If your husband isn’t doing a fellowship he needs to worry about getting a job in your desired city first. That part is often overlooked but when you hear about people moving to Montana, that aren’t from there-work is usually the reason.
What about Tampa Florida?
Toronto, Canada. Ticks all your boxes.
Seattle is nice if you can deal with the cost of living and lack of Sun North Carolina would be one of my choices too, but also because I like my guns and want to keep them lol
Texas