

Ask HN: What are some good small cities in the US? - pbj

Anyone have any suggestions on good small cities in the US? I currently live in a medium sized city in the southeast but would love a change of venue. I'm looking for a town with low crime, progressive politics, reasonably affordable cost of living, and decent nightlife and tech scenes. Some of the places I've been considering are Madison, Boulder, etc, but I'd love to hear of some more suggestions.
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27182818284
Speaking of Austin....

Lincoln, NE

(I know, I know, but give me a chance.)

Home of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln (UNL), it is often referred to as
"the next Austin." It isn't there yet, but it is going there. For instance, it
was recently ranked happiest city according to Gallup's index.
([http://journalstar.com/news/local/lincoln-is-the-happiest-
pl...](http://journalstar.com/news/local/lincoln-is-the-happiest-place-in-the-
u-s/article_33db256b-16d0-50ce-99ec-fbe7fc048ff6.html)) Additionally, the
university recently made a huge land purchase to start "Innovation Campus." A
new arena is being developed which isn't the biggest in the area, but is big
enough to attract the bigger names. Commute times are low, buses are
available, and bike trails are being built all the time because the city is
repurposing old railroad paths as bike trails. With respect to the latter, it
is easily possible to bike from downtown to the city's limits without having
to venture onto main streets (though you'll have to cross a couple in
crosswalks)

With respect to Austin, you get some of the best parts from the proximity of a
nearby university, while getting things Austin can't offer such as a smaller
size, a lower cost of living, etc.

Ten years ago I couldn't haven't recommended it, now I could easily recommend
it. It is on the up and up.

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hkarthik
My vote is Austin, TX.

Crime is low, very affordable, and politics are progressive (but the rest of
the state is staunchly conservative). Nightlife is good, due to the large
University of Texas being nearby and the tech scene is really exploding.
Weather is pretty hot though, so you need to be prepared for that.

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rdouble
Austin isn't small, though. It's got more people than San Francisco.

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cdvonstinkpot
Denver's got a club with a Funktion-One sound system in it- those are the best
sounding you can get on Earth. A very good club scene since before the 90's,
from what I understand- although I haven't been there since 2002. It's a half
hour from Boulder, which I hear has a thriving tech scene. Some VC clubs in
Boulder. The weather's great, sun all the time, & when it snows, it's sunny &
melting the next day or so.

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pukka_my
How small is small? Portland is nice, as is Austin. Boulder and Madison are
both nice but full of hippies. Boston, Pittsburgh and Philly are all pretty
cool if you are thinking mid-Atlantic/northeast; Charleston and Savannah are
great if you want to be further south.

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MatthewPhillips
Well Philly is the #5 biggest city in the U.S., so I'm guessing it's out.

I'd say you have to be less than ~350k to be considered a small city.

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cjbprime
I think you'll find this post interesting:
[http://blog.ometer.com/2011/01/04/asheville-off-the-tech-
hub...](http://blog.ometer.com/2011/01/04/asheville-off-the-tech-hub-grid/)

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brudgers
Huntsville is small, affordable and has a lot of technology companies
associated with defense and aerospace. I don't know about the nightlife.

"Rocket City Rednecks" is not an inaccurate characture.

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johnny22
i didn't even finish your post before suggesting madison in my mind. so one
vote for that. just make sure to consider the winter weather though.

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hiharryhere
Seconded. I was thinking Madison too then saw it in the post. Also its
spitting distance to Chicago so there's a fair bit of tech scene 'bleed over'
from there.

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jaebrown
Ann Arbor, MI

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Mz
For affordable with a tech scene, you need to look at cities in Texas. I knew
someone with a Best Places book and cd who was looking for affordable places
and IT jobs and Texas cities dominated the top ten. Other affordable places
lack IT/tech. Other tech places are expensive. He did not want to go to Texas
so he kept tweaking his criteria but Texas continued to dominate the listings.
This was a few years ago but that is where I would start the search.

Edit: And you can look at info here: <http://www.bestplaces.net/>

