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Located right on the west edge of the largest wine region outside of California. We have beaches at Presque Isle State Park and are two hours from Cleveland, Buffalo, and Pittsburgh.
COL is very cheap here and the city is pretty left-leaning.
Columbia, MO. It is just over 100K in population but to be honest it feels like a much smaller city. With 3 colleges it is a very liberal city halfway between liberal STL and KC. I would not let the red state status scare you. There's a heathy progressive attitude in the I-70 corridor and Colombia especially, and it is very affordable.
Springfield is a good one. The entire Connecticut Valley from Northampton to New Haven fits the bill
I don't know if the OP knows that Springfield is actually over 100,000. So, that may disqualify it, as well as New Haven. However, I'm not sure how strict they are in terms of the population criteria.
Chapel Hill, NC, home to UNC is a liberal town. It is not 100,000, but is close to Raleigh and Durham.
Chapel Hill is nice but doesn't seem like a fit for the OP's budget as it's nowhere close to the $100/sq. ft. housing costs the OP was asking for. Not even for a fixer upper or a townhome/condo.
I don't know if the OP knows that Springfield is actually over 100,000. So, that may disqualify it, as well as New Haven. However, I'm not sure how strict they are in terms of the population criteria.
They listed Spfld. I mean it’s 150k I doubt that’s a deal breaker-if it is that’s kinda silly
Springfield, MA is about as far from Burlington as you can get culturally speaking in the Northeast. It's a semi-dead downtown area surrounded by low-income black/Latino neighborhoods. The white areas on the outskirts of Springfield and in suburbia are conservative by New England standards as well. If you were open to Springfield, you might as well consider somewhere like Providence which is a bit bigger and actually has some nicer urban amenities and neighborhood's.
I honestly think you would have a hard time finding what you are looking for anywhere in the Northeast. Maybe somewhere in the Hudson Valley? Kingston? Troy?
A smaller city in the Midwest is a better bet though. Somewhere like LaCrosse, WI, Duluth, MN, Grand Rapids, MI, etc. College towns might work as well (Athens, OH, Bloomington IN, Lawrence KS, etc) though college towns do not tend to have cheap apartments.
Springfield, MA is about as far from Burlington as you can get culturally speaking in the Northeast. It's a semi-dead downtown area surrounded by low-income black/Latino neighborhoods. The white areas on the outskirts of Springfield and in suburbia are conservative by New England standards as well. If you were open to Springfield, you might as well consider somewhere like Providence which is a bit bigger and actually has some nicer urban amenities and neighborhood's.
I honestly think you would have a hard time finding what you are looking for anywhere in the Northeast. Maybe somewhere in the Hudson Valley? Kingston? Troy?
A smaller city in the Midwest is a better bet though. Somewhere like LaCrosse, WI, Duluth, MN, Grand Rapids, MI, etc. College towns might work as well (Athens, OH, Bloomington IN, Lawrence KS, etc) though college towns do not tend to have cheap apartments.
Actually, I don’t it would be an issue in the Northeast. It just means you are likely looking further inland. Meaning, neighborhoods like Syracuse’s Westcott/University area of its East Side(city similar population as Springfield), Harrisburg’s Uptown and vicinity, perhaps the West Side of Ithaca, Geneva NY(around Downtown/South Main Street), Schenectady’s Union Street corridor, etc.
Also, do those Midwestern areas have a reputation for having a similar vibe as Burlington? Grand Rapids, which is essentially a city of 200,000 has a pretty conservative reputation(likely not completely warranted though). I will say from personal experience, the East Side of Lansing MI(it is a little over 100k) and maybe select nearby parts of East Lansing would work. Ypsilanti MI, which is next to Ann Arbor would work(look near Eastern Michigan U. and Depot Town). Perhaps a place like Oberlin OH or Yellow Springs OH outside of Dayton may be a couple of options in that state.
I'd say to look into cities in that range in the Interior Northeast or the Midwest. If you like Burlington, why not look across Lake Champlain to Plattsburgh NY? It is smaller, but there is a ferry that goes from Plattsburgh to VT and the city once had an openly gay, Republican mayor in the recent past. It is also closer to Montreal, fi you want to cross the border once it opens back up again(about an hour away, just have your enhanced driver's license or passport ready).
Just to stay with NY, Oneonta, a small "city" of 14,000 with 2 colleges and Utica, a quite culturally diverse city of about 60,000 known for its pretty big refugee population are good and affordable options. Utica-Rome is the most affordable metro area in NY State. Binghamton, a city of about 45,000 that is also pretty culturally diverse and some of the towns outside of Ithaca like Dryden, Trumansburg, Groton, Newfield, etc. may also work. All of these places are within an hour or so drive from mountains(Adirondacks, Catskills and/or Poconos) and plenty of lakes. Same in regards to a local arts scene.
In terms of Utica, I'd personally go with South Utica around Genesee Street, Downtown(inc. the Baggs Square District), which has seen some development.
For Binghamton, I'd say the West Side(south of Main Street), Downtown or the South Side(especially the the western half closer to Vestal).
There are others, but hopefully others will chime in with cities from other states.
As you'll notice, some of the Northeastern and Midwestern areas mentioned are high on the list. This includes Binghamton, which is the highest ranked city/area on the list mentioned in this thread.
https://www.realtor.com/realestatean...,-75.913625,15 (as mentioned above, essentially the portion of the city south of Main Street and also across the Susquehanna River into the western 2/3rds of the South Side)
That puts you in between Downtown and Binghamton University in nearby Vestal.
It is a city with its own orchestra, opera, some art studios/galleries, a few museums and more. If you are into sports at all, it offers Division 1 sporting events(Patriot League), as well as minor league hockey(AHL) and baseball(Eastern League). So, for a metro of about 250,000 or so, it offers quite a bit for its size.
Last edited by ckhthankgod; 11-22-2020 at 01:15 PM..
As you'll notice, some of the Northeastern and Midwestern areas mentioned are high on the list. This includes Binghamton, which is the highest ranked city/area on the list mentioned in this thread.
https://www.realtor.com/realestatean...,-75.913625,15 (as mentioned above, essentially the portion of the city south of Main Street and also across the Susquehanna River into the western 2/3rds of the South Side)
That puts you in between Downtown and Binghamton University in nearby Vestal.
It is a city with its own orchestra, opera, some art studios/galleries, a few museums and more. If you are into sports at all, it offers Division 1 sporting events(America East), as well as minor league hockey(AHL) and baseball(Eastern League). So, for a metro of about 250,000 or so, it offers quite a bit for its size.
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