Chicago: decent public transit. Not cheap by midwest standards but not ny/california expensive either
Minneapolis/St Paul: Mid transit, very good for biking, cheaper than chicago
Pittsburgh also probably should be on your list to look into
this guy is kind of annoying but he digs into the data: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ppGPCavru9s
I found a YouTube link in your comment. Here are links to the same video on alternative frontends that protect your privacy:
PDX has real good public transit and a studio runs about $1000/mo. Like most big cities it's mostly libs surrounded by rural chuds, but there are also lots of commies and anarchists here. It's expensive like most cities, but there are jobs here - a lot of my job is just helping people get employed. Min wage is like $16, but I see lots of entry level jobs closer to the $20 range.
Also maybe the best city in the US to be trans.
But also, I work with so many people who moved here without a plan and ended up homeless, so please do your research.
I think Chicago is the last city with real robust public transit where rent doesn't cost $2k/mo.
I live in the West Coast, and the only cities you could get by without a car are probably sf and Seattle, but both are cost prohibitive
Portland and LA are good, too, as long as you live and work near transit
Baltimore.
Its a seriously underrated city. Great art scene. Great music scene. Beautiful architecture. Loveable weird people. You can live without a car. Still affordable.
Agree with folks about Chicago. One of two cities with a good transit system and cost of living can be made much lower than in New York.
I think milwaukee transit is pretty bad but its cool in some ways. proximity to chicago is neat. wisconsin is pretty republican tho so not good on womens or lgbt rights on the state level
yeah milwaukee to chicago is 90 mins by train and it runs a bunch of times per day. very reasonable
Milwaukee's transit is bad, even if it's better than the national average. If you're a drinker, prepare to Uber, since the lines are reduced or stop early some nights. Many parts are walkable. I want to say bikable, but the drivers got way more aggressive after Covid. Also account for some the most obscene levels of segregation, with the quality of the lead pipes being tied to those poorer zip codes.
Some good aspects are the water itself is great (one of the largest sources of fresh water anywhere), some fun festivals, a great music scene, and okayish rents.
I can't tell how things will look in a while, since it's a swing state and the people leaving seems to equal to the people moving here. The socialist scene is at least kicking off there, especially considering Milwaukee's socialist history. Madison supposedly has some good public transport, but the city itself is a bit far off compared to how Milwaukee is closer to cities like Chicago.
Yeah. There's of course the standard gentrification and the decades of redlining through both government and mafia actions. It's kind of crazy how there's points where if you walk 10 blocks in the wrong direction, you can from ritzy stuff to getting mugged. Granted, it really just requires awareness of your surroundings and finding that sweet spot on properties where it's kinda meh, but not openly dangerous in the morning. The poorer neighborhoods also deal with some corroded lead pipes and a higher police presence in sections, creating a self-perpetuating cycle until enough business pops off in the adjoining areas. Sorry if I'm less than coherent on this.
I'm curious about which U.S. cities have decent or good public transport. So far, I only know about New York and Seattle. Not trying to take over the conversation, just genuinely interested.
You know, one reason why I've never seriously considered living in the USA (aside from other issues like healthcare) is how car-focused a lot of cities seem to be. There are plenty of countries with solid public transportation, but the US just seems to suck in that department. Im sure other Hexbears have more valuable input on that front.
Obviously, I'd never even think about the USA if I wasn't well-off.
yeah, you are either very poor or looked at as crazy if you dont have a personal automobile in the majority of american cities. and even the poor might be catching a ride with other people, the transit is that bad/nonexistent
Moving out there in a few months. RTA isn't bad, and rent is still ok compared to other cities around.
I'd like to know if such a place exists as well. Philadelphia and Chicago might work, but it depends on what work you can get.
If I was single, I would have moved back to Chicago already. Where I'm at now sucks shit.
Long Beach ive been living without a car for a while despite being in the LA metro area. Its big enough to have big city stuff, small enough to have a local community and close enough to LA to fuck off there and do big city stuff.
Its the cheapest beach city in LA County and I can get to my job in DTLA in 30 min with one train ride and a 15 min walk.
Not offhand, unfortunately. Our PSL branch does solid work but their internal stuff is a mess.
Yeah, I don't have much good to say about PSL here. Both another user here and I individually wasted about a year of our time trying to become official members, but nothing came of it
