ProgressiveFarmer.com|Best Places 2007

"1. Charlottesville, VA

Nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, most areas of this idyllic city are accessible by foot or bicycle. Charlottesville enjoys clean air and water, and pleasant weather year-round, highlighted by especially beautiful fall foliage. Nearby Shenandoah National Park offers a wealth of recreation opportunities. Charlottesville is home to the University of Virginia, which strengthens the area's healthy economy by providing steady jobs and a wealth of amenities and entertainment. Homes are not cheap (median home price $225,000), but the cost of living is manageable. The city's low unemployment rate and significant recent job growth promise continued prosperity. As more and more people learn about this year's best city, Charlottesville may find staying affordable and sprawl-free is its greatest challenge! "

Corvallis, OR

Corvallis is home to Oregon State University and hence many young singles. Technology stalwart Hewlett-Packard has a major presence here, which helps explain the city's low unemployment rate and impressive recent job growth. The presence of OSU and HP has created something of an intellectual center-- over 20% of its residents have earned a graduate or professional degree. The fertile Willamette Valley was the destination of 19th-century settlers from the Midwest, and since then has retained a peaceful agrarian feel. Summers are sublime and the winters are mild, if a bit wet. For recreation, the rugged Oregon coast is a 90 minutes to the west, the nearby Cascade range offers great skiing, and Portland is about 100 miles to the North. Considering it's affordability ($194,800 median home price), Corvallis presents an attractive mix of youth, intellectualism, and natural beauty.

PAPILLION:
Median home price (2006): $173,774
Average property taxes (2005): $3,071
Pros: Outdoor recreation, growing local economy

A small suburb about 12 miles from downtown Omaha, Papillion has grown and prospered along with the city, an increasingly important center of finance and insurance. Though Papillion's population is on the rise, its draws remain the same: low crime, good schools and a vast expanse of parkland. Recently, Papillion has spent more than half a million dollars renovating the historic downtown, putting in new sidewalks, faux-antique street lighting and ironwork accents.

[Zepp88]

Both of those towns sound nice. Charlottesville is not too far from where I live...

Originally Posted by Zepp88

Both of those towns sound nice. Charlottesville is not too far from where I live...

Take a drive up there and see if you like it.

[Zepp88]

Originally Posted by Desecrated

Take a drive up there and see if you like it.

Yeah I should. I haven't been to Charlottesville in a long time...

I know that I found a lot of small German towns very pleasant in the way they where built, but that says nothing of the quality of life...

[g3rmanium]

Originally Posted by Zepp88

What places are known for their quality of life? Things like plenty of nicely paying and interesting jobs nearby, without much traffic and hubbub, but with a friendly atmosphere with plenty to do.

Some place with a good music scene.

I was in Strasbourg a couple of times and liked it. The Alsace is nice.

The east of Germany is still cheap, I guess.

Yeah, Munich, hm... There are a bunch of nice spots a little outside of Munich. Dunno.

Hm.

[Zepp88]

Originally Posted by g3rmanium

I was in Strasbourg a couple of times and liked it. The Alsace is nice.

The east of Germany is still cheap, I guess.

Yeah, Munich, hm... There are a bunch of nice spots a little outside of Munich. Dunno.

Hm.

Have you ever been to Prien? I really liked that little town, and Friedrichroda is nice as well.

Trying to stay in the states though....

[TomAwesome]

Originally Posted by Scott

My ex is out west. Thus, it is the fifth circle of hell. And Alberta suffers for it.

Yeah, that's how I feel about Phoenix, AZ...

Originally Posted by Zepp88

If I were to move to a different country I would make a strong effort to speak the native language and use English very sparingly. It's just respectful to the native population.

Good guy! We have a HUGE problem with that here in south Texas. Everywhere I go, everyone is babbling in Spanish. Sometimes it's hard for me to get things done just because the only language I know is my own country's native language. It's sad.

Ålesund does look rather tempting...

[Zepp88]

Originally Posted by TomAwesome

Yeah, that's how I feel about Phoenix, AZ...



Good guy! We have a HUGE problem with that here in south Texas. Everywhere I go, everyone is babbling in Spanish. Sometimes it's hard for me to get things done just because the only language I know is my own country's native language. It's sad.

Ålesund does look rather tempting...

Exactly, I really don't have a problem with native Spanish speakers, but out of respect to the American citizens they should just learn English...it's not much to ask.

Just as if I was to move to Mexico, or Spain, or anywhere else where Spanish is spoken I would learn Spanish. It's just respectful and easier for everyone.

When I was in Germany and at least made the effort to speak German, they were impressed and gracious enough to try to speak what English they knew to help me out.

It's just the polite thing to do...

[TomAwesome]

Exactly. If I was moving to another country, I wouldn't even want to try to get by without knowing the native language. If they're at least trying, I'll give them some slack, but most of them have the attitude that they can waltz in here without knowing a word of English and that everyone will cater to them. What's even more sad is that they're right.