I spent most of my life in California, fell in love with the PNW, and am not very much enjoying the Southeast where I am now. I want to get back into TV/Film type work, love rain, and will take snow over humidity any day. Been looking into upstate NY, Grand Rapids, PA, and CO.

I don't really know a lot about some of the spots you mentioned, but as someone who has moved from California to Upstate NY, I recommend not doing it . We moved back to CA after 4 years. I like anywhere on the PNW personally. I grew up in upstate NY and I'm not a fan.

Upstate NY has good and bad parts. It really is entirely dependent on what part you live in. I grew up and owned a house smack dab in the middle of the state, however lived in Albany and fucking LOVED it.

Come to meeeeee

Parts of SoCal where I lived the longest and grew up were ok, but I don't miss the cost of living, climate, terrain. I wasn't very happy in the Bay Area or Mojave. Absolutely loved Tacoma and Olympia, WA, but cost of living while starting completely over makes it tougher to get back

apple_dismantled: I was looking at Albany and Rochester. What did you love about it?

GretchenVonFetch: right away ❤

MouseMimistrobell: Yeah, PNW is my favorite so far, but I'm HOPING to find something similar in ways but easier to get my footing with a total restart from nothing

Violetile: Albany has REALLY good public transportation routes and they maintain stuff well. There's also TONS of places to work/etc. The area I lived/live in is called Menands. It's a bit of an outskirt mostly inhabited by people who live in the apartment complexes there and work in the city proper.

There's some other nice areas too near it like Troy which has hipster like areas and a really bustling city center/etc.

The hudson valley in general has some really really nice areas and I honestly have been debating selling my house and moving there full time.

However if you want more Small-Town ish, the Central NY area has a lot of really nice places and towns. It just really really really suggest looking up actual reviews for the areas/businesses/etc. Because what I think is great might be what other people trash. And vice versa.

Would HIGHLY suggest NOT moving to Buffalo or Rochester tho.

Both of those have some absolutely horrendous crime rates and as someone who lived part time in bigger cities before I settled down and bought a house, even I get REAL nervous going there for anything.

The crux of it is, any place you move will have downsides and you just gotta figure out what ones you are willing to deal with. And always remember that one persons experience isn't indicative of it as a whole.

I am sufficiently chastised for daring to mention that I don't like upstate ny, thank you.

MouseMimistrobell: Hahaha, nahhh, you are well in your right! I'm curious what part broke you tho! LOL

I grew up in upstate ny, went to high school in Oswego, NY. We moved back (syracuse area) when I was an adult, and it was a huge culture shock after living in CA for so long, and we just hated it. Oh and the winters broke us completely!

apple_dismantled: Ty for all the info. Very helpful!

MouseMimistrobell: Really good to know. I've had enough culture shock with my last relocation to desire nooo more of it. Especially helpful because I had Syracuse recommended to me earlier today

MouseMimistrobell: Oh yhea, Oswego and Syr are deff little hell holes of fuckery. LOL