If you could live anywhere in the USA, where would you live?

As much as I love Oklahoma, it is not very vegan friendly and it is really heavy handed with the religious stuff. I'm wondering where I'd rather live. (especially since I am planning to give notice and quit my job and am not even sure what I'll be doing after that)

I want a vegan friendly area with warm weather (hate the cold) that doesn't have a church (or two or five) on every block.

Does anyone know of such a place?

What would YOU look for if you were going to move somewhere? (overseas is NOT an option...been there done that--my family is here and I want to actually see them now and then)

I personally love Hawaii :)

San Francisco

ditto...

I grew up in San Fran and I miss it so much! There's so much diversity! The weather is warm (miss that so much!) and the area is very vegan friendly.

This probably won't help you much, but here's my two cents.

Anywhere where I wouldn't be land-locked since I love the beach so much, both on and off season.

I'm incredibly flexible.

There's a saying, you can put a junkie anywhere and he'll find the dope.

Well, you can put me anywhere, I'll find the health food stores, the fruit, the culture, the music scene, etc.

That said, I love living in a small town in suburban Central Jersey, for the moment. The people here are soooo nice. We have beautiful parks with deer; grocery stores with organic fruits and vegetables; music venues less than an hour away; the beach, less than a half hour away; lots of yoga studios; not far from a fabulous music store called Vintage Vinyl -- where you can actually get vinyl; lots of car hops; less than 40 minutes from NYC .... nice :)

I also found a hairstylist that is better than anyone I've ever used in more cosmopolitan areas (such as Hoboken and NYC) ...

Suburban small towns are very underrated, I think :)

i really dont think i could live in america. ive spent plenty of tiem there, but more recently have come to almost hate what america is. for example, me and my wife were in yellowstone montana on 9/11. we got stuck in billings for an extra 3 days. we'd sent the hire car back, as we just kept hoping we could get a flight back. there was nothing to do, so we'd watch tv and go to the library. all we heard and saw on tv and read in the papers was how anybody dark skinned was being attacked. it really pissed us off.
the patriotism dispalyed in america scares the shit out of me......anyway, thats anotehr thread.
ok, so, i will answeer the question tho; it would be either portland or seattle, if i had to choose.

Quote:

---

Healthy

That said, I love living in a small town in suburban Central Jersey, for the moment. The people here are soooo nice. We have beautiful parks with deer; grocery stores with organic fruits and vegetables; music venues less than an hour away; the beach, less than a half hour away; lots of yoga studios; not far from a fabulous music store called Vintage Vinyl -- where you can actually get vinyl; lots of car hops; less than 40 minutes from NYC .... nice :)

I also found a hairstylist that is better than anyone I've ever used in more cosmopolitan areas (such as Hoboken and NYC) ...

Suburban small towns are very underrated, I think :)

---

Your town sounds like an awesome place to live :)

In a stationary AMTRAK carriage with no heat/toilets/electricity surrounded by ice and snow. :eek:

No, no, no, no. Sorry, I was having flash-backs. :D

Quote:

---

seitan

the patriotism dispalyed in america scares the shit out of me......anyway, thats anotehr thread.

---

I totally agree with you there seitan, its just a whole different culture/background there , theres also a lot of racial and monetary imbalance as well. But I'd not mind living there as long as I had a nice place .. somewhere 'out of the way', I hate being in a city as I am now and I just love the countryside :) . If you could extend that to Canada I'd go to Nova Scotia as I'm Scottish :D

Quote:

---

Fungus

If you could extend that to Canada I'd go to Nova Scotia as I'm Scottish :D

---

Oh yes, Canada is by far the nicest part of the US.

P.s. This is a joke that many Canadians and Scots will understand. Oh how many times I've heard Scotland described as being in the north of England.... :p

Seattle!

I really do wish I could live there too. Sadly, amongst other issues, immigration laws mean it can never happen. But such a beautiful little city, and surrounded by the likes of Lake Washington, Mount Rainier, and the Puget Sound. It also has a lot of vegan suitable places, including an all-vegan pizza restaurant.

Maybe not the place to go if you want warm weather. It has the same sort of climate as England - ranging from 32° in winter to 80° in summer, more often than not cloudy, and does not rain as much as people think.

Just looked up an old link, and it seems it comes second on PETA's list of most vegetarian friendly cities. First was Portland, which is only a few hours down the I-5 from there. And Vancouver, an even shorter distance in the opposite direction, tops the list for Canada. It must be a vegan utopia around there!

Michael.

Quote:

---

maikeru

Seattle!

I really do wish I could live there too. Sadly, amongst other issues, immigration laws mean it can never happen. But such a beautiful little city, and surrounded by the likes of Lake Washington, Mount Rainier, and the Puget Sound. It also has a lot of vegan suitable places, including an all-vegan pizza restaurant.

---

Hmm....I did'nt find any vegan places to eat while I was there.:confused:

Quote:

---

maikeru

Maybe not the place to go if you want warm weather. It has the same sort of climate as England - ranging from 32° in winter to 80° in summer, more often than not cloudy, and does not rain as much as people think.

---

It was freezing from east to west when I crossed the US. I was glad that Seattle was so mild. We saw a hummingbird on the Winter Solstice.

Quote:

---

maikeru

Vancouver, an even shorter distance in the opposite direction, tops the list for Canada. It must be a vegan utopia around there!

---

Yes...and Toronto is pretty good for veggie/vegan restaurants too. 'Fresh' on Bloor Street is awesome.

Quote:

---

Heartsease

It was freezing from east to west when I crossed the US. I was glad that Seattle was so mild. We saw a hummingbird on the Winter Solstice.

---

Hummingbird's are beautiful aren't they. I've only ever seen one in real life, and I was in awe of it. So little, so fast and so pretty.

That was the most memorable part of our trip to the US I think. That and the firearm incident.

If I could live anywhere in America (forgetting about people I know and stuff) I would pick New York :cool: - obviously you need to leave in the winter, personally I would go to Malaysia when it gets cold.

Yeah ok......I'm strange so maybe ask someone else.:o

(to be honest I have been up all night and almost said Taipei cause thats great for vegans! :rolleyes:)

Quote:

---

Heartsease

That and the firearm incident.

---

Did I miss that story? Do tell! :)

Quote:

---

Heartsease

Hmm....I did'nt find any vegan places to eat while I was there.:confused:

---

In a strange way I am impressed by that. Well done! Although I suppose like many cities the vegan places are not on the main thoroughfares so you need to know in advance where to look.

When I went I took a print out of the Seattle Vegan web site, which is the sort of thing I always do when planning a trip.

Still, at least you have a good reason to go back now.

Michael.

NYC or San Fran

Quote:

---

Roxy

Did I miss that story? Do tell! :)

---

When I say the words 'firearm' incident' that's almost as thrilling as it gets I'm afraid - I'm not very good at telling stories. All I shall say is: "Bullets ought not to be used as fireworks in residential areas", "Stand-off with the police" and "Yes, people really are as silly as they seem in the movies when they stand in the direct line of fire wide-eyed with amazement instead of getting out of the way" (Oh how many times I have called out during a movie "Don't go to see what that noise was for goodness sake!").:rolleyes:

P.s. The police handled it well and no-one was hurt.

Quote:

---

maikeru

In a strange way I am impressed by that. Well done!

---

Why thank-you! :p

Quote:

---

maikeru

When I went I took a print out of the Seattle Vegan web site, which is the sort of thing I always do when planning a trip.

---

What is really impressive is that I managed to find the restaurant in Toronto at all - and how much we ordered when we got there!:eek: The waitress apologized when I requested some 'doggie bags' saying "I should have said something to you but I thought a third person was arriving". :p

It's incredibly easy to be vegan in the Philadelphia area. Alot of churches, but they tend to be the gorgeous kind that add to the architectural decor of the city. I live just outside the center city, and there are a number of vegan restaurants, health stores, Trader Joes, Whole Foods, Food Sources, and...

if you like being busy, there is a TON of ecowork to be done. If you're an activist, Philly is a place that needs you. I've given up my dreams of saving the world - I just want to save a small area of my city.

Quote:

---

seitan

the patriotism dispalyed in america scares the shit out of me......

---

Hahahahahaha...ever live in South Korea? JUST as scary! And they are just as blind to it as the average American.

I agree with a lot of what you said. America is certainly not in my list of top 10 countries in which I'd like to spend the rest of my life. However, this is where the vast majority of my family is (including all of immediate family) and I've already spent nearly 10 years on the opposite side of the world from them. I want to spend time on the same end now...I want to be able to get to know them again, spend time with them....my parents got older (behind my back--how dare they?!) while I was in Korea and since Alzheimer's runs in the family...well, I want to know them NOW and not wait until they don't know me, if that makes any sense.

Portland and Seattle....*sigh* Yep, and Eugene~ I'd love to live in those cities, but I've heard that the job market is really tight. I have a BA in English which qualifies me to do nothing at all and over 10 years experience in a field in which I no longer want to be in. I need to stick to areas that are desperate for people with a pulse. ;)

EDIT: To make things even more difficult (I'm really good at THAT), I greatly prefer rural. As in, fewer than 30,000...which is really quite huge (bigger than my hometown anyway). Of course, that decreases the vegan friendliness, increases the religious fervor, and decreases job possibilities. I should just shoot myself in the foot right now.

Quote:

---

Heartsease

When I say the words 'firearm' incident' that's almost as thrilling as it gets I'm afraid - I'm not very good at telling stories. All I shall say is: "Bullets ought not to be used as fireworks in residential areas", "Stand-off with the police" and "Yes, people really are as silly as they seem in the movies when they stand in the direct line of fire wide-eyed with amazement instead of getting out of the way" (Oh how many times I have called out during a movie "Don't go to see what that noise was for goodness sake!").:rolleyes:

P.s. The police handled it well and no-one was hurt.

---

I'm glad no one was hurt. Next time, leave your gun at home :p;):D

Quote:

---

Klutz

EDIT: To make things even more difficult (I'm really good at THAT), I greatly prefer rural. As in, fewer than 30,000...which is really quite huge (bigger than my hometown anyway). Of course, that decreases the vegan friendliness, increases the religious fervor, and decreases job possibilities. I should just shoot myself in the foot right now.

---

Are you opposed to college towns? Indiana is one of the most conservative states (feels like it, anyway), but Bloomington is such a wonderful, small college town. Very liberal and vegan friendly (at least one all veg restaurant). And rural Indiana is actually quite lovely, IMO (ya know, if there's not a hog farm nearby...). I imagine other small college towns would be like this too.

I'm hoping to move to Portland someday. I really could live anywhere, though, as long as there's one health food store. As far as the south, Austin, TX and here in Lafeyette are good liberal cities in the midst of the opposite, which is really odd for Lafayette since it's like 90% catholic!? As for the church thing, though, you definately wouldn't want to live anywhere in Louisiana. I have two churches on my BLOCK, a block that is composed of 20 houses.

I envy you guys who love where you live.

Not at all? No offense folks but it's not cuz I hate America...it's cuz I hate flying and going to America would mean flying lol.

I don't tend to travel much.........being in the UK......my favourite place is Brighton. Its changing pretty fast like most cities but its luuuuvvvvly.

I have been told Dorset is the next best UK place to check out when I get itchy feet.........I have no idea what the vegan scene is like there so shall have to find out. :)

I don't feel as if I will ever visit the US of A....................funny
Canada looks nice on the brochure.................maybe my brother will buy an apartment there and I will make it one day! :)

Quote:

---

emzy1985

Not at all? No offense folks but it's not cuz I hate America...it's cuz I hate flying and going to America would mean flying lol.

---

I hate flying too, but I would do it again.

The last time I fly, I was stuck in an airport for six hours due to an ice storm. That is what discouraged me more than flying itself.

I HATE going up, but once you're in the air, it's really peaceful and beautiful. Landing is so sweet.

I have nightmares about going up.

Quote:

---

emzy1985

Not at all? No offense folks but it's not cuz I hate America...it's cuz I hate flying and going to America would mean flying lol.

---

I hate flying too and thought I'd never do it. Then I fell in love with a Canadian. ;)

Useful website for people who prefer not to fly for whatever reason:

http://www.seat61.com/

I'd totally live in Portland OR. That place is awesome. Amazing food, good bands, AMAZING coffee.

Haven't been that many other places but we did a 6 week tour last year and Portkland and NY were def my fav spots. So much good food!

The Oregan coast is beautiful too.

Quote:

---

maikeru

Seattle!

I really do wish I could live there too. Sadly, amongst other issues, immigration laws mean it can never happen. But such a beautiful little city, and surrounded by the likes of Lake Washington, Mount Rainier, and the Puget Sound. It also has a lot of vegan suitable places, including an all-vegan pizza restaurant.

Maybe not the place to go if you want warm weather. It has the same sort of climate as England - ranging from 32° in winter to 80° in summer, more often than not cloudy, and does not rain as much as people think.

Just looked up an old link, and it seems it comes second on PETA's list of most vegetarian friendly cities. First was Portland, which is only a few hours down the I-5 from there. And Vancouver, an even shorter distance in the opposite direction, tops the list for Canada. It must be a vegan utopia around there!

Michael.

---

ive slid down mt rainer in the snow :) ive also been to the olympics which were amazing, with their very own rain forrest!

ive also eaten at the all vegan piza place, tho, i wasnt that impressed. its still amazign ti exists and im sure id eat there once a week, but i was expecting better.
also, we bought a shit load of donuts from mighty O's in seattle, there were awesome too :)

Quote:

---

Heartsease

Hmm....I did'nt find any vegan places to eat while I was there.:confused:

---

what???? when my wife first moved to seattle in 1986 there were places that catered for vegans back then!

you obviously didnt do any research before you went there!

Quote:

---

Heartsease

When I say the words 'firearm' incident' that's almost as thrilling as it gets I'm afraid - I'm not very good at telling stories. All I shall say is: "Bullets ought not to be used as fireworks in residential areas", "Stand-off with the police" and "Yes, people really are as silly as they seem in the movies when they stand in the direct line of fire wide-eyed with amazement instead of getting out of the way" (Oh how many times I have called out during a movie "Don't go to see what that noise was for goodness sake!").:rolleyes:

P.s. The police handled it well and no-one was hurt.

---

my firearns story is from memphis. i was hanging out with all vegans, tho, at this particular time, there were only about 10 of us in this house. about 30 kids came round the corner. they wanted to fight the "vay gun" gang, as they called us. anyway, cut a long story short, one of my freinds (an american) got a shotgun out and pointed it at them. i think that was the scariest thing ive experienced, especially when they (who were just redneck kids/jocks) said " if you want guns, we can get guns!".
ironically, it was me who defused the situation but asking the gun holder "dude, what are you doing? dont do anythign crazy." his reply was " well, you better take the gun off me then" so i did.
what an amazing expereince tho ha ha ha

I would not recommend living here - that is, Laramie, Wyoming. This bastion of Republicans, Carnivores, and Mormons is not fit for vegans...

The Pacific Northwest is probably your best bet. I have friends in Washington and family in Oregon, and both areas are lovely and vegan friendly. :)

Quote:

---

seitan

you obviously didnt do any research before you went there!

---

Yes, I know, I know. :o

But it was supposed to be a spontaneous impulsive trip full of adventure and unpredictability.... :rolleyes:

Sometimes I want to move to the US. I would like to live in either San Francisco or Portland. Portland seems like a vegan heaven!

Quote:

---

emzy1985

Not at all? No offense folks but it's not cuz I hate America...it's cuz I hate flying and going to America would mean flying lol.

---

I used to think about trying England, but there is that whole flying issue. :) That is...flying with two dogs and then the inevitable much too long quarantine. They are why I'm stuck in America. I promised them I would not fly them internationally ever again. Probably won't nationally even as I can always drive them even if it takes weeks. (And it would as I obey the speed limit, need frequent breaks, AND get lost easily.)



Everything I've read about Oregon tells me to go up there....everything but one thing: I've heard that there is sn*w. I really hate sn*w. I am assuming that there is even colder weather for a longer period of time and more sn*w than here in Oklahoma. *shudder* There is some of that terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad white stuff out there right now! :mad:

My mother retired to Oregon, after many years in California. When she was doing her research on the place, she found that they get approximately 30 inches of snow a year.

That may sound like a lot, but it's really not too bad. Of course, my view may be skewed - where I live we sometimes get 30 inches of snow in a day...