[TechBro8615]

I've learned that I prefer mini-metro areas with population on the order of 250k people... you get most of the upsides of a city without many of the downsides, while also retaining advantages of smaller areas like more green spaces and lower cost of living.

[vikingerik]

Yup, that's the sweet spot. Richmond VA is a great example of such a mid sized city - housing is affordable, traffic is manageable, and it's big enough to have things to do and find like-minded hobbyists.

[actionablefiber]

DC is it for me. I don't want to own a car or drive, I want to ride a bike or take the train everywhere I go, and DC has the infrastructure to support that lifestyle.

[drewg123]

The downside of Richmond is that you get to add an extra ~2 hours to most trips to the west coast. Either by the need to change planes in ATL/CLT/ORD/etc, or by having to drive to DCA/IAD to take a direct flight.

[robszumski]

RIC is getting more direct flights as volume picks up. Breeze flies to SFO direct, but its not super regular and apparently they cancel them last minute (yikes!).

[drewg123]

I've been trying to take them for the last 6mo or so, but their schedule never lines up with when I need to be somewhere.

[spicyusername]

But you have much shorter trips to the east coast...

[brianwawok]

That is where I moved to Chicago from ;)

I can do most things I want to do. My max drive is like 15 minutes.

And if I need Chicago for like their airport.. meh, 2 hour drive. About the same as my old 7 mile subway ride while I lived in the city.

[lawkwok]

I visited Boise and i realized that about myself too. I prefer all the amenities and infrastructure of a walkable city that is not too crowded.