Originally Posted by bragi
Have you thought about a college town? They're not huge, but still have opportunities for college grads, and they also tend to have public transportation and bike-friendly attitudes. Madison Wisconson, Boulder, CO, Bellingham, WA, and Eugene, OR, all come to mind, but I'm sure there are dozens of others to choose from.
Yeah, I think mid-size cities are probably the best happy-medium. The pace of life is more relaxed and livable, but there are also enough culture attractions so that you have something to do. The major drawback is public transit - all the cities I know of with decent PT are larger cities.
That said, it really depends on what your work and living situation is, and the kind of lifestyle you want. If your residence and work are reasonably close, it's certainly feasible, but it might limit your options. For instance, right now I live in Seattle, but am getting some training that will hopefully lead to more job options...
Right now I'm considering the
Bellingham, WA area. While it's certainly possible to get by without a car, the city has very limited public transit, so it's
very difficult to take advantage of all the outdoor recreational opportunities without a car. There are some opportunities reasonably close, but getting to the north cascades (about 20 miles east of the city) would probably require a car (you could bike, but it would take most of the day, and you'd probably be exhausted by the time you got there).
Then again, you could always rent one...