I think you'll probably find smaller cities to be more affordable.
Perhaps places like Sedona or Sante Fe. Sedona is only about 1 hour
drive from Phoenix. It is a city with a high number of artists and
writers. There are acting studios and stages in Sedona as well as
Phoenix but Sedona is primarily known for its large number of art
galleries. It is a tourism hot spot.
Guitartiste wrote:
> Hi. Like others who've posted recently, I'm looking to move to another
> part of the country. Currently I live in Los Angeles but finding it a
> very difficult and unpleasant city to live in for too many reasons to
> even mention here.
>
> Mainly, in spite of a college degree from a top college, I find it to
> be VERY diff to find a job--just any job, even waiting tables is tough
> to find-- while the cost of living is becoming increasingly high in
> proportion to the salaries. Also, there's so much regulation over
> everything, i.e., jaywalking laws, etc., and virtually no communities
> where people of similar interests can meet. Sorry if this offends
> anyone, but there's also virtually no intellectual vibe here. Also,
> you HAVE to have a car here, or else... There's also a lot of
> homelessness and extreme wealth but not much of a middle class, it
> seems to me. My honest impression of Los Angeles is that the city is
> trying to push out low income-middle class people like me and keep the
> city just for the affluent and the big celebrities. Whenever I make
> friends, they end up moving out of LA because they can't afford to live
> here anymore thanks to their employers who want to pay those college
> grads only 8 dollars per hour or not hire them at all because they're
> overqualified or don't speak Spanish...!!! Also I'm finding that the
> stereotype of the flaky, shallow LA native who cares more about your
> looks/connections/ than about who you are as a person to be just
> painfully true. Everyone who stops to talk to me just seems to be
> after something--usually it's either money or . (or both). There's
> just no true friendliness--maybe it's not the city but just the
> entertainment industry within it. I don't know, but A-A-A-A-H-H-H!!!
> I'm just ready to move out...
>
> Sorry again about the vent, but, as you can see, I'm really ready to
> move out of Los Angeles rather than to stay here and just complain.
>
> However, I'm an actor, musician, writer, and artist, so I'm very
> creative and need to live in a city where there is a community of
> artists. Of course, I've heard that Berkeley, CA, San Francisco, CA,
> Purchase, NY, SoHo and Greenwich Village, NY offer such communities,
> but I'm not sure that I'll be able to afford to live in those places,
> and money for me is, unfortunately, an issue.
>
> Here's what I'm looking for in a city:
>
> --large city--pop. of 1 million or more--or adjacent to a large city
> --large number of college grads--intellectual population
> --Most important: large arts community, i.e., actors, musicians,
> writers, artists
> --lots of jobs and very easy to find work even if it's only entry level
> --affordable housing if not in the city, then just outside the city
> within commutable distance
> --cost of living matches the salaries better
> --good public transportation is a plus, though not the most important
> consideration.
> --diversity of people, restaurants, neighborhoods, etc.
>
> Does such a city exist here in the U.S.?
> I really want to live in an environment which attracts a lot of
> artists, filmmakers, actors, writers, musicians, etc. I'm new to this
> web site but I've noticed that people seem to get offended easily.
> Please don't be offended!!! I'm just stating my preferences in a place
> to live. I have a very intellectual side to my personality, and I
> rarely meet people who think about things on a very deep level out here
> in Los Angeles, so I rarely find people I can really talk to.
>
> Any constructive advice would be greatly appreciated!!!
>
> Thanks to everyone who takes the time to respond in a constructive and
> positive way!!!
> |