ERE City (US)

[Jean]

what about houghton, Michigan?

https://www.zillow.com/houghton-mi/

ok, it's kind of cold in winter, but not that much.
There are otherwise all the amenities people asked for. It's as climate change proof as can be, prices are within range.

[jacob]

ok, it's kind of cold in winter, but not that much.

I'm personally willing to consider the upper midwest, but as far as I'm interpreting the surveys, -10C/10F is cold enough to lose half of the interest. As for the UP itself, it's really in the BFE... a 5 hour drive away from any kind of civilization, basically land's end. I'd prefer Greenbay, WI ... or perhaps MI close to Canada.

[7Wannabe5]

@jean:

I lived in Houghton for 2 years. It is quite cold, very snowy, very isolated, and full of young male engineering students. I would suggest Alpena, MI as similar in terms of access to natural beauty, but more generally appealing.

[Bicycle7]

I've never been to/through Madras even though I've lived in Oregon my entire life!

I really appreciate the access to nature/wide open space and lower housing prices in Madras, I forget that towns in Oregon can be cheaper than the 2 places I've mostly lived, Eugene and Ashland (average houses sell above $500k).

I think somewhere like Madras would be no for me, on like others said, the lack of different scenes. I do consider ERE city in and of itself a scene but would want more than that. Also, I'm very much interested in being able to find a variety of work where I live next, I could see that as being difficult in Madras.

Either way, I see myself living in Oregon in the future and so would definitely be a regular visitor of ERE city if it was somewhere in Oregon!

[Slevin]

The decently big cities in Oregon that aren't Portland all are viable around the 300k mark, while also being places in their own right. Eugene is basically correct for everything. Insane nature, a sizeable enough population to have anything going, can find rents as low as $500 for a 1bd/ 1ba, and is one of the best cycling towns in the US. Obvs skews high on the price side (there is a bunch of stuff around 300k, but they might be bad neighborhoods, idk, not a local), but the value for the price is insane in basically all the metrics we are measuring. It has been on my list of places to potentially live for a very long time.

In terms of other downsides, its a little low on the sunshine meter. Also has a pretty high population of homeless people (but I'm pretty certain that's the whole west coast these days).

IIRC there's actually a few people from Eugene on the forum (don't remember who, so not sure if they are still active)

[Jean]

A return ticket to houghton from basel only cost 500.- it doesn't seem to be very isolated. Also, it is big enough to qualify as civilization.
Also, engineering student aren't fierce competitors when it comes to mating for heterosexual males But they are a good demographics for any ERE 2.0 project.

The Michigan-Huron lake is some kind of dirty backwater when compared to lake Superior, That's why I'm insisting a little bit.

[jacob]

Eugene is basically correct for everything.

It's on my short-list of [future] proposals. Originally (2011ish), I considered it too expensive and was actually looking at Veneta (to the west)(looks expensive now). Also Corvallis to the north (JD Roth of Get Rich Slowly moved there a couple of years ago). Right now Eugene somewhat fits within the desired price range. Some local neighborhood knowledge would be helpful if anyone knows or have suggestions for which parts of Eugene to concentrate on. Also, maybe, Salem?

PS: I went to an ERE meetup in Eugene in 2011 or so. I met JD.

[Slevin]

Also, maybe, Salem?

PS: I went to an ERE meetup in Eugene in 2011 or so. I met JD.

What was your opinion on Eugene? I'm meaning to visit it sometime this year now that its a car / train trip away.

Also, I had a decently long convo with someone recently who grew up in Salem. She said that it was kinda just like a chill place without much going on, but over the past few years had ended up moving towards just becoming a commuter suburb of Portland, where people will just buy the houses for sleeping, and commute into the city every day. Meaning it has potential to grow into its own thing, but as of now kind of empties out during the daytime into a bit of a shell commuter city / suburb. This is all second hand info obvs.

[jacob]

What was your opinion on Eugene? I'm meaning to visit it sometime this year now that its a car / train trip away.

I don't really have one as far as the city [of Eugene] is concerned. We spent a week in OR camping and checking out various addresses to buy our next home in 2011 before transferring to Chicago. We just drove to the meetup and didn't spend much time in Eugene since it was out of our price range at the time (we were at 125k max back then). A lot of the farming areas reminded me of rural Denmark. Not the huge corn field labyrinths of the Midwest. More 1-10 acres fields with natural breaks. Bikeable rather than truckable. Summertime was nice. You could run and ride a bike in the countryside w/o being concerned about getting run over by a local driving a Fnord 7.0L Thunderstroke.

[chenda]

There's a big neo-pagan scene in Eugene. Some say the area is spiritually charged. Sarah Kate Istra Winter lives there. Which to me would be a bonus.

[AlpineTR]

Eugene is probably far enough inland to avoid the worst of the long-overdue earthquake/tsunami predicted in the Cascadia subduction zone:

https://www.noaa.gov/jetstream/tsunamis ... uction-zon
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015 ... ly-big-one

[Seppia]

FYI first link is incorrect, missing an "e" at the end. Corrected here:

https://www.noaa.gov/jetstream/tsunamis ... ction-zone

[berrytwo]

Highly recommend Eugene! Eugene has a lot of ERE adjacent people as well as a lot of Permaculture projects. It is the cheapest medium size town in the Willamette valley (or maybe Salam is, but Eugene has way better interesting stuff/ people.) I would say the most interesting neighborhood is the river road area that has a lot of really good soil, along an amazing bike path to get into town, and is slightly cheaper than in-town Eugene. There are already a lot of backyard permaculture projects happening there. In some parts of River Road, it is not counted in Eugene taxes so be aware you would pay less, but also not get a library card. West (not to be confused with Western) has small cute properties that are in a bike-able and closer in, but smaller lots. Bethel is the cheapest but I would avoid it. There is the worst bike infrastructure and not the best vibes.

I am actually just about to transition out of living in Eugene for at least a couple years, but especially if ERE city was starting I would seriously think about moving back. I'm happy to answer any other questions about it!

[jacob]

I'm happy to answer any other questions about it!

Could you go on zillow or redfin and post links to 4-5 homes (houses, apartments, townhouses, farms?) around the 150-300k range in the neighborhood you recommend so we can get an idea?

Add: Turn it into a summary like the one for Madras, OR. Then we can eventually make a list of the different sites. I think it will be easier to understand people's desires when there's something concrete to contrast and compare. In particular, it'll show the compromises that likely need to be made, e.g. pick any two but only two of (conveninent, nature, inexpensive).

[Seppia]

@jacob would it be useful to provide “ere city” candidates for other areas as well?
Ie for Europe I think I have a good option in Italy but don’t want to derail

[jacob]

@jacob would it be useful to provide “ere city” candidates for other areas as well?

Yes!

And I'd suggest following my Madras, OR format, so we have some way to reference and compare candidates. This means providing a bunch of real estate listings in the suggested neighborhood and summarizing what the area offers. It's best if we have all that in a single post. Otherwise, the info tends to get lost downthread. Here are the surveyed preferences.

[7Wannabe5]

I think a link to an events calendar for each locale might also be useful in terms of determining “vibe.”

[jacob]

I think a link to an events calendar for each locale might also be useful in terms of determining “vibe.”

Alternatively, someone familiar with the local area. I'll update "Chicagoland" following the format and adding the vibe.

[jacob]

Suggestion: Cicero/Berwyn area of Chicagoland.

This is a low-urban area of 1-2 story single residences with a few apartment complexes sprinkled in between. It is still close enough to Chicago to commute to via car or subway w/o being unaffordable. Home prices are around 200-250k. Rents are around $800-$1000.

The climate is continental. Hot and humid in the summer and down to bitterly cold in the winter (although climate change is changing that, very little snow this year). Although that's not super-comfortable for hewmons, it IS rather bioproductive. You can grow food in your backyard w/o having to water too much. Natural disaster risk is low.

Local (walkable!) shops include supermarkets, banks, bakers, dentists, family doctors, lawyers, plumbers, barbershops, gambling dens, funeral homes, and a couple of mom&pop supermarkets. You can live your entire life within a 2 mile radius without resorting to cars. Walkability scores at 70+ but bike at your own risk. RE taxes are high (2-3% of value each year, UGH!). Nearest airports are Midway (10 minute drive, 60 minute walk) and O'Hare Int (45 min drive, uber discounts, or an hour on the subway/bus). Consumer price levels are ~US average. Politics is predominantly blue and not in your face---sign posting is down to half a house per block.

Here's a selection of housing:
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/6544 ... 6837_zpid/
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/3309 ... 7587_zpid/
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/7804 ... 3669_zpid/
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/3311 ... 7623_zpid/
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/3529 ... 1228_zpid/
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/4012 ... 8941_zpid/

It's almost all 1000-1500sqft brick houses on 0.125acre lots (25x125ft). Mostly built between 1935 and 1965. Solid stuff, but likely requires maintenance.

There's no alt-scene as far as I know. Cicero has a ton of festivals celebrating various ancient immigrant nations for 3 seasons of the year. 4th of July is a weeklong noise bombardment. There are several tiny parks here and there mostly in the shape of a playground+random sport (swimming, basketball, baseball, music venue, tennis, icehockey). Main pick-up sports (free, just show up at the relevant park) are soccer and basketball and you can likely find a game on a daily basis for 8-9 months per year if you want. The closest thing to "nature" is various "nature walks" such at the 20M Salt Creek trail: Think bike path with enough trees to pretend to be surrounded by forest while still realizing you're in a small wildlife corridor. You might see a deer. If you like being on the water, there's Lake Michigan. If you like fishing, there are plenty of lakes.

Berwyn is more upscale and from my perspective more boring. It's as close to suburbia w/o being quite suburbia yet. Cicero still has the city-feel. It is also a very good place to be a senior (lots of freebies). The place is safe. No worries about walking around outside after dark as a lone female.

[berrytwo]

Suggestion: Eugene, OR (putting all in the ERE city format, some repeats from prior posts)

Eugene is a small city (population 170k) in the Southern Willamette Valley. It has an alternative culture vibes in several respects.

Permaculture, cycling, spirituality and diy find thriving enclaves here.

Eugene is bordered by pleasant hills and pastoral land to the south, some of the best road cycling in the PNW, and a broad agricultural valley to the north. Eugene has some of the highest pollen counts in the world, this could be a consideration with someone with allergies.

Eugene has plenty of natural area and parks. There is a River path bicycle network (the main artery/highway of bike infrastructure in Eugene/Springfield), it has 5 bike/pedestrian bridges over the Willamette River.

To get a non-tear down, the prices are more of a 300k-350k range. The houses I picked below reflect that.

Zillow:

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/125- ... 2579_zpid/ (My Fav!!!) This is one of the best neighborhoods in Eugene. Honestly I would buy this house if I was in the spot to do so. Even has a tiny house in the back for ERE's to live in the back or ERE HQ!!! The street has bike sharrows and traffic calming, bike score 100.

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/65-N ... 7458_zpid/ In trendy neighborhood, that is walkable to extended River side bike path along the river. Needs some remodeling probably (I don't like carpet).


https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/2381 ... 8617_zpid/ This one is in less ideal location, but not terrible. Near community Zen Temple and can bike into town. I imagine there will be more lower priced house in the future near here, which is a plus.