Off-the-Radar Good Cities to Work From Home 

Especially schools. If you have children you want a great school system. That is where many big cities fail.

Yes that factor is a killer for Gary.

The whole benefit of work from home is that I don’t have to worry about the local job market

@@myname3330 I meant the local job opportunities for my own kids when they hit the teenage years. I'd rather raise my kids somewhere they don't have to move away from.

@@Dave_the_Dave OooOo apologies, that didn’t occur to me. Umm, honestly I’m not sure how much weight you should give that. Keeping kids home pretty much anywhere is a crapshoot. School and job opportunities will send even the most advantaged kids away from a childhood in say…Boston. Best to prioritize your ability to raise a family in a way that makes them comfortable and happy while preparing them to be competitive adults. And of course someplace YOU feel comfortable living out your adulthood. After the kids leave the guppy pool it’s a crapshoot. They’d likely be incentivized to leave or stay by any number of reasons more strongly that the local job market. Especially considering that I’d expect the state of the job market in 10-15 years to be even more flexible than it is currently location wise.

I was about to post this too. Buffalo is actually gaining population at least had since the last census. The city has a lot going for it.

Yeah, there has been a lot of new housing going in, mostly from empty factories and other abandoned buildings. It's growth, albeit slow growth. Go Bills!

Pittsburgh is also

@@inceldestroyer1069 indeed. Cool to see.

Many bangladeshi- descendants moving from NY city to buffalo. I heard whole subset of community grow up.

Yeah I went to live in Ithaca just during the pandemic for working from home. Absolutely awesome!

The only issue with Ithaca for remote work, particularly in the hills surrounding it, is the lousy internet and cell service. Summer is indeed gorgeous, but winters are dark and gloomy.

I came to Central New York for grad school and graduated a few years ago. I still haven't left. It is beautiful up here. Winters are what I call expert only, to steal a skiing term, but the fall colors more than make up for it.

@Erok .. Say “Skaneateles” three times fast. 😁

@@chasbodaniels1744 skinny Atlas, skinny Atlas, skinny Atlas.

Big League sports town too. If only the Pirates could assemble a decent team to play in that beauty of a stadium.

When I was in Costa Rica I met a group of people from Pittsburgh. They were so nice and down to earth! Pittsburgh is definitely one place I intend to visit.

I live in Harrisburg, PA in a historic row house. I find it to be a great place to live.

@@chasbodaniels1744 yup 2013-2015 went by very quickly

If you think people in Pittsburgh are nice, I advise visiting the south and the mid west. I grew up in Pittsburgh and people are not friendly at usually when they are they're trying to get something from you.

👍👍👍

I think you'll have T Mobile home internet there soon and it's a pretty good option if your normal internet providers suck.

Yup that and water shortages. Not sure I'd go for it, even at those prices, really unfortunate, typing this in NorCal

And tweakers

Emphasis on methed out tweakers

Yes, I thought Buffalo really shined in this video about affordable places with upside. I would want nat gas for heat, since it gets cold.

Pittsburgh is a beautiful city, almost too hilly for me

all good but wearing a freaking mask on the train is a no go zone for me

@Dave Hughes .. Sad that you’re such a snowflake about limiting the spread of a life-threatening virus.

Western PA is underrated in terms of natural beauty. I lived in Johnstown for 2 years.

PA is gorgeous. I think a lot of Central PA cities that have somewhat languished over the past 30 or 40 years are going to see growing populations and revitalizations as more people transition to WFH

Welcome, from a native. I hope you enjoy life here.

I was thinking the same: if you have access to reliable high speed internet, and there is little to no need for you to visit you operation’s headquarters, you can live almost anywhere. I’ve always lived in or near large cities - NYC, DC, and Chicago - and have had pretty solid and consistent access to broadband. Are those who live in more rural, remote areas seeing improvement in broadband access? I believe in some iterations of the mythical “infrastructure legislation”, there has been mention of a more robust expansion of the country’s broadband network. If that comes to bear, it could be a real game changer in terms of working-from-home/telecommuting. There’s not a corporation in America (particularly publicly traded ones) that isn’t looking to reduce its commercial real estate needs. Add to that the tax benefits associated with a home office, and the pieces are all in place. It may come to pass that the legacy of COVID-19 is in the way people all over world conduct and structure their business operations. The benefits could be astonishing: more profitable companies, reduced carbon footprint, less congested cities, workers with more free time, etc.

No one ever mentions safety of the roads even though statistically speaking you have the same odds of dying via a firearm (including crime, accidents and suicide) as in a car crash! People seem more afraid of crime than heart disease even though 1/4 Americans die of heart disease, oftentimes suddenly.

@@goober7535 If you're living remotely then road safety isn't a concern. People *should* be more afraid of crime than heart disease, because with a few exceptions, heart disease is entirely the fault of the individual and could be easily controlled. There's not much you as an individual can do about crime, and one of the things that drives fear is a lack of control.

But in a sorta interesting, kinda attractive way...... 👍🏼😎✌🏼

One time on a road trip I peed in an empty gravel lot in the middle of delaware, that's the only notable thing I did there

In northern delaware it seems like the midwest popped in to say hello

Two different Delawares. The one above the C&D canal and the one below it.

One great thing about Delaware is good roads. Most of the state is pretty empty and quiet, once you leave Wilmington.

I was going for places that no one really thinks about, specifically ones currently losing population. Oklahoma's population is growing pretty good and I think OKC is definitely on the radar for a lot of people. But yes, all three of those are relatively inexpensive as well, and I could certainly recommend all three.

I only spent a few hours in Albuquerque but didn't like it. LIked Sandia peak but way too dry and otherwise looked depressed and run down.

Me too. I wouldn't move away even if you gave me a house for free anywhere else.

Lancaster is pretty nice, but it's also been growing quite a bit. I think the cat is out of the bag on that one. Bethlehem could have definitely been on this list though.

Can't have shi in Detroit

Shhhhhh. Let's keep it that way lol

@@gondolagripes1674 Yep! LOL

It is also a good place to get into shape by running away from the roving packs of wolves and rabid bears.

Go WVU Mountaineers!

@@Zed1776 Not gonna lie. I have see a black bear cub on the Mon Rail-Trail once. I gotta right outa there that day.

Yeah that's a big reason why I don't think rural America is going to be big for working from home. I also doubt small towns are going to update their internet speeds to attract WFH city slickers.

@@GeographyKing Wonder what impact Starlink will have if it really gets going

Minneapolis and the surrounding suburbs are inflated!

I dunno. Maryland Gov Schaefer called the Eastern Shore the “sh!thouse side” of Maryland.

Theyre cheap because there isnt shit out there and theyre small. Its not that close to Hampton roads or DC either. 2-3 hrs minimum.

Maryland area sucks I lived there for 17 years

Also if you like to shovel snow it’s an ideal location!

@@steviesevieria1868 It's also good if you don't want to have to worry about hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires, or earthquakes.

The lake’s water quality is that of soup

@@Idahoguy10157 soup at least may be edible. You try to drink that lake water you might die on the spot.

@@thatsounditmakes9177 …. LOL! So I’ve been told before! I’ve never been in the lake. Just near it

You were wise to avoid Okmulgee and their evil-twin rival, Muskogee. Back in the 1980s, a relative of mine lived in Okmulgee for several years, because she had a thing for guys who couldn't rub two nickels together. Even if you could blend in, having to pretend to agree with views you oppose, is a terrible way to live. Some parts of the country are more respectful of political and lifestyle differences than others. There's no need to reside, work, and spend your money in an area where you are hated by a large majority of the other residents.

Yep. Then live somewhere nice, underrated, & not so crowded in South FL from November-April.

@@runswithraptors gtfoh with that lmao. Ny..oof. Just playing around.. no the start of it all..Definitely some rock.

I love Philly. Such an underrated city

Lots of people like cities and don't want to live in the middle of nowhere. Great restaurants, music scenes, shops, better medical care, cultural activities, farmers markets, concerts in the park, etc. Not everyone wants small town drama and gossip or to only be able to eat at that one diner in town. I'm not a big city person but I can understand those that like cities.

I do plan on doing more Canadian content but I really need to see more of the provinces before doing and entire video on a single province. But I do have a cross-Canada road trip planned for the spring. I know that's not very soon, but I may have something up my sleeve regarding somewhere specific in Canada coming soon.

Most rural areas don't have good internet speeds and rural folks aren't likely to support improving it to entice work from home people. Plus a lot of people want to live in cities, work from home or not. Better restaurants and food options, better health care, better shopping, live music and sports, farmers' markets, etc.

Because I love cities and have no desire to live in a small town or out in the country.

Every time I go through Gary I still see some pretty bad shit. It’s a shame what the place has come to

Gary is a pretty scary place to be in. Just driving through made me uneasy.

@@PeakBagger999 when a city looses that much population and that many homes become abandoned, it’s hard for it to look nice. Especially since lost residents means list tax base. The neighborhood around Michael Jackson’s childhood home could use a lot of investment in terms of leveling properties and manicuring subsequent green space. In turning around a city in Gary’s condition visual progress is always going to be slow to see.

Yeah I was gona say Kenosha is a great place to work from home. You can get on the metra to go to Chicago or drive to Milwaukee (you could drive to Chicago too).

Thank you. I should have mentioned that Pittsburgh is currently losing population but has gained since the 2010 census.

Hey!

wait until the boomers head into mass retirement.

I believe the main reason why housing cost keeps increasing is so many people from rural areas moving into urban areas. Something like half of all counties in the US lost population from 2010 to 2020, nearly all of them rural. This is due to young people in rural areas moving to cities for jobs. So despite the declining birthrate, population is still increasing in urban areas due to immigration.

Rich immigrants.

For this video I was looking at places with declining population where you can get a nice house for cheap. Almost all of the sun belt is gaining population and there aren't many cheap places left except for maybe Mississippi and Louisiana. But for a little more expensive I think Tucson, AZ is a good place. Oklahoma City is pretty nice and underrated. A southern version of Buffalo would be Memphis, also underrated. Huntsville, AL is pretty cool too.

Yep, that enclave he pointed out is downwind from not only the steel/oil smells, but also the fermenting corn in Hammond.

Sounds like a new career field a local Par technologist - goes out and administers tests under a Doctors remote orders

Thank you!

I was trying to figure out the significance here.

Three great towns, but PA has too many goofy tax schemes, sorry. 🤷🏻‍♂️✌🏼

@@gus473 Do you mean local taxes being separate from state tax? They're always pretty straightforward. PA taxes are pretty middle of the road, especially compared to most Northeastern states. But if you're used to lower tax rates I cant blame you at all

Not "new" but 'newer" as opposed to homes from mid 20th century, which tend to be the ones that are cheapest in most metros.

Yeah I'd take Kenosha over Gary lmao.

I've got a series of videos coming up about the specifics of urban structure for individual cities. The first one should be up in a couple of weeks-ish.

@@GeographyKing That's amazing, thanks!

@Geography King You should do a trip to like 10 fastest-growing micropolitan areas (or smaller cities) and see which one you like best

@@GeographyKing please study and talk with locals about the history of Brooklyn New York. There are 2.6 million people that live in this part/borough of NYC. I live a few hundred yards from the Brooklyn bridge, on the other side of the bridge landing are DUMBO, and vinegar hill. It is a story of the most expensive neighborhood in NYC next to a huge multi tower public housing complex/area. It’s the sort of place where liberal ideals meet genuine poverty, racial disparities, and everyone’s best wishes for their kids. Segregation in NYC is stark and visible, just walking down the street

Thank you. I rented apartments and houses from ages 19-30. I lived in Los Angeles while in college, but the other places I've lived have all been smaller cities like Chattanooga, Columbia, SC, and Monterey, CA. I've spent a lot of time in Detroit, Orlando, and San Francisco but haven't lived in them for more than a month at a time.

Pittsburgh is very nice in terms of scenery, I found it almost too hilly though. It felt like you had to go over a different little mountain to get to each neighborhood.

When I started looking for places to move to in the west, any forested area was out of the question. Fires are going to be an issue for decades to come. Hence, Flagstaff (where I went to college) was totally out of the question.

@@johnchedsey1306 Flagstaff is really cool and have had their shares of fire. The range isn't that big so hopefully no more is burnt. Loved mtn biking the trails there. Cool town and vibe but very expensive though.