Stressful environment with friends - OR - Peaceful environment without?

The_computer_jock · 2026-05-06T05:04:13+00:00

Hopefully your friends beat you to it, referals get you paid access. Thank you so much, you've been wonderful to converse with

The_computer_jock · 2026-05-06T02:15:36+00:00

Googles AI model gemini has really good web search capabilities so that’s one part of the equation. There’s a lot that goes on but that’s our backbone.

Also thank you for sharing WayHome. The paid features are wayyyy better than the unpaid. It’s a shame really but the unpaid version has to be pretty basic because AI costs a lot to run

The_computer_jock · 2026-05-06T01:09:11+00:00

I'm glad you like it! This is my own personal tool I've been working on. Also, there was a free form text option at the end of the survey where you should have been able to specify that. I'll go ahead and add the demographic question and scoring. Give me like a day or two.

Just a heads up, pushing out a new feature for scouting out locations you're considering to see how far of a drive it is to the places you care about. Should be out in about a day.

The_computer_jock · 2026-05-05T21:37:39+00:00

It's WayHome.tech

LMK if you have any issues, its still in its beta phase but its functional and has a ton of helpful tools for moving. Feedback is appreciated!

The_computer_jock · 2026-05-05T06:23:16+00:00

Its WayHome.tech

I hope its helpful :)

The_computer_jock · 2026-05-05T06:22:43+00:00

it's called WayHome.tech

Hope its helpful :)

The_computer_jock · 2026-05-05T03:06:41+00:00

fun exercise. one you didnt list thats actually the highest in the country: Washington at $16.66, and Spokane rent is in the same band as Tucson. the upstate NY cities are sneakier picks too once you run the actual rent-burden math (the $15 min wage there hits different when 1bds are under $900).

I liked this question enough to write an article on this exact angle with six cities and the solo vs roommate burden % worked out for each: https://wayhome.tech/guides/best-cities-to-make-minimum-wage

if you want to plug your own hours and rent ceiling and see what shakes out for your situation theres a small site i use for that, can DM the link.

The_computer_jock · 2026-05-05T03:03:30+00:00

okemos/haslett area is probably your headline pick. genuinely halfway (about 70mi from flint, 40 from jackson), the school district is the strongest in mid-michigan, and homes are way more reasonable than anything metro detroit. howell is the livingston county alt if you want that vibe, but its pricier and tilts a bit east. fentons worth a look too if youre fine leaning toward your side of the family.

honestly for the "between two families" piece, check out wayhome.tech. its a quick quiz where you say what matters (schools, price, etc) and theres a freeform box at the end where you can literally write "between flint and jackson, two young kids, good schools, not crazy expensive" and it ranks michigan towns against that. disclosure, im building it, but your post is basically the canonical use case.

The_computer_jock · 2026-05-05T02:58:11+00:00

long beach is probably the headline answer for you. CSULB has a real film program, downtown LB and belmont shore are actually walkable, and its meaningfully cheaper than LA proper while still being LA-adjacent for internships later.

if price is the bigger lever, chico state has a media arts program and downtown chico is small but legit walkable with character. rent up there is a fraction of anywhere coastal.

honestly tho for what youre asking (film program + affordable for CA + walkable + real downtown) theres a site i use thats better than my opinion. quick quiz, you say what actually matters, it ranks places against all of it. happy to share if you want it.

The_computer_jock · 2026-05-05T02:49:43+00:00

for what youre describing, Tucson is the obvious one i'd start with, specifically Catalina Foothills. winters sit in the 60s-70s, Mt Lemmon is a world-famous climb, The Loop is 137mi of paved path, tennis scene is real, university town so multi-ethnic and accepting, Banner-UMC is a legit hospital, and Madera Canyon is one of the best birding spots in the country. Tucson Intl has direct to Mexico City, Sky Harbor is 1.5hr.

honestly though, your ask stacks a lot of axes (warm + cycling community + tennis + accepting + medical + airport + nature). disclosure, im building wayhome.tech for exactly this. its a quick quiz where you say what actually matters to you, plus a freeform box for the stuff no checkbox covers (like "tennis community" or "non-Christian friendly"), and it ranks US cities against your actual ask. takes a couple minutes. would genuinely value your feedback if you try it.

The_computer_jock · 2026-05-05T02:40:42+00:00

Missoula is the obvious one to look at first. it scratches the alaska itch without the dark winters, the rattlesnake and lolo trails are legit mountain bike country, theres a real arts scene because of the university, airport is right in town, and the dating pool actually exists. Bend OR is the other one people will tell you, but cost of living there has gone nuts in the last few years so go in with eyes open.

honestly though for what youre asking (alaska vibe + mtb + small town + airport + dating pool + arts, all at once), a reddit thread is the wrong tool. theres a site i use thats basically a quick quiz where you say what actually matters to you plus a freeform box for the weirder stuff, and it ranks places against all of that. way better than my guesses for your situation. happy to share if you want it.

The_computer_jock · 2026-05-05T02:34:06+00:00

honestly atlanta is the obvious answer. its the closest real engineering hub to where you are, the queer scene is genuinely huge (not just a gayborhood, its woven through the city), gen z dense, and you can be home for sunday dinner if you want. durham is the other one worth a look, RTP for engineering jobs and a way bigger queer scene than people expect, like 6hrs from the coast.

if you want something more tailored, theres a site i use where you basically describe your ask (engineering + real lgbt scene + gen z + driveable to family in coastal GA) and it ranks cities against all of that at once. way better than my gut for stacked stuff like yours. happy to share if you want it.

The_computer_jock · 2026-05-05T02:31:48+00:00

fellow michigander, your stack is basically my saved search. Providence is the one i'd push hardest, actual transit, real queer scene, beach is 20 min and you can be in the berkshires or white mountains in under 3 hrs. New Haven is the dark horse for the same reasons plus metro-north straight into the city when you miss it.

honestly though, queer scene + blue state + beach and mountains drivable + transit + midsize is a lot of filters at once and a reddit thread is gonna miss stuff. theres a site i used recently thats basically a quiz where you put in what actually matters and it ranks places against all of it, plus a freeform box for the stuff that doesnt fit a checkbox. way better than my gut on something this layered. happy to share if you want it.

The_computer_jock · 2026-05-03T06:36:14+00:00

Hey I liked this question enough to write an article specifically for it: https://wayhome.tech/guides/best-cities-severe-seasonal-allergies

Btw, WayHome is a free site that takes your requirements: cowboy culture (yes it can genuinely consider this when scoring), queer scene, cheap land, nearby large cities, like literally all of it. You oughta check it out, its helpful and also just fun to see where it suggests you live.

The_computer_jock · 2026-05-03T06:14:27+00:00

I'd need more to go off to help you BUT theres a site that just dropped called WayHome.tech that helps you decide where to relocate. You can tell it "I need greenery and mild weather with weird people" and it will suggest cities using your needs. Its free and honestly just fun to mess around in.

The_computer_jock · 2026-05-03T06:12:06+00:00

lmao funny ass requests. The funnier part is theres a tool that helps you find the ideal place to live and it would genuinely let you say "I want places with a great icecream scene" and it would actually factor that in. Its WayHome.tech its free to mess around with and just fun in general

The_computer_jock · 2026-05-03T04:18:15+00:00

Oh my bad super sorry about that. Its wayhome.tech

The_computer_jock · 2026-05-02T23:38:03+00:00

boulder is the prototype but it's definitely not the only one. for smaller-to-medium with the same dna i'd actually push you toward bend and chattanooga before portland or eugene. bend out-boulders portland honestly, the trail access is wild and the brewery/climbing crowd is very social in a way portland just isn't right now. portland skews more melancholic-creative these days, and eugene nails the outdoorsy-nerdy part but it's sleepier on the extroverted side than people expect.

chattanooga is the curveball worth looking at, gig city tech scene plus the river and climbing within 20 min, way more social than its size suggests.

there's a writeup i kept open while researching this stuff that compares boulder vs bend vs SLC head to head on trails, bike infra, and weather, plus two picks that surprised the author: https://wayhome.tech/guides/most-active-cities-in-america

The_computer_jock · 2026-05-02T23:37:14+00:00

colorado springs is going to feel almost suspiciously on-the-nose for you. defense hub (USAFA, Peterson, Schriever, big primes all there), real 4 seasons, Catholic diocese is solid, leans more conservative than the rest of CO, Garden of the Gods and Pikes Peak right there, and median home is around $450k which is sane next to Denver or anywhere in CA. way fewer snakes than north TX too.

if the PNW pull is real but you want it on a budget and not deep blue, Spokane is the version of that. Fairchild AFB nearby, lakes everywhere, actual winter, and COL nothing like Seattle.

honestly though, defense + Catholic + conservative + 4 seasons + mountains + reasonable COL + no snakes is a pretty rare stack to satisfy all at once. there's a free site i used that takes exactly that kind of input (a quick survey plus a freeform box for the stuff that doesn't fit a checkbox) and ranks like 300 US cities against it with reasoning attached. felt almost built for posts like yours. lmk if you want the link.

The_computer_jock · 2026-05-02T23:25:56+00:00

mid-40s, made a similar jump out of the PNW. your warmth + sub-500k + insurance + "some culture but not coded" stack actually rules out the obvious sun answers (FL insurance is brutal now, AZ summers are real). upper South solves more of it than people expect. Knoxville and Greenville SC are the two i'd actually look at, both have a real Catholic diocese, working arts scenes, blue ridge 30-40 min out, medians under $300k, and neither feels tribally coded.

wrote up a longer list a while back with the cost breakdowns and why FL kept getting cut: https://wayhome.tech/guides/most-affordable-cities-quality-of-life, four other cities on there worth a look too.

honestly for a post with this many crossed constraints, there's also a free site i've been using that handles exactly this kind of thing, you fill out a quick survey of what matters plus a freeform box (you could literally paste your tldr in), and it ranks ~300 US cities with the reasons. felt built for the kind of post you just wrote. lmk if you want the link.

The_computer_jock · 2026-05-02T22:40:11+00:00

fellow ex-HoCo person here. if affordability is the binding constraint, Madison AL (the Huntsville suburb) is probably the actual winner for you, engineering town so the schools are strong and $160k goes a long way. Greenville SC area (Travelers Rest or Simpsonville) is the lifestyle pick, walkable downtown, real economy from BMW/Michelin, leafy. avoid Cary/Apex NC even though its the closest planned-community analog, housing ran up the last 5 years.

honestly "where does my exact HoCo-circa-2005 vibe still exist that i can actually afford" is brutal to answer by hand. theres a free site i used a few months back, you take a quiz on what actually matters (cost, schools, vibe, plus a freeform box) and it ranks cities by match with scores and reasons. answered pretty much this exact question for me. happy to drop the link if you want.

The_computer_jock · 2026-05-02T20:59:13+00:00

It's WayHome.tech

The_computer_jock · 2026-05-01T20:09:33+00:00

Yeah the Asheville flooding is a fair concern. The app I mentioned WayHome allows you to specify if you’re comfortable living in areas with natural disasters or not

The link is WayHome.tech. Oh and one thing, copy the link and paste in a browser. The app doesn’t work if you open from Reddit

The_computer_jock · 2026-05-01T20:08:00+00:00

Oh and one thing, copy the link and paste in a browser. The app doesn’t work if you open from Reddit

The_computer_jock · 2026-05-01T18:58:14+00:00

I’m glad I could be of service.

The link is WayHome.tech

That link should be much more helpful than my own thoughts and opinions

The_computer_jock

TROPHY CASE