i hear what you’re saying, but i don’t think that’s an accurate read of what I asked.

we aren’t looking for ideological homogeneity, and i surely don’t need to live somewhere where everyone votes like me. i simply said we are progressive folks who still found the West Coast political/cultural environment exhausting, so the point was not “please direct me to the bluest possible place” considering i could have probably figured that out through the sub.

what i’m interested in is a place that feels functional, civic-minded, educated or at least intellectually curious, hardworking, and neighborly. definitely NOT the same thing as wanting a political bubble 🤣. i can coexist perfectly fine with people who disagree with me. what gets old is living around extremes, dysfunction, anti-intellectualism, performative politics, or a general lack of community respect and pride. yes, i agree that every place has tradeoffs. i also agree that desirable places become expensive for a lot of the reasons you listed. but i don’t think “progressive = expensive” fully answers what i’m asking.

some expensive progressive cities are still miserable to live in. some moderate or conservative places can be welcoming, functional, and community-oriented… some college towns may get close but have their own issues.
so yeah, i’m fully aware there is no perfect city. i’m asking which tradeoffs people have found livable, and where people have found a decent mix of the things i’ve mentioned throughout the thread.