Just a couple more thoughts about places mentioned–Atlanta is definitely a good place for LGBTQ folks, especially of color, but you really have to be okay with the amount of sprawl, which is really out of control. Asheville is a very pretty town, and it is small–small, but with a cultural/arts scene more like that of a larger city. Chapel Hill and the surrounding area is also very pretty, in a different way. I was fine being an out lesbian in New Orleans, but it wasn’t very easy being progressive there. The south, in general, is a very complex place, and I think if you’re from somewhere else, it can take a good while to adapt.

Good luck to everyone looking for a place to be happy and safe, and thanks again for the blog.

I’m really trying to contemplate whether or not it’s worth experience life on the West Coast, not just due to cost issues, but the homeless issues plaguing the West…. Those two factors alone are gonna take some getting used to if I do choose to relocate.

Even with a roommate, it isn’t worth being crammed in a studio or 1 bdrm at monthly rent prices starting near $2000. And the site you referred me to wants to take monthly fees out on top of it, just to search for apts. I’ve already found on my own. Talk about a rip off, lol!

Thank you for your your help though Jazmenha, I truly appreciate it. But I may have to search throughout the Central parts of Cali for rent that equals to what I’m used to here in Staten Island.

I’ll just make due with traveling to the shore on my days off is all.

Sasha- This is a wonderful topic for a post- “best places…” people have been adding so many resources since you started the topic going. Terrific resource. Unfort I don’t live in any of the posted listed throughout anymore (since I just moved far from/out of SF recently), but this gives me lots of terrific vacation location ideas. Sasha, you write so many posts about topics that people add comments to years later. So impressive. Again, more proof that Sasha’s the best blogger ever. Jaz

When I go online, the apartments I see listed for rent are ALWAYS California’s most EXPENSIVE, RIDICULOUSLY OVERPRICED apartments they showcase, and when the rent seems reasonable, it is in the ghetto?

That’s why I questioned as to whether NYC is really more expensive than SoCal. Since I live in NYC, I know it well enough to know where to look and how to get a reasonable lease.

Which brings me to this; If you still live in Cali., don’t be as depressed as you are, especially if you’re driving distance from SF.

When I make the move, I don’t care if I have to move deeper inland to get a better cost of living. I can always drive to the coast on a day off a few times per month, no biggie See, am I making it all better for you yet?

I will keep that in mind about Laguna.

From what I hear, NYC is more expensive than LA (not sure how true that is, never been there), but I’m willing to give it a shot and see how I like it.

If it’s too pretentious to where someone femme and thin framed like me feels it’s a bit much, I will definitely get going elsewhere (I’m a true New Yorker, so my persona is nothing comaprable to LA); But passing up the experience of SoCal for a short while would be ridiculous. It’s too tempting when you’ve only heard of a cities within SoCal, .

I wanna settle in a place like Portland….. But not before I have fun in the sun and sand, as well as the oppty to date a “different animal” so to speak.

Well, at least you have a home now, and just think, if you were still in SF (which I’d never consider moving to being that there isn’t a large lesbian populous btw), you wouldn’t have the means to get out and enjoy yourself anyway, which is why you had to move to begin with Hope that eases your frustration a bit!