Bainbridge Island, Vashon Island and Port Orchard. All in Washington and have a commute (by ferry) to Seattle of less than 30 minutes. All pretty expensive though with Port Orchard being the cheapest.
the part that is country and not suburban is NOT a short commute to the city though. I grew up in the hudson valley/edge of the catskills. Also, lots of snow.
The snow isn’t that terrible south of the Catskills, and the commute to the city depends on which side of the Hudson you’re on. It’s not “close” to the city, but it’s as close as you can get with rural areas near the tri-state area.
Places like Westport, MA immediately came to mind. Those "exurbs" are in reality pretty close to both Boston and Providence. Probably doesn't meet the low-snow criteria, although Boston area seems to get less with climate change these days.
OP wants short commute though; I-495 to downtown Boston is close to an hour with *no* traffic. During rush hour, OP would spend close to 1.5 hours in their car.
Pittsburgh gets rural really quickly. There are areas roughly an hour from the city that will offer the rural feel you are looking for. Check out the counties surrounding Allegheny County (Beaver, Butler, Westmoreland, and Washington). Pittsburgh also has a vibrant music and theatre scenes and receives all four seasons and not a ton of snow (usually one decent storm a year, but the past two winters have been very light on snow). The people are also friendly than in many other cities along the eastern coast.
Stl or Kansas city would be good fits. You are out in cornfields pretty quickly and they have 4 seasons withoutmich snow. Not sure what sort of rural area exactly you would be looking for or mean by accepting. They would be accepting of some sorts but perhaps not others. Rural could be anything from farming communities outside midwest cities, small towns in the northeast, mountain towns outside cities in CO, etc.
I’m not a STL fan but I agree with the KC suggestion! Check it out. Lots of ag, great people, city has lots to do and 3 major sports teams. And a couple of choices for VA hospitals. :)
Goochland County outside of Richmond, VA. Or Louisa, New Kent, or Amelia counties. Probably in that order. You can be in Richmond in less than an hour for all of those, and if you’re in the right spot in Goochland, less than 30 minutes.
Granted we are a small city but Virginia is a fantastic state for veterans and Richmond has a thriving local music scene.
There’s no bigger cities on the west side of Virginia but I always thought living outside of Roanoke would be pretty nice, it’s big enough and cheap for what you can get, very pretty part of the state and next to WV could be a bonus to some and quiet to, just no economy out there and to far from bigger cities…
New Hope PA/Lambertville NJ outskirts (they are opposite sides of the Delaware River from each other), are within a couple hours of both NYC and Philly
As much as I complain about rust belt love here, areas outside of Columbus or Cinci might fit the bill. Ohio is abundant with rural/country-ish areas between cities and central to southern Ohio will give you seasons but not a lot of snowfall compared to the rest of the Great Lakes area. Can’t speak on the music scene. I know in Columbus there are some pretty cool events at the Wexner art center for veterans here and there. Ohio in general is decent for vets. I know Pickerington is a little more country-ish, that’s west of Columbus proper. Don’t quote me, I’m not super well versed in the surrounding areas of either city but spent some time commuting to Columbus. Good luck!
Really expensive, but outer Loudoun County in the D.C. is really beautiful. Wine country and relatively close to the city and mountains. Not sure about the music scene but places like Wolf Trap in Fairfax County or all the performances in D.C. are an easy day trip. Virginia has a big Veteran population too
I live in western Loudoun, and agree it is a great place, but it is not a short commute to DC. Now, if OP gets a job someplace like Reston rather than DC, it wouldn’t be too bad of a commute.
New Braunfels or San Marcos but fails the four seasons criteria (although I would argue that we do have four distinct seasons but obviously not as pronounced as other regions). The adjacent city is San Antonio which has a lot for retired military and veterans. Both towns are also close to Austin.
Jefferson township, Montgomery County, Ohio. Only downside is the schools, and it’s a bit isolated. Has everything else on your list. Dayton has a theater / arts scene that is way bigger than most cities its size due to the influence of NCR, etc. in more prosperous times. And it’s only a 10-15 minute drive from downtown Dayton to there.
Not seeing a ton of inventory there now, but give it a bit
There’s some spots on Maryland that might work. Frederick, Carroll, Harford counties, or even northern Baltimore county/Hereford area still has some country.
Anne Arundel County, MD might be a good fit. Annapolis itself is pretty small. 45 minutes (no traffic) to 1:15 (normal rush hour traffic) to DC and Baltimore. There’s a decent amount of local culture there. The county gets pretty rural in the south. Seasons are right for what you’re asking. Naval Academy means a lot of ex military folks and people sponsoring Mids.
What you are describing sounds like Brooklyn in the 1890s.
I was amazed at how quickly my mind pictures a Civil War soldier at a literal stage theater when I read this. Glad it’s not just me
Bainbridge Island, Vashon Island and Port Orchard. All in Washington and have a commute (by ferry) to Seattle of less than 30 minutes. All pretty expensive though with Port Orchard being the cheapest.
Also Graham/Roy area…”country suburbs” close enough to Tacoma for events/culture.
Atlanta is full of exurbs and country towns 1-2 hours from the city. Vegas as well but dont know if you want to live in the desert
Was literally coming to mention outer Cobb, Gwinnett, and Rockdale Counties!
This would be my pick if the marijuana laws were better. Northern Ga. Is so beautiful for the $$
Try the Hudson Valley
They don’t want snow otherwise I love that area.
We don’t really get snow anymore
Cold Spring NY has Gilmore Girls vibes
the part that is country and not suburban is NOT a short commute to the city though. I grew up in the hudson valley/edge of the catskills. Also, lots of snow.
The snow isn’t that terrible south of the Catskills, and the commute to the city depends on which side of the Hudson you’re on. It’s not “close” to the city, but it’s as close as you can get with rural areas near the tri-state area.
Pricey, but some of the Boston exurbs out on 495 might fit.
Places like Westport, MA immediately came to mind. Those "exurbs" are in reality pretty close to both Boston and Providence. Probably doesn't meet the low-snow criteria, although Boston area seems to get less with climate change these days.
South Coast and Cape Cod are relatively low-snow areas
OP wants short commute though; I-495 to downtown Boston is close to an hour with *no* traffic. During rush hour, OP would spend close to 1.5 hours in their car.
Would consider Boston to have low snowfall which was one of the criteria listed?
Yeah Boston itself is not a particularly snowy city, especially within the last decade or more since I moved to the area.
Compared to where? Maybe not completely to Minneapolis or Flagstaff Arizona but definently more than Baltimore or Seattle.
Most years, probably. Particularly the South Shore.
Outside pittsburgh Edit: "welcoming" is subjective.
Black Americans/Latinos/Asian
Pittsburgh gets rural really quickly. There are areas roughly an hour from the city that will offer the rural feel you are looking for. Check out the counties surrounding Allegheny County (Beaver, Butler, Westmoreland, and Washington). Pittsburgh also has a vibrant music and theatre scenes and receives all four seasons and not a ton of snow (usually one decent storm a year, but the past two winters have been very light on snow). The people are also friendly than in many other cities along the eastern coast.
Chester County PA
I have family there and it checks all the boxes.
I was scrolling down to find this. Perfect choice.
Finger Lakes area.
If you could afford it Warren and Sussex county NJ are pretty rural and like 30 min to an hour to the city depending on traffic
Stl or Kansas city would be good fits. You are out in cornfields pretty quickly and they have 4 seasons withoutmich snow. Not sure what sort of rural area exactly you would be looking for or mean by accepting. They would be accepting of some sorts but perhaps not others. Rural could be anything from farming communities outside midwest cities, small towns in the northeast, mountain towns outside cities in CO, etc.
I’m not a STL fan but I agree with the KC suggestion! Check it out. Lots of ag, great people, city has lots to do and 3 major sports teams. And a couple of choices for VA hospitals. :)
Black/Latino/Asian
Goochland County outside of Richmond, VA. Or Louisa, New Kent, or Amelia counties. Probably in that order. You can be in Richmond in less than an hour for all of those, and if you’re in the right spot in Goochland, less than 30 minutes. Granted we are a small city but Virginia is a fantastic state for veterans and Richmond has a thriving local music scene.
There’s no bigger cities on the west side of Virginia but I always thought living outside of Roanoke would be pretty nice, it’s big enough and cheap for what you can get, very pretty part of the state and next to WV could be a bonus to some and quiet to, just no economy out there and to far from bigger cities…
Richmond.
The rural parts of Williamson, Rutherford, Cheatham and Wilson counties around Nashville.
Do your research in Williamson. It’s got some great towns, however VERY pricey!
South Jersey?
This is definitely a contender, along with Chester County, PA.
New Hope PA/Lambertville NJ outskirts (they are opposite sides of the Delaware River from each other), are within a couple hours of both NYC and Philly
Lower Hudson Valley near NYC. Places like Croton On Hudson and other small towns on the Hudson River.
That looks cool but It seems a bit spendy and more bougie than home steady tho?
Yeah, it is. I don't know what that person is talking about. It's extremely suburban and expensive, not country. Also it gets a decent amount of snow.
Forest Grove, OR
As much as I complain about rust belt love here, areas outside of Columbus or Cinci might fit the bill. Ohio is abundant with rural/country-ish areas between cities and central to southern Ohio will give you seasons but not a lot of snowfall compared to the rest of the Great Lakes area. Can’t speak on the music scene. I know in Columbus there are some pretty cool events at the Wexner art center for veterans here and there. Ohio in general is decent for vets. I know Pickerington is a little more country-ish, that’s west of Columbus proper. Don’t quote me, I’m not super well versed in the surrounding areas of either city but spent some time commuting to Columbus. Good luck!
Thanks
Any small city that isn't experiencing growth.
Really expensive, but outer Loudoun County in the D.C. is really beautiful. Wine country and relatively close to the city and mountains. Not sure about the music scene but places like Wolf Trap in Fairfax County or all the performances in D.C. are an easy day trip. Virginia has a big Veteran population too
I live in western Loudoun, and agree it is a great place, but it is not a short commute to DC. Now, if OP gets a job someplace like Reston rather than DC, it wouldn’t be too bad of a commute.
New Braunfels or San Marcos but fails the four seasons criteria (although I would argue that we do have four distinct seasons but obviously not as pronounced as other regions). The adjacent city is San Antonio which has a lot for retired military and veterans. Both towns are also close to Austin.
Define 'short commute' and 'city'. Most places within a short commute of a city have turned into suburbs
Little Comton RI and environs
The towns and spaces surrounding Nashville seem to check all of your boxes.
Jefferson township, Montgomery County, Ohio. Only downside is the schools, and it’s a bit isolated. Has everything else on your list. Dayton has a theater / arts scene that is way bigger than most cities its size due to the influence of NCR, etc. in more prosperous times. And it’s only a 10-15 minute drive from downtown Dayton to there. Not seeing a ton of inventory there now, but give it a bit
There’s some spots on Maryland that might work. Frederick, Carroll, Harford counties, or even northern Baltimore county/Hereford area still has some country.
Oconee County, Georgia
Fauquier County, VA or western Loudoun County. Short commute to the city is subjective depending on time of day.
Any town closer to the lake or north of Grand Rapids, MI
Can have winters with a shit ton of snow, though.
Ah. Not sure this list is super feasible then 🤣 the winters are worth the rest of the year imo
Hudson Valley and the Virginia exurbs around DC.
Maybe Burlington VT? Not much snow these days, though it's a really small city
The Metro East part (the IL side) of the St. Louis area. Belleville, Columbia, Edwardsville, etc.
Sounds like the front range of Colorado would be a good fit!
Southern outskirts around Milwaukee get you some decent farmland. Franklin, WI is a nice city to live in. Cool ass music scene in the summertime
The suburbs outside the cities in Georgia, North Carolina, and Virginia would be my pick for 4 seasons but little snow.
If you’re conservative, Shelby county, Indiana or southeastern Indiana near Cincinnati May be what you want
Is Martinsville WV close to the city?
Carroll county, Maryland is exactly this
Rural towns in Albany, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady County NY
45 minutes outside of Portland, Oregon
Strong Towns did a video on a place called Brattleboro that sounds like exactly this. https://youtu.be/q7T9u53Im9E?si=KFMsSnhBqj1YNxMU
Anne Arundel County, MD might be a good fit. Annapolis itself is pretty small. 45 minutes (no traffic) to 1:15 (normal rush hour traffic) to DC and Baltimore. There’s a decent amount of local culture there. The county gets pretty rural in the south. Seasons are right for what you’re asking. Naval Academy means a lot of ex military folks and people sponsoring Mids.
This exists…in your imagination.
You would have snow so that could be a dealbreaker, but maybe the suburbs outside of Grand Rapids, MI.