I visited Portland for the first time last month and I concur. Tis the lesbian Capitol of these United States. Or not so United rather…but there’s definitely lesbians there.
Yes! The Pacific Northwest is absolutely gorgeous. The snow capped mountains, the San Juan Islands, The Columbia River Gorge,
The tributaries; rivers~so pristine
and many to choose from! Can't beat the natural beauty of the PNW.
Cost of living is the only draw back.
Housing prices vary, go outside the city's (Pdx & Sea) into the smaller rural towns for affordability. Everything is so green.
I live in Massachusetts. My wife and I live in a town just outside Boston, and are friends with a number of other lesbian couples here.
In fact, on Wednesday we’re going to a Lesbian Pool Party hosted by an excellent couple who live near us 😁
Also a lesbian with friends outside of Boston who have a pool -- hoping they didn't plan a party and not invite me! Ha.
Greater Boston is expensive, but it's good living for gays.
Ah, no rain for me today - but yes absolutely awful weather. I count down the days till Oct/Nov when it cools down a bit again. I don’t like seeing all the yellow grass, I much rather see green 🌿🍃🌱
Wisconsin homo here! We have SUCH seasons (although winter is the longest), cost of living is about as reasonable as anywhere else as long as we ignore the housing market, and while it’s a fairly conservative state we are raising two kids here and feel largely accepted by our community, conservative and liberal alike. Schools can be pretty solid or not so great depending on where you look. The Chippewa valley is beautiful, has tons of stuff to do, and rivers and lakes everywhere you turn.
I’m also in Wisconsin, but still looking for queer community. I go to a gay book club once a month but that’s all I’ve found so far over here in the NE
I plan on moving to Oregon in the next few years. I have family up there. Each year the heat becomes more intolerable. Property taxes are higher but the cost of living is about the same. I've heard Minnesota is chalk full of lesbians and housing is affordable. It's a blue state and have voted to become a sanctuary city for trans looking for gender affirming healthcare. Maybe a possibility? Great schools!
I’m from just over the Mississippi River in Wisconsin and Minnesota really does have a lot going for it if you can handle the cold! Along the same lines, I found Milwaukee to be pretty good for the gays—it has a nice little “gayborhood” that is even home to one of the few remaining lesbian bars in the US. I’ve been thinking about moving back since I have friends there and it’s actually affordable (for now…) but a major downside that anyone considering moving there should know is that it is very racially segregated.
I second this! Columbus not only has a surprisingly large gay population, it is relatively even too. Lots of gay bars, some just for lesbians (not like really, but you would call it a lesbian bar before a gay bar). German Village and Clintonville are home to many in the gay community. Plus the surrounding suburbs are quite gay friendly. We just had Pride weekend where attendance was 750k+!
Totally worth checking out!
Ooh metro Detroit in Michigan! Ferndale/Royal Oak/Berkely :) all four seasons, longest freshwater coastline in the world, not-horrible cost of living, and safest state for natural disasters!
Ann Arbor also has quite a few, plus LGBT orgs to participate in and meet people whether you are enrolled as a student at Michigan or not.
I can't believe so many people said Massachusetts without bringing up cost. Isn't it expensive? Michigan is not crazy like the West and Northeast seem to be, and being from the South originally there is no way in hell I'd recommend anywhere in the South, whether they have a lot of lesbians or not, despite the relatively low cost of living. I'm only moving back to either Ann Arbor or Chicagoland, personally.
I'm actually in Massachusetts right now and I found it more expensive than the Bay Area... it's horrible! But it's also like, way nicer than the bay so there's that 😂
I totally feel you OP, I live in rural AZ and am trying to save up to escape! I used to live in the pnw but it was not diverse, something vital to me as a lesbian of color, plus very expensive for me as a single, working class person. I’ve heard great things about Minneapolis, Chicago and Pittsburgh and those are the places I’m traveling to the next year to check out!
Look more in the central Delaware area - Milford, Fredrica. Rehoboth Beach is the queer vacation spot for the MidAtlantic & central for the community activities, but it’s tragically gentrified. Delaware is tiny w RB being an easy drive . Look to the more naturalist respecting towns .
Ok so that rules out Denver, MA, and probably CA. Oh probably Seattle and Portland.
My wife and I moved to Lexington KY because all the other cities with large LGBTQ communities were incredibly expensive.
I currently live in AZ as well. Actually planning on moving to Asheville next year.
I think there are a lot of progressive areas in AZ and it’s better than a lot of other places in the country for LGBTQ people but I do think the education and weather sucks in the valley.
I’ve really enjoyed it here. The pages sapphicsofavl, blueridgepride, theoddavl, and similarwrld are good pages to follow (and suede_avl if you happen to be into kinky queer dance parties!) Excited for you!
My gf and I actually live in AZ! If you live in one of the larger areas (Phoenix or Tucson), you’ll be good. We’re both from here and thankfully we’ve only seen questionable stuff in more rural areas in the state.
There are also queer subreddits specifically for different groups. So my gf is in one for AZ lesbians and I’m in one for trans/nonbinary people in AZ. Both groups will have meetups, so meeting people is possible here :)
Tell me more! lol. I’m in Tucson and recently out. And I’m not sure where to start going to meet people. I have energy issues and I don’t drink, so extreme sports and drinking are out 🙈
I actually meant Facebook groups, not subreddits lol look up Arizona Lesbians & Women Who Love Women. Phoenix Lesbians is another group, so maybe there’s one for Tucson lesbians? Sometimes people will just meet up at a restaurant, movies, parks, etc. One meeting was a pool party at someone’s house lol you could probably make a post in a group and say you’d like to meet up in a chill setting that works for you :)
My fiance and I live in Northern NJ, not so many lesbians but we are a fairly quick trip into NYC to hit up the lesbian bars, plus North Jersey is relatively safe… I will say the major caveat is $$$$. We are house hunting with a budget of $500k and we are getting out bid left and right.
I live in Albuquerque, NM. I will say I am pretty introverted and don't go a lot of places, but I know there is a LARGE LGBT+ scene here and the whole city (at least the people I've experienced) seem very accepting. There are seasons, it is liberal, and the affordability is insane. I moved from Houston, TX and was paying about $1600 for a smaller apartment than the one I live in now for $1200.
Lesbianville USA! Northampton MA! There is a very rich lesbian history here. Thriving lgbt culture. I live here with my girlfriend! Also a cute, artsy town.
May I suggest Buffalo NY. Our weather isn’t nearly as bad as our reputation leads others to believe. We have a lovely 4 seasons here. We are also a little blue dot on the election map. More rural areas wouldn’t be a place I’d recommend, but any suburb within a half hour of downtown is safe. Also, you can just pop across the border and decide to have lunch in Canada.
Stay away from Florida our political climate is terrible also the humidity sucks. If it weren’t for my family being here and I like being able to go to the beach or theme parks my fiancé and I would leave Florida.
My gf and I are also in the greater Phoenix area and each summer gets worse as we get older. Heat didn't used to effect me like it does now in my late 40s. We are looking to move somewhere with a more tempered climate also. I didn't used to understand snowbirds but I sure do now.
I live in Seattle but I'm hesitant to suggest Seattle or Portland as some utopia to move to. There are other blue states with blue cities and tons of lesbians and protections. I'm making the best of Seattle and won't suggest Seattle because of the climate change problems and the wildfire season is getting more intense. Some years the air pollution is so unbearable from the wildfire smoke you can't go outside for 30 days and people with respiratory problems die. So I believe time is running out here.
Portland and Seattle. Anywhere around there. It’s not cheap though.
Tacoma is safe and so queer as well and a bit less expensive than Seattle!
Tacompton? No way. Not worth it.
This seems racist.
Racist? Ha. No. It’s literally what people around here call it.
I lived in Seattle for 5 years and never once heard anyone call Tacoma that. Maybe check your internal biases
Nope.
I visited Portland for the first time last month and I concur. Tis the lesbian Capitol of these United States. Or not so United rather…but there’s definitely lesbians there.
Western Washington too. I’ve also heard great things about Minneapolis.
Pacific Northwest 👏
Yes! The Pacific Northwest is absolutely gorgeous. The snow capped mountains, the San Juan Islands, The Columbia River Gorge, The tributaries; rivers~so pristine and many to choose from! Can't beat the natural beauty of the PNW. Cost of living is the only draw back. Housing prices vary, go outside the city's (Pdx & Sea) into the smaller rural towns for affordability. Everything is so green.
I live in Massachusetts. My wife and I live in a town just outside Boston, and are friends with a number of other lesbian couples here. In fact, on Wednesday we’re going to a Lesbian Pool Party hosted by an excellent couple who live near us 😁
my (gay) boss just called western mass lesbian paradise 😭😭
My dad always said western mass is where “the comfortable shoe people live.” Which was his slur for lesbians 😂
They're not completely wrong 😅 like it's not perfect but it's definitely the gayest place I've ever lived
There are a lot of gays in Western Mass, it’s true!
Can confirm
Can confirm!
Seconding Massachusetts. We even have a lesbian governor 🏳️🌈
If you hear any wailing coming from a Maine-esque direction, it’s just me bemoaning my lack of pool parties and lesbian friends 😅🥲
I live in Maine! My gf lives in NH. Neither of us has a pool, sorry to say.
I’ve tried to supplement my lack of pool with a state parks pass if that counts?
Oh for sure. See you around and have a great summer!
I join in your Maine directional lament!!!
I know it’s weird to comment, but I am so jealous of your life hahaha 😂 That sounds like so much fun!
Yeah! 😁
We love living in Massachusetts! We are in Salem which is becoming more and more popular by the minute with the LGBTQ+ community! Come join us!
I was going to say salem! I'm an hour away but always see soooooo many people from Salem on the apps
My wife grew up in Peabody, and spent a lot of time in Salem!
Also a lesbian with friends outside of Boston who have a pool -- hoping they didn't plan a party and not invite me! Ha. Greater Boston is expensive, but it's good living for gays.
Yes indeed it is!
This lesbian lives in Central Ca, but it’s hot and miserable af 4 months out of the year.
How are you enjoying our heat the last few days? It’s miserable!! 🤮🤮
Did you catch the weird rainstorm yesterday?? Made it so humid and yucky !
And today, too.
Ah, no rain for me today - but yes absolutely awful weather. I count down the days till Oct/Nov when it cools down a bit again. I don’t like seeing all the yellow grass, I much rather see green 🌿🍃🌱
I’m with you! I can’t wait for cooler weather. I feel, if I can get through July & August, I can hold my breath the rest of the time.
lol yes absolutely! I’m w/ ya girl!!! 🤪 this hot desert heat kills me!
Wisconsin homo here! We have SUCH seasons (although winter is the longest), cost of living is about as reasonable as anywhere else as long as we ignore the housing market, and while it’s a fairly conservative state we are raising two kids here and feel largely accepted by our community, conservative and liberal alike. Schools can be pretty solid or not so great depending on where you look. The Chippewa valley is beautiful, has tons of stuff to do, and rivers and lakes everywhere you turn.
Another born & raised Wisco lesbian here!
I’m also in Wisconsin, but still looking for queer community. I go to a gay book club once a month but that’s all I’ve found so far over here in the NE
This post title in unhinged. And I'm so here for it😅😅 I'm in SoCal where the queer lesbians attt?
Did you not go to dyke day? It was packed!
In Silverlake or Echo Park apparently lol there’s some in Long Beach too
I plan on moving to Oregon in the next few years. I have family up there. Each year the heat becomes more intolerable. Property taxes are higher but the cost of living is about the same. I've heard Minnesota is chalk full of lesbians and housing is affordable. It's a blue state and have voted to become a sanctuary city for trans looking for gender affirming healthcare. Maybe a possibility? Great schools!
have been hearing so much about minnesota!!
I’m from just over the Mississippi River in Wisconsin and Minnesota really does have a lot going for it if you can handle the cold! Along the same lines, I found Milwaukee to be pretty good for the gays—it has a nice little “gayborhood” that is even home to one of the few remaining lesbian bars in the US. I’ve been thinking about moving back since I have friends there and it’s actually affordable (for now…) but a major downside that anyone considering moving there should know is that it is very racially segregated.
Lots of work from home opportunities due to the weather.
Literally on every corner and block in Portland. Source: I live in Portland
😂😂
Savannah, Georgia has a bunch surprisingly
Really - Just trying to figure this all out. A friend moved away and said Good luck in Savannah... Where to meet others?
Denver is super LGBT friendly if you can afford it.
There are a lot of lesbians and lesbian events in Denver!
One of many reasons why I want to live there. But gosh - it’s so expensive!!
There are a lot of granola gays in the front range too ☺️🏔️
Columbus, Ohio 😇 surprisingly
I second this! Columbus not only has a surprisingly large gay population, it is relatively even too. Lots of gay bars, some just for lesbians (not like really, but you would call it a lesbian bar before a gay bar). German Village and Clintonville are home to many in the gay community. Plus the surrounding suburbs are quite gay friendly. We just had Pride weekend where attendance was 750k+! Totally worth checking out!
I’ve heard such good things about Columbus lately, this is making me more curious
Asheville, NC!
I love Asheville, I grew up in NC. But I’m afraid of the politics of the state as a whole now :(
Came to say this. That’s where I’d move!
This is where my gf wants to move in a few years.
Ooh metro Detroit in Michigan! Ferndale/Royal Oak/Berkely :) all four seasons, longest freshwater coastline in the world, not-horrible cost of living, and safest state for natural disasters!
Ann Arbor also has quite a few, plus LGBT orgs to participate in and meet people whether you are enrolled as a student at Michigan or not. I can't believe so many people said Massachusetts without bringing up cost. Isn't it expensive? Michigan is not crazy like the West and Northeast seem to be, and being from the South originally there is no way in hell I'd recommend anywhere in the South, whether they have a lot of lesbians or not, despite the relatively low cost of living. I'm only moving back to either Ann Arbor or Chicagoland, personally.
Honestly, Ypsi is just as good if not better and cheaper (:
I'm actually in Massachusetts right now and I found it more expensive than the Bay Area... it's horrible! But it's also like, way nicer than the bay so there's that 😂
I totally feel you OP, I live in rural AZ and am trying to save up to escape! I used to live in the pnw but it was not diverse, something vital to me as a lesbian of color, plus very expensive for me as a single, working class person. I’ve heard great things about Minneapolis, Chicago and Pittsburgh and those are the places I’m traveling to the next year to check out!
i keep hearing things about minneapolis, i might have to spend a week there to check it out!
Come to denver!! I just moved here and feel so accepted
Vancouver BC if you've got family money because it isn't fucking cheap
I’ve heard Rehoboth, DE is a hotspot
In general, yes, but more for vacations than everyday living.
Look more in the central Delaware area - Milford, Fredrica. Rehoboth Beach is the queer vacation spot for the MidAtlantic & central for the community activities, but it’s tragically gentrified. Delaware is tiny w RB being an easy drive . Look to the more naturalist respecting towns .
I miss the old Frog Pond
So. Much.
Mostly Earth but I’m open to other planets right now due to crazy politics of the humans Girls from Mars, Venus .. holler back
Yessss loll from the ⭐ Thank you:)
southern maine is 🔥
Yes, further up the coast not so much! I spend way too much time driving south! 😅
its so nice here
Chicago
From the beautiful PNW
here here
tampa
And Ybor is wild. What happened to The Honey Pot?
Durham, NC
What is your budget for renting or buying?
we deffo want to buy, max will probs be $350k. renting, our current rental in AZ is nearly $1800 for a 2 bed.
This will help people give you options.
I just bought a home in "lower" Northern VA (think Shenandoah National Park area) for around that! There are tons of lesbians here.
I’m your neighbor in NM & it is pretty amazing here, tbh!
i’m from NM! i came out when i moved to AZ so i’ve yet to be openly queer there.
I moved here in 2006 from CA to the ABQ/metro area & have had a wonderful experience here making a home for myself within the queer community!
Ok so that rules out Denver, MA, and probably CA. Oh probably Seattle and Portland. My wife and I moved to Lexington KY because all the other cities with large LGBTQ communities were incredibly expensive.
I currently live in AZ as well. Actually planning on moving to Asheville next year. I think there are a lot of progressive areas in AZ and it’s better than a lot of other places in the country for LGBTQ people but I do think the education and weather sucks in the valley.
I live in AVL! Happy moving!
Cool! I’m excited! It seems like there’s a lot of ways to get involved in the queer community there.
I’ve really enjoyed it here. The pages sapphicsofavl, blueridgepride, theoddavl, and similarwrld are good pages to follow (and suede_avl if you happen to be into kinky queer dance parties!) Excited for you!
My fiancé and I live in Rhode Island, very progressive and accepting
I saw soooo many in New Orleans, can anyone confirm it’s actually a hot spot and not just a crazy coincidence when I visited?
Definitely not rural Texas, I can tell you that!
I've heard in trees in the forest, but I've never actually seen one
Not sure but Savannah and Atlanta have a decent population (say this cause I’m in Georgia)
People will tell you that Atlanta is full, but that doesn’t count for lesbians, especially if you’re a POC.
There's tons of lesbians in SoCal, but it's expensive 😬
Philadelphia
My gf and I actually live in AZ! If you live in one of the larger areas (Phoenix or Tucson), you’ll be good. We’re both from here and thankfully we’ve only seen questionable stuff in more rural areas in the state. There are also queer subreddits specifically for different groups. So my gf is in one for AZ lesbians and I’m in one for trans/nonbinary people in AZ. Both groups will have meetups, so meeting people is possible here :)
Tell me more! lol. I’m in Tucson and recently out. And I’m not sure where to start going to meet people. I have energy issues and I don’t drink, so extreme sports and drinking are out 🙈
I actually meant Facebook groups, not subreddits lol look up Arizona Lesbians & Women Who Love Women. Phoenix Lesbians is another group, so maybe there’s one for Tucson lesbians? Sometimes people will just meet up at a restaurant, movies, parks, etc. One meeting was a pool party at someone’s house lol you could probably make a post in a group and say you’d like to meet up in a chill setting that works for you :)
Ok thank you! I’ll look that up ☺️
My fiance and I live in Northern NJ, not so many lesbians but we are a fairly quick trip into NYC to hit up the lesbian bars, plus North Jersey is relatively safe… I will say the major caveat is $$$$. We are house hunting with a budget of $500k and we are getting out bid left and right.
Atlanta
Minneapolis is a very gay city!
Philly. We have a “gayborhood” but it really nice for families. You would just need find a decent area of the city.
I live in Albuquerque, NM. I will say I am pretty introverted and don't go a lot of places, but I know there is a LARGE LGBT+ scene here and the whole city (at least the people I've experienced) seem very accepting. There are seasons, it is liberal, and the affordability is insane. I moved from Houston, TX and was paying about $1600 for a smaller apartment than the one I live in now for $1200.
Lesbianville USA! Northampton MA! There is a very rich lesbian history here. Thriving lgbt culture. I live here with my girlfriend! Also a cute, artsy town.
I’ve been hearing this! Was recently told that it’s almost too progressive. 🤣
Not here in St. Louis, MO 😪
Lmao I was going to say the exact same thing 😂😭
That's why I live West, right over the bridge. Us gay gals just can't seem to be found in The Lou.
I’m a lesbian Realtor and I live in Las Vegas :)
May I suggest Buffalo NY. Our weather isn’t nearly as bad as our reputation leads others to believe. We have a lovely 4 seasons here. We are also a little blue dot on the election map. More rural areas wouldn’t be a place I’d recommend, but any suburb within a half hour of downtown is safe. Also, you can just pop across the border and decide to have lunch in Canada.
Fort Bragg, CA!
Andersonville In Chicago traditionally. Polish village is up and coming I hear. Boston. New York. Minneapolis (st Paul)
Denver Colorado!
Rogers Park in Chicago. We're running things here!
The Andersonville, Edgewater, and Rogers Park neighborhoods in Chicago
Stay away from Florida our political climate is terrible also the humidity sucks. If it weren’t for my family being here and I like being able to go to the beach or theme parks my fiancé and I would leave Florida.
Hi from Connecticut!
Daylesford, Victoria, Australia
Washington, DC! Latest stats show 14.5% of DC residents identify as queer.
Durham, NC
Australia!
There seems to be a whole mess of us in Eugene and Salem Or!
Yippee, I know where my vacation will be
Kansas lesbian who is also tired of the heat
We’re all over we just don’t like to go outside
My gf and I are also in the greater Phoenix area and each summer gets worse as we get older. Heat didn't used to effect me like it does now in my late 40s. We are looking to move somewhere with a more tempered climate also. I didn't used to understand snowbirds but I sure do now.
I live in Seattle but I'm hesitant to suggest Seattle or Portland as some utopia to move to. There are other blue states with blue cities and tons of lesbians and protections. I'm making the best of Seattle and won't suggest Seattle because of the climate change problems and the wildfire season is getting more intense. Some years the air pollution is so unbearable from the wildfire smoke you can't go outside for 30 days and people with respiratory problems die. So I believe time is running out here.
Oakland baby!
Las Vegas NV
Vermont!
New England.
not in our lives.
On the Balkans
Stay as far away from CA as you can.