PALM SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA

Palm Springs is a desert city in Southern California that attracts individuals from all around the globe. Many residents first come to Palm Springs on vacation and then fall in love with the casual lifestyle and warm winters. Some live here part of the year, but others enjoy it for a year around living, even throughout the summers. For those wondering what it is like to really live in Palm Springs, here are a few things you might want to consider.

1. Comparatively speaking, Palm Springs is less expensive than many other popular cities. For what you are getting — a big city in a warm-weather climate, with a high quality of life — Palm Springs offers more living for less. Palm Springs is still in California, of course, where average living costs are higher than they might be in other similar-sized cities in, say, the Midwest, but the cost of living in Palm Springs is definitely less than areas like New York or Boston — and about 8 percent less than the California average. Downside: You will still require a car to live in Palm Springs. Though there is a fantastic bus-transport system, Palm Springs doesn’t have light rail or metro trains, and the Coachella Valley is sprawling. Downside: Air conditioning bills in the summer may get expensive.
2. Palm Springs is diverse. There’s a vibrant gay community and individuals from all types of religious and ethnic backgrounds. Liberals and conservatives both live here happily with one another. Downside: Economically, Palm Springs isn’t as varied as it could be. The most important industry is also, as you may expect, tourism. 
3. Palm Springs is active and casual. The weather makes Palm Springs a fantastic place to call home. Swimming, physical fitness studios, outdoor runs, and, of course, tennis and golf are passionately participated in, although perhaps the most famous action would be simply walking. Most areas here are very walkable, and it is common to see people going out for their evening stroll in the sun begins to set behind the mountains, and even more common to see folks out for a morning walk before it gets too hot. Even the hiking is fantastic. What makes this enjoyable is the low humidity. 100 degrees might sound too hot to you personally, but it seems quite comfortable when it is quite dry.

Palm Springs has a dynamic extreme health community, too. Physicians, actors, and enthusiastic citizens who are interested in longevity make healthy living a daily preoccupation. Due to the weather, there is not a lot of formality in the dress. Even typically traditional industries like banking tend to dress a little more casually in their offices than they may in other large towns. Desert cities have a more relaxed vibe. Downside: The month of August can be intensely hot, so people usually try to stay indoors as much as they can in August. Downside: Not everybody thinks the desert is beautiful. It can take a particular sort of person to appreciate the serene, easy landscapes of a desert.

PORTLAND, MAINE

Portland is the most populous city in Maine and the seat of Cumberland County. The Greater Portland metropolitan area is home to over half a million people, the 105th-largest metro area in the United States. Portland’s economy relies mostly on the service sector and tourism. The Old Port district is known for its 19th-century architecture and nightlife. The marine industry still plays a vital role in the city’s economy, with an active waterfront that supports fishing and commercial shipping. The city’s seal depicts a phoenix rising from ashes, a reference to recovery from four devastating fires. Portland was named after the English Isle of Portland, Dorset. The name Portland itself comes from the Old English word “Portlanda,” which means “land surrounding a harbor”

PORTLAND, OREGON

Portland is the largest and most populous city in Oregon and the seat of Multnomah County. It is a major port in the Pacific Northwest’s Willamette Valley region, at the Willamette and Columbia rivers’ confluence in Northwestern Oregon. Portland is the sixth-most populous on the West Coast and the second-most populous in the Pacific Northwest after Seattle. Approximately 2.4 million people live in the Portland metropolitan statistical area (MSA), making it the 25th most populous in the United States.

Named after Portland, Maine, the Oregon settlement began to be populated in the 1830s near the end of the Oregon Trail. Its water access provided convenient transportation of goods, and the timber industry was a significant force in the city’s early economy. At the turn of the 20th century, the city had a reputation as one of the most dangerous port cities in the world, a hub for organized crime and racketeering. After the city’s economy experienced an industrial boom during World War II, its hard-edged reputation began to dissipate. Starting in the 1960s, Portland became noted for its growing progressive political values, earning it a reputation as a counterculture’s bastion.

PORT ST. LUCIE, FLORIDA

Port St. Lucie is a city in St. Lucie County, Florida. It is the most populous municipality in the county, with a population of 164,603 at the 2010 census due to its rapid growth during the 2000s. It is located 125 miles southeast of Orlando. The Port St. Lucie Metropolitan Area includes St. Lucie and Martin’s counties and, as of 2016, had an estimated population of 465,208. Port St. Lucie was a largely uninhabited tract of land south of White City in the 1950s, composed of a fishing camp, a few farms, and businesses near U.S. Highway 1. In 1958, with a budget of $5, the General Development Corporation (GDC) purchased the River Park development and 40,000 acres along the North Fork of the St. Lucie River. In 1959, the GDC opened its first bridge over the St. Lucie River, allowing for direct automobile access to Port St. Lucie.