Ask HN: Cheap places to live with a good intellectual atmosphere?
If you would like to remain in United States and do not mind having proper seasons, I would strongly consider Chicago, the last affordable big city in the United States.<p>University of Chicago pulls a robust intellectual community (81 Nobel Laureates), but there is also a deep intellectual history around the arts and music that transcends the work of the university - something that I&#x27;m not sure I can say for a place like Cambridge.<p>The Art Institute has many of the paintings you might have seen in middle school history books, which is telling in of itself - and while everyone remembers Chicago&#x27;s jazz, few know that it also invented house music (and a variety of other genres). It&#x27;s home to many a political movement. It has unparalleled and extremely diverse architecture. The tech scene is doing great - and if any place will upset racial diversity in tech, it will certainly be this city.<p>People feel like they have a general sense of good will towards their neighbors, without losing the quick pace only a big city will offer you.<p>Most importantly and to your point - there is a respect for intellectual exchange no matter the discipline - Tech? Economics? Art? Policy? Medicine? Michelin-starred cuisine? I can&#x27;t think of a field that you can&#x27;t pursue with confidence in Chicago.<p>A completely trivial aside - one of the biggest complaints I hear from expats of the Bay Area is a lack of great Mexican food in Boston&#x2F;Europe&#x2F;etc. Thanks to a neighborhood called &quot;Little Mexico&quot; (which really does feel like being transported to the Mission), Chicago may be the furthest east you can go while still being able to find authentic Mexican food.