What are some US cities where you do NOT need a car at all to live / work?

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Hi,

Ok here's the deal...I do NOT drive a car at all and I don't plan on ever getting my driver's license (for various reasons)

That being said, what are some good cities in the US where you do not need a car to live or work as a nurse? I am single and am going to be graduating soon. I am looking into moving to the states from Canada sometime after I graduate if it all works out.

I am not picky about much really....

I don't care what state I live in really that much (higher paying salaried states are a bonus...) and somewhere relatively warm would be nice. I don't like snow that much but I can live with it if I have to.

I guess somewhere with a good subway or bus system would be essential. I dont mind walking too.

I already know about NYC and Chicago is apparently a good place to live if you dont have a car...can anyone recommend any other places to live? What about Seattle? I heard that was nice!

I am open to any suggestions/recommendations :D

Thanks so much!

Specializes in Emergency Room.

maryland??

washington d.c??

i live in chicago and you are right, it's very easy to live and work here without a car.

Specializes in Med-Surg.

I didn't have a car the whole time I lived in Atlanta. I lived in midtown near a subway station and it was easy to get around and there were plenty of conveniences within walking distances.

Specializes in Medicine.

Hi there!

I live in Boston, and walk about 15 mins to get to work. Boston is such a walking city, it's great! They do have the "T", a subway system that goes through the city and to the surrounding neighborhoods which is cheap and mostly reliable, however like anything it has it's kinks. I find it's so much easier to utilize the public trans to the best of your ability as finding a place to park or driving a car in Boston is not the easiest task.

The cost of living right in downtown is a little pricey, (at least 1000/month for a studio) however the T does go far enough out so that you don't HAVE to live right in the middle of the city. RN pay is good, I make high 20s/hr at a major teaching hospital downtown with great differentials. It took me a while to get used to not having a car, but since you don't have one, it should be an easy adjustment! Hope this helped!!

What about Boston? Philly? And you could even live in LA if you lived downtown, not easily, but the public transportation system is not bad. You could probably live in any major city because of the transportation system. And if you could bike ride or ride a scooter you could live almost anywhere.

Specializes in None.

Well I am from Denver, and our city is really "Fitness Concious", meaning things like biking to work and such, or even public transportation are used alot. So if you dont mind riding buses, or even biking to work, might consider Denver. Cost a living is somewhat pricey, but being an RN sure doesnt hurt a desirable living situation!

San Francisco is a good place. Expensive, but you don't need a car and it's an exciting place to live and work. There is so much to do there and the public transit system is awesome.

When I worked in Seattle, I never needed my car. Cost of living was high, but a great city!!

New York City & Philly

I'll second that Denver suggestion. The lightrail system is a real conveinence, and will get you downtown much faster than a car ever would. There are lots of nice, moderately priced homes (I mean moderately priced for CO) along the lightrail route, you can easily walk or bik to many of the stations and the lightrail is soon expanding to Longmont, which is a very nice town north of Denver.

You might take a look at smaller cities too. Princeton NJ has the highest percentage of walking/biking workers in the state - alas they are moving the hospital across the highway, but there's still non-hospital nursing. But there have got to be some small cities worth looking into.

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