roommate search MASTERY = human-reviewed roommate profiles + personalized roommate matching

roommate search mastery =

human-reviewed roommate profiles
+
personalized roommate matching

How to find a roommate in a new city = select a roommate metro below.

midwest US: Chicago Des Moines Fargo Kansas City Madison Milwaukee Minneapolis or St. Paul Omaha St. Louis Sioux Falls Wichita

northwest US: Boise Cheyenne Portland (Oregon) Salem or Eugene Salt Lake City Seattle Spokane Tacoma

Alaska: Anchorage

Hawaii: Honolulu

Canada: Calgary Edmonton Halifax or Dartmouth Montreal Ottawa Toronto Vancouver Winnipeg

Average roommate rent in Albuquerque is $390.

Find a roommate in Albuquerque and save more than $297 per month ($3561 per year).* Albuquerque is 1980th out of 2202 US cities for cost of living, and 81st for quality of life.**

Your Albuquerque roommate search may experience #129 (out of 150) in Best City vibes. Also #138 in Best Places to Retire vibes and #2 in Most Dangerous Places vibes.***

Enjoy healthy outdoor activities with new Albuquerque roommates: 63rd Healthiest and 67th Best for Outdoor Activities out of 228 cities in America.****

Albuquerque neighborhoods where roommates get > for = $: Downtown, Eastside, Nob Hill, and Westside*****

Albuquerque's roommates are spending 44% < $ than NYC's.******

Albuquerque's largest hoodmap tags: hipsters eating in shipping containers, equestrian people, daddy bought my car, amateur wine connoisseurs, great area for a sunburn, overpriced but good views, and old people smoking in casinos.*******

Average commute = tiny (22 minutes). Most households have 2 cars.********

SO, roomiematch.com's Albuquerque roommate rundown:

You'll breathe excellent quality air while enjoying gorgeous natural scenery. Just make sure to stay safe, stay out of the sun, and steer clear of those tarantulas and rattlesnakes.

Roommate rent is so low due to the abundance of affordable housing - approximately 40% renters. Albuquerque is more affordable for roommates than other major southwestern markets such as Dallas, Denver, Las Vegas, and Phoenix. It's one of the few southwestern cities left where having a pony could still be remotely affordable!

With or without a pony you'll probably still want a car. But commute times on both are next to nothing for most.

Albuquerque is unusually surrounded by retirees gambling in casinos. If that's a negative for you, just don't go there then?

Spend more time enjoying the unusually delicious and nutritious chile peppers instead.

The rest of the Albuquerque roommate lowdown:

popular with first time home buyers as median home prices and property taxes are below the US average (more affordable for roommates)
largest city in New Mexico - mid-sized city and a college town overall, attracting student roommates to the University of New Mexico, Central New Mexico Community College, Southwest University of Visual Arts, and Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute
depending on when you want to find a roommate weather might be a consideration, very high temperatures in summer, winter temps usually in the 50s. Some say Albuquerque has two weather conditions: sunny or stormy
rated above-average for walkability and bike-friendliness, with about 400 miles of bike lanes and walking paths. However, the public transportation options are more limited. ABQ Ride serves neighborhoods inside the city during the day, but for alternative schedules or frequent commutes roommates will probably want their own vehicles.
tarantulas are abundant, with some state park employees giving guided tours of tarantula migrations

After you're settled down, you and your roommates should experience Albuquerque's:

De Anza Motor Lodge: Once a run-down hotel that would have been torn down if not for the priceless Native American murals in the basement. So the property was redeveloped as a luxury apartment complex, and you can still visit the one of a kind murals.
Nearby Sandia Mountains: The most visible geographic feature, which occasionally get enough snow for skiing. "Sandia" is Spanish for "watermelon" and is thought to suggest their bright pink and green sunset. Sandia Peak Tramway is the country's longest aerial tram, and can take you to the 10,378-foot-tall summit for amazing views and nature trails and/or restaurants.
Red and green chile peppers: Staples of Albuquerque cuisine, which fuses Native American and Spanish flavors
International Balloon Fiesta: During which > 500 hot air balloons are launched over 9 days every October - hot air balloons are sighted year round in fewer numbers
Gathering of Nations: During which >550 tribes from the US and Canada travel to Albuquerque to participate in singing and dancing competitions
Indian Pueblo Cultural Center: Where you can learn all about the region's indigenous tribe, along with the Pueblo Montano Chainsaw Sculpture Garden
Petroglyph National Monument: Over 7200 acres of carved images left behind by the area's first settlers
National Museum of Nuclear Science and History: America's official atomic museum
Cliff's Amusement Park: Featuring greasy tasty treats along with your choice of scary roller coasters or calmer carousels and trains
Rattlesnake Museum: Live snakes, snake skeletons, snake art and of course, snake souvenirs

Here's the city of Albuquerque's official .gov for housing services & programs, which you'll hopefully never need if you choose the right roommates.

Compare Albuquerque roommate rent to everywhere else, plus how to find a good roommate - better roommates for all!

Don't miss roommate scams = NOPE!

And here's the roommate matching metro list.

ANCHORAGE

Average roommate rent in Anchorage is $700.

Find a roommate in Anchorage: 395th out of 2202 US cities for cost of living, and 83rd for quality of life.**

Your Anchorage roommate search may experience #101 (out of 150) in Best City vibes. Also #131 in Best Places to Retire vibes and #3 in Most Dangerous Places vibes.***

Enjoy healthy outdoor activities on a fine campus with new Anchorage roommates: 77th Healthiest, 77th Best for Outdoor Activities, and 64th Best Public Schools out of 228 cities in America.****

Anchorage neighborhoods where roommates get > for = $: Airport Heights, Basher, Bayshore/Klatt, Bear Valley, Huffman/O'Malley, Mid-Hillside, North Star, Rabbit Creek, Rogers Park, Sand Lake, South Addition, Turnagain, University Area, Taku/Campbell and Tudor Area *****

Anchorage's roommates are spending 33% < $ than NYC's.******

Anchorage's largest hoodmap tags: white people mountain biking, gentrified wannabes, los anchorage, Sand Dunes, and 3rd world with a touristy facade.*******

Average commute = tiny (18 minutes). Most households have 2 cars.********

SO, roomiematch.com's Anchorage roommate rundown:

If you're from the Lower 48, freezing to death is entirely possible, although Anchorage mostly keeps warmer than the rest of Alaska due mostly to most Alaskans living mostly there. And they're hopefully very happy, because the geographic isolation means leaving is expensive!

But if Anchorage is your Winter Wonderland, who cares?

However, you probably will need to care about budgeting more for groceries and other supplies. Almost everything you can buy in Anchorage had to be flown in, but Anchorage is determined not to charge you sales tax on top of that airplane surcharge!

The rental market can be unpredictable because a large chunk consists of rooms inside owner-occupied homes becoming available unpredictably. But especially if you're from the Lower 48, it'll be helpful to move into an established residence with roommates who already know how to winter, so we recommend openness. Just give yourself as much time as possible to roommate match before moving.

The incredible abundance of paved outdoor trails mean you and your roommates can drink your morning coffee with views of mountains and glaciers and wildlife and military men and maybe even a Beluga whale! Please do so frequently to stave off seasonal depression.

The rest of the Anchorage roommate lowdown:

Largest city in Alaska, and the westernmost and northernmost metro area in the US. Approximately half of all of Alaska's residents reside within the Anchorage metropolitan area, which is larger than Rhode Island. However, more than 90% of residents live within the 100-square-mile area making up the city proper or the "Anchorage Bowl"
while Anchorage is a medium-sized airline hub overall, due to being equidistant from New York City, Frankfurt, and Tokyo, it's within 10 hours by air of most of the world, making it a common refueling stop for international flights
groceries and other consumer goods tend to be more expensive than the Lower 48 due to the cost of airlifting them there, but there's no income or sales tax
due to geographic isolation, it's more expensive to move your stuff here from anyplace else most ways you could do that, so relocating roommates need to budget extra or travel light
Urban Anchorage is home to more wildlife than most cities, featuring black bear, moose, sheep, timber wolf, beaver, and fox residents. Beluga whales are commonly spotted along the Seward Highway.
about 10% of the local population is employed by the military
home to the largest campus of the University of Alaska and Alaska Pacific University
while Juneau is the state capital, more state employees reside in Anchorage
Anchorage has a bus system and carpool service called the People Mover to move you around its most popular areas, but you will need your own vehicle outside downtown
big city living with natural beauty, clean air, and wide open spaces . . . bike paths, parks, mountains, lakes, glaciers . . . and 135 miles of paved outdoor trails!
Anchorage is farther north than Oslo, Stockholm, and Helsinki, so extremely mild summers with long days and frequent rain. Winter features heavy snowfall, heavy cloud cover, and very long nights. You'll want to keep an eye on any roommates who suffer from seasonal depression during Anchorage's long winter darkness.
You and your roommates will never tire of Anchorage's beauty, but you might get tired of talking about the weather. But then you'll need to keep talking about it anyway, because snow!
Just as a kind warning to traditional Christmas enthusiasts . . . one of Anchorage's favorite local culinary specialities is reindeer sausage.

After you're settled down, you and your roommates should experience Anchorage's:

World's Largest Chocolate Waterfall: Inside the Alaska Wild Berry Park Store. The store needs you to know that the waterfall is display only, so your roommates must not drink from it. And even though it is over 20 feet long and seemingly more than sufficiently roomy, your roommates must not bathe in it either.
Anchorage Market: Alaska is home to dozens of indigenous cultures and languages, often spotlighted with art, music and produce here. You can learn all about their 229 federally recognized tribes at Anchorage's Alaska Native Heritage Center.
Craft alcohol: Anchorage is extremely fond of their own craft boozes - tasting events and tours abound for local breweries with many locally produced craft beers, ales, porters and hard ciders.
Arctic Man: Week long winter snowmachine event - some compare it to Burning Man, but with "crisper weather.") But it's definitely a giant freezing party run by enthusiastic "slednecks!"

Here's the Municipality of Anchorage's official page for new residents on registration, utilities, and recommended local leisure activities.

Compare Anchorage roommate rent to everywhere else, plus how to find a good roommate - better roommates for all!

Don't miss roommate scams = NOPE!

And here's the roommate matching metro list.

ATHENS

Average roommate rent in Athens is $550.

Find a roommate in Athens: 1983rd out of 2202 US cities for cost of living, and 62nd for quality of life.**

Enjoy young professionals and retirees with new Athens roommates: 65th Best City to Live, 77th Best for Young Professionals, and 83rd for Best City to Retire, out of 228 cities in America.****

Athens has an average 23 minute commute time and an average 2 cars per household. But also, above average carpooling! About 9% carpool to work! (Many on their way to UGA, sure, but we think it's more.)********

SO, roomiematch.com's Athens roommate rundown:

Athens is about half renter-occupied, with at least half of those living with roommates. It's a very friendly, very cheerful, very reasonably-priced roommate market.

But you must consider college students. Extra especially UGA.

They really severely love their bikes here. Cycling, for enthusiasts, not motorbikes but regular bikes for non. You should probably learn to love biking too, at least watching eco-friendly everyone else! Frequently racing around downtown!

You might survive not LOVING bikes if you love porches and oaks and bulldogs. A lot. A lot of love is required. If not, um . . . check out the other metros? :)

The rest of the Athens roommate lowdown:

summers are warm and humid with frequent thunderstorms, winters tend to be mild
about 70 miles east of Atlanta - a commute is about 60-90 minutes depending on traffic
many roommates live here for the affordability plus smaller town vibe then commute into much larger Atlanta for work or school . . . but that's usually best when you can work from home at least part time
about half the total housing in Athens is occupied by renters with more than half of those living with roommates, it's a very friendly roommate market
many Athens roommates are students collectively renting houses instead of apartments due to local affordability
Athens hosts the University of Georgia, which itself hosts the Georgia Museum of Art, the official state art museum -- Athens is also home to Kennesaw State University, Athens Technical College, the Athens College of Ministry, and the University of Georgia branches of Augusta University and Piedmont College
University of Georgia and the Clarke County School District are the major employers, about 15,000 collectively
approximately 29 neighborhoods in Athens, with Skyline the most expensive and Beachwood the most affordable for roommates
Athens encourages eco-friendly alternative transportation via bike lanes on major arteries, with organizations such as BikeAthens supporting more trail development
Athens Transit and UGA Campus Transit provide fare-free service around the city and the UGA campuses
despite these alternative transportation options, most roommates will still want a car for commuting or shopping -- but the smaller city size with less traffic overall means you'll rarely get gridlocked or bottlenecked except during UGA games
depending somewhat on the season, about 25% of the city's residents tend to be students at the University of Georgia, it's a very college town vibe
The university is called UGA -- pronounce each letter -- and the bulldog is called Uga, pronounced "ugh-ah."

After you're settled down, you and your roommates should experience Athens':

40 Watt Club: Popular nightspot that opened in 1978, credited with launching American punk rock
AthFest: Nonprofit arts and music festival taking place downtown every summer since 1996
Morton Building: Features the theater famous for hosting black musicians such as Louis Armstrong, Cab Calloway, and Duke Ellington
Beer: Athens has an active craft beer scene with a number of local breweries and brewpubs including Terrapin, Copper Creek, Cutter's Pub and Trappeze
Athens Twilight Criterium: Attracts cyclists from all over the world to race around downtown every spring since 1980
Front porches: Everyone loves a front porch here. It's more than just rocking, it's dining, it's music playing, it's midnight partying with your roommates . . . porch life is very real and very Athens.
Famous tree: There's a famous "tree that owns itself." It's a white oak granted its own property rights to a plot of land 8 feet in radius that also bears the tree's affectionate official deed.

Here's the Athens-Clarke County Unified Government Housing Counseling (rental housing and housing delinquency counseling) page, which you'll hopefully never need if you choose the right roommates.

Compare Athens roommate rent to everywhere else, plus how to find a good roommate - better roommates for all!

Don't miss roommate scams = NOPE!

And here's the roommate matching metro list.

ATLANTA

Average roommate rent in Atlanta is $790.

Find a roommate in Atlanta and save more than $573 per month ($6876 per year).* Atlanta is 288th out of 2202 US cities for cost of living, and 88th for quality of life.**

Your Atlanta roommate search may experience #95 (out of 150) in Best City vibes. Also #85 in Best Places to Retire vibes.***

Enjoy healthy young professionals raising children with new Atlanta roommates: 18th Best for Young Professionals, 48th Healthiest, and 64th Best to Raise a Family out of 228 cities in America.****

Atlanta neighborhoods where roommates get > for = $: Atlantic Station, Brookwood, Peachtree Park, Candler Park, Peachtree Hills, Hills Park, Lake Claire, North Buckhead, Peachtree Heights East, and Druid Hills*****

Atlanta's roommates are spending 37% < $ than NYC's.******

Atlanta's largest hoodmap tags: drinking school w/engineering, gay and proud, murder khouses, hbcu central, "hollywood of the south" t perry studios, people with too much money, perpetual traffic, young thugs neighborhood, atlanta's drag strip, red light district, and pickpocketing central.*******

Atlanta has a longer than average commute time, with a significant number with "super commutes" due to traffic you'll want to avoid. Most households have 2 cars. In part due to significant difficulty commuting, Atlanta also features a larger than average percentage of employees working at home (13%) and taking public transit (10%).********

SO, roomiematch.com's Atlanta roommate rundown:

Atlanta is the largest, most expensive, and most important city in the South. As such it's much more diverse than many expect, with many different neighborhoods meaningfully more different from each other than most metro areas.

Atlanta also SPRAWLS. Outside of the relatively few hotspots served by MARTA plus a few bus routes, everyone is driving. Many consider the massive ring of suburb around Atlanta "Atlanta" as well, commuting back and forth regularly, causing some of the worst traffic congestion in the country.

You'll want to choose your neighborhood with extra care when moving to Atlanta. You'll likely prefer living near where you work or study to avoid massive gridlock. Alternatively, you can live outside the perimeter and commute to the center if you must, but you will require your own reliable vehicle and you will be miserable if your commute is happening anytime around rush hour.

Atlanta is incredibly rich in black history, featuring an abundance of civil war history and HBCUs, driving tourism.

Atlanta is also incredibly rich in pollen from its lush foliage, driving the purchase of allergy medication. You and your roommates might need to beware or stock up on medication in spring.

The rest of the Atlanta roommate lowdown:

state capital and most populous city in Georgia - widely considered the educational and entertainment center for the southern US, with an extremely diverse economy including aerospace, biomedical research, film and television production, finance, healthcare, information technology, logistics, news and media, and transportation
summer temperatures are very warm, famously humid, late summer heat is prolonged, winters are mild and thunderstorms are common, abundant rainfall throughout the year
now a huge airline hub with the world's busiest airport (Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport)
site of most of Georgia's state government and federal bureaucracy, including the Georgia State Capitol, the Governor's Mansion, the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
divided into 242 officially defined neighborhoods, with 3 high-rise districts
A very large number of residential/suburban neighborhoods are colloquially considered within greater Atlanta. About 1/2 million live within the city limits, but the larger Atlanta metropolitan area contains about 6 million.
The most expensive neighborhoods for roommates include: Inman Park, Buckhead, Midtown, and Virginia-Highland. Less expensive neighborhoods still inside the perimeter (ITP) tend to include most in the south and east, but they're not that much less expensive. For a significantly cheaper roommate situation you'll need to leave the city limits for one of the many suburbs surrounding it.
Heavy reliance on automobiles for transportation even downtown has led to traffic and commutes among the worst in the country. Where I-75 and I-85 merge traffic into the Downtown Connector is one of the most congested segments of highway in the United States. You and your roommates will probably be happier if you structure your lives around avoiding major arteries during anything resembling a rush hour. You'll probably be happiest if you can work/go to school as close to where you live as possible.
While you can take MARTA rail or public buses some hotspots around the city, and the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition is fighting for more safe lanes, you and your roommates will probably still want access to a car. Atlanta SPRAWLS. Many places are not yet served by any nearby public transport. (Some say MARTA is absolutely the best way to get to the airport and the football stadium. And . . . that is all.)
historically the home of the American civil rights movement against racial segregation, discrimination, and disenfranchisement
now home to several historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), including Clark Atlanta University, the first HBCU founded in 1865
abundance of universities and colleges overall, including Atlanta College of Art, Clayton State College, Morris Brown College, Reinhardt College, Agnes Scott College, Kennesaw State, Oglethorpe University, Southern College of Technology, West Georgia College, Clark Atlanta University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Emory, Spelman, Morehouse, and Georgia State University
Some call Atlanta "city in a forest" due to the lush foliage, featuring magnolias, dogwoods, Southern pines, oaks, and the now ubiquitous Peachtree (the trees as well as streets, buildings, festivals, many other namesakes, etc.). A thick layer of yellow pollen is the result every springtime. Tell your roommates with allergies to stock up on their meds or they won't stop sneezing until winter.
dog-friendlier than most American cities, with mild weather, pet-friendly patios, and most parks around the city featuring dedicated dog areas. Many casual bars and restaurants with outdoor areas welcome them as well. Few apartment complexes exclude dog owners accordingly; most are very welcoming for a reasonable pet deposit.
according to several surveys Atlanta ranks third (behind San Francisco and Seattle) for largest number of lesbian, gay, and bisexual residents
The Beltline is a former rail corridor that was rehabilitated into a series of parks connected by a trail forming a 22-mile loop around Atlanta's core - great for walking and biking and figuring out which neighborhood is best for you and your roommates
Most longer-term residents don't pronounce the second T in Atlanta. They say it like it's just another N instead, "Atlanna."

After you're settled down, you and your roommates should experience Atlanta's:

Live music: Atlanta has played a major role in the development of various American music genres, including Atlanta hip hop, country, Crunk, indie rock, Southern rock, and trap. Though they originated elsewhere, rap and R&B fans can also find more than enough to love.
Tyler Perry Studios, the first African-American owned major studio, and Areu Studios, the first Latin-American owned major studio
Historical tourism: Tourism is huge, with much of the tourism driven by historical museums, gardens, parks, and other outdoor attractions including: Atlanta Botanical Garden, the Georgia Aquarium, High Museum of Art, Historic Fourth Ward Park, Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park, Atlanta Cyclorama & Civil War Museum, Zoo Atlanta, Piedmont Park, the World of Coca-Cola, Fox Theater, College Football Hall of Fame, Historic Auburn district, Centennial Olympic Park, National Center for Civil and Human Rights, the Carter Center and Presidential Library . . . and the Margaret Mitchell House and Museum, where she wrote Gone with the Wind
Restaurants: Atlanta is home to some of the best rated restaurants in the country, with a great diversity of reasonably-priced dining options, including regular emerging chef "pop-ups" around the city. The Ponce City Market is Atlanta's largest collection where you can taste your way through a wide range of local favorites all at one spot. Similarly, there's a robust farmers' market culture.
Buford Highway: Lengthy strip of shopping centers filled with cuisine and culture from all over the world - locally considered the best place to get Chinese, Korean, Mexican or Vietnamese food
Atlanta Street Art Map: Colorful street murals are abundant. You can visit this map to explore the street art and graffiti from all over the city via their curated neighborhood suggestions.
Waffle Houses: "Scattered, smothered, and covered" might refer to what you and your roommates order after a night out involving many cocktails. But only if you're into that sort of thing (most roommates are at least once or twice).
Alpaca Treehouse: Nestled in a bamboo forest that's a sanctuary for rescued llamas and alpacas. You and your roommates can even feed them carrots.

Here's Atlanta's page for new residents, with info on neighborhoods, plus licensing and registration, which you'll hopefully never need if you choose the right roommates.

Compare Atlanta roommate rent to everywhere else, plus how to find a good roommate - better roommates for all!

Don't miss roommate scams = NOPE!

And here's the roommate matching metro list.

AUSTIN

Average roommate rent in Austin is $850.

Find a roommate in Austin and save more than $498 per month ($5976 per year).* Austin is 242nd out of 2202 US cities for cost of living, and 91st for quality of life.**

Your Austin roommate search may experience #13 (out of 150) in Best City vibes. Also #1 in Best Places to Live in Texas vibes, #10 in Fastest-Growing Places vibes, and #105 in Best Places to Retire vibes.***

Enjoy healthy outdoor activities with young professionals on awesome campuses with new Austin roommates: 19th Best for Young Professionals, 34th Best Cities to Raise a Family and 36th Best Public Schools out of 228 cities in America.****

Austin neighborhoods where roommates get > for = $: Gateway, Brushy Creek, Hyde Park, Shady Hollow, West University, Upper Boggy Creek, Hancock, Old West Austin, North Burnet, and Rosedale*****

Austin's roommates are spending 35% < $ than NYC's.******

Austin's largest hoodmap tags: girls wearing oversized tshirts, rich liberals, what used to be the hood, overpriced shops, hipsters climbing on things, kids with teslas, organic hipsters, fighting off gentrification, single people with dogs, grackle alert, and rich drunk UT kids.*******

Austin's commute is roughly average, and most households also have the average 2 cars. However, Austin distinguishes itself with the larger percentage working at home (13%) and carpooling (8%).********

SO, roomiematch.com's Austin roommate rundown:

Austin deserves its reputation for funky fabulousness, but new residents are usually shocked by the summer heat. There will be entire weeks that are 100+ degrees in the afternoon. Most spring and summer days remain warm until well after dark. This also means allergy season never ends, and expensive air conditioning is essential at least half the year.

If you live in Austin with multiple roommates, chances are excellent you'll run into UT students and "tech bros," which could be the same folks before and after graduation. Some resent the "tech bros" for driving the population growth which led to the rising rents which rendered Austin inhospitable to most of the "hippie artists" with less money living there before. Whatever your feeling on this issue, since Austin has become a high tech center populated with abundant computer science and engineering grads fresh from UT, it's not likely changing anytime soon.

But if you can afford it, since most of Austin rents and everybody knows it's not cheap, it's typical to have roommates at any age.

Bikes are extremely popular. Bike lanes exist around UT Austin and the middle of the city. Walking around downtown or the UT Austin campus is also popular. Public transport is not, and parking (for a car, not a bike) in the middle of town is expensive and hard to find. Moving around central Austin for most means walking, biking, or paying to park your car at least periodically.

Once upon a time, for most Austin residents, the favorite thing was live music at night, with chips and queso, plus a margarita or a Shiner. Austin has expanded so extremely in the last several years, a wider range of recreation is certainly available. But live music at night, with chips and queso, plus a margarita or a Shiner is still your best bet.

The rest of the Austin roommate lowdown:

college-town atmosphere, yet also the capital city of Texas, with just under a million people - The Texas State Capitol is extra famous for its pink granite exterior and being the largest state capitol in terms of square footage
Hand signals involving the index and pinky sticking up probably aren't advocating for Satan or heavy metal music. Here those usually mean you're a Texas Longhorn fan. Hook 'em Horns!
There are several hotter places in the US, but Austin is the southernmost state capital in the contiguous 48 states. SO MUCH bright sunshine is common all seasons here.
Summers are very hot and humid, winters are mild, with lots of rain in spring and fall. Most residents appreciate the lack of winter but new residents are usually shocked by the summer heat. Most indoor places have central air to cool you off, but it can be unexpectedly challenging to exist anywhere during summers where many days are 100+ degrees.
Another challenge associated with the weather is that allergy season never ends, as all seasons feature pollen.
The weather that's so awesome for producing an abundance of wildflowers also produces an abundance of wild insects, including scorpions, wasps, fire ants, spiders, and possibly truly excessive cockroaches. What sort of precautions you should take depend on exactly where in Austin (soil, sunlight, elevation, moisture) and in what style building, but you will likely have to deal with some creepy crawlies. You and your roommates should just go ahead and emotionally brace yourself for this creeping eventuality.
home to several universities, including Austin Community College, Concordia Lutheran College, Huston-Tillotson College, the Seminary of the Southwest, Southwestern University, Texas Health and Science University, the Acton School of Business, St. Edward's University, Southwest Texas State University and the largest campus of the University of Texas, one of the largest universities in the US
Austin is distinct from the rest of Texas in that it's considered a "liberal oasis" in an otherwise conservative state.
There is no state income tax.
Most people in Austin drive; and as a result, many surveys have ranked Austin the worst for Texas traffic jams. Bicycles are popular, especially commuting to the UT Austin campus or around the middle of the city (where parking is expensive and limited). If you can manage to walk, bike, or use the very limited Metro System in town at least some of the time, you'll likely be happier. Unless you're living and working/going to school downtown or near UT Austin you and/or your roommates will probably want a car.
In the last decade Austin has become a major center for high tech, including chip manufacturing and defense electronics - in part supplied by the thousands of engineering and computer science graduating every year from UT Austin. If you live in Austin with multiple roommates chances are excellent one will be a "tech bro."
The downtown skyline has dramatically changed in recent years with downtown growth and high rise construction. The central business district is now home to the tallest condo towers in the state.
Austin became popular as a place for artists to create due to its low cost of living . . . but that's not as true anymore, mostly due to the tech boom leading to a sharp rise in population growth which led to a sharp rise in typical rents. Some subsequently nicknamed Austin "Silicon Hills."
About 60% of Austin rents and since it has become more expensive in recent years, it's an extremely popular city for roommates. Most expensive neighborhoods in Austin for roommates include Downtown Austin, West Austin, Tarrytown, and Galindo. More affordable neighborhoods in Austin for roommates include Heritage Hills, Windsor Hills, and University Heights. Basically, the center of town tends to be more exciting and more expensive, while as you move outward it gets cheaper.
Some even commute all the way from San Antonio to save rent money.

After you're settled down, you and your roommates should experience Austin's:

South Congress: Popular shopping district, not only for its majestically unobstructed views of the Texas State Capitol but also its eccentric coffee shops, vintage stores, and food trucks.
"Live Music Capital of the World:" Many live music venues as well as the PBS series Austin City Limits. There is a virtually constant large live rock-country-blues music scene, much located within a walkable downtown.
South by Southwest: Yearly conglomeration of music and other media festivals, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as "South By"
6th Street: The downtown core hosts more bars than anywhere else in the US. If your roommates enjoy consuming alcohol in a "party hearty" atmosphere they'll need a ride home from 6th Street at least a few times.
Food Trucks: Not just for fast food or junk food (although you can get plenty of that too). Austin is well known for its Texas barbeque, Tex Mex, breakfast tacos, and queso. It's also home to an unusually large number of food trucks and a huge craft beer scene, with over 50 microbreweries.
Serious Outdoor Water Recreation: Available year round on the city's several lakes, rivers, and waterways, including Lady Bird Lake, Deep Eddy Pool, Zilker Park, and Auditorium Shores - more than 50 public pools and a 7 mile Barton Creek Greenbelt featuring limestone cliffs, dense greenery, and more water - not just swimming, but kayaking, cliff diving, paddle boarding, and tubing
Hippie Hollow Park: The only public park in Texas where clothing is officially optional.
The Austin FC: Austin's first major professional sports league
All the Museums: Lots of local museums to explore with your roommates including: Texas Memorial Museum, the George Washington Carver Museum and Cultural Center, Thinkery, South Austin Museum of Popular Culture, the Mexic-Arte Museum, the Blanton Museum of Art, the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum, The Contemporary Austin, the Elisabet Ney Museum, and the Harry Ransom Center
Austin Film Society: In part due to the influence of the UT Austin Radio-Television-Film department and its influence on several local film festivals, Austin has been the location for many movies. The Austin Film Society converted several airplane hangars into Austin Studios, used by many feature film and video projects.
The Austin Public Library system Central Library: SIX STORIES! It features indoor and outdoor event spaces, reading porches, a bicycle parking station, a cafe, an art gallery, and a "technology petting zoo" featuring next-generation gadgets.
Mexican Free-Tailed Bats: Over a million reside inside the Ann W. Richards Congress Avenue Bridge. Many residents gather to watch the bats emerge to hunt insects every sunset, until they migrate to Mexico in the winter. It's the largest urban bat colony in North America.

No, they won't get tangled in your hair, IF you have a crewcut.

(Anyone with longer hair should stay far away from the bridge!)

(Just kidding!)

(You and your hair can view bats safely, just ask locals to direct you to the best vantage point.)
Mount Bonnell: A large open area with about 100 steps leading up. Since it's the highest point in Austin, there's a spectacularly sweepingly unobstructed view of the whole city. However, at 775 feet, it's actually a tall hill.
HI, HOW ARE YOU: There's a friendly frog mural greeting all who pass by the corner of Guadalupe and 21st Street. Daniel Johnston, the artist, was a beloved singer-songwriter popular in the lo-fi and alternative music scenes for decades before dying in 2019. The mural, called "Jeremiah the Innocent Frog," was commissioned by the owner of the local record store (Sound Exchange) inside that building, and features the text, "HI, HOW ARE YOU." The building has changed hands multiple times since then, but the mural has been preserved. In 2018 the Mayor declared January 22 "Hi, How are You" Day for mental wellness. Fans still visit and pay their respects. You and your roommates can visit too.

Here's the City of Austin Household page, including info on utilities, trash and recycling, conserving water, and adopting pets.

Compare Austin roommate rent to everywhere else, plus how to find a good roommate - better roommates for all!

Don't miss roommate scams = NOPE!

And here's the roommate matching metro list.

BALTIMORE

Average roommate rent in Baltimore is $650.

Find a roommate in Baltimore and save more than $625 per month ($7500 per year).* Baltimore is 433rd out of 2202 US cities for cost of living, and 91st for quality of life.**

Your Baltimore roommate search may experience #84 (out of 150) in Best City vibes. Also #57 in Best Places to Retire vibes.***

Enjoy outdoor activities with young professionals with new Baltimore roommates: 72nd Best for Outdoor Activities and 81st Best for Young Professionals out of 228 cities in America.****

Baltimore neighborhoods where roommates get > for = $: Ellicott City, Fulton, Lutherville, Columbia, Ilchester, Scaggsville, Towson, Timonium, North Laurel, and Mays Chapel.*****

Baltimore's roommates are spending 45% < $ than NYC's.******

Baltimore's largest hoodmap tags: hipsters who ride bicycles, buppie families, queer artist community, little el salvador, murders here, industrial wasteland, gluten free cupcakes, hipsters with lesbian moms, dog lovers, you will get robbed, expensive hotels & apartments, toothless, and the port.*******

Baltimore's average commute is longer than average by several minutes. Most households have only 1 car. Baltimore also distinguishes itself with more employees using public transit (16%) or carpooling (9%) to get to work.********

SO, roomiematch.com's Baltimore roommate rundown:

Many not from the northeast fail to notice before visiting that Baltimore is only 40 miles NE of Washington D.C.?

Lending Baltimore a "big city with a small town vibe" atmosphere . . . because a substantial percentage leaves most days for work, to benefit from Baltimore's lower rents while commuting to D.C.?

Also because commuter trains also run to Philly and NYC, so same deal with them as well?

So Baltimore has its own distinct metro vibe . . . but it's also a cozy suburb for three larger ones?

And this cozy suburb is also a major port?

The local sense of humor would say yes. To all of that, even how it's contradictory, 'cause why not? It's Charm City.

The gang violence for which Baltimore is famous is real - but 75% of the gun violence is concentrated in the 25% of neighborhoods with the most poverty. Gang-related crimes mostly affect people involved in the distribution of illegal narcotics.

Otherwise, "Bawl Mer" features many gorgeous historic districts and neighborhoods, and a restored waterfront. Based on how many urban amenities and attractions you can experience with friendly residents near world renowned art and stunning views for about how much rent?

Baltimore might be the best bargain on the East Coast.

The rest of the Baltimore roommate lowdown:

most populous city in Maryland, with about 550,000 in the city and almost 3 million including the larger metro
population is extremely diverse
Climate is very changeable, with warm humid (some say steamy) summers and cold rainy winters with some snow. Summers feature quite a few hot days plus thunderstorms.
home to 19 universities, including Sojourner-Douglas College, the United States Naval Academy, College of Notre Dame - Maryland, Coppin State College, Goucher College, St. John's College, Towson State University, Western Maryland College, Loyola, Johns Hopkins, University of Maryland and the University of Baltimore
Baltimore is called "Charm City" because it's a big city with a small-town vibe and friendly people.
As it's only 40 miles northeast of Washington, D.C. and one of the most affordable urban areas along the East Coast, commuting between happens a lot. Many who work in D.C. benefit from Baltimore's lower rents. Regular commuter trains are also running to Philadelphia and NYC.
Johns Hopkins Hospital and Johns Hopkins University employ many, along with a number of government agencies such as the NAACP, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, and the Social Security Administration.
Baltimore surrounds a major inland port. Inner Harbor was once the second leading port of entry or immigrants to the United States and the Port of Baltimore is the closest East Coast port to the Midwest.
Some neighborhoods are walkable, others not so much. The Charm City Circulator can take you around the center of the city. The Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) includes buses, light rail, and commuter rail, which provide access to several suburbs along with the airport, downtown, Timonium, and Hunt Valley. However, unless you live near your work/school, you and your roommates will probably still want cars.
Most affordable neighborhoods for roommates include Locust Point, Mount Holly, Penn North, and West Arlington. More expensive neighborhoods include Federal Hill, Fells-Point, Mount Vernon, Homeland, and Little Italy.
Many say the urban dynamics depicted in David Simon and Edward Burns' television shows The Corner: A Year in the Life of an Inner-City Neighborhood and The Wire are still ongoing. Baltimore has remained notorious for its high homicide rate for the last several decades, peaking in 1993 and again in 2015 following major protests following the death of Freddie Gray. However, about 75% of the gun violence is concentrated in about 25% of the neighborhoods, those being same as those with the most poverty. Gang-related crimes mostly affect people involved in the distribution of illegal narcotics.
Baltimore features many beautiful and historic districts, many playing a key role in the American Revolution. Nearly a third of the city's buildings are designated historic and there are more public monuments than any other US city. Also, a recently restored waterfront!
Locals pronounce it: Bawl DaMore or Bawl Mer. Locals mostly drop the T.

After you're settled down, you and your roommates should experience Baltimore's:

Lexington Market: Founded in 1782, is one of the oldest continuously operating public markets in the United States. You could shop there with your roommates.
Edgar Allan Poe at the Westminster Presbyterian Church: He died in Baltimore under mysterious circumstances in 1875. Many pay respects to his monument at the Church's cemetery. Some leave roses and bottles of cognac. And yes, the Baltimore Ravens are named after his poem.
Maryland blue crabs: Most everyone eats them, and crab cakes are the local signature seafood dish . . . although most everyone also eats them more simply steamed and cracked open with a mallet over newspaper.
HONfest: Yearly celebration of the historic working women of Baltimore and their charming hairdos. "Hon" is a local term of endearment symbolizing warmth and hospitality. "HONdreds of Hons" gather in the Hampden neighborhood every year. Their "judges give extra points for a real wash & set updo because it’s full of hope and hairspray."
Baltimore Art Museum: World renowned, with the largest holding of works by Henri Matisse. There's also a John Waters Collection, and an exhibition on the culture of hip hop is upcoming.
Baltimore's American Visionary Art Museum: "Specializes in original thematic exhibitions that seamlessly combine art, science, philosophy, humor and especially social justice and betterment." They pride themselves on featuring art in all mediums from self-taught innovators from outside the "art world."
Ministry of Brewing: Previously a church, now renovated into a brewery. There's a 20-barrel brewing system where their altar once was, and the original stained glass windows, original organ, and vaulted ceilings remain near a wide variety of brews on tap.
The National Great Blacks in Wax Museum: Dedicated to preserving Black history through life-sized wax models. It features dioramas of the Underground Railroad, and more recently a model of President Barack Obama.

Here's the Baltimore City Online Payment Directory, which could hopefully help you pay for any new permits you might need after relocating.

Compare Baltimore roommate matching to everywhere else, plus how to find a good roommate - better roommates for all!

Don't miss roommate scams = NOPE!

And here's the roommate matching metro list.

BANGOR

Average roommate rent in Bangor is $350.

Find a roommate in Bangor: 1999th out of 2202 US cities for cost of living, and 65th for quality of life.**

Enjoy a low cost of living with young professionals on a lovely campus with new Bangor roommates: 20th Best Public Schools in Maine and 27th Best for Young Professionals in Maine.****

Bangor has a less than average commute, with a significant number with "super commutes" from elsewhere in Maine. Most households have 2 cars.********

SO, roomiematch.com's Bangor roommate rundown:

Bangor is the easternmost metro area in the US. Most of what you'd imagine goes along with that designation? Yes.

So: mostly white (people plus snow), very quaint, lots of lumber, lots of lobster, lots of ice fishing, lots of anything else winter? Yes yes yes yes yes and yes.

Really, it's mostly cold. That's the main thing for which you will need to be prepared.

In addition to that, the local economy is not diverse. Most work in healthcare, education, lumber or the Air National Guard.

If you can find a worthwhile way to earn or pay for school plus learn to love winter weather, Bangor would reward you with some of the lowest rents in the country and locals happy to meet new residents.

Which is awesome because you will likely need their help during your first ice storm!

The rest of the Bangor roommate lowdown:

easternmost metro area in the US - small town, about 150,000 in the Bangor metro area
higher than average percentage medical personnel than most cities due to two large hospitals
about 95% white, so not ethnically diverse
home to the University of Maine, Husson University, Eastern Maine Community College, Beal College, Bangor Theological Seminary, and Hudson College
main industries are healthcare and education
lumber, paper, and shipping center for Maine
downtown area is quaint with locally owned shops
Bangor is home to the Bangor Air National Guard base.
Bangor is NOT pedestrian-friendly. In terms of public transport options and weather, it's fairly hostile to non-drivers. You and your roommates will likely need reliable vehicles. But the upside here is there are very few traffic jams and commute times are wee!
There's an extremely long and severe winter with snow on the ground most of the year. Summers are mild. You and your roommates should be prepared to lose electricity in the winter due to ice storms.

After you're settled down, you and your roommates should experience Bangor's:

Steamed lobster: The classic local meal is steamed lobster, as most US lobster comes from around here.
Bangor City Forest: You and your roommates could go cross-country skiing. It's about 700 acres of wildlife habitat with more than 9 miles of trails for running, biking, hiking, and snowshoeing.
Rocky Beaches: Bangor is close to the coast, and features beaches, but they're not your warm and sandy variety. They're rocky and rugged, and the water stays COLD.
The Bangor State Fair: Ongoing over 150 years, one of the country's oldest.
The Zillman Art Museum: At the University of Maine, features a number of permanent exhibitions plus art workshops for adults.
Moosehead Lake: Popular fishing spot.
Jeremiah Colburn Natural Area: Good for bird watching.
Blueberry Wine: Local wineries feature blueberry wine, because Bangor loves its blueberries!
Orono Bog: You and your roommates could experience the unique flora and fauna of a Maine bog here. But don't bring your dog.
The Bangor Opera House: Built in 1889, and still stands, sort of (it burned down and had to be rebuilt in 1953, then massively rehabilitated again in 1999). Some say it's haunted now due to all the drama. You can your roommates could call the box office and schedule a tour.
Stephen King's Red Mansion: He lives in a red mansion with white trim outside downtown Bangor. There are wrought-iron spiders and bats out front.
Paul Bunyon: There's a 31-foot-tall Paul Bunyon towering over Bass Park. Many say this Bangor Bunyun is the jolliest and the handsomest of all the Bunyons in existence. For special occasions he occasionally wears a fez.

Here's the city of Bangor's Public Health & Community Services page, which links to a number of local services including Healthy Homes initiatives. Also moth avoidance.

Compare Bangor roommate rent to everywhere else, plus how to find a good roommate - better roommates for all!

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And here's the roommate matching metro list.

BATON ROUGE

Average roommate rent in Baton Rouge is $400.

Find a roommate in Baton Rouge: 1774th out of 2202 US cities for cost of living, and 79th for quality of life.**

Your Baton Rouge roommate search may experience #93 (out of 150) in Best City vibes. Also #21 in Cheapest Places to Live vibes and #123 in Best Places to Retire vibes.***

Enjoy a low cost of living with diverse retirees with new Baton Rouge roommates: 83rd Lowest Cost of Living, 123rd Best City to Retire and 133rd Most Diverse out of 228 cities in America.****

Baton Rouge neighborhoods where roommates get > for = $: Inniswold, Downtown, Prairieville, Shenandoah, Highlands/Perkins, Garden District, South Baton Rouge, Oak Hills Place, Old Jefferson, and Village St. George.*****

Baton Rouge's largest hoodmap tags: bring a boat, lots of murder, middle aged hipsters, frat girls who get drunk off of two w.c., and political gridlock.*******

Many things about Baton Rouge and travel are roughly average compared to other metro areas in the country. The commute time is about a minute longer than average. Most households have 2 cars, also average.********

SO, roomiematch.com's Baton Rouge roommate rundown:

Baton Rouge is LSU's college town. Some say Baton Rouge is the tailgating capitol of the entire world!

If you relocate here and live with roommates, for sure you'll be invited along on a tailgate. Learn to love LSU. If you have multiple roommates, loving LSU will be essential to getting along with at least one of them.

Baton Rouge is also a hot and muggy ocean port that frequently floods due to proximity to the Gulf. You and your roommates should have a safety kit for floods, and look out for any stained glass windows.

Baton Rouge is also the vaguely Gothic capital of Louisiana and the seat of the state government - covered in history and bridal showers and juke joints with the blues plus Cajun food.

And a famous swamp.

Come for the Southern Gothic, stay for the cheap and easy lifestyle. Definitely including the rent!

(But not the humidity.)

The rest of Baton Rouge's roommate lowdown:

capital of Louisiana, but still a college town - second largest city in Louisiana (after New Orleans), approximately half a million in the greater metro area
located along the Mississippi River, 10th largest ocean port - summers are very long, hot, muggy, and rainy, while winters are mild and snow is rare
Baton Rouge is home to Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge Community College, Franciscan Ministries of Our Lady University, and Southern University (the flagship for the Southern University System, the largest historically black college system).
The Capital Area Transit System (CATS) serves urban Baton Rouge including most of its colleges and universities, and most have bike racks. However, you and/or your roommates will probably still want a car if you must venture much outside your own neighborhood on a regular basis.
Louisiana is the only US state saying "parish" where all others say "county."
Proximity to the Gulf of Mexico means a few hurricanes, often with flooding. You and your roommates should have a safety kit for flood-related emergencies.

After you're settled down, you and your roommates should experience Baton Rouge's:

Tailgating Parties: College sports are very popular including football, baseball, basketball, and gymnastics with LSU tailgate parties among the most popular in town. Some say Baton Rouge is the tailgating capitol of the entire world!
Museums: Museums include The Shaw Center for the Arts, the Louisiana Art and Science Museum, the LSU Museum of Natural Science, The Capital Park Museum, and the Odell S. Williams Now And Then African-American Museum. The LASM includes science exhibits and a planetarium.
Louisiana's State Capitol (the newer one): Current seat of the Louisiana State Government. It's 34 floors, with an Observation Deck you and your roommates can visit for stunning views of the skyline at sunset.
Louisiana's Old State Capitol: Beautiful Gothic castle downtown near the Mississippi River. It's an historic landmark now operating as the Museum of Political History. The stained-glass windows are popular with wedding parties. There would be no charge to tour with your roommates. There's even an audio guide.
Cajun Crawfish: This is Cajun country. Definitely try the boiled crawfish with corn and potatoes.
Blue Bonnet Swamp: Approximately 100 acres inside South Baton Rouge is a famous swamp. It's called the Blue Bonnet Swamp Nature Center, and you and your roommates can walk around on the trails.
Park System: Baton Rouge features over 140 acres of parkland, which includes the Baton Rouge Zoo, which itself includes over 1800 species. The overall park system also includes the walkable Levee Path and free lessons on everything from climbing to boarding.
Mall of Louisiana: Opened in 1997, and remains the largest mall in Louisiana. Cara, a twelve-foot-long Burmese python, escaped her aquarium enclosure and roamed the insides of the walls of the mall for 2 days in 2021.
Mike the Tiger: The LSU mascot, lives across the street from the stadium in a lush habitat with his own waterfall. Previously, during games, Mike was wheeled around in a cage with cheerleaders dancing on top. But now he mostly hangs out near his swimming pool.
Teddy's Juke Joint has welcomed blues fans for over 40 years. (The Baton Rouge Blues Festival has as well, but it can't claim to be open all year.) The Juke Joint's history is rich, particularly featuring "classic juke" and "swamp" blues styles. You and your roommates could visit any day of the year, even holidays "because blues doesn't get a day off." They feature blues acts a few nights a week where a visit will be "like stepping into the past, like walking back into 1979."
also on Highway 61, the famous "Blues Highway"

Here's the Living in Baton Rouge page, which lists community links and resources plus offices dealing with neighborhood and Parish issues.

Compare Baton Rouge roommate rent to everywhere else, plus how to find a good roommate - better roommates for all!

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BIRMINGHAM

Average roommate rent in Birmingham is $350.

Find a roommate in Birmingham: 1774th out of 2202 US cities for cost of living, and 79th for quality of life.**

Your Birmingham roommate search may experience #71 (out of 150) in Best City vibes. Also #92 in Best Places to Retire vibes and #2 in Best Places to Live in Alabama vibes.***

Enjoy a low cost of living with both young professionals and retirees with new Birmingham roommates: 20th Lowest Cost of Living, 155th Best City to Retire and 180th Best City for Young Professionals out of 228 cities in America.****

Birmingham's roommates are spending 43% < $ than NYC's.******

Birmingham's commute is less than average (22 minutes). Most households have 2 cars.********

SO, roomiematch.com's Birmingham roommate rundown:

Birmingham is a relatively popular place to live around and nearby?

Or rather, it's Alabama's largest metro area, in which most of its residents do not properly reside. Most live in the unusually large number of suburbs immediately outside Birmingham. Since the metro population is actually widely dispersed, rent's reasonable everywhere.

Alabama keeps its art in Birmingham. It's home to the Birmingham Museum of Art, the largest art museum in the southeast, as well as Alabama's major ballet, opera, and symphony companies.

Birmingham is also synonymous to many with motorsport mania. There's NASCAR, there's Superbike, and there's a Motorsports Museum.

Or maybe fishing in the "Bass Capital of the World" is more your speed?

Birmingham also has a high population density of both dentists (University of Alabama School of Dentistry) and college athletes (headquarters of the Southeastern Conference). You could easily end up with a dentist or a college athlete or possibly even both at the same time as a roommate.

The rest of the Birmingham roommate lowdown:

Birmingham is Alabama's largest metro area, with fewer in the city (about 200,000) and about 1.1 million in the larger metro area.
Most of the metro population lives outside the city in an unusually large number of suburbs.
Summers are long, hot, and humid, with many thunderstorms, while winters are mild. If you're not interested in experiencing heavy heat with thick humidity most months of the year, you'll need central AC.
All that heat and humidity produces a lot of tree pollen most of the year too. If you or your roommates have allergies, don't forget your medication.
home of several colleges and universities, including the University of Alabama School of Medicine, the University of Alabama School of Dentistry, and the University of Alabama at Birmingham
headquarters of the Southeastern Conference for college athletics
home of the Birmingham Museum of Art, the largest art museum in the Southeast
home to Alabama's major ballet, opera, and symphony companies including Alabama Ballet, Alabama Symphony Orchestra, Birmingham Ballet, and Opera Birmingham

After you're settled down, you and your roommates should experience Birmingham's:

White sauce: Contains mayonnaise, pepper, other (possibly secret) spices, and vinegar, and is a staple at Birmingham's BBQ joints, especially with smoked chicken.
The Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame: Inside the Carver Theatre, celebrating the many talented jazz musicians from Alabama. It was created in 1978, moved in 1993, then renovated and refurbished in 2020. It features a museum, concert hall, and radio station you can stream online. It's all non-profit and tax deductible.
The McWane Science Center: Features hands-on science, an IMAX theater, and nearly half a million fossils.
The Birmingham Botanical Gardens: Over 60 acres and features interpretive, Japanese, rose, and tropical garden styles you and your roommates can tour.
The Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum: Contains the largest collection of motorcycles in the world. This makes sense as motorsports are extremely popular here; about a dozen annual motorsport races are hosted here, including NASCAR and Superbike.
Fishing, any of it: Birmingham has been named "Bass Capital of the World," as it hosts so very many recreational fishing tournaments which have broken so very many fishing records.
Railroad Park: 20-acre urban green space in the middle of downtown connecting Southside and the University of Alabama campus. This area of town was mostly abandoned warehouses, but they've been transforming it into an award-winning Urban Open Space since 2010.
City Brew Tour: You could go with your roommates. They provide over a dozen samples, beer knowledge, lunch, and roundtrip transport! However, you MUST wear closed-toe shoes on your tour. No exceptions! Your toes will be safer on the Brew Tour, even in summer.
Vulcan, the god of fire, is revered with a 58-foot tall statue towering over Birmingham. He's the largest statue ever made in the United States, as the Statue of Liberty is larger but was forged in France. He's not wearing any pants whatsoever while he honors the city's steel-making industry.

Here's where you and your roommates can request an official group tour of Birmingham . They'll tailor it to your interests.

Compare Birmingham roommate rent to everywhere else, plus how to find a good roommate - better roommates for all!

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BOISE

Average roommate rent in Boise is $520.

Find a roommate in Boise: 243rd out of 2202 US cities for cost of living, and 75th for quality of life.**

Your Boise roommate search may experience #15 (out of 150) in Best City vibes. Also #5 in Fastest Growing vibes, #14 Safest Places to Live vibes, #17 in Best Quality vibes, and #73 in Best Places to Retire vibes.***

Enjoy healthy outdoor activities on a lovely campus with new Boise roommates: 55th Best City to Raise a Family, 60th Best Public Schools, 71st Healthiest City, and 107th Best For Outdoor Activities out of 228 cities in America.****

Boise neighborhoods where roommates get > for = $: Southeast Boise, East End, Highlands, Boise Heights, Sunset, Stewart Gulch, Depot Branch, Downtown, and Collister*****

Boise's roommates are spending 42% < $ than NYC's.******

Boise's largest hoodmap tags: californians, more californians, river tubes, gentrification goin on here, busy road and campus bars, rich people on a hill, street racing, chain restaurants and traffic, and wow look giraffes.*******

Boise has a slightly shorter than average commute (22 minutes). Most households have 2 cars.********

SO, roomiematch.com's Boise roommate rundown:

Boise is Idaho's most populous city, its capital, and its cultural center. Boise hosts Idaho's largest university and most of its museums and sports teams. In short, Boise has all the Idaho.

And all the Idaho is increasingly popular and populated? A lot more students lately, in particular?

Rental options are increasing along with average rent and student density, so many with less to spend may merely need to be more flexible. Renting a room in an owner-occupied home farther away from the trendy center is increasingly an option for many roommates whose income didn't keep up with local demand.

Boise loves to ride their bicycles. Many commute along a network of bike paths including the Boise River Greenbelt. Or you could hike those. Or you could hike and bike them both on your way to the mountains for skiing, snowboarding, and tubing.

What we're saying is the urban outdoorsy here is really on point.

You can't get better urban outdoorsy than Boise, especially for this rent in the Pacific NW.

The rest of the Boise roommate lowdown:

Boise is the most populous city in Idaho (about 225,000) and also the capital.
Boise manages to be both urban and outdoorsy while maintaining a smaller town cost of living.
The climate is generally dry with low humidity, with occasional summer heatwaves and freezing winter storms. Boise has four distinct seasons but the weather is still mostly mild, and outdoor recreation is possible most of the year.
Boise has very low crime, particularly for a capital city.
Boise is considered the cultural center of Idaho. The Basque Block is downtown, celebrating Idaho's ethnic Basque community, one of the largest in the US.
If you and your roommates don't live close to where you work and also don't really enjoy biking, you'll probably want a car. You'll also want to avoid the Boise Connector during rush hour. There's just one freeway connecting downtown with surrounding suburbs, so this smaller city still manages some serious traffic delays.
Boise has a large population of bicycle commuters who use the network of bike paths throughout the metro area, including the Boise River Greenbelt.
SO while city planners plan improvements soon, public transport isn't incredibly useful here now. So biking is great, walking is often OK, driving is a mixed bag, and public transport . . . not usually.
Boise hosts a few professional sports teams.
Skiing, snowboarding, and snow tubing are available nearby in the Boise Mountains, and hiking and biking in the foothills north of downtown.
home to several museums, including the Boise Art Museum, the Basque Museum and Cultural Center, the Discovery Center of Idaho, and the Idaho Black History Museum
home to Albertson College of Idaho, Northwest Nazarene College, Boise Bible, College, and Boise State University
If you or your roommates drive, you must not ever hit a cow or you might have to pay a rancher a lot of money. According to the Idaho DMV, the cows have forever right of way, so if you hit one you pay, and they're not cheap. In other words, hitting a cow is always your fault no matter how that happened or where that cow was standing. So help yourselves out by driving Boise with EXTREME cow caution.

After you're settled down, you and your roommates should experience Boise's:

Sequoia Tree: Idaho's largest giant sequoia tree can be found near St. Luke's Hospital. It's about 90 feet tall.
Gene Harris Jazz Festival: Every spring.
Idaho Aquarium.
Freak Alley: Said to be the largest outdoor art gallery in the Northwest. It's lots of murals and graffiti in an alley downtown. It gets completely painted over every few years, but it's all photographed and archived first, don't worry.
The Black Cliffs of Boise: Towering columns of black lava rock reaching for the sky. The volcanic basalt provides good handholds and footholds so they're very popular with climbers. They were burped up by an ancient volcano.
The Treasure Valley Rollergirls: All-female, DIY, flat track roller derby league based in Boise. They were founded in 2006, but became full-fledged members of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association in 2011. They have three home teams: the Sawtooth Sirens, the Owyhee Outlaws, and the Freak Alley Fugitives. You and your roommates could attend an international elimination tournament!

Here's the City of Boise Resident Hub, where you can pay utility bills and get info on neighborhoods and housing for new residents.

Compare Boise roommate rent to everywhere else, plus how to find a good roommate - better roommates for all!

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BOSTON

Average roommate rent in Boston is $1000.

Find a roommate in Boston and save more than $983 per month ($11796 per year).* Boston is 27th out of 2202 US cities for cost of living, and 91st for quality of life.**

Your Boston roommate search may experience #18 (out of 150) in Best City vibes. Also #13 in Safest Places to Live vibes, #25 in Most Expensive Places to Live vibes, and #76 in Best Places to Retire vibes.***

Enjoy healthy outdoor activities with diverse young professionals with new Boston roommates: 6th Best City for Young Professionals, 7th Best City for Outdoor Activities, 30th Most Diverse City, and 47th Healthiest City out of 228 cities in America.****

Boston neighborhoods where roommates get > for = $: Cambridgeport, Brookline, The Port, Riverside, Peabody, East Cambridge, Mid-Cambridge, Wayland, Wellington-Harrington, and Cambridge.*****

Boston's roommates are spending 20% < $ than NYC's.******

Boston's largest hoodmap tags: dead body disposal, italians, great seafood, technically a beach, moms that still dress like pat benatar, hipster mecca, asian tourists, harvard kids displacing working people, art school dropouts, loud noises, the irish mob, catholics, liberals not welcome, zombieland, universities galore!, family hipsters, lesbians, irish american firemen, murderpan, used to be mobsters here, new chinatown, and allston rat city*******

Boston's average commute is > average by several minutes, and a small % have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes. Most households have only 1 car, which is less than the national average of 2.********

SO, roomiematch.com's Boston roommate rundown:

Boston is the most densely populated most expensive city in the United States . . . after NYC and the Bay Area, of course.

Just like the larger two, public transport is popular. About a third of Bostonians use public transport daily, and about a third, exclusively. That's underground, bus, plus commuter rail. Since most of the city is compact and densely populated, many prefer to walk around outdoors as well, even in winter.

Prepare to bundle up.

But if you're not walking, be prepared for gridlock . . . hardly anyone offers free parking, yet there's still a lot of commuting, particularly during special events. The city's population can suddenly double, leading to a sudden traffic bubble. You don't want to be on the road with that.

The best advice is to live in a neighborhood near where you'll spend most of your time. In Boston, almost any amount of commuting is associated with annoyance. Avoidance would be enviable.

Boston has a very high cost of living, more or less again, right after NYC and the Bay Area. Salaries tend to be higher too, so for many, it's worth it.

Many whose salaries don't tend to be higher tend to have roommates. And many others tend to have roommates too just to save money anyway. Spend it on seafood instead.

The rest of the Boston roommate lowdown:

Boston is the most populous city in Massachusetts, about 675,000 in the city and almost 5 million in the Greater Boston metropolitan region. That makes Boston the third most densely populated large US city and the most populous state capital.
Boston is called a "city of neighborhoods" as 23 have officially been designated and they're very diverse architecturally. Most didn't exist even in terms of their land area when the city was founded, but were created by filling nearby tidal areas with gravel.
About 1/3 of Bostonians use public transport daily, and about 1/3 of Boston households do not have a car. The MBTA operates the oldest underground transit system in the country, along with many buses and commuter rail.
Boston has the highest percentage pedestrian commuting in the country. Much of the city is both compact and densely populated with a huge student demographic, which leads to foot traffic from both preference and necessity. Prepare to wear layers to walk around in the winter.
But if you and your roommates do choose to drive within Boston, you should plan more in your budget than cheaper cities. Most apartments don't have spaces included with the rent. Parking most places you'd drive in the city is paid as well, by the hour or monthly.
There is a lot of commuting from the suburbs for work and special events. Sometimes the city's population doubles or even triples for short periods, so traffic congestion can get severe.
The best advice for commuting around Boston may simply be to try harder to find a neighborhood near where you'll spend most of your time. Reverse commuting and/or not commuting at all during business hours and other citywide excitable moments would also be enviable lifestyle choices for you and your roommates to consider whenever possible.
Boston features all four seasons, extremely so. Weather changes rapidly with heavy precipitation. Summer are hot, winters are stormy with lots of rain, snow, sleet, and fog. Heavy downpours and hailstorms are common. Chilly coastal sea breezes lower land temperatures suddenly, then the fog rolls in all along the North Atlantic. You and your roommates will want to pack hoodies.
Boston has a high cost of living, one of the highest in the country. Usually only NYC and San Francisco beat Boston for overall expensiveness. However, salaries tend to be higher here too, so for many it's worth it.
Boston hosts many professional sports teams, including the Boston Red Sox, the Boston Celtics, and the Boston Bruins. Boston also hosts the Boston Marathon, the world's oldest annual marathon run on Patriots' Day. Locals take their teams very seriously! All older teams are followed by their own exceedingly enthusiastic fanbases.
Boston is home to an extremely large number of universities and colleges, including: Art Institute of Boston, Berklee College of Music, Boston Architectural Center, Endicott College, Gordon College, Lasell College, Montserrat College of Art, Mount Ida College, Newbury College, Wellesley College, Wentworth Institute of Technology, Wheaton College, Atlantic Union College, Babson College, Bentley College, Boston Conservatory, Cambridge College, Curry College, Eastern Nazarene College, Emmanuel College, Framingham State College, Massachusetts College of Art, MGH Institute of Health Professions, Pine Manor College, Regis College, Salem State College, School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Wheelock College, Boston College, Boston University, Brandeis University, Emerson College, Harvard University, Lesley College, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, New England Conservatory of Music, Northeastern University, Simmons College, Suffolk University, Tufts University, and the University of Massachusetts

After you're settled down, you and your roommates should experience Boston's:

Seafood: Boston is at the head of the Boston Bay, New England's most important seaport. The seafood is sparklingly fresh, so don't miss the lobsters, oysters, and clam chowder.
Contemporary Classical Music: From the Boston Symphony Orchestra (one of the "Big Five") to the Boston Pops Orchestra. There's also Boston Baroque, the Boston Modern Orchestra Project, Boston Ballet, Opera Boston, and Boston Musica Viva . . . and then several annual musical festivals and local events including a Boston Pops concert with fireworks on the banks of the Charles River.
Parks: Their system is stunning, one of the best in the country. Along with Boston Public Garden, the Emerald Necklace is a string of parks including Franklin Park, the Franklin Park Zoo, the Back Bay Fens, Arnold Arboretum, and Jamaica Pond. They were designed by Frederick Law Olmsted to encircle the city. Several other parks are scattered around the city as well, so you and your roommates should most definitely chill in at least one of these excellent greenspaces.
Old Corner Bookstore: Many claim it's the "cradle of American literature," where Ralph Waldo Emerson, Margaret Fuller, Nathaniel Hawthorne, James Russell Lowell, and Henry David Thoreau all met and wrote. Boston continues its literary scene with The Atlantic Monthly, the Boston Book Festival, and the Boston Public Library (the first free library in the US).
History: Boston is one of the oldest cities in America; it's the scene of several key events in the American Revolution including the Boston Massacre, the Boston Tea Party, and the Battle of Bunker Hill. The USS Constitution and Walden Pond are also spectacularly popular with tourists.
Boston's so rich with history REALLY there's an historical marker nearly everywhere you turn. You and your roommates could take photos of each other posing throughout history all over the place! Definitely sort of!

Here's the City of Boston's Services, Applications, and Permits: probably of interest to new residents.

Compare Boston roommate rent to everywhere else, plus how to find a good roommate - better roommates for all!

Don't miss roommate scams = NOPE!

And here's the roommate matching metro list.

BOULDER

Average roommate rent in Boulder is $725.

Find a roommate in Boulder: 171st out of 2202 US cities for cost of living, and 70th for quality of life.**

Your Boulder roommate search may experience #4 (WOW!) (out of 150) in Best City vibes. Also #130 in Best Places to Retire vibes and #22 in Most Expensive Places to Live vibes.***

Enjoy healthy outdoor activities with young professionals or many students with new Boulder roommates: 7th Healthiest Place to Live, 10th Best Public Schools, 39th Best for Outdoor Activities, and 50th Best for Young Professionals out of 228 cities in America.****

Boulder neighborhoods where roommates get > for = $: Superior, Louisville, Gunbarrel, Lafayette, Niwot, and Longmont*****

Boulder's largest hoodmap tags: that brewery you found, techies with families and dogs, paragliders, rich af white people, middle-aged startups, popular hiking spot, quiet stoners, rich marxists, flatirons, and best sandwiches ever.*******

Boulder has an average commute time (24 minutes) and the average 2 cars per household.********

SO, roomiematch.com's Boulder roommate rundown:

Boulder is its own college town with a unique vibe that's also more or less a suburb of Denver.

Because of all the folks commuting back and forth from Denver? And then also all the folks commuting back and forth from Boulder too?

Meaning, the commuting is somewhat two-way, but more from Denver because Denver costs more.

Shorter version: If you're a commuter, you probably just gotta do what you gotta do, this advice is not for you. If you're NOT a commuter, figure out when commuters tend to be on the roads near you. Then avoid them for the entire duration.

What else is different about Boulder?

1. A bunch of dudes tends to plunge into a reservoir. Nude. On New Year's Day.

2. Then, a bunch of dudes that we can't prove aren't the same dudes tends to run around buck naked except for shoes on their feet and pumpkins on their heads. On Halloween.

3. Boulder always sports an unusually high percentage of college students as residents.

Are #1, 2, and 3 all saying the exact same thing about Boulder, but from different directions?

There's a case to be made.

The rest of the Boulder roommate lowdown:

small college town, about 100,000 - Boulder's roommate population is younger and better educated than the national average because it's always some large percentage college students.
Boulder is 25 miles northwest of Denver, at the base of the Rocky Mountains and more than a mile above sea level. Boulder's scenic snowcapped mountain views are so prized it's illegal to mess with them as they enacted an ordinance to limit the height of new buildings back in the 1970s.
There's a whole lot of commuting, mostly back and forth from Denver. If a Boulderite doesn't work or study in Boulder, they probably drive to Denver, it's about 30 minutes. Similarly, about 1/2 the jobs inside Boulder are filled by folks commuting from outside it, usually from Denver. The take home: If you don't like being on the road, avoid all of these commuters while they're causing heavy congestion.
Boulder is a little over an hour's drive from several of the top-rated ski resorts in the country.
Boulder is more bicycle-friendly than most towns, now well known for their grade-separated bicycle paths integrated into a network of lanes, tracks, and on-street routes including pedestrian underpasses.
Boulder is home to the main campus of the University of Colorado (the state's largest university), Naropa University, and Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts.

After you're settled down, you and your roommates should experience Boulder's:

Nature Preserves: Boulder is surrounded by thousands of acres of nature preserves featuring mountains, rivers and forest. Opportunities abound for hiking, mountain biking, rock climbing, and wildlife watching.
The Bolder Boulder: Hosted every year since 1979, during which over 50,000 joggers, runners, walkers, and wheelchair racers compete in the 5th largest road race in the world.
The Plunge: Hundreds of citizens plunge themselves into the freezing Boulder Reservoir every New Year's Day since 1983. Rescue workers armed with hot tubs will be standing by to revive you and your roommates.
Every Halloween between 1998 and 2008, several dozen folks ran around downtown Boulder buck naked except for shoes on their feet and pumpkins on their heads. Then in 2009 the whole Naked Pumpkin Run was threatened with legal repercussions. Many reboots have been attempted, so nude dudes with hollowed-out pumpkins on their heads are still considered semi-normal . . .

. . . but only on Halloween.

If you and your roommates go naked pumpkinhead native you should never run by your fellow Boulderites on Thanksgiving too as that would not be socially acceptable.

Here's the city of Boulder's Landlord, Tenant, and Roommate Resources, which you'll hopefully never need if you choose the right roommates.

Compare Boulder roommate rent to everywhere else, plus how to find a good roommate - better roommates for all!

Don't miss roommate scams = NOPE!

And here's the roommate matching metro list.

BUFFALO

Average roommate rent in Buffalo is $450.

Find a roommate in Buffalo: 1908th out of 2202 US cities for cost of living, and 87th for quality of life.**

Your Buffalo roommate search may experience #45 (out of 150) in Best City vibes. Also #19 in Cheapest Places to Live vibes and #75 in Best Places to Retire vibes.***

Enjoy a low cost of living with diverse young professionals with new Buffalo roommates: 8th Lowest Cost of Living, 55th Best for Young Professionals, and 59th Most Diverse out of 228 cities in America..****

Buffalo neighborhoods where roommates get > for = $: Williamsville, Eggertsville, Parkside, Clarence Center, East Aurora, Kenmore, Harris Hill, North Park, North Buffalo, and University Heights.*****

Buffalo's roommates are spending 43% < $ than NYC's.******

Buffalo's largest hoodmap tags: lumberjacks be pullin syrup out of trees, snow walls, poor white people, botanical gardens, rick james corpse, rich white people, used to play pro hockey, more gentrification, and canada, eh?.*******

Buffalo residents have a commute time several minutes less than average. Most households have only 1 car, and a larger percentage of Buffalo employees both carpool (10%) and take public transit (10%) to work compared to the rest of the country.********

SO, roomiematch.com's Buffalo roommate rundown:

Buffalo is near the US border with Canada, opposite Fort Erie, Ontario. Buffalo proper is very small, but the larger Buffalo-Niagara Falls metro area has over a million folks. Crossing back and forth at the four border crossings is popular and easy for anyone with a passport.

Buffalo is VERY cheap for New York state. That's mostly because it's closer to Cleveland, Detroit, and Pittsburgh than NYC. Your lifestyle expenses will be much more similar to Cleveland, Detroit, and Pittsburgh as well. All comparatively cheap for metros around that size!

Severe snow happens, immediately followed by city crews removing it. Buffalo handles its winter well; residents in town don't have to slow down much.

And yes, you should eat the famous wings and see the famous Falls once or twice, more if you're into them.

But it's even more Buffalo-typical to eat Cheerios with your roommates on your porch!

The rest of the Buffalo roommate lowdown:

located on the eastern end of Lake Erie, near the United States border with Canada, opposite Fort Erie, Ontario - small city of about 275,000, but the larger Buffalo-Niagara Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area is over a million estimated population
Buffalo is divided into 5 districts and 35 neighborhoods. Main Street divides the city with the West Side somewhat more expensive than the East Side.
VERY low cost of living FOR New York state, which makes sense as Buffalo is actually closer to Cleveland, Detroit, and Pittsburgh than NYC
severe winter snow (about 100 inches annually!) during about 7 months of winter, but snow doesn't sideline most Buffalonians as city crews plow and salt the roads regularly
Everyone loves the weather all the rest of the time that's not winter.
home to three State University of New York campuses, including University at Buffalo, Buffalo State College, and Erie Community College
The Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority (NFTA) operates Buffalo's public transportation, including its airport, over 300 buses, light-rail system, and harbors.
There are four border crossings from the Buffalo-Niagara Falls area into Canada. Crossing the border is usually easy if you have a passport.
waterfront hub, the city's total area is about 22% water
While crime in Buffalo is still higher than the national average, crime has decreased significantly since the end of the crack epidemic in the 1990s.

After you're settled down, you and your roommates should experience Buffalo's:

Cheerios: They've been made in Buffalo for over 75 years. A toasty oat aroma wafts along the Buffalo River as they bake them fresh every day. You could also wear the popular local T-shirt that says, "My city smells like Cheerios" as that will frequently come true if you move here.
Architecture: Buffalo is rated one of the top cities in the country for architecture, featuring many buildings considered masterpieces, including the Buffalo Central Terminal, the Buffalo City Court Building, the Seneca One Tower, the Darwin D. Martin House Complex, and the Art Deco Buffalo City Hall
Art Galleries: Over 50 art galleries, including the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, the Burchfield Penney Art Center, the Buffalo History Museum, and the Buffalo Museum of Science
Honeycomb Toffee, Butter Lambs, and Beef on Weck: In addition to the famous wings, Buffalo is known for its honeycomb toffee (a sponge made from mostly molasses and baking soda), butter lambs (tiny frozen sculptures made of butter with eyes of peppercorn or clove), and beef on weck (rare roast beef sandwiches served with horseradish and dipped in au jus). Food trucks are very popular.
Niagara Falls is a major tourist attraction, mostly during summer.
Buffalo Theater District: over 20 professional theater companies
Porchfests: Various Buffalo Porchfests feature many beers plus many bands showcasing themselves on porch "stages" all over the city. The original kicked off in Elmwood Village, but newer porch-centric events are also underway in other celebratory Buffalo neighborhoods. If you and your roommates have a porch, you might consider letting local musicians use it as a stage! They'll probably only be there temporarily. Probably.
Grain Silos: Many miles of giant hollow abandoned grain silos along the Buffalo River are getting a second life as they're transformed into cultural spaces for poetry, live music, and theater performances. Both public vs. private and walking vs. boating tours are available. Some tours would take you and your roommates all the way to the stunning tops of the now historical grain elevators.

Here's the link to sign up for BUFFALERT, which will send you text messages to warn you of upcoming possible emergencies in Buffalo.

Compare Buffalo roommate matching to everywhere else, plus how to find a good roommate - better roommates for all!

Don't miss roommate scams = NOPE!

And here's the roommate matching metro list.

BURLINGTON

Average roommate rent in Burlington is $500.

Find a roommate in Burlington: 448th out of 2202 US cities for cost of living, and 68th for quality of life.**

Your Burlington roommate search may experience #20 in Best Mountain Towns to Visit in the USA vibes.***

Enjoy young professionals in one of the best places to live in Vermont with new Burlington roommates: 5th Best Places for Young Professionals in Vermont and 16th Best Places to Live in Vermont.****

Burlington has a shorter than average commute (18 minutes). Burlington households also have the average 2 cars, but 20% of employees walk to work, significantly higher than average.********

SO, roomiematch.com's Burlington roommate rundown:

Burlington is the largest city in Vermont and considered its cultural and educational center. However, that's only about 45,000 folks?

Burlington features harsh winters, but lush and sacred summers no one ever wants to waste.

There are no traffic jams and excellent air quality (obviously related). But you and your roommates will need at least one snow-worthy vehicle.

And speaking of snow, it's the best here. All the snow sports you can name plus international ice hockey and ice fishing. Also winter bashes, fests, and carnivals, all involving maple syrup.

They also adore flannel, farmers' markets, and water resistant wool parkas.

Probably why their crime rate is so low. Everyone just stays super cozy.

The rest of the Burlington roommate lowdown:

Burlington is the most populous city in Vermont, but still the least populous US city to still be the most in its state with about 45,000
in Northwest Vermont along the east shore of Lake Champlain with the Adirondacks 35 miles to the west and the Green Mountains 10 miles to the east and southeast
Burlington is green and lush in summer but features very harsh winters. Snowstorms are possible even in spring. The severity of the cold will surprise anyone new to heavy snow, particularly their first December.
Sunny summer days are sacred and not to be wasted, according to most Burlingtonians.
home to several college and universities, including the University of Vermont, Burlington College, and Champlain College
Burlington has a very low crime rate and excellent air quality.
low population density means traffic jams are nearly nonexistent
In 2015, Burlington because the first US city to run entirely on renewable energy.
Almost everything in Burlington is farther apart than you'd expect for a city, including the other cities on this list. Since snow is also an issue most of the year, it's highly recommended you and your roommates have at least one decent snow-worthy vehicle. Gas also tends toward more expensive than average here.

After you're settled down, you and your roommates should experience Burlington's:

Ethan Allen Express: A passenger train running from Burlington to New York City's Union Station by way of Albany. There's one round trip daily that covers 310 miles in about 7.5 hours. It's named for American Revolutionary War hero and Vermont cofounder Ethan Allen.
Outdoor Snow Sports: They're the biggest and best here, with about 18 ski resorts on various mountains nearby. Downhill skiing and snowboarding are very popular, with cross-country skiing, showshoeing, snowmobiling, and ice fishing available too. Ice-wise inside, Burlington has a long history with hockey as well, as it was the location of the first international ice hockey match and now hosts many hockey championships.
Hiking Trails: Burlington (along with the rest of Vermont) is nicknamed the "Green Mountain State" as the mountains are beautifully blanketed with wildflowers after the snow melts. Right after all that snow mud dries up and before summer gets too muggy is the best time for you and your roommates to explore Burlington's hiking trails.
Burlington Farmers Market: Operates year round with about 100 vendors of locally grown food, art, and flowers.
Ben & Jerry's: In 1978, the original Ben & Jerry's opened in Burlington in a renovated gas station. The now multinational company maintains headquarters in South Burlington and a factory in Waterbury.
Maples: Burlington (along with the rest of Vermont) is known for brilliant fall foliage and natural maple syrup, their superior sweetener. "Leaf peeping" tourists come from all over to photograph the leaves from September to November, and the Maple Festival honors the syrup. (Do not EVER serve a Vermonter any fake ass maple syrup. Syrup social acceptability = local real deal only.)
Winter Everything: Burlingtonians are determined to stave off any possible winter depression or despair with carnivals and fairs as popular with snow on the ground as anything during summer: Brrlington Winter Bash, the Middlebury Winter Fest and the Stowe Winter Carnival.
Fashion Flannel: f you and your roommates want to make a statement in winter you'll do that with high-fashion flannel shirts, waterproof winter boots, and snuggly wool parkas. Fashion = flannel = don't fight it or you'll freeze to death.
Filing Cabinet: There's a 38-drawer filing cabinet built by local artist Bren Alvarez that claims to be the Earth's tallest filing cabinet. It's a comment on bureaucratic delay, with each drawer associated with a year of paperwork associated with the legal battles associated with a local street project. You and your roommates can visit it where it remains way too tall for a filing cabinet and still sitting on a parking lot on Flynn.

Here's the city of Burlington's Rental Resource page, including Resources & Guides to renting in Vermont and Tenant Rights & Responsibilities.

Compare Burlington roommate rent to everywhere else, plus how to find a good roommate - better roommates for all!

Don't miss roommate scams = NOPE!

And here's the roommate matching metro list.

CALGARY

Average roommate rent in Calgary is $600.

Find a roommate in Calgary, where the average proportion of income spent in rent plus utilities is 21%. Only 9% of renters live overcrowded.*********

Calgary is 23rd out of 153 Canadian cities for cost of living, and 10th best city to live in Canada.**

Calgary's roommates are spending 47% < $ than NYC's.******

Calgary's largest hoodmap tags: lock your car doors, drivers causing deerfoot chaose, little india, dave's not here man, dangerous community, rich people, expensive af homes, where the popular girls become nurses, old money, white trash, this is not the land . . . this is glendale.*******

SO, roomiematch.com's Calgary roommate rundown:

Calgary has long cold winters with severe nighttime temperature drops . . . but it's still dry and sunny!

If you can handle a long winter punctuated with hail at a high elevation, you'll be rewarded with a Stampede! The Calgary Stampede. It's in July. You and your roommates are not required to don cowboy gear and sidle up to stacks of pancakes. But you should.

If you're into any outdoor sport played upon an exceedingly crisp snowscape, you'll love Calgary, which many winter adventurers already know!

However, if you and your roommates prefer staying in to bundling up, you'll have to get creative to keep yourselves entertained, for sure.

But all roommates, wintersporting and non, will be rewarded with a clean safe friendly city with cleaner air and lower taxes! Cleaner and lower than most cities Calgary's size!

Also there are many trains with well-behaved dogs riding around on them right now.

The rest of the Calgary roommate lowdown:

Calgary is a clean safe city with clean air and a low sales tax in southern Alberta along Highway 1 at the foot of the Rocky Mountains.
In terms of elevation, Calgary is the highest metro area in Canada, so it features long cold winters, heavy rain in summer, and nighttime temperature drops that are severe . . . but it's often a very dry and sunny freezing cold!
Calgary lies within Alberta's "Hailstorm Alley" which tends to see severely damaging hailstorms every few years.
home to Mount Royal University, SAIT Polytechnic, Bow Valley College, Alberta University of the Arts, Ambrose University College, St. Mary's University College, and the University of Calgary
The CTrain transit system features 9 train stations in downtown Calgary. It's free to ride downtown. Including the suburban stops, the CTrain carries over 250,000 riders every weekday. About half of Calgary's downtown workers ride the CTrain to work.
If you'd like a dog as a roommate as well, Calgary is extremely friendly. The Ctrain features connections to over 150 offleash spaces for dogs. Many restaurants are dog-friendly too.
There's no provincial sales tax. If you move to Calgary, there still the 5% federal Goods and Services Tax, but nothing local. The cost of living for almost everything is lower than other Canadian cities, including smaller ones.
Calgary has more walking and cycling path than anywhere else in North America, with over 600 miles. Most of Calgary rides a bicycle, no matter how cold it gets. With all those paths connected with urban bridges and pedestrian skyways, most roommates will want to try cycling Calgary too.

After you're settled down, you and your roommates should experience Calgary's:

Calgary Stampede: Annual rodeo and fair held every July. Over a million folks show up over just ten days, while locals put on their western wear and serve pancakes. Party!
Columbia Icefield Skywalk: If you and your roommates are into the rest of Calgary's pedestrian skyways, you won't want to miss this one. It's their extra special skyway built into the bedrock off a cliff face! Fortunately it also features a thick glass bottom.

Here's the city of Calgary's properties and neighborhoods page, featuring community profiles, garbage recycling and compost pickup, and other resources for both property owners and renters.

Compare Calgary roommate rent to everywhere else, plus how to find a good roommate - better roommates for all!

Don't miss roommate scams = NOPE!

And here's the roommate matching metro list.

CHARLESTON

Average roommate rent in Charleston is $550.

Find a roommate in Charleston: 356th out of 2202 US cities for cost of living, and 67th for quality of life.**

Your Charleston roommate search may experience #49 (out of 150) in Best Places to Live vibes. Also #83 in Best Places to Retire vibes and #22 in Fastest-Growing Places vibes.***

Enjoy retirees and young professionals with new Charleston roommates: 14th Best City to Retire in America and 32nd Best City for Young Professionals out of 228 cities in America.****

Charleston's largest hoodmap tags: half hood half hippie, the slums, rich white people, college of charleston, tourist hell, shoot outs, desperate housewives, gentrified hood, west virginiaaaaaaaa, and the last remnants of old mount pleasant.*******

Average commute = average (23 minutes). Most households have 2 cars.********

SO, roomiematch.com's Charleston roommate rundown:

In Charleston, you'll eat the best seafood surrounded by intense local history and equally intense humidity, almost year round.

When you're between two rivers and below sea level, water everywhere dictates most of the way of life.

So, if you can handle the heat AND the humidity, Charleston is more friendly to renters and more friendly to pedestrians than most cities similarly sized. Almost half of households include renters, and almost everyone walks, at least part of the time, at least during locally-produced events suggesting that many should amble around in the friendliest way (face-to-face on foot).

In fact, most describe Charleston as friendly overall. And all y'all are not lying, nope.

But you'll also have to handle some mosquitoes and pollen. Maybe even an unfriendly hurricane. New residents should ask their favorite long-term locals for ongoing instructions on how to deal.

Which you really should, go there and deal, at least short-term, if you're into it. FEMA says if global warming continues Charleston may cease to exist as we currently know it or in the future . . . shift inward? Which could seriously surprise those inward at present.

But for roommates right now? Probably as safe as other coastal cities, but with lower rent and a greater variety of seafood snacks that will rock you like a hurricane . . . with high winds on a floodplain . . . and free wine.

The rest of the Charleston roommate lowdown:

The heart of South Carolina Lowcountry -- featuring historic architecture near the ocean with a lot of interesting art, but affordable rents!
Lowcountry gets its name from its low-lying topography, with most of it at or below sea level. 2/3 falls within FEMA's 100-year floodplain. Unique flora and excellent local seafood are the good news. Charleston is known for gumbo, fried oysters, deviled crab cakes, Charleston red rice, shrimp and grits, pimento cheese, and Lowcountry boil.
Charleston is a peninsula bounded by two rivers. The Wando, Cooper, Stono, and Ashley tidal rivers display their drowned coastline, with a submerged river delta at the mouth.
Humid and subtropical -- mild winters, hot humid summers, and rainy all year long but more summer thundershowers
The city of Charleston is home to approximately 150,000, while the greater metro area including Berkeley and Dorchester is over 800,000. That population is expected to rise by at least 25% in the next several years, in part due to the "high tech boom" strongly encouraged by local business leaders. "The Holy City" (many churches, many stunning steeples) is now one of the fastest growing cites in America.
several major hospitals located in the downtown area, including Johnson VA Medical Center, Roper Hospital, Trident Regional Medical Center, and the Medical University of South Carolina Medical Center
home of the College of Charleston, The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, and the Medical University of South Carolina
Charleston is one of the best markets for renters, as almost half of Charleston's households are renter occupied, keeping roommate rents competitive.
Charleston is more pedestrian-friendly than most cities its smaller size. Some find the historic cobblestone streets challenging, but almost all find them quaint and absolutely all are encouraged to walk on them.
3 things worse in Charleston than most cities: Hurricanes, mosquitoes, and pollen season. Even if you never worried about any of those before, you and your roommates will need to pay attention to all 3 in Charleston.
You and your roommates should assume any body of water substantially larger than a backyard pool has alligators and snakes swimming around in it. Keep an eye out for suspicious swimmers in uncovered backyard pools as well!

After you're settled down, you and your roommates should experience Charleston's:

Spoleto Festival USA: 17-day art festival featuring hundreds of performances throughout the city.
Charleston Food and Wine Festival: Enthusiastic participation by both local and tourists with new cuisine for foodies every single year.
Arts Walk Downtown: Is the First Friday of every month. Browse art with free wine!
Old Slave Mart: Fully acknowledging Charleston's horrific history of slavery
Tavern at Rainbow Row: If you and your roommates would like to buy your booze at the oldest liquor store in the country . . .
Sullivan's Island: Some say it's guaranteed you can see a dolphin here. Ask a local for the best view.
Bull Island: Y'all refers to one person, singular. All y'all refers to more than one person or an entire group. And all y'all roommates could go stare at a sunbathing alligator on Bull Island.

Here's the Charleston county's list of links for online services, including resources for residents.

Compare Charleston roommate rent to everywhere else, plus how to find a good roommate - better roommates for all!

Don't miss roommate scams = NOPE!

And here's the roommate matching metro list.

CHARLOTTE

Average roommate rent in Charlotte is $650.

Find a roommate in Charlotte and save more than $568 per month ($6816 per year).* Charlotte is 88th out of 2202 US cities for cost of living, and 87th for quality of life. It's also ranked the best city to live in North Carolina!**

Your Charlotte roommate search may experience #30 (out of 150) in Best Places to Live vibes. Also #62 in Best Places to Retire vibes and #24 in Fastest-Growing Places vibes.***

Enjoy diverse young professionals pursuing health with new Charlotte roommates: 22nd Most Diverse, 44th Best for Young Professionals, and 80th for Healthiest City out of 228 cities in America.****

Charlotte neighborhoods where roommates get > for = $: Dilworth, Uptown, Cherry, Providence Estates East, Providence Plantation, Provincetowne, Ashbrook/Clawson Village, Beverly Woods, Providence Crossing, and Elizabeth*****

Charlotte's roommates are spending 31% < $ than NYC's.******

Charlotte's largest hoodmap tags: outdoors activities for days, new money, super hood, uncle daddy rollin' coal, crackhead dance offs, friendly robbers, where high school football players go to, desis out for their evening walk, country clubs, comfy suburbanites, old money, and more relocated yankees.*******

Charlotte's average commute is a little longer than average (26 minutes). Most households have 2 cars.********

SO, roomiematch.com's Charlotte roommate rundown:

Charlotte might primarily be known as "Bank City, USA" because it . . . has a lot of banks? Yup. No, not trying to insult your intelligence. No, not a trick question. Nope. Just a lot of banks.

But you might not already know that's not just a lot of banks, but #2 in banks? After NYC, predictably, but that's still a lot of banks headquartered in a city that's way smaller than #2 in size after NYC, right? Yet there they all are.

However, if you're now imagining a monochromatically concrete downtown, the opposite happened. In between its banks, Charlotte features lots of greenspace with an extensive tree canopy. If you're within Charlotte's city limits, you can always reach out your hands and touch both trees and banks! Even from inside your apartment!

(Just kidding! Not everyone can touch both a tree and a bank from inside their apartment, but more than you'd probably imagine. Banks and residential apartments frequently share buildings surrounded by trees so there you go.)

There's also arguably more motorsports and more pimento cheese than anywhere else. Ever.

The rest of the Charlotte roommate lowdown:

humid and subtropical climate -- summers are long and warm, winters are cool, freezing storms rare
Charlotte is the most populous city in North Carolina, and usually growing. Within city limits there are almost 900,000 people, with close to 3 million in the greater metropolitan area.
Charlotte is "Bank City, USA," the second-largest banking center in the US, after NYC. Many banks are headquartered or feature significant branches here.
home to Barber-Scotia College, Davidson College, Johnson-Smith University, Catawba College, Livingstone College, Queens College, Wingate Collge, Winthrop University, and the University of North Carolina
More motorsports industry racing in Charlotte than anywhere else, with the US's only Formula One team, NASCAR, NASCAR Hall of Fame, and the Charlotte Motor Speedway. Understandably, most of NASCAR's people live in or near Charlotte.
Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) carries over 16 million passengers annually, on light rail, streetcars, buses and vanpools. Many privately carpool as well, and Amtrak is very active here. So while Charlotte is doing well on the public transport and ride sharing front . . . it's still not rated well for walkability. So you and your roommates will probably still want cars if you venture much outside the city center and/or off the main lines.
Traveling by car, the central core/Uptown is laid out in a grid, with the streets numbered, and running east-west! Easy for almost everyone! HOWEVER, recent roommate transplants will likely find the outer ring of suburbs more difficult to navigate. They are NOT laid out in a grid. They're not really laid out according to much that'll make sense while driving on them. Also, the names of the streets change at random right in the middle . . . to the same names shared by other nearby streets? Suburban navigation for newbies will necessarily involve a good GPS system plus good directions, get both before you venture out there or prepare to GET LOST.
Some of Charlotte is friendly to cyclists with designated bike lanes. The rest, not so much (some say NOT AT ALL). If you want to cycle more safely using bike lanes, you'll probably want to plan your route in advance.
Due in large part to North Carolina's long history with tobacco, smoking cigarettes in public is more common here than in most American cities. Smoking is still popular in clubs and concert venues and on outdoor decks . . . but it's also increasingly common to ask others if they'll be bothered before lighting up, especially around food. In short, it's a confusing time for tobacco in Charlotte. If it's important to you to be able to smoke during an event OR that an event is completely smoke free, you should ask in advance.

After you're settled down, you and your roommates should experience Charlotte's:

Outdoor Adventuring Opportunities: U.S. National Whitewater Center has man-made rapids you and your roommates could enjoy year round, plus mountain biking and whitewater rafting. If that doesn't float your raft you can hike up some rocks at Crowders Mountain State Park.
Uptown Museums: You could visit several within walking distance of each other, including the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture, the Levine Museum of the New South, and the Mint Museum.
Pimento Cheese: Charlotte is considered by many to be the Pimento Cheese Capital of the World. You can order it by the pound. It might be called "salad," it might end up on a hot dog or alongside some BBQ, it should probably end up inside you and your roommates.
Cheerwine: Cherry-flavored soda that Charlotte loves. R.C. Cola is also popular. "Sweet ice tea" (or locally, just "tea") is the most popular non-carbonated drink, and is usually served ice cold too but much sweeter than most sodas and colas.
Metalmorphosis: A reflecting pool in an office park containing a mirrored head with 40 steel pieces. It rotates. It spits water. You and your roommates will never see anything quite like it, especially in the suburbs (it's in Ballantyne).

Here's the city of Charlotte's listings for Housing and Neighborhoods.

Compare Charlotte roommate rent to everywhere else, plus how to find a good roommate - better roommates for all!

Don't miss roommate scams = NOPE!

And here's the roommate matching metro list.

CHEYENNE

Average roommate rent in Cheyenne is $310.

Find a roommate in Cheyenne: 1940th out of 2202 US cities for cost of living, and 61st for quality of life.**

Enjoy both young professionals and retirees with new Cheyenne roommates: 4th Best Place for Young Professionals and 12th Best Place to Retire in Wyoming.****

Cheyenne's largest hoodmap tags: don't live next to this guy and unfunniest place in the world.*******

Most employees in Cheyenne drive alone to work and have a shorter than average commute (15 minutes). Most households have 2 cars.********

SO, roomiematch.com's Cheyenne roommate rundown:

Cheyenne is cheap and clean and open and gorgeous.

It's also wet, Western, and WINDY.

The pace of life is slow. The cowboys don't hurry much. Or humor vegetarians much.

But they will not charge you taxes much either.

Or roommate rent. All costs of living are low, so you and your roommates should spend whatever's extra maintaining your motor vehicles, which everyone needs to navigate the heavy rain and high winds which you will experience alongside few public transport options.

Cheyenne = Have Good Car.

(No roommates will ever have much fun as exceptions to that rule.)

The rest of the Cheyenne roommate lowdown:

Cheyenne is the capital of Wyoming, the most populous city in the state, and its commercial center, located in the southeast corner. But even though it's the most populous, that's still only around 65,000 folks? With the rest of Laramie County, about 100,000.
Cheyenne is a small town character for sure, including the low crime rate and less polluted air . . . which also means it's a smaller roommate market. So you can find a roommate in Cheyenne, but best results will mean giving yourself as much lead time as you possibly can.
Cheyenne is slow-paced. It's more gorgeous and natural and open than the average American city.
Cheyenne is named in honor of the Cheyenne Native American tribe.
Many residents are employed by the U.S. Air Force, the Wyoming National Guard, or local ranches.
home to the Laramie County Community College
Cheyenne weather is extra for most because it's extra unpredictable and extra windy. Cheyenne is even known for dramatically different weather in different parts of the city at the same moment in time. Summer features dry days mixed with severe storms with very heavy rain. Winter features snow. And locals say you can experience all four seasons every spring, often including tornados. But fall tends to be peaceful.
Cheyenne is closer than many imagine to Denver, about 90 miles north. Depending on traffic the trip takes about 90 minutes, and high speed rail routes are planned for the future.
Cheyenne is laid out simply in a grid, and on-street parking is available! Which will be very helpful to you and your roommates with cars which you hope will be all of them because public transport is just a few bus lines and a trolley. Everyone will want access to a reliable vehicle. Don't get stranded in the proverbial middle of nowhere during a dark and stormy night.
With zero income tax plus low property, sales, auto, and state taxes, Cheyenne is one of the "tax friendliest" cities in the country.
Cheyenne is long famous for celebrating "true Western" culture. Cowboy hats, boots, and belts are forever welcome and never out of place. They may be seen on actual cowboys driving trucks toward chicken-fried steaks or elk and bison burgers.
Meanwhile, Cheyenne is not the nicest place for vegetarians. This is cattle country, and ranching is a way of life.

After you're settled down, you and your roommates should experience Cheyenne's:

Cheyenne Frontier Days: Ten days near the end of July known as the largest rodeo festival in the world. In addition to professional bull riding, you can also watch bareback riding, barrel racing, bronc riding, calf roping, steer roping and wrestling, team roping . . . and a carnival with rides! And a parade!
Yellowstone National Park: KIND OF. Meaning . . . not really, but if you're brand new to the Northern Great Plains, it's about a 9-hour drive and worth it, but only if you won't mind at least two long drives across the plains. You and your roommates in a reliable vehicle could visit over a very long weekend, MAYBE. But probably better to take the week.
The Stars: In the sky. There are a lot, and you can see them in Cheyenne. Outside larger urban areas this activity is called "stargazing."

Here's the city of Cheyenne's listing of Community Recreation & Events.

Compare Cheyenne roommate rent to everywhere else, plus how to find a good roommate - better roommates for all!

Don't miss roommate scams = NOPE!

And here's the roommate matching metro list.

CHICAGO

Average roommate rent in Chicago is $740.

Find a roommate in Chicago: 195th out of 2202 US cities for cost of living, and 96th for quality of life.**

Your Chicago roommate search may experience #79 (out of 150) in Best Places to Live vibes. Also #56 in Best Places to Retire vibes.***

Enjoy a diverse range of young professionals engaged in healthy outdoor activities with new Chicago roommates: 7th Most Diverse, 21st Best for Young Professionals, 46th Best for Outdoor Activities, and 52nd Healthiest out of 228 cities in America.****

Chicago neighborhoods where roommates get > for = $: Printers Row, West Loop, Loop, Greektown, Streeterville, River North, Lake View, Gold Coast, North Center, and Old Town.*****

Chicago's roommates are spending 31% < $ than NYC's.******

Chicago's largest hoodmap tags: former frat guys, angry delicious Korean BBQ, tacos made by white people, den of corruption, mexican families and hipsters, secret gentrification, billionnaires, heroin town, soo many hipsters, industrial feels, Chinatown, stupid tourists everywhere, New-to-Midwesterners, and enhanced interrogation.*******

Almost 27% of Chicago takes public transit to work! Those who drive have a longer commute than average (35 minutes). Most households have 1 car, less than the national average.********

SO, roomiematch.com's Chicago roommate rundown:

Chicago looms large, because it is, along with its place in America's imagination . . . blues, jazz, improv comedy, America's largest lake next to a modern art skyline looming large over modern art parks. And some of those parks feature their very own professional sports teams.

Chicago isn't cheap, some neighborhoods now obviously more than others. But for how big it is plus all it features, it should seem cheap-ish? Compared to NYC and San Francisco?

If you can handle extreme weather, you and your roommates will be rewarded with cheaper rent, lower cost of living, and almost everything else you and your roommates could possibly need accessible from "The L." That's The L that makes Chicago one of the best cities to live without a car, The L that connects an astonishingly diverse collection of communities, and The L that is generally beloved.

From all the beachfront still free to browse, to the public transport arriving reliably, to the dive bar food that's delicious, there's so much about Chicago that seems better than it strictly needs to be. So much art, so much history, so much black culture . . . near the most delicious hot dogs and pizza humanly possible.

What's NOT to love? Not much, except how do you feel about riding The L in extreme weather, hot and cold?

Awesome? Or if not all the way to awesome, you can most definitely deal?

This Windy City is for you.

The rest of the Chicago roommate lowdown:

Chicago is the hub and most populous Midwestern city. It has about 3 million residents, and an impressively modern art/modern architectural skyline you can see from all the way across Lake Michigan.
"Chicagoland" (Chicago plus surrounding areas) includes about 10 million.
home to Barat College, East-West University, Elmhurst College, Illinois College of Optometry, Industrial Engineering College, Judson College, Kendall College, Robert Morris College, Trinity Christian College, Aurora University, Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine, Chicago State University, Columbia College, Concordia University, Governors State University, John Marshall Law School, Lake Forest College, Lewis University, North Central College, Northeastern Illinois University, Saint Xavier University, School of Art Institute of Chicago, Adler School of Professional Psychology, Depaul University, Illinois Institute of Technology, Loyola University of Chicago, Northern Illinois University, Northwestern University, Roosevelt University, Rush University, Trinity College, University of Chicago, University of Health Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, and Wheaton College
There may be other cities as diverse as Chicago . . . maybe? You won't find any more diverse in the United States. Representatives from most global communities live in Chicago today.
Navigating Chicago is way easier than most American cities as block numbers and block sizes are standardized, with all flowing from the zero point (the intersection of State and Madison).
Metro Chicago residents identify more strongly with their neighborhoods than most cities, with North Side vs. South Side being the most prominent division, but many feel pretty strongly about East vs. West as well.
Their massive public transport system makes Chicago one of the best places to live in the US without a car. The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) operates many trains and buses throughout Chicago plus a few suburbs. All the trains together are "The L," and their lines radiate from "The Loop" all over the city. Chicago and NYC are the only American cities with some rail service operating around the clock. Crime on the CTA is low, but if you feel unsafe or need to travel late at night you'll be safer sitting near the driver.
Even with severely cold winters, extremely hot and humid summers, and thunderstorms with heavy winds surprising residents year round, Chicago rarely slows down for weather, including city services and public transport. However, the weather is often so severe you and your roommates will need to keep climate in mind when considering any activity almost all the time anyway.
Avoid driving downtown if possible. Traffic is awful and parking is expensive while also confusing. Tickets and towing for parking violations afflict many, even more when it's snowing.
Chicago's black population is #2 in the US, after NYC. Chicago's larger South Side area is the largest black neighborhood with the largest number of black-owned businesses in the country too!
Chicago has a lot of passionate bicyclers, many gathering along the 18-mile scenic lakefront trail or "Hipster Highway," a popular bike route along Milwaukee Avenue.
Chicago is one of the best restaurant cities. Is it known for deep dish pizza, Chicago-style hot dogs, Italian Beef sandwiches, jibarito sandwiches, frozen custard, fried chicken, and dive bars and lounges with decent pub food? Yes, it is! But just about everything else is being served somewhere in Chicago too.

After you're settled down, you and your roommates should experience Chicago's:

Museum Campus: Chicago has a lot of museums worth visiting, but three of the best are within walking distance of each other and along the lake: Adler Planetarium, Field Museum of Natural History, and the Shedd Aquarium.
Lake Michigan: Free (no fees, hardly any private beaches getting in the way) for miles within walking distance of the Red Line. It's the largest freshwater lake in the US, and you can show up, walk around, and swim for free . . . but mostly in the summer and early fall if you want to maximize lifeguards = yes while freezing to death = no. It's beautiful!
Offshore Views: In the summer, you and your roommates can enjoy great views for cheap by taking a water taxi around downtown.
Loop Art Tour: Free open air art museum of famous modern artists! Their itinerary will guide you along the walking tour that's an efficient route to visit Calder, Chagall, Lewitt, Miro, Moore, Oldenburg, Picasso and many others . . . all this magnificent modernism on display in Chicago's commercial center.
Blues and Jazz: As Chicago is considered the home of both, you've got extreme options. Really, so many options it's likely there will be a major music festival most weekends. If you like walking around, you'll likely stumble right into one, eventually. If that's not a "Fest" celebrating one or more musical traditions, it'll likely be a "Taste" or a "Lollapalooza!"
Park & Boulevard System: Ring of parks connected by boulevards (streets with wide medians with plants and pedestrian walkways) winding throughout the city, over 25 miles of greenbelt. And then even along those 25 miles there are other connected gardens and lakes. If you or your roommates want to walk longish distances in very green but still accessible and connected spaces, this is a absolute must ramble.

Here's the city of Chicago's list of services for renters and landlords, which you'll hopefully never need if you choose the right roommates.

Compare Chicago roommate rent to everywhere else, plus how to find a good roommate - better roommates for all!

Don't miss roommate scams = NOPE!

And here's the roommate matching metro list.

CINCINNATI

Average roommate rent in Cincinnati is $350.

Find a roommate in Cincinnati: 1817th out of 2202 US cities for cost of living, and 87st for quality of life.**

Your Cincinnati roommate search may experience #50 (out of 150) in Best Places to Live vibes. Also #34 in Best Places to Retire vibes. And finally, #1 in Best Places to Live in Ohio!***

Enjoy outdoor activities with young professionals in a city enjoying a lower cost of living with new Cincinnati roommates: 42nd for Young Professionals, 69th for Lowest Cost of Living, and 94th for Outdoor Activities out of 228 cities in America.****

Cincinnati's roommates are spending 47% < $ than NYC's.******

Cincinnati's largest hoodmap tags: high school football, sketchy white people, HOA hell, Crazy Australian + Bible Theme Park, Florence Y'all!, Waffle House, and nothing else, who the hell put a casino here??, and good food.*******

Cincinnati's average commute (25 minutes) is just under national. Most households have 2 cars.********

SO, roomiematch.com's Cincinnati roommate rundown:

Cincinnati has a reputation for cheap rent, Cincinnati-style chili, and crime? Also abandoned places you can visit and one of the best park systems in the country?

That's a lot, but which of these factors is most relevant to you and your roommates will fully depend on the neighborhood. This is a metro area that features highly variable neighborhoods with dramatically different characters.

Cincinnati is also a metro area that's often called the best place to live in Ohio . . . even though it's kinda sorta also Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio? And don't leave out Lake Erie.

Meanwhile, it's definitely actually in the midwest, geographically, but culturally significantly Southern Bluegrass too.

In short, Cincinnati has a lot for you and your roommates to explore, almost everything cheaper than other metro areas in the country, and chances are good you can find the right neighborhood for you. But until you're familiar do proceed with caution. Go together as a group until you're comfortable, and you'll be much happier in a reliable car.

(No really, you don't want to move to Cincinnati without that reliable car.)

But if driving that reliable car to a chili parlor sounds appealing, you're already on your way!

The rest of the Cincinnati roommate lowdown:

Metro "Cincinnati" is centered on Cincinnati, but also includes nearby counties in Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio. It's Ohio's third largest city (just over 300,000), but the largest metro region featuring many towns and suburbs, including Florence (Kentucky), Lebanon, Mason, Milford-Miami, and Oxford . . . about 2.25 million.
There are four distinct seasons with a few to several snow days. Extreme weather like large hail or a tornado happen occasionally, but overall, Cincinnati weather actually isn't that severe most years.
Cincinnati is geographically midwest, but culturally many feel Cincinnati is more a part of the Southern Bluegrass culture of Kentucky.
Public transportation exists, but just a bit, as public buses exist, served by two bus systems. You should check the continuing availability of your route before taking the bus even though buses are still not known for reliability so and . . . you and your roommates will probably still want cars.
Home to Cleveland Institute of Art, Dyke College, Baldwin-Wallace College, John Carroll University, Lake Erie College, Notre Dame College, Oberlin College, Ursuline College, Cast Western Reserve University, Cleveland Institute of Music, and Cleveland State University
Cincinnati has a fantastic park system / Urban Forest - From a more intense hike to just wandering around in incredible green forestry just to take it all in, Cincinnati's incredible park system offers both. There are over 40 public parks, and in total they feature hiking trails, nature preserves, lakes, and out-of-the-way gardens.
Cincinnati-style chili is all meat, no beans or onion. "Three-way" is over spaghetti with cheddar on top, "four-way" add onions or beans, and "five-way" means add them all. The debate over which chili parlor does all of this the best is dramatic and ongoing, with several different parlors with their own devoted fans. Hopefully you and your roommates seriously like chili some kinda way!
Cincinnati has a reputation for crime, both violent and property. However, while the city has over 50 declared neighborhoods, most of the crime occurs in just several. The neighborhoods in which crime occurs most frequently are the most impoverished.

After you're settled down, you and your roommates should experience Cincinnati's:

Downtown: Mostly walkable, featuring over 50 buildings listed in the National Register of Historic Places, in addition to several theaters, statues, and murals.
Findlay Market: Ohio's oldest public market operating continuously
Lucky Cat Museum: 2000+ Maneki-nekos or Japanese luck idols will wave their paws at you and your roommates encouragingly. They'll wave only during limited hours though, so experience those plastic cats by checking ahead to make sure this museum is open before going.
Lindner Park - Many semi-abandoned structures to explore, like a pool, an ice house, and a turtle pond. You and your roommates can visit between dawn and dusk.

Here's the city of Cincinnati's official .gov for all their resources for residents, including rental resources.

Compare Cincinnati roommate rent to everywhere else, plus how to find a good roommate - better roommates for all!

Don't miss roommate scams = NOPE!

And here's the roommate matching metro list.

CLEVELAND

Average roommate rent in Cleveland is $350.

Find a roommate in Cleveland and save more than $637 per month ($7644 per year).* Cleveland is 1887th out of 2202 US cities for cost of living, and 75th for quality of life.**

Your Cleveland roommate search may experience #97 (out of 150) in Best Places to Live vibes. Also #46 in Best Places to Retire vibes and #5 in Best Places to Live in Ohio.***

Enjoy a low cost of living in a city that's still fantastic outdoors with new Cleveland roommates: 12th Lowest Cost of Living and and 85th Best for Outdoor Activities out of 228 cities in America.****

Cleveland neighborhoods where roommates get > for = $: Downtown, Ohio City, Kamm's Corners, Detroit-Shoreway, Edgewater, Tremont, Goodrick-Kirtland Park, Old Brooklyn, and University Circle.*****

Cleveland's roommates are spending 41% < $ than NYC's.******

Cleveland's largest hoodmap tags: musty money, Bone Thugs, why see the world when u got the beach, railroads, factories, and poverty, hipster paradise, speed trap, west side best side, and you might get mugged though.*******

Average commute = just over average (25 minutes). The largest share of households inside Cleveland have only one car, less than the national average, possibly because higher percentages are also using public transit (10%) and carpooling (11%) more than most metropolitan areas.********

SO, roomiematch.com's Cleveland roommate rundown:

Cleveland is friendly. Not just the people, though they are that too, with those stereotypically solid Midwestern vibes.

It's also friendly because it offers much life for less than half your likely cost for coastal cities (most of 'em, check out Baltimore). Cleveland is affordable not just by national standards, but Ohio's as well.

Incredibly all around, as Cleveland is a dream come true for the outdoorsy intellectual. Large lake, large universities, large scale public transport system that actually works ("The Rapid").

There are many seriously outdoorsy students roaming around on The Rapid. Many also enjoy seriously substantial sandwiches. To and from their seriously exciting outdoor adventures, in between their seriously studious university coursework.

So for roommates? Not a lot of cons here.

Well there was that fiery River Cuyahoga. But it seriously seems like they've got that under control.

The rest of the Cleveland roommate lowdown:

Cleveland is the urban metro for Northeast Ohio, with about 350,000 folks, on the shores of Lake Erie, in Cuyahoga County. The Greater Cleveland metro area, including Akron and Canton, is about 3.6 million.
The weather includes all four seasons; winters are cloudy, snow is frequent, summer is brief. Winter experiences some extra wind chill and lake effect snow from Erie, but overall it's rarely severe. But you and your roommates will want serious winter coats.
Most of Cleveland is laid out in a grid with almost no one-way streets and clear signage. It's one of the easiest cities in the world to navigate.
Home to Cleveland Institute of Art, Dyke College, Baldwin-Wallace College, John Carroll University, Lake Erie College, Notre Dame College, Oberlin College, Ursuline College, Cast Western Reserve University, Cleveland Institute of Music, and Cleveland State University
Cleveland's bus and mass transit by rail system is conducted by the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (RTA), with the rail portion known as RTA Rapid Transit, nicknamed by residents, "The Rapid." About 22% of Cleveland's households use this primarily or entirely instead of a car.
The Cuyahoga, Cleveland's river, has caught on fire over a dozen times largely due to pollution from industrial waste. It was fairly poisonous for a while, but since then Cleveland has become a model for environmental cleanup and future protection.

After you're settled down, you and your roommates should experience Cleveland's:

Many attractions downtown near the lakefront, including: Cleveland Botanical Gardens, Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland Museum of Natural History, the Great Lakes Science Center, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame & Museum
"Emerald Necklace" or "Forest City" (locals like both names! because parks are awesome!): Cleveland Metroparks circling the city. You can swim, bike, jog, rollerblade, boat, row, canoe, kayak, or ski . . . or just walk on the beach with your roommates.
You can even ride a horse. That's right, the urban beaches of Cleveland will allow you to ride your pony upon them.
Cleveland Public Library: One of the largest public libraries in the country, including an extensive collection on chess.
Cleveland Symphony Orchestra: Considered world-class, one of the "Big Five" orchestras in the US
Cedar Point Amusement Park: Many Ohioans say is the Roller Coaster Capital of the World! Over a dozen roller coasters. Also a beach, restaurants, and some live shows.
Polka Music: Popular all over Cleveland, past and present. Cleveland has its own subgenre of polka music unsurprisingly called Cleveland-style polka, and it's featured at the local Polka Hall of Fame.
Polish Boy: Their hometown native sandwich. It's kielbasa, and french fries, and BBQ sauce inside the bun, then grilled. AND THEN you're ALSO encouraged to add chili, cheese, and coleslaw. Polish Boys are available throughout Cleveland at various restaurants and rib joints . . . all sounding like nobody on the premises would ever want anybody leaving hungry.

Here's the city of Cleveland's official .gov for housing and home improvement, including buying or renting.

Compare Cleveland roommate rent to everywhere else, plus how to find a good roommate - better roommates for all!

Don't miss roommate scams = NOPE!

And here's the roommate matching metro list.

COLLEGE STATION

Average roommate rent in College Station is $600.

Find a roommate in College Station: 1997th out of 2202 US cities for cost of living, and 61st for quality of life.**

Enjoy living in one of the cities with the best public schools in America with new College Station roommates: 14th City with the Best Public Schools and and 25th Best Cities to Raise a Family out of 228 cities in America.****

College Stations's largest hoodmap tags: Old Geezers, It's called "STUDYING," College Students, Decent Housing, Sorority Girls, basically a cult, alcohol, always under construction.*******

Average commute = lower than national average, about 16 minutes. Most households have two cars.********

SO, roomiematch.com's College Station roommate rundown:

College Station is a college town.

No really, it's a college town even more than most college towns that cheerfully take that label. A dominant majority of everyone living here has some important connection to the flagship campus of Texas A&M University.

They're happy Aggies! Because this is Aggieland! So you better show your Aggie Spirit!

No really, you better. But this is not a bad thing?

College Station is like a densely populated walkable suburb with a lot of nice parks. "Like" a suburb even though it's not really a suburb of anything at all? It's not actually close enough to anything other than Texas A&M to qualify as adjacent or meaningfully nearby?

But the vibe is like a suburb that's much more walkable than most, extra especially to and from campus and all those nice parks. Take care during a summer heatwave, but otherwise you're free to roam!

College Station is also a college town in that the cost of living and the average age of your roommates and your neighbors and your neighbors' roommates will likely be lower than average.

(Because they have a strong tendency to be college students. Because this is a college town.)

The rest of the College Station roommate lowdown:

College Station and Bryan make up the metro with a population of about 275,000 most often referred to as just "College Station"
known as "Aggieland," because it's home to the flagship campus of Texas A&M University System
College Station is halfway between Dallas and Houston, about 60 miles east of Austin
low cost of living overall
winters are mild, but summer heat is intense, most months feature frequent thunderstorms
You and your roommates should keep in mind that parking is free throughout most of College Station, except campus OR sometimes around campus on game days too, but NEVER park facing traffic.

After you're settled down, you and your roommates should experience College Station's:

Sam Houston National Forest: About 30 miles east
Northgate: Large area north of the university encompassing many restaurants, bars, churches, and other live music venues and apartments for the students living near them. Many well-known musicians, especially several associated with Texas country music have been performing in this area for decades . . . maybe even Lyle Lovett!

Here's the city of College Stations's official .gov for new residents, including pets, recycling, and neighborhoods.

Compare College Station roommate rent to everywhere else, plus how to find a good roommate - better roommates for all!

Don't miss roommate scams = NOPE!

And here's the roommate matching metro list.

COLORADO SPRINGS

Average roommate rent in Colorado Springs is $550.

Find a roommate in Colorado Springs and save more than $395 per month ($4740 per year).* Colorado Springs is 1697th out of 2202 US cities for cost of living, and 85th for quality of life.**

Your Colorado Springs roommate search may experience #9 (out of 150) in Best Places to Live vibes. Also #97 in Best Places to Retire vibes.***

Enjoy some of the best public schools in one of the healthiest places to live with new Colorado Springs roommates: 51st Healthiest Places to Live and 56th Best Public Schools out of 228 cities in America.****

Colorado Springs neighborhoods where roommates get > for = $: Gleneagle, Palmer Lake, Woodmoor, Black Forest, Monument, Manitou Springs, Cimarron Hills, and Fountain.*****

Colorado Springs' roommates are spending 44% < $ than NYC's.******

Colorado Springs' largest hoodmap tags: tech companies, so many tourists, doggo heaven, rich gated community, people hiking the Incline, get run over by mountain bikers, hell and crackheads zone, Golf Preps, tourists and exceptional athletes, it's all military down here, urban ATV park.*******

Average commute = about average (23 minutes). Most households inside Colorado Springs have two cars.********

SO, roomiematch.com's Colorado Springs roommate rundown:

Colorado Springs is on the eastern slope of the Rocky Mountains, about 70 miles south of Denver.

So attractive mountain scenery abounds. And all that stunning scenery is covered in wildflowers in summer! The pretty goes to eleven, for sure.

So do the military installations.

Many have described the culture of Colorado Springs as "strong military presence." What does that mean, exactly?

There are almost 50,000 active-duty troops and more than 100,000 veterans in Colorado Springs. They've all variously served at the Cheyenne Mountain Space Force Station, the Peterson Space Force Base, the Schriever Space Force Base, Fort Carson and/or The United States Air Force Academy. Many defense corporations and The Space Foundation are here as well, along with the Olympic Training Center!

Basically, many military installations and educational institutions vitally important to the defense of the United States are all right exactly here.

So how does that influence the culture? You could say the military gets what the military wants in Colorado Springs . . . but that was probably obvious already, right? (Because they're the military.)

But what might be less obvious is that folks associated with all the military listed above equal half of everyone here. Half is a high percentage, that's the notably outlier statistic.

So a lot of military folk, who attract a lot of high-tech corporations who want to work with them as well. They're all working together right now in Colorado Springs.

There's also a LOT of figure skating. SO many skating championships and a museum and an arena and a club! You and your roommates could skate on through!

(If that appeals even though you can't yet figure skate, no worries, as there's a training center for figure skating too! And that's just . . . not at all surprising, is it?)

The rest of the Colorado Springs roommate lowdown:

home to U.S. Air Force Academy, Beth El College of Nursing, Colorado College, and the University of Colorado
2 professional baseball teams
Almost 500,000 folks live here one mile above sea level. You and your roommates (from lower altitudes) may need up to a week to adjust, but it's hard to say for sure because it's individual. (If you suffer from any breathing or circulatory issues please consult a doctor before traveling to Colorado Springs or other higher altitude areas.)
Colorado Springs experiences mild weather compared to the rest of Colorado. It does snow here, but with all the intense sunshine and all the intense snow plowing roads are usually clear again within hours. But if you and/or your roommates insist on driving in an unplowed snowy situation, you'll want snow tires and all-wheel drive, for sure.
The air is clean and crisp, but extremely dry. Feels nicer outside than heat plus humidity, but many raisin folk didn't know in advance that's also dehydrating. Make sure to remind any new-to-Colorado-Springs roommates to drink more water to avoid elevation sickness and raisinhood as well. OK, no actual raisin folk, that was just a metaphor, but folks do get dried up here for real.
Similarly, due to the dry air and high elevation, the temperature can swing widely in a matter of hours. If it starts bugging you, seriously consider dressing in layers.

After you're settled down, you and your roommates should experience Colorado Springs':

Pikes Peak: About 10 miles away is the peak that inspired the song, "America the Beautiful." If you don't feel up to hiking to the summit, they also allow driving and there's a train that goes all the way up (Cog Rail).
Garden of the Gods: It's a city park around a series of dramatically different sandstone formations.
Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame and Museum of the American Cowboy: Their name already speaks volumes, but this museum also features live rodeo events and a Cowboy Ball.
Trails: Many that are interconnected, mostly gravel, some stretches paved. Motor vehicles are not allowed but you can ride your horse on them all the way to Fountain, Colorado.

Here's the city of Colorado Springs official .gov where you can learn about biking, including The Bike Master Plan.

Compare Colorado Springs roommate rent to everywhere else, plus how to find a good roommate - better roommates for all!

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COLUMBIA

Average roommate rent in Columbia is $500.

Find a roommate in Columbia: 1978th out of 2202 US cities for cost of living, and 71st for quality of life.**

Your Columbia roommate search may experience #92 (out of 150) in Best Places to Live vibes. Also #93 in Best Places to Retire vibes.***

Enjoy a low cost of living in a city that's extremely friendly to young professionals with new Columbia roommates: 63rd Best Cities to Live and and 96th Best for Young Professionals out of 228 cities in America.****

Columbia neighborhoods where roommates get > for = $: Forest Acres, Irmo, Seven Oaks, Lexington, Blythewood, Cayce, Oak Grove, Chapin, West Columbia, and Lugoff.*****

Average commute is significantly less than the national average (18 minutes). The largest share of households inside Columbia have two cars, exactly the national average.********

SO, roomiematch.com's Columbia roommate rundown:

Columbia is a traditionally Southern town that's gradually getting more modern.

While previously mostly known for proximity to two larger nearby metros (Atlanta and Charlotte), Columbia is now experiencing growth all on its own. The urban core is now around 500,000, and the larger metro about 800,000.

This modernization is due to overall population growth, increasing industrialization, and all those university students.

So even though Columbia is the capital, the center of South Carolina's government, home to its flagship university, and where a LOT of Basic Training takes place . . . the cost of living for everything except healthcare is still significantly lower than the national average.

Mopeds and bicycles are common, especially around campus. Traffic is rarely a problem anywhere.

So the living is easy . . . if famously HOT.

The rest of the Columbia roommate lowdown:

Humid subtropical climate, very mild winters and very hot and humid summers. Columbia's unique topography involving low elevation and sandy soil warms up faster than Southern cities that are higher and more hydrated, leading to one of Columbia's famous descriptive slogans, "Famously Hot."
home to Benedict College, Columbia College, Midlands Technical University, Virginia College, and the University of South Carolina
home of Fort Jackson, the largest US Army installation for Basic Combat Training. 20 miles east is a major Air Force training base as well, McEntire Joint National Guard Base
Most transportation is most people driving their own vehicles most of the time, although downtown and the University area are pedestrian-friendly. There are a couple of bus services, but they run mostly between popular spots downtown.
Columbia's recent growth has also spurred new dining options, including a wide variety. But still most fondly known for seafood prepared according to South Carolina Lowcountry specifications, like shrimp and grits and she-crab soup.

After you're settled down, you and your roommates should experience Columbia's:

Soda City Market: So you can shorten Columbia to "Cola" which is another word for "soda" so now some have nicknamed Columbia, "Soda City." Then in 2005 an outdoor market aggregated, now featuring about 150 vendors. So that's the Soda City Market, and it's on Saturdays. (No, it's not just for soda. Expect the same amount of soda you'd find at most urban outdoor markets, not especially more than that.)
If you're shopping for locally-owned, distinctive and/or trendy, go shopping at Five Points. But if you're shopping for bargains go to Dutch Square Mall.
Columbia Museum of Art: 25 galleries, including Italian Renaissance, Asian Art and Antiquities, Roman portrait heads, and Korean ceramics.
Three Rivers Greenway: A bunch of connected trails that are popular with everyone: runners, dog walkers, skaters, bikers, etc. Beautiful views along all three riverfronts.
Columbia Marionette Theatre: The only one in the whole country that's dedicated entirely to the art of the marionette. You and your roommates could go on a field trip, which would offer you a chance to look behind the scenery, talk to the puppeteers, and touch the marionettes. You can also learn the "principles of shadow puppetry," but you have to make a reservation for that though.
South Carolina Statehouse: The dome is made of copper, and bronze stars mark where Sherman's cannonballs smashed. That would be when it got tore it up from the floor up then burned down to the ground, during the Civil War. But they obviously rebuilt, and now there's also several monuments and a rose garden.

Here's the city of Columbia's official .gov for their GIS division, including interactive city maps.

Compare Columbia roommate rent to everywhere else, plus how to find a good roommate - better roommates for all!

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COLUMBUS

Average roommate rent in Columbus is $550.

Find a roommate in Columbus and save more than $344 per month ($4128 per year).* Columbus is 948th out of 2202 US cities for cost of living, and 79th for quality of life.**

Your Columbus roommate search may experience #69 (out of 150) in Best City vibes. Also #69 in Best Places to Retire vibes.***

Enjoy young professionals enjoying a low cost of living with new Columbus roommates: 61st Best City for Young Professionals and 75th Lowest Cost of Living out of 228 cities in America.****

Columbus neighborhoods where roommates get > for = $: Far North, Clintonville, Northwest Columbus, Glen Echo, Northland, South Campus, Schumacher Place, Old North Columbus, Victorian Village, and Harrison West.*****

Columbus's roommates are spending 44% < $ than NYC's.******

Columbus's largest hoodmap tags: woke white people live here, hillbillies who like softball, grovetucky, recent grads, students, hospital workers, official state religion, more reasonable groceries.*******

Average commute = tiny (22 minutes). Most households have 2 cars.********

SO, roomiematch.com's Columbus roommate rundown:

Columbus is where many Americans meet. About a million converging right there in the center of Ohio.

It's where the Rust Belt, the Bible Belt, the Farm Belt, and Appalachia intersect - and equidistant from several other nearby cities, including Cincinnati, Cleveland, Detroit, Indianapolis, Louisville, and Pittsburgh.

Columbus is the capital of Ohio and hosts The Ohio Supercomputer Center, among the top 10 academic centers for computing.

All this proximity plus opportunity mean Columbus also hosts one of the nation's largest college student bodies at Ohio State University, Ohio's largest university. Go Buckeyes! (That's about 37 varsity teams, all encouraging "Buckeye fever.")

Most of Columbus mostly drives a car. There is a bus service (COTA) and a bike share (CoGo) but frequent reliance on both could turn into a time suck. While campus and downtown are walkable, most of the rest are mostly driving. You'll want to as well unless you really never leave campus and downtown.

Parking is abundant, but towing is notoriously aggressive, so never leave your car anywhere you're not allowed or it'll likely go on another drive without you.

Try not to drive anywhere near a home OSU football game, unless you actually are trying to tailgate.

And no U-turning anywhere ever!

The rest of the Columbus roommate lowdown:

crime rate is fairly low
along the Scioto River, 4 small rivers run through the city
summers are warm and humid, fog is common - winters both rainy and snowy, sometimes severe, with lightning, hail, and occasional tornadoes, while blizzards and ice storms are less common
diverse economy with recent urban revitalization
citizens better educated than national average
home to College of Art & Design, Denison University, Mount Carmel College of Nursing, Ohio Dominican College, Ohio Wesleyan University, Capital University, Franklin University, Otterbein College, and Ohio State University
hosts a lot of museums: Columbus Museum of Art, Wexner Center for the Arts, Ohio History Connection, Ohio History Center, Columbus Historical Society, Orton Geological Museum, the Thurber House, the Central Ohio Fire Museum, and the National Veterans Memorial and Museum

After you're settled down, you and your roommates should experience Columbus's:

North Market: Shopping mall meets supermarket meets food truck = no one leaves hungry
Columbus Arts Festival: Huge event on the riverfront in June
Columbus Jazz and Rib Fest: Great food and music for about half a million people downtown every July
Italian Village: Near downtown, prominent Italian-American community since the 1890s
Columbus Metropolitan Library: With more than 3 million items, it's one of the largest, most used and highest ranked libraries in the country
Franklin Park Conservatory: Over 400 species of plants in a large greenhouse. Biomes include mountain, desert, and rain forest. Opened in 1895!
Columbus Park of Roses: 13 acres with thousands of blooms
Jeni's Ice Cream: Flagship location of James Beard Award-winning gourmet ice creamery
Ohio Roller Derby: Competes internationally in Women's Flat Track Derby Association

Here's the city of Columbus's official .gov for Housing & Renters' Programs.

Compare Columbus roommate rent to everywhere else, plus how to find a good roommate - better roommates for all!

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DALLAS or FORT WORTH

Average roommate rent in Dallas is $700.

Find a roommate in Dallas/Fort Worth and save more than $372 per month ($4464 per year).* Dallas is 541st out of 2202 US cities for cost of living, and 90th for quality of life.**

Your Dallas or Fort Worth roommate search may experience #113 (out of 150) in Best Places to Live vibes. Also #98 in Best Places to Retire vibes.***

Enjoy healthy outdoor activities with new Dallas roommates: 20th Most Diverse Cities and 65th Best Cities for Young Professionals out of 228 cities in America.****

Dallas neighborhoods where roommates get > for = $: Preston Highlands, Campbell Green, Prestonwood, Caruth Terrace, Moss Farm - Forest Meadow, Lower Greenville, Highlands of McKamy, Oaktree, Wilshire Heights, Lakeview Heights*****

Dallas's roommates are spending 33% < $ than NYC's.******

Dallas's largest hoodmap tags: conservative white evangelical money, nothing special but gay cowboys, expensive apartments, adorable old couples, more white liberals, the better airport, bail bond blvd, from compton to portlandia, let's pretend we're in Austin, danger zone, strollerwood, super sketch, and most Republican precinct in Dallas.*******

Shorter commute than national average = (27 minutes). Most households have 2 cars.********

SO, roomiematch.com's DFW roommate rundown:

If you've never visited Dallas or even the great state of Texas . . . Dallas (DFW, the greater Dallas/Fort Worth metropolitan area) is probably larger than you think.

Like quite a bit larger.

Greater DFW is larger than Connecticut and Rhode Island combined, and larger than New Jersey.

Dallas/Fort Worth is one of the largest metro areas in both Texas and the US, with about 1.3 million in the city and 7.5 million in the greater metro.

Since 1/4 of all Texans now live inside the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, it has a very diverse population. Almost all ethnic and religious backgrounds are represented to some extent in Dallas.

Meanwhile, about 20% of the overall area of Dallas is parkland - the Trinity River Project Land Use Plan, about 10,000 acres? And it's lovely.

But weirdly, there's not a lot of trees elsewhere? But as the Trinity River canopy spreads, that may continue to change.

The expansively successful local economy along with the vast expanse of land that Dallas has consumed has been referred to as "Silicon Prairie." Which makes sense, because you're really going to need a reliable air-conditioned car to be anything like comfy driving across it.

As Texas has been described as a "car culture" and Dallas has so much urban sprawl, most Dallasites drive everywhere. It has been suggested that not only are many native Dallasites unable to assist you with navigating their public transport system (DART), they may not even know it exists at all.

You must drive a decent car to deal with Dallas.

And keep that car maintenance in check.

There's much celebration of DFW affluence . . . more retail stores per capita, more luxury hotels, fine dining, exclusive posh retail shopping, larger homes in larger lifestyle communities, golf courses, high end air travel (from one of the world's busiest airports) and fancy cars . . . which have in and of themselves literally driven Dallasites toward their own urban sprawl.

BUT in the meantime, the rent is still relatively affordable . . . in large part due to aforementioned urban sprawl. All of those exciting options are really spread out!

That also means a whole lotta land that's all Dallas with roommate rental options all over it. Many roommate options. In so many neighborhoods with different vibes.

Just not the option to access most of them easily without your own reliable car.

The rest of the Dallas - Fort Worth roommate lowdown:

Dallas has been surveyed as the Most Christian City in the nation with the highest percentage of self-declared devoted Christian adults in the metro area
one of the largest LGBT populations in the nation
Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) is a light rail network with connected bus routes. They go most places in the greater urban area, but are slow and frequently unreliable.
Greater DFW is often referred to as "Silicon Prairie," with its concentration of banking, telecommunications, internet technology, energy, logistics, and transportation, including a large concentration of Fortune 500 companies
Typical American South climate, with mild winters, very hot and very long and humid summers, and a spring that tends to get wet and stormy. Frozen precipitation is relatively rare - Dallas can but usually does not experience any extreme weather
Dallas is home to Northwood University, Paul Quinn College, Amber University, Criswell College, Dallas Baptist University, East Texas State University, Southern Methodist University, Texas Women's University, University of Dallas, University of North Texas, and the University of Texas SW Medical Center
Fort Worth is home to Southwestern Adventist College, Texas Wesleyan University, Texas Christian University, and the University of North Texas Health Science Center
All roommates moving to Dallas: If you want to go along to get along, you'll learn to love the Dallas Cowboys, possibly even prior to your arrival. Also probably the Dallas Texans, the Dallas Mavericks, and the Dallas Wings as well . . . but get your Cowboy fandom going first, then you can deal with the others after that.

After you're settled down, you and your roommates should experience DFW's:

Dealey Plaza: Site of the assassination of JFK. Dallas feels so badly about any part it may have played that there are Xs in the road marking each time JFK was hit, and the Grassy Knoll has been restored to resemble its appearance that fateful day. Many local conspiracy theorists continue conspiring nearby. Plus there's a museum and a Memorial Plaza.
Dallas Museum of Art: World-class museum featuring art from ALL historical periods. General admission is free!
The Ann & Gabriel Barbier-Mueller Museum (The Samurai Collection): It's a small museum overall, but with a relatively large collection of Samurai arms and armor! Also free!
Beltline Road: Said to host more restaurants per capita than anywhere else in the US. You can probably find whatever food you like best right on this road.
Half-Price Books: Popular and beloved used bookstore chain. The flagship is in East Dallas, with several other locations in the area.
Mesquite Championship Rodeo: It's a rodeo. It's in nearby Mesquite.
Southfork Ranch: The ranch from the TV show "Dallas." You can still get a tour any day except Christmas.
White Rock Lake, Joe Pool Lake, and the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden: Reservoirs, water features, and places to chill after navigating/boating/rowing water features beloved by locals
Dallas Zoo: Texas's largest at 106 acres - Since 1888!
Deep Ellum: Hipster haven for college students with tattoos, plus music and dancing and even more tattoos for everyone else. Home to about a thousand artists in lofts and studios and bars and pubs. Named after being on the far ("Deep") end of Elm Street ("Ellum").
Arts District: Northern section of downtown, largest geocontiguous arts district in the US, including: Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Dallas Wind Symphony, Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center, and the Nasher Sculpture Center
Cowgirl Hall of Fame: In Fort Worth, they "celebrate women, past and present, whose lives exemplify the courage, resilience, and independence that helped shape the American West, and fosters and appreciation of the ideals and spirit of self-reliance they inspire."
State Fair of Texas: This state fair lasts three weeks! Along with the expected fried delights (including fried peaches, fried Jello, and fried Dr. Pepper), there's a 55-foot-tall cowboy named Big Tex, who smiles and waves. There's also a car show, a rodeo, many games and rides, livestock demos, and pig racing!
The Texas Woofus: Also, in Fair Park and originally created in 1936 for the Texas Centennial Exposition - a mythical chimerical creature made of different parts of the main animals of Texas: a sheep's head, the neck and mane of a horse, a pig's body, a duck's wings, a turkey's tail and finally . . . a pair of Texas longhorns!

(The original mysteriously disappeared back in 1941 and was never recovered. But a replacement Woofus was supplied by David Newton and the Friends of Fair Park in 1998, who continues to preside today, while spouting water from his nozzle.)

Here's the city of Dallas's official Resident page with lists of community resources.

Compare Dallas and Fort Worth roommate rent to everywhere else, plus how to find a good roommate - better roommates for all!

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DENVER

Average roommate rent in Denver is $800.

Find a roommate in Denver and save more than $514 per month ($6168 per year).* Denver is 265th out of 2202 US cities for cost of living, and 89th for quality of life.**

Your Denver roommate search may experience #99 (out of 150) in Best City vibes. Also #139 in Best Places to Retire vibes.***

Enjoy health with young professionals with new Denver roommates: 13th Best for Young Professionals and 20th Healthiest out of 228 cities in America.****

Denver neighborhoods where roommates get > for = $: North Park Hill, Congress Park, South Park Hill, Hale, Whittier, Capitol Hill, Washington Park, University Park, Cherry Creek, and City Park West*****

Denver's roommates are spending 31% < $ than NYC's.******

Denver's largest hoodmap tags: yoga pants strollers, angry geese, huge home tiny lot, art walk, hipster bars, the best asian and mexican food, Little Mexico, Casa Bonita!, shorter line for best ice cream, puffy jackets always, future hipsters, strollers and solars, not even rich, tesla town, safe but gritty, weed church, hipster milennials.*******

Average commute = average (27 minutes). Most households have 2 cars.********

SO, roomiematch.com's Denver roommate rundown:

Denver or "Menver" or "The Mile-High City" is HIGH.

Living here is an officially high to very high altitude experience. But this hunky beefcake of a metro is also sky high on its love affair with beer and outdoor sports.

Denver is more manly than most US metros. Literally, in that there's 102 single men for every 100 single women, leading to the nickname "Menver." Denver's proud of its cowboy and miner past, and its present is pretty high on manliness as well.

Avalanche! Barbarians! Broncos! Mammoth! Nuggets! Pioneers! Rapids! Raptors and . . . Rockies!

Is that an early warning system announcing an invading horde precipitating an environmental disaster via a calamity of their masculinity? No! Those are the names of the most popular local sports teams!

Denverites love a ruggedly adventurous life outdoors. They also love sports, especially outdoor sports.

So how much do they love their local outdoor sports teams with ruggedly adventurous names? SO MUCH.

Hopefully you and your roommates will like at least a team or two too, because sports aren't easy to avoid in Denver. They are ruggedly year-round.

And how about some buff beers with those high scores? The Denver metro produces more beer by volume than any other US city. This is notable for beer loving roommates in two ways: From award-winning artisanal micro to extreme macro, it's all right here at its very fresh best.

It's also being served at high elevation, which can exacerbate some possibly dangerous effects, especially for roommates moving from lower.

Meanwhile, high elevation plus winter outdoor sports plus beer have lead to UV overexposure via subsequent failures for many to keep up with their sunblock/hats/longsleeves or even just their clothing. This warning has surprised many roommates previously living at sea level who were previously sunburnt only in summer?

But in Denver, sky high + burnt to a crisp = many in December, too.

So if you're not already a merry mountain man, do GO . . . just get your manly buzzes on SLOW.

The rest of the Denver roommate lowdown:

Denver is the capital city, commercial, financial, industrial and government center for Colorado.
most populated in Colorado, with over 710,000 people, almost 3 million in the greater metro area
on the eastern slope of the Rocky Mountains, surrounded by 3 mountain ranges
changeable climate, extremely hot or cold temperatures tend to be brief - you could actually walk around in a parka at one moment and a short sleeved shirt comfortably during another on the same day . . . but all four seasons are generally low humidity and sunny!
One of Denver's nicknames is "The Mile-High City" as its official elevation is 5280 feet above sea level. Many say most of Denver is somewhat higher than one mile, but that's not as cute. Take home point: It's more or less a mile above sea level and that is officially high to very high altitude in terms of any health warnings.
home to Metropolitan State College, Regis University, Colorado School of Mines, University of Colorado, and the University of Denver
About 90% of Denverites live within walking distance of a park. Denver is also low crime, especially for its size. We imagine most should imagine this correlation extremely meaningful too.
about 1/3 of residents are Mexican-American, making Denver one of their largest populations among US cities
Denver's Cinco de Mayo celebration is attended by over half a million. Huge numbers also gather to celebrate Dia De Los Muertos, El Grito de la Independencia, and Denver's annual Lowrider show.
Urban sprawl has become a problem along with the traffic and pollution that often come along with, but Denver is aggressively attempting to address the problem with its newer light rail.
Regional Transportation District (RTD) operates light rail supplemented with buses, some with the nation's first "Green Fleet" public transports using alternative fuels - eight rail lines you can take from Downtown to many suburbs
Denverites love their large local active bike culture and their network of trails all over the city, sometimes dedicated, sometimes merging with car traffic. Most drivers are respectful, but like most cities with a lot of cyclists, you need a good bike lock.
Also legally in Denver, you can get pulled over for running a light or stop sign on a non-motorized 2-wheel bicycle too . . . but they usually target motorized vehicles
The Denver metro produces more beer by volume than any other US city.
You are not allowed to smoke within any bar or restaurant except outdoors on the patio. Has to be outdoor patio or against the law.
Denver is large enough to feature at least a few top notch versions of dishes popular from most regions, but the local vibe cuisine calling itself "Western" might be beef, or it could be buffalo, which tastes like beef. Or it could be rattlesnake or cutthroat trout or Rocky Mountain oysters. Rocky Mountain oysters taste like beef too. Many thought they didn't after their first bite? Then later understood that in an important way, they still did taste like beef.

After you're settled down, you and your roommates should experience Denver's:

The Money Museum: Ever seen $30 million in cold hard cash in person before? Would you like to make that happen? If you answered no then yes, have I got a museum for you!
Denver Art Museum: Huge. You'll need the whole day to see it all. Discounts and free admissions available for students and seniors all the time, everyone else the first Saturday of the month.
Denver Museum of Nature & Science: Is it planetarium time for you and your roommates? It really could be, any day of the year except Christmas.
City Park: 330 acres near downtown, featuring playgrounds, a golf course, the Denver Zoo, the Museum of Nature and Science and . . . two lakes. This one park gets two whole lakes. And to think that some urban parks don't even get one lake, much less two! You and your roommates should consider yourselves lucky. Also probably go.
Denver Zoo: Open every day, but hours vary, so check first. Uniquely featuring Bear Mountain, Primate Panorama, and Pioneer Train, the first US zoo train running on natural gas.
Grizzly Rose: Western saloon! It's large, with line dancing and live music and yes, a mechanical bull. But you and your roommates don't have to ride it. Or even dance, if you rather not, that's optional too. What's not is watching others do all of that to country music, sometimes live, sometimes not, and then sometimes inebriation sometimes not. Whoo hoo?

(No really, if inebriation is really the wrong environment for you, probably no, but if it's not a problem perhaps you plus roommates should saloon?)
Red Rocks Amphitheatre: Stunningly beautiful concert stage, but live music isn't all you can see. There's almost 740 acres in total in Red Rocks Park, with many geologically significant nature trails featuring the stunning rocks of this unique transitional zone where the Great Plains meet the Rocky Mountains at 6450 feet above sea level. Along with its flora and fauna. Also art galleries, two halls of fame, and an historical Trading Post that even on its own has its very own nature trail.

Here's the city of Denver's official gov.org for community programs, including activities and events, animals, arts & venues, housing, neighborhoods, getting around, and online services.

Compare Denver roommate rent to everywhere else, plus how to find a good roommate - better roommates for all!

Don't miss roommate scams = NOPE!

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DES MOINES

Average roommate rent in Des Moines is $430.

Find a roommate in Des Moines: 2069th out of 2202 US cities for cost of living, and 69th for quality of life.**

Your Des Moines roommate search may experience #19 (out of 150) in Best Places to Live vibes. Also #95 in Best Places to Retire vibes.***

Enjoy a low cost of living with young professionals with new Des Moines roommates: 54th Lowest Cost of Living and 95th Best for Young Professionals out of 228 cities in America.****

Des Moines neighborhoods where roommates get > for = $: Waterbury, Greenwood Historic, Westwood, Woodland Heights, Meredith, Waveland Park, East Village, Arbor Peaks, Beaverdale, and North of Grand*****

Des Moines's largest hoodmap tags: white saviors love it here, drakeland, east village, establishment liberals, white collar stoners, yuppies, and good pizza.*******

Average commute = shorter than average (19 minutes). Most households have 2 cars.********

SO, roomiematch.com's Des Moines roommate rundown:

Many describe Des Moines as warm and welcoming. While many Des Moinesians really are warm and welcoming, the relatively small size also makes it easier. It's literally more likely you could end up as neighbors here.

So really, why not? Neighborly vibes!

Agriculture is so huge, this whole capital city also turns into a farmer's market every spring and summer.

And all your neighbors know they better farm stall while they can, because winter is definitely coming.

Transportation, particularly during a snowstorm, can be challenging to anyone accustomed to more public transport and less dramatic weather. Many roommates new to Des Moines were surprised by the severity of seasonal contrast and the possibility of intense weather year round.

Des Moines features a skywalk system with four miles of enclosed walkway residents love . . . but it's only downtown. There is also a bus system operated by DART (Des Moines Area Regional Transit) . . . but it's only buses so it's slow, and it doesn't serve all suburbs.

There's over 800 miles of bike trail including an iconic decommissioned railway line and another iconic 13-story bridge . . . but they all frequently feature freezing winds about half the year.

SO: Most residents drive.

Upside? Despite most residents driving, traffic jams are a no!

In addition to low traffic congestion, Des Moines also boasts low unemployment, low rent, and a low cost of living.

And everything low here . . . is leading to higher population growth?

This home of the presidential primary is growing faster than any other Midwest metro, including Chicago, Milwaukee, and Minneapolis.

The rest of the Des Moines roommate lowdown:

Des Moines is Iowa's most populous city and capital, located near its center. That's about 210,000 in the city, and about 700,000 in their six-county metro area.
Marked seasonal contrast, with warm and extremely humid summers, and winters with frequent snowstorms and drifting snow. Thunderstorms are most common in spring and summer, but possible year round. Heavy snows (possibly up to 40 inches per season!) that close roads are common in winter.
extensive skywalk system downtown featuring four miles of enclosed walkway
home of several colleges and universities and their satellites, including Des Moines University, Drake University, Grand View University, Iowa State University, Mercy College of Health Sciences, Simpson College, University of Iowa, Upper Iowa University, and William Penn University
home to several art and history museums and performing arts groups, including the Des Moines Performing Arts, Des Moines Playhouse, Des Moines Symphony, State of Iowa Historical Museum, and the Metro Arts Alliance
a lot of agriculture, a lot of corn
More than 75 insurance companies are headquartered and/or have larger operations here. Des Moines is a major center for the insurance industry in the United States, and has been nicknamed "insurance capital of the world" overall. Iowa doesn't charge premium taxes on health insurance plans, making itself more attractive to insurance companies.
ethnic diversity is low
cost of living and rents are very low, along with unemployment
growing faster than any other Midwest metro
Des Moines hosts the first caucuses of the US presidential primary cycle, with many candidates setting up their campaign headquarters here reliably. Many describe Des Moines as the "perfect place to watch politics."
In winter, attention to parking rules to avoid being "snowed in" by trucks, plus general attention to possible snow emergency conditions could be crucial. Natives recommend roommates new to the area avoid driving during snow hazards. They also recommend a brush, ice scraper, a shovel and some sand or road salt in your car in case you drive right into a snow hazard anyway.

After you're settled down, you and your roommates should experience Des Moines':

Des Moines Art Center: Large collection from the 19th and 20th centuries. Also features a 5-star restaurant, a wing designed by architect I. M. Pei, and the Pappajohn Sculpture Park.
Des Moines Botanical Garden: Indoor conservatory with over 15,000 exotic plants, including large collections of tropical, subtropical, and desert-growing plants from the rest of the Midwest. Since it blooms year round it's extra popular in winter, and with a membership, you and your roommates could hang out perpetually! It's also conveniently connected to the Robert D. Ray Asian Gardens via a parking lot.
Iowa State Fair: 10 days in August, about 1 million people, and more than 70 items served on a stick. Also more than you can imagine to do with art plus food plus agriculture. Preferably all together and near a beer tent!
West End Architectural Salvage: 4-story warehouse with a coffee shop, filled with salvage from around the world. Do you and your roommates need something special for your house? Inventory rotates regularly.
The Blazing Saddle: The oldest gay bar in Des Moines, serving gay men since 1983.
Adventureland Amusement Park and Adventure Bay Water Park: Over 100 rides including six rollercoasters. If you and your roommates think this one's mostly for kids you could be right BUT there is a bar where you can swim up, order a cocktail, then float away on the longest "lazy river" in Iowa.

Here's the city of Des Moines' official .gov for community services, including city maps, parks, volunteering, and emergency hotlines.

Compare Des Moines roommate rent to everywhere else, plus how to find a good roommate - better roommates for all!

Don't miss roommate scams = NOPE!

And here's the roommate matching metro list.

DETROIT

Average roommate rent in Detroit is $500.

Find a roommate in Detroit and save more than $505 per month ($6060 per year).* Detroit is 1417th out of 2202 US cities for cost of living, and 89th for quality of life.**

Your Detroit roommate search may experience #114 (out of 150) in Best City vibes. Also #55 in Best Places to Retire vibes.***

Enjoy a large city with a low cost of living and great outdoor activities with new Detroit roommates: 22nd Lowest Cost of Living and 144th Best for Outdoor Activities out of 228 cities in America.****

Detroit neighborhoods where roommates get > for = $: University District, Sherwood Forest, Indian Village, Lafayette Park, Gold Coast, Brush Park, Green Acres, Corktown, Fox Creek, and Downtown*****

Detroit's roommates are spending 43% < $ than NYC's.******

Detroit's largest hoodmap tags: another factory that isn't ruined, gentrification, more lots than houses, where the good Mexican food actually is, industrial wasteland, now only bridges, waterfront sculpture gardens, poor people, black bottom, nice park w/crazy geese, crackhead central but good tacos, visiting boaters, I work for Quicken Loans, and southwest suburbs.*******

Average commute slightly shorter than the national average (26 minutes). Most households have only 1 car, less than the national average of 2 cars.********

SO, roomiematch.com's Detroit roommate rundown:

Detroit looms large in our national imagination. That huge Motown sound now associated with the even huger rise and fall of the automotive assembly line over the last several decades . . . which led to a huge population decline which sadly subsequently led to crime and urban decline.

Decline led to decay led to the dubious phenomenon of Detroit's primacy within the world of "urban exploration?" While the interest value is obvious, leading many urban explorers toward impressive but now untended larger structures, thousands of empty buildings around a city are not a sign of urban health.

It's also wouldn't be a sign of any kind of health if they collapsed on anyone either.

Detroit has responded by demolishing many to plant grass and trees in their wake (urban prairie).

But that's the bad news. With more recent revitalization, many older buildings are now renovated and revitalized, instead of paintballed.

Urban topography aside, Detroit still has a reputation for being dangerous. While not undeserved, crime has declined significantly in recent years, with the overall crime rate downtown now below the national average.

It's now more accurate to say that while danger still lives in Detroit, it's now mostly residing in troubled neighborhoods. So roommates new to Detroit need to be aware of theirs, particularly after dark.

Urban exploration? To explore decay, go during the DAY.

After dark in your car, stick to neighborhoods you know or busy arteries. Don't drive through unfamiliar areas on smaller streets. Driving around with friends but without a lot that's valuable (cash, jewelry, expensive clothing, bling, etc.), especially anywhere new would be clever too.

After dark out of your car, move with larger crowds. Larger venues tend to be policed or feature security that smaller might not easily afford. Understand that a late night club may be adequately populated, and your trip on a well-populated street inside a reliable vehicle relatively safe as well, but where are you going to park? What's the walking vibe between your parking and your party, plus how far?

More on transportation: It shouldn't be shocking (heh) that as the historical center of the auto industry, your experience of Detroit will usually rely on having one.

Detroit has been described as both "auto-friendly" (glass half full) and "auto dependent" (glass half empty). But whatever your feelings about driving, Detroit is spread out over a larger geographic area than most cities. And while public transport exists, it's mostly a nice way to get around downtown. Meanwhile, their modern freeway system plus ample parking pretty much everywhere encourages you to get behind the wheel.

So unless you plan to exist entirely downtown, you'll find Detroit would like you to drive, extra points for a local model.

Except one exception! Bicycling! Because the rise and fall of the auto industry was correlated with same population-wise, most streets have multiple lanes that are now no longer needed. This means bikers can get a whole entire lane all to themselves, which is rare in a city anywhere near this size.

So biking year round is awesome for all roommates, right? Well, depends on the day, plus likely where you're from.

Detroit's weather changes rapidly in all seasons, while winter remains long. Long means COLD. Storms can be severe, and snow remains on the ground for much of winter. Winter temperatures remain below freezing for months, while the wind-chill factor at its icy lowest can snap anyone Southern.

So Detroit's overall current forecast? For the adventurous yet adequately cautious, Detroit's recently revitalized downtown riverfront with ornate buildings, sculpture, fountains, historic skyscrapers, and several parks totaling hundreds of acres has much to recommend it. Affordably!

Many historic buildings downtown have been recently converted into loft apartments, which are popular due to style plus proximity to everything downtown Detroit has to offer.

That includes Detroit's skyline, enduring and still dazzling. Now more than ever.

The rest of the Detroit roommate lowdown:

Detroit proper has a population of about 600,000, with the greater metro area about 5 million. This makes it the largest city in the Midwest, after Chicago. While it has remained large, it gained and lost about a million residents during the surge and collapse of Detroit's automotive industry.
along the Detroit River, across the border from Windsor, Ontario
US and Canadian citizens are required to present a valid passport, enhanced driver's license or approved traveler card when crossing the border (please check with border patrol on the day of travel, requirements can change without much notice). Once you've got your identification under control, you can cross over a bridge, through a tunnel (there's a tunnel bus if you're not already in a vehicle) or on a ferry.
home of Baker College, Center for Creative Studies, Detroit College of Business, Michigan Christian College, William Tyndale College, Baker College of Port Huron, Lawrence Institute of Technology, Marygrove College, Walsh College of Accounting, Oakland University, University of Detroit Mercy, Wayne State University, and the University of Michigan
Detroit is where Henry Ford pioneered the automotive assembly line, creating the world's first assembly line car, the Model T. Detroit has forever after been known as the "Automobile Capital" or "Motown" (short for "Motor Town"). While the auto industry surged then collapsed since its peak, several major car manufacturers still have a presence here, since merging with higher tech.
Detroit is the only US city to have four major sports teams all playing downtown: Detroit Lions, Detroit Pistons, Detroit Red Wings, and the Detroit Tigers. This is possible because downtown also hosts three major sports arenas.
largest US city with casino resorts: three major ones
Detroit is famous for Coney Island hot dogs, Vernor's Ginger Ale, Detroit-style pizza (deep dish but with a crispy buttery crust) and a lot of excellent Mexican (Mexicantown) and Polish (Hamtramck) restaurants.

After you're settled down, you and your roommates should experience Detroit's:

Pewabic Pottery: Founded in 1903, they exemplified the Arts and Crafts movement then developed their own iridescent glaze and some fabulous tiles and then put them various important places all around the country. It's also Michigan's most historic pottery, as it has been designated such by a number of local and national societies. Lots of nice things to buy, but if retail's not your thing you can also view exhibitions, attend talks, and take classes with studio time to create your own.
Belle Isle: Shared the same designer as NYC's Central Park, but Detroit's is larger at 1000 acres. It's also in the river between Detroit and Windsor so you get there by bridge, and features swimming, yachting, rowing, golfing, and motor and boat racing. Feeling lower key? Nature watching remains another extremely valid option.
Rouge Park: An even larger park! 1200 acres, featuring a golf course, model airplane fields, swimming, and hiking.
Guardian Building w/Art Deco Lobby: 40 stories tall, with light tangerine bricks. Includes Aztec and Native American mosaics, many made at Pewabic, along with a massive mural of the state of Michigan
Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge: not only the only international wildlife refuge in North America, it's also right inside the city? It includes coastal wetlands, islands, marshes and shoals, all along the Detroit River.
Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History: hosts the world's largest permanent art collection on African American culture
Detroit Institute of Arts: one of the most important museums in the country with holdings worth more than a billion dollars
Baker's Keyboard Lounge: Since 1934, the world's oldest continuously operating jazz club
The Raven Lounge: One of Detroit's oldest blues clubs - unassuming exterior, warmer and sparklier interior
Hitsville U.S.A.: Motown Records' first headquarters where all the Motown hits were recorded. Today it hosts a museum displaying artifacts of its very own musical historical significance.

Here's the city of Detroit's official .gov for their Department of Neighborhoods, which could guide you toward a better experience in yours.

Compare Detroit roommate rent to everywhere else, plus how to find a good roommate - better roommates for all!

Don't miss roommate scams = NOPE!

And here's the roommate matching metro list.

EDMONTON

Average roommate rent in Edmonton is $540.

Find a roommate in Edmonton, where the average proportion of income spent in rent plus utilities is 22%. Only 6% of renters live overcrowded.*********

Edmonton is 61st out of 153 Canadian cities for cost of living, and 13th best city to live in Canada.**

Edmonton's roommates are spending 50% < $ than NYC's.******

Edmonton's largest hoodmap tags: annoying mall crashing kids, haunted hospital, endless beautiful river valley, beer for every occasion, ice cream, alpacas, people let their dogs roam wild, hipster rednecks, folk fest highway, BRRRR, and suicyclists.*******

SO, roomiematch.com's Edmonton roommate rundown:

Edmonton is indisputably best in show in two arenas: snow and shopping.

Edmontonians also adore festivals, many presenting opportunities to enjoy both snow and shopping at the same time. Shopping an outdoor festival during snowy weather is as Edmontonian as it is possible to be.

Because those festivalgoers do not stand down, snow or no. If anything, their snowy festivus fiesta fests harder through winter, just to show you how hard they will not stop. Edmonton hosts over 30 festivals a year, and those are the larger ones. Every other weekend could meaningfully be one of your new annual festival holidays.

Shopping = options! Many more than most, even in larger American cities.

For instance, you could stroll Whyte Avenue. It's somewhat funky and usually eclectic for several city blocks. You could explore 124th Street's higher end boutiques including furniture and home improvement. You could drop by the Edmonton City Centre, with 175 mainstream retail purveyors over 3 city blocks . . .

. . . or you could visit West Edmonton Mall, which is the largest shopping mall on the ENTIRE CONTINENT of North America with over 800 stores!

Options!

So many shopping options you'll need to travel through snow to pursue, at least much of the year.

If you're unfamiliar with driving in winter in the middle of Canada, you should know that conditions can deteriorate a lot inside an hour. Check road conditions throughout the day when any snow is forecasted. Edmonton will clear its major arteries, but experienced drivers know any winter driving even through light snow still means snow tires, plenty of windshield washer fluid, and a full winter outfit with boots in case you still have problems anyway.

Those same experienced drivers also know heavier snow = stop driving your tiny car entirely until conditions improve.

If you'd like to avoid driving but don't want to stay home, Edmonton has the Edmonton Transit Service, which is both efficient and inexpensive. Hundreds of bus routes cover the city, going almost everywhere within it. Service only completely drops between 3 and 5 a.m., with peak service as frequent as every 15 minutes. The ETS also added a light rail system with two main lines so far, both connecting with the buses and serving the University of Alberta.

Edmonton also has excellent marked cycling routes, featuring no freeway crossings and limited overall traffic on a flat terrain. Roommates who love cycling elsewhere should love these routes too . . . during the spring and summer!

But can you cycle in wintertime too? In a sense, in that there shall be some number of cycling friendlier winter days. But during those less friendly more snowstormy days? Did you read what we said above regarding driving your car through a storm? And . . . now you'll be without the car.

If that sounds fun to roommates moving from hundreds of miles south, please attempt your first snowy bicycle ride dressed head to toe in your best winter gear. Also best to remain entirely within easy walking distance of your home or another warming station.

Then just pedal around one urban block, hopefully one you already know well. See how your bike handles. See how you handle too, hopefully not requiring the unexpected assistance of an emergency rescue team.

Canada's Festival City!

The rest of the Edmonton roommate lowdown:

capital city of Alberta, Canada's fifth largest city, home to about 1.3 million
Edmonton's terrain is mostly flat, with weather ranging widely across seasons - long cold winters, and humid summers with heavy rain
even though Edmonton is Canada's northernmost metro, its weather is milder than Regina, Saskatoon, and Winnipeg, all further south
relatively easy for most roommates to navigate as most roads are within a numbered grid, with streets running south to north and avenues running east to west
Edmonton area has 7 large casinos, including a casino and horse racing track at the Edmonton International Airport
home to University of Alberta, Athabasca University, Concordia University College of Alberta, King's University College, MacEwan University, Northern Alberta Institute of Technology, Norquest College, and the Edmonton campus of the University of Lethbridge
Edmonton is appreciated for its stunning river valley park system, the North Saskatchewan River Valley, over 60 miles of recreational trails with wildlife. This valley contains the longest piece of connected parkland in North America, 22 times the size of NYC's Central Park.
Edmonton refers to itself as "Canada's Festival City," and they're not wrong, with over 30 festivals throughout the year. Depending on when, there's something for everyone, including: Canoe Fest, Chaos Alberta Festival, Deep Freeze Byzantine Winter Festival, Edmonton Cariwest, Edmonton Blues Festival, Edmonton Folk Music Festival, Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival, Edmonton International Reggae Jamboree Festival, Edmonton International Street Performer's Festival, Edmonton Pride Festival, Edmonton Ukrainian Festival, Flying Canoe Volant, Heritage Festival, Ice Magic Festival, K-Days, Symphony Under the Sky, TD Edmonton International Jazz Festival, Works Art & Design Festival . . . and last but not least, one of their most popular . . . A Taste of Edmonton!

After you're settled down, you and your roommates should experience Edmonton's:

Muttart Conservatory: 4 glass pyramids, 3 climate zones, 100s of plant varieties
Whyte Ave Artwalk: Stroll around, see some local art
Francis Winspear Center for Music: Could be the most acoustically perfect concert hall in Canada, and definitely home to its largest concert organ
Fort Edmonton Park: Canada's largest living history museum
West Edmonton Mall: It's the largest shopping mall in North America. It's 5.3 million square feet. It's like a small city but accredited as a zoo. This human zoo includes over 800 stores and over 100 restaurants. Also 2 entire hotels, who probably host a nice-sized chunk of the approximately 30 million visiting yearly. There's also an artificial beach, an indoor lake, indoor lagoon, pool hall, arcade, bowling alley, mini-golf range, casino . . . and of course, a movie theatre.

Here's the city of Edmonton's official .ca for Transit (ETS), which roommates new to Edmonton will probably need to consult at least a few times.

Compare Edmonton roommate rent to everywhere else, plus how to find a good roommate - better roommates for all!

Don't miss roommate scams = NOPE!

And here's the roommate matching metro list.

Fargo

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average roommate rent is $350

- in easter North Dakota at the Minnesota border
- largest city in North Dakota
- ool summers and extremely cold winters, heavy thunderstorms, legendary blizzards
- agricultural, commercial, educational, cultural, and transportation center
- ethnic diversity is very low
- recently revitalized downtown zone
- very low crime rate and unemployment rate
- many cultural features for a city its size, including the Fargo Theatre, the Winter Carnival, Fargo-Moorhead Symphony Opera, Plains Art Museum, and the Fargodome
- many parks and golf courses
- home of North Dakota State University, North Dakota State College of Science, and Rasmussen College

Gainesville

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average roommate rent is $450

- college town
- long, hot, sticky summers, almost nonexistent winters
- Amtrak
- least tourist-y metro area in Florida
- nature and wildlife viewing center, natural springs
- several nearby lakes
- frequent sinkholes, swamps, and limestone caverns
- home to the University of Florida

Grand Rapids

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average roommate rent is $500

- business hub of western Michigan
- on the Grand River, 25 miles inland from Lake Michigan
- summers are warm and humid, snow is common in winter
- near both forests and beaches
- nicknamed Furniture City, as many companies have manufactured furniture there
- small airline and Amtrak hub
- several local arts festivals are popular
- home of Michigan's only professional ballet company
- home to several professional sports teams, including ice hockey
- home to several colleges and universities, including Grand Valley State University, Ferris State University, the Kendall College of Art and Design, and the Michigan State University College of Human Medicine

Halifax or Dartmouth

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average roommate rent is $475

- located on a peninsula with the Gulf of St. Lawrence to the north, the Bay of Fundy to the west, and the Atlantic Ocean to the south and east
- major port city
- one of the highest rates of public transportation use in Canada
- small airline hub
- features numerous small lakes and some higher elevations
- foggy with very serious, severe winter storms
- naval and governmental center, also a tourist destination with a popular waterfront
- home to University of King's College, Mount St. Vincent University, Nova Scotia College of Art & Design, St. Mary's University, Dalhouse University, and the Technical University of Nova Scotia

Hartford

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average roommate rent is $800

- capital city
- on the Connecticut River, 40 miles north of the Long Island Sound, 110 miles northeast of New York City
- proximity to the Atlantic Ocean leads to strong northeast winds
- very cold in winter and very warm in summer
- Amtrak
- medium airline hub
- center for the insurance industry
- home to Charter Oak State College, Central Connecticut State University, Eastern Connecticut State University, Hartford Graduate Center, Trinity College, Saint Joseph College, University of Connecticut, University of Hartford, and Wesleyan University

Honolulu

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average roommate rent is $800

- capital city
- resort city located on the island of Oahu
- large local airport
- high cost of living due to isolation from national markets
- port of entry for most of the Hawaii's millions of visitors
- center for tourism and recreation
- strong military presence
- home to Honolulu University and Hawai'i Pacific University

Houston

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average roommate rent is $700

- 50 miles inland from the Gulf Coast
- sprawling metropolitan area, more than twice the size of Rhode Island
- mild winters, intense summer heat and humidity, foggy year-round, frequent thunderstorms
- Amtrak
- large airline hub
- low cost of living
- gigantic malls
- lots of sports-related entertainment
- home to University of Houston, Houston Baptist University, Prairie View A & M University, Baylor College of Medicine, Rice University, Texas Southern University, University of Texas Health Science Center, and the University of Saint Thomas

Indianapolis

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average roommate rent is $400

- capital city, geographic center of Indiana
- warm, humid summers but no extreme heat, intermittent rain and snow in winter, severe storms uncommon
- Amtrak
- medium-sized airline hub
- revitalized downtown
- spectator sports are large, including pro and college sports, and auto racing
- home to Franklin College of Indiana, Marian College, Anderson University, Indiana University, Purdue University, and the University of Indianapolis

Jackson

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average roommate rent is $300

- Mississippi's capital and largest city
- humid, hot summers, mild winters
- served by Amtrak
- hub of government and commerce for the state
- one of the lowest costs of living of any US urban area
- tourism highlights local history and culture
- home to Antonelli College, Hinds Community College, Mississippi College, University of Mississippi, and the University of Mississippi Medical Center

Jacksonville

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average roommate rent is $450

- large city
- located in northeast Florida, only 16 miles from the Atlantic Ocean
- largest deep water port on the southern Atlantic Coast
- very heavy humidity, very rainy in July and August, winters are mild
- Amtrak
- medium-sized airline hub
- many beaches and golf courses
- home to Edward Waters College, Flagler College, Jones College, Jacksonville University, and the University of North Florida

Kansas City

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average roommate rent is $550

- large city on the Missouri River, near the geographic center of the U.S.
- warm summers, relatively mild winters, very windy due to lack of anything topographic to obstruct air currents
- Amtrak
- medium-sized airline hub
- famous for both barbeque ribs and blues music
- lots of professional sports fans
- home to Cleveland Chiropractic College, Kansas City Art Institute, William Jewel College, Avila College, Baker University, Mid-America Nazarene College, Ottawa University (Kansas City Branch), Park College, Rockhurst College, Saint Mary College, U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, University of Kansas Medical Center, and the University of Missouri

Knoxville

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average roommate rent is $450

- college town
- on the Tennessee River between the Cumberland Mountains and the Great Smoky Mountains
- long summers, but the mountains ranges shelter it from extreme winter temperatures
- small local airport
- near the Great Smoky Mountain National Park
- home to Knoxville College, Maryville College, and the University of Tennessee

Las Vegas

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average roommate rent is $500

- large resort city
- in southern Nevada near the Colorado River
- typical desert climate, very long, hot summer, cools off at night, winters are mild
- driest metropolitan area in the country
- large airline hub
- Amtrak
- hiking, rock climbing and skiing available in nearby mountains
- has been described as Disneyland for adults
- home to the University of Nevada

Little Rock

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average roommate rent is $300

- capital of Arkansas
- largest city in Arkansas
- center of the state along the Arkansas River
- hot, humid summers, mild winters with very little snow
- home to several colleges and universities, including University of Arkansas at Little Rock, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Philander Smith College, and the Clinton School for Public Service
- home to the Clinton Presidential Library and the Little Rock Zoo

Los Angeles

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average roommate rent is $790

- huge city on the Southern California Coast, south of the San Bernadino Mountains
- surrounded by the Pacific Ocean and the Southern California Coastal Mountain Ranges
- almost always warm and sunny, high humidity along the coast
- Amtrak
- medium airline hub
- geologic faults cause periodic tremors
- famous for some extremely wealthy neighborhoods, but these are unaffordable for most
- boating and beach recreation is among the world's best
- because of earthquake risk, the city has sprawled outward rather than upward
- extreme dependence on the automobile and population density have caused serious traffic problems
- home to Claremont McKenna College, Pitzer College, Pomona College, Scripps College, University of West Los Angeles, Antioch University, Art Center College of Design, California Institute of the Arts, California State Polytechnic University, Cal State University, College of Osteopathic Medicine, Harvey Mudd College, Loyola Marymount University, Mount St. Mary's College, Occidental College, Otis College of Art and Design, Pacific Oaks College, Samra University of Oriental Medicine, Southern California Institute of Architecture, The Masters College, West Coast University, Whittier College, Woodbury University, Azusa Pacific University, Biola University, California Institute of Technology, California School of Professional Psychology, California State University, Claremont Graduate School, Pepperdine University, University of California, University of Laverne, and the University of Southern California

Louisville

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average roommate rent is $350

- largest city in Kentucky
- in Northern Kentucky along the Ohio River
- summers are warm and humid, winters are moderate
- a major center of American whiskey
- hosts the Kentucky Derby
- home to several museums, including Frazier History Museum, Louisville Science Center, The Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft, and the Speed Art Museum
- home to several colleges and universities, including the University of Louisville, Bellarmine University, Spalding University, and Simmons College of Kentucky

Madison

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average roommate rent is $500

- capital city, located in south central Wisconsin
- city surrounds two lakes, Lake Mendota and Lake Monona
- summer is pleasant, winters are cold and stormy with frequent snow cover
- ethnic diversity is low
- one of the best educated urban populations in the country
- many buildings of architectural interest, including some by Frank Lloyd Wright
- active local music scene, lots of live music nightly, home of many music festivals
- several local performing arts venues including the Madison Opera, the Madison Symphony Orchestra, the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, and the Madison Ballet
- home to the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison Media Institute, Madison Area Technical College, and Edgewood College

Manchester

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average roommate rent is $550

- largest city in New Hampshire
- northern New England's largest city
- located in South Central New Hampshire at the Amoskeag Falls on the Merrimack River
- harsh winters with lengthy snow cover, pleasantly cool in summer
- home to several sports teams, including ice hockey, Women's Tackle Football, and flat track roller derby
- home to several colleges and universities, including Granite State College, the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, the New Hampshire Institute of Art, Southern New Hampshire University, and the University of New Hampshire at Manchester

Memphis

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average roommate rent is $350

- largest city in Tennessee, and the largest city on the Mississippi River
- near the Arkansas and Mississippi borders
- hot and steamy summers, frequent weather changes in winter
- lots of farmland nearby
- medium airline hub
- Amtrak
- many historic highs and lows
- thought to be the home of Elvis, and the hometown of the blues
- home to Crichton College, Christian Brothers University, Le Moyne-Owen College, Rhodes College, Memphis State University, and the University of Tennessee

Miami or Fort Lauderdale

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average roommate rent is $700

- large urban area near the southern tip of the Florida Peninsula
- southernmost metro area in the country
- long warm humid summer with abundant rainfall, mild and dry winter
- hurricanes are a concern
- beaches abound
- commuter rail between Miami and Fort Lauderdale
- Amtrak
- large airline hub
- considered the gateway to Latin America
- active nightlife
- major commercial, resort, and retirement area
- unique mix of cultures and heat
- many residents are fans of both professional and college sports teams
- home to Florida Memorial College, Johnson & Wales University, Trinity College, Saint Thomas University, Barry University, Florida International University, University of Miami, and Nova University

Milwaukee

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average roommate rent is $400

- large city on the western shore of Lake Michigan
- stormy winters with many severe winter storms, milder summers
- rail service to Chicago
- Amtrak
- medium airline hub
- commercial and cultural center of Wisconsin
- famous for brewing beer
- many major league sports teams that are very appreciated by residents
- recently revitalized downtown
- home to Milwaukee College of Art and Design, Alverno College, Cardinal Stritch College, Carroll College, Concordia University, Milwaukee School of Engineering, Mount Mary College, Marquette University, Medical College of Wisconsin, and the University of Wisconsin

Minneapolis or Saint Paul

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average roommate rent is $600

- capital city, along the upper Mississippi River
- 20 miles west of the Wisconsin border, near the geographical center of the continent
- winters are very long and very cold, severe storms are common
- large airline hub
- Amtrak
- surrounding lakes with wildlife viewing popular in the summer
- ice-skating, hockey, snowmobiling popular in winter on the numerous lakes that freeze over in winter
- summers can be humid, but still relatively mild
- educational level of residents higher than national average
- one of the most economically diverse metroplexes in the country, several large industries represented
- modern, clean, and attractive downtown with skyways connecting many buildings
- has been said to have more theater and classical concerts per capita than any city other than New York City
- assortment of major and minor league sports teams
- home to the largest mall in the U.S., the Mall of America, which is almost like an amusement park
- home to Macalester College, Northwestern College, Augsburg College, Bethel College, College of Saint Catherine, Concordia College, Crown College, Hamline University, Metropolitan State University, Minneapolis College of Art and Design, University of Wisconsin, William Mitchell College of Law, University of St. Thomas, and the University of Minnesota

Montreal

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average roommate rent is $650

- cultural and economic center of eastern Canada
- large city along the St. Lawrence River
- Laurentian Mountains are to the north, Appalachians to the south and southeast
- mostly 100-150 feet above sea level
- severe temperature differences between summer and winter, very hot and very cold weather annually, wet throughout the year
- excellent transportation system with a modern subway
- commuter rail hub
- large airline hub
- while French language and culture are dominant, most citizens are bilingual, and which language is predominantly spoken depends on the neighborhood
- city is packed with museums, good restaurants, professional theaters and other performing arts facilities
- cost of living is low for a city this size with this many cultural amenities
- home to Ecole de Technologie Superieure, Concordia University, Ecole des Haves Etudes Commerciales, Ecole Polytechnique, McGill University, Universite de Montreal, and Universite du Quebec

Nashville

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average roommate rent is $700

- capital city, on the Cumberland River in the northwest corner of the Nashville Basin
- second largest city in Tennessee
- warm, humid summers with frequent thunderstorms, weather changes frequently in winter
- medium airline hub
- known worldwide as the most important country music city
- big professional sports town
- home to Aquinas Junior College, Belmont University, Cumberland University, David Lipscomb University, Fisk University, Meharry Medical College, Middle Tennessee State University, Tennessee State University, and Vanderbilt University

New Brunswick

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average roommate rent is $600

- located approximately 30 miles southwest of Manhattan, on the bank of the Raritan River
- humid, subtropical climate with warm, humid summers and cold winters
- served by New Jersey Transit and Amtrak
- nicknamed Healthcare City, after its abundance of medical facilities, including Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, Saint Peter's University Hospital, and Rutgers University's Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
- award-winning local theatre scene
- home to Rutgers University

New Haven or Bridgeport

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average roommate rent is $800

- large metropolitan complex
- approx 60 miles northeast of New York City, New Haven is a port
- summers are warm and humid, but winters are milder than many surrounding areas due to the Long Island Sound
- commuter rail to New York City
- Amtrak
- very small local airport
- New Haven is known as the first planned city in the American Colonies
- cost of living generally high, high property tax rates
- home to Albertus Magnus College, Quinnipiac College, Southern Connecticut State University, University of New Haven, Fairfield University, Sacred Heart University, University of Bridgeport, and Yale University

New Orleans

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average roommate rent is $550

- large city in southeast Louisiana, on the Mississippi Delta
- almost entirely surrounded by water (swampland, bayous, lakes, and rivers)
- most of the city is below sea level
- summers are long, hot, and humid, with heavy downpours occurring quite suddenly
- winters are generally pleasant, but foggy
- medium-sized local airport
- Amtrak
- major cultural influences from both France and Spain, who originally colonized it
- popular tourist destination, with many carnivals to entertain them
- the arts, culture, entertainment, music, food, history and architecture are like nowhere else, and have influenced the rest of the country and the world like few other cities
- it's said you can't survive in New Orleans as an impatient person
- home to Dillard University, Loyola University, Our Lady of Holy Cross College, Southern University, Xavier University, Louisiana State University Medical Center, Tulane University, and the University of New Orleans

Newark

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average roommate rent is $800

- northern New Jersey near the lower Hudson River, immediately west of NYC
- natural terrain is flat and marshy
- summers are hot and muggy, winters are cool and wet
- Newark Airport is a major hub for the New York area
- Amtrak
- both a large city in its own right and a commuter community to NYC
- proximity to NYC, lower rents compared to NYC, and the many available transportation options to NYC make it attractive for many
- has a past as a less attractive heavy industrial center with more recent urban decay, but revitalization is underway
- home to Bloomfield College, Caldwell College, Centenary College, College of Saint Elizabeth, College of New Jersey, Montclair State College, Drew University, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Rutgers University, Seton Hall University, and the University of Medicine and Dentistry

Norfolk

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average roommate rent is $600

- largest metro area in the state by population
- almost entirely surrounded by water, between the Chesapeake Bay, the Atlantic Ocean, and the waterway known as Hampton Roads
- numerous rivers
- mild winter, long humid warm summers, few severe storms due to surrounding waterways
- small local airport
- 2 ferries
- Amtrak
- Virginia Beach is popular
- one of the best natural ports on the East Coast
- performing arts community active, especially for an area this size
- cost of living is moderate, and less than most East Coast areas this size
- shipbuilding, fishing, and other seaport-related businesses are dominant
- several large naval bases in the area
- home to Virginia Wesleyan College, Christopher Newport University, College of William and Mary, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Hampton University, Norfolk State University, Old Dominion University, and Regent University

NYC - The Bronx

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average roommate rent is $900

- northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City
- only borough located on the mainland
- high temperatures in summer with frequent freezes in winter
- economically diverse
- one of the most ethnically diverse areas in the country
- one of the most complex places to live in the U.S., presenting both unique challenges and opportunities
- extensive public transit system. including subways, buses, a ferry network, and a suburban rail system
- most residents do not own cars, most that do don't drive them daily
- many celebrated professional sports teams
- home to Concourse Village and the new Yankee Stadium
- many parks and gardens, including Van Cortlandt Park, Pelham Bay Park, the New York Botanical Garden and the The Bronx Zoo
- Edgar Allan Poe spent the last years of his life in the The Bronx, at Poe Cottage
- considered one of the birthplaces of modern hip hop
- home to the Bronx Museum of the Arts and several off broadway theaters
-home to several colleges and universities, including Fordham University, Manhattan College, three campuses of the City University of New York, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and the United States Merchant Marine Academy

NYC - Brooklyn

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average roommate rent is $1400

- most populous of the five boroughs of New York City
- high temperatures in summer with frequent freezes in winter
- historic home of many immigrant communities
- except for parks, totally urban
- one of the most ethnically diverse areas in the country
- one of the most complex places to live in the U.S., presenting both unique challenges and opportunities
- city is very crowded, cost of living is very high, these factors are stressful for many
- extensive public transit system. including subways, buses, a ferry network, and a suburban rail system
- most residents do not own cars, most that do don't drive them daily
- commuter rail hub
- world-class dining, shopping, theater, symphony, opera, live music
- museums and architectural attractions draw global audiences
- hosts the Brooklyn Academy of Music and the Brooklyn Philharmonic
- many parks, including the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Prospect Park, Coney Island, and the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge
- many colleges and universities, including Brooklyn Law School, Pratt Institute, New York Polytechnic School of Engineering, Brooklyn College, Medgar Evers College, New York City College of Technology, and the SUNY Downstate Medical Center

NYC - Manhattan

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average roommate rent is $1500

- most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City, but the smallest in land area
- at the mouth of the Hudson River, the southernmost tip of New York state
- high temperatures in summer with frequent freezes in winter
- several major bridges connect the boroughs, boroughs have unique characteristics and are considered part of the whole
- national center, both economically and culturally
- except for parks, totally urban
- one of the most ethnically diverse areas in the country
- one of the most complex places to live in the U.S., presenting both unique challenges and opportunities
- city is very crowded, cost of living is very high, these factors are stressful for many
- extensive public transit system. including subways, buses, a ferry network, and a suburban rail system
- most residents do not own cars, most that do don't drive them daily
- commuter rail hub
- Amtrak hub
- large airline hub with 3 major airports
- many ferries
- world-class dining, shopping, theater, symphony, opera, live music
- museums and architectural attractions draw global audiences
- many celebrated professional sports teams
- the New York Public Library has the largest collection of any public library system in the country
- Wall Street in lower Manhattan hosts both the New York Stock Exchange and NASDAQ
- home to the United Nations Headquarters
- home to many colleges and universities, including Columbia University, Barnard College, Fordham College at Lincoln Center, Cooper Union, Marymount Manhattan College, New York Institute of Technology, New York University, The Juilliard School, Pace University, Berkeley College, The New School, Bank Street College of Education, Boricua College, Manhattan School of Music, and the Metropolitan College of New York, School of Visual Arts

NYC - Queens

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average roommate rent is $1150

- easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City, second most populous, includes a few small islands
- high temperatures in summer with frequent freezes in winter
- one of the most complex places to live in the U.S., presenting both unique challenges and opportunities
- city is very crowded, cost of living is very high, these factors are stressful for many
- two of New York metro's airports are located here, LaGuardia and John F. Kennedy International Airport
- the Long Island Rail Road operates 22 stations here with service to other boroughs and Long Island
- possibly the most ethnically diverse urban area in the country, over 120 languages spoken
- neighborhoods differ greatly, especially with regard to housing options
- home to Flushing Meadows Park (New York Mets and the US Open), Silvercup Studios, Aqueduct Racetrack, and Kaufman Astoria Studios
- Queens Borough Public Library is one of the larges public library systems in the US
- home to a number of museums and cultural institutions, including New York Hall of Science, Queens Museum of Art, Bowne House, 5 Pointz, Noguchi Museum, Queens Botanical Garden, and Kupferberg Center for the Arts
- home to a number of colleges including LaGuardia Community College, Queens College, Queensborough Community College, York College, and the Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology

NYC - Staten Island

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average roommate rent is $850

- least populated of the five boroughs of New York City
- used to claim the largest landfill in the world, now being made into a public park
- only borough that is not connected to the New York City subway system
- high temperatures in summer with frequent freezes in winter
- home to a diverse population of wildlife
- hundreds of acres of wooded areas
- free Staten Island ferry is a popular tourist attraction, providing views of Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty
- home to the Staten Island Zoo
- home to many artists and musicians who wanted proximity to Manhattan but with larger, cheaper residential space
- home to several museums and cultural centers, including the Staten Island Museum, the Staten Island Botanical Garden, and the New York Chinese Scholar's Garden
- home to a few colleges and universities, including The College of Staten Island and Wagner College

Oklahoma City

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average roommate rent is $460

- capital city located near the center of Oklahoma
- mostly flat
- summers are long and hot, winters are short and mild, extreme cold very infrequent
- spring and summer storms can be severe, spawning tornadoes and large hail
- Amtrak
- medium-sized local airport
- major center for the oil industry and related manufacturing
- cost of living is low, especially for a capital city
- friendly, small-town atmosphere
- fewer cultural amenities and lesser interest in the arts than might be expected for a city this size
- home to Langston University, Oklahoma Baptist University, Oklahoma Christian University, Oklahoma City University, Southern Nazarene University, University of Central Oklahoma, University of Oklahoma, and the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center

Omaha

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average roommate rent is $350

- in eastern Nebraska along the Missouri River near the Iowa border
- largest city in Nebraska
- warm summers and cold, harsh, dry winters
- diverse economy
- well kept and clean
- where the TV dinner was invented
- historically important jazz scene in North Omaha
- sizable military presence including the Offut Air Force Base
- many sports teams
- home of several colleges and universities, including the University of Nebraska at Omaha, the University of Nebraska Medical Center, University of Nebraska College of Medicine, and Creighton University

Orange County

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average roommate rent is $860

- along the southern California coast, about 30 miles south of Los Angeles
- more of a sprawling network of very tiny cities and bedroom communities than a typically-structured city
- very mild climate, some smog
- Amtrak
- large airline hub
- commuting to Los Angeles to work is common
- several professional sports teams
- home to Disneyland
- home to California State University, Chapman University, Christ College Irvine, Pacific Christian College, Southern California College, and the University of California

Orlando

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average roommate rent is $650

- east central Florida, about 25 miles from the Atlantic Coast
- surrounded by many lakes
- high year-round humidity, summers are extremely warm, winters are mild with light rainfall
- large airline hub
- Amtrak
- traffic can be very bad around tourist destinations
- much of the nation's citrus fruit is grown here
- diverse resort city, major tourist destination, which all started with Disneyworld
- newer major tourist destinations include Universal Studios Florida and Sea World
- several professional sports teams
- top-rated golf courses
- cost of living is reasonable for a city with so many entertainment options
- home to Rollins College and the University of Central Florida

Ottawa

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average roommate rent is $500

- capital of Canada
- along the Ottawa River at the Ontario-Quebec border
- cold and snowy in winter, warm in summer
- winter climate is more severe than most of eastern Canada due to the distance from water
- very clean city, with many parks surrounding it
- medium airline hub
- city has avoided skyscrapers in favor of a more stately, historic appearance including Gothic architecture
- home to Carleton University, College Dominicain de Philosophie, Saint Paul University, Universite du Quebec, and the University of Ottawa

Pensacola

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average roommate rent is $450

- western tip of the Florida Panhandle on Pensacola Bay, along the Gulf Coast
- Gulf of Mexico moderates the climate year-round
- white sand beaches are popular
- cost of living among the lowest in Florida
- considered both a beach city and a military town
- strong military presence with the Pensacola Naval Air Station, home of the Blue Angels
- home of the main campus of the University of West Florida

Philadelphia

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average roommate rent is $700

- 5th largest metro area in the United States
- located in southeastern Pennsylvania along the Susquehanna River, near the New Jersey border
- Appalachian Mountains to the west and the Atlantic Ocean to the east moderate extreme temperatures
- Schyukill River runs through the city
- some high humidity in summer, heavy snowfall every few years
- Amtrak
- large airline hub
- trolley system
- multiple commuter rail hubs
- historically a very important port and manufacturing center
- more modern downtown is adjacent to a large historic district, including Independence Hall and the waterfront
- world-famous Philly cheesesteak sandwich originated here
- many major-league sports teams
- home to Delaware Valley College, Haverford College, Moore College of Art and Design, Penn State University Delaware, Penn State University Ogontz, Ursinus University, Valley Forge Christian College, American College, Beaver College, Cabrini College, Chestnut Hill College, Cheyney University, Eastern College, Gwynedd-Mercy College, Holy Family College, La Salle University, Lincoln University, Neumann College, Pennsylvania College of Optometry, Philadelphia College of Textiles, Rosemont College, Rutgers University, St. Joseph's University, Swarthmore College, The University of the ARts, West Chester University of Pennsylvania, Bryn Mawr College, Drexel University, Hahnemann University, Pennsylvania State University, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science, Rowan College of New Jersey, Temple University, Thomas Jefferson University, University of Pennsylvania, Villanova University, and Widener University

Phoenix or Tempe

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average roommate rent is $600

- capital city, located in Arizona's Salt River Valley
- natural vegetation is sparse, as the terrain is mostly desert, but some tree and citrus growth
- typical desert climate, including low annual rainfall, low humidity, very long intensely hot summers, and mild winters
- highest average July temperature of any U.S. metro area, around 107 degrees, temps exceeding 120 degrees not uncommon
- Amtrak
- large airline hub
- wealthy 'snowbirds' from colder parts of the country often spend winters in Phoenix, attracted to the mild winters and low - cost of living
- not as many arts and other cultural amenities as one might expect in a city this size
- many major-league sports teams
- home to American School of International Management, Arizona State University, Grand Canyon University, Ottawa University, and Western International University

Pittsburgh

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average roommate rent is $550

- large city in west central Pennsylvania
- in the foothills of the Allegheny Mountains
-summers are warm and humid, winters are cool and variable, with intermittent freezing and thawing
-50% chance of precipitation any given day, many days cloudy
- good public transportation, including a newer light-rail system

- tram from the central city
- Amtrak
- large airline hub
- lower cost of living than one would expect given the excellent educational and entertainment possibilities
- once a center for steel and coal, now more economically diversified
- historic and revitalized neighborhoods
- number of neighborhoods with unique personalities
- population is ethnically diverse
- a number of professional sports teams with legendary fan support and attractive, accessible venues
- numerous cultural assets, including world-class museums, the Pittsburgh Symphony, and the large zoo
home to Penn State University Beaver, Penn State University Fayette, Penn State University McKeesport, Penn State University Kensington, Saint Vincent College, University of Pittsburgh Greensburg, California University, Carlow College, Chatham College, Geneva College, La Roche College, Point Park College, Robert Morris College, Seton Hill College, Washington and Jefferson College, Carnegie Mellon University, Duquesne University, Slippery Rock University, and the University of Pittsburgh

Portland, Maine

(find a roommate in Portland ME) (roommate matching metro list)

average roommate rent is $550

- small coastal city in southern Maine, on the Atlantic Coast at Casco Bay
- rugged coastline
- summers are pleasant, winters are severe with heavy snowfall
- ferries
- Amtrak
- small local airport
- Maine's largest city and cultural center
- shipping and commercial fishing dominate
- slow paced, small-town atmosphere
- home to Maine College of Art, Saint Joseph's College, and the University of Southern Maine

Portland, Oregon

(find a roommate in Portland OR) (roommate matching metro list)

average roommate rent is $750

- large city in northwest Oregon, along the Columbia River and near the Washington border
- summers are mild and pleasant, winters are cloudy and rainy, sometimes sleeting
- good public transit with one of the nation's best light-rail systems and intercity rail service
- Amtrak
- medium-sized local airport
- skiing available nearby in the Oregon Cascades and Mount Hood
- mountain ranges visible from the city
- watersports popular on the Columbia River
- once linked primarily with wood products, now features a number of high-tech industries
- cost of living is moderate for a West Coast city
- no sales tax
- home to Western States Chiropractic College, Concordia College, Lewis and Clark College, Linfield College, Reed College, University of Portland, Warner Pacific College, George Fox College, Oregon Institute of Science & Technology, Oregon Health Science University, Pacific University, and Portland State University

Providence

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average roommate rent is $600

- capital city, on the eastern edge of Rhode Island, at the head of Narragansett Bay
- large seaport, Providence river flows through the city
- summers are warm and foggy, winter storms are moderated by proximity to water, thunderstorms are common
- Amtrak
- small local airport
- atmosphere is generally easygoing, despite being the capital
- primary commercial, industrial, and residential area for the state
- considered a center of intellectualism and liberal thought
- more theater, classical music, and museums than most cities its size
- many cultural amenities, including proximity to Boston
- home to New England Institute of Technology, Roger Williams University, Bryant College, Rhode Island School of Design, Brown University, Johnson & Wales University, Providence College, Rhode Island College, and the University of Rhode Island

Raleigh or Durham or Chapel Hill

(find a roommate in Raleigh / Durham / Chapel Hill) (roommate matching metro list)

average roommate rent is $650

- located in northeast North Carolina, 40 miles south of Virginia
- mild climate, very humid in summer, rainfall through most of the year
- medium-sized triad city complex, sometimes referred to as the Research Triangle
- Amtrak
- medium-sized local airport
- has historic roots in tobacco farming
- now an educational, intellectual, and high-tech center for the state
- significant cultural amenities, mostly related to nearby schools
- home to Peace College, Saint Augustine's College, Shaw University, Meredith College, North Carolina Central University, Duke University, North Carolina State University, and the University of North Carolina

Reno

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average roommate rent is $550

- small city in western Nevada, 15 miles east of the California border
- near the northern shore of Lake Tahoe
- climate is hot, low humidity, lots of sunshine, winters are mild
- formerly known mostly for mining and gambling, has now expanded economically
- Amtrak
- medium-sized local airport
- national forest and world-class ski areas nearby
- lively downtown with casinos, but gambling not as dominant as in nearby Las Vegas
- home to Sierra Nevada College, and the University of Nevada

Richmond

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average roommate rent is $625

- capital city in east-central Virginia, along the James River and near the Blue Ridge Mountains
- very warm, humid summers, mild winters
- Amtrak
- small airline hub
- some residents commute to D.C. for work
- historic interest as the former capital of the Confederacy, museums and historic sites abound
- home to Randolph-Macon College, University of Richmond, Virginia State University, Virginia Commonwealth University, and Virginia Union University

Sacramento

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average roommate rent is $760

- capital city, in Northern California at the base of the Sierra Nevada
- summers are very hot, winters are mild but foggy
- very flat
- Amtrak
- medium-sized local airport
- appealing to many for its lower cost of living relative to other cities in California
- professional sports teams are popular
- home to California State University

Salem or Eugene

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average roommate rent is $450

- Salem is the state capital, both areas have a college town atmosphere
- westernmost metro area in the coterminous U.S. (not counting Alaska)
- 50 miles south of Portland
- extremely mild climate due to the Cascade Mountains in the east, the coastal ranges to the west, and the proximity of the Pacific Ocean
- Amtrak
- small airline hub
- historically an important lumber area
- low cost of living compared to rest of Oregon
- home to Western Baptist College, Western Oregon State College, Williamette University, and the University of Oregon

Salt Lake City

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average roommate rent is $475

- capital city in north-central Utah
- in the desert, surrounded by mountains
- features both long winters and very hot summers
- Amtrak
- large airline hub
- skiing, rafting, and hiking are available in the nearby Wasatch Mountains
- Great Salt Lake is nearby
- Mormon culture is dominant, this is their headquarters
- conservative local policies on alcohol have inhibited nightlife
- home to Weber State University, Westminster College, and the University of Utah

San Antonio

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average roommate rent is $600

- located in south-central Texas
- summer heat is intense, but the winters are very pleasant
- thunderstorms common year round
- medium-sized local airport
- Amtrak
- 3rd largest city in Texas, decided Mexican influence
- home of the Alamo
- Paseo del Rio (River Walk) is popular for dancing, live music, and dining
- city has a laid-back character
- 4 Air Force facilities are nearby
- home to Texas Lutheran College, Incarnate Word College, Trinity University, Our Lady of the Lake University, St. Mary's University, and the University of Texas Health Sciences

San Diego

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average roommate rent is $1100

- large city located along the southern Californian coast, about 20 miles north of Mexico
- climate is warm but generally pleasant year-round, with low humidity, some fog
- large local airport
- Amtrak
- economically diverse, with very expensive and inexpensive areas to live
- downtown features a waterfront area
- excellent boating and water recreation
- Sea World and the San Diego Zoo are famous worldwide
- home to California State University, Coleman University, National University, Point Loma Nazarene College, California School of Professional Psychology, San Diego State University, U.S. International University, University of California, and the University of San Diego

San Francisco

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average roommate rent is $1500

- along a narrow peninsula of 43 hills
- extreme hilliness featuring elevations of nearly 1000 feet cause much local variability in fog, sunshine, and temperature
- can be extremely foggy
- really only 2 seasons, spring and fall - summers and winters are practically nonexistent
- very densely populated, producing a high cost of living, the highest in California
- excellent public transit system, including BART
- Amtrak
- trolley system
- commuter rail hub
- large airline hub
- features the continent's only cable car system
- arts and culture community here is large and exceptional
- one of the most ethnically diverse metros in the country
- many tourist attractions, including Fisherman's Wharf, Chinatown, and the wine country in the north
- popular professional sports teams
- many botanical gardens and arboretums
- home to Menlo College, California College of Podiatric Medicine, College of Notre Dame, Dominican College of San Rafael, Lincoln University, New College of California, San Francisco Art Institute, California Institute of Integral Studies, Golden Gate University, San Francisco State University, Savbrook Institute, University of California, and the University of San Francisco

San Jose

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average roommate rent is $1300

- large city on the south end of San Francisco Bay
- summers are clear, dry, and sunny, with some smog - winters are typically mild if rainy
- has been referred to as 'Silicon Valley' due to large amount of local high-tech manufacturing
- influx of educated workers from around the world, particularly Asia, have created a diverse culture
- multiple commuter rails, some commute to San Francisco
- home to Cogswell College, National Hispanic University, San Jose State University, Institute of Transpersonal Psychology, Pacific Graduate School of Psychology, Santa Clara University, and Stanford University

Santa Fe

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average roommate rent is $500

- capital city, in north-central New Mexico
- at approximately 7360 feet, the highest metro area in the US
- cool, dry, pleasant summers and crisp, clear, sunny winters
- medium-sized local airport
- near ski slopes
- crossroads of American Indian, Spanish, and European cultures
- major tourist destination
- architecture, lifestyle, and food are unique among American cities
- historic central city area, quite crowded in summer
- over 250 art galleries and museums
- many performing and visual artists move here
- many affluent retirees move here
- not a lot of industrial or commercial employment, many residents obtained money elsewhere, then moved to Santa Fe
home to College of Santa Fe and St. John's College

Seattle

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average roommate rent is $1200

- regional center, cosmopolitan city
- dramatic geographical setting, surrounded by mountain ranges and water
- on the east coast of Puget Sound, in west-central Washington
- climate is mild but cloudy most of the year, severe weather is rare
- Amtrak
- large airline hub
- ferries
- contrary to public perception, Seattle features less precipitation than most cities in the East and Midwest
- bustling seaport, gateway to Alaska and the Yukon
- significant cultural, recreational, and educational opportunities
- has been named the most literate city in the country
- outstanding public library system
-many more zoos/aquariums, botanical gardens/arboretums, classical music, professional theaters, and museums than the - national average
-has an almost absurd number of coffeehouses
- skiing and snowboarding are popular in nearby mountains
-multiple popular professional sports teams
-no state income tax
- home to Cornish College of the Arts, Antioch University, Bastyr College, Seattle City University, University of Washington, Seattle Pacific University, and Seattle University

Sioux Falls

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average roommate rent is $360

- in eastern South Dakota near the Iowa-Minnesota border
- state's largest city
- frequent weather changes, warm but not hot summers, winters often bring heavy snowfall
- center for banking and credit card industries, in part due to a lack of a state corporate income tax
- very clean city
- low crime rate
- ethnic diversity is low
- hosts the Sioux Falls Jazz and Blues Festival
- many large sporting events
- home of the University of Sioux Falls, University of South Dakota's Sanford School of Medicine, Stewart School, South Dakota Public Universities and Research Center, and the South Dakota School for the Deaf

Spokane

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average roommate rent is $400

- in far eastern Washington, near the Idaho border, on the Spokane River
- summers are mild, winters are harsh
- close to many rivers and lakes for water recreation
- ethnic diversity is low
- lots of outdoor and mountain recreation
- 100-acre Riverfront Park
- home to Gonzaga University, Whitworth University, and Washington State University Spokane
- thriving arts scene featuring many art walks
- hub of health care facilities in the Inland Northwest, including several public hospitals and the Spokane Veterans Affairs Medical Center

St. Louis

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average roommate rent is $550

- large city, along the Missouri-Illinois border and the Mississippi River
- summers are very hot and humid, extreme temperatures in winter are rare
- large airline hub
- Amtrak
- cost of living is low for a large city
- many popular professional sports teams
- home to Deaconess College of Nursing, Harris-Stowe State University, McKendree College, Missouri Baptist College, Principia College, Fortbonne College, Lindenwood College, Maryville University, Parks College - Saint Louis University, St. Louis College of Pharmacy, Saint Louis University, Southern Illinois University, University of Missouri, Washington University, and Webster University

Syracuse

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average roommate rent is $500

- located along the Old Erie Canal
- both Oneida Lake and Lake Ontario are nearby
- severe winters, one of the greatest annual snowfalls in the country
- very low cost of living for New York state
- ethnically diverse, home of many immigrant communities
-hosts several jazz festivals
- home to dozens of museums, including the Everson Museum of Art, featuring one of the the largest pottery collections in the United States
- home to several colleges and universities, including Syracuse University, SUNY Upstate Medical University and Hospital, Empire State College, and the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry

Tacoma

(find a roommate in Tacoma) (roommate matching metro list)

average roommate rent is $650

- medium-sized port city
- in west-central Washington at the south end of Puget Sound and the Seattle area
- climate is mild but cloudy most of the year, severe weather is rare
- many residents enjoy the proximity to Seattle, some commute there for work
- large airline hub (shared with Seattle)
- Amtrak
- home of shipping, paper, and lumber mill industries
- previously mostly industrial setting, now the site of recent downtown renewal
- no state income tax
- home to Pacific Lutheran University, University of Puget Sound, and the University of Washington (Tacoma branch)

Tallahassee

(find a roommate in Tallahassee) (roommate matching metro list)

average roommate rent is $400

- capital city
- located in the middle of the Florida Panhandle, about 30 miles north of the Gulf of Mexico and 20 miles from the Georgia border
- coldest place in Florida (but not cold by national standards)
- climate is very moist, summer is very hot and humid and frequently stormy, winter is very cloudy and rainy
- numerous lakes surround the area
- Amtrak
- home to Florida A&M University, and Florida State University

Tampa or Saint Petersburg

(find a roommate in Tampa or St. Petersburg) (roommate matching metro list)

average roommate rent is $400

- large city on the central Florida Gulf Coast at Tampa Bay
- summers are long, warm, and very humid with frequent thunderstorms - winters are mild
- Amtrak
- large airline hub
- economy features less emphasis on tourism than other coastal Florida cities
- amusement parks
- major-league professional sports are popular
- home to Eckerd College, Florida College, Saint Leo College, University of Tampa, and the University of South Florida

Toronto

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average roommate rent is $875

- world-class city and cosmopolitan center, capital of the province of Ontario
- on the northwest short of Lake Ontario
- largest city in Canada, with approximately 15% of the entire country's citizens
- summers are warm and humid, winters are cold, but extreme storms are rare, very little snow most winters
- commuter rail hub
- large airline hub
- Canada's industrial hub
- strong, diverse economy
- cost of living is the highest in the country
- modern, attractive, clean downtown with a unique waterfront
- many distinct neighborhoods with different histories and characters
- very low crime rate, especially for a city this large
- consistently rated an extremely livable city
- home to many public hospitals, including Mount Sinai Hospital, North York General Hospital, Toronto General Hospital, Toronto Western Hospital, The Scarborough Hospital, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, and the University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine
- home of the Toronto Stock Exchange
- home to Ryerson Polytechnical Institute, Ontario Institute, University of Toronto, and York University

Tucson

(find a roommate in Tucson) (roommate matching metro list)

average roommate rent is $450

- medium-sized city and college town
- located in south-central Arizona, on the Santa Cruz river, about 60 miles north of Mexico
- hot summers and mild winters typical of the desert, but with the high elevation moderating the desert heat in most of Arizona
- due to the desert climate and high elevation, the danger of sunburn here is greater than almost anywhere else in the country
- Amtrak
- medium-sized local airport
- attracts many retirees
- arts and culture community large for a city this size
- home to the University of Arizona

Tulsa

(find a roommate in Tulsa) (roommate matching metro list)

average roommate rent is $400

- located in northeastern Oklahoma along the Arkansas River, at the foothills of the Ozark Mountains
- summers are hot, but humidity is low, winters are mild
- historical Native American presence
- second largest city in Oklahoma
- large oil industry presence
- modern downtown area with many parks and gardens and the 'Art Deco District'
- several dance, theater, and concert groups, including the Tulsa Opera, the Tulsa Symphony Orchestra, Light Opera Oklahoma, the Tulsa Ballet, the Heller Theatre, and Theatre Tulsa
- home of the Tulsa Zoo and Living Museum
- hosts the Tulsa State Fair
- home of over 100 parks
- home of the University of Tulsa, Rogers State University, Tulsa Community College, and a few campuses of Oklahoma State University

Vancouver

(find a roommate in Vancouver) (roommate matching metro list)

average roommate rent is $800

- commercial, financial, industrial and shipping center for western Canada
- on a narrow peninsula between the Fraser River, the Straight of Georgia, and Burrard Inlet
- downtown is set on a pretty natural harbor, with forest and mountains to the north
- some seasonal variation, but typically neither summers or winters are severe
- weather is generally regarded as the most pleasant in Canada
- trolleys
- commuter rail hub
- large airline hub
- number of historic districts, waterfront areas, and beaches
- considered one of the world's most attractive cities
- arts and entertainment options are many and varied
- cost of living is high
- home to Regent College, Trinity Western University, Simon Fraser University and the University of British Columbia

Washington D.C. and surrounding beltway towns

(find a roommate in D.C.) (roommate matching metro list)

average roommate rent is $900

- nation's capital and political center
- along the Potomac River, inland from Chesapeake Bay, between southern Maryland and northern Virginia
- summers warm, humid and stormy, winters are relatively cold but not severe
- good public transport, commuter rail hub
- Amtrak
- socioeconomically quite mixed, with extremely expensive and lower-income neighborhoods not too far from one another
- severely large number of sites of historical interest
- home to Columbia Union College, Corcoran School of Art, Shepherd College, Bowie State University, Capitol College, Defense Intelligence College, Hood College, Mary Washington College, Marymount University, Mount Saint Mary's College, Mount Vernon College, Southeastern University, Trinity College, University of Maryland, University of the District of Columbia, American University, Catholic University of America, Gallaudet University, George Mason University, George Washington University, Georgetown University, Howard University, and the University of Maryland - College Park

Wichita

(find a roommate in Wichita) (roommate matching metro list)

average roommate rent is $360

- in south central Kansas along the Arkansas River
- largest city in Kansas
- wide range of weather year round
- diverse agricultural and industrial economy
- hosts the Wichita River Festival and the Tallgrass Film Festival
- cultural center for Kansas, featuring the Music Theatre of Wichita, the Wichita Grand Opera, the Wichita Symphony Orchestra, and the Wichita Art Museum
- home of several sports teams
- home of Wichita State University, Newman University, and Wichita Area Technical College

Winnipeg

(find a roommate in Winnipeg) (roommate matching metro list)

average roommate rent is $410

- medium-sized capital city
- in southeastern Manitoba at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers
- summers are pleasant, warm, and mostly dry
- winters are very severe - safety precautions must be taken - snow is possible every month except July
- serves as a transportation gateway and commercial center for a vast agricultural region
- medium airline hub
- clean city with modern parks, laid out to avoid urban congestion
- arts and cultural amenities among the best in Canada, including many museums and the Royal Winnipeg Ballet
home to University of Winnipeg, and the University of Manitoba

Worcester

(find a roommate in Worcester) (roommate matching metro list)

average roommate rent is $650

- small city, located near the center of Massachusetts, near the Rhode Island border
- rapid weather changes occur
- summers are fairly moderate, winters are moderate but with frequent cold snaps
- commuter rail to Boston
-Amtrak
- recently revitalized downtown area
- many that need to live near Boston consider Worcester a lower-cost living solution
- home to Becker College, College of the Holy Cross, Anna Maria College, Assumption College, Nichols College, Worcester State College, Clark University, University of Massachusetts Medical School, and the Worcester Polytechnic Institute

References

(* From smartasset.com, ranks cities according to where roommates will save you the most money, based on the average cost of a 1BR as opposed to splitting a 2BR. Unsurprisingly, the more expensive the city, the more you can save, but the savings are significant in all larger metros. This is really the MINIMUM you could save, as you could live with more than one roommate, split utilities, share food or other supplies, etc. More sharing tends to lead to more savings too, as per our roommate roadmap.)

(** From livingcost.org, 13 indicators of urban quality versus cost of living leads to a ranking of Best Cities in the United States out of 2202 cities ranked. Cost of living is based on prices for rent, food, transport and other living expenses, assuming average consumption, where quality includes 13 additional factors. Quality versus cost of living is more or less how much urban awesomeness you get for about how much money. Even if you're on a tight budget and even if you eat where you work and ride a bike everywhere, etc., your unavoidable expenses will still reproduce the same relative differences. This index is most meaningful when considering two or more cities; if you're locked into your metro it's more like an FYI.)

(*** From U.S. News & World Report, Best Places to Live rankings evaluate data from sources including the U.S. Census Bureau, the FBI, and the U.S. Department of Labor and U.S. News' own internal resources. The data is then categorized into five indexes: Job Market, Housing Affordability, Quality of Life, Desirability, and Net Migration. They analyzed 150 metro areas in the US to find the best places to live.)

(**** From niche.com, for the city's overall rankings: their own ratings based on federal and local databases along with community reviews.)

(***** From niche.com, for the city's urban neighborhoods ranked by their lowest cost of living methodology: not just rent, but median rent is included. It's a ranking of affordability also incorporating a neighborhood's property values and rent to income ratios along with food, fuel, and local tax rates.

So "affordable" has a relative meaning here. Roommate rents can be > in neighborhoods with > median home prices, though not as much as many initially imagine, and sometimes not at all. Roommate rents tend to democratize neighborhoods, as the most expensive tend to rent single rooms more than whole units.

For example:

If you split a 2-bedroom rental in the trendiest central neighborhood, you pay > per square foot, but you and your roommates are mostly in charge. You also need < time + $ for transportation.
If you split 2 => bedroom rental in a less trendy less central neighborhood, you pay < per square foot and get some extras for = $. You're still mostly in charge, but central anything requires > time + $ for transportation.
If you rent a room in an owner-occupied house in an expensive neighborhood, it's a nicer building with even better extras. Your room + a couple communal rooms are nicer too. But you're not in charge. You're following someone else's rules to help them pay down their mortgage.

Meanwhile, since roommate rents tend to democratize neighborhoods, all 3 scenarios above could go for = $, while returning different benefits. (And then extrapolate for scenarios that are similar but not exactly above.)

But for imagining hypothetical scenarios where all things are = (though in reality they usually aren't), these are the neighborhoods offering roommates > for = $.)

(****** From Numbeo's Cost of Living Index by City 2023: Their indices are relative to New York City, the most expensive metro area we serve. Their Cost of Living Plus Rent Index is an estimation of consumer goods prices (including groceries, restaurants, transportation and utilities) plus rent relative to NYC.)

(******* From hoodmaps.com: a collaborative map where residents use tags describing social situations you're likely to find. Other users can thumb up or down, so the largest tags have been thumbed up the most.)

(******** From DATA USA: visualization engine of public US Government data with a special focus on geographic opportunity for relocating recent college graduates)

(********* From Canadian Rental Housing Index: Their Community Profile Snapshots provide information about rental housing pertaining to households and affordability relative to crowding in that municipality.)