I would put forth Cleveland. We have very fast growing food and beer scenes. The orchestra is world renowned and also quite affordable to see. There are many quite good museums in university circle (most of which have no entry fee).
The theater district is (I am told) the largest outside of NYC (although I'm not sure by what metric). Regional theater is pretty big here as well if you want to see stuff outside Broadway, etc.
There are many concerts in the city, but Columbus and Pittsburgh are both reasonable drives and get a lot of concerts. Several of the venues (The Grog Shop, Aurora, Beachland Ballroom) get up and coming acts and musicians from large bands doing solo projects, often for low prices as well.
Housing is affordable, for the most part, although downtown housing is close to capacity at the moment due to lots of young people moving downtown. Outside of downtown, I am a fan of both Lakewood (westside, cheaper) and Shaker Heights (eastside, more expensive), both of which have access to light rail to downtown. Some of the cheaper suburbs are mostly 1960s housing stock, built in the era of GI mortgages, so they look kind of same-y, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. There are also parts of the area (like East Cleveland), which are probably undesirable to live in.
Cleveland offers a decent amount of outdoor activity as well. Obviously, the lake and river are available for many different outdoors activities (Kayaking, Canoeing, Jet Skis, swimming, boating) and there are several beaches. The metro parks system has parks around the outskirts of the entire city. Cuyahoga Valley National Park is a short drive south. You are within driving distance of Wayne National Forest, Hocking Hills, and Allegheny National Forest. Many other outdoors areas in eastern PA are within a reasonable drive.
I'm not sure I agree w.r.t. taxes paying for parks and libraries. I enjoy both of those things and think they are valuable. Additionally, Cleveland (and Ohio in general) has a pretty great library system. Living in Cleveland, you have access to every Cleveland and suburb library (via ClevNet) and the Cuyahoga County Public Library, including eBooks and Audio Books. You also can order books from any Ohio Library via OhioLink.
Taxes are a problem, I think, with Cleveland. The city and most of the suburbs have a local income tax (between 1 and 2% flat rate usually) and the state of the roads and public transit does not seem to reflect the tax rate (although some areas are better than others). Sales tax is the highest in the state at 8% (compared to 7% elsewhere in OH), although food is tax-free. It is lower than Chicago (10.25%) and higher than Pittsburgh (6%).
The theater district is (I am told) the largest outside of NYC (although I'm not sure by what metric). Regional theater is pretty big here as well if you want to see stuff outside Broadway, etc.
There are many concerts in the city, but Columbus and Pittsburgh are both reasonable drives and get a lot of concerts. Several of the venues (The Grog Shop, Aurora, Beachland Ballroom) get up and coming acts and musicians from large bands doing solo projects, often for low prices as well.
Housing is affordable, for the most part, although downtown housing is close to capacity at the moment due to lots of young people moving downtown. Outside of downtown, I am a fan of both Lakewood (westside, cheaper) and Shaker Heights (eastside, more expensive), both of which have access to light rail to downtown. Some of the cheaper suburbs are mostly 1960s housing stock, built in the era of GI mortgages, so they look kind of same-y, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. There are also parts of the area (like East Cleveland), which are probably undesirable to live in.
Cleveland offers a decent amount of outdoor activity as well. Obviously, the lake and river are available for many different outdoors activities (Kayaking, Canoeing, Jet Skis, swimming, boating) and there are several beaches. The metro parks system has parks around the outskirts of the entire city. Cuyahoga Valley National Park is a short drive south. You are within driving distance of Wayne National Forest, Hocking Hills, and Allegheny National Forest. Many other outdoors areas in eastern PA are within a reasonable drive.
I'm not sure I agree w.r.t. taxes paying for parks and libraries. I enjoy both of those things and think they are valuable. Additionally, Cleveland (and Ohio in general) has a pretty great library system. Living in Cleveland, you have access to every Cleveland and suburb library (via ClevNet) and the Cuyahoga County Public Library, including eBooks and Audio Books. You also can order books from any Ohio Library via OhioLink.
Taxes are a problem, I think, with Cleveland. The city and most of the suburbs have a local income tax (between 1 and 2% flat rate usually) and the state of the roads and public transit does not seem to reflect the tax rate (although some areas are better than others). Sales tax is the highest in the state at 8% (compared to 7% elsewhere in OH), although food is tax-free. It is lower than Chicago (10.25%) and higher than Pittsburgh (6%).