(This entry is backdated)

When I moved to New Orleans last year, I knew I wouldn't be staying there long-term. I thought of it as a sort of foothold back onto the mainland — I'd stay there for a year and then move to somewhere that more closely matches my wishlist: Most importantly, I want to live near friends. Aside from that, I want to live in or near the mountains (New Orleans is basically the exact opposite of that), away from a city (roughly the level of rurality of Clemson), and somewhere in the generally southeast part of the country; ideally towards the more northerly parts of the southeast, like North Carolina or Virginia.

Now that the end of the lease on my apartment is approaching, I've been giving some thought to the question of where I want to move. I've got several friends in Greenville, SC, Andrés and Amy just moved to Knoxville, TN and plan to stay for at least two years, and Jenn and Alia are in Raleigh, NC for the next two years, so those are my three main choices.

I never really considered Greenville very seriously because I've been there plenty of times and I already know it's much more urban and crowded than I like, but I hadn't ever been to Knoxville or Raleigh, so I decided a roadtrip was in order. For the last month or so I've been planning my route, and finally the time is nigh — I'll be setting off for Knoxville on Thursday the 9th, I'll spend about a week there, then continue on to Raleigh for a week, before finally returning to Covington.

Based on what I've read about each city, it sounds like both would be great places to live, but I think Knoxville will more closely mesh with my preferences — it's just miles from the Smoky Mountains, it's not a very big city, etc. So I think it's likely that I'll end up choosing Knoxville, but we'll see what I think when I actually see each city.