Greeley

Greeley

Greeley is northern Colorado's ag city, sitting on the South Platte River with cattle feedlots, sugar beets, and the University of Northern Colorado. The annual Greeley Stampede every July is one of the bigger rodeos in the country. It's an honest, wide-sky kind of town with deep ag roots. Cheaper than Fort Collins, with mountain access still under an hour away.

Houston

Houston has no zoning laws (you'll see a taco truck next to a mansion next to a strip mall), the most diverse food scene in America by most rankings, and NASA's mission control out on the edge of town. The Texas Medical Center is the largest in the world. It's sprawling and culturally enormous, with a Vietnamese pho district, Nigerian jollof spots, and a Tex-Mex scene that takes itself seriously. Bigger than you think, in every direction.