Relocating vegetarian?

Question

My husband and I are looking into the possibility of moving in about a year and we can consider just about any U.S. location. What region do you live in, and is it vegetarian friendly? I've lived in many areas of the country and have noticed big differences in the way that vegetarians are viewed! What makes your area so great for vegetarians/vegans? Those who don't recommend their area, what makes it so horrible? Thanks for the help!

Answer 1

I live in Cook county in Illinois and I personally think it's an awesome area to live in if you're a vegetarian.

Within a five mile radius I have two Trader Joe's, one Whole Foods, one exclusively vegetarian restaurant and three restaurants that have many vegetarian options.

Twenty miles from my house (in a suburb called Evanston) is a vegan store, owned and operated by vegans, that sells TONS of those hard to find things most people would only be able to get online. It's called Ethical Planet.

There are green festivals and fairs frequently in Chicago. The vegetarian community is pretty active here. I meet vegetarians pretty frequently.

Illinois is nestled cozily between Wisconsin, Indiana and Iowa. There's plenty of farmer's markets, with corn and potatoes and lots of grains available. Gourds and squash are very local. If you like dairy, Wisconsin is pretty much the dairy state and is very proud of it.

The only place I had a hard time at as a vegetarian was South Carolina. Everyone ate tons of beef and ribs and there were plenty of BBQ's. I stayed in a LOT and cooked on my own and didn't meet too many veg people.

I agree that very rural Illinois or Southern Illinois would be a bad idea, though. Cook county is in the Chicago area, way up north east, and it's just wonderful. Plus if you come up here you might see me some day, LOL!

Answer 2

Hey.

I don't live in the U.S, I live in the UK in Hereford, and its alright down here, plenty of health shops, supermarkets with vegetarian and vegan food.

If your looking for a region in the U.S, try looking at these web pages:

http://www.goveg.com/f-vegcities.asp - Go veg... i found this site, They've looked through the U.S for vegetarian friendly cities, and they have links to where to find some.

http://www.happycow.net/ - I find this very helpful when traveling, and trying to find vegetarian and vegan friendly restaurants, they list a number of places in the U.S that have lots of restaurants, health shops etc.

Hope this helps and the best of luck.

Answer 3

I would not suggest illinois area, they dont Provide for the vegetarian trust Me I have lived here 9 years!!

Pvt. Oxford here

United States Army

HOOAH!!!

Answer 4

Lawrence, KS is absolutely wonderful! Every restaurant that I've been to has a lot of vegetarian and vegan options, and nobody thinks I'm weird for ordering vegan food. There is a farmer's market and a food store that has tons of vegetarian food! It is a very liberal and friendly town. Even if you don't plan to live there, you should visit. It's like stepping onto another planet where nobody is looked at as a "freak".

Answer 5

Austin Texas is very vegetarian friendly, has great restaurants, active vegetarian and vegan groups, and is the birthplace of Whole Foods Market.

http://www.vegaustin.com/

Answer 6

Illinois and Missouri are terrible (at least where I lived). So don't move to the St. Louis region if you want to dine out. There are maybe a handful. Most people I knew had no idea what I could eat. Mostly, they were nice just...clueless.

Orlando, FL has some vegetarian-friendly places and even a vegan kitchen or two (Ethos was the newest that I recall).

Atlanta, by far, has been the most outstanding. The amount of vegetarian places to eat are wonderful. We even have a 100% vegan store. The local meetup is large enough as well. I haven't had anyone think I was strange here- the more people I meet the more say "Oh, I"m a vegetarian too".

I have heard great things about California and Seattle as well.

Answer 7

I live in the Northwest (Seattle.)  We're very veg-friendly here (it's a very liberal city and we're pretty everything-friendly.)  We have a long list of vegetarian and vegan restaurants, and good grocery stores, including a small vegan grocery.  Portland is even more veg-friendly.  They're home to Herbivore Clothing, Food Fight Grocery and the other shops in the vegan mini-mall.  They even have a vegan bar (not that veg*ns can't go to a regular bar and order a wide range of drinks, but it's a nice idea.)

Answer 8

You should look into Texas, they're known for their vegetarian (and especially vegan) specialties!