My social situation has collapsed so I'm basically gonna have to start over from scratch. I'd rather not do it in my truck-nuts anti-pedestrian small city with a ton of negative associations. I can kind of move anywhere but I don't have the energy to go somewhere random and hope for the best.
I'd love to live somewhere where I don't have to own a car. Big enough and with enough stuff to do so I can try to cast a wide net and grow some sort of social group before I die of loneliness. But also where I could afford like a studio apartment on the average entry level wage in the city.
Might be too much to ask with current housing prices.
Any suggestions?
Edit: thank you all! I'll start checking out jobs/apts in the cities mentioned. 
I've seen people mention Chicago, Milwaukee, Philly in previous posts. Never been myself so my comment isn't super helpful lol
But I'm also interested so bumping
I think milwaukee transit is pretty bad but its cool in some ways. proximity to chicago is neat. wisconsin is pretty republican tho so not good on womens or lgbt rights on the state level
Lol I'm from the Midwest/Rockies and I didn't even think about how large cities might just be a bus/train ride away.
yeah milwaukee to chicago is 90 mins by train and it runs a bunch of times per day. very reasonable
Milwaukee's transit is bad, even if it's better than the national average. If you're a drinker, prepare to Uber, since the lines are reduced or stop early some nights. Many parts are walkable. I want to say bikable, but the drivers got way more aggressive after Covid. Also account for some the most obscene levels of segregation, with the quality of the lead pipes being tied to those poorer zip codes.
Some good aspects are the water itself is great (one of the largest sources of fresh water anywhere), some fun festivals, a great music scene, and okayish rents.
I can't tell how things will look in a while, since it's a swing state and the people leaving seems to equal to the people moving here. The socialist scene is at least kicking off there, especially considering Milwaukee's socialist history. Madison supposedly has some good public transport, but the city itself is a bit far off compared to how Milwaukee is closer to cities like Chicago.
So I understand segregation in theory, but my experience of it in the Rockies/Midwest is probably quite a bit different. What does it entail for someone moving to a new city? Is it mostly a matter of affordable apts being in poor, segregated areas?
Yeah. There's of course the standard gentrification and the decades of redlining through both government and mafia actions. It's kind of crazy how there's points where if you walk 10 blocks in the wrong direction, you can from ritzy stuff to getting mugged. Granted, it really just requires awareness of your surroundings and finding that sweet spot on properties where it's kinda meh, but not openly dangerous in the morning. The poorer neighborhoods also deal with some corroded lead pipes and a higher police presence in sections, creating a self-perpetuating cycle until enough business pops off in the adjoining areas. Sorry if I'm less than coherent on this.