We'd spent a lot of time visiting Nantes over the past few years. We have family all over France, and visited a lot of different cities. None ever felt like home. Nantes just feels different. Similar enough to where I grew up, but people are nicer here. I have a vision impairment and it is also easy for me to get around by bike or walking, which is a bonus. .There's also a lot of big city amenities but with a small-town community feel.

I live in a mixed income, multi-lingual, and multi-cultural area near several services for homeless people and with a large amount of social housing. This should be the standard across France, and Nantes, for their part, is trying to do this across the city. I agree. France must do a better job at integrating refugees, including providing a high level of services and well-built housing. It's not fair to stick low-income people far from the city, far from services and public transport, expecting them to commute into the city. I grew up in extremely low income suburbs in America, which led to my own homelessness. This is part of the reason I chose Nantes. They are taking accountability for past harms and mistakes. Not a lot of places worldwide do that. My hometown of Seattle had several refugees arrested for protesting the city after the city lied to them and led them to becoming homeless. Policies and norms like that are why I left the United States. Thanks for your comment.

Oh cool! Not a lot of us east of the mountains. 🙂

@@devinsilvernail no he’s originally from new York

I love this. It seems like Europe is catching on to this concept. Especially here in France. The idea that all people, regardless of wealth or income, deserves nice things shouldn't be novel and I'm hopeful that it will continue to catch on across the world.

Mon drapeau préféré dans le stade de la Beaujoire. 😉

I haven't made a video about the visa process but I believe Baguette Bound has one that could be helpful. To be honest, my visa process was very simple because I am married to a French citizen. When I first came to France 10 years ago, I was on a student visa (which allowed me to study & work part time) and you can do that if you study French here. Jay Swanson or Nathaniel Drew (2 very established American KZbinrs in France) may also have videos about their process. Wishing you the best of luck in your adventure!

@@devinsilvernail oh yeah. No prob. That is the easy way! Lol. Yeah I've watched all videos from all those people. Thanks though! Keep it up

I love it. I came from a town with a long history of music - especially street music and it really makes me happy to know that Nantes is so full of music. 🙂🎵

Yes! I feel this exactly. I've only lived here for 5 months now, but I really love the people in this city. So kind, so friendly, and truly good humored. It does feel like home and I feel lucky to live here.

Thanks for your comment. I appreciate your perspective. I don't think Nantes is a utopia. That's for sure. It's a really nice city. Not perfect, but nicer than anywhere I've ever lived. When I mention crime statistics in my pinned comment, I'm not trying to say that your experience is invalid, but rather that France overall is a very safe country. That's thanks to public policy and it's thanks to the way people here view their place in society, and it's something to be very proud of. Nantes may indeed have more visible crime (drug dealing for example) than before and if you're used to a place with such a high level of security, any change is a big deal. Coming from a place like America, where sh**tings happen all the time, everywhere, Nantes is a breath of fresh air. I don't have to worry about the words that I say to my daughter before school being the last thing I ever say to her. I don't have to worry about someone using their vehicle to end my life on purpose (which is sadly not uncommon in America). I don't have to worry about the guy walking into my work who feels disgruntled about the government doing something that makes the news that night. These stresses add up, and for now, I don't have them in Nantes. It feels truly safe here compared to anywhere else I've lived. That's thanks to you. That's thanks to your neighbors. It's also thanks to the general stability of the municipal government over the past couple decades. Again, my comments are more about how Nantes is the type of city that everyone deserves. Most people aren't so lucky. I hope that makes sense. Thanks again for your comment and for welcoming me to this great city.

In certain circumstances (most?), immigrating to France is much less difficult than a place such as the US, where they are suspicious of every single person (even American citizens). I helped my wife immigrate to the US 10 years ago. It took almost ten years for her to fully immigrate. It was also demonstrably expensive. We had no savings for that entire time because of the amount of fees that we had to pay. In my immigration situation, I'm married to a French person, and have been married to one for over 5 years. That simplifies a lot of things. The spousal visa in France is indeed about 1/10th (or less) the cost of the one in the US, takes much less time for approval, and it is about 10x less invasive. I'm not saying I'm not lucky to be in that situation, but most people who watch this video are American and understand that the immigration system in the US is abysmal, even for spouses of US citizens. This is more a critique of the US than an exaggerated celebration of France. On finding an apartment in Nantes, we'd been planning this move since 2021. Nearly three years of planning is pretty helpful for any move, but especially for a move to another country. I wish I were magical. Sadly, just a boring old civil service worker.