For vegans: Where do you live and how vegan-friendly is it?

Question

I was just wondering, because as a vegetarian who would like to eventually go vegan, I've noticed that even though most parts of the US are now becoming friendlier to lacto-ovo-vegetarians, it's still pretty common to find places with stores and restaurants that offer few (if any) good options to vegans. I would like to know where the vegans here live and how challenging they find their surroundings to be.

Answer 1

Philadelphia PA

I love it here :] and I would never live anywhere else.

There are plenty of vegetarian restaurants here. Most are lacto- ovo veggie friendly... but the one I go to is completely vegan (at least I think).
Most nice places in the city offer some type of vegan dish...
And another place I like to eat out (the few times I do eat out) is a place called Alyan's they serve awesome falafel :]

The local supermarkets (especially one called Shoprite) really targets healthy people LOL
They have a lot of vegan options.

There is also a Trader Joe's near my house (though I rarely go there).

As far as the vegetarian population... I'm not sure... I don't have any vegetarian friends here :[
But I think that there are a lot of them running around... if I ever wanted one LOL

Answer 2

How cool to see where everyone's from. :)

I live in Kalamazoo, Michigan. It is not veg-friendly at all. What it is, unfortunately, is a corporate wasteland. Westnedge Avenue, the main street, is as if McDonald's took the stretch of it and wiped it's a**. Nothing but chain after boring chain. There's a Wal-Mart, of course, like anywhere, but I would never touch Wal-Mart with a ten-foot pole and don't know why any "compassionate" person would, as Wal-Mart is a big contributor to many of the problems people complain about (read the books, watch "The Corporation.") Then there's Meijer, who claims to have "higher standards, lower prices" but that's a bunch of bull because their prices are super high for produce and many times it's rotting. I've lived here my whole life and absolutely hate it. . .I'm actually, too, looking into moving to Portland, OR, and can't wait to do so. It is the most veg-friendly city in the US. :)
The only decent thing about Kalamazoo is its location - it is EXACTLY between Chicago and Detroit. . .and in the Detroit area there is a suburb called Dearborn, where the groceries are extremely cheap. I'm talking those 80s groeceries prices - cans of food at 50 cents. . .89 cent pineapples (they are $4 or $5 here). . .etc. Insanely cheaper than anywhere else. And in Ann Arbor there is the nicest Whole Foods Market ever. . .and I've been to quite a few. Ann Arbor also has a few awesome vegetarian and vegan restaurants. Chicago is majorly veg friendly - having an all-vegan store and Whole Foods Markets and tons and tons of vegetarian and vegan restaurants, my favorites being Chicago Diner and Soul Vegetarian East. But I have yet to try a few others. Then 45 minutes north of Kalamazoo is Grand Rapids, which has a couple veg places including Gaia Cafe and Teshlou's Little Africa. . .which is the most delicious vegan Ethiopian food. . .but I stopped going there because the guy rips people off and makes up his prices as he goes along. . .you could get the same thing as a previous day and the price be way different. Even than as stated on the menu. The only other all vegan Ethiopian restaurant is in LA on Fairfax - it's called Rahel and it is absolutely exquisite.
Despite it all, Portland, Oregon, here I come. . .

Answer 3

I live in Seattle, which is pretty vegan friendly (we're pretty much accepting of any sort of "freak factor" here - and I mean that in the nicest way possible.) We've got at least a handful of vegan restaurants (including a Thai one I've been told 100 times I have to try) and servers and cooks here tend to know what you mean when you ask them about vegetarian or vegan options, which is nice. We've got Whole Foods and Trader Joe's, and Fred Meyer (a Kroger store) has a surprisingly good "health food" section. I found a recipe in a vegan cookbook for hazelnut scones and the author noted that hazelnut flour is pretty hard to find, but even my crappy little grocery store down the street has hazelnut flour. We also have a few decent co-ops and a farmer's market that sets up on weekends within walking distance of me. I've been veg for a loooong time and am transitioning to veganism. Between what Seattle has to offer and the internet, I can't see that I'd be lacking in much.

Answer 4

I live in Cocoa, on the east coast of Florida. It is not vegan- or even vegetarian-friendly at all. This whole county is like one big strip mall. About 90% of all eating establishments are large chains, almost none of which have vegan options. We have to travel over an hour to Orlando to find a couple of vegetarian restaurants.

The only exciting vegan thing in our area is about 2 hours south of us. There is an all vegan restaurant called Sublime in Ft. Lauderdale. It is a VERY nice place and all profits go to a local animal rights foundation.

FYI, if you're looking for a vegan-friendly place, Portland, OR has them all beat. It is commonly known as the "Vegan Mecca". I visited last month, and the options as well as the attitudes are just amazing. As soon as it is economically feasible, I'll be headed that way for good.

Answer 5

I'm stationed in South Carolina and they have started to get more vegan and vegetarian options out but they still aren't very supportive. When I was in Nebraska they were surprisingly supportive of vegan and vegetarian lifestyles. In San Antonio Texas there wasn't a good selection but when I went through Austin it wasn't too bad. When I go home to Florida there are so many options. Tampa Bay is the most supportive place I've been for vegan and Vegetarian options.

Answer 6

Dallas, TX, and I find it incredibly vegan-friendly. There are two totally vegan restaurants within walking distance of my apartment, two more that are only a bus ride away, and several that are mostly vegan. And there are tons of Indian and Thai restaurants which have plenty of traditional vegan dishes, as well. There are also nice stores around - a Central Market and a Whole Foods within walking distance, a Tom Thumb and a Kroger with very large vegan and vegetarian sections, and then I pick up all my staples like veggies, beans, rice (and umm, junk food) at places like Target or at Asian supermarkets (which also have decent vegetarian sections).

Answer 7

Who would have thought that Wisconsin was so vegan-friendly!!! I think Canada would be more vegetarian friendly as there are many Indians and Indian-Candians (if that's even a word) living there especially in suburban and urban areas. I've only been to toronto and they had plenty of options.

Answer 8

i live in a tiny town in michigan. the store with the most vegan food is a big, fat walmart, which was placed right in the middle of our town. they knocked down a few historical landmarks, but hey, who cares about those anyway? they are old and ugly. we also have a decrepit health food store, with more vitamins than anything else. i don't know if this is challenging or not, since i've never lived anywhere else while being vegan. our chinese restaurant offers 1 or 2 vegan dishes. we also have a deli that offers a sandwich i'd eat.

Answer 9

Austin, TX - - And I find it VERY vegan friendly!
We have of course Whole Foods (huuuuge store in downtown Austin), Sun Harvest, Central Market and we also have some pretty darn good vegan/vegetarian restaurants. Perhaps thats why it has been so easy for me to be a vegetarian and now a vegan.

Answer 10

I live in Columbus, OH. It is veg friendly. More so than what it was for the year we lived in a Detroit suburb (from August of last year until last August.) In the town where I live (I live in a suburb that is within the city limits), I can walk to at least six restaurants where I can get either a straight vegan meal or able to vegan-ize a meal. My husband's and my favorite restaurant is a bar-grill that has a very yummy black bean burger. It comes with cheese, buy, again, I can get it without. There are also farmer's markets, including one in Columbus (which we've yet to go to) and veg groups, including Mercy for Animals ( www.mercyforanimals.org ). They also have a chapeter in Chicago.

As for grocery shopping, it's not too bad. We shop at Kroger which also has a nice natural foods section. The one that is not in walking distance has a nice kosher section. Actually the town in which I live has a large Jewish population with at least one kosher store. I also have a Trader Joe's not too far and a Whole Foods somewhere, but they're more expensive. Also, within just a couple of miles is a natural foods store. They used to have cheap bulk, like organic oats for $.99. (However, I managed to get some canisters of regular oats for only a quarter a piece with sale price and coupon. I moved some back with me.)

My husband finishes seminary at the end of this school year. After that, the church (Evengelical Lutheran Church in America) pretty much has all say as to where we go, though if we loosly restrict, they will accomodate. Hopefully, we'll be near a city or someplace that will be veggie friendly. I just want to be within five hours of our families. (My daid is a pastor and we grew up many states from our grandparents. My husband grew up in the same town as his. I don't want my kids to see their grandparents on the odd holiday or summer trip.)

My brother lived in Austin (our parents live in Indiana and they don't get to see them that often) and he has also told me how I could eat well there. Well, he's still in TX. However, Austin has a plethora of Mexican restaurants and even vegans usually can't go wrong there. (Assuming the refried beans aren't cooked in lard.)

Anyway, I hope this has been of some help.