I'd say any city in the Netherlands and Flanders; expensive, not tourist traps, desirable for their job markets and not just their history: Leuven, Delft, Amers

I'd say any city in the Netherlands and Flanders; expensive, not tourist traps, desirable for their job markets and not just their history: Leuven, Delft, Amersfoort, on the smaller end, Ghent, Amsterdam on the bigger end. At night, it's like walking around the Versailles mirror room, but outside. That's just the ones I'm familiar with, probably all European countries have these places. Even stateside, I think there's some phenomenal examples. Savannah, Charleston, Louisville, have a really unique flavor, where the outside can feel magical, although rougher around the edges, much less walkable, but still, there's pockets here&there. They have this balmy verdancy, especially in the summer, at night when it's still warm. And the lightning bugs actually do light up the night! These are lived-in cities, and not just tourist destinations. Again, there's probably hundreds more. I just really like the observable reality that there's plenty of fantastic cities, that are appealing to the senses (e.g. their light at night), and are not relegated to be purely curiosities for tourists.