Anyone who has left WNY and LIKES where they live?? (New York: transplants, houses)

[Coraggio]

Well, my hubby and I have both lost our jobs, and with 2 kids and a mortgage, there's only so long we can subsist on unemployment and savings, so we are thinking of moving back out of WNY. Problem is, we're not sure where to go!

We have friends/family in Phoenix AZ; Boston, MA; southern New Jersey/Philadelphia, PA; Stamford, CT; and Cary, NC, so those are all under consideration, but I thought it would be interesting to hear from people who left WNY and are HAPPY with where they live. Anyone care to share???

[bmd69]

Live in Rock Hill SC near charlotte. There are a ton of folks from WNY here. Were trying to get out of here. Nothing to do here.

[londonbarcelona]

Originally Posted by Coraggio

Trying to <bump> this up!

I live in Scottsdale, Arizona. I love it here. But I miss my family so much back in Buffalo.

[Coraggio]

Originally Posted by londonbarcelona

I live in Scottsdale, Arizona. I love it here. But I miss my family so much back in Buffalo.

Can you tell me what you like about Scottsdale? Besides the fact that there's no snow? :-)

Do you have kids? Know anything about the schools out there?

I just wonder if it would be SO different out there that we'd always feel weird. So many other places we've lived or traveled to, they really look a lot alike. The United States seem so homogenized these days -- got the same retail stores, strip malls, movie theater chains, etc., everywhere -- but I always think of AZ as being dry and desert-like with totally different vegetation, etc. Am I totally off base?

[NYGirl1216]

Coraggio, my advice would be to research the job market in each of your choice cities. The economic conditions in most cities in the United States is not great. So just be careful. I live in GA, and the biggest complaint of most new transplants is how difficult it is to find a decent job.

[Coraggio]

Originally Posted by NYGirl1216

Coraggio, my advice would be to research the job market in each of your choice cities. The economic conditions in most cities in the United States is not great. So just be careful. I live in GA, and the biggest complaint of most new transplants is how difficult it is to find a decent job.

Yeah, I'm starting to notice that as I poke around on these forums. Seems like a lot of people moved South without having a job first, or are discovering that those places aren't all they were cracked up to be. I'm starting to wonder if the devil we know is better than the one we don't, at least until the country gets out of this da*n recession, or almost-recession. Here's hoping that the new President, whoever s/he is, can turn the economy around!

Where in GA are you? We lived in Atlanta for several years before here, and we're considering moving back but have hesitations about the traffic/congestion and the schools...

[londonbarcelona]

Originally Posted by Coraggio

Can you tell me what you like about Scottsdale? Besides the fact that there's no snow? :-)

Do you have kids? Know anything about the schools out there?

I just wonder if it would be SO different out there that we'd always feel weird. So many other places we've lived or traveled to, they really look a lot alike. The United States seem so homogenized these days -- got the same retail stores, strip malls, movie theater chains, etc., everywhere -- but I always think of AZ as being dry and desert-like with totally different vegetation, etc. Am I totally off base?

A little off base. Since ten years ago, Phoenix has grown into a huge metropolis.
If you do not live in Scottsdale, I'd recommend the EAST VALLEY - only.
I love Scottsdale so much, it's a whole other world here.

Everything is new, beautiful, well kept, no litter, friendly educated people, TONS to do. It lacks only one thing - a lake. Well, a lake like Lake Erie or Ontario. For that you'd have to travel to Rocky Point, Mexico. But we have lakes and rivers here that you can boat or fish on.

PM me any questions. Better yet, go to the Phoenix board, I post quite a bit over there. The people are generally friendly on that forum and can be of great assistance to you. The schools in Scottsdale are outstanding. the heat is oppressive. And if you are close to your family, you will feel home sick.

[UpstaterInBklyn]

My wife and I were in the same situation as you in the summer of '06. Both simultaneously unemployed.

We relocated to NYC and have no regrets. We enjoy living here because of the opportunities for both career and personal growth. This isn't the easiest place to live, but we've adjusted and we're having a great time.

Finding a job long-distance is not easy and with the softening economy, it will become more difficult. Use your family/friend contacts as much as you can.

I've posted before on some of the tips & tricks that worked for me during my long distance job hunt.

[livecontent]

I grew up in Cheektowaga--left in the 1970s. I went to Texas but it was not for me. Relocated to Denver and been here almost 30 years. Siblings and Parents all moved here many years ago. All are still here--and we all love it. why??

The economy is good--had some downs and some ups, but it is more stable than Buffalo.

The City of Denver is clean, modern, and growing--there is not the decay and collapse that you see in Buffalo. Downtown Denver is beautiful and exciting--not dead like Buffalo. Denver takes pride in the old structures and neighborhoods, and maintains them so that the city is a beautiful mix of old and new urbanism. Buffalo just abandons the factories, the buildings, the houses and lets the great architecture of Buffalo rot.

Denver is a regional center of the great plains and has all the services that you can want. Since it is a thriving core city--the inner suburbs are not falling apart--like Cheektowaga. You need a strong city in a region to make the whole area better and Buffalo is not strong anymore.

The weather is not too hot and not too cold--just right--a little snow, a little rain--a very mild semi-arid region. The weather in Buffalo is not the cause of the decay because other cities with severe weather are thriving. I did not leave Buffalo because of the weather but because of the economic and social decline.

There is not the racial conflicts as you see in Buffalo. There are no urban ghettos like east Buffalo. All neighborhoods in Denver are becoming better as many people are moving in the the City and all areas of the city have growth and redevelopment.

Vast amounts of Parks, Open Space, Biking and Hiking Trails and the Rocky Mountains. Creeks all have hiking paths and there are numerous lakes and reservoirs. In Cheektowaga, the creeks had garbage and weeds. WNY has the great lakes but the water front in Buffalo was a mess when I was there; some beaches were abandoned. Denver does not have the big water resources but what is here, is valued, maintained and easily enjoyed.

The area is not too big like NYC or Los Angeles, just a nice size metro area. It is about the same size of the Buffalo Area in the 1950s before the population collapse.

The Denver Metro area has a great regional public transportation system that goes far out into the suburbs. Buffalo system serves mainly the city and ignores the suburbs. When I lived in Cheektowaga, there was very few to none public transit options. In addtion Denver is now constructing the largest single built-out of commuter rail in the nation which is an expansion of an already existing rail network.

Most importantly, Denver is the big city in the State of Colorado and overseas and takes responsibility for the whole state. Colorado population is much smaller than New York and more easily managed. New York State is run by New York City, and the powers there have abandoned and ignored the rest of the state--everything is "upstate" and if you do not live in "the city", "long island" or the metro NYC area--you are trash. I got tired of hearing that--I lived in Western New York, not "upstate"--and I was proud of where I lived.

But, I miss somethings in Buffalo--Western New York has some great features and could be better if somehow Buffalo was a thriving city. However, it was not going to happen in our lives--so my family all left.

[WILWRadio]

This link lists unemployment rates for each state and DC.

Unemployment rates - Unemployment rates by state from CNNMoney

The following link lists unemployment rates in metropolitan areas.

Browse US MSA Civilian Labor Force Data

The following link lists unemployment rates in micropolitan areas.

Browse US Micropolitan Civilian Labor Force Data

There are pockets of lower unemployment rates in some cities in states listed with higher rates. Example: Columbus, Ohio.

Personally, I'd recommend Denver. Livecontent's assessment of the Denve-Boulder area is right on. In reality you cannot go wrong with most areas of the Front Range from Fort Collins to Denver. Jobs will be harder to come by Colorado Springs.

I'd also recommend Minneapolis. Culturally speaking it is similar to the Northeast. Winters are like those of central Maine but with a bit less snow on average.

If you want to stick closer to WNY then I'd recommend Columbus, Ohio or Indianapolis. Both have been seeing steady economic and population growth for decades and have economies that are fairly immune to mild to moderate economic downturns.

Another thing to consider is that you should seriously consider doing research on WHERE the jobs are located in your respective careers. Do some research to find out where job growth in your specific areas of expertise will occur in the next decade. If you have highly specialized careers then you may only find these occupations in a few cities in the country. If it is something generic for example like Retail Management then you simply need to see which metro areas will offer new retail construction or at least offer some job growth.

Avoid the following areas. Kansas City. St. Louis. Cleveland. Milwaukee.