Which city would be best to move to? (atl, phx, san d, dallas, tampa) (living, cost)

[Psykomonkee]

I'm asking your opinion on which will be the better move for me...
PLEASE CONSIDER ALL (12) POINTS BEFORE VOTING ON ONE BEST CHOICE:

Here are the main variables:

1. EDUCATION: We have school age children, and it is important to us that they attend school in a good school system, as well as be in a very diverse school environment.

2. JOB MARKET FOR MEDICAL WORK: Fiance is in medical field and will most likely be working at a hospital or clinic. I guess all cities have hospitals & clinics, but I guess what I'm asking is which city has a good, easy commute to a good hospital from a GOOD community to live in. (good community meaning: low crime, diverse, good schools, low traffic, affordable).

3. JOB MARKET FOR IT: I am in IT (Networking Engineer). Most specifically, government contracting Network Engineer. Which city will offer me the best IT opportunity within a good commute.

4. COMMUTE/TRAFFIC: I HATE TRAFFIC WITH A PASSION!!! I will do whatever it takes to live as close to work as possible. So I would be looking for a place where I can find a happy mix of where the IT jobs are located, AND are close to a lot of medical facilities, all within a good school district so that I can try to find an affordable home in that area so our commutes will be short.

5. HOUSING AFFORDABILITY: Very important. Looking to own a home together. Will be looking for a 4+ bedroom home with garage. Where can I find that for the best price.

6. AREA COST OF LIVING: Gas prices, utility prices, taxes, anything that equates into normal cost of living.

7. DIVERSE COMMUNITY: Looking to avoid being in a predominantly anything area. We are from a very mixed in family and we are used to diversity (as well as our kids). Not looking at living anywhere that the neighbors are all white, or all black, or all hispanic or so on. The more the mix, the better.

8. FAMILY FRIENDLY: City with family things to do: Parks, museums, running trails and bike trails. etc... Batting cages, good youth sports programs, sports are important in high school, etc...

9. CULTURE & EVENTS: A city with character and CULTURE in it. A city with things to do. I can get bored easily. Where can I find the most things to do? Festivals, Music concerts, public events, wine tasting events, jazz concerts, Pro sports teams, adult (not young adult) clubs and lounges, great restaurants, shows, Street parties, city hosted annual events/festival/parties, Poetry & spoken word corners... etc...

10. WEATHER: I HATE Cold weather and actually am even allergic to it. My fiance also hates cold weather. She LOVES rain, but I can care less if it ever rains. We both want the season to change a LITTLE, but not drastically. Neither fond of snow, but may deal if we ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO.

11. ECONOMIC FORECAST: Which area looks like it has the brightest future ahead of it. I know any guess would be all speculation, but what's your guess? I don't want to live somewhere that is going to turn into Baltimore in 10 years. Somewhere that is definitely on the rise or still on it's rise.?

12. ENTREPRENEURSHIP: Which city is best for entrepreneurship? My fiance and I both plan to start businesses and would like to know which area would afford me the best opportunity to start a personal business?

[Nairobi]

I thought you already lived in Atlanta.

[Psykomonkee]

Originally Posted by Nairobi

I thought you already lived in Atlanta.

Used to.

Looking at moving back (Maybe)...
I move a LOT. A LOT... That's why I put my location as "Big blue yonder..."

Give it a couple of months, and I just may be IN Atlanta again. Who knows...

But now, I'm finally looking to settle in to one area. No more moving about. Get rid of the "big blue yonder..." life and start growing roots. Trying to decide on where.

[Cowboys fan in Houston]

Well, if affordable housing is important, take San Diego off your list. The others, you can find affordable housing in. Taking San Diego out of the equation, I would rank them:

Good and Diverse schools:

Dallas
Atlanta
Phoenix
Tampa

Job market for medical field:

Atlanta
Dallas
not sure about Phoenix and Tampa here

Job market for IT

Dallas
Atlanta

Worst traffic

Atlanta
the rest

Affordable housing

Phoenix
Tampa
Dallas/Atlanta

Cost of living

Tampa
Phoenix
Dallas/Atlanta

Diversity

Dallas
Atlanta
Phoenix
Tampa

Weather:

Tampa
Phoenix
Atlanta
Dallas

Culture and events:

Atlanta
Dallas (Dallas is a work in progress in this category)
Dont know enough about Phoenix or Tampa here

Economic forecast

Dallas is the undisputed number one here, but I dont know how Phoenix, Tampa, and Atlanta compre to each other

Entrepreneurship

I dont know enough to comment

[potaco]

I don't know much about San Diego or Tampa, but I've been doing some of my own research on your other 3 choices... and I think Dallas is going to be the best match based on your desires. Good job market (lots of HQs), good schools, very affordable cost of living (you can get an amazing house for under $300k), four seasons with mild winters, pretty diverse, lots of growth. I would probably rank Atlanta second and Phoenix third.

[Taynxtlvl]

Dallas or Atlanta, either would suit you just fine I'm thinking.

[Psykomonkee]

Update on my decision......


I'm starting to lean mostly towards a choice between 2 cities as my first stop: Atlanta vs Phoenix
(I say "first stop" because, after talking with the Mrs., we both are feeling like it would be in our best interest to choose one of those 2 places for NOW, but ultimately, we would rather settle down in either So. Cal or Florida. Neither of us know anything about Dallas. Well, we know nothing more than having visited several times, but none of those times had we had chances to explore the city. Actually, we've both only been there for funerals.)


With that being said, I'm narrowing my choice to ATL vs PHX.


Here's something else that I feel is important to me that I had not mentioned before.
Which city is more isolated? I'd rather live in driving striking distance of as much interesting things to do as possible.

Anyone have any thoughts on comparing the 2 cities on isolation.

[fltonc12]

If you're narrowing with Atlanta, expect traffic.

[Spade]

I think Dallas is perfect with what you're looking for.

Sorry. Didnt read your update. Yes traffic is pretty bad in Atlanta. But it still fits your criteria. Don't know how strong Phoenix is in IT though. I think Atlanta is better for that though.