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My husband's job. Not a place I ever thought of moving. Its been a challenge. There are things I like. Low cost of living, cheaper property taxes, good schools, lots of colleges in the area. What I don't really care for is how conservative it is, hard to make friends and so forth. Its better than being broke.
Ive never been able to leave the dump Im in, but how I would rate importance
1. Wages for accounting and finance, and existance of jobs
2. Cost of living in relation to those wages, especially housing
3. Availability of public utilities
4. Crime
5. Walkability/immediate vicinity of stores
6. tax rates
7. Political slant
So, the hubby and I are considering moving...or at least thinking about it...okay, more like dreaming. We love the city we're in, but hate the way the state is heading. We had a few locations in mind initially, but since we'd be the first in either of our families to leave the state...we didn't realize how many options there are to choose from.
So to those of you who have moved to the location that you loved (or ended up at)...how did you go about choosing that spot? What helped narrow your choices down? And I guess...with so many cities/states to choose from, how were you able to pinpoint exactly what areas to consider?
Thanks to any and all who read and respond to this.
three reasons----nostalgia(btw-you can never go back),an attempt to put the most milage between myself and the ex, and let me not forget PURE STUPIDITY!
DH and I always had a nebulous goal of rural/farm living. Over the years we made a list of things we were looking for; what we could - and didn't want to - deal with.
I looked at farm properties all over; first in our state, then elsewhere. Price, jobs, political mindset - all were important to us, some more important than others.
We determined what sort of house we wanted; what sort of acreage we wanted, what sort of things we wanted to do - and not do. We didn't want a small house or a mobile home on vast acreage; we didn't want to live too far away from things like adequate water, we wanted to live where the recreation wasn't proscribed (i.e., water parks instead of open rivers). We wanted a place where we could do whatever we wanted without having to apply for endless permits or proscribed governmental decrees about what we could build, plant, and raise.
Lots of places we looked at fit our initial criteria but there was always a serious failing when we went down the list.
We determined the things that we could put up with and the things that we could not; what were "deal-breakers" and what weren't.
We bought and moved to where we are - not because it was perfect, but because it had more of what we wanted and less of what we didn't want. We love where we are and what we do, and are content to live and do as we please, how we please.
So, the hubby and I are considering moving...or at least thinking about it...okay, more like dreaming. We love the city we're in, but hate the way the state is heading. We had a few locations in mind initially, but since we'd be the first in either of our families to leave the state...we didn't realize how many options there are to choose from.
So to those of you who have moved to the location that you loved (or ended up at)...how did you go about choosing that spot? What helped narrow your choices down? And I guess...with so many cities/states to choose from, how were you able to pinpoint exactly what areas to consider?
Thanks to any and all who read and respond to this.
I had just graduated college and my then fiance was still finishing up, but was having financial difficulties doing that where we were. Basically there was very little opportunity for him where we were in his career choice. We decided on Las Vegas for a variety of reasons. Firstly, there would be many more opportunities for his employment; also, the pharmacy school there seemed like a good fit for me; there were also a plethora of other reasons such as: when we visited and drove around in the residential areas, we were very charmed by the place and people we met; the weather; the general mind-set of the area. We're still here seven years later, have done well so far and are enjoying it very much; At times I long for the east coast but can't have it all.
Moved to be near family, who begged and pleaded and made all kinds of promises of outings, shopping, events together, in and out of each other's lives all the time if we would move here. Silly me. I believed them.
Can you elaborate a bit, maybe in a PM? I am contemplating a potential move to CA (Bay Area - Silicon Valley) and would love to hear more about this. I don't really want to move across country, I just bought a condo here less than a year ago, but the opportunity assuming it comes through (looking good...) would be an excellent one (with Google), and likely a major pay raise even considering COL.
I know CA has budget issues and is pretty poorly managed - but how much does that really impact day to day life?
I have lived in the Los Angeles area for the past 46 years, and I have seen many budgetary ups and downs in this state, although I must admit the past couple of years have been the worst I have seen. As a retiree, my daily life has not been impacted at all. The libraries are still open, the streets are being swept, the police and fire departments have not been cut. However, other folks in different situations have been, and will be, impacted. I would say they fall in two broad categories:
1. The poor. Those who depend on Medicaid or other forms of government handouts are affected by the cuts.
2. Those with kids in school or university or those who work for the schools and colleges or for the state. Education has been cut. The school year has been shortened and certain programs have been eliminated. The good schools are still good, and the bad schools are still bad, but everyone is tightening their belts.
Conclusion: If you do not depend on government programs for the poor and if you plan on sending your kids to private schools, I would say daily life is not impacted.
Note: Taxes have not been raised, at least not yet, which is part of the crunch. If you are fearful of possible future tax increases, then that is a legitimate concern. While California is a high-tax state, the taxes here are not nearly as bad as urban legend (and the many Calif. bashers) would have you believe.
We live in Tallahassee FL, moved here from Miami 15 years ago. We left Miami when my husband retired from teaching, the firm I was working for dissolved due to personal problems of the senior partners, and all our kids lived elsewhere. In addition, Miami was getting too crazy to live in -- a scary place to be.
When we were planning to leave Miami (or, as I put it, escape from Miami), we talked about where to go, and decided to try Tallahassee as it is as far north as we could go without leaving Florida. As a member of the Florida Bar, I did not want to take another bar exam. So we rented a house in Tallahassee, and after a year, we bought a house and have remained here.
No place is perfect, or if there were a perfect place, we wouldn't be able to afford to live there. So then it wouldn't be perfect, right? But Tallahassee is very good. Diverse population, two major universities with all the sports and cultural events universities provide, state capital, lots of green space and trees, beautiful beaches close enough for day trips but not so close that hurricanes threaten, mild winters (but brutal summers) ...
We didn't do any research before we moved here -- we just sort of landed here, and it's worked out very well.
So, the hubby and I are considering moving...or at least thinking about it...okay, more like dreaming. We love the city we're in, but hate the way the state is heading. We had a few locations in mind initially, but since we'd be the first in either of our families to leave the state...we didn't realize how many options there are to choose from.
So to those of you who have moved to the location that you loved (or ended up at)...how did you go about choosing that spot? What helped narrow your choices down? And I guess...with so many cities/states to choose from, how were you able to pinpoint exactly what areas to consider?
Thanks to any and all who read and respond to this.
Here's a thought: you don't have to like the way your state is going to live a personally satisfying life. I haven't liked the way my present state is going for most of lifetime of living here. I don't agree with almost anything our state legislature does, or how my neighbors generally vote, or hold the same worldview as most of my friends. But I manage to live a rich life.
So, if you are making a nice living where you are at, and your environment provides the social and cultural stimulation you want, you really don't have to move. Moving is expensive. But I think you should count the cost of relocating. Will you give up seniority at work? Can you find work elsewhere, or do you simply hope to find work elsewhere? Will your debt increase if you move?
If moving would increase your standard of living, and there is a place that fits your philosophy, then, I'd go for it.
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But Tallahassee is very good. Diverse population, two major universities with all the sports and cultural events universities provide, state capital, lots of green space and trees, beautiful beaches close enough for day trips but not so close that hurricanes threaten, mild winters (but brutal summers) ... 
