Yes, another "where to move" thread... (job, very expensive, climate)
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Sorry for starting a repeating theme here, but people are so different, want different things, have different lifestyles that I figured I would start my own question.
My background is that I've lived in the same smallish city my whole life and am antsy to find a new place. I'm wanting to further my career, and am trying to focus on that first and foremost. But...I also want to live in a place I will really enjoy and I know I should do some traveling to visit some places but I don't want to spend a lot of my savings on exploring.
To give you an idea of what I think I'd like will seem kind of weird, as some of them are complete opposites, but here it is...
Seattle, Portland, Dallas, San Diego, Phoenix.
I have done a lot of reading on CD in this section, and the cities themselves. I am an introvert so am not concerned about the "Seattle freeze". I usually make friends at work, or at least acquaintances, so I'm not really concerned about meeting people out and about. I am childless and single. I hate the freezing cold winters and overly hot summers. I know...Phoenix lol. But...I can handle some heat if it's not overwhelmingly long lasting. I love the sun, and the rain. I want to live and work in a large city.
I eventually would like a place I can settle in and buy a home. On the weekends I would enjoy exploring the area, walking through the city, along a waterway or beautiful rivers or lakes. Bike riding to explore...I think I would love a place with a variety of cultural...museums, sports teams, coffee shops where I can just sit and people watch. I am a homebody of sorts, but do like to get out occasionally and the problem with where I live now is there is just not enough to see or do.
I am worried about getting homesick so no matter where I land I have committed to giving it two years minimum. And even if I'm not happy with it, I want to find another place as opposed to coming back here.
I am thinking of sending out my resume to several different cities and see where I might get interest...I know it may be difficult to find a job from out of state though.
I wonder if I shouldn't just spend some money to visit a couple of places first and see how I feel. I've been to all of the above cities, but not to see if I'd like living there...it's always different than when you're just there for a vacation or visiting people, etc.
Is there anyone out there similar to me who has found a place that is just wonderful and are so happy they moved there? I get sad reading the posts about all the people who have moved and regretted it and just moved back home. Oh, and I have no family to speak of so that is not a consideration.
I live in San Diego and it's lovely. However, you mentioned that your long term goal is to settle somewhere and buy a home. Our housing market is very, very expensive. So that's something to consider. We're having somewhat of an exodus of young married with children couples because of the lack of affordable housing.
but here it is...
Seattle, Portland, Dallas, San Diego, Phoenix.
If you're over 45 or over... add Winston-Salem to your list
Quote:
I get sad reading the posts about all the people who have moved and regretted it...
Is there anyone... found a place that is just wonderful and are so happy they moved there?
I think it's the difference between going TO something vs AWAY from something (or nothing).
I live in San Diego and it's lovely. However, you mentioned that your long term goal is to settle somewhere and buy a home. Our housing market is very, very expensive. So that's something to consider. We're having somewhat of an exodus of young married with children couples because of the lack of affordable housing.
Are there affordable areas outside the city, within a reasonable commute? For example in Seattle, it is expensive in the city, but there are areas such as Kent, or Tacoma I would consider. I will just be looking for a condo or townhome. Although the taxes in CA kind of scare me off...
If you're over 45 or over... add Winston-Salem to your list
Hmm Winston-Salem...why over 45? As you can see, my idea cities are all in the West, as am I. I don't know why, it seems kind of scary to venture to another coast. Maybe I should start thinking about that though.
I think it's the difference between going TO something vs AWAY from something (or nothing).
Yeah...agreed. I will definitely be going TO something...
That was a great post. Many people post about moving but fail to answer several critical questions. You nailed most of them.
Since I come on here just to help people figure out where to move...
(No, seriously, that is one of the major reasons I visit City-data)
The only constant in your trend is getting away from frigid winters.
I don't know where you are coming from, or what definitions you put on being too hot or too cold. If summer heat bothers you, I would cross Phx off the list. It can be a great city, but the heat WILL get you. Same with Dallas. Portland is dramatically over-hyped.
As a result, I'd focus on San Diego and Seattle. Of the two, winter in San Diego is vastly better, but yes the taxes are a downside.
I would add a couple places that are not as hot to your list. Denver, Albuquerque. Summer weather is nice, and winters aren't too cold, but you do get some cold snaps in Denver that are much colder than you would see in any of the 5 on your list.
The cities you listed all have populations over a million. Do you have a preference for large cities, or do you just know them better because they are more well known?
In regards to how moves turned out: My wife and I moved to the Midwest for her education. We both hated it out there, but it was a great program. When she graduated, we researched the country for 18 months before moving. I have read the wikipedia page on almost every major city in the country, and many of the state pages. I have studied weather patterns in most of the U.S. I even studied a few other countries. (Switzerland, Australia) When we moved from the Midwest, we had a wealth of knowledge about what we wanted and what was available in each part of the country.
We moved to Colorado Springs and absolutely love it. We are in an area of about 600k, which for us is a very comfortable size. It is an hour south of Denver, so we have access to all the really big city amenities, without needing to drive there for the normal things (like a Sam's club / Costco). You might check this place out also. We do get some freezing, being at 7000 feet, but the average high in January is around 44. Today it will only be 18, but we also get some that are over 60. It is not humid, and the ice does not stick around. Compared to Iowa, it feels vastly warmer. I hated going out in the winter in Iowa, but I don't mind this.
The biggest difference between successful moves and bad moves is the amount of research you have put into what you want, and into finding the city that meets your needs.
PS. If you put together a list of the top 10 or so things you want in a city, PM it to me and I'll put together a short list of cities that meet those things. With it, please include the desired size of the city, and the importance. If the importance is 0, you can just say it doesn't matter
Mine looked like this:
1. Good weather
2. No massive traffic
3. Low Property Taxes
4. Great views
5. Reasonable house prices.
6. Low to reasonable crime levels
7. Low Humidity
8. Low bug/insect levels
9. Good weather again, because it is that important
Only cities with over 200k people would be considered.
I found all of those things in Colorado Springs. The runner ups were Denver and Albuquerque. In fourth and fifth place were San Diego and Honolulu. Due to the year round weather patterns in San Diego and Honolulu, the humidity mattered less there. However, the housing was fairly expensive, but I even knew which suburbs in Honolulu offered prices that would've made it very feasible. It is just a matter of being able to identify exactly what you want, and then knowing how to search for it effectively.
Sorry for starting a repeating theme here, but people are so different, want different things, have different lifestyles that I figured I would start my own question.
My background is that I've lived in the same smallish city my whole life and am antsy to find a new place. I'm wanting to further my career, and am trying to focus on that first and foremost. But...I also want to live in a place I will really enjoy and I know I should do some traveling to visit some places but I don't want to spend a lot of my savings on exploring.
To give you an idea of what I think I'd like will seem kind of weird, as some of them are complete opposites, but here it is...
Seattle, Portland, Dallas, San Diego, Phoenix.
I have done a lot of reading on CD in this section, and the cities themselves. I am an introvert so am not concerned about the "Seattle freeze". I usually make friends at work, or at least acquaintances, so I'm not really concerned about meeting people out and about. I am childless and single. I hate the freezing cold winters and overly hot summers. I know...Phoenix lol. But...I can handle some heat if it's not overwhelmingly long lasting. I love the sun, and the rain. I want to live and work in a large city.
I eventually would like a place I can settle in and buy a home. On the weekends I would enjoy exploring the area, walking through the city, along a waterway or beautiful rivers or lakes. Bike riding to explore...I think I would love a place with a variety of cultural...museums, sports teams, coffee shops where I can just sit and people watch. I am a homebody of sorts, but do like to get out occasionally and the problem with where I live now is there is just not enough to see or do.
I am worried about getting homesick so no matter where I land I have committed to giving it two years minimum. And even if I'm not happy with it, I want to find another place as opposed to coming back here.
I am thinking of sending out my resume to several different cities and see where I might get interest...I know it may be difficult to find a job from out of state though.
I wonder if I shouldn't just spend some money to visit a couple of places first and see how I feel. I've been to all of the above cities, but not to see if I'd like living there...it's always different than when you're just there for a vacation or visiting people, etc.
Is there anyone out there similar to me who has found a place that is just wonderful and are so happy they moved there? I get sad reading the posts about all the people who have moved and regretted it and just moved back home. Oh, and I have no family to speak of so that is not a consideration.
I am a little freaked because you sound a lot like me. I will not share with you my experience because it really has not been great thus far. I recommend that you secure employment before you move. If you decide to move without a job, make sure employers are willing to hire people with out of state work experience. Some occupations have no trouble and some will not give you the time of day.
I think a state with all the four seasons will suit you. I am not sure what your earning potential is but Dallas and Phoenix may be the most affordable.
Winston-Salem, NC, appears to be a fairly nice place if you don't mind the East Coast. It actually has some of the better weather available there. The summers will be a bit hot, with June, July, and August averaging highs in the mid to high 80s with high humidity. It does have 4 seasons though. Winter is mild, average highs around 50. 43 inches of rain/year, so expect things to be quite green, but the sky will be overcast at time. Decent number of thunderstorms, I would think (check with residents if this matters to you) because a large amount of rain falls during the summer. Personally, I enjoy that in a city.
On to the dating scene. The city has a good reputation for retirees, which is usually a good sign for mid-life dating. It means more intelligent people will have moved there in the middle of their lives in anticipation of retirement. Granted, this is simply correlation. The MSA comes in at 640,000, which is a very good size for meeting potential spouses. The CSA comes in at 1.6mil, but includes such a large section of land that I wouldn't consider it to be entirely relevant. The one thing I would take away from those facts is that in combination with a population density of 1400/square mile, the city does have some serious sprawl. Most urbanists absolutely hate sprawl. I love sprawl, because it indicates that you are much more likely to find a very affordable house or apartment.
Good racial composition. The city is about 55% white, 35% black, 15% latino. Racism rarely brings out its ugly head unless an area is at least 70 to 85% made up of a single race.
Great colleges and museums are present, if that is your thing.
I checked out the condos and houses on realtor.com. I can confirm that the cost of buying a house is below reasonable.
Here is what I mean: 4267 Acorn Ln, Winston Salem, NC 27107 - Home For Sale and Real Estate Listing - realtor.com®
5 bed, 3 bath, with a 2 car garage on a quarter acre for 150k. Clearly, this is one of the better values available, but it tells you that they have some very good deals on housing. I also found condos that were fairly decent at around 100k. Property taxes seem to come in around .8% of assessed value, which is also quite low.
Note: I'm not a realtor, but I bought my own house a little over a year ago and I became very good at doing those searches in a few minutes.
I would put this area on your list if you don't mind the summer highs in the high 80s (which means several days over 90 and some over 100) with high humidity. Expect heat index readings to exceed 100 frequently, and some days to exceed 110 each year.
Winston-Salem, NC, appears to be a fairly nice place if you don't mind the East Coast. It actually has some of the better weather available there. The summers will be a bit hot, with June, July, and August averaging highs in the mid to high 80s with high humidity. It does have 4 seasons though. Winter is mild, average highs around 50. 43 inches of rain/year, so expect things to be quite green, but the sky will be overcast at time. Decent number of thunderstorms, I would think (check with residents if this matters to you) because a large amount of rain falls during the summer. Personally, I enjoy that in a city.
On to the dating scene. The city has a good reputation for retirees, which is usually a good sign for mid-life dating. It means more intelligent people will have moved there in the middle of their lives in anticipation of retirement. Granted, this is simply correlation. The MSA comes in at 640,000, which is a very good size for meeting potential spouses. The CSA comes in at 1.6mil, but includes such a large section of land that I wouldn't consider it to be entirely relevant. The one thing I would take away from those facts is that in combination with a population density of 1400/square mile, the city does have some serious sprawl. Most urbanists absolutely hate sprawl. I love sprawl, because it indicates that you are much more likely to find a very affordable house or apartment.
Good racial composition. The city is about 55% white, 35% black, 15% latino. Racism rarely brings out its ugly head unless an area is at least 70 to 85% made up of a single race.
Great colleges and museums are present, if that is your thing.
I checked out the condos and houses on realtor.com. I can confirm that the cost of buying a house is below reasonable.
Here is what I mean: 4267 Acorn Ln, Winston Salem, NC 27107 - Home For Sale and Real Estate Listing - realtor.com®
5 bed, 3 bath, with a 2 car garage on a quarter acre for 150k. Clearly, this is one of the better values available, but it tells you that they have some very good deals on housing. I also found condos that were fairly decent at around 100k. Property taxes seem to come in around .8% of assessed value, which is also quite low.
Note: I'm not a realtor, but I bought my own house a little over a year ago and I became very good at doing those searches in a few minutes.
I would put this area on your list if you don't mind the summer highs in the high 80s (which means several days over 90 and some over 100) with high humidity. Expect heat index readings to exceed 100 frequently, and some days to exceed 110 each year.
You are pretty much spot on with your post outside the climate data. Winston Salem has some days over 90, but they are actually pretty rare with the average high peaking in mid-July at 87 degrees. Heat index readings of over 100 require temperature minimums of 90 degrees or better. A heat index of 110 would require a temperature well above 95. Florida rarely has readings like that, let alone NC.
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