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I am trying to find a city that I will love! I grew up in Arizona and recently tried living in the west coast (California) for a few months and found that its not for me....So I am trying to find a city that I can fit into better and grow in with a career and put down some roots.
*I am looking for a job in green technologies-whether it be green construction, sustainable consulting, or anything related.
*I want to have 4 actual seasons (Phoenix is just hot and slightly cooler all year and SF has just cool then cooler temperatures)
*I love the ocean, so being near the ocean (within an hour) would be perfect
*Right now I would like a city that is urban and dense enough with things to do. And it would be nice for there to be suburb-ish places to live in a few years down the road and have a family.
*I love outdoor activities-hiking, biking, running, water sports, snowboarding. So a place that has all these nearby would be ideal (within a few hours drive for the winter sports)
*Oh and I love farmers markets! sounds silly but I think those are awesome =) but its not a necessity lol
So I am pretty sure this leads me to the east coast-Boston, NY, Baltimore. What other cities do you think could be a good fit?? And yes, I know that no city exists with all of these things, so any advice and comments about the lifestyle of the cities you mention would be great!!!
Location: Cleveland bound with MPLS in the rear-view
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Chicago....not near an ocean but not all that different. I question whether you could handle Midwestern winters though, being from AZ. Another more moderate-temperature city with 4 seasons could be D.C.
I econd the DC suggestion. It has everything you want (well, no snowboarding in the city, but I assume there are some options within your driving range). With all the federal encouragement of green jobs and technologies there might be some good job opportunities there, too.
Pretty much any of the coastal mid-Atlantic or Northeastern cities would offer what you're looking for, but if cost of living matters, some are going to be much more expensive than others.
I think Philly fits your description and "recent college grad" income quite well. If you move on you have dc/new york right there.
*I am looking for a job in green technologies-whether it be green construction, sustainable consulting, or anything related. (there are other cities slightly better for this, but given the big market, I'm sure you can find something)
*I want to have 4 actual seasons (check)
*I love the ocean, so being near the ocean (within an hour) would be perfect (check)
*Right now I would like a city that is urban and dense enough with things to do. And it would be nice for there to be suburb-ish places to live in a few years down the road and have a family. (check)
*I love outdoor activities-hiking, biking, running, water sports, snowboarding. So a place that has all these nearby would be ideal (within a few hours drive for the winter sports) (jersey shore, poconos, plenty in city)
*Oh and I love farmers markets! sounds silly but I think those are awesome =) but its not a necessity lol (i'm sure they have them...)
The other obvious big city urban dense locations with variations on your requirements would be Boston/DC/NYC/Chicago
I think Philly fits your description and "recent college grad" income quite well. If you move on you have dc/new york right there.
Except there aren't any jobs. The city is dealing with a 12% unemployment rate.
Washington DC is probably your best bet as the unemployment rate there is around 7%. It's far more progressive there as well.
In the Washington, DC or Baltimore areas you are gonig to be about three hours from the ocean. In Philly, NY or Boston you will be less than one hour from many beach communities. Of these, Philly has the mildest weather (if you could call Philly winters mild LOL), and the best cost of living index. NY and Boston are right up there in cost of living. As far as the previous poster who said there are no jobs in Philly, you really need to do some checking for yourself. The major universities, hospitals and research facilities are there, either in the city or in the suburbs. And the public transportation infrastructure is excellent; you may not even need to drive to work.
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