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I would really appreciate some good feedback on these two choices. I live in Joplin, MO right now and want the heck out of here. I am very seriously considering these two cities and do not know how I am going to decide.
I would really appreciate some good feedback on these two choices. I live in Joplin, MO right now and want the heck out of here. I am very seriously considering these two cities and do not know how I am going to decide.
I don't know much about SC but I have looked extensively into Salem/Boston, MA area myself. The cost of living is very high. I live in CA and it was higher than here. Would you have a job already? That could make a big difference.
Why are you unhappy with your current area? I'm originally from MA. Boston is super expensive and cold in the winter. Charleston is much more reasonable and has very mild winters. All depends what you are looking for. You didn't offer us much to go on here! Can you be more specific so we can help you further?
It's difficult to know which city would be a better choice for you without some info on what you would prefer in a place to live. Would you prefer a big city or a small city? What kind of climate do you prefer? These two questions come to mind first because they are two of the obvious differences between Boston and Charleston. Boston is much larger than Charleston, and the weather is very different in the two cities. Charleston has long, hot, humid summers and mild winters, while Boston leans more toward long, snowy winters with brisk, frosty temperatures and occasional spells of frigid weather.
What do you dislike about Joplin? Perhaps getting some idea of what you don't like would give people some idea whether those negative points do or don't exist to a great degree in the cities you are asking about.
What kind of work do you plan to do? That may have a bearing on which city would be the better choice, since every city has certain fields that make up its economic base, hence more jobs in certain fields.
Do you prefer any particular political leaning in the place where you live? You're asking here about a red state and a blue state, so you may find that you're more comfortable in one state or the other for that reason. Not that every single person in MA is a flaming far-left radical left-winger, as I'm sure that not every individual in SC is a rebel-yellin', pickup-drivin' living stereotype of a redneck. The attitudes in populations as large as those of entire states are more of a complex mix than that. Still, maybe you'd be more comfortable surrounded by certain prevailing views than others.
What do you expect your housing budget to be like? As Jasmine728 pointed out, the Boston area has a high cost of living. You need to have some idea whether you can afford Boston before seriously considering this area as an option.
In addition to the earlier question about what you dislike about Joplin, if you can say something about why you are interested in these two cities in particular, that may give some picture of what you're looking for, and whether either of these cities would be a good fit. Also, out of curiosity, is there a reason you mention Salem in particular among communities in the Boston area? I'm kind of curious about that, but also, knowing of any notion you have of what Salem is about which you find appealing may help clear up the picture of what you're looking for.
I've always thought of Boston and Charleston as northern/southern versions of each other, due to long Colonial history, oceanfront, etc. Boston is obviously larger, more expensive, and more economically vibrant. Charleston is more genteel, and it's actually surprisingly more expensive than you may think at first. Less snow than Boston, more hurricane chance.
It's difficult to know which city would be a better choice for you without some info on what you would prefer in a place to live. Would you prefer a big city or a small city? What kind of climate do you prefer? These two questions come to mind first because they are two of the obvious differences between Boston and Charleston. Boston is much larger than Charleston, and the weather is very different in the two cities. Charleston has long, hot, humid summers and mild winters, while Boston leans more toward long, snowy winters with brisk, frosty temperatures and occasional spells of frigid weather.
What do you dislike about Joplin? Perhaps getting some idea of what you don't like would give people some idea whether those negative points do or don't exist to a great degree in the cities you are asking about.
What kind of work do you plan to do? That may have a bearing on which city would be the better choice, since every city has certain fields that make up its economic base, hence more jobs in certain fields.
Do you prefer any particular political leaning in the place where you live? You're asking here about a red state and a blue state, so you may find that you're more comfortable in one state or the other for that reason. Not that every single person in MA is a flaming far-left radical left-winger, as I'm sure that not every individual in SC is a rebel-yellin', pickup-drivin' living stereotype of a redneck. The attitudes in populations as large as those of entire states are more of a complex mix than that. Still, maybe you'd be more comfortable surrounded by certain prevailing views than others.
What do you expect your housing budget to be like? As Jasmine728 pointed out, the Boston area has a high cost of living. You need to have some idea whether you can afford Boston before seriously considering this area as an option.
In addition to the earlier question about what you dislike about Joplin, if you can say something about why you are interested in these two cities in particular, that may give some picture of what you're looking for, and whether either of these cities would be a good fit. Also, out of curiosity, is there a reason you mention Salem in particular among communities in the Boston area? I'm kind of curious about that, but also, knowing of any notion you have of what Salem is about which you find appealing may help clear up the picture of what you're looking for.
What he said.
We need to know more details as to what you want from where you're trying to move.
We need to know more details as to what you want from where you're trying to move.
Definitely. Both are great places, but they're very different from one another.
If it were up to me, I'd pick Boston, but I'm more of a "big city" kinda guy, and I like winter weather. Charleston is a great town and I enjoy visiting, but it's a bit small for me to consider living there.
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Salem/Boston, MA or Charleston, SC
