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I am looking to move from Long Island, NY where I currently reside. I have worked, lived and commuted 30 miles into NYC for some time, and tired of the grind and lifestyle. I am seeking a more relaxed metro. The taxes, utilities, insurance and healthcare here are wildly out of control. Also, the social life stinks, many people are too standoffish/selfish, and any real jobs are only found in NYC. I have done some research and narrowed down my options to these four places: San Diego, Washington DC, Denver or Boston/Eastern New England. Question: Which of these four would offer the best possibilties in terms of: 1) Ease of transitioning and relocating, 2) career opportuntities in Real Estate/Finance, 3) Social Life 4) Recreation/Leisure. 5) Weather. 6) Housing- no more than $1500/mo for rental. Me: 28/Male.
i wouldn't say dc and boston are more relaxed than nyc. dc is one of the most stressful metro areas in the country. san diego and denver will be relaxed. but it would probably be easiest to find a job in or around dc because we weren't really hit by the recession. everything else would probably go to denver or san diego, if you want warmer weather then probably san diego. but the lower taxes would go to denver definitely and maybe northern virginia outside of dc, though dc isn't going to give you a relaxed lifestyle whatsoever. dc weather is better than nyc. 73 degrees here today, sun's out for now, but in summer it will feel like hell on earth.
Denver may not have a lot of jobs in real estate/finance.
I'd pick San Diego if I were you. And even if you didn't move to San Diego, you could move to L.A. where they have quite a few more jobs in real estate/finance. You'd still be close to San Diego, as well as the Orange County beach areas, to visit on weekends. Pace is friendlier and more relaxed on the West Coast then the East Coast, and you could easily find rentals in San Diego (or L.A.) for $1500/month in good neighborhoods as long as you're willing to not live the life of a royal.
Both Boston and Washington probably have more real estate/finance jobs, BUT...they ARE laid back if you're FROM New York City! No offense, that's just the way it is.
I have been to Washington DC area before and I found it defintely tamer than LI & NYC area. But I would figure the downtown and government related industry breeds that more stressuful lifestyle. There aren't 8 million plus people, so you can't compare it to NY. The weather has to be better there, its later April and we have not reached 70 yet. Its been cool and rainy in the 50's everyday.
With regard to San Diego...how long is the flight from NY? Anyone do the move? When I told my family I was considering San Diego, this is response I got--------->
I'm trying really hard to think of answers to your questions, in regards to Denver. I've never been to Boston, or DC, so I can't help you there. I've been to San Diego several times, but I'm no expert on it, and am not much of a fan of it either.
Denver:
1. Ease of transitioning/relocating. The culture/lifestyle in Denver IMO is "General American Suburban". If you can live with that, you'll be okay. However, there are some hip/urban/trendy neighborhoods in Denver proper, if that's what you're looking for. About half of the people here are transplants (but mostly CA and Midwest), so you won't be alone in that regard. It kind of dilutes any culture Denver has/had IMO.
We moved here in 2007, when I was 23. We packed up a moving truck, drove it from CA, rented an apartment, found jobs, and here we are. It isn't easy, isn't particularly fun, but when you're all done, it's back to the grind of daily life....just with a different address.
2. Career opportunities. Denver is very popular right now. So popular in fact, that new arrivals are outpacing job growth. Our unemployment rate is 9.3% currently. Nearly every Denver/Colorado resident here on the forum will tell you not to move here without a job in hand, or in place of one, a huge wad of cash.
When we came, it took us less than a month to find blue-collar jobs. We had $6K left after getting settled. Life's a risk. Thankfully, we survived.
3. Social life. Personally, I think the majority of people here suck, in a way. In my experience, most people are introverted, and "into their own thing". There is a overgrown frat boy/club scene downtown, but other than that, Denver is a work and go home (or skiing, Broncos) town. Denver IMO is not the kind of place where you can pull into town and expect some neighbors to come over and invite you for beers. Instead, they'll uncomfortably smile/wave when they see you, for years.
If you're single, keep in mind that Denver is a sausage-fest statistically.
4. Recreation/Leisure. Denver can't be beat here, unless you really need an ocean beach or a natural lake. We've got it all, pro sports, zoo, museums, a thriving downtown, all kinds of silly festivals, and the mountains out the back door (skiing, snowboarding, hiking, biking, gambling). If one is ever bored in Colorado, they seriously need to be checked for a pulse.
5. Weather. We got snow last night. It can snow generally anytime between October and May. But it melts quickly, doesn't pile up high and get dirty, and is usually sunny and mild between storms. We get blizzards sometimes, and those can be fun. It's dry, so no humid summer days. Summers are really nice, but we get afternoon thunderstorms frequently.
6. Housing. I wonder where you get the $1500/mo number from, is that based off your current NY income? When you move, you'll be looking for a new job, right? Salaries and associated living costs vary dramatically between Denver and NY. But nonetheless, we pay $775 for a two bed/two bath apartment in a nice area (for example). $1500/mo would get you a very nice place in a highrise downtown, or a giant suburban house. You'll find housing to be much cheaper here.
I have an family member who lives in Castle Rock ,CO. I visited back in 2005 and it was nice, but very wide open and new suburbia everywhere-- not what I want at this stage of the game. However, I was to Denver once and the downtown was attractive and had lots of bars/restaurants. I remember eating at a Mortons Steakhouse downtown and going to Cherry Creek that's about it. Didn't appear to be overly young age wise at the time. Nice place, but the absence of the ocean or big lakes might be a deterrent.
I am looking to move from Long Island, NY where I currently reside. I have worked, lived and commuted 30 miles into NYC for some time, and tired of the grind and lifestyle. I am seeking a more relaxed metro. The taxes, utilities, insurance and healthcare here are wildly out of control. Also, the social life stinks, many people are too standoffish/selfish, and any real jobs are only found in NYC. I have done some research and narrowed down my options to these four places: San Diego, Washington DC, Denver or Boston/Eastern New England. Question: Which of these four would offer the best possibilties in terms of: 1) Ease of transitioning and relocating, 2) career opportuntities in Real Estate/Finance, 3) Social Life 4) Recreation/Leisure. 5) Weather. 6) Housing- no more than $1500/mo for rental. Me: 28/Male.
Thanks and I look forward to hearing your input.
DC wins in the "common sense department". The ease of transition/relocation is obvious given the short distance from Long Island. DC has an astonishingly low unemployment rate of 5.8% versus Boston's 7.1%, Denver's 9.3% or San Diego's 10.2%. Career opportunity in Real Estate/Finance is as good as NY in my opinion, offers a lot of social/recreation opportunities, milder winters than NY/Long Island and a lot of below $1500 per month rental options. Being 28 and single, focus on the NW quadrant of DC and check out the neighborhoods of Adams Morgan or Cleveland Park.
San Diego: The most chill and laid back of your options. Job market seems decent enough for finance and real estate. San Diego is expensive if you live in Gaslamp, the huge young professional area downtown. It is the epitome of the surfer beachgoing lifestyle (when people normally think of LA being that---it's actually San Diego). People are very healthy there as well. The city is pretty spread out. DC and Boston are much better walking cities unless you live in Gaslamp. Tons of young professionals though and no pressure on getting married/kids since so many people like the single life. California taxes suck though.
DC: Extremely expensive. Even Northern Virginia (Arlington and Alexandria) are expensive. While in most cities rents went down from 2007, DC's skyrocketed. The federal government as it expands, brings new workers with guaranteed paychecks so rents keep going up. DC has a lot of finance opportunities, particularly related to gov't. Real estate is more suburban because the federal gov't just owns so much land in DC and they have the height cap on buildings, so not as much development in the city. It is similar to Manhattan in that everyone will cut you off to get ahead. It is very competitive. Plus, a lot of people are 2 or 3 year transients and move quick once they get ahead. DC is really cool and has so much stuff to do, but you constantly have to make new friends. It's probably different and you start a family there and move to the true suburbs.
Denver: Very clean and newish. It is more spread out than the East Coast. There are some good young professional neighborhoods and it is the most inexpensive of your choices. They have 4 seasons, which could be good (or bad). If you like outdoor activities, it is your best bet. Good sports teams too. Nightlife seems pretty laid back. Very neighborhoody. Winter isn't as oppressive as the East Coast and Midwest I'm told, despite being a mile high.
Boston: The closest in lifestyle to NYC. Difference being Bostonians are very tied to the history of their city, NYers tend to live for the moment. I've never met a person that didn't like Boston. The food is great, the people are cool, and there is a ton of stuff to do. I think the economy is pretty decent and there are probably a lot of real estate/finance opportunities. It has that type of economy. Boston's nightlife scene is way more chill than Manhattan. It is more indicative of Brooklyn and Queens. Smaller bars and venues, much more local. In Manhattan, it's the 'see and be seen' crowd. Not so much in Boston. The one negative is that Boston is expensive apartment wise.
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Pace is friendlier and more relaxed on the West Coast then the East Coast, and you could easily find rentals in San Diego (or L.A.) for $1500/month in good neighborhoods as long as you're willing to not live the life of a royal.
