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Old 10-20-2013, 09:34 AM
 
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Hi everyone,

I would love some advice please! I am planning to move from Ireland to the USA, in search of a new start and a big adventure. Does anyone have any tips for where I should move?

To give you all a bit of background info... I am a single woman aged 30, who has recently broken up with my live-in boyfriend, dropped out of graduate school, and also just found out that the company I am working for is broke and we will face redundancies and salary cuts in the very near future.

All these big life changes have made me think... why not use this opportunity to go on a big adventure! I spent my childhood in the USA and have always had a nagging feeling that I wanted to go back someday. I think that day has come - any advice on where I should go for excitement, good career opportunities, friendly people... and also a good city to be single and in my 30s? I am very liberal, work in the non-profit sector, sociable and down-to-earth... but pretty broke. Any tips would be MUCH appreciated! Thank you!
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Old 10-20-2013, 10:32 AM
 
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Despite the fact you say you're nearly broke I would recommend focusing your search on the Washington DC metro which is ground zero for the non-profit sector in this country and where you're most likely to find employment. It's a great city to meet people who tend to come from all over and it's quite liberal. The cost of living is universally seen as high but if you share an apartment and forgo a car in favor of their excellent public transit system, it's pretty comparable cost wise to other cities in the US and the best place to get your specific career in motion.
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Old 10-20-2013, 11:05 AM
 
Location: North Idaho
32,502 posts, read 47,478,646 times
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Unless you are a USA citizen, I am not seeing the opportunity for you to get the type of visa that will allow you to work in the USA.

You don't get to move to the USA and set up a life just because it appeals to you.
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Old 10-20-2013, 11:24 AM
 
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Thanks for the Washington DC tip Kyle - that is not somewhere I had really considered, as I thought it was out of my league financially. It sounds good though, and I will check it out!

Oregonwoodsmoke, I am an American citizen, I was born there and grew up there - so I can indeed move the USA and set up a life just because it appeals to me

Anyone else have any suggestions? Thanks in advance!
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Old 10-20-2013, 12:03 PM
 
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Kyle19125 hit the nail on the head. The large, thriving not for profits are located in the more expensive parts of the country.

That means Washington DC, with the Washington DC- Boston corridor next in line. This is also the one of the highest cost of living areas of the country to live.

Other places you could try for lesser costs of living locales would be Chicago, Atlanta
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Old 10-20-2013, 01:53 PM
 
Location: Brew City
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Cost of living is going to be a factor in almost any large city in the US so I'll just throw these out there as nice cities that may have the potential in non-profit and a more liberal lean.

Portland, OR
San Diego, CA
Boston, MA
San Francisco, CA
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Old 10-21-2013, 12:45 AM
 
908 posts, read 1,409,066 times
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Philadelphia is less expensive than Washington and has many non-profit opportunities due to the Quakers.
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Old 10-21-2013, 02:25 AM
 
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Thanks for the suggestions all - I will start searching for non-profit jobs in DC, Chicago, Portland, and the other places you mentioned, and see what happens. San Fran and Philadelphia particularly appeal to me, for some reason - so I am glad to see they are on the list!

I won't waste everyone's time here by asking about the walkability, good neighbourhoods, cost of living, etc etc of these cities, as there are many other threads with this info on this site. BUT I would like to ask one more specfic question: which of these cities will I be able to make friends mist easily in my 30s? Where are people friendliest and the most open? Where is the least snobby and cliquey?

I know that a place is what you make of it, and that there are friendly / not-so-friendly people everywhere... But I have noticed that some places are easier to "break into" than others...
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Old 10-21-2013, 07:22 AM
 
26,869 posts, read 43,348,703 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by caiteight View Post
Thanks for the suggestions all - I will start searching for non-profit jobs in DC, Chicago, Portland, and the other places you mentioned, and see what happens. San Fran and Philadelphia particularly appeal to me, for some reason - so I am glad to see they are on the list!

I won't waste everyone's time here by asking about the walkability, good neighbourhoods, cost of living, etc etc of these cities, as there are many other threads with this info on this site. BUT I would like to ask one more specfic question: which of these cities will I be able to make friends mist easily in my 30s? Where are people friendliest and the most open? Where is the least snobby and cliquey?

I know that a place is what you make of it, and that there are friendly / not-so-friendly people everywhere... But I have noticed that some places are easier to "break into" than others...
Definitely DC, unlike Chicago and Philadelphia which can tend to be provincial in terms of acceptance of those who move in from elsewhere. I'm not sure of San Fran but know the Pacific Northwest can have a less than warm vibe for "newbies". DC has a very large population at any given time that has moved in from all over the US (and the World) so there really isn't a lot of opportunity for clique-like behavior to form due to lack of pre-existing relationships.
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Old 10-21-2013, 10:06 AM
 
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I wonder if Denver may also work due to having one of the highest concentrations of government jobs/agencies in the US and in terms of the dating front in regards to a higher rate of men? It also has a liberal vibe as well.
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