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I'm considering moving out of Miami in spring of 2015. I’ve been doing a lot of research and have my eyes set on Nashville and Austin, but I don’t want to miss out on great cities because I’m being narrow.
First a little about me: I'm female, 28, single, and will be finishing my BA in Psychology (I’m not that interested in a career in the field) in August. I have over 8 years of administrative/executive assistant experience with about 6 of those in the construction industry as a project coordinator/administrator. I'm bilingual in Spanish and have computer skills, etc., but other than my construction experience, my skills are pretty broad.
Besides Miami, I lived in SWFL for a few years and have visited other parts of FL and I'm not interested in anywhere else in the State. I definitely like the city life, but Miami can be rather superficial and very Hispanic dominated. I'm Cuban, but don't fit the stereotype of most Cubans that live in South Florida. I consider myself middle of the road in my views, but do lean liberal in most issues and I'm not religious but I can open minded as long as religion is not being pushed down my throat. I have lived independently since I was 19.
Now, here are some things I’m looking for.
*Size: I would like a large/medium city with character/charm/uniqueness.
*Weather: I would like 4 distinct seasons. I would like to have a real winter, but leaning towards mild (Milwaukee/Chicago would be too much).
*Demographics: Plenty of young people in the 20’s and 30’s. I’m ok with a mostly “white” population as long as they are, as a community, open minded and welcoming of other ethnicities.
*Safety: I have become accustomed to always keeping my guard up and I haven’t been a victim to any crime to date. However, I am on the cautious side and would prefer a city that has more safe areas than not and not a lot of gang-related crime, which I’m not used to.
*Culture/Amenities: Liberal/middle of the road/live & let live mentality. Dog friendly as I would like to have a pup eventually. Opportunities to enjoy Arts/Museums/Live Music/Theater/Film. Some parks to ride bike and enjoy nature. Major airport so I can visit parents, etc. Friendly, open-minded people.
*Cost of Living: $600-$800 rent for a studio/1 br in a safe area (unlikely to be a victim of random murder/rape/mugging in most normal circumstances) close to fun things, a 10-20 minute drive to downtown/nightlife/shopping/entertainment would be just dandy. Being able to keep my car without paying extra for parking.
*Employment: Opportunities to make $38-45k with benefits as an executive assistant, office manager, project coordinator, or similar role. I make $38k in Miami.
Once I decide to move, I will most likely move unemployed with about 3 months of living expenses saved and find some temporary sublet/room/extended stay hotel and won't lease a place until I've secured employment.
Perhaps the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton area of PA could work. It has a growing Hispanic/Latino community and is close to the Poconos, Philadelphia and NYC. It may be worth a look.
Washington, DC is very cosmopolitan and has the 4 seasons, however it's pricey. But it's young, liberal and diverse. Super cute neighborhoods and a lot of history and modernity side by side.
Philadelphia is also quite cosmopolitan. A bit more New Yorky than DC is, but not overwhelming and crazy like NYC. Diverse population, 4 season, relative affordability of housing, decent job market, etc.
Also, Houston Texas.... diverse, but the weather will be quite similar to FL for most of the year.
Seattle is a really cool city. Way different than your traditional east coast cities. Not exactly amazing weather, however is mostly white, but people are very open-minded, friendly, and environmentally conscious, which I think is refreshing, especialy compared to FL.... they barely even recycle in that state! ugh! anyway, It's a different city in the sense it's mountainous, green and just beautiful.
Chicago is great too, tho it's colllllld!!!! too cold IMO, but u may be cold-hardy. I'm not. Philly is about as far north as I'd consider as far as weather goes.
Some of these suggestions are of smaller cities than you were asking for.
There were some suggestions that could be worth a look. Birmingham, DC and Philadelphia are a few worth looking in to.
Also, give Cincinnati and Atlanta a look.
I'm a South Florida native as well and would highly recommend the Washington DC metro also. It offers a nice blend of big city vibe with a human scale feel thanks to it's mostly low rise construction. The bordering Maryland suburb of Silver Spring is very international in terms of resident demographics, largely quite safe, very convenient to DC with the excellent subway system and affordable.
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