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If I could go back and revise my original post, I would have said that on average, it doesn't make better financial sense to move from CT to FL, on the average case scenario. However, Texas is one of the places (possibly the only place) in the South that IS financially better. Dallas and Houston have tons of corporate jobs that pay about 90% of what one would make in the northeast, yet the cost of living is MUCH less. So someone moving from CT to TX would most likely see a increase in disposable income and standard of living. But I fail to see how that would be the case in moving from CT to FL, as explained in post #1 in this thread.
If I could go back and revise my original post, I would have said that on average, it doesn't make better financial sense to move from CT to FL, on the average case scenario. However, Texas is one of the places (possibly the only place) in the South that IS financially better. Dallas and Houston have tons of corporate jobs that pay about 90% of what one would make in the northeast, yet the cost of living is MUCH less. So someone moving from CT to TX would most likely see a increase in disposable income and standard of living. But I fail to see how that would be the case in moving from CT to FL, as explained in post #1 in this thread.
The downside is you would have to live in Texas, and that is not an attractive prospect for many. The reality is where one lives is not purely an economic decision. While economics play a part when you get into the higher wages there are other elements in terms of Maslov's hierarchy of needs that comes into play, namely personal fulfillment. Some people are going to like living in Connecticut (or name your high CoL area) more than Texas, and will pay for it. It comes down to what a person values, if it is a liberal elite intellectual culture, Connecticut is probably more attractive.
In addition, once again, most of the job growth in Texas has been low wage work.
Many of these jobs in the south are low wage working class work, the knowledge class work is far more concentrated in the northern cities for the most part. Again...it depends on what you are looking for. For working class people the south may actually be a better place to live, the CoL is lower, and there is a better flow of jobs. To upper middle class knowledge workers there are generally more opportunities in northeast and west coast. While this is not universal, but for somebody with a graduate degree moving to the south is not as wise unless it is Atlanta, The NC research triangle, or Austin. But moving to DC, Boston, Seattle, SF, or NYC can result in a chain of opportunities that they could not find elsewhere. Some of the jobs and opportunities only exist on this scale in these northern cities.
Wow, way to make sweeping assumptions. I don't guess you've ever heard of Dallas, Houston, New Orleans, Charlotte, Knoxville, Nashville, Fort Worth...I could go on but surely you catch my drift.
In fact, for STEM jobs, the areas with the most opportunities and most job openings are, in order:
Austin
Raleigh
Houston
Nashville
San Fran
Salt Lake City San Antonio
Seattle
Indianapolis
Baltimore Methodology - In Photos: The Cities Creating The Most Technology Jobs - Forbes
Not a one in the northeast and only two on the west coast.
Healthcare career?
Louisville, KY ranked #22
Charlotte, NC ranked #15
Va Beach, VA ranked #12
Nashville, TN ranked #11
Raleigh, NC ranked #5
OKC, OK ranked #4
San Antonio, TX ranked #2
Austin, TX ranked #1 Top 25 Cities for Your Healthcare Career - AllHealthcare.com
Four of the top five are in the south!
The downside is you would have to live in Texas, and that is not an attractive prospect for many. The reality is where one lives is not purely an economic decision. While economics play a part when you get into the higher wages there are other elements in terms of Maslov's hierarchy of needs that comes into play, namely personal fulfillment. Some people are going to like living in Connecticut (or name your high CoL area) more than Texas, and will pay for it. It comes down to what a person values, if it is a liberal elite intellectual culture, Connecticut is probably more attractive.
In addition, once again, most of the job growth in Texas has been low wage work.
What major city in Texas have you lived in? I'm just curious.
What major city in Texas have you lived in? I'm just curious.
I would never live in Texas, or anywhere South of DC, which is exactly my point. I consider southern culture inherently backwards, theocratic, and authoritarian.
I would never live in Texas, or anywhere South of DC, which is exactly my point. I consider southern culture inherently backwards, theocratic, and authoritarian.
Well, at least you're honest. Bless your heart.
I could be happy living in any region of this country, but I prefer the south because my family and friends are here, I love the culture and cuisine, our company is doing great in this region, and I much prefer the weather. But if the need or an outstanding opportunity arose to move elsewhere I wouldn't rule out a region - I'd go check out the city itself, the housing options, and the culture and see how I liked it with the opportunity in mind.
I would only consider living in the South if people got rid of those funny accents and stopped categorizing and calling northern transplants "Yankees." It's not very welcoming and it's annoying. I tried living in Charlotte a year ago for a month and (a) couldn't stand the southern accents and (b) was sick and tired of being called a yankee, even if it was for humor and joking purposes. And, they must cool it down with the obsession with religion. They also need to legalize gay marriage. If all of these things happen, then and only then will I consider moving south. But even then, the lack of four seasons is pretty boring.
OK, now you're just being silly. I have lived in several Southern cities. Nobody calls anybody a Yankee and I hardly meet anyone with a strong Southern accent. People have asked me why I don't have a Texan accent, and I tell them that I don't know anyone with a Texan accent, even though I lived in DFW for 17 years. Then you bring up the yankee thing. I have never heard anyone call a Northerner a yankee, especially in a large city. And if it's such a problem, then tell the person you're talking to not to call you that; I'm sure they won't be offended. Next you talk about the religion thing, which is another exaggeration. There are several people who live in the South that never go to church, and I rarely run into people who make a big deal out of their religion. You may see a lot of churches but nobody is going to run out and force you to go inside. Then the gay marriage thing. If you are LGBTQ, then I can understand why this is a problem. If you aren't, then I'm a little confused as to why this affects where you live. There are several people who live in the South that describe themselves as LGBTQ, and they seem to be fine. No one is attacking gay people for being gay in the South. Finally, the four seasons quip. If you absolutely need four seasons, then I guess you can't live here. But there are cities in Oklahoma, Texas, Tennessee, Georgia, NC, SC that can all be described as having "four seasons." The winter is slightly shorter and the summers are slightly longer, but there are four distinct seasons.
It seems that you just have some animosity toward the South for whatever reason. And that's not an issue, there's no problem in disliking an area for any number of reasons, but it would be better if you presented specifics instead of generalizations.
OK, now you're just being silly. I have lived in several Southern cities. Nobody calls anybody a Yankee and I hardly meet anyone with a strong Southern accent. People have asked me why I don't have a Texan accent, and I tell them that I don't know anyone with a Texan accent, even though I lived in DFW for 17 years. Then you bring up the yankee thing. I have never heard anyone call a Northerner a yankee, especially in a large city. And if it's such a problem, then tell the person you're talking to not to call you that; I'm sure they won't be offended. Next you talk about the religion thing, which is another exaggeration. There are several people who live in the South that never go to church, and I rarely run into people who make a big deal out of their religion. You may see a lot of churches but nobody is going to run out and force you to go inside. Then the gay marriage thing. If you are LGBTQ, then I can understand why this is a problem. If you aren't, then I'm a little confused as to why this affects where you live. There are several people who live in the South that describe themselves as LGBTQ, and they seem to be fine. No one is attacking gay people for being gay in the South. Finally, the four seasons quip. If you absolutely need four seasons, then I guess you can't live here. But there are cities in Oklahoma, Texas, Tennessee, Georgia, NC, SC that can all be described as having "four seasons." The winter is slightly shorter and the summers are slightly longer, but there are four distinct seasons.
It seems that you just have some animosity toward the South for whatever reason. And that's not an issue, there's no problem in disliking an area for any number of reasons, but it would be better if you presented specifics instead of generalizations.
Baloney. I lived in Charlotte for a month and was called a yankee (for humorous purposes and joking) by a few people (they are my friends now). I mean, they weren't trying to offend me, but still....it feels weird to be labeled as something, simply due to geographical location.
And I am gay, so gay marriage does matter to me. I want to live in a community that believes that I should have the same basic human rights that straight people have. But with states like NC passing a ban on gay marriage recently, it only makes me feel like my lifestyle is condemned and not welcomed in NC. I know that many gays live in the South, but that's probably because of family ties or economics, or they just don't care about civil rights that much. Idk....to each their own.
I do prefer four seasons. But anything south of VA, in my opinion is not truly four seasons. The most distinct four seasons can be enjoyed between DC and Boston. I want a solid winter with a few good snow storms, and ultra hot, humid summers, such as when it reaches into the 100's with humidity in Connecticut.
Plus, I prefer the continental deciduous forest that exists north of the VA/NC border and beyond. South of that, it's just too many pine trees. But up here, we get lots of maples and oaks dominating the landscape, which I like.
I don't hate the South. It's just not quite my preference to live in. I mean, I'd live there if I had no choice, but that's not the case.
Baloney. I lived in Charlotte for a month and was called a yankee (for humorous purposes and joking) by a few people (they are my friends now). I mean, they weren't trying to offend me, but still....it feels weird to be labeled as something, simply due to geographical location.
And I am gay, so gay marriage does matter to me. I want to live in a community that believes that I should have the same basic human rights that straight people have. But with states like NC passing a ban on gay marriage recently, it only makes me feel like my lifestyle is condemned and not welcomed in NC. I know that many gays live in the South, but that's probably because of family ties or economics, or they just don't care about civil rights that much. Idk....to each their own.
I do prefer four seasons. But anything south of VA, in my opinion is not truly four seasons. The most distinct four seasons can be enjoyed between DC and Boston. I want a solid winter with a few good snow storms, and ultra hot, humid summers, such as when it reaches into the 100's with humidity in Connecticut.
Plus, I prefer the continental deciduous forest that exists north of the VA/NC border and beyond. South of that, it's just too many pine trees. But up here, we get lots of maples and oaks dominating the landscape, which I like.
I don't hate the South. It's just not quite my preference to live in. I mean, I'd live there if I had no choice, but that's not the case.
Hmm. To the people calling you a yankee, I don't know. That's strange. Maybe they have some subconscious inferiority complex with Northerners or something. People were surprised to find out I wasn't crazy when they learned I was from Texas.
If gay marriage is important then it should be a deciding factor. If I was LGBTQ, I would not live in many Southern cities. The one exception would be Atlanta. The city is making strides in terms of being more progressive, but the more conservative state of Georgia isn't gonna let things change any time soon.
As far as the main topic goes, there's definitely some misinformation being spread about cost of living vs. income levels in various U.S. regions. The Sunbelt will get more expensive as people continue to move there, and the jobs should improve over time. But I think the person who is moving from one finance job to another is only going to do so if they think that the new area is better for them. I think people are moving because of the weather and cost of living, but the jobs they are taking are relatively better than what they already have. Then you have people moving because cost of living is cheaper, and they are broke no matter what. At some point, the unemployment levels in the Sunbelt will probably reach a tipping point and people will probably start moving to other places.
Wow, way to make sweeping assumptions. I don't guess you've ever heard of Dallas, Houston, New Orleans, Charlotte, Knoxville, Nashville, Fort Worth...I could go on but surely you catch my drift.
In fact, for STEM jobs, the areas with the most opportunities and most job openings are, in order:
Louisville, KY ranked #22
Charlotte, NC ranked #15
Va Beach, VA ranked #12
Nashville, TN ranked #11
Raleigh, NC ranked #5
OKC, OK ranked #4
San Antonio, TX ranked #2
Austin, TX ranked #1 Top 25 Cities for Your Healthcare Career - AllHealthcare.com
Four of the top five are in the south!
Wow,only one in the northeast, and and four out of ten in the south.
Are these just jobs or combined income potential or GDP created? For example, I used to work at UnitedHealth Group, a $100B+ company based in the Twin Cities and they had a call center and same back office functions in San Antonio (I believe). If those are the healthcare jobs in San Antonio those would be far less favorable than some of the corporate office positions in the Twin Cities.
My point wasn't to highlight those two cities specifically, but to call to question what "jobs" are and whether or not most people would be happy working those jobs. I'm not saying that's the case in SA either, rather just providing an example that questions the validity of the report.
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