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1- Affordable especially in rentals and utilities ( can pay $ 1000 for 1 BR apart or $ 1500 for 2 br house)
2- Have a strong Job market in general ( if useful i am Supply Chain Buyer of aircraft parts )
3- Mild winters , not much snow or cold ( for me NYC winter is harsh ) and not too humid summers
4- Have a reasonable public transit ( do not have to be like NYC but just an efficient one )
5- Safe in general where i can walk even in nights to stores
6- have to be either bike friendly or reasonably walkable
7- Tolerant place for Muslim family coming from the middle east
Yeah I would agree with the other poster above me some options that are great in other categories are pretty expensive or vice versa... Take San Francisco for an example. Lots of transit, pretty walkable, is a safe city... but it's not cheap.
On the other hand Phoenix, which has your rental prices in areas without a crazy commute in good neighborhoods, is not walkable (I mean, unless you want to walk at least a mile or two each way. It is safe though) or has good public transit. Actually, if you live by the Light Rail, that could be a good comprise. Some places near the light rail have densified here in Phoenix, and would work.
Actually, depending on where you look, LA might work out, but you would have to raise your prices slightly maybe. I believe Huntington Beach has similar prices to that for apartments, but if you want a house... And I don't know how transit is in Huntington Beach, either. When I was there last time, I saw none of it, but I'm sure there's stops nearby or something. And if your job is far from HB, forget about it, traffic in LA is insane. The IE would probably be another option, like I said, if the transit is well. Maybe an LA citizen could comment on that.
The only city I can think of that would even come close would be Pittsburgh, but it's probably too cold for you.
As you probably well know, the cities in the Sunbelt evolved in such a way that they relied on the automobile as opposed to public transit. Warm weather cities, as a whole, tend to have crappy transit. There are a ton of reasons for that, but that's how it is.
And if Seattle is on the table (which, by the way, may be too expensive for you), frankly, I'd implore you to look at Pittsburgh first. It is much cheaper there than the Seattle area.
The areas in the US with the lowest levels of unemployment are in the Mountain West and the Dakotas.
A Midwestern city might work for you. Somebody suggested Pittsburgh, that sounds pretty good. Or St. Louis, that could work too. (Who would I be to not bring up the hometown?)
Seattle proper has an unemployment rate around 5%. So that is not the issue.
The issue is the cost of rent. You're not getting into a 1 bedroom in a good neighborhood in Seattle for less than $1200, and even that number is low. The average cost of buying a home in King County, by the way, is well over $400k and climbing.
1) Davis, CA - Educated, tolerant, good economy, beautiful weather, excellent biking, safe. May be a little pricey.
2) Tacoma, WA - Everything you mentioned besides public transportation. Some parts have crime, but it's not that bad.
3) Raleigh-Durham, NC - Excellent economy and weather. Low cost of living. Though tolerant, it's still the South.
4) Fort Collins, CO - Almost perfect, but may be a little cold in the winter for your taste.
5) Philadelphia, PA - Best value for the money on the East Coast, but it's still not cheap. Though warmer than NYC, it's still a bit chilly. Crime may also be an issue. Though, Philly is very tolerant to Muslims. Niqab is common.
Aforementioned St Louis and Pittsburgh are two of the more walkable, reasonably-priced cities with fair transit options. In the south I think you have a few possibilities as well.
Dallas has a surprisingly decent transit system and tons of walkable neighborhoods (although many aren't always easily accessed by transit unfortunately) It has a good job market and low COL, although to be where you want to be you might be pushed a little bit out of your rental price range. Atlanta also has a strong economy and lots of walkable neighborhoods with decent transit, although the metro itself is very sprawling. Similar to Dallas in that the nicer areas might be a bit over your stated rental budget. Charlotte seems to fit well also although I haven't spent enough time there personally to vouch for it.
The south is the south...you might encounter some intolerance of your religion but on the whole you should be ok in these cities.
^^^ I agree, not sure how/why everyone has overlooked Atlanta so far. It fulfills all of the OP's criteria pretty much. Check out Dunwoody or Sandy Springs which have a MARTA rail station and decent bus coverage as well. It's a quite diverse area and is fairly safe with very good schools as well. Apartments fall well into the OP's price range and well-kept smaller older homes in established neighborhoods rent for $1300-$1400 per month.
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