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I'm a 27 year old single man trying to figure out where to live. I'm a sailor (civilian, former military) and travel to wherever the ship is, thus I can live anywhere. My income is kind of fixed (base 70k, overtime available but never steady/dependable). I guess I'm looking for a fun place to live, that also has a relative low cost of living, since my income is fixed. I also understand that you get what you pay for, I don't want to live in the middle of nowhere Nebraska just because it's cheap. Thanks for your input!
With the amount of commercial boating on the Great Lakes, you could probably live in or near Buffalo or Cleveland, which are both relatively inexpensive, and have interesting cultural things to do.
Funny you mention that, I work oceans but recently got contacted for a Great Lakes job. I'm originally from Detroit, and I've thought about moving there. The only thing is the cost of living isn't all that great (average/above average) in places actually worth living in Detroit. Is Buffalo and Cleveland the same way? That being said, I've seen some great deals on places downtown and midtown in Detroit, and it didn't seem too bad last time I visited.
Go to Chicago. You're already accustomed to the Midwest and Chicago is obviously a hub so that you can fly out to either coast when needed in only a few hours if your Great Lakes job(s) don't last. Plenty of things to do, walkable neighborhoods, and with your income you can easily find a decent pad a nice part of that town.
If you're looking for a smaller city, I'd try Baltimore Md in the east, Oakland Ca in the west, and maybe New Orleans in the south. All obviously big shipping centers. All have very different vibes. But all have some really nice neighborhoods, despite their reps as nothing but "hood." I've been in all three, and yes, the nicer parts are more expensive, but for a single guy with your salary and no family they're eminently doable. And you get what you pay for. I suspect you could have a good time and a real life in any of these three.
And all of them are better choices than Detroit. Motown is, with apologies to the people from there who'll hate on me for saying it, one of THE most provincial places I've ever been. I think for someone who has been around the block more than a few times, like a seaman, it would prove utterly dismal and unlikable. Lived there for a while and yes, it's better than it was, but it's still got a long, long way to go.
Funny you mention that, I work oceans but recently got contacted for a Great Lakes job. I'm originally from Detroit, and I've thought about moving there. The only thing is the cost of living isn't all that great (average/above average) in places actually worth living in Detroit. Is Buffalo and Cleveland the same way? That being said, I've seen some great deals on places downtown and midtown in Detroit, and it didn't seem too bad last time I visited.
If that is your income, I'd think you would do fine in any of those cities/areas. In Buffalo, you could get a nice home in North Buffalo and just hop over to the Elmwood Village and Allentown for nightlife, if Hertel Avenue doesn't do it for you for the night.
Rochester NY is another city on a Great Lake that may work. Perhaps Grand Rapids, Toledo, parts of Northwestern Indiana and maybe Syracuse, if you don't mind smaller areas in/near the Great Lakes.
I've met some of the people who do Great Lakes boating and many of them only don't go into the ocean because they don't want to, but there are quite a number of jobs that go from the Lake Erie or Lake Ontario ports to Europe. Because of the oblate spheroidness of Earth, it is actually a shorter distance to go from northern Germany to Toledo than it is from northern Germany to Philadelphia or Baltimore. While the St. Lawrence Seaway isn't quite wide enough for the latest generation of cargo ships, there are many commodities that are sent on smaller ships that take advantage of the shorter distance.
Do you need to live near to where your jobs are...I thought you were saying you could live anywhere? What kinds of things do you want in a city besides being affordable on your income?
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