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Great public transportation that is not too expensive for a monthly pass.
Many jobs that don't require a college degree.
Apartments under $1,300 a month.
The ocean touches one of the states borders (I don't want to be land locked!)
The cost of living is A LOT cheaper than places like New York City and San Francisco.
If you can let go of the idea of an ocean and settle for a Great Lake you'll broaden your potential landing sites easily. Chicago, Cleveland, Buffalo, Rochester, Detroit, and many others all become possibilities.
And believe me, if you've never seen the Great Lakes from one of these cities, you'd be hard pressed to know that they were NOT oceans. It's not like some river or lake you can see across to the other side.
If you can let go of the idea of an ocean and settle for a Great Lake you'll broaden your potential landing sites easily. Chicago, Cleveland, Buffalo, Rochester, Detroit, and many others all become possibilities.
And believe me, if you've never seen the Great Lakes from one of these cities, you'd be hard pressed to know that they were NOT oceans. It's not like some river or lake you can see across to the other side.
I don't HAVE to be near an ocean. It'd just be nice. But good transit is a must. And it has to be a big city for me to co sider. I hate small towns. They're for old people (no offense to any old people). Rural areas are great for old people to retire in (if they can drive a vehicle that is, otherwise you may need to go to a nursing home, because chances are you have trouble with taking care of yourself too).
Twin Cities? Great jobs (unemployment rate is 4.3). Great transit system. Great Lakes are up north. COL is pretty decent...daycare is expensive, though.
I'm not sure any have a great job market for those without college degrees - not unless you have a background in hospitality or something like that. But the Sun Belt is the only part of the country with strong blue-collar job growth in the cities, and mass transit there sucks.
I'm not sure any have a great job market for those without college degrees - not unless you have a background in hospitality or something like that. But the Sun Belt is the only part of the country with strong blue-collar job growth in the cities, and mass transit there sucks.
Do Chicago, Philadelphia, and Baltimore all have good public transportation? And apartments under $1,300 a month?
Based on what you're looking for, you should move to Chicago and call it a day. Rent is manageable (for a city it's size); public transportation is excellent; you're more likely to find a job without a degree there than many other metros; the lakefront is better than many ocean side cities. Do some research. The only real downside is you're going freeze your nuts off in the winter.
Based on what you're looking for, you should move to Chicago and call it a day. Rent is manageable (for a city it's size); public transportation is excellent; you're more likely to find a job without a degree there than many other metros; the lakefront is better than many ocean side cities. Do some research. The only real downside is you're going freeze your nuts off in the winter.
No way! I was HIGHLY considering there. Does it actually snow there in the winter! I'd love to have snow on Christmas! Christmas without snow just feels less like Christmas! I'm willing to deal with freezing cold winters, that's what snow coats are for.
Great public transportation that is not too expensive for a monthly pass.
Many jobs that don't require a college degree.
Apartments under $1,300 a month.
The ocean touches one of the states borders (I don't want to be land locked!)
The cost of living is A LOT cheaper than places like New York City and San Francisco.
It sounds to me like Philadelphia comes the closest to meeting your criteria. It is a 1-hour drive to the Atlantic ocean and has the lowest COL of the major east coast cities. I actually think Philadelphia is quite a bargain for what you get.
Alternatively, Chicago would be excellent if you're okay with a great lake.
Do Chicago, Philadelphia, and Baltimore all have good public transportation? And apartments under $1,300 a month?
They all have among the best public transit in the country (Baltimore's being slightly less good). As to housing costs, you could spend way more than that to be in a hipster neighborhood, but all of them have rents in that range in non-ghetto neighborhoods.
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