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Hello everyone. First off, I'll explain who I am and then go into my story. Single female Christian, 40s, healthy, active gym member, and no baggage. I have lived in South Florida since 2009. I need to move out of South Florida because the job market is the worst in the nation with respect to low wages! You really can't make it here on $15/hr, and that's IF you're even lucky enough to find the few jobs that pay that much. I have a Bachelor's degree with advanced computer skills (Word, Excel, Outlook) and seven years of legal secretarial experience (but I don't have Florida personal injury or litigation experience which is mainly all they have down here). I also have excellent typing skills. I signed up with several temp agencies in South Florida with very few calls if any. So different from any OTHER state I've experienced. It's tragic! Even the rents are getting crazy expensive! Unless you're okay with commuting an hour each way to work so you can have that lower rent you desire, something's got to give. It's insane! I really want to leave the state! I'm just not sure as to where and I really don't want to make a poor decision. I want to make a wise decision based on all the facts.
I'm thinking about Phoenix. Looks really nice. I love the desert climate and the low cost of living. I also like Raleigh-Durham, NC or Charlotte, NC, but both places appear to be bedroom cookie cutter "family" settings and "college" towns from what I've researched. Might be a bad choice for a single woman in my age bracket.
Chicago sounded good for older singles, but I don't think I can handle the brutal winters.
I wanted to originally go to Vegas, but I think the high crime, high cost of living and the lack of jobs are big deterrents for me not to move there.
Ideally, I'd like to find a 9-5 office job working as an admin assistant or legal secretary.
South Florida is a very difficult town to make ends meet. If you're okay with welfare assistance then you may be fine, but I want to make a decent wage and be living in an area that has a low cost of living. There is no point in moving to an expensive city just to have the cost of living eat up every dollar you make.
Faith is very important to me. I want to be in a location where I can meet other like-minded Christians who are serious about their faith.
So I'd really like to hear from other single 40 something Christian women who have relocated recently. Where did you move to? Do you have any REGRETS? What did you learn about relocating to another area? Was it difficult or the best decision you ever made?
I think it's way easier to relocate when you're in the 20s/30s set. Jobs and relationships come easier, but when you get older, it's not that easy. I know that there has to be other women who have been on a similar journey. I would love to hear about your relocation experience, the good and the bad, so I can learn from you. At this point in my life, I'm not even sure moving would be worth it, but I know with faith, God will provide a way. Maybe I should just get one of those $10/hr jobs locally and seek public assistance. I kind of have that "it's the same everywhere you go so why bother" mentality at the moment.
For what it's worth, I've lived in the DC area (94-00) and NYC(00-06) area for about six years each. I find those areas are great IF you have a lot of money and you're a SNOB and PROUD of it.....DC equals status and wealth from my personal experience. Even the Christians in DC are incredibly SNOBBY and very into what they have and what they do more than their love for Christ from what I witnessed. I mean who cares if you have cherry wood furniture? Seriously? I've also lived in San Diego and Irvine, CA (06-09) and it was incredibly expensive there too and very difficult to find work even as a temp. I don't even want to consider areas that have a high cost of living. It's just asking for hardship socially and economically!
I'm originally from the Northeast, and I really don't want to go back up there. I hate winters and my desire is for a warmer climate. I spent the first 12 years of my life dealing with cold winters.
I'm a simple girl with simple tastes so do you think Phoenix would be a good choice? I shop at Walmart and Ross and I'm not ashamed of that. I love the outdoors! I want to go where it's peaceful, sunny and somewhere I can enjoy the simple life in a safe area and not worry about making ends meet. I wouldn't call myself a redneck type. I don't like tats and piercings and I'm very conservative and on the modest side and would love to meet like minded people. So is there a state OTHER than Florida that you could recommend where the cost of living is low and there are lots of jobs? Thank you for your time.
Hello everyone. First off, I'll explain who I am and then go into my story. Single female Christian, 40s, healthy, active gym member, and no baggage. I have lived in South Florida since 2009. I need to move out of South Florida because the job market is the worst in the nation with respect to low wages! You really can't make it here on $15/hr, and that's IF you're even lucky enough to find the few jobs that pay that much. I have a Bachelor's degree with advanced computer skills (Word, Excel, Outlook) and seven years of legal secretarial experience (but I don't have Florida personal injury or litigation experience which is mainly all they have down here). I also have excellent typing skills. I signed up with several temp agencies in South Florida with very few calls if any. So different from any OTHER state I've experienced. It's tragic! Even the rents are getting crazy expensive! Unless you're okay with commuting an hour each way to work so you can have that lower rent you desire, something's got to give. It's insane! I really want to leave the state! I'm just not sure as to where and I really don't want to make a poor decision. I want to make a wise decision based on all the facts.
I'm thinking about Phoenix. Looks really nice. I love the desert climate and the low cost of living. I also like Raleigh-Durham, NC or Charlotte, NC, but both places appear to be bedroom cookie cutter "family" settings and "college" towns from what I've researched. Might be a bad choice for a single woman in my age bracket.
Chicago sounded good for older singles, but I don't think I can handle the brutal winters.
I wanted to originally go to Vegas, but I think the high crime, high cost of living and the lack of jobs are big deterrents for me not to move there.
Ideally, I'd like to find a 9-5 office job working as an admin assistant or legal secretary.
South Florida is a very difficult town to make ends meet. If you're okay with welfare assistance then you may be fine, but I want to make a decent wage and be living in an area that has a low cost of living. There is no point in moving to an expensive city just to have the cost of living eat up every dollar you make.
Faith is very important to me. I want to be in a location where I can meet other like-minded Christians who are serious about their faith.
So I'd really like to hear from other single 40 something Christian women who have relocated recently. Where did you move to? Do you have any REGRETS? What did you learn about relocating to another area? Was it difficult or the best decision you ever made?
I think it's way easier to relocate when you're in the 20s/30s set. Jobs and relationships come easier, but when you get older, it's not that easy. I know that there has to be other women who have been on a similar journey. I would love to hear about your relocation experience, the good and the bad, so I can learn from you. At this point in my life, I'm not even sure moving would be worth it, but I know with faith, God will provide a way. Maybe I should just get one of those $10/hr jobs locally and seek public assistance. I kind of have that "it's the same everywhere you go so why bother" mentality at the moment.
For what it's worth, I've lived in the DC area (94-00) and NYC(00-06) area for about six years each. I find those areas are great IF you have a lot of money and you're a SNOB and PROUD of it.....DC equals status and wealth from my personal experience. Even the Christians in DC are incredibly SNOBBY and very into what they have and what they do more than their love for Christ from what I witnessed. I mean who cares if you have cherry wood furniture? Seriously? I've also lived in San Diego and Irvine, CA (06-09) and it was incredibly expensive there too and very difficult to find work even as a temp. I don't even want to consider areas that have a high cost of living. It's just asking for hardship socially and economically!
I'm originally from the Northeast, and I really don't want to go back up there. I hate winters and my desire is for a warmer climate. I spent the first 12 years of my life dealing with cold winters.
I'm a simple girl with simple tastes so do you think Phoenix would be a good choice? I shop at Walmart and Ross and I'm not ashamed of that. I love the outdoors! I want to go where it's peaceful, sunny and somewhere I can enjoy the simple life in a safe area and not worry about making ends meet. I wouldn't call myself a redneck type. I don't like tats and piercings and I'm very conservative and on the modest side and would love to meet like minded people. So is there a state OTHER than Florida that you could recommend where the cost of living is low and there are lots of jobs? Thank you for your time.
Full disclosure: I am not a woman, nor a Christian.
Now, with that out of the way, there are a good deal of places in the south that would seem to fit. My current area, Mobile, AL, would certainly fit. Cheap COL, plenty of like minded individuals, job market is doing very well, and you would still be near the beach, assuming you like that about Florida. I currently live in Loxley, just across the bay from Mobile, and homes are cheap. It would also allow you to live the simple life in a safe area. Even if commuting to Mobile, you would only be looking at a 30-40 minute drive during peak hours, depending on where in the city you were working. People are very laid back and making friends is easy. Seems like a fit for you.
You could also look at places like Nashville, but it may be getting to "hipster" at the moment. You could check out the Winston-Salem/Greensboro area of NC. MY wife was born and raised there, and it certainly hits most of your requirements. Places like Huntsville (May be too cookie cutter if Charlotte and Raleigh are) and Chattanooga may be worth looking into as well.
You seem to be giving off mixed signals though... You are a very conservative, modest Christian who dislikes things like tattoos and piercings, but you have lived in NYC, DC, South FL, San Diego, and Irvine, and you were looking at places like Vegas and Raleigh..... It just doesn't jive with what you are telling us you are and want. Just pointing that out.
At any rate, you can find plenty of places that would fit what you are asking for right here in the south.
Thank you for the ideas. It is greatly appreciated.
Sorry if I gave off mixed signals about my locations. I lived in NYC/DC/Southern California in my 20s/30s thinking that I could easily find secure work along with a big and exciting diverse population. I did find people like myself BUT it was so expensive to live in those areas, you barely could get by after you paid your rent/food/utilities. I was wrong to move to those "locations", and speaking from experience, if I could do it all over again, I'd NEVER be anywhere "near" those cities, but we all make mistakes and have regrets. I'm currently in South Florida because my family is here. I wanted to be close to family, but now I need to fly because as much as my family is important to me, I must work and this is the most difficult place I have ever lived to find work. I have found that other people have said the same thing about South Florida.
I had previously liked the "idea" of Vegas because it has a low cost of living. There is plenty to do there in the way of activities and hiking clubs. The people I've met there (the locals) when I visited last year were very kind and friendly, much more so than South Florida, and Vegas has lots of shows and entertainment. I think it had an exciting air about it. Sin City is not all about sin. There are lots of other people who live there who don't really care at all about the strip. And Vegas has a huge number of churches, but when you scratch the surface, sin city has high crime, many people looking for work in desperate situations and I've read stories of people who live there and felt trapped there. That doesn't sound very good at all so I backed off and decided against it.
I have never been to Raleigh-Durham so I don't know very much about the area and it's culture. I read a recent study that said the cost of living is low there, the jobs pay well and there are a lot of job openings at the moment. But I confess I don't know much about the overall culture and whether I'd be a good fit there.
The main reason I came to this board is to try to find a location that fits my personality and way of life and would allow me to find a good paying job in order to make ends meet. The best part of getting older is the wisdom you acquire from learning through trial and error. I was a fool in the past making hasty decisions about where I would live based on whether friends or family lived in a certain location, or whether it was a popular destination, but now I feel I have the wisdom to ask questions, seek guidance and plan out my next move with much more thought and consideration.
Last edited by MissMouse111; 08-19-2016 at 04:41 PM..
If you were considering Las Vegas and the weather doesn't impact you much then Phoenix might be a good choice.
Phoenix has a much better economy for type of jobs you seem to be interested in then Las Vegas which you were mentioning.
Phoenix is full of financial, legal and business firms that I would venture to guess need lots of administrative assistants.
Rents are between 700-800 dollars for a decent apartment in a decent neighborhood.
There are some terrible areas in Phoenix, but it is such a massive metropolitan area that the terrible areas are easily avoided.
The only thing about Phoenix is it the fact it is a very, very married and family-oriented metropolitan area.
I would not recommend Las Vegas. I don't know if you have been there but it is a very dysfunctional city with an extremely high violent crime rate. The bad areas are very spread out in Las Vegas.
Las Vegas was a very, very stressful city to me personally. The economy for over 2 million people is extremely concentrated in construction and leisure and hospitality.
Thank you for the insight. It is good to know. It makes me think twice about Phoenix. I thought there would be a vibrant single population in Phoenix in the 40s/50s range. Maybe not.
Thank you for the insight. It is good to know. It makes me think twice about Phoenix. I thought there would be a vibrant single population in Phoenix in the 40s/50s range. Maybe not.
There is a more vibrant single population than what Lovecrowds said. We have family friends who are in the 50s and are single and seem to be going on a date every other week. In Phoenix it depends where you live, granted families occupy 60 percent of all homes in Phoenix. If you live in the far-out suburbs like Gilbert or Chandler, it will be more family orientated. If you live in central Scottsdale, Phoenix proper, Tempe, ect. there will be plenty of single people. The Phoenix metro has over 4 million people, I'm sure you will find plenty of single people your age lol. Again, I'm not a woman nor am I in my 40s nor am I a super devout Christian so take what I say with a grain of salt.
There is a more vibrant single population than what Lovecrowds said. We have family friends who are in the 50s and are single and seem to be going on a date every other week. In Phoenix it depends where you live, granted families occupy 60 percent of all homes in Phoenix. If you live in the far-out suburbs like Gilbert or Chandler, it will be more family orientated. If you live in central Scottsdale, Phoenix proper, Tempe, ect. there will be plenty of single people. The Phoenix metro has over 4 million people, I'm sure you will find plenty of single people your age lol. Again, I'm not a woman nor am I in my 40s nor am I a super devout Christian so take what I say with a grain of salt.
Thank you. LOL I currently live in a bedroom community that is peaceful and calm, BUT I have to travel at least a half hour away for any kind of nightlife and it takes almost an an hour to get down south to Jupiter/Palm Beach Gardens. When I go to church, it's all FAMILY. Singles stick out like sore thumbs. I think a bigger demographic would allow me to feel at home with others who are in the same boat. Mind you the bulk of people in this bedroom community (which has cheap condo rentals) are young families and snowbirds. Most of the area is like that. There is nothing wrong with it, but you can kind of feel on the OUTSIDE after seven years when you know that there are bigger metro areas that would suit you better and have jobs jobs jobs!!! Hope that makes sense. I want to thrive and explore while I still can!
One other thing, I am taller than average. I find that wherever I go I'm the tallest person with heels. I'm almost 5'9" I'd like a city if possible that has other TALL people. I'm always going to functions, etc. and being the ONE TALL lady. It is what it is.
I was supposed to leave South Florida last October, but mom needed me. She has six other children, but she claims they are too busy with their lives to help her and she has one living with her, but he can't drive her to certain places. Now I just can't wait any longer. I have to find WORK! I need a life! I feel so GUILTY inside so this move will be difficult for me. Friends and family expect me to stay here indefinitely. Weeks turn into months and months then turn into years...
Yeah Vegas is an armpit. Not the worst armpit out here (I mean there are a lot of armpits out here) but like others say Vegas has a huge amount of problems on its own. I'd argue if you want the Southwest lifestyle Vegas is one of the last places one should be looking.
Phoenix has a lot of young people despite Arizona's reputation of having a lot of retirees (something Florida shares with us along with gun laws) but the young and single people are pretty centralized to the Tempe/Old Town Scottsdale area.
I'm a single woman but I'm younger than you, as far as the dating scene goes I have found single 40s men here (I wouldn't date them though because they are much older than me, I'm just mentioning because they do exist, usually divorced and have kids though). Men seem to be on the short side. I am 5'8" so I am close to your height and with heels a lot of guys are shorter than me and quite a bit are my height in heels (so about 6 foot even). The tall ones (6 foot plus) are kind of rare if that's what you are into, I would know since I have that problem. Guys out here seem to have an inferiority complex with tall women though you can find exceptions to that. Most women are short out here, I'd argue around 5'2 or so.
I'm not a Christian, you'll find here that religion as a whole is a very personal thing and isn't so... Publicized (I think that's the word I'm looking for)? Religion is sort of a "no-no" topic and you'll find most people don't engage in religious behaviors (like thanking God before eating, going to church every week, etc.) even if they say they are Christian. Again I'm very irreligious, but I'd take a gander that churches here are very family-oriented as well.
I think Phoenix may be a good fit for you. I agree with the others that you should look towards the Scottsdale, Tempe, and Phoenix proper areas and not the far out suburbs. If none of those intrigue you or you need a suburb on the West side I suggest Glendale (but after those areas). I suggest posting in the Phoenix subforum to hear more specific information. I can't comment on your job field out here or anything like that while I'm sure someone out there can. In fact a regular poster in the Arizona forums is an attorney, so again you'll attract more Arizona posters if you post there.
I'd stay around the south, like east Texas, or certainly check out booming Nashville
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I currently live in a bedroom community that is peaceful and calm, BUT I have to travel at least a half hour away for any kind of nightlife and it takes almost an an hour to get down south to Jupiter/Palm Beach Gardens. When I go to church, it's all FAMILY. Singles stick out like sore thumbs. I think a bigger demographic would allow me to feel at home with others who are in the same boat. Mind you the bulk of people in this bedroom community (which has cheap condo rentals) are young families and snowbirds. Most of the area is like that. There is nothing wrong with it, but you can kind of feel on the OUTSIDE after seven years when you know that there are bigger metro areas that would suit you better and have jobs jobs jobs!!! Hope that makes sense. I want to thrive and explore while I still can!
