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I am not as familiar with the COL in Jax but $1200 for an apartment in a decent area of St. Pete might be tought to find. I'm not sure Tampa and St. Pete have much to brag about for skylines, but as others have noted that should probably not be a make or break thing. I would also consider Tallahassee.
Thanks CrowGirl. Skyline is certainly no deal breaker. I'm more interested in the "urban core" the city has to offer. Specifically one that is walkable/bikeable with bars, restaurants, and shops. Also worth noting that I hate the business downtowns where everything is closed after 5pm.
Appreciate the thoughts. Maybe I should expand on a few points.
It's not so much that I can only afford what I stated above, but rather I am looking for an area with a lower COL. I checked out San Diego and liked the vibe but could not bring myself to accept the high COL (taxes, property, etc.). I'll be looking to purchase property (up to mid-200s) after I settle into a new area and get a sense of the neighborhood(s) I like best. I have a degree and career in finance/accounting so finding a job somewhere should not be overly difficult.
I'd be open to water access in general as I like to be near the water for outdoors activities, whether that be the sand and ocean or lakes/rivers for kayaking and boating.
Are you taking your job with you when you move? If not, consider Charlotte. I am in finance as well, and Charlotte is a major hub for banking. Bank of America, Wells Fargo and Citi all have a lot of operations there, with BoA actually headquartered there. Like Raleigh, it's a couple hours from the ocean and mountains. Myrtle Beach, Charleston, and Savannah are short drives for a weekend vacation. Charlotte isn't currently as hip as Raleigh, but who cares. It's still growing. Plus, there's tons of houses in your price range in Charlotte and its suburbs.
Jax and Downtown St Pete are both places that I've been looking into. They seem to fit the bill, and the no state income tax aspect of living in Florida is appealing. Do you have an idea of some of the similarities/differences of the two?
I'm not extremely familiar with St Pete. I've probably been there less than 10 times total and just very superficially. It strikes me as a much more international and diverse area (although I'm also including Tampa metro as a whole in my perception) than Jax.
I saw some of the other things you wrote and I must warn you, Jax's downtown absolutely is a 9-5 downtown. The saving grace for Jax is there are many neighborhoods in the urban core near downtown that are all in various stages of walkability/vibrancy/density but all are trending up and before long there will be a handful that I'd actually classify as vibrant (on a very low-level lol). Downtown itself is seeing marked improvement and in a few years could also shed the 9-5 label, but it's still waaay down the list tbh.
ryanfze55: Are you taking your job with you when you move? If not, consider Charlotte. I am in finance as well, and Charlotte is a major hub for banking. Bank of America, Wells Fargo and Citi all have a lot of operations there, with BoA actually headquartered there. Like Raleigh, it's a couple hours from the ocean and mountains. Myrtle Beach, Charleston, and Savannah are short drives for a weekend vacation. Charlotte isn't currently as hip as Raleigh, but who cares. It's still growing. Plus, there's tons of houses in your price range in Charlotte and its suburbs.
I will not be taking my job with me, so I will definitely need to be in a city where I can secure a finance/accounting position. I visited Charlotte earlier this year. I liked that it wasn't overwhelming yet had a solid urban feel. While its location is great for weekend getaways (which I do enjoy), I'd rather have almost instant access to either the ocean or the mountains.
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projectmaximus: Jax's downtown absolutely is a 9-5 downtown. The saving grace for Jax is there are many neighborhoods in the urban core near downtown that are all in various stages of walkability/vibrancy/density but all are trending up and before long there will be a handful that I'd actually classify as vibrant (on a very low-level lol). Downtown itself is seeing marked improvement and in a few years could also shed the 9-5 label, but it's still waaay down the list tbh.
From some research it seems like Riverside, San Marco, or maybe Springfield would be my target neighborhoods. How would you define the vibrancy you are mentioning? I am relocating from a rural, farm town surrounded area with very, very little as far as amenities and no sort of walkability lol.
And I do like the thought of being in a city that is "up and coming". I plan to start investing in some buy and hold rental properties and the option to invest in some area(s) that have not quite met their potential yet would be great.
Charleston, SC is a GREAT option if you don't mind a little less skyline, it fits the rest of your criteria in spades
Raleigh, NC is good for you as well, but further from the beach
Wilmington, NC might be worth a look, but it would be smaller than the other cities
Virginia Beach, VA fits the bill well except it would be snobbier than the other places
Baltimore, MD if you can take a little bit more winter than the southern cities
So, none of them are going to be perfect, but from your description I think you'd be happy with any of those. I would suggest rolling the dice. Apply to jobs in those five cities and just go wherever you're hired. Good luck!
[quote=ralphboogie;48787104]I will not be taking my job with me, so I will definitely need to be in a city where I can secure a finance/accounting position. I visited Charlotte earlier this year. I liked that it wasn't overwhelming yet had a solid urban feel. While its location is great for weekend getaways (which I do enjoy), I'd rather have almost instant access to either the ocean or the mountains.
I can respect this, but please know that meeting your demands is going to be very tough. You want a place that is affordable, has a strong job market in your field, and right next to the ocean or mountains. Generally, you'll have to settle for two of the three. To me, career, affordability, and safety always come first. Those are needs. Everything else (weather, beach, mountains) is a desire. Look into Salt Lake City. It's safe, in the mountains, and is still fairly affordable. Goldman Sachs has a large base there, as do some other firms. The only issue is that SLC will be cold in the winter. Again, it's going to be very difficult to meet all of your demands without fail, and anybody else will tell you the same if they are being honest. They won't take career into consideration. You can get a job anywhere, but you want a CAREER. Ideally, you will be able to work at a large corporation where you can work your way up rather than just working at a local bank or CPA firm. If you are looking to put down roots (buy a house), go somewhere that will support you for life. Somebody suggested Charleston. That's great--it's on the ocean, it's charming, safe, and affordable. But where are you going to work?
Charleston, SC is a GREAT option if you don't mind a little less skyline, it fits the rest of your criteria in spades
Raleigh, NC is good for you as well, but further from the beach
Wilmington, NC might be worth a look, but it would be smaller than the other cities
Virginia Beach, VA fits the bill well except it would be snobbier than the other places
Baltimore, MD if you can take a little bit more winter than the southern cities
So, none of them are going to be perfect, but from your description I think you'd be happy with any of those. I would suggest rolling the dice. Apply to jobs in those five cities and just go wherever you're hired. Good luck!
The Charleston suggestion is definitely one I have considered. It ticks a lot of the boxes when it comes to what I'm looking for. I love the historic aspects, proximity to the ocean, and the food, but I feel as though it may be too touristy for me and is more expensive than it seems. Can you speak to those pieces? Is it easy enough to avoid the tourist traps or are they essentially all the action that Charleston has to offer?
@ryanfze55 - agree 100% with your points. I will certainly need to compromise to find a suitable place for my move. One clarification on the job side is that I am in currently in an FP&A type role with a manufacturing company rather than in the finance/accounting industry. I'd have to say that affordability is probably my #1 criteria. First few years out of college were focused on eliminating debt, and I'm now in the "wealth building" stage. Sooner I can grow my passive income streams to exit the rat race the better
I can respect this, but please know that meeting your demands is going to be very tough. You want a place that is affordable, has a strong job market in your field, and right next to the ocean or mountains. Generally, you'll have to settle for two of the three. To me, career, affordability, and safety always come first. Those are needs. Everything else (weather, beach, mountains) is a desire. Look into Salt Lake City. It's safe, in the mountains, and is still fairly affordable. Goldman Sachs has a large base there, as do some other firms. The only issue is that SLC will be cold in the winter. Again, it's going to be very difficult to meet all of your demands without fail, and anybody else will tell you the same if they are being honest. They won't take career into consideration. You can get a job anywhere, but you want a CAREER. Ideally, you will be able to work at a large corporation where you can work your way up rather than just working at a local bank or CPA firm. If you are looking to put down roots (buy a house), go somewhere that will support you for life. Somebody suggested Charleston. That's great--it's on the ocean, it's charming, safe, and affordable. But where are you going to work?
Because no one in Charleston has a career? There's more to life than work. It should be a factor, but not the most important factor. To me, mental and physical health are far more important to my overall well being than moving up the corporate ladder.
The Charleston suggestion is definitely one I have considered. It ticks a lot of the boxes when it comes to what I'm looking for. I love the historic aspects, proximity to the ocean, and the food, but I feel as though it may be too touristy for me and is more expensive than it seems. Can you speak to those pieces? Is it easy enough to avoid the tourist traps or are they essentially all the action that Charleston has to offer?
@ryanfze55 - agree 100% with your points. I will certainly need to compromise to find a suitable place for my move. One clarification on the job side is that I am in currently in an FP&A type role with a manufacturing company rather than in the finance/accounting industry. I'd have to say that affordability is probably my #1 criteria. First few years out of college were focused on eliminating debt, and I'm now in the "wealth building" stage. Sooner I can grow my passive income streams to exit the rat race the better
That helps then. Every medium and large firm has financial analysts, budget analysts, etc. That definitely widens your scope, and you could consider a place like Jacksonville, Tampa/Saint Pete, Charleston, Virginia Beach, maybe even Chattanooga or Knoxville (right in the Appalachians... not my places, but you may differ). I would narrow in on the Southeast; the Northeast and West Coast are too expensive. The Southeast is warm. It has some dangerous major cities, but you will be fine if you avoid the hotspots. Assuming you aren't turned off by the conservative politics and Evangelism, the Southeast sounds like the place for you.
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