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Old 02-12-2018, 07:04 PM
 
Location: Bend, Oregon
6 posts, read 16,914 times
Reputation: 29

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I am a recent high school graduate looking to relocate to a large or midsized city ( 300k and up) and would like to know what US cities are good for a young male with a relatively loww income (mostly disgwasher and line cook jobs to this point). Inwould like to be able to rent my own bedroom for under $700 a month, which pretty muc disqualifies most major cities on the west coast, and I am lacking in knowledge in orher areas of the country. I currently live in Bend, Oregon, but it is too expensive and I don't particularly like it here. Would like to know any and all reccomendations people have. I am looking to move in the two years at the absolute latest. Let me know of any other information that would be of use to you.
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Old 02-12-2018, 07:35 PM
 
Location: OC
12,734 posts, read 9,383,353 times
Reputation: 10524
700 is a pretty tough amount. Maybe Oklahoma?
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Old 02-12-2018, 11:13 PM
 
6,615 posts, read 16,503,518 times
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Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Milwaukee, Cleveland. All Rust Belt with low rents. Pitts. looks to have the best economic prospects at this point. Lots of millenials have relocated there due to low COL and high amenities.
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Old 02-12-2018, 11:52 PM
 
Location: Louisville
5,253 posts, read 5,969,806 times
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Places Where Americans Live the Most Balanced Lifestyles

This article takes larger metro's and ranks them according to wages, cost of living, and other factors to say where more balanced lifestyles are lived. Metro's closer to the 1million mark, along with northern metro's seemed to be toward the top. Not sure if it's relavant but might be a good read for the OP.
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Old 02-13-2018, 10:02 AM
 
26,876 posts, read 43,362,269 times
Reputation: 31526
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dodge B View Post
I am a recent high school graduate looking to relocate to a large or midsized city ( 300k and up) and would like to know what US cities are good for a young male with a relatively loww income (mostly disgwasher and line cook jobs to this point). Inwould like to be able to rent my own bedroom for under $700 a month, which pretty muc disqualifies most major cities on the west coast, and I am lacking in knowledge in orher areas of the country. I currently live in Bend, Oregon, but it is too expensive and I don't particularly like it here. Would like to know any and all reccomendations people have. I am looking to move in the two years at the absolute latest. Let me know of any other information that would be of use to you.
Greensboro-Winston Salem NC would be my suggestion. Their populations separately are under 300K (285K and 250K respectively) but given they're 30 miles apart it seems (and is) a much larger experience. Your rental budget is quite feasible in both cities and gives you a decent non-scary place to live typically. The unemployment rate is fairly low (just above 4%) so jobs in restaurants especially are pretty numerous. It's a beautiful area with nice people and plenty to do and is also close to a lot of other cities/things to do with Raleigh-Durham an hour away, Charlotte 90 minutes away, about 90 minutes from the NC mountains and about three hours to the beach.
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Old 02-14-2018, 11:37 AM
 
Location: Erie, PA
3,696 posts, read 2,863,718 times
Reputation: 8742
Rochester, NY
Toledo, OH

Also many areas around the Detroit, MI area. Don't let the reputation scare you there are many neighborhoods that are safe with a lot to do for a younger person.

The suggestions about Buffalo, Pittsburgh, and Cleveland are also good ones. Those cities are affordable.

My city (Erie) is also affordable though the job market is not the most wonderful for growth.

If you are interested in the South, most places in Kentucky are affordable.

Iowa is also a reasonable place to live.

I'm personally biased towards the Syracuse-Rochester-Buffalo corridor...but there are a lot of lower cost living areas.

What are you looking for in terms of other amenities? Are there particular hobbies that you want to be close to? Beaches/mountains? Particular types of weather you like/want to avoid? Proximity to airports?
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Old 02-14-2018, 03:22 PM
 
Location: Bend, Oregon
6 posts, read 16,914 times
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There aren't many hobbies I have that can't be satisfied by really any urban-type environment. It seems like Buffalo is the best option so far, and I suppose I could adjust to the cold. I have no interest in airports, as I don't think I will be vacationing much, and I would prefer beaches to mountains. Any further reccomendations, or about specific low-rent neighborhoods in the cities/metro areas already mentioned, are very welcome
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Old 02-14-2018, 03:40 PM
 
Location: The Eastern Shore
4,466 posts, read 1,585,493 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dodge B View Post
There aren't many hobbies I have that can't be satisfied by really any urban-type environment. It seems like Buffalo is the best option so far, and I suppose I could adjust to the cold. I have no interest in airports, as I don't think I will be vacationing much, and I would prefer beaches to mountains. Any further reccomendations, or about specific low-rent neighborhoods in the cities/metro areas already mentioned, are very welcome
The Rust Belt cities would probably be the best bet. However, if you are interested in warmer weather, and proximity to beaches, the Mobile, AL area could be one you could check out. It doesn't quite meet your 300k+ population for the city, but has about 600k or so in the metro area, and about 1.2 million within 60 miles of the city. Puts you anywhere from a few minutes to an hour away from the beach, has very reasonable rent prices, and there is plenty to do nearby. You wouldn't have to "vacation", because you could just take off to the beach whenever you wanted. We have the casinos about an hour or so away in Biloxi, and New Orleans is only about 2 hours away as well.


Fair warning though, if you aren't familiar with the south, it may be a bit of a culture shock.
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Old 02-14-2018, 07:14 PM
 
Location: Arvada, CO
13,824 posts, read 29,795,501 times
Reputation: 14418
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dodge B View Post
I am a recent high school graduate looking to relocate to a large or midsized city ( 300k and up) and would like to know what US cities are good for a young male with a relatively loww income (mostly disgwasher and line cook jobs to this point). Inwould like to be able to rent my own bedroom for under $700 a month, which pretty muc disqualifies most major cities on the west coast, and I am lacking in knowledge in orher areas of the country. I currently live in Bend, Oregon, but it is too expensive and I don't particularly like it here. Would like to know any and all reccomendations people have. I am looking to move in the two years at the absolute latest. Let me know of any other information that would be of use to you.
Las Vegas and Phoenix come close to hitting that number. Spokane, Eugene, Medford. I second Toledo and Detroit. Most Midwestern, Southern, and Eastern cities not on the coast either hit that number or come close.
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Old 02-15-2018, 06:40 AM
 
26,876 posts, read 43,362,269 times
Reputation: 31526
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dodge B View Post
There aren't many hobbies I have that can't be satisfied by really any urban-type environment. It seems like Buffalo is the best option so far, and I suppose I could adjust to the cold. I have no interest in airports, as I don't think I will be vacationing much, and I would prefer beaches to mountains. Any further reccomendations, or about specific low-rent neighborhoods in the cities/metro areas already mentioned, are very welcome
Confused by the disconnects. https://www.rentcafe.com/average-ren...us/ny/buffalo/
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