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Hi,
As the title says, I'm in IT and wife is in healthcare, would like to move some place where weather is mild (no harsh winters like NY or Boston), schools are excellent, house prices are affordable.
Is California the place to be? I keep hearing about the amazing weather but then cost of living puts off lot of people...maybe there're areas of the state that are a good compromise?
How about TX? Florida? Newer houses, but reasonable prices.
NC? SC? Weather still cold but is it better than New England?
Let's figure this out and I will participate in the discussion. Thank you for your time and hoping to learn from you all!
Little bit about ourselves: We are first generation immigrants, late thirties, early forties, professional education have young kids (primary and middle school age) and can move to pretty much any State provided it's the best place to raise a family and for future career prospects etc. Have lived in the Northeast for a long time and have had our share of the snow, ready to move on to greener pastures.
PS: If there're experienced wise men/women in here who know thins kind of information, hidden secrets passed down from one generation to the next :-), spill some beans for us who are ready to learn from your experience and knowledge.
Well, your English is excellent for a first generation immigrant, which makes me think you are either from an English-speaking country or are very well-educated in the language.
California is good for IT but without a budget, it’s hard to tell if it’s a good fit. Many IT folks have emigrated from California to Washington because salaries are comparable, but housing is about half the cost of the Bay Area, apples to apples, and no state income tax. We have an oceanic climate which has cool, rainy winters but little snowfall. We have weeks on end of gloomy weather in the late fall, winter, and spring months but have amazing summers when there isn’t smoke blowing down from Canada. Robust tech industry, endless outdoor opportunities, mediocre food scene, somewhat diverse. Traffic is horrible in Seattle.
Look to suburban DC, where the IT and health care job prospects will be good, so will most of the schools, winters much milder than NYC/Boston, and lots of housing at more affordable prices (for two white collar professionals) in many parts of Virginia and Maryland. Your housing budget will determine where in particular you live of course. Lots of choices around DC.
What do you consider affordable? If the major metros of California are in your price range then most of the country is your oyster.
Denver's gotten expensive, but it's still cheaper than the major metros of the west coast. Has a longer snow season, but milder winters than the northeast. It's good for both IT and healthcare.
FWIW, I wouldn't call Texas's weather mild by any stretch (at least not the eastern half of the state). You'd be trading crap winters for long and equally crappy summers. Highs in the 90s with occasional temps above 100, and lows in the 70s with humidity ranging from moderate to oppressive are the norm. Dallas, Austin, and San Antonio all have 90+ degree average temps for nearly 1/4 of the year. Houston is slightly cooler, but more humid.
Hi,
As the title says, I'm in IT and wife is in healthcare, would like to move some place where weather is mild (no harsh winters like NY or Boston), schools are excellent, house prices are affordable.
I would recommend someplace more halfway than the usual relocation to FL or TX that many from the Northeast jump at to escape winter. While warm winters may seem nice consider the brutal eight months of heat and humidity that constitutes "summer". I would recommend if seeking a place with thriving employment sectors for your jobs, excellent schools and more affordable housing the cities of Chapel Hill-Carrboro in North Carolina. They are within a thirty minute commute of the IT hub in Research Triangle Park between Durham and Raleigh plus in close proximity to the University of North Carolina Hospitals and less than thirty minutes to Duke University Medical Center or Duke Regional Hospital. Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools are the top-ranked school district in North Carolina and have a tradition as such. Home prices are quite affordable given the school quality and coming from the Northeast should seem a bargain for dollars per square foot along with lot size. Salaries are also more in line with what you're accustomed to versus FL or TX for example where there is usually a significant drop off, often referred to jokingly as the Sunshine Tax.
Thank you for your reply. I'll take that as a compliment! :-)! I've always had interest in learning the English language from early school (8th grade) and I had no idea that I would move to US at some point in my life. Even though I'm not from a country where English is spoken by the masses but it's a language that's taught in schools in early grades and all courses at my my engineering school were taught in English..
I'm thinking for IT jobs not so much tied to location as one could always do the work remotely. My spouse's job in healthcare needs physical presence. So moving to Washington would be fine from my job's point of view.
I'm willing to move to somewhere in CA if it's affordable and may be little far from the $$ areas since I wouldn't necessarily need to be close to the big cities SanFran etc.
Budget is not set in stone yet, anywhere from $300k - $500k and up..possibly close to a mil but don't have that kind of money at present. The high end pf that price range is something we may move towards after saving up for it but initially may move to something more on the lower end in that range.. Looking for more bang for the buck. Would prefer newer construction or privacy where houses have some distances between them to give some privacy..
No state tax is attractive and I'm thinking should be an important factor over longer period as it must add up in terms of tax savings
No State Tax states: Alaska, Florida, Nevada, South Dakota, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming. Alaska is out..too cold. Nevada, don't know much about except Las Vegas and it's next to CA. SD, no idea. TX, in the running. Washington, has your vote. WY, no idea.
Home prices in Washington compared to CA are attractive. For the most part, I don't want to pay for the "brand", no point in living in NYC in a shoebox when one can buy much bigger place in either outside NYC while still staying in NY state or in some other state all together..
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bluefox
Well, your English is excellent for a first generation immigrant, which makes me think you are either from an English-speaking country or are very well-educated in the language.
California is good for IT but without a budget, it’s hard to tell if it’s a good fit. Many IT folks have emigrated from California to Washington because salaries are comparable, but housing is about half the cost of the Bay Area, apples to apples, and no state income tax. We have an oceanic climate which has cool, rainy winters but little snowfall. We have weeks on end of gloomy weather in the late fall, winter, and spring months but have amazing summers when there isn’t smoke blowing down from Canada. Robust tech industry, endless outdoor opportunities, mediocre food scene, somewhat diverse. Traffic is horrible in Seattle.
Thank you for your suggestions. Healthcare jobs take priority in our case since I could always look for remote work in IT.
Quote:
Originally Posted by citylove101
Look to suburban DC, where the IT and health care job prospects will be good, so will most of the schools, winters much milder than NYC/Boston, and lots of housing at more affordable prices (for two white collar professionals) in many parts of Virginia and Maryland. Your housing budget will determine where in particular you live of course. Lots of choices around DC.
Thank you for your reply! $300-$500k and up to a mil. I know that doesn't buy much in CA so maybe need to tweak the budget a little more to be able to afford CA..I don't know what major metros of CA have in terms of prices for houses or rents.
I keep hearing about Austin being very popular and the place to be .. maybe for young professionals..not looking to live in the city but maybe suburbs.
Houston has segment of the an ethnic population (East Asians) that may be a draw for us. Heat is a biggie in TX but maybe easier to tolerate than snow..depends. It's mainly sun and outdoor weather is what's more desired and if TX doesn't offer that in any of its metros/regions then it may be out of the consideration..
Quote:
Originally Posted by bluescreen73
What do you consider affordable? If the major metros of California are in your price range then most of the country is your oyster.
Denver's gotten expensive, but it's still cheaper than the major metros of the west coast. Has a longer snow season, but milder winters than the northeast. It's good for both IT and healthcare.
FWIW, I wouldn't call Texas's weather mild by any stretch (at least not the eastern half of the state). You'd be trading crap winters for long and equally crappy summers. Highs in the 90s with occasional temps above 100, and lows in the 70s with humidity ranging from moderate to oppressive are the norm. Dallas, Austin, and San Antonio all have 90+ degree average temps for nearly 1/4 of the year. Houston is slightly cooler, but more humid.
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