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I have officially reached analysis paralysis with lots of time combing through this site and others trying to determine my best option. I would appreciate any and all constructive opinions and thank you in advabnce for taking the time to respond.
So the situation is I'm 62 and partially disabled (need cervical disc replacement and both knees) receiving early SS retirement benefits and I'm a full-time student finishing my degree in Health Services Administration in May 2023, thanks to lots of student loans and generosity of some great friends. I currently live in the Orlando area where rental values have skyrocketed 25% in one year (2021 to 2022) and double-digit the two years prior. I share a nicer middle-tier (not uber luxury, not low income) two bedroom/two bath with a roommate that costs right at $2000 per month minus the electric bill and water, but inclusive of cable/wi-fi. So all in for housing and utilities about $1200 per month. I can no longer bear to pay this amount every month on a fixed income when student aid runs out and don't know what to expect once graduated in terms of salary which can vary widely in my field starting out. So I really need to get the heck out of FL on that reason alone, among several others I won't get into.
What I'm looking for:
- A large studio/one bedroom apartment in a similar "nicer middle-tier building" for less than $700 per month
- MSAs with a population of 250K or more (open to densely populated exceptions)
- Cities with a decent form of public transit (subways/rail unnecessary, a good bus system is adequate)
- Good walkability and preferably able to walk to grocery store/amenities, fairly flat terrain needed
- Out of the Deep South and Florida, leaning toward the Midwest (OH, IN, IL, WI, IA)
- Major bonus points for large university medical center/teaching hospital
I have some ideas, but don't want to taint the process by divulging them.
I believe you can still find something to rent for under $700/mo in Iowa City/Coralville if you can handle the college crowd. Once settled in then word of mouth by friends, colleagues can lead to better deals/situations that you wouldn’t be able to find otherwise.
I would suggest looking into senior low-income housing in IC. I don’t know about IC but north in Cedar Rapids they’ve built some nice apartments based on income and age and building even more. However Iowa City has excellent public transportation and the teaching hospital downtown that would be my choice.
Maybe Ames but I’m not very familiar with the area. Good luck.
Lansing MI comes to mind. Sparrow Hospital is a teaching hospital and Michigan State is in East Lansing. CATA is a solid bus system and you can/may find studios within your budget.
In the Northeast, Syracuse has SUNY Upstate Medical Center on University Hill and you can find studios/1 bedroom apartments within/close to your budget in decent areas. The bus system is alright, but the more strategic you are in terms of where you live, the better.
I believe that Binghamton NY has a teaching hospital in the area(I believe UHS in Johnson City), apartments within the budget, is roughly around the population criteria and has quite a bit to do for its size.
As mentioned, there are residences that are 55+ that are worth looking into as well.
There are likely others that would fit in other parts of the Midwest and Interior Northeast.
Lansing MI comes to mind. Sparrow Hospital is a teaching hospital and Michigan State is in East Lansing. CATA is a solid bus system and you can/may find studios within your budget.
In the Northeast, Syracuse has SUNY Upstate Medical Center on University Hill and you can find studios/1 bedroom apartments within/close to your budget in decent areas. The bus system is alright, but the more strategic you are in terms of where you live, the better.
I believe that Binghamton NY has a teaching hospital in the area(I believe UHS in Johnson City), apartments within the budget, is roughly around the population criteria and has quite a bit to do for its size.
As mentioned, there are residences that are 55+ that are worth looking into as well.
There are likely others that would fit in other parts of the Midwest and Interior Northeast.
I agree, it’s usually quite a bit cheaper.
As for locations, I think Grand Rapids or maybe one of the WI cities would work well.
I believe you can still find something to rent for under $700/mo in Iowa City/Coralville if you can handle the college crowd. Once settled in then word of mouth by friends, colleagues can lead to better deals/situations that you wouldn’t be able to find otherwise.
I would suggest looking into senior low-income housing in IC. I don’t know about IC but north in Cedar Rapids they’ve built some nice apartments based on income and age and building even more. However Iowa City has excellent public transportation and the teaching hospital downtown that would be my choice.
Maybe Ames but I’m not very familiar with the area. Good luck.
Thank you! Iowa City was on my short list and actually enjoy the vibrancy of the college crowd as long as I'm not living in it too. It looks like many choose Coralville but fear it loses identity as just another suburb.
Lansing MI comes to mind. Sparrow Hospital is a teaching hospital and Michigan State is in East Lansing. CATA is a solid bus system and you can/may find studios within your budget.
In the Northeast, Syracuse has SUNY Upstate Medical Center on University Hill and you can find studios/1 bedroom apartments within/close to your budget in decent areas. The bus system is alright, but the more strategic you are in terms of where you live, the better.
I believe that Binghamton NY has a teaching hospital in the area(I believe UHS in Johnson City), apartments within the budget, is roughly around the population criteria and has quite a bit to do for its size.
As mentioned, there are residences that are 55+ that are worth looking into as well.
There are likely others that would fit in other parts of the Midwest and Interior Northeast.
Neither of the NY options appeal to me and also found Lansing kind of depressing in comparison to Ann Arbor albeit much less expensive. Michigan overall is a good bit more expensive seemingly than OH, IN and WI.
As for locations, I think Grand Rapids or maybe one of the WI cities would work well.
Grand Rapids unfortunately has shot up in price as has Kalamazoo, unfortunate since I do love SW Michigan. I am going to more heavily research WI cities which seem a bargain perhaps if Milwaukee is any indicator.
Neither of the NY options appeal to me and also found Lansing kind of depressing in comparison to Ann Arbor albeit much less expensive. Michigan overall is a good bit more expensive seemingly than OH, IN and WI.
Michigan is a bit more expensive? Interesting…I can see Ann Arbor being so. Lansing is more of blue collar capital city with some areas like REO Town/Old Town and the East Michigan corridor, but East Lansing is still urban/walkable and has good bus coverage. What other criteria are you looking for? That way, you can get more specific suggestions. It looks like you are looking for college town cities or those with a strong college presence on the cheap. Would that be correct?
If NY is still in play, areas of Buffalo and Rochester, both of which have teaching hospitals and a college/university presence, may be better fits.
Michigan is a bit more expensive? Interesting…I can see Ann Arbor being so. Lansing is more of blue collar capital city with some areas like REO Town/Old Town and the East Michigan corridor, but East Lansing is still urban/walkable and has good bus coverage. What other criteria are you looking for? That way, you can get more specific suggestions. It looks like you are looking for college town cities or those with a strong college presence on the cheap. Would that be correct?
If NY is still in play, areas of Buffalo and Rochester, both of which have teaching hospitals and a college/university presence, may be better fits.
Thanks for your input and yes college town cities with medical centers or college campuses with medical centers in larger cities are the criteria on the cheap. Non hilly-walkability is key as well so no Pittsburghs or similar. Unfortunately the NY options are a little too gritty/blue collar-esque for my taste as is Wisconsin (outside of Madison), which is largely too pricey for me.
Thanks for your input and yes college town cities with medical centers or college campuses with medical centers in larger cities are the criteria on the cheap. Non hilly-walkability is key as well so no Pittsburghs or similar. Unfortunately the NY options are a little too gritty/blue collar-esque for my taste as is Wisconsin (outside of Madison), which is largely too pricey for me.
are more middle class areas with mostly SFH's and maybe some apartments. So, that may come down to if there are rentals in your budget.
As for other places, Penn State's Medical School in Hershey PA outside of Harrisburg(nearby Hummelstown would be another place to look in that area), Carle College of Medicine in Champaign IL, the University of Nebraska and Creighton School of Medicine both in Omaha and while smaller, perhaps a place like the WVU School of Medicine in Morgantown are some others that may be a better fits for you.
Last edited by ckhthankgod; 09-07-2022 at 12:42 PM..
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