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Only move to Seattle if you LOVE rainy grey weather for months on end !! I lived in Vancouver, WA for 3 years and it seemed to rain nonstop day and night for months on end (with no sunlight) blah !! If grey rainy days are your thing, then go for it...I would rather see dry sunny days !
What in your opinion would be the best place to go to start a new life? If you where just 2 years out of college and had very litle debt and a lot of great work expericance where would you go? I'm looking for someplace with a lot of young people, safe, cheap and a lot of outdoor activity and nightlife. Can anyone suggest a place to start over?
I still like the cruise ship idea. Depends on which ship, lot of them hit a bunch of ports. Ain't like being on a Merchie or Navy ship, lot more shopping on there. I might even try something like the Peace Corp, forget about yourself for a while see a whole new dimension. Tho, I might even like to try a Merchie, depends on a bunch of factors.
Like most of these dreams a tad of conflicting demands. Especially the part about safe / cheap and great nightlife with the outdoors close aboard. Might be a matter of degree. Lots of young peeps in an area these days can make it unsafe just on that factor. Just how many young peeps are you looking for???
Something like SE Ohio around the Marietta area.
If you are young and just indulge yourself at every turn I don't know what that does for a person longer term. What I sense is with way too many, zero ability to take risk, or think outside themselves but want the experiences that only some of the more demanding adventures will bring. Like joining the military, some type of organization that operates in foreign countries or supplies very abnormal experiences.
For many peeps doing something like those becomes the high point of their life after a while when they return to a more conventional lifestyle. That Marietta area should work for just about all factors, there is night life but not like NYC.
Even some of the other places in Ohio like Athens which is a college town but in a fairly isolated general area. Lot of places in Ohio might work if you stay out of the bigger cities.
Even at the end of my normal regular working career, I seriously considered trying a hitch in the Peace Corp. You only get certain experiences by doing certain things. I would hate to look back on my life and think it was just a collection of looking for places to have fun.
Not to far away from a beach, but how does Austin, TX sound?
Austin is a great city for young people. Although it is the most expensive city in TX, it is still reasonable on a national scale. San Antonio is much bigger and even cheaper. It is not as sophisticated as Austin but is less than an hour away. Your'e also close to Dallas, Houston and the coast. There's so much to do here. I moved here from MA and can say that TX is the nation's best kept secret. People frown upon it because of GW, but I can't really complain. I just got back from South Padre Island, TX. Palm trees, sunshine, fun....check out TX!
I would suggest Albuquerque New Mexico, Possibly Henderson Nevada.
Albuquerque is a great town. I haven't lived there but love the desert scenery and great climate. Reno, NV may be another option. I have lived in Reno and liked it very much there as well. I live in Texas and would recommend Texas as well. Also, you might wish to check out Ok City or Tulsa.
I moved here from Washington DC for much the same reasons as the original poster. I looked at the real estate prices in DC and thought I would never be able to afford a place. I thought "Hey, everyone seems to be moving to Arizona...great place to start again."
HUGE MISTAKE. I am outta here in the middle of May and heading back east. Phoenix is a cultural wasteland, traffic is a mess, you have to drive everywhere for everything, people are at lot less sophisticated (especially compared to the East Coast), and the job prospects here for high-paying jobs stink. The whole appeal of the desert wore off after about 6 months and my first dust storm. And the word "heat" has a totally different meaning out here. Don't buy the whole "It's a dry heat" nonsense.
My advice, visit some places out West. The Pacific Northwest is a great place and there are many beautiful areas. Portland is nice. Seattle is wonderful but expensive. Denver is another great area. Bay area is wonderful but expensive. SoCal is alright but I would stick with San Diego and avoid LA (basically has the same problems as Phoenix, just worse). California also has the cost problem.
In the end, I would really think long and hard what is important to you. One thing that Phoenix did do for me is get me to finally see what I value. I realized that buying a cookie-cutter in the burbs is not for me and I enjoy neighborhoods, culture, etc. I'm willing to sacrifice the SFH in the burbs with an attached garage (blah) for what is important in life...well important in my mind.
Oh, my gawd, you are so right. I feel like I have been raped and pillaged every day since I got here three months ago. I used to love the desert, but all (most of it) the charm of desert living has been scraped from away by new construction and replaced by stucco and tile ghettos.
It feels as though everyone you meet has been lobotomized. I'm leaving in May, too and pray I will never see this place again as long as I live.
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I might rethink it all.....
