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I have lived most of my adult life in Medford, Oregon after moving there from Redding, California as a college student. Somehow I have made my way all the way over to Cincinnati, Ohio where I am currently living and looking to move away from ASAP. I have made a list of what I am looking for in the city that I would want to live and having only been to HR once in my life (and only for a couple of days) I would like to know if you think HR would fit the bill, and if so what area would you suggest. All comments are welcome here. If you have any additional tid bits I would love to hear them!
What I am looking for:
Climate/Geography:
Mild Temperatures (not prone to extreme heat or extreme cold, rain I am good with, but prefer less than 6” snow annually)
Ability to swim in summer months (What areas are close to nice swimming beaches?)
Would prefer to not be in an area of the coast that is prone to natural disasters (such as hurricanes...how often and how bad does the weather get there? Would it be better than other areas along the coasts of VA, NC, SC?)
Culture:
Politically diverse (I'm pretty moderate myself, and enjoy being in an area where liberal and conservative ideas are accepted and encouraged)
A place without a lot of racial tension (I am in an interracial relationship)
Medium population (ideally between 100k and 500k population)
Average crime rate (ideally less than 500)
Recreation:
Lots of nature activities (i.e. camping, hiking, kayaking, etc.)
Close to the beach/lakes/rivers for water activities (Is there anyplace within 45 minutes where you can swim that is NOT the ocean?)
Good food choices (I'm looking for a place that ideally has my fave chain restaurants and some good local restaurants)
Financial:
Availability to find jobs for healthcare and IT fields that provide a decent salary in which we could live comfortably (Not looking for riches, just trying to live)
Affordable Cost of Living
Miscellaneous:
Low commute time (I know this depends on where you live vs. where you work, but is it reasonable to expect an average of less than 30 minutes to commute)
Close to college/university (for degree advancement opportunities)
Animal friendly (especially dogs. Are there a lot of dog parks? Are there breed specific laws, etc.)
Easy to get around/learn the area (How hard or easy is it to learn the area? How often will I be traveling between the different cities? Will there be a need to do so or can I find everything in one area?
Friendly people (ideally friendly to transplants. I've been a transplant three times and have always found it easy to make friends. I'm not really outgoing but I'm friendly and I believe in the adage "when in Rome....")
Climate/Geography:
Mild Temperatures (not prone to extreme heat or extreme cold, rain I am good with, but prefer less than 6” snow annually)
Ability to swim in summer months (What areas are close to nice swimming beaches?)
Would prefer to not be in an area of the coast that is prone to natural disasters (such as hurricanes...how often and how bad does the weather get there? Would it be better than other areas along the coasts of VA, NC, SC?)
Well, we don't usually get a bunch of snow. Unfortunately, most people around here can't drive in 1/2" of snow. It can get below freezing and in the summer, it can get in the upper nineties with humidity. The humidity is the killer. There are plenty of places to swim. We do have hurricanes although we don't usually get direct hits. Just wind and rain. Pretty much all the coastal areas here have the same conditions.
Quote:
Originally Posted by sxysparkler
Culture:
Politically diverse (I'm pretty moderate myself, and enjoy being in an area where liberal and conservative ideas are accepted and encouraged)
A place without a lot of racial tension (I am in an interracial relationship)
Medium population (ideally between 100k and 500k population)
Average crime rate (ideally less than 500)
I can only give my personal experiences here. We have both liberal and conservatives. Some or respectful, some aren't. There is plenty of racial diversity. Many different cultures especially with all the military that live and work in the area. My only bad experiences were in very specific neighborhoods that were a specific ethnicity that continually claimed bias no matter what occurred.
Population. Va Beach has over 800,000 residents and plenty of tourists. The crime around here is below average although the news can make it seem like crime central. Just use common sense like don't leave anything in your car that is worth keeping like GPS, laptops, your purse, etc. You'd be surprised the things folks think are safe behind one little piece of glass.
Quote:
Originally Posted by sxysparkler
Recreation:
Lots of nature activities (i.e. camping, hiking, kayaking, etc.)
Close to the beach/lakes/rivers for water activities (Is there anyplace within 45 minutes where you can swim that is NOT the ocean?)
Good food choices (I'm looking for a place that ideally has my fave chain restaurants and some good local restaurants)
On the food, man, you have an endless choice of places to eat. All fast food and nicer chain restaurants are somewhere here. Plenty of Mom and Pop places too. Lots of historical places like Dumar's that have been around for up to a hundred years.
Plenty of hiking with the Blue Ridge Mountains not too far away including the Appalachian Trail. As for local hiking, there are state parks in Va Beach that offer that and some in Williamsburg but I'm not the best source of info for that.
Swimming. There are some lakes but I'm not the best for that info. We do visit Lake Gaston but that is a couple hours west. There is the Inter-coastal Waterway that is brackish water.
Quote:
Originally Posted by sxysparkler
Financial:
Availability to find jobs for healthcare and IT fields that provide a decent salary in which we could live comfortably (Not looking for riches, just trying to live)
Affordable Cost of Living
There are plenty of hospitals in the area and computer jobs. Lots of military contractor jobs too. Hard part is finding them sometimes, especially in this economy. If you have the training and the certifications, you should be able to get a job.
Quote:
Originally Posted by sxysparkler
Miscellaneous:
Low commute time (I know this depends on where you live vs. where you work, but is it reasonable to expect an average of less than 30 minutes to commute)
Close to college/university (for degree advancement opportunities)
Animal friendly (especially dogs. Are there a lot of dog parks? Are there breed specific laws, etc.)
Easy to get around/learn the area (How hard or easy is it to learn the area? How often will I be traveling between the different cities? Will there be a need to do so or can I find everything in one area?
Friendly people (ideally friendly to transplants. I've been a transplant three times and have always found it easy to make friends. I'm not really outgoing but I'm friendly and I believe in the adage "when in Rome....")
The travel time can be short or great depending on where you live and where you work. If you have to cross the tunnels/bridges to get to work, it can get bad.
I know there are dog parks around as I hear my neighbors talk about them. Some apartments and neighborhood associations have rules on dog breeds, especially Pit Bulls.
I didn't find it too hard to learn to get around. There are some interstates that link pretty much everything together and most local streets are pretty logical. Most things are available in one area or close enough.
As for friendly, it all depends on where you're at and who you run into. When we first moved here, we lived in an apartment complex and we met some good people. That was 1991 and we're still friends with some of them even though they moved away.
The bonus are things for me are all the historical places to visit. From Yorktown to Williamsburg, to all the historical places all around the area, it can be nice to just tour around like a tourist.
Then there's Busch Gardens and Kings Dominion if you like that.
I enjoy the area for the diverse things you can do. I get frustrated sometimes by the poor driving and the traffic. I grew up in the woods and prefer that kind of area. Someday, we'll move away to a wooded lot with acreage. Until then, we'll survive and enjoy life here.
Well, we don't usually get a bunch of snow. Unfortunately, most people around here can't drive in 1/2" of snow. It can get below freezing and in the summer, it can get in the upper nineties with humidity. The humidity is the killer. There are plenty of places to swim. We do have hurricanes although we don't usually get direct hits. Just wind and rain. Pretty much all the coastal areas here have the same conditions.
I can only give my personal experiences here. We have both liberal and conservatives. Some or respectful, some aren't. There is plenty of racial diversity. Many different cultures especially with all the military that live and work in the area. My only bad experiences were in very specific neighborhoods that were a specific ethnicity that continually claimed bias no matter what occurred.
Population. Va Beach has over 800,000 residents and plenty of tourists. The crime around here is below average although the news can make it seem like crime central. Just use common sense like don't leave anything in your car that is worth keeping like GPS, laptops, your purse, etc. You'd be surprised the things folks think are safe behind one little piece of glass.
On the food, man, you have an endless choice of places to eat. All fast food and nicer chain restaurants are somewhere here. Plenty of Mom and Pop places too. Lots of historical places like Dumar's that have been around for up to a hundred years.
Plenty of hiking with the Blue Ridge Mountains not too far away including the Appalachian Trail. As for local hiking, there are state parks in Va Beach that offer that and some in Williamsburg but I'm not the best source of info for that.
Swimming. There are some lakes but I'm not the best for that info. We do visit Lake Gaston but that is a couple hours west. There is the Inter-coastal Waterway that is brackish water.
There are plenty of hospitals in the area and computer jobs. Lots of military contractor jobs too. Hard part is finding them sometimes, especially in this economy. If you have the training and the certifications, you should be able to get a job.
The travel time can be short or great depending on where you live and where you work. If you have to cross the tunnels/bridges to get to work, it can get bad.
I know there are dog parks around as I hear my neighbors talk about them. Some apartments and neighborhood associations have rules on dog breeds, especially Pit Bulls.
I didn't find it too hard to learn to get around. There are some interstates that link pretty much everything together and most local streets are pretty logical. Most things are available in one area or close enough.
As for friendly, it all depends on where you're at and who you run into. When we first moved here, we lived in an apartment complex and we met some good people. That was 1991 and we're still friends with some of them even though they moved away.
The bonus are things for me are all the historical places to visit. From Yorktown to Williamsburg, to all the historical places all around the area, it can be nice to just tour around like a tourist.
Then there's Busch Gardens and Kings Dominion if you like that.
I enjoy the area for the diverse things you can do. I get frustrated sometimes by the poor driving and the traffic. I grew up in the woods and prefer that kind of area. Someday, we'll move away to a wooded lot with acreage. Until then, we'll survive and enjoy life here.
Nice post! I agree with most everything here. Although VB's population is around 425-450,000.
But like CrazyTed said, I think HR will fit the bill for most of what you've listed. I'm sure no place would be 100% perfect, but HR is a diverse area, geographically speaking, that offers something for just about anyone. Though some will disagree, I feel that the people of HR are diverse too. Racially, most of HR is about half black and half white, but within that exists various cultures. For example, my family is Irish (both grandmothers came here directly from Ireland), but one of my oldest friends is Greek. The point being that most people here have roots to, or are from, other areas and countries. I only know of one person who is deeply rooted to Virginia, but most of his people are from the Richmond area. My sister and I are the first in my family to be born in Virginia, and I know many people similar.
Another element of diversity for this area comes from the varying degrees of economic status. Take Norfolk, for example. You have neighborhoods that are upscale and wealthy as well as some of the poorest neighborhoods in the whole region. What's interesting about Norfolk is that both extremes, and everyone in the middle, seem to coexist without issue. I rarely feel tension between economic classes which I believe is a testament to the friendly and laid-back attitude many people have here.
And just to add to CrazyTed's post, things like crime, weather, decent restaurants, etc. are all matters of personal perception and taste. I don't think crime here is terrible. Yes, there are neighborhoods in every city that are rough. The crime rates in Norfolk, Portsmouth, and Newport News are above average, but it's entirely possible to live your whole life in these places and not have anything bad happen to you. Street smarts go a long way, for sure. But if you do base your decisions on the stats, look into Virginia Beach or Chesapeake. Both cities are below average.
Overall, I believe you could make this place work for you should you decide to move here. It's a big area offering many options.
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