Australian coming to America (Houston, San Diego: 2015, employment, transfer to)

[RobFromOz]

G'day everyone. My name is Rob, & I'm a 33 year old Australian looking to move to the US.

At this point in time I'm just looking into the possibility of my being able to do so.

But I'd like to understand a few things about America first. Namely the employement opportunities, where to live & why to choose to live there. What I'm looking for is the real-world/everyday, good, bad & ugly of America.

I like the idea of living in the southern States, particularly Texas.

I've been looking online for a while now, I have joined other forums & asked a few questions of other members, but haven't yet found the responses to be all that informative or helpful.

This forum appears to be rather active, so hopefully I'll be able to speak more with some of you.

Thank you for reading.

[placidian]

Good: Houston is a wonderful city for foodies & craft beer lovers. Lots of lovely parks, jogging paths/off-rode biking trails, etc.. Plenty of live music happening all over the city/suburbs. Uber is helpful.

Bad: Traffic is a frustration. More frustrating is the lack of commuter rail from the suburbs into downtown or the various business centers. (not to mention lack of rail to the airports)

Ugly: guns, guns, guns. If you enjoy clean air, like to avoid toxins, don't live anywhere near the Ship Channel.

I'll let others talk about employment opportunities.

[Texas Built]

Originally Posted by placidian

Ugly: guns, guns, guns..

What's wrong with guns?

[WRM20]

Keep in mind that the US doesn't have the equivalent of the Aussie working holiday visa, so you won't be able to work here if you visit. Getting a work visa will require finding an employer willing to sponsor you, plus you need a skill that's in demand and can't be filled by a citizen or green card holder.

[Lbjen]

Unless you have a job that will allow you to transfer to the state of your choice, you might want to focus more on how you will get here, before you worry too much about where you end up.

[vette0009]

I'd do Flagstaff Arizona, the elevation is 7k elevation and I dont mean kilometers neither.
So be advised.

The city is full of running ,cycling trails and the people are outright friendly, It also has navajo Indian culture.
after a few days of living with these sweet people I quickly learned I need to clean up my sh**t attitude and I am currently in the process of doing that very thing.

If your seeking warmer temps go north or south of Phoenix,

I am a California native , who prefers mountain living rather than city living but

Depending on your requirements, For city ratts I would live west of San Diego because you will need to commute due to the expense.

Ventura California is probably going to be an easier move and is less expensive and close to the beaches.

Oh and the people here will like you a whole lot better If you drive on the right side of the road too !

[lipbalm]

Originally Posted by vette0009

I'd do Flagstaff Arizona, the elevation is 7k elevation and I dont mean kilometers neither.
So be advised.

The city is full of running ,cycling trails and the people are outright friendly, It also has navajo Indian culture.
after a few days of living with these sweet people I quickly learned I need to clean up my sh**t attitude and I am currently in the process of doing that very thing.

If your seeking warmer temps go north or south of Phoenix,

I am a California native , who prefers mountain living rather than city living but

Depending on your requirements, For city ratts I would live west of San Diego because you will need to commute due to the expense.

Ventura California is probably going to be an easier move and is less expensive and close to the beaches.

Oh and the people here will like you a whole lot better If you drive on the right side of the road too !

WTF does all this have to do with Houston?

[ParaguaneroSwag]

Originally Posted by Texas Built

What's wrong with guns?

I'll take a moment to laugh at the stereotype that is your username and your comment. Moving forward, foreigners and liberals alike enjoy stricter gun laws. And that's why Harris County turned blue.

[nana053]

Originally Posted by Texas Built

What's wrong with guns?

Guns now No. 2 cause of accidental child death in county - Houston Chronicle

Guns now No. 2 cause of accidental child death in county

Only motor vehicles account for a larger percentage of accidental deaths, according to Harris County Institute of Forensic Science statistics. Of the 1,074 minors who died in Harris County from 2011 to 2014, about 1 in 8 was killed by a gun, according to the data.

That's an average of 27 child fatalities by guns a year for that span.

Gun Violence Facts - Texas Gun Sense

Almost 3,000 gun-related deaths occur in Texas each year.

https://www.texasobserver.org/mass-shooting-2015-texas/

[Texas Built]

Rob, you should consider Texas. Lots of jobs, things to see and we have good gun laws that would allow you to carry a gun.