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Good. Then stay here and endure endless dreary winters, rusting, rotting cities and potholed and crime-ridden streets. Illinois is going nowhere fast and the state deficit isn't helping any. It will take a long time to pay off that debt. By then, I will be long gone.
Some cities in CA are doing quite well, thank you. In addition, Texas has one of the fastest growing job markets in the country. Illinois is about dead last, nearly on par with Michigan.
It's a good time to get out. Chicago may be doing OK, but there are many people, like me who are not going to live in Chicago. If I am going to pay that much in rent/mortgage, I better have a tropical or Mediterranean climate and crime 1/3 that of Chicago. No way I would endure 7 months of winter for such a high COL. No way.
Some cities in CA are doing quite well, thank you. In addition, Texas has one of the fastest growing job markets in the country. Illinois is about dead last, nearly on par with Michigan.
It's a good time to get out. Chicago may be doing OK, but there are many people, like me who are not going to live in Chicago. If I am going to pay that much in rent/mortgage, I better have a tropical or Mediterranean climate and crime 1/3 that of Chicago. No way I would endure 7 months of winter for such a high COL. No way.
Maybe it's because you live in the Rockford area which has, essentially, the worst job market in all of Illinois right now. The cities/areas doing the best (at least in terms of job creation and low unemployment rates) are Bloomington/Normal, Champaign/Urbana and Springfield. So, some cities in Illinois are also doing alright...
I have relatives that live in CA, and they say that the job force there is still very brutal. As far as unemployment, of the states you mentioned, TX has the lowest (8%) then IL (8.7%) then MI (10.2%) then CA (11.9%) (Local Area Unemployment Statistics Home Page) so certainly IL isn't at the bottom of the barrel compared to MI and CA. At least in 2010, Nevada, NJ and CA were at the bottom for job growth rate (States with Best & Worst Job Growth - CBS MoneyWatch.com) with MI being the best improved (although that's by percentage increase, which is misleading since MI has had a negative job growth rate for a very long time).
Maybe it is unfortunate that the Rockford area has such high unemployment, but it isn't a blanket statement for the *entire* state. Were it me, unless I already had a job secured, I'd be extremely reluctant to move to CA. Now CA and IL are pretty much in the same boat as far as state deficit is concerned and balancing the state budget, but that's a whole 'nother story...
I lived on both coasts*and in a desert state. I didn't like*snakes outside my front door or scorpions in*my closets shoes. Rusting, rotting cities are in every state. Ghetto areas are in every state. Gangs, crime and drugs are every state. Western states have terrible forest fires, CA has earthquakes. Texas spawns*some horrific storms and experiences the same. The southern half of Texas is desert with cactus, dustdevils, sandstorms and not alot else exept El*Paso.*Northern NM & AZ have colder winters than Chicago. The southern half of these states have ungodly hot summers plus there are some desert plants that cause lung problems. The swamp cooler does nothing expept add water to an already unbearably hot room;*it cools nothing. Summer in LA, MS, GA and FL is like living in a sauna; hurricanes are a constant threat. The mountains are wonderful until the snow comes. It invariably comes too soon and lasts too long. .
Rural areas--*all of them are runt pups. They have the least and the worst services across the board. The only difference is some areas are more affected than others. The idea of*FTTH or any fast broadband connection is a pipe-dream spun by good PR firms.
I can't imagine anyone in Illinois with a PhD that can't find a job. If you only saw U-C then you only saw prairie, farms, ranches and not much else. Sad. It is a*bit like judging Chicago by the south side junk yards and never seeing Lake Shore Drive.
I'm not judging Chicago--I think it is a fine city with lots of industry and culture. I just don't want to live there. Never have. I'm ready for a new experience and a different climate. I will always love Illinois, but lately it is a love/hate relationship. We will probably move in a couple years. My wife can work from anywhere, and as long and there is a bigger metro center nearby, I should be able to find a job and do the work that I also do as well. California pays quite a bit more, even despite the higher cost of living. Most people around here do not factor in high heating cost and/or crime into the cost/quality of living. If we lived in Ventura county near the coast, we wouldn't even have to run A/C, and hardly any heat.
If we lived in Texas it would be a different story, but many places down there have a very low cost of living.
Quote:
Originally Posted by linicx
I lived on both coasts*and in a desert state. I didn't like*snakes outside my front door or scorpions in*my closets shoes. Rusting, rotting cities are in every state. Ghetto areas are in every state. Gangs, crime and drugs are every state. Western states have terrible forest fires, CA has earthquakes. Texas spawns*some horrific storms and experiences the same. The southern half of Texas is desert with cactus, dustdevils, sandstorms and not alot else exept El*Paso.*Northern NM & AZ have colder winters than Chicago. The southern half of these states have ungodly hot summers plus there are some desert plants that cause lung problems. The swamp cooler does nothing expept add water to an already unbearably hot room;*it cools nothing. Summer in LA, MS, GA and FL is like living in a sauna; hurricanes are a constant threat. The mountains are wonderful until the snow comes. It invariably comes too soon and lasts too long. .
Rural areas--*all of them are runt pups. They have the least and the worst services across the board. The only difference is some areas are more affected than others. The idea of*FTTH or any fast broadband connection is a pipe-dream spun by good PR firms.
I can't imagine anyone in Illinois with a PhD that can't find a job. If you only saw U-C then you only saw prairie, farms, ranches and not much else. Sad. It is a*bit like judging Chicago by the south side junk yards and never seeing Lake Shore Drive.
Funny, I'm from Northern Illinois, I lived in Central/South Texas for 3 years (San Antonio area) and I'm now in the Ventura/Oxnard area.
First I love Illinois. I really think people who are not from Illinois have a hard time in the midwest because they DONT KNOW WHERE TO GO. They end up in whatever town (including CHICAGO!) and think 'this is it' they don't explore, they don't get beyond what is right there in front of them. There is so much there but you have to have an interest in finding it and want to do so. This goes for people who are from there too. I had friends in high school who had never seen Lake Michigan, and sadly a few who could not find it on a map. I mean, come on. It was 20 miles away from our high school. Luckily I had active parents who took us to many parks in the are all over Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin and know the Northern Counties of Illinois like the back of my hand, still. I was never at a loss for outdoor activities except sometimes in the winter which I admit can be arduous after January...but that is part of life. Part of what I think is wrong with Californians is that they don't understand some measure of suffering is part of life and what builds character! We are humans we overcome the enviorment, we adapt...it's part of the human experience!
Anyway. I miss the midwest terribly and I can honestly say most of my friends and family are still in the same area, many have moved and returned and some have never left. There are a variety of reasons but mostly, people feel comfortable in areas they were born and raised, and my hometown has a large percentage of people who were born and raised there with a large influx of newcomers... I suspect it could change in the future if the area gets too populated. Hard to say. But regardless, I love and miss the plain ol' midwest with its subtle beauty and nice people (mostly nice, at least they won't rob you blind generally speaking and will just leave you alone)
Texas -- good points and bad points but overall not for me, could have stayed if I'd gotten married but not my choice to settle there as a single woman, there are things I miss about it including Mexican food, some of the people, *some* of the culture, and sometimes the weather. That's the thing, Texas was very 'okay' to me. I never felt passionatley for it but mostly enjoyed myself there. Texans though, often drove me nuts and the midwest was more beatiful in a lot of ways such as the trees and green and lakes.
Ventura area - I'm new. But wow....now this place has crime like I never experienced in the midwest (or Texas). Gangs...the type of gang activity here is easily avoided outside of the major metro areas in Illinois. The weather, man no one told me about June gloom! I came here from Washington and it's like I'm still in Washington! It's been cloudy and mostly cool, Ive yet to have a good beach day here! it's expensive, no doubt about it and you have to deal with crime and pollution and terrible traffic on top of that. Ventura in my estimation is nicer than LA but dang LA and it's sphere of influence come close to Ventura. I'm in Thousand Oaks now and I might as well be on another planet compared to most places I've lived. The traffic is terrible and the people are just not nice and that seems to be expected. I honestly hope my experience improves greatly because I wanted to be here more than anything else!
However, I have place in my heart for both the west coast and the midwest
I drove a lot of miles in the US, Canada and Mexico. I met many warm, funny and genuine people and I have a lot of wonderful memories I would not have if I was not curious; if I did not drive on byways and seondary roads. if I did not take the time to stop to pick up a cotton boll, or watch that Road Runner in the Palo Duro Canyons, or see the shoemaker build a saddle from a chunk of wood. You don't learn from pictures in a book how truly different NOLA is at Christmas time. I knew what a Great Lake was from pictures a reading, but it you really want to experiemce it start in Chicago, tour through Canada and the locks at Sioux St. Marie before coming back to the starting point. America has some rally great ciites, great food and exciting entertainment.
If I had to name 3-4 of my favorite places it would Oceanside, CA, Natchitoches, LA, Grove, OK and Central Illinois because they all have similar attributes being a natural setting with greenery, a large body water, nice parks that are clean, rolling hills and a good vibe. Everything else is a bonus. Outside of the US I like Thunder Bay, Canada. And I like Columbia, Mexico because I can buy a quart of real Vanilla extract for $2 at the liquor store and fill most name brand Rx at one-third the cost of Wallyworld - the $200 Tomoxifin was 1/2 the cost. One annual visit saved $7k over five years.
Seems to me people just need to stretch and go find out that the grass is not always greener.
Sadly they will notice this one day out of the clear blue sky once the little honeymoon wears off
Every region has its draw backs including booming texas
for me who wants to deal with massive f4 adn f5 tornados or wicked storms
granted we get them in illinois but not the same maginitude , wildfires are very rare
hurricanes obviously we dont get but we get the rain from the low pressure systems
california has its positives and has its own beauty and is definatley a state that has many different areas to see from forrests to mountains to deserts to farmland
to me i will stay in the midwest its home its familiar and i love it always have always will enjoy where you live explore beyond your main street
so true the saying grass is not always greener on the other side
just keep that in mind because its sobering when you actually realize that and your stuck in a place thousands of miles away then you will yearn for illinois
Good. Then stay here and endure endless dreary winters, rusting, rotting cities and potholed and crime-ridden streets. Illinois is going nowhere fast and the state deficit isn't helping any. It will take a long time to pay off that debt. By then, I will be long gone.
Not soon enough.
I like it here. You don't seem like you would enjoy anywhere that much because you just want to complain and hate it.
I like it here. You don't seem like you would enjoy anywhere that much because you just want to complain and hate it.
thinking the same thing have him or her move over to the boards of his or her dreams stop whining on this board
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We will probably move in a couple years. My wife can work from anywhere, and as long and there is a bigger metro center nearby, I should be able to find a job and do the work that I also do as well.
California pays quite a bit more, even despite the higher cost of living. Most people around here do not factor in high heating cost and/or crime into the cost/quality of living. If we lived in Ventura county near the coast, we wouldn't even have to run A/C, and hardly any heat.
