wanting to move out of illinois (Chicago, Peoria: jobs, housing, college)

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by summersbreeze

Coming from IL, the weather in Atlanta is awesome! You still get your four seasons but the winter is so mild, you rarely need a heavy coat. The summers are hot and humid but so is IL. One down side is that the pollen count is very high

ATL averages 50 days a year below freezing, thats not exactly what I call "you rarely need a heavy coat" weather. And summer in ATL is a lot warmer than Chicagoland. Chicago averages only 18 days above 90 degrees for the entire year, ATL more than doubles that. Yuck!!!! And come winter, ATL turns into a stormy, wet, muddy, tornado-spawning mess that often freezes. The way I see it, if its gonna be cold and winter, might as well have some snow to enjoy, right? Summer in ATL is also rainier and more humid, and when it doesnt rain down there, your water supply is in peril. To some it might be enjoyable, but to people like me, Id find ATL's weather to be absolute HELL.

[aragx6]

Plus their constant water shortages get worse every year... The only way its bearable to live in ATL is if you have a pool and then you can't even replenish the water in it or water your lawn often because of restrictions.

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by aragx6

Plus their constant water shortages get worse every year... The only way its bearable to live in ATL is if you have a pool and then you can't even replenish the water in it or water your lawn often because of restrictions.

I havent spent alot of time in Atlanta, but the times Ive gone were brutally hot and it was like that for the entire week. Our worst days possible here seemed to be the norm for them in the middle of summer. It was, um, unpleasant to say the least. Then again people think our winters can be unpleasant...

[Mrs. Hos]

My husband and I are from a small town outside of Peoria. We have lived outside of Nashville, TN and currently live in El Paso, TX. I really liked both places for different reasons. TN felt more like home as far as the weather, people, and cost of living.

El Paso is like a different country. There is a huge Hispanic influence here since it is a border town. There is also a lot of military here which makes it pretty culturally diverse. My husband and I find the cost of living here much better than back home. They also have 4 hospitals here and Texas Tech I believe has a med school here.

ETA: I forgot to mention the weather. It is seriously sunny like 355 days a year here. It also rarely rains or snows. In fact, I don't think it's rained in about 2 months. The low in the winter is around 40 and it gets about 110 in the summer for a high. And I love the mountains, they are a nice change of scenery.

[myrc60]

Originally Posted by JerichoHW

Columbia, SC
Savannah, Georgia

Maybe one of those????????

Columbia is god awful hot in the summer. If thats what you are looking for maybe a good fit; if not I'd keep looking.

Originally Posted by Steve-o

ATL averages 50 days a year below freezing, thats not exactly what I call "you rarely need a heavy coat" weather. And summer in ATL is a lot warmer than Chicagoland. Chicago averages only 18 days above 90 degrees for the entire year, ATL more than doubles that. Yuck!!!! And come winter, ATL turns into a stormy, wet, muddy, tornado-spawning mess that often freezes. The way I see it, if its gonna be cold and winter, might as well have some snow to enjoy, right? Summer in ATL is also rainier and more humid, and when it doesnt rain down there, your water supply is in peril. To some it might be enjoyable, but to people like me, Id find ATL's weather to be absolute HELL.

Atlanta gets a lot of nasty weather. We get some here where I live (Greenville County, SC) but we rarely have tornados though we occasionally get a watch that sometimes goes into a warning and usually hits in a neighboring county. We like Atlanta are dry but our Water Department says there is plenty of water to support the population. Atlanta has not planned well for dry spells like they are in and they have had to restrict water use. If you want a lush green lawn that does not have fire ants in it, stay north of Georgia.

[PenguinSix]

We can throw out names for days on end but they're really not going to answer your question. My advice would be to take a look at where you are now in your life and then decide just how far you can move.

For example, if you are young, able to support yourself with no real debt, no real attachments to anything (i.e. no family) than now is really your chance, if you want it, to do some extraordinary. Move to Hawaii, live in Chicago, live in New York, move to Key West, go overseas and live and work. Try something while you are young and without ties and able to do this.

If you are looking at settling down, planting roots somewhere, then you need to be a bit more cautious. Find a place where you like the community, schools, where you think you'll find a partner, and a place where you can imagine living in for the next few decades.

If you are already settled with family and friends, then you have a lot more responsibilities and will probably want to stay a bit closer to home, somewhere in the midwest, near your folks, etc.

In short, what are you ready for?

This reminds me of a conversation I had with a young Marine waiting for his flight in St. Louis airport. He had just finish basic more or less and was given the chance to work a) in Italy or b) in Arkansas. He said he liked Arkansas and was thinking of going that way. I then told him 'listen, this may be your one and only chance to live in Europe, expenses paid by someone else, in your entire life. Two years and Italy, and then you can retire for the next 50 in Arkansas." He paused and looked at me and said 'wow, I've never really thought of it that way.'

You should think this way too-is this the time for something extraordinary, or the time to start planting roots.

Good luck with your choice.

[gander_65]

Actually, the person posting about moving to Texas is "spot on".
Suburbs North of Houston have populations ~35,000, great weather, low living costs (20% below national average), small town feel, friendly people (most of the people are not native Texans, a.k.a. "Yankees"), lots and lots of good paying jobs for
nursing and medical fields, and very high youth population.
Many universities offer local campus classes for your field and it's cheap. Facilities are new and first class.
Get ready for a cultural change. Texas is very politically "Right", patriotic, and independent.
Texas has a robust economy that seems to defy the rest of the national trends.
I was born and lived in your area (Flora, Illinois) before my parents moved to Texas. I enjoy visiting occasionally to see family but Texas is home.
You'll never look back.
Gander_65

[STLCardsBlues1989]

Originally Posted by sgresident

Not knowing where you live right now, makes it a little difficult to recommend something. I think that you might try researching some of the more respected hospitals in areas that you might be interested in. this would give you some idea of the job market in those areas. My son is currently attending college in St. Louis and they have Barnes Hospital there. it is affiliated with Washington University and is highly respected. there is a lot to do in st. louis, yet some smaller areas just outside of the downtown area. There is also St. Louis University in the same vicinity. so, i would think that there would be some reasonable apartments etc.

St. Louis is nice, but it may be a bit big if she wants a small-town feel.

I love St. Louis myself, and Barnes-Jewish is a great hospital, and I did see Wash U rated as the 4th best medical school in the country. It would be hard to get into, but there's also St. Louis University and University of Missouri-St. Louis, though they're not as acclaimed. St. Louis isn't as warm as Texas, but it's warmer than Chicago. And it's pretty affordable. The Central West End and University City are near Wash U. and I'd think you could get a decent apartment there for less than $750/month. Downtown is pretty nice as well. There's the MetroLink and MetroBus system, but it's not as good as some cities.

Anyway, it's a nice suggestion, but it may be too big for her. Columbia, MO and Springfield, MO each have about 100,000 and have colleges there, but I don't know how good their hospitals are.

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by gander_65

Actually, the person posting about moving to Texas is "spot on".
Suburbs North of Houston have populations ~35,000, great weather, low living costs (20% below national average), small town feel, friendly people (most of the people are not native Texans, a.k.a. "Yankees"), lots and lots of good paying jobs for
nursing and medical fields, and very high youth population.
Many universities offer local campus classes for your field and it's cheap. Facilities are new and first class.
Get ready for a cultural change. Texas is very politically "Right", patriotic, and independent.
Texas has a robust economy that seems to defy the rest of the national trends.
I was born and lived in your area (Flora, Illinois) before my parents moved to Texas. I enjoy visiting occasionally to see family but Texas is home.
You'll never look back.
Gander_65

Thats funny, because when Im in Texas, I cant WAIT TO GET BACK!

[ginacs]

Originally Posted by manda83

I am currently in my 20's and just ready to move...but not sure where. Everytime I think I have found a good place, i read posts on here and change my mind. I work at hospital and make pretty good money and would like to continue doing that wherever i go-- along with finishing nursing school. I like a laid back small town feeling but would like to go somewhere bigger than the 4,500 pop. town I live in now. I would like to have a good night life and different cultures without breaking the bank. Anyone got any advice

I was born in Centrailia Illinois and I want to move back their to the area and am thinking Marion or Carbondale would be better because I the area better but, I would like to find out more about Centrailia and because I was born there and I would like to get to know the place do you of any places where their are apartments or housing to rent.