moving south from boston (Florida, Washington: attorney, living, cost of living)

[jake786]

hey everyone. i'm a 25 year old male looking to finally get out of new england and move south. i work as an attorney, so i would like to remain near a relatively big city, but do not mind some commute. i have lived in boston my whole life, but have ALWAYS wanted to get south. Problem is WHERE? Most people recommend DC as it will not be such a culture shock, but I am also considering ATLANTA. I have zero ties to New England, so I'm open to any suggestions. Maybe VIRGINIA? NORTH CAROLINA? FLORIDA? What cities should I focus my search on? I love the outdoors, play all sports, but also like being near a city. im open to most political/social climatesm, and I dont mind hot weather at all. Any help would be great!!

[missionhill]

Well, there aren't any big cities in NC or Virginia although Va borders on DC. Atlanta is a big place although it always seems kinda lame to me--lots of bragging, not much substance. People really love Houston, Texas. It's a big dynamic place and about as different from Boston as you can get and still be in the USA. Austin TX is much smaller but not small and people love Austin even more. I'd consider them both.

[lorilou]

Originally Posted by jake786

hey everyone. i'm a 25 year old male looking to finally get out of new england and move south. i work as an attorney, so i would like to remain near a relatively big city, but do not mind some commute. i have lived in boston my whole life, but have ALWAYS wanted to get south. Problem is WHERE? Most people recommend DC as it will not be such a culture shock, but I am also considering ATLANTA. I have zero ties to New England, so I'm open to any suggestions. Maybe VIRGINIA? NORTH CAROLINA? FLORIDA? What cities should I focus my search on? I love the outdoors, play all sports, but also like being near a city. im open to most political/social climatesm, and I dont mind hot weather at all. Any help would be great!!

Have you considered Dallas, Texas?
Very swanky, fun lifestyle for a young executive like yourself. Sort of like a southern L.A., which is fun if you are young. Also, you will be very pleased with the cost of living, compared to Boston.
North Carolina is beautiful, with nice weather and seasons. Not sure about "city life"....probably not.
Miami also comes to mind, except for hurricane season.
Good luck!

[Ronniec78]

I'm from MA originally and spent some time in Houston and all I have to say is that it completely sucks. I keep hearing Austin is a great place to live and work. Houston is the worst city I have ever been to. NC is growing like crazy and I would say Raleigh or Cary are great options. Another great place is Orlando. I love it down there.

[CaseyB]

Charlotte is the biggest city in North Carolina - it is bigger than Boston.

[Ronniec78]

I have heard Atlanta is a great city but I've never been. By South I'm not sure if you mean the Southeast or not though. If you're also talking about TX, OK, LA, etc. you have a lot to choose from.

[missionhill]

Originally Posted by CaseyB

Charlotte is the biggest city in North Carolina - it is bigger than Boston.

City pop, yes. Boston city is smaller than a number of places no one would rank with the big cities--Indianapolis, Columbus OH, San Jose, Jacksonville, and so on. But as we all know, Boston and its many adjacent municipalities pack more of a wallop than any of those bland urbs.

As to Houston, I too have heard people say it's a terrible place, etc. But the OP doesn't like Boston and New England so I'm thinking Houston might be the place. Also many of the Houston people really like it there.

[Ronniec78]

I don't see how anyone could like Houston. Maybe it was culture shock for me. The city itself is ugly. The people are not overly friendly either. All I heard was terrible things before I got there and found out they're all true. It is the worst city I have ever been to bar none. If you're talking TX I would say Austin is the best choice. Beyond that, I hear Dallas is a step up from Houston.

[LeavingMA]

What are you looking for in a city? Do you want a large or median sized city?

I'm in a similar situation and of similar age to you. Washington D.C. is a great city and one of my favorites, but very expensive and the traffic is brutal. When you get to the southeastern cities, they are more affordable but also not as large as many of the northeastern cities. Raleigh is nice, close to the ocean and not far from the mountains. It is a smaller city, and offers many amentities, but with more a town atmosphere. Charlotte is larger and has more of a "downtown" than Raleigh, but both are growing rapidly and changing quickly. Atlanta has probably the largest "downtown" of the southeastern cities, but you also deal with brutal traffic there. I would say if your in your 20's and single with any city stay inside the city limits and near where young singles stay. Like any place, if you go out to the suburbs it will be quite different.

I disagree that Houston is awful. I found the people there very friendly and the parts of Houston I stayed in were very nice. Houston is very large (i think the size of RI) so to judge Houston is almost like judging a whole state. Houston does have some ugly parts (don't all cities and places), but it has a lot going for it. It is very affordable, lots to do, and nice people (people i still stay in touch with). Austin is a great city also as is Dallas. It really all depends on what you are looking for in a city, because all are slightly different and unique. You should try to visit the ones you consider and go from there. Just go down for a long weekend and check things out.

One thing I find though is somtimes the larger the city the more snobby people you can run into. I also meet people in D.C., but many natives say people there are more concerned with status. I've heard and read that Atlanta and Dallas can be somewhat snobby. I really haven't experienced this in my travels, and haven't found people any more standoffish somewhere else than in Boston.

[Ronniec78]

Ok well this guy has not even mentioned TX so why anyone mentioned it or why we're debating how good or bad it is, is completely useless. This guy has said he is looking for places in the SE part of the country. Let's just drop TX.