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I would go for Brooklyn, but maybe a cheaper neighborhood in Southern Brooklyn. Upstate is dying, if not already dead, there is no future there. Even if you keep your job for the rest of your career (a big if), is your husband going to have a job lined up there? What will your children do when they are old enough to work?
If you get fired in Brooklyn you're not going to have to worry so much about finding another job, since Manhattan is right next door.
I think that the apartments in the outerboroughs are bigger than over in the UK. My 1 br apartment is pretty affordable and is 650 sq ft. Outside of Manhattan I think this is more typical than a 450 sq ft apartment.
Plus keep in my mind, since you have family in Rochester you should at least test out Brooklyn. If things don't work out over here, you can always move back upstate since you have a family network up there.
You didn't say what your husband will be doing or how much he expects to make.
If you hadn't said you want kids in the "near future" I would say go to Brooklyn. The job sounds exciting (though is it secure -- if venture capitalists are investing doesn't that mean it's risky and could fail?) and you will probably make some great contacts. If you are the only one working, how will that work when you need to take time off for the eventual baby?
If you really want the chance to experience NYC life, now is the time. If you settle down and have children elsewhere, I don't think the opportunity will present itself so easily again.
Everyone thinks NY rent prices are insane, but given what you deal with in London, $1500 for a one bedroom in a nice outer borough neighborhood does not seem too bad.
But. . .if you think that first child is coming within the next 3 years, I wouldn't move to Brooklyn on your salary alone. As as childless couple, you would be fine.
Thanks Henna for your post!
Sorry everyone, I should have mentioned that my husband is a Graphic Designer (mid-senior level) and I think he would pull in about $70K/annually give or take.
So, in total our income would be around $160K/annually.
Also, we would like to have kids within the next 2 years.
And as far as risky, yes, it definitely could be, but from all of the exposure it has had in the press (recently in Forbes magazine), growth rate of users, etc. I am thinking they are going to do really well.
That is the carrot that is dangling in front of our face...and I know that money isn't everything but it sure does help! The hitch - we would have to wait like 4 years (by the time I am 38) to cash in on what we could potentially earn in stock...
Thanks again everyone and please keep the comments/suggestions/thoughts coming!
I think Mead made some good points. I would worry about finding another well-paying job in Rochester if the one you have found is not all that you expected. Your husband's job prospects are also certainly narrower upstate. Even if you have a child in a year, he/she won't begin Kindergarden for another 5 years, so you'd have some time to work out the school issue. (By the way there are some very good public schools in the city, but the majority of them are elementary.) 160K between the two of you is pretty decent and will enable you to buy something, especially considering that many expect real estate prices in the outerboroughs to decline somewhat in the near future. I would think that family would be a big consideration in where you move, however. Family is very helpful when you have children, so that would seem to be an advantage for Rochester. In our case, having family a little at a distance is actually better, but that's another story. Good luck in your decision.
I'd pick Brooklyn over Rochester. When will you get the opportunity to move to NYC again? I agree with another person on the board--Henna, I believe--who said why get settled down with kids in Rochester (of all places...no offense to anyone) and be locked down in a place you and your husband probably won't wind up enjoying? Sure, your family will be there, but if you are used to the excitement of being near a huge city such as London--well, that goes away with Rochester.
Why don't you take the Brooklyn job and consider the NYC metro area as an option?? You don't have to live right in Brooklyn. You could live on Long Island, Westchester, Jersey, or Fairfield County, CT and commute. If that isn't an option, then Brooklyn has some cheaper hoods than you'd think upon first look.
Take a chance and seize the opportunity--go to Brooklyn. Rochester might bore you to death.
As a fellow native Upstater (Buffalo), I'm not going to join the chorus of "Rochester is Boring" posters, because you and I know that is not the case.
However, I will agree with the people who called out the fact that your future opportunities (past this immediate opportunity) may be quite limited Upstate.
This is the reason my wife and I moved from Upstate to NYC. It's about putting yourself in an environment with multiple opportunities. I knew "in a moment" which company you referred to in your post. Are there other employers in Rochester that could provide you a way to move up the ladder? Are there any others that could provide an equivalent position and pay? Think about the next job after this one. If things don't work out, for whatever reason, will you be packing up the U-Haul and leaving again?
I'd go for Brooklyn. 33 and 34 year old are running away from Rochester. Your children will thank you for raising them in NYC or close to NYC. Don't go to Rochester!
I'm 27 and moving from Brooklyn to Rochester in about a week or so. I'm originally from California and have been living in Brooklyn for 4 years but decided to move to Roc after visiting my partner's family several times and falling in love with the place.
While no US cities can compare to NYC, and while I think it's good for folks to experience big-city life at least once in their lives, I think your decision to move should be based on what kind of life you want to have. I made the decision to move to Roc after spending many, many long weekends there and never wanting to return to my cramped, roach-infested apartment in Brooklyn. Aside from the complete and total rip-off that is NYC, I personally like the quaint community feel that Roc has-- not to mention the huge old trees, historic architecture (by US standards, anyway), and general access to nature. I like that in addition to the nature there's pretty decent culture and restaurants. It's also close to Canada and the fingerlakes, etc. I always find something new that I love about Roc with every trip I take there, and i personally think that the people who ***** about Roc are too lazy to really "dig-in" and see what it has to offer. And even though there aren't as many people who live in Roc, I think building a community there is actually easier because it's not a transient city like NYC where people are constantly moving in and moving out without building roots.
I can go on and on about Roc, and I havent thought twice about my decision to move-- I'm ready to move into my lovely two bedroom two bath place in the Park Ave/ Arts district area. The rent is cheap, the house is beautiful and clean and has a backyard and the street is tree-lined with bars, restaurants, and shops around the corner. What more could I ask for? But then again, maybe it took the four years I spent losing money and living in squalor to really appreciate my up-and-coming life in Roc... either way, congrats on the job and move!
While no US cities can compare to NYC, and while I think it's good for folks to experience big-city life at least once in their lives, I think your decision to move should be based on what kind of life you want to have. I made the decision to move to Roc after spending many, many long weekends there and never wanting to return to my cramped, roach-infested apartment in Brooklyn. Aside from the complete and total rip-off that is NYC, I personally like the quaint community feel that Roc has-- not to mention the huge old trees, historic architecture (by US standards, anyway), and general access to nature. I like that in addition to the nature there's pretty decent culture and restaurants. It's also close to Canada and the fingerlakes, etc. I always find something new that I love about Roc with every trip I take there, and i personally think that the people who ***** about Roc are too lazy to really "dig-in" and see what it has to offer. And even though there aren't as many people who live in Roc, I think building a community there is actually easier because it's not a transient city like NYC where people are constantly moving in and moving out without building roots.
You hit the nail on the head. NY is losing its roots and I think this is a long term problem. Back in the day you could go to certain neighborhoods and within an ethnicity find regional clusters, even areas that had one or many streets or a building of people from a single town in whatever country the people came from. This could be found in Manhattan in addition to the outerboroughs. People had ties 3 generations back in the old country. It was a great sense of community locally, yet you could have the opportunity to step 1, 2 or 5 miles in any direction outside the ethnic enclave and see the equivalent in all types of other cultures. Truly a GREAT life experience that made New York the place to be.
Now you walk onto a street or in a building and you see a lack of community. Everyone is too concerned with their image to truly bother with one another. Everyone is better than everyone else. Everybody is too busy with their pursuit of the American dream or whatever individual aspirations they may have. Many newcomers have no clue about the history of where they currently reside. Roots nowadays in NY are as deep as a dandelion weed.
Did you consider moving to Staten Island? The commute from S.I. to Brooklyn is not all that bad, and the borough is more affordable and has pretty decent schools.
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