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My husband and I are in our early 20s. He has just finished school and I am entering my last year. He (as I will) have our degrees in education. We have lived in Ohio our entire lives and need a change of pace/scenery. Our parents live here as well as my only sibling but his two siblings live out of state...one east...one west. Ohio's job market is simply not superb right now and we would like to get away for about 3 years. We are wanting to find a new location asap, so we can save money for moving/travel etc.
We are thinking 30-45 minutes from a city (large or medium sized if that makes sense). Like I said...while I appreciate the agriculture Ohio produces, I am tired of driving/walking/running by either corn or bean fields. We are open to any type of scenery really. Mountains, lakes, oceans, rivers, rolling hills...just preferably not flat. Weather wise, we also need a slight change of pace. The winters here aren't too bad, but we would probably prefer something less brisk. Summers...we are flexible. Slightly warmer or cooler is ok. (again, these two may have to be compromised...it's one of the least of our concerns) We currently live in a small town, so our rent is not very expensive when you consider the size and quality of our apartment, so we know we will have to increase our rent.
We are also very active people. We like to go out and do things. This could be swimming, biking, walking, the zoo, the park, working out, sporting events, going out to dinner, movies...etc. I would prefer an area with excellent shopping! We also have a small >10 lb dog, that we love to take on walks and stuff.
Location (US wise) we aren't too picky. East, west, south...we are open for suggestions, which is what we really need. As I said, we have both lived in Ohio our entire lives and we are not as familiar with other states.
Have you thought about Tampa? The summer here the last two years has not been very hot at all. Today it kind of has a chill in the air with the rain coming down. But cloudy fronts don't last long usually. It stays warm almost all year round. That's a huge plus for getting out and about. There are beaches, fairly affordable prices(depends on who you are really), nice neighborhoods, diversity, and inevitable growth. The area is also more laid back than Miami by a long shot.
Plenty of types of palm trees grow here. You can grow tropical plants, but they might need to be covered for two week int he winter. Of course most citrus trees grow her without any need for care. Northern areas of Tampa Bay have lots of rivers and lagoons with clear blue water and white sand beaches. Many of them have canoe rentals. There are some theme parks like Busch Gardens, Lowry Park Zoo. Orlando is just a little over an hour away really. Universal is in Orlando. But Tampa doesn't have the tourists feel quite as strong as Orlando does. Growth has been very sluggish in the construction field. The economy clearly isn't as bad as in Ohio though.
I live north of Tampa in Spring Hill. We have Wachee Springs/Buccaneer Bay. This is a a local attraction that gives the city some unique character. There are clear rivers here with white sand and manatee's. There is also Pine Island Beach. Its a small beach, but still nice and eventually it will probably expand. It can go months here with no rain or considerable cloudiness. Schools are decent. There are community sports parks. Some areas don't have sidewalks here, which can be annoying. There are some bike trails, and offroad areas.
Lots of new shopping. retail here has always steadily grown. There is a public library, marina's, skating rink nearby, three hospitals, dental, pharmacies, and all of your typical bigger stores. There are a few local eateries with different ethnic foods. Quite a few Italian pizza places.
Lots of bugs. Spiders cockroaches, and mold will grow on anything if it can. I haven't ever seen a rattlesnake and I have lived here off and on for many years. There are protected areas nearby that have some black bear. Cougars are much further south. The entire area has alligators, and many ponds have them. Though some people do swim with them, thats up to you. Dot attempt going near a nest or swimming in alligator prone water int he spring or early summer.
Tampa is about a half an hour away, depending on the day and traffic. It's easy to stay active here all year round because of the weather. Though insurance prices are driving a lot of people away and could cause a lot of problems for the area int eh future. Of course a hurricane could hit the area any given year. There are some tornado risks as well. Those are capable of forming any time of year. Since this is the gulf, the waves are generally small.
You have your movie theaters, barber shops and all of that stuff. You don't have to go to Tampa for much. Though you would want to drive around all of the coastal cities in Tampa Bay because they're just too cool looking. Huge old homes. Some awesome landscapes.
Ummm jobs in my area are VERY far and few. Tampa is a little different. But the suburbs of Tampa Bay are locked down on jobs. If you're interested in EMT work to become a fireman and stuff like that there is a very long waiting period in which you might not even get your shot after waiting. There are LOTS f New Yorkers, and Massachusetts people here. Quite a few Ohioans and other midwesterners as well.
Of course there is UCF, really nice place too. In my area there is only Pasco-Hernando Community College. A lot of people go to it too. There are still rural areas and exurbs. Land here is not cheap at all. Apartments are expensive. In the 700-800 range for one and two bedroom. There are plenty that have higher prices too. Apartments are also hard to find, and there are quite a few credit sticklers.
Winters here and in southern Florida are probably the best in the continental United States. Temperatures stay right around 70-80 degrees for a long time here. Most of all the things that stand out most are the obvious things. The sub-tropical environment, and the year round warm weather. Humidity can be off th charts here at times though. Seriously. I'm not even kidding. You can walk outside and be drenched in the air during the summer. House windows fog up, tables keep a layer of moisture on them, that kind of stuff. Its annoying. But something you can adapt to and live with. Half of the year is much drier. I don't like thunderstorms at all, im a big baby when it comes to thunderstorms. Coincidentally I moved to the area with the most thunderstorms in the United States. Lightning here is dangerous. You have to use common sense and have limits here when it storms.
Now I cant speak for everyone. But I think Florida takes awhile to adapt to. I have lived here on and off since I was six years old. Only recently have I begun to find it home. Like you I was born in Ohio and the environment is drastically different. It takes time to adjust. But there are lots of redeeming qualities. Go through a shaded neighborhood with huge Florida Oaks draped in moss, and palms everywhere with other tropical plants, and well manicured yards and its extremely pleasant.
I think the sunshine is very healthy for people, just not when it burns you. You just have to build up a tolerance to it. I would not count Tampa out of any relocation list. There is still a fair amount of friendliness here in the entire area of the bay.
The most important issue is finding a decent job, because wages here are low. There are plenty of things to do, but it requires money most of the time. Lastly if you like camping, personally im not big on Florida camping. I think I would rather camp out in 49 other states before here.
My husband and I are in our early 20s. He has just finished school and I am entering my last year. He (as I will) have our degrees in education. We have lived in Ohio our entire lives and need a change of pace/scenery. Our parents live here as well as my only sibling but his two siblings live out of state...one east...one west. Ohio's job market is simply not superb right now and we would like to get away for about 3 years. We are wanting to find a new location asap, so we can save money for moving/travel etc.
We are thinking 30-45 minutes from a city (large or medium sized if that makes sense). Like I said...while I appreciate the agriculture Ohio produces, I am tired of driving/walking/running by either corn or bean fields. We are open to any type of scenery really. Mountains, lakes, oceans, rivers, rolling hills...just preferably not flat. Weather wise, we also need a slight change of pace. The winters here aren't too bad, but we would probably prefer something less brisk. Summers...we are flexible. Slightly warmer or cooler is ok. (again, these two may have to be compromised...it's one of the least of our concerns) We currently live in a small town, so our rent is not very expensive when you consider the size and quality of our apartment, so we know we will have to increase our rent.
We are also very active people. We like to go out and do things. This could be swimming, biking, walking, the zoo, the park, working out, sporting events, going out to dinner, movies...etc. I would prefer an area with excellent shopping! We also have a small >10 lb dog, that we love to take on walks and stuff.
Location (US wise) we aren't too picky. East, west, south...we are open for suggestions, which is what we really need. As I said, we have both lived in Ohio our entire lives and we are not as familiar with other states.
Any help is appreciated!
My wife and I like you are in our 20s and were in a similar situation last summer (my wife is a teacher) - so I feel your pain on treading through the teacher market in Ohio! My wife had 2 different positions at 2 different schools the 2 years before we moved and both were cut due to budgetary reasons.
We decided on Columbia after looking at a few places from afar w/little time to decide (my wife was notified of her job not being renewed end of April 2007, we moved July 2007). We looked (mostly on the internet) at other places such as Raleigh, Charlotte & Charleston, and basically landed on Columbia for a couple of reasons. Mainly, housing, real estate is significantly cheaper here than the other places. Plus, it helped that my wife was offered a position over the phone after only 2 phone interviews at Richland 2. That said, we have been pretty pleased w/our decision thus far. We are less than 2 hours from the beach, about 2 hours from the upstate (mountainous area i.e. Greenville/Spartanburg), 2 1/2 hours from Asheville, 90 min. from Charlotte, 3 hours from Atlanta, and if need be, we can get back to NE Ohio-Canton (where we are from) in about 8 1/2 hours, not particularly fun, but can be done if need be for a long-weekend or whatever.
Columbia is a medium-sized city w/a metro area of around 700k people - similar to Toledo or Akron, a bit smaller than Dayton. I see that you are looking to rent, you can find a nice-size apartment in a decent neighborhood starting from probably $700 on up/month here depending on location and amenities. We have one of the top-ranked zoos in the southeast - Riverbanks Zoo & Botanical Gardens. There are also 3 rivers that converge near downtown w/very scenic biking/walking trails alongside of them as well as people raft along the Saluda during this time of year. Shopping opportunities abound here as there is the recently built Village at Sandhill in NE Columbia, as well as 3 other malls in the metro area. The weather is much milder than Ohio, it is hot in the summer, typically in the low 90s from July through early September, but the thing we love is we basically skip winter! Fall occurs here, it just doesn't really start until late October/early November, and outside of a few cool days (upper 40s-low 50s during day, upper 20s-low 30s at night) in January & February, it will feel like springtime most of those months into March & April. Check out Columbia on Wikipedia or something for more info on all that and what else the area has to offer that will meet what you are looking for.
As for teaching positions, my wife's middle school alone just hired 10 teachers from Ohio & Michigan for the upcoming school year. There was an article in the paper yesterday that Richland 2 SD has 3 vacancies, Richland 1 SD has like 15-20, and some of the Lexington County school districts also have opening still left. So if you hurry (most schools start next week), you may still be able to land something for this school year.
Columbia has it's problems like all other cities, but as I said before, a year later, we are happy w/our decision to relocate here. Best wishes to you on making your decision.
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When my wife and I were your age, we moved to Marrietta, Georgia. Getting away from home and family was the best thing a young couple could do. It allowed us to make it on our own, and also showed us what another part of the Country was like. I fully support every young person moving several hundred miles from home just to get the experience.
When your salmon genes kick in, you will be fully able to appreciate where you grew up. You will then be better qualified in making the decision on where to settle and raise kids.
If that decision happens to be your home town, you won't be bitter like the people that never left. You will know that it was a decision based on life experience, not because you were trapped and afraid to leave.
When my wife and I were your age, we moved to Marrietta, Georgia. Getting away from home and family was the best thing a young couple could do. It allowed us to make it on our own, and also showed us what another part of the Country was like. I fully support every young person moving several hundred miles from home just to get the experience.
When your salmon genes kick in, you will be fully able to appreciate where you grew up. You will then be better qualified in making the decision on where to settle and raise kids.
If that decision happens to be your home town, you won't be bitter like the people that never left. You will know that it was a decision based on life experience, not because you were trapped and afraid to leave.
I agree w/you, gave you a positive rate for your reputation! We went into making the decision to move knowing that if we backed out and never left, we'd always be left wondering the rest of our lives what we might have missed. I feel confident that even had we hated it now and couldn't wait to move back, we wouldn't regret going through w/the move b/c at least we would have tested the waters and found out for ourselves.
Our 'salmon' genes may kick in at some point, but as of now, don't think that day will be anytime soon!
My husband and I are in our early 20s. He has just finished school and I am entering my last year. He (as I will) have our degrees in education. We have lived in Ohio our entire lives and need a change of pace/scenery. Our parents live here as well as my only sibling but his two siblings live out of state...one east...one west. Ohio's job market is simply not superb right now and we would like to get away for about 3 years. We are wanting to find a new location asap, so we can save money for moving/travel etc.
We are thinking 30-45 minutes from a city (large or medium sized if that makes sense). Like I said...while I appreciate the agriculture Ohio produces, I am tired of driving/walking/running by either corn or bean fields. We are open to any type of scenery really. Mountains, lakes, oceans, rivers, rolling hills...just preferably not flat. Weather wise, we also need a slight change of pace. The winters here aren't too bad, but we would probably prefer something less brisk. Summers...we are flexible. Slightly warmer or cooler is ok. (again, these two may have to be compromised...it's one of the least of our concerns) We currently live in a small town, so our rent is not very expensive when you consider the size and quality of our apartment, so we know we will have to increase our rent.
We are also very active people. We like to go out and do things. This could be swimming, biking, walking, the zoo, the park, working out, sporting events, going out to dinner, movies...etc. I would prefer an area with excellent shopping! We also have a small >10 lb dog, that we love to take on walks and stuff.
Location (US wise) we aren't too picky. East, west, south...we are open for suggestions, which is what we really need. As I said, we have both lived in Ohio our entire lives and we are not as familiar with other states.
Any help is appreciated!
In what part of Ohio do you currently reside? I know you'd like to leave the state, but have you considered Cincinnati? It would appear to meet the criteria you've detailed.
I agree w/you, gave you a positive rate for your reputation! We went into making the decision to move knowing that if we backed out and never left, we'd always be left wondering the rest of our lives what we might have missed. I feel confident that even had we hated it now and couldn't wait to move back, we wouldn't regret going through w/the move b/c at least we would have tested the waters and found out for ourselves.
Our 'salmon' genes may kick in at some point, but as of now, don't think that day will be anytime soon!
Just wondering how you feel if you stay in Ohio, but move elsewhere in that state? Because I am leaning towards the one firm in Columbus, but it is not "home" to me, you know?
I am not originally from Ohio too. I grew up in Pennsylvania, so in a way that is like where "home" is for me. I moved to Ohio when I was 16. I am originally from Warminster, Pennsylvania outside of Philadelphia. Just incase you didn't know.
My husband and I were both originally from Ohio. He wanted to get his MBA from ASU and I wanted to teach out in AZ. We both moved here Phoenix after we graduated college. The job market was much better than it was back in Ohio. So I suggest AZ!!
I have vacationed in Florida many, many times. I love the beaches and the laid back atmosphere, but I have actually never been to Tampa...I will be checking that out.
As far as the SE goes...we have looked into different places, such as Charleston and some smaller towns near the OBX but the prices are just too expensive, however, we have not looked too much into Columbia, but will certainly be checking it out more. The teaching opportunities are wonderful down there and while my husband did receive a job here in Ohio this year, there is a LARGE chance that in 2 years his job will be non-existant, since it is a very tiny school and I am Middle Childhood...so that isn't shaping up too good for me in these parts.
I totally argree with you South and Buckeye. While we love our hometown and would miss our families, we just feel the need to experience more that our wonderful country has to offer. I mean, the US has so many different climates, which is the beauty of living here. We would like to experience life on our own in a new location and then when we decide to start a family, we have the option of moving back home, staying or if in our travels we find somewhere better, moving again.
We both love going to new places so moving seems like a good choice...our only question is where! But we received some good suggestions on here!
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