moving from Iowa (Spokane, South Hill: fit in, apartments, employment)

[leftyfromiowa]

I'm a single guy 50 ish,wondering where the best part of town to get an apartment.I do a lot of cycling and I'm in good shape and health,but I probably fit in with people a bit younger than myself.I've read that South Hill is a good part of town.Are there good places of employment there also.I've worked in construction most of my life,but I was wondering about possibly a manufacturing job.I'm planning on moving near the end of the summer.Any help would be appreciated.

[chiaroscuro]

Originally Posted by leftyfromiowa

I'm a single guy 50 ish,wondering where the best part of town to get an apartment.I do a lot of cycling and I'm in good shape and health,but I probably fit in with people a bit younger than myself.I've read that South Hill is a good part of town.

South hill is pretty good, it's a mixed neighborhood really. Google "Apartments in Spokane" and look around for your price range to get an idea of neighborhoods you want to live in before you move here.

Originally Posted by leftyfromiowa

Are there good places of employment there also.I've worked in construction most of my life,but I was wondering about possibly a manufacturing job.I'm planning on moving near the end of the summer.Any help would be appreciated.

There are good places of employment here if you have a degree+skills, or a lot of experience, or some combination therof. The people who struggle to find jobs are only high school graduates with little or no experience. There is huge competition for the dog crumbs under the table (ie minimum wage, labor, jobs which you can get without a diploma). My advice to anyone looking to move ANYWHERE, before you just 'up and move,' make sure you secure employment! Google some Spokane businesses in your field and call up each one, ask if they have positions open for <list your qualifications>.

You can also search sites such as Spokesmanjobs.com (http://www.spokesmanjobs.com/employment/ - broken link) and look for recent postings.

Definitely, don't hop into a new state and just hope that a job will appear for you while you get settled in. Or you might end up at burger king, working a side job at a call center, working a third weekend job stealing bikes. Joke. But seriously, secure a good job here and then all doors will open for you.