Moving from Singapore to VA...but what city? (Virginia Beach, Richmond: rental, credit)

[komos79]

-Where you are working: will be looking for industrial engineering jobs
-How much you are willing to spend on housing: <200K
-How long of a commute you're willing to tolerate: 30min
-If you have kids: Private school or public school? no kids but if we have we'd choose public
-What type of neighborhood environment you are looking for: small town feeling? small city excitement? suburbia delight?...anything
-Community amenities important to you...big sports fan..pro or college football & basketball....soccer
-Pie or cake? apple pie

My girlfriend and I are planning to move to the US by early next year. We narrowed it down to VA because it's not too cold, and many good public universities there.
what city in VA can we find a house for 200K?..and good job market...i'm in engineering, she's in marketing...
we are also looking for diverse population. we are of southeast asian descent so we want people to be open minded when they meet minorities like us...

another option is Dallas cause she got relatives there so we can crash at their place to start off...

any inputs?
thanks

[vanyali]

Well, the most diverse areas with the best job markets are going to be the most expensive.

You can think about the Hampton Roads area (Newport News and the surrounding areas, including Virginia Beach). That area's cheaper, but still has some life to it, and is large enough that you might be able to find a job you like.

You might consider starting with a job search and then deciding between offers by looking at the communities where the jobs are. There are plenty of nice little pockets here and there in Virginia, but it doesn't make sense to fall in love with one community if you can only find work somewhere else.

[ersatz]

Try looking into the Blacksburg area in Southwestern Virginia. There is some industry in the area and it is something of a technological center due to the presence of a good engineering university there - Virginia Tech. It is cheaper than the Northern Virginia area. The surrounding area is in the mountains and quite beautiful. There is more of a diverse international presence there due to the presence of the University. and more cultural activities than usual for such a rural area. I know several engineers who have moved there and genuinely love it.

Unfortunately, due to these factors, you will not find a house in Blacksburg for the amount of money you describe. However, you can find homes lfor less than $200,00 in the area, such as Pulaski County. However, the commute to downtown Blacksburg will be longer than 30 minutes.

[Mr_Jonas]

I am a Swedish guy living in Virginia.
I am some what puzzled by your message. Who is your green card or visa sponsor? Usually the latter more or less dictate were you move…but then you mention possible employment, so I assume you then must have won the green card lottery…or what am I missing? (Even if you won the green card lottery, you two are not married)Please, make sure your papers are in order this is a VERY hot topic in the US right now. I know in the 80’s and the 90’s the immigration regulations were not really enforced very well, however today it is a different story.


While Northern Virginia and the Virginia Beach area offers better employment opportunities and a more diverse population, it is as the other posters mention quite expensive. I still recommend that area for you. You say you like soccer so in Northern Virginia you have the near by DC United. A pretty decent team even by international standards!!


I would under no circumstances recommend Pulaski County to you. I went to college in near by Radford and Pulaski is very…how should I say this…..Redneck! My wife worked there for 6 months and even though she is from a small town in central Virginia with a population of 1,761 but even she complained about the narrowminded attitude in Pulaski. (She worked in a video rental place in Pulaski while finishing up her degree. Most of her fellow co-workers had a some what attitude towards her and she could not figure out why. Then one day one of the girls said., “look is your boy friend balck or white? Jonas, that name sounds black.” My soon to be wife explained that I was Swedish. The reply was “so, is he black or white. Most forigners are kind of black”.)

Yes, while we have people of african decent in Sweden…I am very much a walking Scandinavian stereotype, blue eyes, blond hair and way to pale.
Trust me stay away from Pulaski.


May I recommend Charlottesville? Due to that it is the home of University of Virginia it is a very international little place with a nice selection of restaurants. Yes, the house prices are a bit high for a town thas size, but anyway. I do not know what the job market is like. Richmond could also be a possible destination.

[Dr.Jim]

I would have to concur with the above post.

You will be experiencing quite a bit of culture shock as it is. Moving into some of the more rural areas, that have no diversity could put you in an uncomfortable position. Alot of rural VA is beautiful to experience,...but often so steeped in history and tradition that 'change' of any sort (including "outsiders") is not terribly welcome. It is unfortunate, but a reality.
Charlottesville is somewhat progress and diverse, close to both mountains and the beach, and has smaller towns on the outskirts as well.
Richmond would be fine too.

Best of luck!

[vanyali]

Yes, it's hard to go wrong with Charlottesville, as long as you can find work. The thing about smaller cities is that they're, well, small, so it can sometimes be hard to just step in and find work. But I don't know that Charlottesville is any worse than any other small city in that regard. That would be a fine place for you to end up. Better than Blacksburg I would think (I don't think Blacksburg is quite as cosmopolitan, even with VA Tech right there).

[j1n]

Originally Posted by Mr_Jonas

Most of her fellow co-workers had a some what attitude towards her and she could not figure out why. Then one day one of the girls said., “look is your boy friend balck or white? Jonas, that name sounds black.” My soon to be wife explained that I was Swedish. The reply was “so, is he black or white. Most forigners are kind of black”.)

wow. just...wow.

[komos79]

[quote=Mr_Jonas;3108749]I am a Swedish guy living in Virginia.
I am some what puzzled by your message. Who is your green card or visa sponsor? Usually the latter more or less dictate were you move…but then you mention possible employment, so I assume you then must have won the green card lottery…or what am I missing? (Even if you won the green card lottery, you two are not married)Please, make sure your papers are in order this is a VERY hot topic in the US right now. I know in the 80’s and the 90’s the immigration regulations were not really enforced very well, however today it is a different story.


my girlfirend is an american citizen and we are planning to get engaged/married before we go to the US.

Thanks for all the inputs on all the different cities. We are looking into them. We like Richmond for its size. Also like Charlottesville and Blacksburg for their college town athmosphere, but not sure how the job market is like there...

this one might be out of the topic of this thread, but would it be faster to get my work permit if we get married in singapore or in the US?

[stoop]

Hello, I'm new here and would like some advice... My company is sending me with my family to work in our office in Reston, VA. I plan to buy a house in northern Virginia but it's been a challenge trying to get a loan as a foreigner without any recent credit history. Can anyone provide some advice on how I might be able to get a loan fast? I have excellent credit history in Singapore. Also, I'd like to find out how much taxes I will have to pay. Any pointers to where I can get some tax advice? THANKS!

[Mr_Jonas]

When I moved to Virginia a few years ago, my wife had to get everything in her name as she was the American. I stated building up a credit history by getting a credit account with Old Navy clothing store and then Pier One. So I think this is the way to go. I have heard people in similar situations taking a smaller loan at a big national bank, lets say $ 3000 (or what ever the minimum loan they could get) and then paying it back as fast as they could.
Your company might be able to provide you with financial statements and otehr infomation that can be helpful when applying for a house loan.
Hope it helps.