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So here's the deal... My wife and I are in our late 20s, white, and currently live a fairly comfortable, safe, middle-class life in the northwest suburbs of Chicago. It's not bad per se, but after a quarter of a century in the same general area dealing with some crappy winters and humid summers, we are contemplating a change, if only to experience another part of the country.
Preferences
- Warmer weather overall with milder winters and less humid summers.
- Good Business/IT job market.
- Suburban living with stuff nearby. We aren't much of outdoors people or sports fans, but enjoy being near events, museums, that kind of stuff. I realize most suburbs will be pretty much the same everywhere.
- Interesting things within driving distance for quick weekend getaways, even if they're touristy.
- Good, safe place to raise a family.... Low crime, good schools. We don't have kids yet, but we do plan on it.
- Reasonable cost of living.
Based on these, we've come up with Phoenix, Dallas, and Atlanta as possible alternatives, though Atlanta is the only area we've visited thus far. We do plan to visit Dallas and Phoenix later this year. We would also plan on renting for a year or so to get to really know an area before purchasing a home there.
Chicago (northwest suburbs) + Already here with jobs, very safe, good schools, family nearby - Weather, feels boring after so many years in same place, always looking to get away
Dallas (Richardson/Plano area?) + Can transfer job, good schools, state and city economies seem to be doing well, lower cost of living - Further from family, summers are about as humid as Chicago if not more, most driving getaways would still be within Texas
Atlanta (Alpharetta area?) + Can transfer job, have visited and Alpharetta area looks great, fairly low crime - Further from family, summers are about as humid as Chicago if not more, not a lot of destinations nearby unless you drive down to Florida
Phoenix (Chandler/Gilbert area?) + Drastically different scenery, very low humidity, growing area, lots of interesting destinations within driving distance - Would require a new job search, furthest from family, higher crime, worse schools, extremely hot in summer
Right now, based on our initial research, we're leaning towards Dallas and maybe leaving Phoenix as a place to visit but not live. What do you think?
All those metropolitan areas you listed would be good for suburban living but my preference is Phoenix.
Most of Phoenix's suburban areas are newer and cleaner than the other areas, especially if you compare Phoenix with Chicago.
Everything you listed in preferences would describe Phoenix's suburban areas.
Reasonable cost of living and climate are two big things many people move to the Phoenix area for, and something you should know is Phoenix is very hot in the summertime but nice and mild the rest of the year.
Humidity is low all year long except it can be a little muggy in July and August during the summer monsoon season.
Cost of living is reasonable but not cheap, your taxes and mortgage payments are usually lower in the Phoenix area but electric bills and car expenses are costly.
You'll also have a variety of things to see and do, both city and natural that are pretty closeby. Grand Canyon, Sedona, Biosphere, Karchner Caverns, and other tourist attractions would make a good weekend trip, and you'll be very close to museums, zoos, and other things found in a large city.
You specifically wrote Chandler and Gilbert as two Phoenix suburbs you're interested in, both are very nice but I personally prefer Chandler of the two.
Chandler has IT jobs, good schools, low crime, and nice neighborhoods, it's a great place to live, raise a family, and work.
Last edited by Java Jolt; 05-08-2013 at 09:49 AM..
Reason: added a few things
I'd look around the Denver area as well. It is warmer on average in the winter, and is less humid in the summer. You are close to the Rockies which are great for trips. It has a relatively low cost of living. It has great suburbs and is a great place to raise a family. Idk really about the job market for IT and business there, but someone else probably could answer that.
Phoenix was our initial gut feeling, but would definitely be the hardest move, especially with a lack of family and employment. The climate seems like the most ideal of the choices, though.
We looked into Denver and while it is statistically warmer on average (than Chicago), the winter season does seem to be a bit more than we'd like (with about 50% more snow overall and it occurring anywhere between September and May).
The suburbs of all offer a lot. That said, in my opinion Dallas has the most all incompasing suburbs. Atlanta has the most sparse suburbs which is nice in that it gives a more country, outdoorsy feel. The houses there are furthest apart.
The burbs in Dallas are more dense in Dallas vs. Atlanta but they arent quite as pretty. Im not quite as familiar with Phoenix so I wont comment other than the suburbs of Dallas and Atlanta are more diverse than the suburbs of Phoenix. Also, Dallas has the best economy of all the ones mentioned.
I would go with Dallas. It erroneous that the Phoenix burbs are newer than the others. Phoenix, ATL and Dallas burbs are all being built as we speak and all look clean and new.
The difference is Dallas sends to have more powerful burbs in that they give serious competition to the main city in terms of employment, cuisine and certain cultural amenities.
Where would your jobs be in Atlanta or Dallas? That would probably be the major determining factor for me. If you want to do the suburban thing in Atlanta and your job is downtown, it probably wouldn't be that good of an option for you. If your job was in Alpharetta, it would probably be a fantastic option.
Also, did you check out the areas north of Alpharetta? A half hour drive will get you into the foothills, and an hour will get you into some pretty big mountains.
Where would your jobs be in Atlanta or Dallas? That would probably be the major determining factor for me. If you want to do the suburban thing in Atlanta and your job is downtown, it probably wouldn't be that good of an option for you. If your job was in Alpharetta, it would probably be a fantastic option.
Also, did you check out the areas north of Alpharetta? A half hour drive will get you into the foothills, and an hour will get you into some pretty big mountains.
Both jobs would be right in the heart of downtown (Atlanta or Dallas).
I'm not really familiar with where MARTA runs in the Atlanta area, which is why I was trying to stick to Alpharetta or closer (something like Sandy Springs might be a better option).
For Dallas, I know DART runs through Richardson and Plano, but overall haven't heard as many complaints about Dallas traffic as I have about the others.
So here's the deal... My wife and I are in our late 20s, white, and currently live a fairly comfortable, safe, middle-class life in the northwest suburbs of Chicago. It's not bad per se, but after a quarter of a century in the same general area dealing with some crappy winters and humid summers, we are contemplating a change, if only to experience another part of the country.
Preferences
- Warmer weather overall with milder winters and less humid summers.
- Good Business/IT job market.
- Suburban living with stuff nearby. We aren't much of outdoors people or sports fans, but enjoy being near events, museums, that kind of stuff. I realize most suburbs will be pretty much the same everywhere.
- Interesting things within driving distance for quick weekend getaways, even if they're touristy.
- Good, safe place to raise a family.... Low crime, good schools. We don't have kids yet, but we do plan on it.
- Reasonable cost of living.
Based on these, we've come up with Phoenix, Dallas, and Atlanta as possible alternatives, though Atlanta is the only area we've visited thus far. We do plan to visit Dallas and Phoenix later this year. We would also plan on renting for a year or so to get to really know an area before purchasing a home there.
Chicago (northwest suburbs) + Already here with jobs, very safe, good schools, family nearby - Weather, feels boring after so many years in same place, always looking to get away
Dallas (Richardson/Plano area?) + Can transfer job, good schools, state and city economies seem to be doing well, lower cost of living - Further from family, summers are about as humid as Chicago if not more, most driving getaways would still be within Texas
Atlanta (Alpharetta area?) + Can transfer job, have visited and Alpharetta area looks great, fairly low crime - Further from family, summers are about as humid as Chicago if not more, not a lot of destinations nearby unless you drive down to Florida
Phoenix (Chandler/Gilbert area?) + Drastically different scenery, very low humidity, growing area, lots of interesting destinations within driving distance - Would require a new job search, furthest from family, higher crime, worse schools, extremely hot in summer
Right now, based on our initial research, we're leaning towards Dallas and maybe leaving Phoenix as a place to visit but not live. What do you think?
Don't discount how hot Dallas summers are every year. Last couple of years, they've had 40 plus days of over 100 temps.
I think it's a great city if you are ok with that, but you should be fully aware of what you are getting into.
The suburbs of all offer a lot. That said, in my opinion Dallas has the most all incompasing suburbs. Atlanta has the most sparse suburbs which is nice in that it gives a more country, outdoorsy feel. The houses there are furthest apart.
The burbs in Dallas are more dense in Dallas vs. Atlanta but they arent quite as pretty. Im not quite as familiar with Phoenix so I wont comment other than the suburbs of Dallas and Atlanta are more diverse than the suburbs of Phoenix. Also, Dallas has the best economy of all the ones mentioned.
Well, if you're not quite as familiar with Phoenix, then why are you commenting that the suburbs of Dallas and Atlanta are more diverse than the ones in Phoenix??
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