Hello,
I'm looking to move this by August 2018. Ideally it'll be a city I can plant deep roots in and eventually buy a house within the next year or 2. I've done lots of research and have finally narrowed down the cities from 20 to 6 and would like input from those who have lived there for 3 or more years.
I have a bachelor's degree in social science and a minor in psychology. I have work experience as an executive assistant, an admin assistant, an office manager, a teacher, and a researcher.
I'm 31 and single, I share custody of my children with my ex-husband, and ideally would like a good balance of activities to do with the kids and by myself.
Would love;
* easy access to nature - I absolutely LOVE to hike, and fell in love with the mountains Vegas, Arizona, and Utah had to offer when I lived in Vegas.
*Good to excellent education system (escaping Vegas because of poor national ranking).
*Decent paying jobs (loved LA for this) with room for growth, ideally would like to start off making $50K. I do not wish to teach any more.
* Within 30 minutes from a major city (more likely to get a good paying position in a major city I'm guessing).
* Activities and events for families and singles.
* A welcoming/ friendly city. I found some of my closest friends in Vegas, they were from other parts of the country originally, but we all became each others family even though we met through meetup hiking sites. I'd like to build a community of friends for my kids and I.
*Excellent public transportation/walk-able (loved Paris and Rome for this), but I'm okay with buying a car if necessary.
*Active meetup groups or social groups (easier to meet people I'm guessing, just in case I don't at work).
*Bonus if close to a university, thinking of going to grad school for psychology.
*Able to get a 2 - 3 bedroom spot for $1,400 or less in a decent to great area (bonus if I can rent a house/duplex for the price as opposed to a condo or apartment)
Cities on my radar are;
Portland/Vancouver (it's a tie!) Heard great things about Washington school system, and love the access to nature, and Portland for the high possibility of obtaining work in the research field.
St. Louis seems to have great cost of living, and there seems to be job openings with good salaries. Family oriented with free museums and such.
Chicago has the sports culture that is somewhat exciting, job openings with good salaries, social groups and bars.
Salt Lake Cities easy access to nature, and close enough to national parks. Great cost of living, not sure about job openings and salary.
Philly seems to have lots to do for children and adults. Also seems to be moderately priced homes.
Please tell me if I am wrong about my assumptions, and your experience with living in these cities.
Thank you
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