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I am hoping for some guidance to help me make a huge decision. I have two job offers. One in Long BEach and the other in Grand Junction. If I accept the job in Long BEach I would start witha base salary of 53531 and in April move to 55258. If I accept Grand Junction, I would start at 48179 and in April move to 49733. I have tried to investigate and determine which would be best but I am so unsure of what to do. It seems that housing/rent is extremely expensive in Long Beach. I was wandering if that would be the best choice anyway though since I was thinking that maybe utilities such as heating and cooling are lower with it be more of a milder climate than Grand Junction would be. I used craigslist to research rent for both locations and it seems that Grand Junction isn't exactly cheap housing either. I currently live in SC but grew up in PA; so, Long Beach weather would be awesome but I could deal with the Grand Junction winter. Long Beach seems like a much bigger city than Grand Junction; but that isn't necessarily good or bad for me. I am really just trying to work my way up the ladder in my organization; so, I am trying to relocate to the better jobs. I want to choose the one that would allow me and my family of 4 to be able to best live on my salary. Another thing that is of consideration is that we are an interracial family. My husband is black and I am white. I also would not want to move where my kids my be mistreated. I did post that question on the Grand Junction forum (according to this site GJ's black population is around .6%) and received responses that people didn't feel it would be an issue there. I assumed with Long Beach being a larger more diverse city it wouldn't be an issue there either. Any guidance is extremely appreciated!!!
Most likely, overall, Grand Junction would give you the best bang for your buck dollar-for-dollar compared to Long Beach. You have Winters in Colorado of course, but many who move to areas that have year-round "same old same old" weather sometimes do complain that it gets old and they miss the "seasons" after a while. Sun and surf sound appealing, but years of it nonstop? Hmmmm.
Western Colorado is more conservative than West Coast California. How people handle a mixed-race couple (and kids) will vary. In Long Beach people wouldn't bat an eye unless you're glowing green and have four arms (and even then I wonder). Rural(ish) Colorado? Dunno. It's as different as night and day regarding people in these two areas. If folks in that forum are saying it's no problem, note, it's no problem for them. You might move to one neighborhood and fit right in and have a great set of neighbors, or move to another and have tension (this of course, is true in many areas), so the mileage may vary spot-to-spot in Co. more than Ca. Your overall cost of living though will be more in CA.
Thanks. The job in Grand Junction includes relocation incentive. It really isn't a huge issue; since, I had already sold all of my big stuff and have narrowed everything down to what will fit in my SUV and on the luggage and cargo carrier. It is a negotiated amount. It would probably be around 1300.
In order for your family of 4 to live on just your salary, I would recommend Grand Junction.
Long Beach would be preferable for me cause its in the middle of the LA Metro Area and has endless things to do, but considering your circumstance and you say your just trying to climb the corporate ladder, Grand Junction is not a bad rung of that ladder(LOL)
Raising a family of 4 on $55,000 a year would be pretty difficult in Long Beach, CA. Its an expensive area and you would have to live in the ghetto part of the city probably, not the nice upscale areas on the Eastern side, which are very expensive. You also have to take public schools into account and Long Beach's good public schools are on the eastern end (which is expensive).
Because your salary is where it is, Grand Junction would likely be easier and the smart choice.
Because your salary is where it is, Grand Junction would likely be easier and the smart choice.
Not to mention that Grand Junction is a pretty cool town.
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