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I gotta play devil's advocate to I.B. Trippin and say Phoenix suburbs meet just about all your requirements: Characteristics of the Place to Consider: 1. Year Round Weather: You didnt' say what kind of weather. Phoenix-area is dry, very hot in the summer with mild winters (no snow).
2. Culture/Things to do/Nightlife (whatever is important to you for entertainment): Phoenix may not be so great in this arena, but Tempe and Scottsdale are close by. I'm not into bars or clubbing but do enjoy sporting events, movies, hiking, all of which I find in Phoenix.
3. Average Quality of the People (nice, snotty, fake, good personalities, loyal, etc..): Honestly, I think people in Phoenix are very nice. Just shopping for groceries this weekend I had conversations with several people during my trip that made me smile (we were all rolling our eyes at the Christmas music playing overhead before we've even hit Thanksgiving yet).
4. Culturally and racially diverse: This may be our worst one on the list. I have a friend who is Black who moved here from Atlanta. She moved back about a year later because she couldn't meet any Black men here. We do have a lot of Hispanics and in my neck of the woods, I'm seeing an increase in the East Indian population although I don't have stats for you.
5. Price of Housing (rent): Rents can be high just because they can be. There is a demand for rental properties. Apartments are reasonable and home prices for when you're ready to buy are great right now.
6. Overall quality of life: I enjoy living here for the most part but I'm also searching for someplace new. I think for the right person, Phoenix has a lot to offer.
7. Scenery/Beauty of Area: Depends on your tastes. Many don't find the desert beautiful. I have grown to think it is very pretty, especially since we're in the Sonoran desert which is actually quite colorful.
8. Car friendly: Check.
9. Vibrant; city doesn't sleep at 11pm: Again, this may be better found in Tempe/Scottsdale
10. Nearby cities for weekend trips: Grand Canyon, Jerome (I love Jerome), San Diego/California Coast, Bisbee/Tombstone, Vegas/Laughlin
You cant have 'night life', adventure and all that, on a minimum income.
They tell me, Kentucky or Tennessee is the best place to live.
Nice views (hills are beautiful with all the forests around them).
Course, you have 'rough roads' in some area that are 'rustic', so, when its Winter, you gotta expect snow and pot holes in the Spring.
I gotta play devil's advocate to I.B. Trippin and say Phoenix suburbs meet just about all your requirements: Characteristics of the Place to Consider: 1. Year Round Weather: You didnt' say what kind of weather. Phoenix-area is dry, very hot in the summer with mild winters (no snow).
2. Culture/Things to do/Nightlife (whatever is important to you for entertainment): Phoenix may not be so great in this arena, but Tempe and Scottsdale are close by. I'm not into bars or clubbing but do enjoy sporting events, movies, hiking, all of which I find in Phoenix.
3. Average Quality of the People (nice, snotty, fake, good personalities, loyal, etc..): Honestly, I think people in Phoenix are very nice. Just shopping for groceries this weekend I had conversations with several people during my trip that made me smile (we were all rolling our eyes at the Christmas music playing overhead before we've even hit Thanksgiving yet).
4. Culturally and racially diverse: This may be our worst one on the list. I have a friend who is Black who moved here from Atlanta. She moved back about a year later because she couldn't meet any Black men here. We do have a lot of Hispanics and in my neck of the woods, I'm seeing an increase in the East Indian population although I don't have stats for you.
5. Price of Housing (rent): Rents can be high just because they can be. There is a demand for rental properties. Apartments are reasonable and home prices for when you're ready to buy are great right now.
6. Overall quality of life: I enjoy living here for the most part but I'm also searching for someplace new. I think for the right person, Phoenix has a lot to offer.
7. Scenery/Beauty of Area: Depends on your tastes. Many don't find the desert beautiful. I have grown to think it is very pretty, especially since we're in the Sonoran desert which is actually quite colorful.
8. Car friendly: Check.
9. Vibrant; city doesn't sleep at 11pm: Again, this may be better found in Tempe/Scottsdale
10. Nearby cities for weekend trips: Grand Canyon, Jerome (I love Jerome), San Diego/California Coast, Bisbee/Tombstone, Vegas/Laughlin
Hi redjan1225,
I concur. Though it's not the place for me, I probably should've mentioned that, I too, thought that Phoenix seems to meet most, if not all, of der titan's criteria to some extent, depending on his or her personal definition of some of those criteria.
I appreciate your interest but don't want to hijack this thread or cause it to be closed for being way off-topic, while it is still building momentum. If you want to pm me, I will spill all the beans.
The short answer is,Though I'm certain that astrology really works, based on my experiences, I'm really disappointed with the behavior of most professional astrologers I've encountered and can't recommend any of them. But then again, I'm Hell on doctors and lawyers too.
I just quit an astrology message board full of otherwise talented astrologers because they spend more time fighting with each other, trying to prove how much more esoteric knowledge they possess than everyone else and excluding others through the perpetuation of cliques, than they do trying to help people.
My approach was to teach myself but that is an enormous undertaking and not necessarily right for everyone. Btw, I don't do readings anymore and am still a student, an amateur, at best, anyway. I think that the best a prospective consumer of astrological services can do is learn enough about astrology themselves to be able to spot a b.s. artist and then, be sure that the astrologer candidate has some professional certifications demonstrating their commitment and expertise, is perhaps, an author of some published articles or books on the subject, maintains a website featuring astrological information or a webpage with blogs on the subject, is skilled in verbal and written communications, is willing and able to address you according to your personal level of astrological understanding, while not talking down to you in the process and even then, keep your eyes open for other indications of potential problems. For example, one otherwise very knowledgeable, well-spoken astrologer abruptly shifts from his brilliant discussion of relocation astrology on his website to a inappropriate statement to the effect that one particular planet is "evil" and anyone with that planet prominent in their astrological chart is "evil". In another place on his site, he states that he will not provide services for anyone in a particular line of work because he hates people that do that kind of work. As one might expect, I have read reviews by some people who have used his relocation astrology services and were very disappointed, with some saying that he basically, flaked out on them.
My sincere apologies to everyone for being briefly off-topic.
der titan, are there any of your stated criteria that are more important than others, because it occurs to me that every place that basically meets your criteria provides a different quantity and quality and in a different mix. Decisions, decisions! Welcome to my world!
Last edited by I. B. Trippin; 11-14-2011 at 06:20 PM..
Be careful about Tampa. Rents are high and auto insurance will be high as well (our doubled when we moved from GA to FL)
The situation in Tampa is not good at all regarding jobs.
IMO, FL in general is an expensive place to live relative to many other areas, esp when you consider the lower than average wages and higher than average unemployment here.
ATL is also suffering from a stagnant economy and high unemployment, but the cost of living in GA is lower than FL (rent, electric, and auto insurance for sure).
The OP may have a hard time finding a place that meets all those preferences listed, but I believe he will have to select somewhere in the midwest or the south in order to find a cost of living that would be acceptable for the income bracket he mentioned. The "cosmopolitan life" he mentioned would likely be almost impossible to find in low cost of living parts of the country. Considering the fact that the bible belt turns him off, the south is not going to be a good choice for him. That leaves the midwest, and cost of living is extremely low in the midwest. Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin are especially cheap. Michigan and Wisconsin have alot of great scenery as well, but again not much in the way of"cosmopolitan lifestyles". There is some culture in cities like Ann Arbor, Madison, Green Bay and Grand Rapids. There is also alot of that sports culture that is mentioned in the OPs post. The good part is you can live very well on a modest wage in the midwest, and I believe the lifestyle here is good (im in Mi) but you clearly may have to give up some of your expectations to live here. However I think a large part of your list is satisfied in the midwest, and you can always drive to Chicago for the cosmopolitan life when you need it. Its no more than 5 hours away from most places in the midwest anyhow. Good luck
der titan, are there any of your stated criteria that are more important than others, because it occurs to me that every place that basically meets your criteria provides a different quantity and quality and in a different mix. Decisions, decisions! Welcome to my world!
Most important things for me are; international vibe, lots of cultures and I need to be able to drive. Obviously I will have to sacrifice the cost of living.... Miami has also been on my mind after a visit last year.
Quote:
Be careful about Tampa. Rents are high and auto insurance will be high as well (our doubled when we moved from GA to FL)
The situation in Tampa is not good at all regarding jobs.
IMO, FL in general is an expensive place to live relative to many other areas, esp when you consider the lower than average wages and higher than average unemployment here.
ATL is also suffering from a stagnant economy and high unemployment, but the cost of living in GA is lower than FL (rent, electric, and auto insurance for sure)
How would you compare the cost of living in Tampa to Miami?
Quote:
The OP may have a hard time finding a place that meets all those preferences listed, but I believe he will have to select somewhere in the midwest or the south in order to find a cost of living that would be acceptable for the income bracket he mentioned. The "cosmopolitan life" he mentioned would likely be almost impossible to find in low cost of living parts of the country. Considering the fact that the bible belt turns him off, the south is not going to be a good choice for him. That leaves the midwest, and cost of living is extremely low in the midwest. Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin are especially cheap. Michigan and Wisconsin have alot of great scenery as well, but again not much in the way of"cosmopolitan lifestyles". There is some culture in cities like Ann Arbor, Madison, Green Bay and Grand Rapids. There is also alot of that sports culture that is mentioned in the OPs post. The good part is you can live very well on a modest wage in the midwest, and I believe the lifestyle here is good (im in Mi) but you clearly may have to give up some of your expectations to live here. However I think a large part of your list is satisfied in the midwest, and you can always drive to Chicago for the cosmopolitan life when you need it. Its no more than 5 hours away from most places in the midwest anyhow. Good luck
Thanks for your writeup. Chicago looks interesting.
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Welcome to my world!
