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My family and I are looking to move very soon. We currently live in Massachusetts and need to get out of this godforsaken state. Why we want to move: tired of the congestion, inconsiderate/self-absorbed people, ***EXPENSIVE***, snow (not usually a problem, but last winter's freak weather ruined us). What we like about Boston: political/policy leanings, okay bus/train system, cultural/racial diversity, happenings, educational/medical hubs, beach.
My family: My retired mother (67), myself, my 6 month old DD (and hopefully many more kids), DH (37) and dog (12). We're Hindu (my mom is an occasional Christian). My husband is a South Asian Oracle Database Administrator (IT) professional. And I'm a African American (30) customer service/administrative representative. We like to go out to museums, walks, shopping, try new restaurants and other family activities. I love my mommy group meetups.
We went through all the states in this country and the places we chose: basically, they all tick off our basic requirements: jobs, temple, weather not too extreme, a university where DH can get his PhD. We narrowed it down to Austin, TX and The Research Triangle, NC
In both Austin and the Triangle, we'd be giving up the beach (ouch!). On the one hand, in North Carolina, I'd be giving up my dance classes and access to some of my favorite stores. On the other hand, Austin's cost of living might be reaching Boston levels and it seems to be more geared towards software developers, no?
I'm very partial to the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area having lived there for several years. What you like about Boston is going to translate well there versus Austin (and Texas) which prides itself on it's unique character/identity which isn't in lockstep with Mid-Atlantic/Northeast US values largely. The Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area is quite friendly generally speaking with a significant edge to the Durham-Chapel Hill side, versus Raleigh-Cary. On climate alone it wins in my book with four equally-distributed moderate seasons versus the inferno of Summer in Austin for several months. From a topography standpoint it's much more pleasant in NC as well with much more trees/greenery and lots of greenspace in general. The cost of living is apparently no longer the bargain it once was in Austin, while the RDU area is still at or below the national average. In terms of your husband's PhD, Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill offers three nationally known and respected universities to choose from while Austin has just the one.
I voted austin because I have a good friend DBA who after being laid off in Ohio got a great job there and he and his family have adjusted real well and like austin a lot. With your husbands tech background Austin seems like a good fit simply because the tech world there is exploding. Lots of jobs, and it's competitive from my understanding. I'm slightly biased because of that (having a friend there) I'll say, also because they have a great music scene there but everything I've heard about Austin for the most part is good. I do have other friends that live with us here in Nashville who used to live in North Carolina. They liked it well enough from my understanding but I don't think they would want to move back. Plus in Austin you have water front near the city which looks real pretty.
I moved from Boston to Columbus OH then to Nashville you could check out both Columbus OH and Nashville TN to see if you like it. My cousins moved from Boston and Atlanta and love it. Lot of Boston transplants move to South Florida and Atlanta all these places could be an option.
I moved from Boston to Columbus OH then to Nashville you could check out both Columbus OH and Nashville TN to see if you like it. My cousins moved from Boston and Atlanta and love it. Lot of Boston transplants move to South Florida and Atlanta all these places could be an option.
I'm from Columbus and now live in Nashville. I will say I do like Columbus and feel like the greater columbus area is a great place to raise a family (as I grew up there). Living in Nashville now. I will say that it has it's definite perks. It's a creative city mecca but it's popularity and "spotlight" in recent years has caused exponential growth, making it hard to get around. Traffic is atrocious during rush hour. So be mindful of that. My wife and I are considering a move away at this point for our young family.
Thanks for the replies people! Very different opinions and not what I expected... but very helpful. I did try to get my family to agree to Ohio in earlier months because as far as I can see, it's a good state. I might as well have told them to worship me as the queen of Atlantis. Based on that, I think Nashville is out. Lol.
Thanks for the replies people! Very different opinions and not what I expected... but very helpful. I did try to get my family to agree to Ohio in earlier months because as far as I can see, it's a good state. I might as well have told them to worship me as the queen of Atlantis. Based on that, I think Nashville is out. Lol.
That's a bit of a broad brush stroke. Durham-Chapel Hill is one of the most liberal metro areas in the country.
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