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Your budget and job skills will rule out Portland. $1200-1300 a month will get you a studio maybe a small one bedroom but not in the type of neighborhood you are looking for. Unskilled work pays very little IF you can find it. You will be competing with many, many young people without families who will be willing to take a very low pay and live in crowded apartments just to be able to live in Portland to experience the ambiance.
Also keep in mind that your $1200 apartment, should you be able to find one this year will more that likely cost you much more next year. Rents are soaring on an average of 8.4% across the board last year in Portland. Wages 3%.
Temps vary. For the last two summers Portland was in the triple digits a good deal of the time. This is unusual though, and it might change back to the 70-80 degree temps as time goes by. If rain is a problem for you, you won't be happy there. Also it's not the rule but it does get into the thirties at times. There is never a guarantee of weather temps unless you are in Hawaii.
Traffic is very heavy in the city. There is no lake but the Willamette River flows through the city. There is a nice esplanade you can walk on.
If you are looking at the Portland area, you would be better off in the suburbs because you might find lower rents. The job situation will be tough though.
As a general rule, the areas with the most moderate temperatures (AKA the California coast) where there are no extremes are going to be the most expensive.
Even with that, San Francisco has gotten as low as 27 degrees Fahrenheit.
Minervah
Why rental cost is soaring so high? it is actual only for Portland either for whole USA?
Do you think CALI is so expensive only due to awesome climate?
Okay, we taking Portland and SD off) Let`s talk about Tampa/St.Pete/Orlando! I was searching on "Planet Earth" and found out, Orlando area has a lot of nice lakes and communities. Near to St.Pete area i`d liked the Palm Harbor area. What about it?
Howewer Tampa seems not so prettily for the first sight. How do you think which of them has a lot of non skilled work?
Actually i`ve saved some amout of money so our family will be able to live some time without my and my wife`s skilled work. We have to confirm out certificates (diplomas) and must to study to improve our knowledge and language. I think it will takes 6-10 month. So after that we will be looking for skilled works. We`ll be working as non skilled workers (moving, cleaning, painting, UBERing......=)
Do you think CALI is so expensive only due to awesome climate?
That and the fact that much of the CA is mountain and desert. Therefore, its population has essentially been forced to settle near the coast where the climate is hospitable.
However, I am not sure why more people don't live in the Central Valley. I guess it's too hot.
Minervah
Why rental cost is soaring so high? it is actual only for Portland either for whole USA?
This for Portland. That's why I provided the link. I don't believe these stats apply to other cities. The reason it's so high I believe is because Portland in the last decade has been hyped to the skies as the place to live and young people have been flocking to it. I moved there in the late 70's when it wasn't anywhere anyone was moving to. But that changed and now it's very expensive, not as much as San Francisco or Seattle but getting there. It's very popular and those who move there with a good deal of money and the right kind of jobs can afford the benefits of living there. I lived in Portland for nearly 40 years but relocated two years ago to Cleveland because I could no longer afford the price of living in Portland. You have chosen a very popular, very desirable city in which to live in the US. You just have to have the means to live there.
Do you think CALI is so expensive only due to awesome climate?
Partly but it's also newer and is attractive to the more liberal and progressive element in many places. There are a lot of new entrepreneurs and it's a good place for young people to get a start in life. It's also glamorous in places and San Francisco is one of the most interesting cities you can find in the US.
Okay, we taking Portland and SD off) Let`s talk about Tampa/St.Pete/Orlando! I was searching on "Planet Earth" and found out, Orlando area has a lot of nice lakes and communities. Near to St.Pete area i`d liked the Palm Harbor area. What about it?
I have only visited Florida so I don't know anything about it. We'll let others explain.
Howewer Tampa seems not so prettily for the first sight. How do you think which of them has a lot of non skilled work?
Actually i`ve saved some amout of money so our family will be able to live some time without my and my wife`s skilled work. We have to confirm out certificates (diplomas) and must to study to improve our knowledge and language. I think it will takes 6-10 month. So after that we will be looking for skilled works. We`ll be working as unskilled workers (moving, cleaning, painting, UBERing......=)
I can't give information about cities or states with which I am not familiar. But if I were in your shoes I think I would be looking for places where my job skills would go the farthest. Keep digging and asking about the important questions like job opportunities, housing, schools and weather. Find out what the Cost of Living is in various places. That's more important than the need to live near a lake or a hiking trail. You don't need to focus on a recreational spot to live in right away.
Coastal southern California is expensive because of its climate, and because of its place in popular culture. It's considered prestigious. Some parts of it are indeed beautiful and glamorous, but others are rundown, disappointing, and dangerous-- yet even those places are expensive compared to the national average.
Actually, none of those areas meet your temperature/snow requirements. Portland comes close, but still gets below freezing and averages 7" of snow per year. Hawaii is the only place that would meet those requirements that I can think of, but it's very expensive there and geographically isolated. Hope you find the right place for you.
Why rental cost is soaring so high? it is actual only for Portland either for whole USA? Rental prices are increasing all over the country, but Portland is increasing faster than other places. It is seen as a "hip" and "cool" city for the younger generations with money and education.
Do you think CALI is so expensive only due to awesome climate? The climate, the pop culture influence, the access to both beaches and mountains, the liberal culture, and more.
Howewer Tampa seems not so prettily for the first sight. How do you think which of them has a lot of non skilled work?
Tamp is pretty in certain neighborhoods. Most American cities are only pretty in a few neighborhoods. Then they are filled with dangerous neighborhoods with houses falling down and other neighborhoods of boring suburban places.
Actually i`ve saved some amout of money so our family will be able to live some time without my and my wife`s skilled work. We have to confirm out certificates (diplomas) and must to study to improve our knowledge and language. I think it will takes 6-10 month. So after that we will be looking for skilled works. We`ll be working as non skilled workers (moving, cleaning, painting, UBERing......=)
Where are you moving from?
I think you need to reconsider some of your criteria. Since you will be moving as immigrants to the United States and working jobs that don't pay much, I think safety for you children and cheap housing should be your priority. If that means you have to live through extremely hot/humid summers or extremely cold/snowy winters, that will be the sacrifice you make to support your kids.
For example, there are a lot of Caribbean and Brazilian immigrants living in the Northeast (Philadelphia, New York City, Hartford, Boston, etc.). They probably don't enjoy the cold temperatures and snow, but it was a city for them to live in and give their children a better life. Here in Louisville, we have a large population of Cubans. It gets very cold in winter and very hot in summer here, but renting is very cheap and it's safe for families. Minneapolis has a large population of immigrants from Somalia. Somalia is very hot all year, but Minneapolis gets VERY cold in winter. However, again, the housing is cheap compared to cities like Portland, San Diego, Los Angeles, New York, etc. It's going to be something you just have to accept.
Even in California, many places get snow and temperatures can be at or below freezing in overnight in winter. Two winters ago on New Year's Eve, Southern California was extremely cold. I remember walking home from a rave and it was 34*F outside in San Diego. While living in San Francisco, there was one winter that was very cold. I woke up for class and it was 29*F outside. There are days in San Francisco where temperatures do not get above 50*F. This is not normal, but it can happen.
In Tampa and Orlando, the temperature will not always be above 90*F, but with the high humidity levels, the temperature will feel like it is over 90* for many summer months. In Austin, the temperature can be over 100* for a long period of time. There is almost no city in the United States that never gets below 50 or above 90 for at least a few days per year.
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