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In all, can you guys tell me which states are better and are more progressive (not alot of poverty)
I take it NC and SC are growing more than the deep south like GA, AL and MS?
Thanks all
I guess it depends on what you mean by "better." Lower taxes? Lower cost of living? Better schools? More churches? And since when does "progressive" mean not a lot of poverty? You'll find that there's a lot of poverty in many "progressive" (liberal) places in the country: Detroit, New Orleans, Memphis. And in the South, the better public school systems are often in very conservative areas.
So please be more specific with your definition of "better." What I consider to be a better place may not be what you consider to be a better place.
I guess it depends on what you mean by "better." Lower taxes? Lower cost of living? Better schools? More churches? And since when does "progressive" mean not a lot of poverty? You'll find that there's a lot of poverty in many "progressive" (liberal) places in the country: Detroit, New Orleans, Memphis. And in the South, the better public school systems are often in very conservative areas.
So please be more specific with your definition of "better." What I consider to be a better place may not be what you consider to be a better place.
Well if you want the nitty gritty here goes
I want somewhere that is a medium size town or a small city (Im not a big fan of big cities like Detriot, Dallas etc, i like to get away from the all the noise and traffic) (even being 20 miles from a city wont bother me)
When I say progressive i mean not as old fashioned, i have been to Okolona, Amoy and Greenville, MS and they didn't look very desirable areas to live in for a young couple who have good quality of education and wanting good jobs. I dont like ignorant closed minded folk who are not welcoming to outsiders. I heard alot of Northern folk had troubles in certain parts of the south because of their accent.
Im not a big fan of high taxes also, being from Scotland. Poverty isn't as bad as what i saw over in most areas i encountered in the southern states. People take pride in their gardens/yards here and they are not trashy, I really dont like that. (saw alot of run down areas) Im going to be moving from a good country that is rich in history and has a good economy and i dont want to be worse off than i am. We just want a good quality of life in the laid back south with that lovely climate.
I am not what you'd call religious either so churches dont bother me. Though it would be nice to have some bars, shops and malls if there is any there? I've never lived in the south so i dont know.
For the most part, would it be a good idea to focus on an area that has alot of engineering opportunities? My boyfriend is studying his degree here in private education and we're hoping he can get experiance here first before moving to the states. Im guessing he could earn maybe $40,000 starting? I on the other hand dont have alot of qualifications like him. I work as a flight dispatcher at Glasgow international airport.
We both like to hunt and fish so that is a must. We like to walk alot and enjoy the country-side It would be a bonus to be near a beautiful lake for watersports but its not a priority as such.
Hey, I just want to thank you for your input on this subject.
I have heard alot of bad things about Atlanta, Memphis and Birmingham though. I try not to listen to all the bad though.
What is there to do in Birmingham? Would you say is its cosmopolitan i.e some nice bars, restaurants? Is it a clean and safe city?
Thanks again
A surprisingly good restaurant community here, and I'm a foodie at heart. In fact, one of the restaurants here was named one of Gourmet's Best Five in the country. Plus lots of other great places. A really good music scene to boot, one where you can actually get a ticket to events instead of scrambling all the time.
The town has shaken off its industrial past and is pretty clean. The downtown seems to be gentrifying quickly, and the southern tier of suburbs and Birmingham's Southside are just terrific place. I think the stereotypes you hear about are pretty much confined to the older rural types.
As far as crime is concerned, there are bad pockets of crime in town. Almost all of it is in North Birmingham and North Birmingham with drug gangs shooting at one another. In the nicer parts of Southside, Mountain Brook, Homewood, and Vestavia, crime is almost nonexistent.
As far as watersports are concerned, there are some very large lakes within 45 minutes-1.5 hours of Birmingham: Lake Martin, Lake Logan Martin, Smith Lake and Lake Guntersville to name a few. You'd also be within an hour of two national forests.
Some may say OK isn't the true south, which may be true... it's somewhat region-confused. Mid-south is what many from there will call it. Either way, maybe you'd like it? Just a thought.
I want somewhere that is a medium size town or a small city (Im not a big fan of big cities like Detriot, Dallas etc, i like to get away from the all the noise and traffic) (even being 20 miles from a city wont bother me)
When I say progressive i mean not as old fashioned, i have been to Okolona, Amoy and Greenville, MS and they didn't look very desirable areas to live in for a young couple who have good quality of education and wanting good jobs. I dont like ignorant closed minded folk who are not welcoming to outsiders. I heard alot of Northern folk had troubles in certain parts of the south because of their accent.
Im not a big fan of high taxes also, being from Scotland. Poverty isn't as bad as what i saw over in most areas i encountered in the southern states. People take pride in their gardens/yards here and they are not trashy, I really dont like that. (saw alot of run down areas) Im going to be moving from a good country that is rich in history and has a good economy and i dont want to be worse off than i am. We just want a good quality of life in the laid back south with that lovely climate.
I am not what you'd call religious either so churches dont bother me. Though it would be nice to have some bars, shops and malls if there is any there? I've never lived in the south so i dont know.
For the most part, would it be a good idea to focus on an area that has alot of engineering opportunities? My boyfriend is studying his degree here in private education and we're hoping he can get experiance here first before moving to the states. Im guessing he could earn maybe $40,000 starting? I on the other hand dont have alot of qualifications like him. I work as a flight dispatcher at Glasgow international airport.
We both like to hunt and fish so that is a must. We like to walk alot and enjoy the country-side It would be a bonus to be near a beautiful lake for watersports but its not a priority as such.
I hope i am not being vague
It sounds like you should check out Huntsville, Alabama. Or Knoxville, Tennessee. Both are medium-sized cities (Huntsville has about 400,000 in its metro area, Knoxville about 700,000), both are near lakes and rivers, both are growing quite rapidly, and both have a ton of engineering jobs. In Huntsville, it's because of the space center and Redstone Arsenal. In Knoxville, it's because of Oak Ridge National Labs and the Tennessee Valley Authority.
I didn't see Columbia, SC, on your list and with your dh's qualifications, I think that might be just the place for you. He may want to check into the jobs market there.
Never been unfortunately. I was in Florence, SC but there wasn't a whole lot happening there
I friend of mine said that the Charlotte, NC would be his best bet.
Do you guys know how to get into working in customs at airports? I fancy doing that in the US. Its very hard to get into that here being very little jobs on the go.
Greenville South Carolina would probably fit you perfectly
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