The "where I should move" thread (chapel, college)

[Desert kid]

After 5 years of toil I finally got the money saved up to move.

I'm 25, male, college educated, blue-collar, childless and unmarried. I've decided to finally leave my Arizona town this year to try something different. Possibly in the South and Texas. I have more than several places in mind so I need better information as to:

Affordability (hopefully on the cheaper end).
Quality of Life.
Safety.
General Economic situation.
Quality and quantity of good jobs.
Accessibility to larger venues in other cities.
Maybe just MAYBE a stable dating environment.

Please feel free to critique any of what I have listed, I'm open to different opinions on this.

[Joe Mantegna]

I voted Durham/Chapel Hill, and I would say Nashville a close second, then maybe Austin area. Those places all have a growing economy and fun things to do for a younger person of your age being large metro areas that aren't too big, and they are all pretty safe

[Soonhun]

I do think DFW is generally a good place but there are a couple of things you may not like. One, while I consider DFW affordable within its class and size (even with recent changes), it isn't cheaper than the majority of most the other cities you are considering. Two, I don't consider it to be close to any other large cities, unless you're okay with flying. Austin, Houston, Oklahoma City, and Shreveport are each about three hours away by drive, and only one or two of them are considered tourist destinations.

Central Texas has basically the same issue with affordibility, while being more remote, as is San Antonio, which is cheaper than Austin and DFW but also tends to have lower incomes.

[Desert kid]

Originally Posted by Parhe

I do think DFW is generally a good place but there are a couple of things you may not like. One, while I consider DFW affordable within its class and size (even with recent changes), it isn't cheaper than the majority of most the other cities you are considering. Two, I don't consider it to be close to any other large cities, unless you're okay with flying. Austin, Houston, Oklahoma City, and Shreveport are each about three hours away by drive, and only one or two of them are considered tourist destinations.

Central Texas has basically the same issue with affordibility, while being more remote, as is San Antonio, which is cheaper than Austin and DFW but also tends to have lower incomes.

DFW is definitely a place that can handle itself.

Part of the appeal it had with me is that I had family living all over the Metroplex, but after this year my relation are moving away from there to Arkansas. So I'm not in a position to really know anybody out there. If this were say, Oklahoma City or Shreveport we are talking about I have family near those two but those two cities simply don't have much to offer me either.

[Moonlady]

Mark Austin off the list if you want affordable. One bedroom rents are over $1000 a month. Long time residents are being priced out and moving to the far suburbs. That's not a good idea in Austin because traffic is horrendous and if you want a social life, you want to be in Austin proper. All your other options look good except Tupelo - there is not much going on there!

[Desert kid]

Originally Posted by Moonlady

Mark Austin off the list if you want affordable. One bedroom rents are over $1000 a month. Long time residents are being priced out and moving to the far suburbs. That's not a good idea in Austin because traffic is horrendous and if you want a social life, you want to be in Austin proper. All your other options look good except Tupelo - there is not much going on there!

What about Round Rock, Temple, Killeen or Waco even?

[C24L]

Originally Posted by Desert kid

What about Round Rock, Temple, Killeen or Waco even?

Waco is very affordable but I hear it does not have the best economy.

[Desert kid]

Originally Posted by C24L

Waco is very affordable but I hear it does not have the best economy.

What about Tyler/Longview and Marshall further East?

[kyle19125]

Originally Posted by Desert kid

After 5 years of toil I finally got the money saved up to move.

I'm 25, male, college educated, blue-collar, childless and unmarried. I've decided to finally leave my Arizona town this year to try something different. Possibly in the South and Texas. I have more than several places in mind so I need better information as to:

Affordability (hopefully on the cheaper end).
Quality of Life.
Safety.
General Economic situation.
Quality and quantity of good jobs.
Accessibility to larger venues in other cities.
Maybe just MAYBE a stable dating environment.

Please feel free to critique any of what I have listed, I'm open to different opinions on this.

Definitely Durham-Chapel Hill of the group listed. I lived there for many years and loved it. It has one of the highest levels of educational attainment in the country but not with a snotty "better than you" mentality like some big cities, an affordable lifestyle with better than average amenities in terms of culture and a surprisingly good food scene, good availability of well-paying jobs, it's quite safe overall and has what many consider the ideal four season climate (not too extreme and equally timed out, by the time you're tiring of one it's time for the next..)

[C24L]

Originally Posted by Desert kid

What about Tyler/Longview and Marshall further East?

I heard Tyler does not have the best economy either because they did not want to give companies tax incentives to move there.