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Steve-O - Thanks for the advice, I'll definitely look into Florida. I guess I have the unfairly stereotypical idea that it's just for retired people. But I really should give it a fair chance.
Ok, so my Fiance and I have been researching places to move to for quite a while and are getting very frustrated! I have tried posting in the forums for specific areas but that hasn't gotten us very far, so hopefully posting here, in the general U.S. section, will get us better results!
Here's what we're looking for: (sorry it's so long)
1. We are still very young (21/22 y.o.) and have lived our entire lives in a small town with NOTHING to do! We are looking for an area that has plenty of affordable things to do. This does not have to mean bars and clubs, though having them around as an option would be nice. We just need things to occupy our time without completely emptying our wallets.
2. Weather wise, we are looking for some place that has warm summers (averages 70-80 degrees) and winters that don't get very cold (rarely goes below 45-50 degrees).
3. We would love to live near the ocean (most of our research has consisted of places that are either right next to or are no more than 2 hours from the beach). Being a few hours drive from the ocean is ok, but we couldn't live somewhere that is completely land locked and takes all day (or more) to drive to the beach!
4. Safety is a concern. I think this one is obvious but I'll still put it here. We know that crime is every where, but we won't move to a place that almost guarantees we'll become victims of some type of criminal act.
5. As far as employment goes, my Fiance is an Automotive Technician (a.k.a. Mechanic) but really wants to get into building custom cars, so living somewhere that has a demand for that would be great. After we move I will be attending school to become an Esthetician (a.k.a. Skin-Care Specialist). We will only consider places that have ample employment opportunities for BOTH of us. Also, we have wanted to move to places that seemed perfect only to find out that the average pay for our professions is WAY too low, so that left us looking for a new place!
Sorry this is so long, and thank you to anyone who read all of it and can give us some advice! We REALLY need some help here!
Ampetry,
I may sound like a broken record here, as I made the same suggestion to someone else. HAve you looked into the greater DC area, NOVA in particular? Not too far from the ocean or mountains. Very good job market as well. I would also look at the Philadelphia area as well.
Well, we've been looking at the Virginia Beach area and are almost sold but we just want to make sure that we aren't leaving out other areas that may better suit us. We haven't looked into North Virginia, mainly because the general opinion is that it's way too over priced. I don't know if that's true, it just what we've heard. Maybe I'll go ahead and research it so that I can decide for my self. As far as Maryland goes, we've thought about it but something (we're not sure what) keeps us from being very interested. And Philly is in PA (state we currently live in) and really want to try another state. Thank you for the advice though, any help is appreciated!
Steve-O - Thanks for the advice, I'll definitely look into Florida. I guess I have the unfairly stereotypical idea that it's just for retired people. But I really should give it a fair chance.
There are A LOT of retirees there, no doubt. But there is also a ton of young people as well. Just beware of massive insurance costs (hurricanes) and swampy humidity coupled with hot temps. Winters in Florida are the best in the nation, IMO (if you like warm winters).
I think Florida because a lot of retirees like antique cars and beauty treatments. You'll find plenty of young people to hang out with. Renting is probably a good idea because of the insurance costs. Maybe you could get a caretaking spot at a mansion once you got established and made the right contacts.
We have both done that test like 10 times each but it always puts the majority of our "perfect" places in Arkansas, and while I'm sure Arkansas has a lot to offer, it just doesn't interest us. Also, it is one of the lowest paying states for our professions. Trust me, we both wish that test would point us to a truly "perfect" place for us, as we are tired of searching!
Yeah, that's one thing the test can't take into account. Pay scale. There IS another test but the results are a bit harder to read and not as visual as they are at this site. Try Moderator cut: link to a competitors site removed
My theory is that these websites are secretly sponsored by the chambers of commerce of obscure cities.
Kind of like the political website which, no matter how conservatively you answered the questions, would recommend Dennis kucinich as one of your top 2 candidates.
Location: Originally Fayetteville, Arkansas/ now Seattle, Washington!
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ampetry
Ok, so my Fiance and I have been researching places to move to for quite a while and are getting very frustrated! I have tried posting in the forums for specific areas but that hasn't gotten us very far, so hopefully posting here, in the general U.S. section, will get us better results!
Here's what we're looking for: (sorry it's so long)
1. We are still very young (21/22 y.o.) and have lived our entire lives in a small town with NOTHING to do! We are looking for an area that has plenty of affordable things to do. This does not have to mean bars and clubs, though having them around as an option would be nice. We just need things to occupy our time without completely emptying our wallets.
2. Weather wise, we are looking for some place that has warm summers (averages 70-80 degrees) and winters that don't get very cold (rarely goes below 45-50 degrees).
3. We would love to live near the ocean (most of our research has consisted of places that are either right next to or are no more than 2 hours from the beach). Being a few hours drive from the ocean is ok, but we couldn't live somewhere that is completely land locked and takes all day (or more) to drive to the beach!
4. Safety is a concern. I think this one is obvious but I'll still put it here. We know that crime is every where, but we won't move to a place that almost guarantees we'll become victims of some type of criminal act.
5. As far as employment goes, my Fiance is an Automotive Technician (a.k.a. Mechanic) but really wants to get into building custom cars, so living somewhere that has a demand for that would be great. After we move I will be attending school to become an Esthetician (a.k.a. Skin-Care Specialist). We will only consider places that have ample employment opportunities for BOTH of us. Also, we have wanted to move to places that seemed perfect only to find out that the average pay for our professions is WAY too low, so that left us looking for a new place!
Sorry this is so long, and thank you to anyone who read all of it and can give us some advice! We REALLY need some help here!
I'm thinking San Diego is DEFINITELY the best fit. Its summer temps are right in that range. Florida gets much hotter than that (mostly in the 90s in the summer) and very humid(if you're talking about south florida, it varies by regions). SD also has pretty mild winter temps, and does not get all that cold. The ocean is right there, so that wont be a problem. It is constantly ranked in the top few safest cities to live in. I am not sure about your specific professions though. And as far as affordable, thats something else its not. Its pretty expensive, but it all depends on how much your profession pays, what areas you mind living in, how far from the ocean you mind, etc. There are a lot of affordable things to do though, like going to the beach(which will be loaded with young people), hiking, etc etc. Good luck!
Unfortunately San Diego is too expensive. Also, if we were to move to California, we would much rather move to the Northern portion. Same goes for Florida, we would rather move to the Northern part of the state.
If anyone has any other cities that they can recommend, we would really appreciate it! We have been doing so much research, we really need to pick a place soon or I think we're both going to go insane!
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