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Just looking for somewhere affordable and relatively safe to move and pick up a crappy job and maybe go back to school, and not somewhere so empty that I'm never going to find a date. I've dabbled in things that could've been careers, but nothing I want to return to. I would just do that where I'm at, but I'm somewhere I want to leave for personal reasons. No matter what I do, I'm not going to stay here.
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- Have decent savings and a paid off car, not moving with $400 and a greyhound ticket. I could move, pay rent, and never find any job for a year, and it really wouldn't be that big of a deal.
- Even though I have savings, I still want somewhere where there's a future even if I never really get an amazing job anytime soon. SoCal is cool and all, but I don't want the possibility of 3 roommates forever.
- Open to any climate, really. Lived in multiple Midwest states so far, and have also spent a good amount of time in Nevada. My ideal weather would probably be something you would get anywhere along the west coast, but I haven't seen many affordable options that look appealing over there.
Have thought a lot about suburbs in these areas:
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Twin Cities area in MN - Just seems a lot like what I'm used to, but better in some ways. Crime rates aren't the greatest, but actually an upgrade over the Midwest cities I'm used to living around/working in.
Providence, RI - Most of the east coast hasn't seemed too appealing to me. Either way too expensive, way too many murders, or not enough people. The Providence area seems to actually be alright in every category. Being next to ocean beaches seems really cool too, not something I'm used to.
Central Florida - Living in a new climate is intriguing to me, and so is being in a state where you're always within a daytrip of the beach. The wages/hurricanes/traffic/relentless humidity sound unappealing, but I think I could make it work. Have similar thoughts about the Houston area.
Humboldt County in Northern CA - Not really a super serious consideration, affordable, and beautiful nature, a lot of downsides though. Might not be enough people for my tastes, and maybe I could never find any job. Cheap rent and they have colleges at least.
Any suggestions or feedback?
Last edited by paperwell; 09-17-2019 at 02:12 PM..
I wouldn't move to Humboldt County. It's an interesting, off-the-beaten-path place, but it has a small population and is like 5 hours from the nearest real city, the Bay Area - that means few jobs and few dates. And it's not cheap. And I've heard Humboldt State is declining in quality and enrollment.
I think your other suggestions are reasonable, and you can start narrowing down your other criteria beyond "decent-sized affordable city". Do you want a fast-growing city full of transplants like you, or somewhere with a stronger local culture? How important is walkability/bikeability? Do you care about having an educated, book-reading population? Do you do outdoor activities? Do you really just want something that feels different from what you're used to, to have a real fresh start?
I wouldn't move to Humboldt County. It's an interesting, off-the-beaten-path place, but it has a small population and is like 5 hours from the nearest real city, the Bay Area - that means few jobs and few dates. And it's not cheap. And I've heard Humboldt State is declining in quality and enrollment.
I think your other suggestions are reasonable, and you can start narrowing down your other criteria beyond "decent-sized affordable city". Do you want a fast-growing city full of transplants like you, or somewhere with a stronger local culture? How important is walkability/bikeability? Do you care about having an educated, book-reading population? Do you do outdoor activities? Do you really just want something that feels different from what you're used to, to have a real fresh start?
There's a bunch of hole-in-the-wall kinda rentals on craigslist in Humboldt that seem legit, decent, and affordable, though I think actually buying real estate is not particularly cheap. But yeah, there doesn't seem like a great chance of having much of a future there for a myriad of reasons.
Those are good questions, I really am not sure on some of them. I mostly know the Midwest and driving everywhere. Outdoor stuff is cool, I love hiking and swimming in oceans/lakes, but I can't say I do them that often anyway. I dig the whole NYC, you don't need a car for anything thing, but it's not something I care terribly about. I'm not really all that educated myself, so I'm ambivalent about that. I haven't given much thought to culture/transplants, but I suppose it would be better to be among people who are also new in an area. It'd be cool to have a totally new type of experience, but a parallel move like Minnesota would be fine too. Minnesota definitely seems like the safest move, not sure about the best.
For what it's worth I "started over" in my 20's after burning out in the DC Metro Area. I moved to Pittsburgh with minimal savings and started working two jobs within two weeks to generate income as this city has tons of menial job openings. I now have a more rewarding career here---albeit it pays less than it would in other cities (many jobs in Pittsburgh pay less). I've found dates here. I've made friends here. I've networked here. I live in a safe neighborhood within walking distance of Downtown. I pay <$1,000/month to rent a 1-BR.
The weather? Not at all "West Coasty". Here we have very dreary-looking winters with wind chills and surprisingly little snow. Summers are very humid. Spring and Fall are both glorious but are also both brief.
For what it's worth I "started over" in my 20's after burning out in the DC Metro Area. I moved to Pittsburgh with minimal savings and started working two jobs within two weeks to generate income as this city has tons of menial job openings. I now have a more rewarding career here---albeit it pays less than it would in other cities (many jobs in Pittsburgh pay less). I've found dates here. I've made friends here. I've networked here. I live in a safe neighborhood within walking distance of Downtown. I pay <$1,000/month to rent a 1-BR.
The weather? Not at all "West Coasty". Here we have very dreary-looking winters with wind chills and surprisingly little snow. Summers are very humid. Spring and Fall are both glorious but are also both brief.
Pittsburgh does seem like a decent option. I kinda wrote it off when I looked at it early on because it seemed too similar to what I'm used to (more so than Minnesota). Murder rate jumped out as higher than I'd want to worry about too, but looking at the numbers again, the rest of the crime rates there don't look too bad.
Just looking for somewhere affordable and relatively safe to move and pick up a crappy job and maybe go back to school, and not somewhere so empty that I'm never going to find a date. I've dabbled in things that could've been careers, but nothing I want to return to. I would just do that where I'm at, but I'm somewhere I want to leave for personal reasons. No matter what I do, I'm not going to stay here.
---
- Have decent savings and a paid off car, not moving with $400 and a greyhound ticket. I could move, pay rent, and never find any job for a year, and it really wouldn't be that big of a deal.
- Even though I have savings, I still want somewhere where there's a future even if I never really get an amazing job anytime soon. SoCal is cool and all, but I don't want the possibility of 3 roommates forever.
- Open to any climate, really. Lived in multiple Midwest states so far, and have also spent a good amount of time in Nevada. My ideal weather would probably be something you would get anywhere along the west coast, but I haven't seen many affordable options that look appealing over there.
Have thought a lot about suburbs in these areas:
--------
Twin Cities area in MN - Just seems a lot like what I'm used to, but better in some ways. Crime rates aren't the greatest, but actually an upgrade over the Midwest cities I'm used to living around/working in.
Providence, RI - Most of the east coast hasn't seemed too appealing to me. Either way too expensive, way too many murders, or not enough people. The Providence area seems to actually be alright in every category. Being next to ocean beaches seems really cool too, not something I'm used to.
Central Florida - Living in a new climate is intriguing to me, and so is being in a state where you're always within a daytrip of the beach. The wages/hurricanes/traffic/relentless humidity sound unappealing, but I think I could make it work. Have similar thoughts about the Houston area.
Humboldt County in Northern CA - Not really a super serious consideration, affordable, and beautiful nature, a lot of downsides though. Might not be enough people for my tastes, and maybe I could never find any job. Cheap rent and they have colleges at least.
Any suggestions or feedback?
If you're interested in going back to school, check out Tennessee. Community colleges are free, and Tennessee is also the only state without a residency requirement to get in-state tuition at state universities. In other words, as long as the university admissions people don't think you moved to TN specifically to go to school, you can get in-state tuition almost right off the bat. Just make sure you've changed your official residence to Tennessee and gotten a local job before you submit your application.
With all that in mind, I'm going to recommend towns in Tennessee that are doing well economically and have lower cost of living (which rules out Nashville). Look at Chattanooga and Knoxville. If you don't mind somewhere smaller, check out Cookeville and Johnson City which are both located in gorgeous areas with a whole lot of outdoor activities. Cookeville is also only an hour from Nashville.
If you're interested in going back to school, check out Tennessee. Community colleges are free, and Tennessee is also the only state without a residency requirement to get in-state tuition at state universities. In other words, as long as the university admissions people don't think you moved to TN specifically to go to school, you can get in-state tuition almost right off the bat. Just make sure you've changed your official residence to Tennessee and gotten a local job before you submit your application.
With all that in mind, I'm going to recommend towns in Tennessee that are doing well economically and have lower cost of living (which rules out Nashville). Look at Chattanooga and Knoxville. If you don't mind somewhere smaller, check out Cookeville and Johnson City which are both located in gorgeous areas with a whole lot of outdoor activities. Cookeville is also only an hour from Nashville.
I think that free college program is only for graduates of a Tennessee High School or teenagers in Tennessee who earned a GED. That'd be nice though. Cost of living looks good in those cities, but kinda have a preference for lower murder rates. Not that they're uniquely bad or anything, I'm just used to living next door to rust belt murder capitals and I'd like a change in that category.
I see, the .gov site I was on didn't have it spelled out like that. Sounds like the only qualification I'd need is residence for a year. Apparently, Oregon has the same thing, interesting. I actually would like to live in Oregon. Maybe I'd qualify for a Pell Grant these days anyway though, I didn't when I was 20.
Just looking for somewhere affordable and relatively safe to move and pick up a crappy job and maybe go back to school, and not somewhere so empty that I'm never going to find a date. I've dabbled in things that could've been careers, but nothing I want to return to. I would just do that where I'm at, but I'm somewhere I want to leave for personal reasons. No matter what I do, I'm not going to stay here.
---
- Have decent savings and a paid off car, not moving with $400 and a greyhound ticket. I could move, pay rent, and never find any job for a year, and it really wouldn't be that big of a deal.
- Even though I have savings, I still want somewhere where there's a future even if I never really get an amazing job anytime soon. SoCal is cool and all, but I don't want the possibility of 3 roommates forever.
- Open to any climate, really. Lived in multiple Midwest states so far, and have also spent a good amount of time in Nevada. My ideal weather would probably be something you would get anywhere along the west coast, but I haven't seen many affordable options that look appealing over there.
Have thought a lot about suburbs in these areas:
--------
Twin Cities area in MN - Just seems a lot like what I'm used to, but better in some ways. Crime rates aren't the greatest, but actually an upgrade over the Midwest cities I'm used to living around/working in.
Providence, RI - Most of the east coast hasn't seemed too appealing to me. Either way too expensive, way too many murders, or not enough people. The Providence area seems to actually be alright in every category. Being next to ocean beaches seems really cool too, not something I'm used to.
Central Florida - Living in a new climate is intriguing to me, and so is being in a state where you're always within a daytrip of the beach. The wages/hurricanes/traffic/relentless humidity sound unappealing, but I think I could make it work. Have similar thoughts about the Houston area.
Humboldt County in Northern CA - Not really a super serious consideration, affordable, and beautiful nature, a lot of downsides though. Might not be enough people for my tastes, and maybe I could never find any job. Cheap rent and they have colleges at least.
Any suggestions or feedback?
I'm in a similar situation as you and am a 21 year old male in college, however I only love the West, so I am more "restricted" than you. You are lucky you love the Midwest and Florida, because those are cheap places and jobs are easier to get there. I have to struggle for jobs. It sucks. I want to move by next June or July, because I can't stand living at home. I never liked my parents. I also don't want roommates. I want to move somewhere cheapish where I can still make at least a $50K salary. Due to the fact that I am desperate to leave my parents' house, I don't see dating scene as a priority. I'm pretty sure the places you mentioned have a great dating scene except I know nothing about MN.
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Maybe I'd qualify for a Pell Grant these days anyway though, I didn't when I was 20.
