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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.
TN has a crime problem. With that said, outside of the major cities, almost all violent crime in TN is contained to people who already know each other and who aren't law-abiding anyway.
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.
The way I see it, anywhere with a decent sized population is going to have at least an okay dating scene. Any metro area of a city that has upwards of 200k is generally going to be pretty safe. If you go much lower than that, you really need the demographics to be on your side (e.g. college age in a college town, you don't need high population). I've been in low population cities that were over an hour from good size populations, and dating felt rather futile.
I don't really love the Midwest, it's just what I'm used to and digging my car out of the middle of parking lots with an ice scraper every now and then isn't too bad. I think the left half of the country generally crushes us when it comes to weather though. The Northwest has better versions of our seasons in the Midwest and the East Coast, and the desert states can have wonderful falls and winters, plus their rough summers are probably more bearable than our winters. I think we kinda have a wash with the Southeast though, their summers and springs are humid hell, but they get nice falls and winters.
Man, analyzing places, looking at crime rates, rental/real estate prices, "where can I live close to the city but not in the city" is getting exhausting and seemingly fruitless. I've been doing this for weeks, and no where really slaps me over the head as the place to go. It's starting to seem like a good idea to just pick a place and go on a lark if I can find some sort of short-term rental. I'm beginning to realize as long as it's not an especially expensive metro area like NYC, LA, Boston, Portland, Seattle, SF, Miami, Austin, etc. it can't really be all that hard to eek some sort of living out.
I know I could visit places to get a better idea without committing, but I feel like if I visited more than one, I could very well just be back where I started with a bunch of sunk travel costs. Hard to really get a great gauge of an area in a few days.
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.
Any suggestions or feedback?
Quote:
Originally Posted by paperwell
The way I see it, anywhere with a decent sized population is going to have at least an okay dating scene. Any metro area of a city that has upwards of 200k is generally going to be pretty safe. If you go much lower than that, you really need the demographics to be on your side (e.g. college age in a college town, you don't need high population). I've been in low population cities that were over an hour from good size populations, and dating felt rather futile.
I don't really love the Midwest, it's just what I'm used to and digging my car out of the middle of parking lots with an ice scraper every now and then isn't too bad. I think the left half of the country generally crushes us when it comes to weather though. The Northwest has better versions of our seasons in the Midwest and the East Coast, and the desert states can have wonderful falls and winters, plus their rough summers are probably more bearable than our winters. I think we kinda have a wash with the Southeast though, their summers and springs are humid hell, but they get nice falls and winters.
My impression is that your posts are not dripping with ambition. Maybe you need to just get away somewhere for a while but you have to pull the trigger. Don't pick someplace too comfortable or familiar. Inertia isn't your friend at this point.
Man, analyzing places, looking at crime rates, rental/real estate prices, "where can I live close to the city but not in the city" is getting exhausting and seemingly fruitless. I've been doing this for weeks, and no where really slaps me over the head as the place to go. It's starting to seem like a good idea to just pick a place and go on a lark if I can find some sort of short-term rental. I'm beginning to realize as long as it's not an especially expensive metro area like NYC, LA, Boston, Portland, Seattle, SF, Miami, Austin, etc. it can't really be all that hard to eek some sort of living out.
I know I could visit places to get a better idea without committing, but I feel like if I visited more than one, I could very well just be back where I started with a bunch of sunk travel costs. Hard to really get a great gauge of an area in a few days.
Yeah, if a place is too high up on the metrics that most people value, it'll become expensive. Sad truth of economics.
You could just move to a place that seems tolerable and use it as a base to save some money and get some skills and education, which will allow you to travel more and scope out your options. You don't have to settle down immediately. I didn't have much in my bank account when I moved to Reno, but as I saved money I flew out for a couple trips to Denver and Portland so I could explore them as potential places to move (and then work moved me to Seattle anyway, lol).
Yeah, if a place is too high up on the metrics that most people value, it'll become expensive. Sad truth of economics.
You could just move to a place that seems tolerable and use it as a base to save some money and get some skills and education, which will allow you to travel more and scope out your options. You don't have to settle down immediately. I didn't have much in my bank account when I moved to Reno, but as I saved money I flew out for a couple trips to Denver and Portland so I could explore them as potential places to move (and then work moved me to Seattle anyway, lol).
I think there's plenty of affordable places I could be happy long-term, I was just referencing how that would be the one enormous misstep I (or someone else in my situation) could make with this choice. Anywhere else, I honestly don't think I'll have all that much trouble. Really, I just have paralysis by analysis. Such and such place is better this way, such and such is better this other way, I can't imagine dealing with "x" in such and such place, and so on and so forth.
My impression is that your posts are not dripping with ambition. Maybe you need to just get away somewhere for a while but you have to pull the trigger. Don't pick someplace too comfortable or familiar. Inertia isn't your friend at this point.
I agree, I gotta just get in my car and go to whatever one I have a slight leaning towards or I'll be in the same place with the same thoughts a year from now.
The way I see it, anywhere with a decent sized population is going to have at least an okay dating scene. Any metro area of a city that has upwards of 200k is generally going to be pretty safe. If you go much lower than that, you really need the demographics to be on your side (e.g. college age in a college town, you don't need high population). I've been in low population cities that were over an hour from good size populations, and dating felt rather futile.
I don't really love the Midwest, it's just what I'm used to and digging my car out of the middle of parking lots with an ice scraper every now and then isn't too bad. I think the left half of the country generally crushes us when it comes to weather though. The Northwest has better versions of our seasons in the Midwest and the East Coast, and the desert states can have wonderful falls and winters, plus their rough summers are probably more bearable than our winters. I think we kinda have a wash with the Southeast though, their summers and springs are humid hell, but they get nice falls and winters.
Yeah the problem is the metro areas on the West "Coast" are unaffordable, but have higher paying jobs if you are lucky enough to even get one out there. That's why I am looking towards New Mexico or like Prescott area of Arizona where cost of living is lower, but you will have an older crowd, however New Mexico is growing a bit and more young people are moving in. If I am really desperate to leave my toxic household, then I need somewhere cheap if my resume is not prestigious enough to get a good job in the high cost of living areas.
I agree, I gotta just get in my car and go to whatever one I have a slight leaning towards or I'll be in the same place with the same thoughts a year from now.
I think you're doing this backwards. The fact that you're not yet committed to a particular place is an advantage with respect to everything from education to career to dating. Figure out what you want your next move to be with respect to either education or career, then put your time and resources into making that happen, and then go wherever the best place to turns out to be. In the meantime, if you have savings, why not just go visit some places?
I think you're doing this backwards. The fact that you're not yet committed to a particular place is an advantage with respect to everything from education to career to dating. Figure out what you want your next move to be with respect to either education or career, then put your time and resources into making that happen, and then go wherever the best place to turns out to be. In the meantime, if you have savings, why not just go visit some places?
I agree. The motivation here is negative (getting away from some personal situation) not positive (wanting something specifically different).
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