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Based on their follow up post, it appears to me the OP's not sure what they want to do and where they want to be, other than just getting away to find something new. They seem to be a bit young / inexperienced and throwing stuff at the wall to see what sticks.
Another thing I noticed: Originally they said they were seeking automotive technology jobs, and then they came back and said they were interested in becoming an automotive technician. Last I checked, those are two completely different fields / occupations.
Addressing the first paragraph: Of course I'm not fully set on Boston just yet. But I am heavily considering it now after figuring out what I want to do with my life and doing some research seeing which cities pay computer user support specialists the highest and out of all these cities, Boston seems like the only desirable one in the top 5. Check my last post and you'll see why.
Addressing the second paragraph: When I said I was seeking automotive technology jobs, I wasn't fully sure what I wanted to do, so a couple weeks after making this post, I decided to listen to my high school counselor's advice to take her surveys. So I took them and I found out that the best job fit for me is actually computer user support specialist. Yes those are completely different fields/occupations I'm aware. I didn't know what I wanted to do at the time and so I thought "Eh, why not automotive technology?" But now that I took the survey, I have an exact direction of where to go in life.
Watch Paul Joseph Watson's YouTube video on that city and you'll see the big problems I have with that city.
Just so y'all know, I'm talking about the video titled "Pod People", because I find the old Paul Joseph Watson video "San Francisco Is A Sh*thole" kinda cringe and some of the far-right wing blabber, but since Paul Joseph Watson isn't like that anymore, I prefer the "Pod People" video to explain my problems with San Francisco since it kinda aligns with what my gripes are with that city. Plus I also think that San Francisco people are self-centered and douchey and think only for themselves, and have this superiority complex. I did hear that some parts of Boston have these type of people too, but I heard that it was mainly centered around Cambridge and the immediate surrounding area. Can anyone confirm or debunk this?
"Obviously there are loads of IT jobs in the region, some quite high-paying." That is the main reason I'm considering the Boston area. Of course there are other cities that pay really high in the IT field, but here they are and why I'm personally not considering them. (Source: Zippia)
San Francisco - Watch Paul Joseph Watson's YouTube video on that city and you'll see the big problems I have with that city.
Seattle - Both the city and the suburbs are extremely expensive, property crime is very high, the weather is depressing, the "Seattle Freeze" phenomenon, large ANTIFA presence which causes trouble in the city.
Minneapolis - Two years ago I would've considered this city, but with the recent riots due to the whole George Floyd thing, I can no longer consider this city.
Washington DC - Crime, both violent and property, are extremely high. Don't believe me? Go to the BestPlaces website and look up that city, then go to the crime category.
New York City - Life in general is extremely hectic in this city, as all of us may already know. Way too much traffic, both the city and its suburbs are notoriously expensive, the mayor is an idiot (in my opinion). In general, the city is a depressing mess.
Yes, Boston is politically center-left and socially liberal, I know that. But it's mainly in the Massachusetts and Rhode Island counties. However, some of the New Hampshire counties lean right I'd say, since the state has a large libertarian presence (Free State Project selected New Hampshire as the state for 20,000 libertarians to move to in 2003 in order to make it a stronghold for libertarian ideas, participants sign a statement of intent declaring that they intend to move to New Hampshire within five years of the drive reaching 20,000 participants. The nonprofit organization is headquartered in Manchester).
Yes, housing costs are above the national average, especially in Boston city proper. But in Central Massachusetts, some parts of Southern New Hampshire, Central and Southern Rhode Island, and Northeastern Connecticut, I'd say they are reasonable, especially considering their proximity to Boston where all the high-paying jobs are.
Yes, New England in general isn't very religious. But as long as they are accepting of my religious beliefs and other people's religious beliefs, I'd prefer that over some of the religious fanatics we have here in the South, especially in the Bible Belt.
Addressing other problems that Boston has:
1. Traffic. Yes it's bad, but unfortunately that's part of living in a big city. If you don't like it, then move to a small town. Traffic is much better out in Southern New Hampshire I heard though. Also even if it's bad, it's not New York City bad at least.
2. High tax rate. This problem can be remedied by living in New Hampshire, which has an extremely low tax rate in general. Only type of tax that is high is property tax, but I'm mainly worried about income and sales taxes, which NH doesn't have.
3. High amounts of snow. Even though I live in Texas now, I was born and spent some of my childhood years in the Upper Midwest (Michigan and Wisconsin). I'm totally fine with snow, as long as I can walk outside and commute to the city without any issues.
Thank you for the advice though. I'll most likely apply to a bunch of good-paying jobs across the country and see where I end up, and then move to New England after a couple years of experience.
I also forgot to mention, center-left politics don't bother me. I'm more bothered by extreme left-wing politics, like in Portland and San Francisco.
I also forgot to mention, center-left politics don't bother me. I'm more bothered by extreme left-wing politics, like in Portland and San Francisco.
If you don't think that Boston politics are almost as extreme as Portland and San Francisco, you apparently have never been there. Honestly, I can't think of any major East Coast city that is more liberal.
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Originally Posted by thr0waway9087654322343546
Plus I also think that San Francisco people are self-centered and douchey and think only for themselves, and have this superiority complex. I did hear that some parts of Boston have these type of people too, but I heard that it was mainly centered around Cambridge and the immediate surrounding area. Can anyone confirm or debunk this?
My sense of New Englanders is that they can be pretty cold. I have a friend who used to live in Providence (he did not grow up there), and whenever he'd come and visit me and we'd go out and about, he would tell me how amazed he was at how friendly people are where I live. (That's right, Maryland bashers! We're friendlier than New Englanders!)
New England is the least-religious area in the country. And what churches they do have, it seems like a lot of them have aligned themselves with liberal social causes. When I visited Boston a few years ago, there were plenty of rainbow flags adorning the churches. More recently, these flags have been replaced or supplemented with Black Lives Matter signs. If that's what you want with your religion, have at it. But "conservative" it is not.
That said, if I were choosing between the cities that you listed in your previous post, I'd pick Boston too. It's the least-bad of some very unappealing choices. In general, most suburbs are safer from a crime perspective than are the cities proper.
If you don't think that Boston politics are almost as extreme as Portland and San Francisco, you apparently have never been there. Honestly, I can't think of any major East Coast city that is more liberal.
My sense of New Englanders is that they can be pretty cold. I have a friend who used to live in Providence (he did not grow up there), and whenever he'd come and visit me and we'd go out and about, he would tell me how amazed he was at how friendly people are where I live. (That's right, Maryland bashers! We're friendlier than New Englanders!)
New England is the least-religious area in the country. And what churches they do have, it seems like a lot of them have aligned themselves with liberal social causes. When I visited Boston a few years ago, there were plenty of rainbow flags adorning the churches. More recently, these flags have been replaced or supplemented with Black Lives Matter signs. If that's what you want with your religion, have at it. But "conservative" it is not.
That said, if I were choosing between the cities that you listed in your previous post, I'd pick Boston too. It's the least-bad of some very unappealing choices. In general, most suburbs are safer from a crime perspective than are the cities proper.
"Honestly, I can't think of any major East Coast city that is more liberal." New York City (outside of Staten Island)?
Also, how left-wing exactly is Boston? Because from my knowledge it seems, it doesn't seem as left-wing as Portland or San Francisco. For example, although there is an ANTIFA presence in Boston, it's nowhere near as prevalent and they don't really do much, unlike in Portland where they have basically taken over and destroyed the city.
Would you say everywhere in New England has cold people, or only in certain parts of New England?
Also, like I said, I don't mind that it's not a very religious region as long as they don't go overboard with it, like in Portland or San Francisco or Seattle. Likewise, I'm okay with the whole gay pride and Black Lives Matter movement thing, as long as they don't riot and take it too far, or shove their ideology down your throat to the extent it's insufferable.
Finally, about suburbs being safer than cities, that is for the most part obvious, but you gotta take into consideration that if you live in the suburbs, you still have to commute to the cities most likely. So crime rate in cities matter too. Boston does have a slight crime problem but it's mainly concentrated in certain few neighborhoods such as Roxbury. Even then, Boston's crime rate is relatively low compared to most major US cities.
When I said "Great for buying a house under $342,155", I should've said, "Great for renting a house at an affordable price", since I'm not ready to settle down and buy a house when I finish school in the future instantly. It'll take a while until I get to that point.
The "affordable price" in question is $1749.90 a month or less.
For anyone who is curious on how I came to this value, I took the average yearly salary for computer user support specialists in Boston ($70,000), and used a salary calculator to convert it to monthly salary. Taking into consideration that I'll be working 40 hours a week, 5 days a week, taking holidays off, and having 15 vacation days, the monthly salary is $5,833. I read up online that the amount you should spend on rent is your monthly salary times 0.3, so after multiplying the monthly salary by that value, the final value I got was 1749.9.
Hopefully this helps narrow down my decisions as to where I could live.
UPDATE: Happy Thanksgiving! I made some changes to this post that I really want people to see so that they better understand my needs/wants.
1. I didn't mention this originally, but the municipality has to be in the Boston Combined Statistical Area (CSA). Therefore, it must be in one of these counties:
Norfolk County, MA
Plymouth County, MA
Suffolk County, MA
Essex County, MA
Middlesex County, MA
Rockingham County, NH
Strafford County, NH
Bristol County, MA
Bristol County, RI
Kent County, RI
Newport County, RI
Providence County, RI
Washington County, RI
Worcester County, MA
Windham County, CT
Hillsborough County, NH
Barnstable County, MA
Merrimack County, NH
Belknap County, NH Thanks
Funny that you asked for guidance on all these criteria and then come back 2-3 months later to say Oh, by the way, I'm only interested in the region around Boston.
Anyway, counties in the Boston region are geographical and judicial areas only. There's no county government. All the land is divided into either cities, like Boston itself, or towns. All these municipalities have their own government including police, fire and school systems.
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Originally Posted by thr0waway9087654322343546
2. Instead of having a cost of living equal to or lower than my current town, I just want the cost of living to be decent enough that I can afford a two-story house with a developed basement, while also being able to live a comfortable life with no constant worries about how my bank account will be affected.
Most houses have basements. There are Campanelli houses in Framingham and some other towns without basements. These are relatively affordable 1950s houses. But slab houses like those are unusual.
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Originally Posted by thr0waway9087654322343546
3. When I said "has a tax rate equivalent to or lower than in Texas", I'm mainly emphasizing on income and sales taxes. I would prefer though if they were both nonexistent in my area.
4. I decided that instead of being an automotive technician, I want to be a computer user support specialist. And it doesn't necessarily need to pay $70,000, it just needs to pay good enough to be able to live comfortably in said municipality.
5. When I said "sunny climate with low amounts of rain and humidity", I meant by sunny and reasonably hot in the spring and summertime. I don't want it to be too hot because one gripe I have about Texas is that during spring and especially during the summertime, it gets very hot and humid to the point that it's insufferable.
6. When I said "Great for buying a house under $342,155", I should've said, "Great for renting a house at an affordable price", since I'm not ready to settle down and buy a house when I finish school in the future instantly. It'll take a while until I get to that point.
Not sure you can avoid both income and sales taxes. Mass and Conn have both. New Hampshire has no income tax but higher sales tax -- they have to get the money somehow. New England is not reasonably hot in the springtime. It's generally chilly. The summer is reasonably hot and the autumn is reasonably warm. Great for buying/renting: This is the big difference from Texas and other cheap-land, low-regulation, fast growth sunbelt regions. In the Boston region there are not many new houses. The 1950s-1970s house is comparatively new. Many of the houses you'll see driving or Googling around are older than 1940. Nowhere in the region can developers lay out a subdivision Texas style with 100 or more houses on tiny lots. All development is regulated and negotiated; usually it's a matter of four or five new houses on big lots which is all the developer can get approved by the town planning board. As a result the house under $342,000 is likely an older house at some distance from the big employment centers in and around Boston.
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Originally Posted by thr0waway9087654322343546
7. When I said "Is conservative", I should've also stated that I want them to be moderate and not fanatics. I'm sure y'all know that here in America, we have some fanatic Trump supporters (you know, the ones to believe in QAnon and other nonsense conspiracy theories fed to them). So when I say conservative, I mean moderately and socially, like leaning center-right. It doesn't necessarily have to be fiscally, but it can be, as long as it's center-right, not far-right.
8. When I said "Is Christian", I should've just said "Is religious in general", but I don't want to be around religious obsessiveness, like the Evangelical types. And I don't mind whatever religion it is because diversity in religion is fine to me.
Don't worry about conservative. Plenty of moderates, conservatives all over. There's not much religious obsessiveness. Plenty of churches but not many of the splashy crystal cathedral type. The mood in general is secular.
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Originally Posted by thr0waway9087654322343546
9. I also forgot to mention that although I still want ethnic diversity, I would especially like to be around other South Asians, as I am one myself.
That is all. Please consider these points as well. Thanks
There are South Asians in Burlington MA and generally around the metro area to the west of Boston. Not sure about other areas. Unfortunately you probably can't rent a house in Burlington or Natick or Framingham. Maybe an apartment.
"Honestly, I can't think of any major East Coast city that is more liberal." New York City (outside of Staten Island)?
Also, how left-wing exactly is Boston? Because from my knowledge it seems, it doesn't seem as left-wing as Portland or San Francisco. For example, although there is an ANTIFA presence in Boston, it's nowhere near as prevalent and they don't really do much, unlike in Portland where they have basically taken over and destroyed the city.
Would you say everywhere in New England has cold people, or only in certain parts of New England?
Also, like I said, I don't mind that it's not a very religious region as long as they don't go overboard with it, like in Portland or San Francisco or Seattle. Likewise, I'm okay with the whole gay pride and Black Lives Matter movement thing, as long as they don't riot and take it too far, or shove their ideology down your throat to the extent it's insufferable.
Finally, about suburbs being safer than cities, that is for the most part obvious, but you gotta take into consideration that if you live in the suburbs, you still have to commute to the cities most likely. So crime rate in cities matter too. Boston does have a slight crime problem but it's mainly concentrated in certain few neighborhoods such as Roxbury. Even then, Boston's crime rate is relatively low compared to most major US cities.
My take is that Boston is more liberal than New York, though they're both left-wing. I agree, Boston is less liberal than Portland or San Francisco, which is why I specified that I was comparing it to other East Coast cities.
Needless to say, there are certainly warm, friendly people in New England. But my sense of the region is that the people there, on an overall basis, are colder than they are in most other parts of the country. I would say that this is especially true in Massachusetts and Connecticut.
Funny that you asked for guidance on all these criteria and then come back 2-3 months later to say Oh, by the way, I'm only interested in the region around Boston.
Anyway, counties in the Boston region are geographical and judicial areas only. There's no county government. All the land is divided into either cities, like Boston itself, or towns. All these municipalities have their own government including police, fire and school systems.
Most houses have basements. There are Campanelli houses in Framingham and some other towns without basements. These are relatively affordable 1950s houses. But slab houses like those are unusual.
Not sure you can avoid both income and sales taxes. Mass and Conn have both. New Hampshire has no income tax but higher sales tax -- they have to get the money somehow. New England is not reasonably hot in the springtime. It's generally chilly. The summer is reasonably hot and the autumn is reasonably warm. Great for buying/renting: This is the big difference from Texas and other cheap-land, low-regulation, fast growth sunbelt regions. In the Boston region there are not many new houses. The 1950s-1970s house is comparatively new. Many of the houses you'll see driving or Googling around are older than 1940. Nowhere in the region can developers lay out a subdivision Texas style with 100 or more houses on tiny lots. All development is regulated and negotiated; usually it's a matter of four or five new houses on big lots which is all the developer can get approved by the town planning board. As a result the house under $342,000 is likely an older house at some distance from the big employment centers in and around Boston.
Don't worry about conservative. Plenty of moderates, conservatives all over. There's not much religious obsessiveness. Plenty of churches but not many of the splashy crystal cathedral type. The mood in general is secular.
There are South Asians in Burlington MA and generally around the metro area to the west of Boston. Not sure about other areas. Unfortunately you probably can't rent a house in Burlington or Natick or Framingham. Maybe an apartment.
According to Investopedia, New Hampshire doesn't have sales tax either (along with Alaska, Montana, Oregon, and Delaware). So if I were to live in that state, I'm pretty sure that's how I can avoid both. I know that NH has slightly higher property tax (because like you said they have to get the money somehow), but I'm mainly worried about income and sales taxes, which once again, I don't think they have.
Also, I'm currently uninterested in buying a house, I just said that I wanted to buy a house under $342K on the original post because I originally thought I was going to be buying, but I realized that I instead want to rent a house for $1749.90 or less.
I'm also not interested in apartments either. Rather I want a house with at least 2 bathrooms and 2 bedrooms and a basement. I originally said 2 stories, but it can be one story too, as long as it has a basement.
About most houses having basements and the conservatism and religiousness in the area, that is good to know. Unfortunately you are right about me being unable to rent a house in Burlington, Natick, or Framingham, as I checked the average rent for a 2 bedroom for all three of those cities on Zumper, and they all exceed the maximum I am willing to spend on rent.
Anyways, with all that said, which municipality in any of those counties I listed would you recommend?
Last edited by thr0waway9087654322343546; 12-01-2020 at 09:11 AM..
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