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So I live in NC right now, but I want to move, I’m single and it’s just me and I’m in my mid 30’s. I’m a respiratory therapist so I don’t think I’ll have a problem finding a job.
I wouldn’t mind PA because it’s not far from NYC and DC and I LOVE big cities.. I just don’t know WHERE to live in PA, I was considering living in or near Philadelphia, but hear the violence there is really BAD. Is that true?
I like Maryland, I don’t want to live in DC though because it’s super EXPENSIVE.
I don’t know much about NJ except for to stay away from Camden and it’s not far from NYC.
Does anyone have suggestions on good areas to live in for these states? I’m of course going to visit these places before I decide to move there.
So I live in NC right now, but I want to move, I’m single and it’s just me and I’m in my mid 30’s. I’m a respiratory therapist so I don’t think I’ll have a problem finding a job.
I wouldn’t mind PA because it’s not far from NYC and DC and I LOVE big cities.. I just don’t know WHERE to live in PA, I was considering living in or near Philadelphia, but hear the violence there is really BAD. Is that true?
I like Maryland, I don’t want to live in DC though because it’s super EXPENSIVE.
I don’t know much about NJ except for to stay away from Camden and it’s not far from NYC.
Does anyone have suggestions on good areas to live in for these states? I’m of course going to visit these places before I decide to move there.
A lot of people (myself included) make/made the transition from North Carolina to DC because it's not such a massive adjustment to say a NYC or Philly. Both cities tend to be very densely populated, somewhat filthy in areas and the vertical proportions can be overwhelming to a newcomer on a daily basis. DC has the big city amenities minus the density, filth/grime and overpopulation that can be a negative to start, or over time. DC is no more expensive than Philly or NYC if you consider the average RT salary is north of 80K while in NC it's more like 60K (or less). You can find plenty of very nice one-bedroom apartments in desirable DC neighborhoods for around $1600 a month. https://www.apartments.com/washingto...0kni71Hp16tv_C The same apartment and location in Charlotte would rent for around $1200 a month, which is $400 more per month. One can see pretty quickly that around $5000 per year more, still leaves quite a bit of room in that near 20K increase for other expenses.
Main Line Philadelphia could work well. The Main Line is known for old money, and there’s plenty of it, but there are also homes that are still pretty affordable there.
Another city is Columbia, MD. It’s very different from my first suggestion, but it’s a good area in close proximity to DC and Baltimore so it has a pretty good location.
NYC is something all its own no real comparison to DC or Philly IMO and even on $80K your not living the high life. I'll put in my 2 cents for NJ across the river from Philly. As a rule stay out of many towns on the river that were once heavy with industry and then declined. Camden is making some slow progress with crime and schools while gentrification and the expanding footprint of the Rutgers campus pushes the poor to outlying suburbs. You still see a boarded up house and then one next to it you can tell the owner takes pride in their place and is hanging on. You can only hope these people succeed.
You can find nice places to live in NJ close to the PATCO line that runs straight into Philly past the liberty bell and all the historic stops and passes many of the Penn hospital systems. Many of the medical complexes are there close to that line or connect to a line to runs to the University of Penn system further to the west in the city. In NJ your still close to all the NJ hospitals clustered near by as well. Small towns like Haddonfield, Collingswood etc on the PATCO line with old homes but with rentals in the area, nice little retail areas, restaurants craft fairs, and small community feel close to Philly, but safe with young families, a mix of long time residents, young professionals etc. The PATCO train is not like some of the Philly trains that can be dirty and depending on the time of day potentially dangerous to be on depending on the line and stop. Like everywhere you have to keep your eyes open.
So just across the river in NJ are very nice areas, your very close to the entertainment venues and history and arts culture of Philly but avoid some of the negatives and part of the rather high Philly wage tax ( if you work in a Philly hospital) that is significant as NJ has a reciprocity agreement going.
Do look at taxes and auto insurance where you want to go. vs NC it can be shocking what you pay to live in some of these areas. Forget about driving a car into Philly or NYC btw....
NJ gets a bad rap but as dear old dad once said. The grass is always greener over someone else's septic tank.
If you love big cities, you'll want to live inside of one, right? Meaning, you're not interested in considering suburbs. Is this a correct assumption? If you want the big city experience, New York is the ultimate, especially Manhattan. Hope you have a lot of money to spare. Philadelphia, in many ways, feels like a smaller, somewhat tamer version of New York. Baltimore feels . . . well, smaller. It does have some similarities with Philadelphia, but they're not clones of each other. Washington does not feel anything like any of the other big Northeastern cities.
Are parts of Philadelphia dangerous? Yes, absolutely. Are all parts of it dangerous? No. A single thirtysomething such as yourself might want to check out Center City (the part that feels the most big-city) or the nearby University City (which feels a little more suburban, but still a part of the city).
If you want a "big city" feel but are concerned about cost and crime, I'd suggest Philadelphia neighborhoods in either Center City or South Philly. These areas feel quite safe and bustling, and you can still get some deals for relatively affordable living arrangements (depnding on your definition of "deal"). Philly is cheaper than D.C. and especially NYC. Plus, in regards to city environments that are both "big" and "urban," it is third only to NYC and Chicago, if you ask me.
If you want a "big city" feel but are concerned about cost and crime, I'd suggest Philadelphia neighborhoods in either Center City or South Philly. These areas feel quite safe and bustling, and you can still get some deals for relatively affordable living arrangements (depnding on your definition of "deal"). Philly is cheaper than D.C. and especially NYC. Plus, in regards to city environments that are both "big" and "urban," it is third only to NYC and Chicago, if you ask me.
If you love big cities, you'll want to live inside of one, right? Meaning, you're not interested in considering suburbs. Is this a correct assumption? If you want the big city experience, New York is the ultimate, especially Manhattan. Hope you have a lot of money to spare. Philadelphia, in many ways, feels like a smaller, somewhat tamer version of New York. Baltimore feels . . . well, smaller. It does have some similarities with Philadelphia, but they're not clones of each other. Washington does not feel anything like any of the other big Northeastern cities.
Are parts of Philadelphia dangerous? Yes, absolutely. Are all parts of it dangerous? No. A single thirtysomething such as yourself might want to check out Center City (the part that feels the most big-city) or the nearby University City (which feels a little more suburban, but still a part of the city).
As long as I’m close to a big city I’m fine, I don’t have to be right in the city. I’m not trying to live in NYC, near it within 2-3 hours is fine with me. I don’t hear good things about Baltimore so I’m definitely not trying to live there.
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