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So I'm pretty desperate to leave where I'm at, I'm just fairly open to lots of different places and it's difficult to rule out anywhere.
I'm..
Single, young (23), male, a fresh college graduate looking for entry level work in anything really, I'm not picky right now, but a place with white collar job openings would be a bonus if I choose to stay long term.
More introverted, dislike nightlife, prefer books/museums/quiet recreational stuff like that
Traditional, conservative, and Christian
I like changing seasons but again I'm not opposed to somewhere where it's sort of di-seasonal or mono-seasonal like Cali even (but not Cali haha, far too liberal at this point)
Again, single so no retirement communities
Generally veer more towards east coast sensibilities than west coast (if that even still exists)
Not planning on staying somewhere for 5 or more years.
REALLY against weed, drug-culture. I don't judge it I just hate being around that kind of thing
Prefer the ocean to mountains
Want somewhere I feel safe and comfortable, don't have to worry or worry very little about crime, so no highly metropolitan areas.
Anyway that's me. Probably a bit picky but I mean, I think it's important to love where you live, where should I go?
Maybe Huntsville, one of the fastest growing and booming economies right now with a company moving into the area adding 100-500 jobs every week it seems like, a ton of college graduates moving in. Huntsville is fairly conservative city and by far the most conservative of the largest cities in Alabama. Not near the oceans tho, if that effects the decision making
If you want to be close to the ocean maybe check out Mobile or Pensacola, Mobile has a fairly booming economy rn (not nearly as much as Huntsville tho) but is a more moderate city (her Eastern Shore Suburbs tho are very conservative) and Pensacola very conservative but economy isn't growing like Mobile or Huntsville. You won't be getting the Four Season in these two cities tho
Could Also try out Charleston: another booming coastal economy, but is fairly Liberal compared to the other cities I listed
You prefer the ocean to mountains, yet want four seasons. These things are kind of mutually exclusive if you want to find a more religious and conservative place. You're probably going to have to settle for one or the other as the coastal areas in the east with seasonal climates tend to be more left-leaning and irreligious.
Crime rates are usually very bad directly on southeast coast.
Would you consider suburbs of Portland ME to further out?
Williamsburg VA is very safe & young. Best rec I got at moment. Tons of people to north & south but it is a small city of 15k. Very liberal on average but I'd guess you could have a conservative group in or it of town, maybe even on William & Mary campus. Very, very old school roots. But probably some new economy companies, jobs at W&M and in the professional support structure. Way more than most coastal towns. Or, if you had to, commute. Or remote work.
Don't want the metros and their crime risk? Don't go to them or very selectively.
I think your first priority is to decide what type of work you want, as this will heavily influence where you go. “White-collar” jobs is a pretty broad category. That said I’d look at Charlotte if finance interests you, the DC metro area if you’re looking in non profit or government work, metro New York if you want media (online and tv especially) or fashion. And BTW, you can find moderate to right-leaning neighborhoods in all three regions. But first, you have to decide what career you want. That will be a big help in deciding where to live, even if for only five years.
Crime rates are usually very bad directly on southeast coast.
Would you consider suburbs of Portland ME to further out?
Williamsburg VA is very safe & young. Best rec I got at moment. Tons of people to north & south but it is a small city of 15k. Very liberal on average but I'd guess you could have a conservative group in or it of town, maybe even on William & Mary campus. Very, very old school roots. But probably some new economy companies, jobs at W&M and in the professional support structure. Way more than most coastal towns. Or, if you had to, commute. Or remote work.
Don't want the metros and their crime risk? Don't go to them or very selectively.
That's rather untrue. Some of these major coastal cities like Savannah, Mobile, and Charleston are the safest major cities in their respective states. They pretty safe especially when you compare to the majority of primary cities throughout the county
Not untrue to my research. Research data isn't the same as living it but most major cities along GA / SC / NC coast have high crime data in my searches. Beaufort SC, awful. Brunswick GA, awful. Savannah... not as bad. Average on violent crime, "only" 50% above national average on property crime; whereas some places are 2-3 times as high.
I wasn't thinking about Mobile, but the FBI compiled data says 30% higher than average violent crime, 85-90% higher property crime.
Not untrue to my research. Research data isn't the same as living it but most major cities along GA / SC / NC coast have high crime data in my searches. Beaufort SC, awful. Brunswick GA, awful. Savannah... not as bad. Average on violent crime, "only" 50% above national average on property crime; whereas some places are 2-3 times as high.
I wasn't thinking about Mobile, but the FBI compiled data says 30% higher than average violent crime, 85-90% higher property crime.
Now try comparing it to other cities instead. That has no meaning without any context
Mobile: Violent Crime: 4.44 per 1000
Savannah: 4.36
Charleston: 3.79
Here I will even avoid other southern cities
Cincinnati: 8.43
New York: 5.31
Seattle: 5.96
Columbus: 5.09
Syracuse NY: 8:15
San Francisco: 6.91
Portsmouth VA: 9.59
Newport News: 5.91
Portland: 5.52
Dover: 8.96
Providence: 4.98
Santa Barbara: 5.01
These are just cities from the top of my head, again not true that these southeast coastal cities are more dangerous than other places
If you compare to what I consider mostly big cities on your list, you could have a different take. I compared to national average and my experience in mostly medium to small cities, towns & rural areas. Compared to those things, the southeast coast has high crime rates. As do many other big cities I would not pick to live in going forward, though I did in one case long ago.
Violent crime is only part of story. SE coast is generally high on both violent and property crime but usually higher on property crime that will affect more people, even if some just shrug it off.
I lived there briefly long ago but that did not factor into my comments.
So we'll continue to have different takes and the OP can come to their own.
Last edited by NW Crow; 09-23-2021 at 06:01 PM..
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