Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Hey
I'm going to move to North America next December for professional reasons and I've to choose an appointment in one of these cities :
-Los Angeles
-New York
-Chicago
-Boston
-Seattle
-Toronto
-Montreal
(I know the two last one aren't in the US but as most of these cities are, I write in this section).
I've never been to any of these places and even if I tried to find some informations on Internet I'd like to know your opinion on these cities and which one you would chose. I'm planning a trip there but I won't be able to visit every city so I need to chose one or two before.
My main criteria are quality of life, cost of living, taxes, security, if the city look good or not.. Something important is that I'm not fluent in english yet (but I'm working on it!! ) and my accent sounds very french so an "open-minded city" would be better, I mean... Welcoming people... Not like us, french
If you are French speaking you will be welcome in Montreal. NY is such a melting pot of different cultures that your language is not likely to be an impediment. The same could be said of Toronto.
I agree that Montreal would be the eaiest transition for you since it is primarily a french-speaking city. New York City is a worldly place and probably has at least several thousand France natives living there.
Seattle stands out as the only "west coast" city you listed. I love Seattle and I think it is one of the best cities in the U.S. It may not be quite as cosmopolitan as NYC, but is plenty hip and has some spectacular outdoor scenery.
Hey
I'm going to move to North America next December for professional reasons and I've to choose an appointment in one of these cities :
-Los Angeles
-New York
-Chicago
-Boston
-Seattle
-Toronto
-Montreal
(I know the two last one aren't in the US but as most of these cities are, I write in this section).
I've never been to any of these places and even if I tried to find some informations on Internet I'd like to know your opinion on these cities and which one you would chose. I'm planning a trip there but I won't be able to visit every city so I need to chose one or two before.
My main criteria are quality of life, cost of living, taxes, security, if the city look good or not.. Something important is that I'm not fluent in english yet (but I'm working on it!! ) and my accent sounds very french so an "open-minded city" would be better, I mean... Welcoming people... Not like us, french
Thanks for your help
I would probably choose Montreal if I were you. It's an incredibly beautiful city that looks to meet all your criteria, in addition to negating the language barrier as its official language is French.
Hopefully you'll have some time to vacation in the other cities you listed during your stay on this side of the pond, all of them among my favorite cities in North America.
It's a spectacular city, you won't need a car, it's not very expensive although taxes are high but less than what you currently pay in France.
Also, being French you will be highly disappointed in American food. Trust me (I'm half French). You will not be disappointed in what you'll find in Montreal.
And even though Montreal is francophone, there's still a lot of English spoken there (particularly in the business world) so you'll still be able to improve your English while living there.
I have to agree that Montreal looks like your first choice but IMHO consider Seattle as well. Outside of housing cost of living is not bad, climate is frequently rainy but mild, good restaurants (OK it's not Paris, but anywhere that's not Paris, is, well, not Paris!)
I think you'll find the American tax structure leaves you with more $ in your pocket.
If you have the time and inclination you might post in each city's forum and ask for pros and cons.
Good luck with this, I don't see a truly bad choice (well, unless you picked Chicago and then found accomodations on the South Side, or New York and wound up in the Bowry...)
I'd choose Montreal, which appears to be the popular opinion on here. It's such a beautiful city. Toronto is nice too. I'd do one of the Canadian cities.
LA is the only one bashed enough not to carry along a superiority complex.
What do you mean?
I would also say Montreal if you're French and don't mind cold winters. If you don't want to be around French people that much, go with Toronto. If you don't like cold weather too much, go with NYC. If you don't mind a place with not many French people, go with LA. But, there are really no French people here at all and NYC doesn't have many either. Your best bet in order to be around other French people is Canada.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
