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Call it a mid-life crises if you wish but I'm at the point where I need to make some changes in my life and that starts with me trying to find where I want to live.
I'm a 40 year-old single male. When I was younger I didn't mind travelling around a lot but now I want to find a place to settle. Suggestions would really be appreciated.
The most important thing is for me to be in a place where I only need to work 1 job in my field and make a livable wage. I have a bachelors degree in sociology + about 15 years experience in the human service industry. I'm very thrifty so I wouldn't think it would be too difficult but I'm sure having problems where I am now.
I also like big cities or small towns but I hate urban sprawl so I would prefer NOT to be in a major metropolitan area. I'm pretty active during the spring summer and fall with camping, hiking, water sports, road trips etc. I do tend to "hibernate" during the winter months however and would hope to find somewhere that has a major/minor league hockey and/or basketball team
I may be interested in going back to school to get my masters so a town with or near a university would be great but not essential.
As stated, I'm single, 40, quiet and laid back. I don't need a lot of friends but I don't want to be the outcast either where I can't meet anybody because I wasn't born and raised in the area.
Finally, I'm not religious nor am I ex-military. I would not fit in to areas that cater to that crowd
I know this was a lot to read but as I can't afford to move without a job I need to find an area first so that I could look at the job market and make the appropriate contacts
You have many lakes like the Finger Lakes, Lake Ontario and Oneida Lake close by. It's a little over and hour and a half to get to the Adirondacks. There many great parks in the area and so on. Some other cities you might like in Upstate NY are:Buffalo, Rochester, Albany, Binghamton, Ithaca and maybe even Elmira. All of those areas have pretty much what you are looking for.
Minneapolis comes to mind. How do you handle winter? If you hibernate you'll love it. Chicago's a good suggestion too. I'd say Denver but there's alot of sprawl and it's probably too young of a crowd.
I'm a 40 year-old single male. When I was younger I didn't mind travelling around a lot but now I want to find a place to settle. Suggestions would really be appreciated.
The most important thing is for me to be in a place where I only need to work 1 job in my field and make a livable wage. I have a bachelors degree in sociology + about 15 years experience in the human service industry. I'm very thrifty so I wouldn't think it would be too difficult but I'm sure having problems where I am now.
St. Louis is generally fairly affordable, especially for its size. Of course that varies from the city, to upscale suburbs like Chesterfield, to more blue-collar suburbs like Fenton.
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I also like big cities or small towns but I hate urban sprawl so I would prefer NOT to be in a major metropolitan area. I'm pretty active during the spring summer and fall with camping, hiking, water sports, road trips etc. I do tend to "hibernate" during the winter months however and would hope to find somewhere that has a major/minor league hockey and/or basketball team
St. Louis is a major metropolitan area. However, there are areas for camping and hiking not far from the city, on both sides of the river. For hiking, you could check out the Shaw Nature Reserve MBG: Shaw Nature Reserve
For road trips you could head out to Lake of the Ozarks. Rent a cabin on the lake. I often see people out on the water when we visit in summer. In fact, we're going back this summer. And it's beautiful out there. I think the drive out there from St. Louis is a few hours. Chicago is like 4-5 hours away I think. NHL - St. Louis Blues. May not make the playoffs this year, but very strong core of young players. Should be exciting for years to come. No NBA, but some college basketball teams.
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I may be interested in going back to school to get my masters so a town with or near a university would be great but not essential.
Washington University, Saint Louis University, University of Missouri St. Louis, as well as some community schools in the area. If you can afford it, Washington University is one of the top schools in the country. And from my understanding the other two major schools aren't bad either.
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As stated, I'm single, 40, quiet and laid back. I don't need a lot of friends but I don't want to be the outcast either where I can't meet anybody because I wasn't born and raised in the area.
I would think you would be okay. I have heard some complaints about some of the suburbs, but I don't want to paint them all with the same brush. As long as you don't try to impose your way of life on anyone else, you should be okay.
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Finally, I'm not religious nor am I ex-military. I would not fit in to areas that cater to that crowd
St. Louis has a lot of churches, especially Catholic, but I don't think it's expected for one to go to church there, either.
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I know this was a lot to read but as I can't afford to move without a job I need to find an area first so that I could look at the job market and make the appropriate contacts
I also hear Columbus Ohio is pretty cool to live in but haven't spent significant time there to comment. They definitely have the education and the parks, tech, insurance and finance sectors, also probably affordable.
Chicago is MUCH more urban than Denver, it has sprawl also though not anything like say Denver or Atlanta or Phoenix etc., but you can live in the city pretty comfortably.... but not in the sense like Denver.
Personally I think Chicago would be a good fit for you...Minneapolis if you want smaller and colder.
Texas is a good place to move to. I've lived in many places and did a lot of traveling and always ended up coming back to Texas. I'm originally from NJ but I left there when I was in my mid twenties. Alaska, Mississippi, Tennessee, Texas, NY state, Virginia, Texas, Wisconsin, back to Texas. It gets hot here but there is a lot to do here. There are several smaller towns not far from the city when you want to visit. If it's a midlife crisis, find something to do. join a club, make new friends, go take some classes
It's not really a midlife crises. I could join clubs or take classes but it all costs money. Where I am now the cost of living is just too high and the workforce too educated in high paying industries for me to find a decent paying job in my field with only a bachelors degree.
I can't afford to go back to school unless I work two jobs which, if I do I would be too tired to go to school. I'm not even sure I want to go back. I just want to enjoy my free time and not stress about money.
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