Plans on Moving Out of the State (Lexington, Louisville: sales, apartments)

[Reboh79]

I plan on moving out of the state when I reach the age of 22. The reason for this is although I want to live in an urban area, I still want to be true to my birth-state and go to University of Kentucky. When I do move, I want to move to either:

Seattle
San Diego
New York City
Los Angeles
Miami
Boston

In terms of good living condition, high air quality, low crime rates, regular seasons (cool winter, warm summer), low-medium cost of living, and many stores, which of those cities would be best moving out of the horribly rural area of South-Central Kentucky, specifically Russell County?

[EclecticEars]

You might receive more responses if this thread is transferred to the City v. City subforum (under General U.S.) I hope the moderator transfers this thread.

Why do you want to be "true" to your home state? Is it an obligation to remain "true", or to go to UK? Will you be any less of a Kentuckian, or any less proud, if you leave the state? You still appear to have several years to think about leaving the state if you choose to stay here for college. I'm looking to leave Kentucky and, although I criticize it frequently and am baffled by some of its government incompetence, will always be proud to be from Kentucky. Kentucky's got a proud heritage.

What do you define as good living condition? Are the rest of the factors you mentioned important as far as "good living condition" and quality of life go?

What is a low-medium cost of living for you? Have you research resources such as Sperling's cost calculator, Forbes, Craigslist, and apartments.com to gather some idea of how much the cost of living will be in the mentioned cities?

Many stores? Heck, Lexington has many stores. Somerset has many stores for a town its size. What type(s) of shopping are you into? Are you a neighborhood, keep-it-local shopper? Are you a health food buyer?

Given the generalities you listed and considering cost of living, I'd probably pick Seattle. Perhaps Miami and Los Angeles, although Miami in particular is known for having its share of crime problems. Both Washington and Florida have no state and local income taxes. The other places, especially California, subject their people to high income taxes. All of your mentioned cities have high sales taxes.

Rent and utilities tend to be slightly cheaper in Seattle (and Redmond, Tacoma, Bellevue, etc.) than in the other cities--although I'll admit that you can find some good deals in nice neighborhoods in Los Angeles if you look hard enough.

BUT...if you're MORE specific (and if the moderator transfers this to City vs. City), you might get more well-rounded answers.

[Reboh79]

I didn't notice it was in the wrong thread, and I hope a mod moves it too.

Being true and going to UK is just my way of saying I want to go to college here because I am more informed of it.

A good living condition means I don't want to be robbed when I walk on the street, and I don't want to choke while I'm being robbed because of the air quality.

Low-medium would probably be average-above average incomes (like 60,000 to 100,000/yr)

I want to find every store in my city that I see on TV which interests me (consider the ads)

Seattle is what I was tending towards, but NYC was tempting because of size. Seattle sounds good.

Since I am not yet an adult, I don't really know how much money is average. But what I do know is, I will probably be married or single, but no children. I want to be able to buy the necessities in life, and still afford to enjoy myself by buying nice things.

[CraigCreek]

What sort of career do you visualize yourself as entering? What are your interests? If you can combine your interests with your work, that will be a huge factor in your degree of happiness and satisfaction with your life, regardless of where you live or what your income may be.

Since you list a wide range of cities as being of potential interest, you'd be wise to do as much research about each of them as possible ahead of time. Check online, write for brochures and pamphlets from these cities' visitor centers and/or Chambers of Commerce, see what your local school and public libraries have to offer about these places, ask around - there may be people in your community who have lived in some of these places and who can answer some of your questions and provide additional information.

All of the places you list are very large cities, and most are known for their high costs of living. So learn as much as you can ahead of time, so you can narrow your choices and eventually move somewhere that's a good fit for you.

Another possibility would be to look into summer internships in some of these places, once you have a year or two of college. A couple of my young cousins were unpaid interns in NYC last summer - both long had dreamed of living there, but one summer was enough to convince them that it wasn't the place for them. Better to spend a summer somewhere wrong for you than to invest in a major move...

[Reboh79]

I really like software development. I would like to work with a lot of people (cubicles). And that is the job I can visualize myself entering. I am kind of good at programming currently, and I consider myself having a lot of time for learning before college (though, I don't give out my age, people could probably make an educated guess now).

I will write for some pamphlets.

[EclecticEars]

Originally Posted by Reboh79

Being true and going to UK is just my way of saying I want to go to college here because I am more informed of it.

Understandable.

Why not looking at options out of state now, if you want? Be more daring than your Russell County and rural Kentucky counterparts. With the occasional exception, Louisville and Lexington are the only areas of Kentucky where high school grads semi-frequently leave the state for college.

A good living condition means I don't want to be robbed when I walk on the street, and I don't want to choke while I'm being robbed because of the air quality.

Search City-Data forums, crime website, FBI crime stats and blogs of any kind pertaining to each city. These will give you a good idea of what each city offers and safer versus not-as-safe areas of each city.

Low-medium would probably be average-above average incomes (like 60,000 to 100,000/yr)

Companies don't always provide cost of living adjustments. Think $40,000-50,000 and living frugally.

Of course, if your degree and skills turn out to be highly marketable, or you attend UK and pursue graduate work in such a field out of state, you may do quite well for yourself.

I want to find every store in my city that I see on TV which interests me (consider the ads)

You'll find them. Trust me.

Seattle is what I was tending towards, but NYC was tempting because of size. Seattle sounds good.

My personal pick of these are, in close order, (1) L.A. and (2) San Diego. Next are (3) Seattle, (4) NYC. Distantly are (5) Boston and (6) Miami.

Since I am not yet an adult, I don't really know how much money is average. But what I do know is, I will probably be married or single, but no children. I want to be able to buy the necessities in life, and still afford to enjoy myself by buying nice things.

Rest of responses in bold above.

Budget wisely and don't go to posh/pretentious club every night. Don't eat out every night. Find innovative ways to save on utility bills. Live in a cost-effective, safe, clean community that offers or is close to lifestyle amenities you're looking for, yet be as close to work as possible. Being close to work is the key to sanity in a large metropolitan area.

And...if you decide you want to come back to Kentucky, it's always here.

[seraphene]

I am a native NY'er, and I will tell you that there are many things NY can offer you (art, museums, music venues, parks, fairly interesting people and neighborhoods), but affordability is not one of them. There was recently an article in our local newspaper that described the shrinking middle class here: for a family to be considered middle class, it has to earn at the very least $60,000 per year. Being young and single, you may be able to make your dollars stretch further with less income, but bear in mind that apartments in your income range will not be in the safest neighborhoods (unless you would like to rent a walk-in closet for a few hundred dollars a month), and more than likely you will need roommates to help with overall costs.
*Transportation is expensive: the local train and bus are $2.25 per trip, and car insurance is steep, especially for single young people.
*Food that is not canned or full of sodium and fat will be expensive. Produce is expensive, because it usually has to be shipped here. Dairy is expensive: a gallon of milk is about $3 - $4 depending on the area you live. Add another $1.50 to that if you're a whole-foods-organic-only type of consumer.
* You really need to peruse apartment rental sites and maybe even craigslist to get an idea of what you'll be spending. If it's a cheap rental in NYC, bear in mind it will not be in the safest area, unless you are incredibly lucky.
*Also keep in mind the things many people forget about, but add up: telephone, cable, laundry costs, gas(for car), gas (for heating and cooking), electric, clothing budget for new clothes/shoes, money for entertainment/games/a night out every so often. I'm sure I forgot something here, but you get the idea.
*The job market isn't horrible here, there's always work for people who are willing. Just bear in mind that it may be a while before you can get a hold of your dream job, and may have to settle for a pays-the-bills job in the meantime.

I'm not sure what type of budget you are working with right now, and I don't want to be a Negative Nellie, but NYC is not cheap. It is a pretty cool city in many regards, but the cost of living here may or may not make it worth your while.
Also, check out the site New York News, Traffic, Sports, Weather, Photos, Entertainment, and Gossip - NY Daily News or New York News | Gossip | Sports | Entertainment | Photos - New York Post , it will keep you up to date with the events going on here, like proposed smoking in parks/beaches bans, proposed happy meal toy bans, and other such ridiculousness.
Eclectic Ears has a point about not going clubbing all the time and being smart about your spending, but there are things that won't really be negotiable. Do your research, maybe find a friend of a friend/relative you trust who lives where you are looking to move, and see what your options are for the most comfortable environment possible.
I wish you the best of luck. =D

[psulions2007]

Seattle

[censusdata]

I'd avoid ANYTHING in the SouthWest. As oil prices skyrocket those areas that must ship food in 1,000 miles away will be hell to live in. Also Mexico hasn't forgot we took that land from them in an illegal war and they will take back that land if they can.

If I ever moved out of state (which is unlikely) my first choice would be the Black Hills of South Dakota. Oregon and Washington are nice places too that have good farmland and lots of rain.

[psulions2007]

Originally Posted by censusdata

Also Mexico hasn't forgot we took that land from them in an illegal war and they will take back that land if they can.