Any cities with affordable housing and good job market besides DC??? (Richmond: movers, houses)

[NOLA207]

My husband and I are looking to move to VA (from New Orleans) in 2009. We have been researching cities all over the state, but he has concerns about finding a good marketing job with a reputable company. I know there is opportunity in the DC area, but it would be nice to not have to pay $650k for a decent house. I have been looking more at Richmond, but we are open to anywhere.

Any info is appreciated!

[seanpecor]

Give Roanoke a look. It's a gorgeous area with a healthy economy. It's a MUCH smaller metro area (300,000 total metro size) so there are fewer jobs to be had but anyone with marketable skills can have a very very good life in the Roanoke area:

http://extranet.digitalspinner.com:8180/Roanokeaerial.jpg (broken link)

Check out http://www.roanokeva.gov/WebMgmt/ywb...e/$youngadults and have him submit his information. It's a database of candidates that is small but paid close attention to by many of the valleys' movers and shakers.

You'd enjoy Richmond also! I'd truly visit both, they both offer a unique experience and one may be immediatley more appealing than the other after a visit. NOVA is a great place too, but the cost of living is an issue. If you can find work outside of such an expensive place, it seems like a more sensible approach. Here in the Roanoke Valley, $650K buys a historic house in premiere parts of Roanoke City, or a remodeled farmhouse on 20 acres, or a decent house on Smith Mountain Lake.

Sean

[dullnboring]

The job market is pretty good at the moment in all of Virginia's metropolitan areas. Richmond is probably your best bet after the DC area in terms of finding quality work, and as you correctly surmised, you can also get way more for your dollar there in terms of housing. Roanoke is another possibility. Due to it's smaller size and economy, finding a good job will probably be a bit tougher than it would be in Richmond, but it's worth a look as well.

[richmondpics]

Richmond was just named by Forbes the 14th best place in the country for business and careers... The area is also home to 12 or 13 fortune 1000 Headquarters, 9 of which are fortune 500 companies. It's also much more affordable than Northern Virginia, and you won't have to sit in horrific traffic to and from work. Average commute is around 22 minutes. The unemployment rate is something like 3.3%. The James River is a great outdoor asset, and there are dozens of large parks in the area... but if you're looking for a day trip (or longer) getaway, the mountains are an hour away, the beach maybe 2 hrs, and DC is 2 hrs. Check it out and good luck!

[ashbrn4]

Cost of living and salaries are pretty much correlated to cost of housing and location to jobs. So, where there are more expensive homes, there are higher paying jobs and lower unemployment, although unemployment is pretty low nationwide. Less expensive areas mean lower salaries. You can't just look at what's the cheapest place to live, but also at what salary you can command. The ratios are pretty similar. It's a mental thing. A location where you might make over 100K and has 650k houses translates into a lower salary with lower home prices in another area. It's really the same thing, it's just easier for the mind to accept, even though the reality is you're spending the same percentage of your income on housing, it makes people feel better to see a smaller number for a home.

[NOLA207]

Yeah, that's how most places are. Except for New Orleans. My husband gets about 15-20k less than he should and housing here is more expensive than most people would think.

I've heard Richmond has more of a "southern" feel to it as oppossed to DC. New Orleans is, to say the least, very laid back, so Richmond is becoming more appealing in that sense. Is there much culture there (music, arts, festivals, etc.)?

[richmondpics]

This is a great resource for visitors and residents alike if you're looking for "things to do" in Richmond.

http://www.discoverrichmond.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=RTD/Page/RTD_DRContentPage&c=Page&cid=1059599861069 (broken link)