No it isn't.
OP, do not even consider moving to Arizona. This place is awful. Visit? Okay. Live? No.
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No it isn't.
OP, do not even consider moving to Arizona. This place is awful. Visit? Okay. Live? No.
well forget about all of new england then.............
Well maybe a few miles off the coast in Rhode Island would work money wise. And Newport is really nice, Boston is close enough to visit for culture and shopping and dinner and Apple Stores. Weather is mostly ok. Not like CA but you get seasons. However 80k joint income is probably borderline. But keep in mind that salaries in and around Boston tend to be higher.
http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bplive/2007
these cities usually make the list on many surveys
in california, the most consistent winner, and in northern california, is salinas when judging income, real estate, weather, crime, etc. - but i think other areas surrounding salinas are much prettier but the huge bulk of the county's income is in ag and salinas is all about ag, storage, shipping, housing the many workers making construction and remodeling a hot field
as you have probably noticed, nicer, less urban centers in northern california either have no industry or if they do, it's tourism and that pays lower for workers than anything i can think of
i think the large trend in the usa is that one could choose a pretty place that is safe but with low pay, or take one's chances in a large city where increasing crime, stress, and longer working hours are always nagging issues but the paychecks are fatter
i don't have the ability to want to put up with the intense professional 60 hour work weeks, and endless rat race of a los angeles or new york city, so i went the rural route and the low pay/high cost of real estate ratio is not going away anytime soon
but i am not cutting down big cities, because when i was younger i had a lot more tolerance for the fast pace of a big city, and the positive things it had to offer and i will always have fond memories of sf and london
see where you are at personally and your breaking/tolerance point, because in my mid-40s, i would get swamped by a fast, big city and i can't imagine getting older would make it any easier to live in a fast paced lifestyle
these cities usually make the list on many surveys
in california, the most consistent winner, and in northern california, is salinas when judging income, real estate, weather, crime, etc. - but i think other areas surrounding salinas are much prettier but the huge bulk of the county's income is in ag and salinas is all about ag, storage, shipping, housing the many workers making construction and remodeling a hot field
as you have probably noticed, nicer, less urban centers in northern california either have no industry or if they do, it's tourism and that pays lower for workers than anything i can think of
i think the large trend in the usa is that one could choose a pretty place that is safe but with low pay, or take one's chances in a large city where increasing crime, stress, and longer working hours are always nagging issues but the paychecks are fatter
i don't have the ability to want to put up with the intense professional 60 hour work weeks, and endless rat race of a los angeles or new york city, so i went the rural route and the low pay/high cost of real estate ratio is not going away anytime soon
but i am not cutting down big cities, because when i was younger i had a lot more tolerance for the fast pace of a big city, and the positive things it had to offer and i will always have fond memories of sf and london
see where you are at personally and your breaking/tolerance point, because in my mid-40s, i would get swamped by a fast, big city and i can't imagine getting older would make it any easier to live in a fast paced lifestyle
It's not too shabby (or at least where I live), but I wouldn't move here.
I mean, it's rainy, wet, cold, and chav colonies are breeding like it's going out of fashion.
Plus houses are SO expensive as there just aren't any left. Most young Brits (including myself) won't even be able to afford houses here, let alone someone planning to immigrate from a country that's currency is worth half of the Sterling
I mean, it's nice here (in some parts), but expensive. Of course, it's relative to the wages and everything, but it's still too expensive to be worthwhile.
avoid south florida. cost of living is way higher than it was perhaps a decade ago (not as high as the west coast though, but higher than what it is in the south), and you'll be inside most of the summer because of the oppressive heat and daily storms (it seems like it's dark all the time right now). plus failure power and light can't control the electricity around here. and if you believe al gore's global warming theory, it will be underwater in a few short years due to more hurricanes and sea level rising.
I second or third the NC nomination. Great job opportunities, reasonable cost of living, family friendly and weather is above average Sept.-June. July and August aren't bad if you like the heat which I do but some complain. Lots of sun.
Raleigh is where I live now and love it. Having lived in S.Cal. for seven years and still travel to CA. quite a bit, I can really see why you'd want to leave.
Raleigh is where I live now and love it. Having lived in S.Cal. for seven years and still travel to CA. quite a bit, I can really see why you'd want to leave.
I'd have to second that. Born and raised in So. Cal and have no desire to stick around. If you're curious (OP) my top two places have been Chicago, the burbs mostly after I experience the city, and Charlotte or Raleigh.
Really **** will follow you wherever and the grass isn't always greener but if I ever do marry and have kids I wouldn't raise them in CA.
I'd move there just for the golfing.
Chicago has horrendous traffic but being a SoCal girl, you probably didn't notice.
Cost of living is pretty high, too.I love visiting Chicago and go there a few times a year - in the summer if I can help it. One of the best cities in the U.S. for a good time for nearly anyone, no matter what you like.
The winters can be pretty, pretty brutal though. Snow is not my idea of a good time, especially city snow. You know the kind that lingers in all its gray & slushiness long after the pretty white goodness is but a faded memory. San Diego spoiled me.
You can say that again! You're looking to move... just because?! Pack up the entire family and move someplace totally new and strange?! It sounds like you're willing to move anywhere nationwide... even to other countries! That's not something you can just *do*! Even if you were single and rich, moving your entire life someplace else isn't that simple.
I don't mean to put you down, but geez... things must be really bad for you if you're willing to leave everything behind and move ...anywhere...
I love visiting Chicago and go there a few times a year - in the summer if I can help it. One of the best cities in the U.S. for a good time for nearly anyone, no matter what you like.
The winters can be pretty, pretty brutal though. Snow is not my idea of a good time, especially city snow. You know the kind that lingers in all its gray & slushiness long after the pretty white goodness is but a faded memory. San Diego spoiled me.
i love reading travel sites and magazine articles and chicago has seemed kind of an anomaly to me
on one side, it's great to visit but certain sections of the city rate as the highest murder per capita, along with d.c. and detroit...in the last two decades, nyc hasn't even cracked the top 10 from most of the sources i have read (of course if the south bronx had its own category, i am sure it would have chicago, detroit, and d.c. type numbers in murder)
chicago has the unpleasant record for having had over 600 homicides a year for 41 years straight...my god, who is left standing?
the most dangerous (semi-big) city near me, nearly 200 thousand people, complains that it had over 10 homicides a few years in a row...but chicago has a different dynamic having 2.9 million people but still it's four times more likely in chicago to get killed than the worst city in central california
as strange as it seems, i loved d.c. and the surrounding areas as a visit even though i did see some rough areas on my vacation there and their murder rate is also off the charts
within sf which is a middle tier crime city, the soma and the mission district are downright dangerous, but still fascinating places to visit but i would never live there
Seconded, its not to big and not to small. I would really take a look at it...its worth it. Also the home prices are not so extreme as they are in the Seattle/Portland area. Spokane has some great schools and Riverside Park is as nice a place as you can be at. And its not that far from Seattle...
Give it a look!!! Please!!!
BTW: I am from a town 50 miles North of it called Colville (also worth a look if you like smaller sized towns).
I've seen the aquarium...but nothing else since its a bar...
I would suggest the DC area such as Montgomery County, MD but the cost of living here is not much better the California. A moderately sized single family home around here would cost upwards of $500,000 or more depending on where in the county you live. On the upside, the school system here is great and the winters really aren't that bad (we normally get a few snowstorms a year with a couple of inches of snow with each storm) and because it's close enough to DC there is a culture, but in your situation, this area is very expensive to live in.
I saw Jonah Smith and James Hunter there a couple years back. It is an absolutly fantastic venue, one of my favorites. The sound people really know their stuff, one of the best sounding venues I've been to.
There is an amazing music scene in Seattle.
I can certainly tell you to knock out Atlanta for any running. Seriously, our mayor is ruining the city six ways to Sunday. Plus it's not really that close to a coast (4 hours to Savannah). I would suggest NC if the job market's right. Been 12 years since I went on weekly vacations to Wilmington, but it seemed to be a good place to move. Charlotte I don't know much about, I must admit. The only thing I can recall is that they had a very substandard airport for a four hour layover in the early 90s.
It gets hot here in the south, but as long as you use the AC, you're fine. Just be prepared for high humidity. The kind that clings to you. The only thing good about Atlanta is the house prices. Of course the flip side is the unemployment. And the flooded housing market.
If you want to be by the water, you could try a large lake region. Houses will be more expensive on the water, but if you move inland a bit, it might even out. Added bonus, you don't get the salt wear-and-tear on the vehicle.
It gets hot here in the south, but as long as you use the AC, you're fine. Just be prepared for high humidity. The kind that clings to you. The only thing good about Atlanta is the house prices. Of course the flip side is the unemployment. And the flooded housing market.
If you want to be by the water, you could try a large lake region. Houses will be more expensive on the water, but if you move inland a bit, it might even out. Added bonus, you don't get the salt wear-and-tear on the vehicle.
If Arizona and the U.S. are so bad, why live there/here? Arizona is a pretty nice place. I think you should take your idealistic 20 yr. old "wisdom" and relocate somewhere it's appreciated.
Beijing is obviously calling and you should be answering.
Well, I live in South Florida which sounds similar to where you are currently living in California. I personally really like it here, but for the first time in its history, the county that I live in (Broward... one county up from Miami-Dade) saw a decline in population this year. I know many, many people who are anxious to get out of the state and a lot of them are choosing to go to North Carolina. (It's been said again and again in this thread, haha.) I know North Carolina is a pretty far move from California... and I don't know what your feelings are about living on the east coast, but apparently its pretty nice up there... and affordable. =)
I was offering an opinion on Arizona only. I've lived here (almost) my whole life. I wouldn't recommend it for a variety of reasons. Phoenix has almost no culture, it is a poorly planned city (it's a big sprawling suburb more than a city), there is almost no public transportation to speak of, it gets way too hot during the summer and not cold enough during the winter. The OP mentioned wanting to move to a progressive area, which is not Arizona. Our legislature is very Republican, our governor is a Democrat right now, but a Republican will probably win after her term is over (2010, I believe). Our schools are awful, our sheriff is a joke, and homes are too expensive/rent is too high taking into account the zero culture this city has.
If the OP was looking to move somewhere with plenty of golfing and spas, then the Phoenix-Metro area is where he should be looking, but he said that he wants to live somewhere were his kids will have a better life, and that isn't in Arizona.
And regarding other things you said: This isn't the thread or correct section in which to discuss that. I don't want to move this thread to PRSI, and even still, your attack on me was completely unwarranted since the only thing I said was:
Me said:
Seeing as how I live here, you don't, and the OP was asking for our opinions, my contribution to this thread was not out of the ordinary/deserving of your attacks.
^^^^^
Location: US, unfortunately
^^Maybe it was this that irked me??
If you don't like the country you live in maybe your post was skewed without an explanation of why Arizona is an unacceptable place to live.
Location: US, unfortunately
^^Maybe it was this that irked me??
If you don't like the country you live in maybe your post was skewed without an explanation of why Arizona is an unacceptable place to live.
All you have to say is Pearl Jam and Jimmy Hendrix to convince me Seattle has a Music scene. I love Seattle's artsy kind of look and would love a visit sometime soon. Thanks for posting back about the Musiquarium!
All you have to say is Pearl Jam and Jimmy Hendrix to convince me Seattle has a Music scene. I love Seattle's artsy kind of look and would love a visit sometime soon. Thanks for posting back about the Musiquarium!
seattle is one of my favorite places to visit... it's such a cool place... and the music scene really does rule.
I agree. I live in Howard County myself, and it has one of the best school systems in the country and is a very nice area. However, it is getting more and more expensive to move in around here. It's worth a look though.