Thinking of moving to a new state. Any advice?

[WinterWanderer]

Hiya everyone,

 

So I've reached the point in my grad school studies where I can finally start applying for jobs in my new career field. Sadly (or perhaps, thankfully), there are few prospects in the area I live now -- which I've hated anyway. (Some of you have probably read my complaints and the challenges I've faced here over the past year.  ) 

 

Now I face the fun journey of applying to jobs literally anywhere, in the hopes that I will get hired. I currently live in the southern US. It looks like I could find jobs anywhere, but they're mostly centered in big cities in the Pacific Northwest and along the northeastern coast of the US.

 

My question is, do you guys have any tips for finding a new town/city? Or do you have any advice for what I should be looking for, from personal experience? In my search, I am focusing mostly on safety (something that's severely lacking in my current location), cool/cold weather (snow every winter would be nice!), and having to deal with as few natural disasters as possible!

[butterflydreams]

Snow every winter gets old really freaking fast lol

 

I assume you're looking at cities like Boston, NYC...maybe something further south in the northeast? Boston is one of the most happening cities for young people and there are plenty of opportunities for jobs and a social life. I left because I didn't like the city atmosphere, but if that's your thing, it's a good place to end up. You probably wouldn't be unhappy there. If you're into smaller cities, consider Portland, Maine. Not sure how far inland you're willing to go, but Burlington, Vermont is also nice, as are parts of western Massachusetts. Some of the best LGBT areas in New England, and possibly the whole US are located there. If that's at all important to you.

 

I've never been to the pacific northwest, but I was seriously considering moving to Portland, OR at one time. I've heard lots of good things about it. I have an old college friend who lives in Seattle and seems to like it well enough. I've been told that the winters there are dreary and brutal though. That's coming from people who are used to snowy New England winters.

 

Places I don't like...Providence, RI...kind of a dump, but Brown and the immediate area seemed nice. New Hampshire is tough. It's a very weird area. Skews very conservative for the northeast. Which can be good and bad. Manchester is pretty active, as is Concord. Hartford CT is also pretty meh. Though Connecticut itself isn't too bad, just expensive. 

 

When I've moved, I always moved to a place I thought would fit right with my personality. I've had some missteps in that policy, but overall, it's worked out well. 

[uhtred]

It depends on what matters to you. 

 

Do you care about weather?   Chicago and San Diego are pretty different!

 

Disasters: Not sure this is really such a big deal. In reality you are pretty safe from natural disasters in all major US cities.

 

Safety: This can vary wildly within a single city. The fact that a city has a high or low average crime rate may have nothing to do with the rate where you will be living.

 

Costs: This can be a big one.  Check out housing costs vs. likely job salaries.  

 

Commute:  A long commute is misery. Can you afford to live near your job.

 

The west coast cities are very nice in a lot of ways. Biggest problems are housing costs, and in many of them a severe homeless problem. 

 

 

 

 

 

[Palovana]

I'm not sure how to help with the information you've given here, without knowing your career field/what other things you're looking for in relocating. 

 

I can tell you from my experience, that the south is comparatively very cheap to living elsewhere in the country. Once you get north of, say, Richmond, VA, on the east coast, rent is outrageous. So I don't know how much you make, or what you're projecting to make, but an average one bedroom apartment in Northern Virginia is around $1200/month, and from what I've seen, rent just gets more expensive the farther north you go in the east (good luck affording to live on your own in Philly, New York, or Boston). I don't know about the west coast, but from what I've read, rent is expensive out there, too.

 

If you're really looking to stay in the east, somewhere farther north where it's cold, you might want to look in Pittsburgh. Rent is cheaper there compared to other places in the northeast, as well as overall cost of living. I can't say much in the way of safety, because I have never been there, and I've heard different things. I would, at all costs, avoid Baltimore if safety is of utmost concern to you (if you frequently walk alone, for example). 

[Not Active]

Northeast is the place to go for your career field ;).

[Dekpi]

anywhere but here

(not being an asshole it just REALLY sucks here)

[timewarp]

My advice is to apply for the most interesting job you can find and move wherever that takes you.

[Ousel]

How exciting! I recently moved states for school. I'm looking at a career change. I left a lifetime of friends behind though, can be tough. 

 

Anyway, I'm really liking the PNW. We have cooler weather here over all, and there is even snow in parts.  I think it helps to travel to the places you're thinking of and see what it feels like to be there. This can be tricky since travel is expensive. I got an AirBnB for super reasonable because it was not in a tourist zone. I did a lot of research of towns, apartment complexes, grocery shopping options, etc. I'm really a west coast person. The pace is right for me. The east coast is a nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there. 

 

Good luck!

[WinterWanderer]

53 minutes ago, uhtred said:

Disasters: Not sure this is really such a big deal. In reality you are pretty safe from natural disasters in all major US cities.

You'd think so, haha.

 

I got the low end of stick in pretty much all of the aspects you mentioned, but that's probably bad judgment on my part for moving here. But I didn't have much choice in grad schools at the time. On the plus side, though, I now know what to watch out for,

[WinterWanderer]

Reviving this thread because moving is starting to look like a real possibility, and I'm still interested in any advice anyone has to offer.

[Euna]

I live in the PNW.  Most people despise the weather, but if you don't mind clouds/rain during fall, winter, and spring, it's pleasant.  We don't really get tornadoes or big snow storms, to speak of.   (However, there's Mt Rainier due to blow up and Pacific Rim earthquake activity, which could happen anytime... just FYI.)

 

To be honest, many people don't like it here, at least in the urban/west side of the PNW.  It can be very difficult to meet people / make friends if you don't know anyone, because we're not super outgoing.  There is a big problem with homelessness in Seattle and Portland, too, so it's probably best to live in a suburban city and commute in.

 

On the plus side, we have awesome parks and outdoor activities, and the tech industry is still doing well here.

[Palovana]

@Rynn I would spend some time looking at this website to get a better idea about the places you're considering. There are forums organized by state and city which might be helpful to you. I'm also trying to move to a different state/region in a year or two and it's been helpful. Also helped me get a better idea of which cities to avoid when I was applying for jobs after I graduated.

[WinterWanderer]

4 hours ago, Palovana said:

@Rynn I would spend some time looking at this website to get a better idea about the places you're considering. There are forums organized by state and city which might be helpful to you. I'm also trying to move to a different state/region in a year or two and it's been helpful. Also helped me get a better idea of which cities to avoid when I was applying for jobs after I graduated.

Thanks, that's really helpful! I've found Niche.com to be a great resource, as well.

 

This is random, but I noticed you're from NC. My sister lived there for a while and really liked it. Is there any reason why you're wanting to leave? (I've been considering that area as a potential place to find work, so I'm just curious.)

[borkfork]

California has great weather (in some places, you'd be surprised), but you need a great job to afford rent or a mortgage. 

[Palovana]

8 hours ago, Rynn said:

Thanks, that's really helpful! I've found Niche.com to be a great resource, as well.

 

This is random, but I noticed you're from NC. My sister lived there for a while and really liked it. Is there any reason why you're wanting to leave? (I've been considering that area as a potential place to find work, so I'm just curious.)

North Carolina is okay. I've definitely lived in worse places. My main issues are the summers are very hot and humid, almost intolerably so, and Indian summers are not uncommon so it can be hot until late October sometimes. It's also just too...slow for my personality. The pace of life here is quite ho-hum. 

 

I will tell you that one thing NC really has going for it though is a very affordable cost of living in cosmopolitan cities. Charlotte and Raleigh are very nice with career opportunities, especially if you're a recent graduate. Lots of new apartments and condos downtown with good price tags. Asheville is nice too but a much smaller city (more like a big town) but has some fun quirks. 

[WinterWanderer]

Yeah, I've noticed cost of living is great there! Especially compared to other cities. But the weather would probably be a turn-off to me, too. I currently live in Texas, and I'm trying to get away from hot, humid summers (well, hot, humid *years*).

[AwkwardAxolotl]

I can't pass judgement on the Pacific Northwest/most of the Northeast, but Maine is a great place. It doesn't have as big of cities, but it does have Portland at least. And for advantages of Maine, the cost of living tends to be lower than a lot of other places, and it's a pretty safe place to live. Even in the rural areas that tend to skew pretty conservative, people in Maine tend to have a live and let live mentality. They don't want others telling them how to be, so they don't really tell others how to be. Also, Maine is drop-dead gorgeous, and has plenty of snow in the winters, and the summers get warm, but not hot.

 

Other than Maine, for general advice on picking a new place to live, I'd suggest applying to any job that looks interesting, and when you go out to somewhere for an interview, take a little extra time and check out the city. Wander, see what the traffic's like, how friendly the people are, ask the locals what they like about the city, what they don't like.

[Palovana]

3 hours ago, Rynn said:

Yeah, I've noticed cost of living is great there! Especially compared to other cities. But the weather would probably be a turn-off to me, too. I currently live in Texas, and I'm trying to get away from hot, humid summers (well, hot, humid *years*).

There are pros and cons. I guess just like almost everywhere else. It really depends on what you're looking for, in all aspects of your life, and it's tough to gauge if you're really going to like a new place, even if you visit a few times before you move. I ended up here because I was desperate, and took the first opportunity to get out of the utter dead end shit hole that Florida is. And in the short term, NC has worked out rather well for me in a lot of ways, better than I expected. I don't want to live here forever, but when I moved here I had no career and no prospects really, and now I've built a career in a field I like. In general, these are the things I'd say are good and bad about NC (to me, given the person I am) other than what I've already mentioned - they might be different for you, but these are just my observations:

 

Pros

 

- Most people are more or less polite to your face, at least. I wouldn't say they're nice, but they're nicer than the people in TN, FL, and NJ, where I lived prior to moving here. There are, of course, some real assholes too, especially on the roads, but part of that might be because I live in a college town and there are kids with wealthy parents about. 

 

- It does snow and get cold in winter (usually). I've been here for three years and every winter it's snowed at least once, and usually we get at least a few inches. Only exceptions really would be on the coast, and Charlotte tends to get more ice and rain than snow, but it does snow there too sometimes. It snows quite a bit in the mountains. Spring and autumn in NC are also really pretty, though sometimes short-lived.

 

- Wherever you live in this state, you can take a weekend vacation to the beach or the mountains. We have both. Of course, you'd need the money to do this, which I don't have, so I can't really comment about what they're like. 

 

- It's one of the most - if not the most - liberal state in the southeast, if that's something that matters to you. You wouldn't think that given the HB2 fiasco and some of the bullshit policies the state government has tried to push through in recent years, but we just elected a democratic governor. And as long as you're in the bigger towns and cities, it's rather diverse and in general people are relatively tolerant. Part of that might be because there are quite a lot of transplants from the mid-Atlantic and Northeast, particularly in the research triangle, but it's certainly more diverse than I expected it to be. 

 

Cons

 

- It's still the south. There are still rednecks and "old money" WASP type people, and a lot of the rural areas are just as bad as where my brother lives in Alabama. It's less obvious in the cities, but even in Charlotte you can't really fool yourself into thinking you're not in the south. The "southern-ness" of the state is more in terms of soul food, barbecue, southern charm, and Protestant churches on every corner, rather than fat dudes driving a mud-covered pickup around town with a dead deer tied to the hood (saw that a few times in FL), but it's definitely still distinctly southern. 

 

- There's really not a lot to do unless you

 

A: want to be really involved with a local church

B: are obsessed with basketball

C: like to get wasted every night in a bar

D: enjoy spending all your time off walking around a mall

 

Except for Asheville and parts of western NC. There's lot of outdoorsy type of things to do out there - hiking, kayaking, camping, skiing, etc, etc...but if you're not into that, or can't afford it, you're still pretty SOL. Then again, you could always just be a workaholic like me, or lay around at home reading and playing video games on your days off (also like me). 

 

- Some places can be a little - or a lot - ghetto. This is especially true of Durham, some areas around Charlotte, and the triad (Greensboro/WInston-Salem/High Point). A lot of these areas are much older industrial/manufacturing towns (especially in the triad), which haven't seen much of the gentrification that's happening in Raleigh and downtown Charlotte. 

[AcornCarvings]

On 2/8/2018 at 4:54 PM, Rynn said:

safety (something that's severely lacking in my current location), cool/cold weather (snow every winter would be nice!), and having to deal with as few natural disasters as possible!

The pacific northwest sounds like it could work for you. (except for the occasional earthquake, and even though the weather is cool, you don't get too much snow)

Or some places in the upper midwest, like Chicago or the Twin cities (except for the occasional tornado) if you can find jobs there. If you like snow, then Minnesota is a good place to be.

idk much about the east coast.

Like some people have said, safety varies from neighborhood to neighborhood in pretty much every city.

[ExquisiteMystery]

I hear pretty good things about Pennsylvania and New Hampshire areas.

Maybe depends on whether you need high income to rent ratio, or have a job independent of local economy. I am looking for almost the same thing, so I hope someone has good suggestions.

[WanderingKate]

No specific advice, just wanted to offer...I've lived in the Northeast for my entire life (New England specifically)… there a lot of great schools here. Boston and NYC have their pros and cons, as others have said they are very young cities with a LOT of nightlife so if you're looking for excitement and to meet people, these are your cities. The biggest downside to Boston specifically is the public transportation (awful) and the rent (sky high in most decent areas). And your experience in NYC will vary *greatly* depending on what neighborhood you choose to live in (this is true in Boston as well, but in NYC more so I'd say). But I did enjoy living in both places for the most part, you'll never be bored at the very least. I also want to throw in that I disagree with the above poster who called Providence a dump...definitely respect that opinion, but Providence has truly come a long way. It's not the city it used to be...really cleaned up nicely. Still not a recommendation just because it's smaller and not quite as fun and youthful as Boston and New York, but it's definitely come a long way the past few years. If you have any questions about living in any of these areas or New England in general please let me know! I've lived/travelled all over this area and am happy to answer any questions! :) 

 

[Alawyn-Aebt]

Can't really offer you specific advice, but there is a lot to consider. One thing to keep in mind though is while some areas have a bad reputation for one reason or another, it can be really hard to tell unless you have actually been there. For example someone mentioned Baltimore, a city I frequent, as being unsafe. While certain sections of Baltimore I might avoid even in day, there are some great sections where I felt completely comfortable walking around outside at dusk with just 18 year-old me and my 11 year-old brother. Rents are higher in cities but depending on how close you want to live it might not be exorbitant.

 

Public transit is a major thing to consider too, I know I am a bit spoiled living just outside DC right now with a pretty great Metro and bus service. There are also things that we can't really tell you without more specifics, for example someone mentioned Pittsburgh. While Pittsburgh, much like Baltimore, has its great spots there is a lot of depressed communities surrounding Pittsburgh (I mean a LOT, it was a bit of a shock to me when I first saw them all), even if downtown Pittsburgh is nice.

[Scribbles]

I've lived in Montana for most of my life, so I may be biased, but there is truly no other state like it. Even the bigger cities have a small town coziness to it, like we're all looking out for one another. There's a general trustworthiness and safety here. The scenery is gorgeous and inspires me everyday. We're a purple state, so you'll fit in regardless of political views. We're cold in the winter, warm in the summer. It's quiet here. Also I was once reading an article, and Sweetgrass County here is the safest place in the country to live (low population, few natural disasters)

 

https://time.com/safest-counties/

 

I personally like the diverse weather. I think, based on your criteria, Montana would be perfect for you! Hang on. Just realized this post is from 2018. Oops. Oh well!

[WinterWanderer]

@Scribbles Thanks for the reply! I did end up moving to a new state (Kansas). I like it here, for many of the same reasons that you like Montana. I've always thought Montana sounds neat, too. I actually saw a job opening up there in my field a few weeks back, and thought about applying. But I'm not ready to move again, not yet.