Where to move in the US

[pluckedflowers]

Hello everyone,

I am currently going through some big changes in my life. I've been living outside of the US (where I'm originally from) for seven years. But my wife and I are getting divorced and I'm planning to move back to the US. The problem is that I don't know where to go. I went to university in California, but almost all of my friends have left the Bay Area and dispersed around the country. So aside from having some family in Michigan, I really don't have a home to return to and I am trying to figure out where to go. I have one friend in Pittsburgh, a city I really liked when I visited, but he's planning to move pretty soon. So I thought I'd ask for your recommendations as to good cities for starting a new life, on the basis of where one might be more likely to find a job and where the livability/cost of living balance is reasonable. Any tips would be appreciated.

[Leftsolidarity]

It's a shit place for leftists and really any culture but the west suburbs of Milwaukee in the Waukesha county have fairly decent jobs to get and living costs seem fairly low. Not too far of a drive into the city and you can get to both Chicago/Madison within 1-2 hours by car.

That's the best suggestion I got on the basis of jobs/expense. For having fun and not being around reactionaries all day I'd suggest absolutely anywhere else.

[adipocere]

I'm not sure what you do for a living, but I would suggest looking into Florida. The cost of living is very low in virtually the whole state and there is a lot of housing.

[pluckedflowers]

I've worked in journalism and editing for a long time, but I really don't want to stay in journalism. I'm more than open to new career paths.

[Sasha]

As a tourist I had most fun in Oakland, also has a good political scene, don't think there are jobs for the picking though.

[pluckedflowers]

Yeah, I love the Bay Area in general, but the job market scares me.

[Os Cangaceiros]

Omaha, Nebraska. Cheap cost of living.

Either that or Austin, Texas. I used to live there. Cost of living is dirt cheap.

[Venas Abiertas]

The best place to move in the United States?

OUT! :lol:

Truthfully, though, things aren't so great anywhere else, either. The only thing about living overseas is that at least as a leftist you aren't treated so much like a total leper.

Have you got on Careerbuilder or Monster to see where there are jobs that interest you? How much money do you have to settle back in? How long could you go without working while you look for a job or take some classes if you want to switch careers? Maybe your best bet is to stay with somebody until you decide what you want to do. Rent is expensive everywhere if you don't have a job or a pretty big nest egg to tide you over.


There might be lower unemployment in some states or cities than others but what if the jobs available there are not right for you? For example, I know that they're hiring plenty of people to work the oil fields up in North Dakota and in South Texas, and for decent wages, but the work is hard, dirty, and outdoors. Does that interest you? Florida is mostly tourism, restaurants, service industries. Up North it's the winter and not many places hire right after Christmas.

My family and friends in Chicago tell me that times are hard there right now, but they've been saying that since Nixon's second term in office. I would stay away from the Rust Belt in general.

Since you've been out of the loop for seven years you're going to find that it's hard to get back in. When you apply for a job and they see that you haven't been employed here recently they automatically assume that you're some kind of a loser, and if you've been overseas they definitely think that something is "wrong" with you. Also, when you fill out a job app they ask for permission to investigate your credit background and when they see you haven't been part of the system for a while they get suspicious. They think you're the Unabomber or something if you're not at least ten or twenty thousand dollars in debt.

Are you sure you don't have any more options overseas? Maybe in a neighboring city or country to where you're living now? You're about to make a big expensive move and you might find that things have changed in ways that you're not really going to like.

[SaturnAges]

I've only lived one place. Chicagoland. (I'm not able to post links due to my post limit so type it in Google and click the Wikipedia link and look at principle cities)

It's the only area I could possibly recommend to you.

[Ele'ill]

I would base the move around a couple factors. Do you want to live in a big city, a little city, not really in a place with a city feel to it? That can make a huge difference. If you're tired of city life or have never lived in a city the sudden bustle of everything always moving can be annoying. Are you heavily influenced by weather or seasonal changes or can't stand certain climates? Seasons and weather are intertwined in my being and when I moved out to the PNW where there is no weather at all (its either overcast barely rain or hazy sun) I felt a dramatic negative difference.

Actually those two would be my biggest things to focus on cause even if you get a job are you really gonna be happy there

[Trap Queen Voxxy]

All I can say is, stay out of PA. All of it, there's nothing good about it, not one thing.

[Ele'ill]

I actually really like SEPA based on the dramatic weather/country ambiance but I don't like a lot of the other things about it

[Os Cangaceiros]

Doesn't Pittsburgh score pretty high on the best cities index, based on cost of living/economic opportunity/cultural outlets/services etc?

[Os Cangaceiros]

The best place to move in the United States?

OUT! :lol:

Truthfully, though, things aren't so great anywhere else, either. The only thing about living overseas is that at least as a leftist you aren't treated so much like a total leper.

Have you got on Careerbuilder or Monster to see where there are jobs that interest you? How much money do you have to settle back in? How long could you go without working while you look for a job or take some classes if you want to switch careers? Maybe your best bet is to stay with somebody until you decide what you want to do. Rent is expensive everywhere if you don't have a job or a pretty big nest egg to tide you over.


There might be lower unemployment in some states or cities than others but what if the jobs available there are not right for you? For example, I know that they're hiring plenty of people to work the oil fields up in North Dakota and in South Texas, and for decent wages, but the work is hard, dirty, and outdoors. Does that interest you? Florida is mostly tourism, restaurants, service industries. Up North it's the winter and not many places hire right after Christmas.

My family and friends in Chicago tell me that times are hard there right now, but they've been saying that since Nixon's second term in office. I would stay away from the Rust Belt in general.

Since you've been out of the loop for seven years you're going to find that it's hard to get back in. When you apply for a job and they see that you haven't been employed here recently they automatically assume that you're some kind of a loser, and if you've been overseas they definitely think that something is "wrong" with you. Also, when you fill out a job app they ask for permission to investigate your credit background and when they see you haven't been part of the system for a while they get suspicious. They think you're the Unabomber or something if you're not at least ten or twenty thousand dollars in debt.

Are you sure you don't have any more options overseas? Maybe in a neighboring city or country to where you're living now? You're about to make a big expensive move and you might find that things have changed in ways that you're not really going to like.

The USA is on the rebound economically-speaking, I think the job market is getting better in most areas. Back in 2010 when I was actively looking for work in the job market it was pretty bad, and I was in south Texas, which was relatively untouched by the recession, but I think it's probably improved a fair deal since then.

And I was still able to find work, despite having basically no skills (well, no skills that would be relevant to the middle of Texas, anyway), no credit to speak of, a criminal record and a high school diploma.


I would base the move around a couple factors. Do you want to live in a big city, a little city, not really in a place with a city feel to it? That can make a huge difference. If you're tired of city life or have never lived in a city the sudden bustle of everything always moving can be annoying. Are you heavily influenced by weather or seasonal changes or can't stand certain climates? Seasons and weather are intertwined in my being and when I moved out to the PNW where there is no weather at all (its either overcast barely rain or hazy sun) I felt a dramatic negative difference.

I like PNW, I wouldn't mind living in Seattle or Portland one day, at least temporarily.

[Trap Queen Voxxy]

Doesn't Pittsburgh score pretty high on the best cities index, based on cost of living/economic opportunity/cultural outlets/services etc?

Lmfao, what? Shittsburgh is exactly what I'm talking about. :lol:

I could literally go on for days if I really wanted to rant about this specific area of land which should be leveled to the point where the ground is glass and not even a single lizard could live here. The job situation is fucked up, it's kinda hard to find one unless maybe your some bourgie sort with a degree where it'd be easy anywhere. Everyones an asshole. It's like one of the most polluted cities in the country, I think ranked number 4. There's the Steelers situation. The cops are corrupt as fucking fuck, and in fact, nearly all of the heads of law enforcement are now facing corruption and embezzlement charges as well. I mean, fuck, even when our rappers get big they move the fuck out to LA, lol, I think that says something in and of itself. It has all the hills and then some of SF with none of the pavement and quadruple the potholes. The street layout was designed by a drunk. The inclines a death trap. There's mutant fish in the Monongahela. The parking situation is so horrible in my old neighborhood that two houses burned down because the trucks couldn't access the houses via the roads. The food is meh. I mean, need I go on?

[Prometeo liberado]

First off let me say condolences on the divorce. Second stay out of L.A. waaay to expensive and the cops are just as bad(18 just indicted by the Feds for crimes as bad as torture!). Portland seems be a decent sort of place.
p.s. Ive been looking for that pic on your avatar for a while, what is its name?

[Ele'ill]

I like PNW, I wouldn't mind living in Seattle or Portland one day, at least temporarily.

Why?

[Os Cangaceiros]

I don't know, I guess I just feel like I'm used to that sort of climate but it's less isolated than AK, where I'm from. People seemed nice too when I was there.

[Prometeo liberado]

Apparently he's not divorcing me but ty.<3



Mine?

The OP you crazy nutter.

[Decolonize The Left]

Well, I've put some good travels in throughout the US and here's what I'd say:

- Off the coasts, I liked: Spokane WA, Missoula MT, Boise ID, St Paul MN, Chicago IL, Ann Arbor MI, Nashville TN, Tulsa OK, Albuquerque NM, Buffalo NY, Vermont in general, Pittsburgh PA, New Orleans LA, ... not all these places are great but I liked them more than the rest of what I saw.
- On the coasts is more difficult because the cost of living is higher. I recommend Portland OR, northern CA (north of Sonoma county), the Oregon/Washington cost (west of I-5), Portland ME area, and perhaps parts of the eastern coast further south than Maryland but I haven't been there.

Remember that once you leave the west coast, really, you have seasons. So I don't know where you're from originally but you ought to think about how you feel about snow/humidity/rain, etc... Also, I think Mari3L's points regarding what kind of city, etc... are very important and show be taken into account regarding a move.

Best of luck and let me know if you'd like further details about one place or another.

[Os Cangaceiros]

Missoula MT is an interesting choice that I agree with, I had some good times there

[Leftsolidarity]

you liked Nashville? I went through it once (that I remember cuz I've gone through on greyhound at night a lot) and it seemed terrible. I was only staying within a few blocks from the greyhound terminal but it seemed liked a wasteland with corporate buildings packed downtown. Everyone was an ass and the second I stepped out of the car that brought me there I had a cop yelling at me already and they didn't get any more relaxed the longer I was there.

Maybe I just got the shit end of the stick for my experience there.

[#FF0000]

move to scranton and drink yourself to death in the woods

edit: avoiding pa in general is a good idea.

[Ele'ill]

Since the PNW has come up a few times as an option I'm going to strongly suggest otherwise. The coastal area is probably really nice despite the mentioned elevated cost of living, I have not spent any longer than 3 weeks there from Northern Cali through Southern Oregon so don't know what it would be like to actually live there and it was breathtakingly gorgeous but good luck finding work. Regarding Portland Or which I can speak from experience, when it's said that it rains a lot it's not a normal 'rains a lot' kind of meaning. For about ten months out of the year it is overcast with occasional drizzle throughout the day. Sometimes you'll get lucky and it will turn into actual rainfall making a nice relaxing sound but usually it is spritz and drizzle for ten months. There are occasional breaks in the weather involving just overcast and very rarely you will see the sun come out for about five seconds. Finding work in Portland is hard from what I hear, I've had a lot of jobs in my life and am kind of lucky to have a uniquely rounded off resume like that although all shitty jobs spread across three different industries. The good news is that there are lots of bars, the bad news is that they are all hipster bars minus one or two of the taverns/pubs that you'll have to find on your own i'm not giving away that kind of secret openly on the internet, the police force here is/has been investigated by the feds for excessive force and involvement in numerous murders while simultaneously working with the feds to raid and imprison folks who are concerned about police and police violence (and feds), if you end up here and can't find work you can always be homeless there's a massive homeless community mainly atomized and subjected to violence from rich folks and the mentioned police force

also the beer in the pnw sucks, some of the worst most hyped up overpriced shit in the entire country


i am having a hard time imagining why someone would move to the pnw outside of there being a decent job opening somewhere or something

[Slavic]

Don't move to New Jersey unless you want to work in retail or hospitality. We have a sizable pharmaceutical industry, but mass layoffs over the years created a lot of unemployed pharmaceutical workers so getting your foot in the door is next to impossible.

Biochem graduate here who can't get work in my desired industry.

[Skyhilist]

Chapel Hill, NC is pretty nice. Really neat downtown area with Franklin street and whatnot.

[Sinister Intents]

I'd recomend not moving to Chautauqua county in New York, one of the highest taxed counties in the US, I think somewhere in Florida or California would be nice.

[Os Cangaceiros]

The cops are bad pretty much everywhere in the USA. Sure, the police forces in major metro areas like the Seattle PD or the LAPD have gotten scrutiny from the feds in the recent past, but the same sort of abuse happens basically everywhere, whether it's the microcosm of the small town or the macrocosm of the big city.

[Ele'ill]

The cops are bad pretty much everywhere in the USA. Sure, the police forces in major metro areas like the Seattle PD or the LAPD have gotten scrutiny from the feds in the recent past, but the same sort of abuse happens basically everywhere, whether it's the microcosm of the small town or the macrocosm of the big city.

there is no good police but I suspect at times certain cities have elevated levels of cops doing whatever they want not independently or anything but just the incentive for police action at certain fronts becomes needed and it becomes grotesque which is what is happening kinda now here

[BIXX]

As someone from portland I say stay away. The best thing about this place is that it's not a conservative state- which really isn't saying much. The folks here hide their racism and classism under some liberal shit (along with their other oppressive bullshit). Really, it's grossly overrated.

[HoboHomesteader]

As a tourist I had most fun in Oakland, also has a good political scene, don't think there are jobs for the picking though.

It depends what your skillset is. If you have tech skillz, especially coding, it is a good place for that. Chef's are in demand too. Lots of hotel and hospitality jobs, tourism too. If you can speak multiple languages, its easier to find tourism work.

I live in AKland now and am digging the radical scene, although at times it seems very insular. No matter your politics you can find folks to organize with. Lots of mutual aid/support networks, at least compared to the rest of the US.

[Ritzy Cat]

St. Louis is not really a nice city to go to. Right in the Mid West, it has quite a bit of interesting history, but in terms of quality of living, its not so great. It's one of the worst places in the US for asthma/allergies etc. because the crappy air and pollution everywhere. Although, the city is one of the best place for healthcare professions as far as I'm aware because two very large health employers basically run all the hospitals around here (Tenet & Barnes Jewish)

The weather is also really schizophrenic. It's not uncommon to have 70 degree weather on monday and then snow on wednesday. Cold, dry winters and hot, humid summers are what its like here and throughout most of the midwest.

I'd avoid the midwest entirely for the most part, except a few cities like Chicago which may be worth your time..

When I went to Boise, it was beautiful, the surrounding mountains and the air was really nice. I really like the Northern/Western part of USA that is much less dense, I Want to move there sometime perhaps.

Missouri has historically been a Republican state, but this area is pretty equal from democrats-republicans... I have yet to find a single person that self-proclaims themself as a communist or socialist, but maybe I've been looking in all the wrong places.

[IBleedRed]

If you want to be practical (i.e. jobs), then I'd say Texas. Texas is one of the few states with a healthy economy right now. The major cities are not "hick" and Austin is actually very liberal (hipster-ish too)

Otherwise, I think Seattle/Portland would be amazing!

[AmilcarCabral]

Hi, I know that the prices of renting apartments are getting expensive in many cities of Florida, specially in Miami, FL. But if you are a very extroverted person, who is communicative, friendly, outgoing, I'd say move to Miami, Orlando, Tampa or any other major city of Florida, because Florida has lots of cubans and latinos. And cubans are very outgoing people, even though many of them are bourgeoise and right-wingers ideologically. But they are extroverted and very willing to be hospitable with new people. Cubans are moutains of happiness and positive energies. As opposed to northern states, where people are very introverted, and social phobic.

But the big problem of Miami and Florida is that real estate is damn expensive. That's why Miami and the whole state of Florida needs communism. I am tired of these ultra-right wing anti-Castro cubans owning the whole state of Florida, and controlling the prices of apartments, which should be priced at 200 (in a planned regulated socialist economy) dollars per month and not at 1000 dollars per month (The current price for many aparments

PD: ANother good thing of Miami and Florida, that it is a very good state for people who love gyms, weight lifting and exercising. This is a gym state, as opposed to many other states where people are very sedentary.



Hello everyone,

I am currently going through some big changes in my life. I've been living outside of the US (where I'm originally from) for seven years. But my wife and I are getting divorced and I'm planning to move back to the US. The problem is that I don't know where to go. I went to university in California, but almost all of my friends have left the Bay Area and dispersed around the country. So aside from having some family in Michigan, I really don't have a home to return to and I am trying to figure out where to go. I have one friend in Pittsburgh, a city I really liked when I visited, but he's planning to move pretty soon. So I thought I'd ask for your recommendations as to good cities for starting a new life, on the basis of where one might be more likely to find a job and where the livability/cost of living balance is reasonable. Any tips would be appreciated.

[Decolonize The Left]

you liked Nashville? I went through it once (that I remember cuz I've gone through on greyhound at night a lot) and it seemed terrible. I was only staying within a few blocks from the greyhound terminal but it seemed liked a wasteland with corporate buildings packed downtown. Everyone was an ass and the second I stepped out of the car that brought me there I had a cop yelling at me already and they didn't get any more relaxed the longer I was there.

Maybe I just got the shit end of the stick for my experience there.

That's rough. My experience with Nashville was a bit easier (had a place to stay and a vehicle), but I'd only say it's better than much of the south. It's not a destination I'd move to unless I was in the country music scene but if you're stuck in the south then you could do far worse, IMHO.

[Os Cangaceiros]

Nashville is a rough city. Not as rough as Memphis, though.

[Red Commissar]

If you want to be practical (i.e. jobs), then I'd say Texas. Texas is one of the few states with a healthy economy right now. The major cities are not "hick" and Austin is actually very liberal (hipster-ish too)

Otherwise, I think Seattle/Portland would be amazing!

Well, as a resident of Texas I'll say the following

-The economy is "good" but you're only seeing the benefits of this if you're in a middle-class type job, typically college-degree dependent (there's a world of difference between the high-end suburbs of say Preston Hollow or Highland Park and Garland). It's been argued that the economy here is being buoyed by the oil industry as well as the governor's use of a freebie fund to basically bribe management to bring companies here with a shit ton of min wage

You won't have to look as hard to find a bottom-level job as you would in other places but the tradeoff is that you're also being paid a hell of a lot less too. Texas doesn't have a state minimum income and goes solely by the federal levels.

From experience a lot of the lower level jobs being made here tend to be in fast food, service, and big box retails. Some exceptions might be from local industries, like the natural gas/fracking in the Barnett Shale around Ft. Worth, the oil industries around the coast, tourism in certain areas, military, etc.

Oh, and Texas is a right-to-work state so if you're looking to join in some labor struggle, forget it. Major unions here tend to be more towards professionals (engineers, teachers), with more labor-intensive ones being minor in their respective areas. The GM plant in Arlington for example, while having a UAW presence, is not as large as it is in other states. And of course the Toyota plant here was moved specifically because of the right-to-work laws so don't expect anything there.

-Cost of Living is lower in some areas. On the surface this is the trade off for lower minimum wage and in general even lower salaries for some professionals like teachers. If you plan on living in a house, property rates aren't too bad, and rent rates for some apartments are manageable, though you'll of course have to live in more distant neighborhoods. Food is on the whole much cheaper than anywhere I've been in the states- both in groceries and restaurants- at least in heavily urbanized areas. They are not insulated from national trends though as far as inflation issues are concerned.

Utilities rates are not well regulated though. Texas was one of the pioneers of a deregulated energy system and it's actually served as a cautionary tale for other states considering similar plans- some months your electrical bill can be cheaper but during high usage months, say the summer for cooling, grids are more burdened and prices can get jacked up. Remember Enron's rise and fall? On the whole we're pretty bad in this regard. Consequently Texas's energy consumption is almost equal to larger nations despite a smaller population and with that pollution comes too.

The promises of vastly lower electric bills as a result never came about. We aren't appreciably different from other, similarly populated states.

Also, maintenance fees for apartments can be really high in some areas.

-Cities here are getting hit hard by gentrification. Affordable housing downtown is becoming increasingly harder to find unless you go to a really crime-ridden area that's being run to the ground by slumlords. In Dallas a lot of old neighborhoods in the north end are being gentrified into upscale apartments and they are targeted towards college graduates and the like so a lot of residents are being priced out and forced into older suburbs that've been emptied by urban sprawl (wealthier residents going further north, past Plano, for larger houses and to surround themselves with similar people). Commercial areas have followed this trend too- you're getting shops priced out of the area to make space for higher-end stores to match the gentrification. Some areas of the city you can find empty as a result, being in a void between old and new.

As such coming to Texas our cities, especially areas like Houston and Dallas, are so business-oriented that there is very little real public spaces, parks, and basically any semblance of "this seems like a great place to live!" vibe. It's oriented for work and most of the major movers there live in surrounding suburbs.

-If you don't like driving you're shit out of luck. Mass transportation is usually administered by a private company (like DART in the Dallas area) and it is only robust in downtown. Further out the lines are stretched out and impractical to use if you are dependent on them. My average commute time can go anywhere from a half hour to an hour and a half depending on traffic, and that's even with me carpooling on some days with some of my coworkers and friends. There is a light rail system in the Dallas area but it's only a few lines and basically meant for people who drive a bit to the station and go from there to downtown to work.

If you have no car, you'll have to get about to finding one or at least something motorized like a motorcycle, because otherwise you'll be extremely limited in your employment choices.

-I suppose it should also be mentioned that by virtue of all the damn cars that air ain't going to be too clean around here. During the summer we get frequent asthma and ozone alerts, so that may be of concern. If you're really, really white you're probably going to make sure you have a good pair of shades (polarized and everything) and sunblock because you're going to pay for it when you get older if you don't protect yourself. I'm pretty tan but I've made it a habit to wear good sunglasses for long drives.

-Biking around here is ok but only if you're doing it recreationally. The way residential and commercial districts are divided up here it's unlikely you can bike to your work unless you're lucky. And even then, the turnover in employment might be such that you won't have that available for too long.

-I can't comment on Austin as I don't live down there, but I can't imagine its living situation is any easier if you're not holding down consistent employment. Most of the youth there are generally tied to the university in someway so they have access to either loans, university-subsidized housing, aid from family, etc. Politically it might be more open but if you're not holding down a good job that doesn't matter. Heck, even the liberal nature is more a consequence of the youth, the suburbs around Austin are just as conservative as the rest of Texas's burbs.

-Weather wise, it's hot all around. Sometimes in the deep of winter we might get just under freezing but I've never seen it dip much past that. Snow is very rare- we usually get more ice in the winter which can cause a mess on the roads (again, we're all dependent on it). In the summer it can get very, very hot, with some areas peaking into the triple digits. Humidity is also a factor if you're in coastal areas, which includes Houston, and that can of course make summers unbearable. Texas gets drier the further you go in.

And yes, tornadoes and hurricanes. They are lovely- the former is more common and you'll have to worry about that if you live in an outlying rural suburb.

-In the event you are considering education, there are plenty of community colleges with affordable rates. State universities are more pricey, though you can transfer from a community college to state universities, and most of them usually have programs to help with that. State uni prices are going up every year and it's worse if you're going to be living on campus.

I suggest you only come to Texas if you have someone here to help you get started (introduce you to a job, let you crash somewhere for a bit until you make some income, be able to meet people to room with if needed). Starting from scratch is difficult (that's the case everywhere, but still), especially if you're going to have to rely on a state program for some period of time.

If you have an idea of where to work and you're fine with that, then come on down. You'll be able to live, but you might find it boring here after awhile. Frankly, if it weren't for the fact I like real Tex-Mex and the friends I have here, I'd've rather gone somewhere else.

[Os Cangaceiros]

^I used to live in Austin, as I previously mentioned in this thread I believe, and there are probably few places where it's easier to be broke and unemployed. Granted it's not easy to be broke and unemployed ANYWHERE, but there are many, many worse places you could be. I drifted around Austin's east side for a while, on 12th and later on Riverside, those are probably the areas you'll probably want to check out if you look at that city.

[Ocean Seal]

Jackson Heights Queens. You get to live in the center of NYC (not Manhattan) and get relatively good wages living in a cheap part of the city (yeah I know its still NY).

[CommissarNgugu]

From what I've heard, the "best" places to live in the US would be in Seattle and around the Great Lakes since they tend to be more left-leaning and friendlier than most. Also, Canada is really close by. In contrast, I lived in the various drab suburbs of Dallas, TX during my stay. It was a nightmare.

[Lynx]

Have you considered Hawaii?

[The Ben G]

North Dakota has the lowest unemployment rate. If you are interested in the drilling of oil, snow, and being near Canada, move there.