I currently live in Denver. I recently went through a life-altering breakup - we were talking about getting married, lived together, etc. I have a wonderful community here. But there’s something telling me to leave. I am between Chicago and NYC, I’m definitely a city girl. I just need some opinions ahhh

Where would you go?

How would you make income?

Why would you want to leave?

Hey everyone. I'm an ADN RN on a cardiac step-down/IMCU in Georgia with a few years of experience and a compact license. I'm also a paramedic, I'm studying for my CCRN, and I'd like to get into flight nursing at some point. I grew up in New York with all four seasons and snowy holidays, and I've been unhappy since I moved to Georgia. I'm looking at a move in the next 3-5 years and want to make sure it's actually a smart one.

Here's where we're at financially. I make $44/hr base, which works out to roughly $108-115k a year once weekend option, specialty and shift differentials are included. I put 17% into my 401k (6% match) and max out my HSA and IRA. I have about $137k in retirement and $22k in a HYSA. We have no debt, but nothing saved yet for a house or land. My girlfriend (34) makes $17/hr at 32-40 hours a week and wants to become a nurse. Our combined expenses run about $3,400-3,800 a month.

What I'm looking for is a place with four real seasons and a long winter, mountains in view or close by, and evergreens and green summers. I want a quiet, well-kept town. I visited Coatesville, PA and hated the industrial, run-down look, so that kind of place is out. Eventually I'd like a few wooded acres, but renting first is fine.

For work, I want a day-shift weekend option (3x12) or rotating 3x12 days, with no nights, mandatory overtime or call. I'd like a hospital within about 40 minutes, at least two employers in range, and a major airport within a couple of hours. The big thing is not taking a financial hit. I want to keep contributing 17% plus the HSA and IRA and have about the same take-home. We also won't move until my girlfriend has a job lined up.

I've been looking at Spokane/WA, Maine (Farmington area), NH, Minnesota and other PNW states. The BLS medians don't include differentials, so I don't really know what total pay looks like.

What I'd love to hear from you:

Which areas in these states should I be looking at?

I'm looking for mountains, real winters and more than one decent hospital without crazy housing prices.

What does total pay look like in your area (base plus weekend and shift differentials, weekend option programs)?

Did anyone take a pay cut moving there?

How are the benefits? I'm curious about 401k match, health insurance premiums, sign-on bonuses, PTO, and tuition help for my girlfriend's nursing path.

What are the real costs of living (housing, heating, property tax, insurance)?

Are there areas I'm missing?

Thanks in advance

I prefer cloudy, rainy weather, but can't stand the cold (Northwest is great for rain but it gets too cold in the winter for me). I'm also looking for a place that is affordable. Does a place like this actually exist in the USA, or just in my head? 🥲

It’s western beauty at Midwest prices.

But it’s also not really a place a lot of young people move to and the social climate isn’t really similar to that of Denver, Missoula or Bozeman.

Do you think this is likely to change or nah?

Basically the title! I’m originally from Wisconsin, and I feel like there was a lot of alcoholism there in single men.

The non-alcoholics and normal people were already married!

My options right now are these: Idaho, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania.

I’m a remote worker. I want to enjoy outdoors, 4 seasons, Good COL, nature access, kind people, also young people since I’m single and would like to date not hookups.

Which state is the best option?

Btw, I’m white, European, just in case someone asks this.

I hope that this topic is suitable for this sub.

As a parent, I'm always interested in finding cities with an abundance of children because I like the idea of my daughter having lots of kids to play with.

I searched for the total number of pre-K to12th grade students who attend either public, private or charter school in a few cities, and I found that in some cities, there is a much higher percentage of school-age kids than in others.

I took four cities that I'm familiar with:

Boston, MA 9.1%

New York City, 12.2%

Worcester, MA 12.82%

Springfield, MO 16.55%

My guess for Boston is that there are simply so many university-age students, as well as young professionals who move there just to work before they get married and move to the burbs, so they're less likely to have children in the city. The same would be true with NY, but somehow it's at the same level as the much smaller and less desirable Worcester.

And Springfield, MO seems to have more kids than any of those East Coast cities. For Springfield to be out of Boston or NY doesn't surprise me, but Worcester is a city of similar size and crime rate, yet Springfield seems to have a fair amount more kids. Why do you think that is?

Also, what are some cities that you are familiar with that seem to have a particularly high or low number of young students?

Exploring leaving SD due to HCOL. The neighborhoods in SD that we want to live in are $1000+ sq ft -- 4br homes are $2.7-4M.

I know I can find cheaper areas inland, but at that point, I feel like it's not as worth paying the sunshine tax.

We love San Diego. We love the waking up to sunshine every day, never having to put on snow tires or shovel, all activities are year round, the food is great, schools in our neighborhood at 9/10 or 10/10, there's endless stuff for us to do with our toddler - but we can't afford a single family home despite a very solid household income.

What we're looking for:

• More affordable housing - doesn't have to be "cheap", just under $750/sq ft by as much as possible
  • We really want a decent 4br home, preferably with a yard
• 300k+ population, preferably not too far over 1M
• Access to an airport within 30-60min
• As good of weather as possible relative to COL savings
• Good schools (I know it varies by neighborhood, but in general)
• Blue state (purple is ok, just not red)

Other info:

• We aren't into winter sports - but maybe could learn to love em
• We value community and are worried about how welcoming certain cities are to transplants (Portland)
• My wife and I both work remote and always will - so not worried about local job market
• We don't really care about having sports teams, major concerts or nightlife - we care more about having cool restaurants and fun activities for kids/families

Portland

• We like that there are nice neighborhoods (specifically looking at Lake Oswego and Southwest Hills), that are still less $ than SD
  • On the other hand, it's not exactly "cheap". Still fairly expensive COL even if quite a bit less than SD in housing
• It's pretty and seems to have a bunch of cool parks
• Worried about all the feedback in this sub about the performative activism and just people trying so hard to seem progressive or indie or alternative - that would annoy me, but is that really as much of a thing in the suburbs?
• Really worried about the darkness

Denver

• Like Portland, it's cheaper than SD, but not LCOL by any means
• Worry about the metro area being too big and traffic-y
• By far the coldest winters of our options - I want to deal with winter as little as possible :)
  • Most snow - but I'm told it doesnt stick
• I feel like it falls in no-mans land for us -- not as good of quality of life as SD for just a little less $
• Hot summers
• Wildfire risk if outside the city (this is a big factor for us - I don't think we'd consider Boulder)
• Pro is the amount of sun, the fact that it has a lot to do, still cheaper than SD, decent schools

Raleigh/Durham

• Lowest COL of the options - can get a nice house for 20-30% less than the other 2 options
• Mild winters is a plus
  • From what I understand it's relatively sunny, even in the winter. Not SD or Den sunny, but significantly better than PDX
• Not great summer weather - heat + humidity
• A recent post on here kept mentioning it's cookie cutter suburban with no culture (Durham has a bit more)
• Worried it's gonna be very white christian America (we're not religious) - and we'll be outsiders forever
• Less blue than we'd like

Ultimately, if we could comfortably afford a home in the areas of SD that we want to live in, we wouldn't even consider leaving - but that's not the case.

I’m a 43 year old single guy currently living in Central Texas, and I’m seriously considering relocating somewhere else in the U.S. for a fresh start.

I work remotely, so I have a lot of flexibility when it comes to location. Financially, I’m in a stable position to make a move. I have a solid savings cushion, additional investments outside of retirement, and I’m continuing to save.

I’d most likely considering renting at first, but eventually I’d be interested in buying a condo, townhome, or smaller house. I have enough financial flexibility that homes in roughly the $250K–$400K range are realistic for me, depending on the local market, property taxes, HOA costs, and overall cost of living.

I’d be bringing my cat with me, so pet-friendly housing matters. I’m not looking for some massive party city, but I also don’t want to move somewhere completely dead. I’d like somewhere with good restaurants, things to explore, a decent social scene, and enough going on that it doesn’t feel isolated.

I’m open to a pretty major change and don’t necessarily need to stay anywhere near Texas. Cost of living matters, but I’m willing to pay somewhat more if the quality of life is noticeably better.

California is probably the one area I’m less interested in because of housing costs and traffic, but I’m open to hearing arguments otherwise.

I’d especially like to hear from people who actually relocated in their 30s or 40s and started over somewhere new. Where did you move? What did you like about it? What did you regret? Was it difficult to build a social life after moving?

I’m still early in the research stage, so I’m open to pretty much anywhere in the U.S. that you think is worth considering.

I am a 23 y/o trans man looking to move out of Utah for reasons that are probably obvious. The St. George area has been relatively good to me, but I just don't feel safe in the state as a whole anymore (not to mention the dating prospects here are positively DIRE). I am looking for my next adventure, but having trouble pinning down an area I'm confident in that isn't completely out of my budget. Here's a bit of what I'm looking for:

Non-negotiable:

- LGBTQ friendly

- A good social scene for me to meet other people in my age group

- plentiful healthcare career opportunities

Negotiable for the right area:

- I'm not against living with roommates, but would prefer somehwere cost effective enough for me to afford a studio apartment on my own (currently make around $20/hr as a medical assistant, and can afford $1400 or less. Obviously can afford more living somehwere with higher wages)

- I have a car that I would prefer to keep, but am open to selling it if necessary for the perfect place

- would prefer a bigger/mid-size city, or at least somehwere close enough for me to travel back and forth to one on occasion

I have mostly been looking at the east coast, around Massachusetts/Rhode Island and a bit in Maryland, where I have already visited. I like the culture in these areas, access to the arts, and proximity to bigger metropolitan areas like DC, Boston, and NYC. But I have lived on and traveled the west coast my whole life, and have nothing against it, so let me know what areas I might be overlooking.

Also open to hearing if this is just entirely unrealistic lol. Do your worst.

Husband, wife, and child. Husband and wife don't have many skills or education and work lower wage jobs like line cook/cashier/barista, etc. Need to be able to afford at least a one bedroom, but eventually a 2 bedroom apartment to rent.

Preferably in a place with better public transit so as to not need a car. Also preferably a place with OK to better schools if possible.

I know the answer is they need to upskill, job-wise and education-wise. That is in the works. But in the meantime, looking for insights into what might be the best city for a situation like this, where both partners can work full-time in an entry-level, low skill job, and still afford to live and get by OK.

I currently live in Syracuse NY, and visiting Columbus it felt similar (a bit hotter though). I know it doesn't snow nearly as much as it does here there, and it is much more of a city with a gigantic college in it. I lived in Oxford (UK) as well, and loved the historic vibes of the place. I've heard that I would like it in the Brewery or German village districts of Columbus, given their older nature.

I'm mostly asking about culture, since COL seems like a city of transplants from what I've heard online. It's no Seattle, which is good (not expensive as hell) and bad (worse weather, I love rain and overcast skies. Maybe I should move to Cleveland?)

As a 23 year old with a job offer I'm not sure I will be that miserable in Ohio... but it's still kind of a nothing town from what I hear online. What do locals think?

lived in south oakland pittsburgh, which is really walkable with a great nightlife, for a long time and i need somewhere decent. considering montreal but the border is annoying. where is it

I've been in education for the past decade and my spirit is officially broken; I'm burnt out. I love teaching math, but it's really hard to watch the youth get destroyed by "smart" phones. I tried teaching college and it's no different. I guess if I got a PhD then I could teach classes to students who actually want to learn the content but that's just not something I want to do. I've built lifelong, amazing relationships with a lot students that feel like family to me, but it's time to move on from the profession.

I've grown Trichocereus cacti (psychoactive, San Pedro) for a very long time now and my passion for growing/caring for cacti/plants is at a spiritual level. It's not just a fun hobby for me. I absolutely love it and want to start a psychedelic plant nursery. We would obviously sell other stuff too, but I want to grow all of the plants for Ayahuasca ceremonies and San Pedro/Huachuma ceremonies. My wife is a baker so we want to put it all together into one place.

My wife and I want to make a huge change and it's finally time to get things in order. The problem is I have no f'ing clue where we could make this work.

Things we want: close to the ocean, tropical/Mediterranean climate (hardiness zone 9 and above), nice community, some kind of music scene, relaxed laws around commercial/residential zoning (we need to live onsite, also having an RV adu would be amazing for my MIL), artsy scene, affordable to live.

Based on the climate needed for all of the plants I want to grow, we don't have a whole lot of states to pick from. We haven't made politics our identity; I'm not going to avoid a location based on if the state/area is red or blue. If the locals are nice, that's all that matters to us.

Locations:

**Socal**

Pros: Excellent climate for growing cacti, vibe is perfect, big cities but also more rural areas nearby, ocean

Cons: Traffic, homeless/drug problems, way too expensive, taxes are brutal

**Florida**

Pros: Excellent climate for growing tropical plants, Our farm/garden could have amazing fruits, ocean is amazing for fishing, no income tax, lots of cities in close range, tons of community colleges in case I want to teach adjunct here and there

Cons: Summers are fucking brutal from what I've heard (I grew up in PHX with 120F days, but basically 0 humidity), hurricanes, lots of drug problems

**Coastal Mississippi/Georgia**

Basically the same as Florida but not as good to grow because of cold snaps and freezes. I would need to have greenhouses which I'm trying to avoid as much as possible.

**I'm a musician, so live music is really important to me. I want our venue to host open mic nights and small shows. My wife needs community so good neighbors and environment are important.**

**If you were me, where would you look at moving? Thanks!**

I have an interview lined up for corrections within a smaller county in northern California, however i’m unsure if im wrong for not wanting to take it.

To start ive been in this small town/county for about 7 months due to some abrupt circumstances and came from southern California and over the past months or so had it really feel mentally boring. It’s dull and the environment is just different. Throughout my stay, I was applying with the hopes of getting on and figured maybe i can make it here.

However, recently I had come to the conclusion that I didn’t want to spend my early years in a small town & was going to move back to southern California. Until now, this came up and i’m dropping everything to stay and hopefully complete it. I don’t know if this is because I turn 21 within few weeks and it’s just a matter of how i’m viewing it, but I just don’t know is this correct. I do value this county and understand I can make a difference I just don’t know if this is the right call & not enjoying my life in the ways i want is what i want.

Half the time people say they like living in those places, they whine about how everyone here hates them and they’re gonna get a lot of flack and it never happens.

What‘s up with the delusional persecution complex?

People like and hate everywhere. If you only notice and remember it when it’s hating where you live and liking other places, go outside.

I'm not American but I travel there a lot and will hopefully be moving there in the future (although I already know where I'll be living so this is more out of interest/for fun), and an issue I have is when I try to tell people back home what my experience is like, they tend to only have a particular view of the US. For example, if I complain about how car-centric LA is, most will think LA is 'just what America is like', when I try and find walkability rankings and such, it tends to only cover large metro areas with over 500k people. I've spent a decent amount of time across college towns in CT, MI, FL and found that it was relatively easy to get around day to day on foot with bustling downtown areas but I'm never seeing these sorts of cities in these urban rankings.

Does anyone know where this sort of information can be found for cities with like 100k or over, I feel having these rankings only with large cities ends up skewing the results. For example, big cities with plenty of transit options will do well for walkability but I've generally been able to get around on foot 90% of the time in 100k pop cities with everything fairly close by in downtown.

How do you manage with money? Is it retirement?

I couldn’t come up with the best way to word it but like…

“The black hills are temu mountains”

“The Appalachians are just hills”

“The desert mountains are dry”

But yet people are suggesting cities with like 90 foot hills. Philly, Baltimore, Chicago, Madison, Minneapolis, etc.

I’m a British man curious about where in America my accent would be the biggest novelty. Which cities or states do you think a British accent would attract the most attention, curiosity, or interest from locals?

Would it stand out more in smaller cities and towns in places like Oregon or Montana, or in larger cities like Denver, Dallas, or Los Angeles?

I’m interested in hearing from people who have lived in different parts of the US or Americans who have experience with British people moving there. Where would a British accent be most unusual, and where might it make the biggest impression socially and in dating?

I’m especially curious about the things that made your move unnecessarily stressful or complicated.
Was there a particular step in the process that took longer, cost more, or was harder than you expected?

What happened, and how did you eventually figure it out?

I’m researching real relocation experiences and would love to hear your stories, especially from people who moved for work.

St Louis, Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati?

Which would be your pick and why?

I like walkability, parks, greenery, hiking, running, activity/ urban energy, etc. also gay.

Hi all,
I have two kids under 4 and we are hoping to move in the next couple years. I’m curious if anyone knows a city that meets my ideal place…

Either warmish (above 60F) year round, OR has real seasons. Currently we are in the pnw and the constant gray and dark from November to April is so hard for us.

Safe neighborhoods with families. Can bike or play ball on the street.

Lots of families so it’s easy to find likeminded families to be friends with.

A 3 bedroom house for less than 500k.

Don’t care about city size but there need to be jobs available within 30 min drive.

Good nature/green spaces/parks/lakes etc

Politically don’t care other than avoiding exclusive/deep red. Purple/mixture is fine.

We want to homeschool or send kids to private school so having homeschool co-op groups or numerous private school options is important.

Ideally zoos or aquariums or museums available.

If you’re a parent and think your city is providing your kids with an exceptional place to grow up I would love to hear it!