Possibly relocating.. help anyone?

[doghouse]

We are considering trying to get a job with Sorenson VRS. They have locations all over the country. If you had to choose where to move to from this list what one/ones would you choose and why?

Birmingham, Alabama
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Denver, Colorado *
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Jacksonville, Florida *
Tampa, Florida
Chicago, Illinois
Louisville, Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky
St. Louis, Missouri
Charlotte, North Carolina
Raleigh, North Carolina
Portland, Oregon *
Austin, Texas *
Dallas/Ft. Worth, Texas *
San Antonio, Texas *
Virginia Beach, Virginia
* - top choices so far

(well.. I guessed I managed to narrow down a little better..)

What's important to us:

- good balance of family life and nightlife
- low crime rates
- good schools
- good cost of living
- friendly, openminded people
- lots of things to do
- nice scenery
- no extreme weather (such as the dryness of Arizona, or the extreme cold up north)
- not too much smog

and it couldn't hurt if the city can fufill these things..
- bustling downtown (especially if its the kind where you can walk and not get odd looks)
- at least some vintage culture (I'm getting awfully tired of being the local wierdo!)
- a decent public transit system

 

[deanglen]

Chicago. Love that city.

dean

 

[Elaina]

Well, I've lived in quite a few of those places (even if it was for a couple months). Out of all those, I keep coming home, to DFW Texas, so it's always my first choice. The ones highlighted in Red are places I'd go back to.

Birmingham, Alabama
Little Rock, Arkansas
Denver, Colorado I love Colorado. The mountains, the DAM, the people...small town atmosphere, big town.
Jacksonville, Florida
Atlanta, Georgia Love the history of the place. The perfect Southern city, lots to do, lots to see, quite a romantic feel to it.
Boise, Idaho
Chicago, Illinois
Indianapolis, Indiana
Boston, Massachusetts
Baltimore, Maryland
St. Louis, Missouri
Manhattan, New York
Raleigh, North Carolina If I can't live in Dallas, this is my first choice. I have a thing for the Carolinas. Mostly this was because of the people. I've yet to meet nicer people.
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Portland, Oregon Beautiful landscape. Shopping galore. The museums aren't too bad either.
Nashville, Tennessee
Dallas/Ft. Worth, Texas
Houston, Texas
Seattle, Washington Another you go for the scenery. Weather is totally awesome, it's always cool. My husband is from here, and there is no place on earth for the trees.

Most of where I want to live is weather/scenery related. Some's scenery is awful (like Little Rock, although I loke Arkansas on the whole, and would move to Hope if I could), some is too busy and crowded like Manhattan, some I didn't like being there like Indianapolis (no offense to you from there guys!) for no real reason.

Hope I helped some.

Elaina

 

[funneman]

Let me see if I can help...

I have lived in a few of the cities on your list:

Fort Lauderdale - Phoenix - Tampa - Virginia Beach.

Of the cities I've lived in, I would suggest Atlanta.

 

[MK]

.

Burbank - I lived there 30 years. This is not a great time to move there. Reale state is through the roof. The cheapest tiny, two bedroom house is 600k+ now.

Seattle- Great city for all the reasons previously stated but also a wonderful history and a number of our members there.

Portland - The downtown area has a real golden era feel, other than New York, it has more great restaurants per capita than just about any city in the country....and some of our most distinguished members live there.

 

[McPeppers]

I'd recommend Ft. Lauderdale. Was born and raised there and its nice to only have to have one wardrobe for both "halves of the year". Plus the moneymaking opportunities are high and there is no state income tax, which is nice. I plan on returning following the completion of my college.

Plus you have easy access to beaches, lakes, pools year round. within 45 mins you have Miami's nightlife (tho FTL has some good nights too ^_-) and an hour south you hit the Keys. Great fishing and tropical snorkling there. And if you start to miss the cold you can drive to Orlandoand get the low-30's again. Temp slowly dropping the farther north ya head.

 

[Archie Goodwin]

Everyone gets an opinion

I've lived in and around a lot of the places on your list. My preference for where to go is based on what I personally would look for in a relocation state: good job market, moderate cost of living, good for raising kids (we have a toddler and another on the way), good weather, definitely some culture (history, dining, arts), and definitely not Calistan (California). Most of the reasons are self-explanatory, but the last is based on personal experience and rational prejudice.
Based on those criteria my top four (in no particular order) are: Birmingham, Atlanta, Nashville, and Denver. Denver is definitely the least affordable of the four, but I really love the Buckhorn Exchange. All of the of the others have mild winters with actual seasons, good job markets (look at Monster) decent costs of living (Yahoo real estate), and good cultural activities with history, theater, concerts (yes, Nashville does embrace music other than Country, but the Country music there is amazing), an decent dining. Living in New Orleans greatly prejudices your expectations when it comes to dining out. I would suggest away from Baton Rouge, because the whole of Louisiana is still trying to recover from Katrina. It has been more than a year, but every day things happen that put it back in hte forefront of our minds. My suggestions are based on the fact that my wife and I have been researching relocation for ourselves for several months.

 

[McPeppers]

Oh yeah, theres great seafood in SoFla

 

[Pilgrim]

Here are the criteria I would go by:

1) Avoid humidity and high heat. I dislike this combination, and after living in Central TX for 13 years, I've had more than enough for a lifetime. That eliminates most of the eastern and midwestern US. (Which is OK by me, I've lived in the Western US all my life).

2) Avoid the largest cities. Most of them other than LA and San Francisco are in the midwest and east, so that's easy.

3) Go for nearby scenery and quality of life, and a place where I can feel like personal safety is not an issue.

4) Sheer personal prejudice: the Pacific NW is the part of the US I like the best.

This puts places like Denver, Portland and Seattle at the top of the list. (Yes, Portland and Seattle have humidity, but not the 100-degree stifling humidity of other areas.) Seattle has traffic problems and is expensive if you live close in, and for those reasons I refused a job there in 1994 because the pay wasn't enough to compensate for the housing cost. But if the pay were right, I would go for it, as Seattle is one of the best cities in the country! Portland is great, but I haven't spent time there in the last few years. I hear traffic is getting bad. Denver is a great place and would be an excellent choice.

Colorado Springs is a beautiful area, but - this is my own opinion and observation - I will tell you that politically it's to the far right of Genghis Khan. With a large military base there and Focus on the Family HQ'd in town, the local orientation is so far to the right I could not live there; I'd simply be out of place. (I live 60 miles north of Denver and CO Springs is 60 miles south, so I do have a basis for this observation.)

San Diego has an incredible climate and would be a good choice, as would be most the smaller CA towns you mention. Don't forget the cost of having your cars upgraded to CA smog standards if you move there, and remember that housing tends to run high in CA. If you were moving out of DC to there, it wouldn't be such a shock - but moving from most of the US, housing near population centers in CA is extremely expensive.

Out of the towns and cities you list, my picks would be California, Denver and the Pacific NW. Those are my thoughts.

 

[Daisy Buchanan]

Wow, that is quite the list.
I live in Boston, it is an amazing city. The weather can be rough in the winter, but the fall, spring and summers are beautiful. It is a city rich in history, with lot's of great things to see, restaraunts, and people. I love it here.
I'm also a huge fan of Ft. Lauderdale. The weather can't be beat. It's so beautiful, and like Boston, right on the ocean. It's a different kind of place. It's not rushed like the city, it certainly is a relaxing and fun place to live.
I know it doesn't help much to give you two places, but at least it narrows down the list a bit. It really depends on if you want the hustle and bustle of the big city, or if you want a calm and relaxing environment like you can find in Florida. Also, as for Boston, there are a lot of lovely suburbs with great school systems and commuter trains that run directly into the city. So it is very possible and convenient to live in the suburbs and still have a job in the city. Commuting by car can be difficult, I'm sure you've heard of the Big Dig. But, public transportation from the suburbs is stress free and fast. I have a lot of friends from school who were commuters, and they said the time they spent on the train was one of the more relaxing parts of their day. It's also a quick trip from a lot of the surrounding areas.
Well, if you ever want to visit the city, our door is always open

 

[Paisley]

Of course I am biased, but I'd pick Denver. What's so great about Denver? Colorado has low taxes in general. Recently, rents have fallen to the prices they were at about 10 years ago. Buying a house may be expensive here, but renting one isn't.

Denver has a good swing dance scene. Our swing dancers win a lot of national competitions.

Even as a single woman living alone, I feel safe in Denver, even walking alone at night.

The weather here isn't nearly as bad as it's made out to be. We have about 300 sunny days per year. In the winter, the snow melts in a few days. Since Denver is about 1,000 feet lower in altitude than Colorado Springs, we have almost one more month of summer. And Denver is NOT in the mountains (it's on the plains), so if you don't have a 4-wheel drive vehicle, don't think you'll have to buy one to live here. I've gotten along very well with two-wheel drive.

I used to live in Colorado Springs. It is very conservative, which is a plus or minus depending on your own views. Denver proper is more liberal, like most large cities, but the suburbs are more red.

 

[Harp]

CHICAGO

Although each and every listed locale has its strong points,
I would recommend Chicago hands down for a career transfer.
A major metropolitan locus with all such offers and unparalleled
lifestyle options, plus, the Chicago Bears look like a winner this year.

 

[raiderrescuer]

Portland - The downtown area has a real golden era feel, other than New York, it has more great restaurants per capita than just about any city in the country....and some of our most distinguished members live there.

What MK said plus location, location, location - Not too far from the Beach, Mt. Hood for skiing, Airport and just down I-5 from Seattle, Willamette River (1 of only 3 rivers that run North in the US) Paddle Boats, Lewis and Clark Trail and then there is the fact that it is the "Rose City" (More than 500 varieties since 1917).

No Sales Tax and we don't pump our own gas.

Some other Facts:
http://www.50states.com/facts/oregon.htm

http://www.usacitiesonline.com/orcountyportland.htm

 

[doghouse]

Florida is very tempting... but you guys are starting to seriously sell us on Portland!

 

[deanglen]

Although each and every listed locale has its strong points,
I would recommend Chicago hands down for a career transfer.
A major metropolitan locus with all such offers and unparalleled
lifestyle options, plus, the Chicago Bears look like a winner this year.

You said it! Go Bears!

dean

 

[Andykev]

Pleasanton

Bring money. It is upscale, a rival to the Napa Valley in wineries popping up, and big houses. Nice climate, bit warm in summer, but no humidity. Oh, did I mention bring money?

 

[Steve]

Ft. Lauderdale would be my first choice, but for the fact that I can't stand the traffic. The humidity bites too, but like others have said, nice atmosphere.

 

[Naama]

Ok, I've never been to the US, so maybe better don't listen, but I would go to NY!

Naama

 

[Viola]

Sorry, as a counterpoint to Naama, I would look at where offers a lower cost of living and more house for less money. I would look at some of the Southern cities.

That said, Philadelphia is pretty nice, I like it. And NYC makes it look downright affordable.

Also, Chicago is freakin' cold!

 

[LizzieMaine]

Portland, Maine is a very nice compromise between being where-the-action-is and getting-away-from-it-all. It's about two hours' drive from Boston, and yet drive two hours in the other direction and you're surrounded by moose and trees and old guys who say "ayuh" a lot. The city itself has a lot doing in terms of arts and community and such -- and while it's not as affordable as it used to be, it's a lot more so than Boston!

(I live about an hour and a half from Portland myself -- no moose, but lots of those "ayuh" guys.)