tjsmommy

We live in ri right now where the economy is not doing good and everything is too expensive especially houses, and is not the best place to raise my son ! we are debating where to move but there is so much to go over the economy, jobs, housing, weather, school systems, cost of living a bunch any input from people who have lived in those parts will be alot of help thanks !

vjpblovesitaly

www.city-data.com would be a more appropriate place of this. This is a trav el forum. I would not want to live in any of those states.

DebitNM

Just a bit of input - get jobs first, then move. Don't think that the economy is so much better anywhere else. If you move first, you could find yourselves without jobs for a while, unless you are in high demand careers or can continue same jobs remotely.

suewoo

DebNM is right. Job seek, then visit. I can't imagine the economy is better here than there.

tomfuller

Agree with DebitNM and suewoo. Seek the job wherever there are jobs. Travel seeking a job is deductable on your taxes in most cases.
The state with the lowest unemployment currently is North Dakota due to the big oil/natural gas boom.
Construction and services to the oil workers is also booming.
I wouldn't want to live in any of those states.
Consider home schooling your son if you can't find a job.

starrs

Where are you moving FROM? Are you okay with living in a rural (country) setting? Do you enjoy living in beautiful mountains? If so, you may like northern Georgia or western NC. The public schools are good but not affulent. Jobs may be hard to come by. Some counties have 14% unemployment. What are YOU looking for - other than cheap housing?

Gretchen

But she can take the train to visit!! Anyway, the advice to find the job, and then consider the move is probably key.
We live in Charlotte and have raised a fine family here. It might not be for you at all.
You might need to consider your political leanings. You could be very happy==or very miserable.
There are good public schools many places--search them out. You don't say how old your son is==and whether this will be a single parent household with one breadwinner.
Visiting various places after a good bit of research for jobs, living standards, schools, life quality could be productive.
Where are you coming from?

suewoo

The OP said 'ri" which I'm assuming is Rhode Island.

starrs

Oops! Missed that. Thanks suewoo!

tjsmommy

yes were from rhode island and it is me my fiance and my son who is 15 months so no school for him just yet ! and i love the country! My fiance will get a job first depending on what he is making will determine whether i need a job too or not. The cost of living here is so high and the weather is horrible i hate snow ! i vacationed down south a few times it is beautiful

starrs

Cost of living is much lower, the mountains are gorgeous (and rarely get snow but it melts quickly when it does snow), and it's a wonderful relaxed place to live...IF you like a slower pace. Public schools are usually good. Maybe not as affluent as you may be used to but good.

jent103

Some parts of the South are beautiful, but some parts are downright ugly (and I say this as a lifelong Southerner). There's a lot of variance within each state - Charlotte is different from Raleigh/Durham, and both are really different from Fayetteville or Jacksonville, all in NC. What sort of work would your fiancee be looking for? That would make a big difference in where you might start looking (for example, banking is a big part of Charlotte's economy; manufacturing is more prevalent in small towns in those states). Bigger cities like Atlanta, Charlotte and Raleigh/Durham are generally more used to Northern transplants than smaller manufacturing towns.

RoamsAround

What does your fiancé do? That will be a big factor in finding work which, as everyone says, it what you need to to first. Unemployment is high, I know many people in the part of the county you are considering that have been out of work or just doing menial jobs for more than two years. How successful your fiancé will be in finding gainful employment is dependent upon too many variables for anyone here to give you meaningful advice.

Wherever you choose to live don't base it on a "vacation experience" - everyplace looks good when you are on vacation. Once you and your fiancé do your job search consider making a pre-move visit to the area. Go not as a tourist but as a potential resident. Check out housing, schools (your child will grow up quickly and in a couple of years schools will be important to you), commuting, utility costs, grocery shopping and other day to day living routines. Find out if you really like living in a rural area or if you'd rather be closer to a city.

Research what the weather is like year round, some areas in South Carolina and Georgia can get very hot and humid in summer - almost as oppressively hot as it gets cold in RI during the winter..

Anyway, do your research - when it comes to where your and your family lives personal experience is far better than input you get from strangers on a travel forum. Remember too, that no matter where you live you'll still have to face everyday life - you need to earn a living, clean the house, care for your child, do the laundry, go grocery shopping and hundreds of chores you do in RI - none of that will change when you move.

Good luck in your search.

Gretchen

Unemployment is still high, BUT it depends on what job you are looking for. For example, DS is in IT at BofA and says he needs to hire 20 people and cannot find the skill set.

nytraveler

You must also consider costs carefully. Housing in these places may seem more reasonable then RI - but are salaries the same. In my experience places with low housing costs often also have very low salaries - so you really need to run a balance sheet on the financials.

Also - there are other intangibles - and several reasons I could never live in any of those places: weather (way too hot), politics (way too right), access to cultural institutions and fine dining (nothing like NYC).

You should make a list of what is important to you - to qualify places - then look seriously at job opportunities (with realistic salary levels).

Gretchen

NYtraveler has some valid points--but it is really really NY points (and I have lived there too!!).
Believe it or not, we have VERY acceptable cultural attractions and restaurants down heah. We've just gotten a new IHOP as a matter of fact. Really, try not to be too insulting.
And I NEVER go to NYC in the summer--the heat is oppressive.

Ackislander

Look at Greenville, SC. Their economy has suffered less than most places because it is very diversified. The climate is more moderate than the coast and certainly better in the winter than New England.

Who can get jobs: mechanics, medical and hospital workers, building trades beyond nail bangers.

Gretchen

http://www.funnyordie.com/articles/a...y-a-new-yorker

Ack has a good suggestion. Nice town. University. Charlotte has a lot of diversity also--good sized city. Smaller cities around it. It's just about on the SC line so there is Rock Hill SC just over the line. Fort Mill SC was just listed as one of the 10 best places to live (for smaller cities, I believe). State taxes are less in SC than NC--another thing to consider when settling.

jent103

nytraveler, I'm genuinely curious - where in the South have you been?

nytraveler

I fully admit that I am partisan for NYC. I'm a native - and it has everything I want (except cooler summers). But, I was trying to point out that there are a lot more issues than just being able to get a job and the price of housing.

One of my cousins lived in Texas for a a couple of years but they had to leave not only because of the heat but because she simply wasn't comfortable with the entire lifestyle. Yes, housing was dirt cheap, but she wanted her kids to get a different type of education. Originally from Boston, they now live in Richmond - which was a life/job compromise (she can work anywhere but her husband has limited opportunities or she would be in CT of MA.)