don't worry about those blue or red states. There will be pockets of red within the blue states and blue within the red. And it will change with every election. Some area will send Representatives to Washington from one party and then elect local or state governments from the other. In my opinion the Red/Blue state thing is something that the Media thought up in an effort to appear wise and knowledgeable.

I absolutely agree with aileen's assessment of the red/blue state thing. But to answer the question, blue states are the Northeast, Pacific Coast and much of the Great Lakes Region. The rest of them are red states.

This url (http://www-personal.umich.edu/~mejn/election/) shows a map of the US red & blue states for the 2004 election results. Red states widely outnumber blue. But when the map is rescaled to show population density and voting results by county you see a much different picture. Lots of purple and big pockets of blue in the midwest, south and southeast.

I agreed totally with what Maggi said, and I have first hand knowledge that it works the best. My job is many hats at a Midwestern Catholic University Library. I have student workers galore. We have about 4500 students. Lots and lots of them are international exchange students. I have post-grads who've come to me as grad.aides after having found the coasts fun- but brutal competition.

You will do WELL here with a UK accent. My one UK accent person just got a great intern job at a downtown Chicago nationwide broadcasted syndicated TV show, that shall remain nameless. Her degree is NOT in that field.

I have heard of some UK girls getting receptionist/secretarial jobs for the accent alone. Not that you'd want to do that, but you need to keep your options open. We are all not the society that some on these boards act like they "know". Some here are superficially influenced by looks, media, and especially radio / tv.
LOL! I think we all are.

You'd make a big hit in any Midwestern City and be able to hit all directions for travel. You could even have a Great Lake if you are lucky. The temps are cold in winter only- and much, much more temperate in the last decade. Snow has not been a factor, beyond three times in the last 10 years in Chicago- for anyone of your age.

The coasts have a different perception of America than most of America does. That's a vast generalization, but one that is being studied now, because it is mostly being found true.

As far as the immigrant thing goes, we USA citizens might all be immigrants from some time ago, but the world, history, and economics were very different for the most part then. For one thing there was not the globilization. Most of the nations threw us OUT as "extras" or undesirables when you get right down to it. And the the USA picked us up for labor. At least that was the case for almost all my Chicagoans.

And Seantopia, don't take the nasties or negatives to heart. There are a lot of people who do "use" the USA, but we are big enough to have them for guests and much more. The percentage of people going to live in Europe or leaving the USA for permanent residency is miniscule as well. There are far more coming in the other direction and from education and youth too, as you are.

KNOW the laws, and live them and welcome.

Try this site - if not for anything else, for fun:

www.findyourspot.com

Wow! This question and the response from the poster sounds like a school project. This is also the type of homework assignment I'd give to a geography class.

The lack of punctuation -- especially in contractions and at the end of sentences --as well as the lack of capitalization remind me of checking the homework of preteens.

..."red blue purple states?" Come on. University students would be finding this information on the Internet via the weather channel or in the old fashioned encyclopedias.
Also, each state has at least one web site where this information and more is readily available.

It also seems as if Sean should be researching the states where he has the job offers and not all 50.

Cheers, mate.
Sorry if I'm wrong, Sean.

Sean - realisticially the only way to do this is to find a job at a major multinational that will give you the chance to transfer to the US at some point. Employers here are not allowed to give jobs to foreign nationals unless there are no americans to take those jobs (sometimes even west end stars have trouble getting work visas for Broadway productions).

Also even if you get such a job your partner would then not be able to work - exept illegally off the books at a low paying job - unless she/he hooks up with the same company.

So - I think the options of where you live will be limited by your job opportunities.

The other option is to do what many young Britisih/Irish grads do - come to the US on a tourist visa and then simply stay. The problem is you must then get a low-paying job off the books (construction, bartender, nanny) and are subject to deportation. (A friend of mind found several live-in nannies this way - they generally stayed a year or two to save some money to travel aound - and then went home.)

As to where to live (versus travel) your opportunities are obviously greatst in one of the major cities - which also provide a lot more culture and nightlife you will probably want.

My suggestions: New York or San Francisco - you can then see other areas on vacations.

Getting back to your original question about the best/worst all around state. As others have noted, best and worst is pretty subjective. If you give us a little more insight into your likes and dislikes, we will be able to steer you toward a particular state or region.

Good luck, sounds like a great adventure!

To Anon regarding temperatures - no state that does not go to 85 or down to 20 - but San Diego has my idea of a perfect climate. I like the 55-75 temperature range year round. When we vacationed there, I had to be almost dragged back to the plane to go home.

Sean,

Generally speaking (with some exceptions of course), the east and west coast have the most high tech jobs and suited to a HR MBA.

The middle of the country leans toward farming, energy products, and manufacturing.

To make an even MORE broad swipe: look at housing costs. It sounds obvious, but the most desirable areas cost more to live in. Simplr supply and demand. I would look at Portland OR, San Francisco, Seattle, NYC, Boston (though it does have some extreme weather in winter), and Washington, DC.

Also, read the local newspapers from the areas to get an idea of the political vibe there. You'll be surpised that someone considered a centrist in the UK would be considered very liberal in the USA. I'm not even talking things like about gay marrige like your country now has. There are even some states here that have legislation to prevent or slow down the teaching of evolution. I'm not kidding.

IMHO, the West coast and the East coast (at points north of Virginia) are areas that take a more sensible view of things.

Hope this doesn't totally confuse you. Best of luck.

Sean, as far as temps, the western slopes of the Cascade mountains (Oregon and Washington) are generally mild. Seattle rarely gets above 85 in the summer and has few days below freezing in the winter.

See: http://www.see-seattle.com/weather.htm

There is that rain, though.....

I used to advise students to find a place where you want to live, and then find a job, but that won't work for you. Your priority is to get a job first and then a work visa. LOTS of Americans are looking for HR jobs, so it's going to be nearly impossible for an employer to certify any foreigner for a work visa. And why should they? Americans deserve the jobs first, and the paperwork and expense of qualifying an employee are very high. Also, HR in the US is highly legalistic, and not knowing US labor laws would be a disadvantage.

As for computer science, there are a lot of openings developing in Dallas right now, but the climate is VERY hot in the summer (plan on living in air conditioning from May through mid-October). She has a lot better chance of getting a job than you do. My advice is for her to get a computer job (regardless of state), get a visa, work for a year or two in that job, and then move to the state where you want to live permanently.

And here are enough DC area jobs to make your head spin:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wl/jobs/home?nav=left

Pick the entire "metro DC region" in the location pull down.

The computer jobs pay well, about $100,000 USD annually. I'm not familiar enough with HR, but since unemployment here is about 2%, you can bet they pay <b>well</b> above the national average.

Seantopia:

Its all in what you want. There are great places to live in a variety of different states. Tell us of your interests and we may have some answers.

My two cents:
Having found on vacations that his UK climate is comfortably similar to mine in Michigan, I feel comfortable advising Sean to look above a line from Washington DC to San Diego. One can easily endure temps below 20 F, even to 0 F, but the heat and humidity above 90 F, as is found from Texas to the Carolinas in summer, is pervading.

Sean, you came to the right web site for advice. People at Fodors love to help.

I would also like to help you but I think I/we need to know a little more about you and your partner's expectations, likes and dislikes.

For example:
City life or rural life.
Outdoor adventurers or museum lovers.
Conservative or liberal.
Beaches or mountains.
Public trasportation or cars.
Money is no object or strapped for cash.
year-round warm or shoveling snow all winter.
Religious or non-religious.

I could give you suggestions based on any of these questions. All of the above posted suggestions are good but we need to know a little more about you and your partner.

Serveral years ago a got a work visa for the UK. I ended up working in London at a restaurant. I loved it. Please give us a bit more information about yourselves.

Would you want to school and work together, because your options there are greater? If you are looking for a grad degree and work, there are more ways to do it legally that aren't as limiting as some above have stated.

And to stereotype the entire middle of the country with red/blue or farming/industry is absolutely ridiculous- and in most cases about 30 to 50 years behind the times. Right now in 2006, farming is only 2.5% of the entire nation's population related work- including the coasts. This isn't direct farming either, just related to farming.

Hi Sean!
I am a teacher, so my slant is this; do you plan on having children? If so, your decision should include a look at our school systems, which are largely under the state's jurisdiction and so vary greatly from state to state. I am from Minnesota and am proud of the fact that our state is consistently ranked in the top 2 or 3 in education. Our students recently outscored all other states on the ACT (pre University entrance) exams. The Midwest area generally places on the top in national rankings for schools; you should be able to find information on the internet about these statistics.
Our Minneapolis/ St. Paul metropolitan area is known for perfoming arts (2nd only in theater seats per capita to New York City) excellent medical facilities, and beautiful lakes and parks. We do have 4 seasons here and it can be humid in the Summer and well below zero in the Winter....that may help you decide! I happen to love Winter, but it is not everyone's &quot;cup of tea!!&quot; The political climate in my state tends to be liberal; we did not elect George W. Bush in the last election. There are several large corporations based here; the area of medical device manufacturing is growing in our state. Good luck in your search and I hope you feel welcomed here.

Sean: This is fun, seeing how various Americans comment about their own country. What a variety of answers, too. I'm an older Middlewesterner with family in the East and have traveled all over. With that said, I find it hard to generalize because the U. S. is such a large land with so many variations, in addition variations within a particular area.

For example, I'm now retired in Springfield, Missouri, and while it is known as a place of religious/political conservatism, we have a host of
&quot;liberal&quot; friends. We have three universities here and a good arts community. Something similar is likely true with many other places, too.

Gail lives in Boston and while the weather can be dismal we very much enjoy Boston where our son lives and up the coast where our daughter lives. Much preferable to the wasteland of Texas (and this is where the stones are hurled). Yes, weather might be a factor as to what you are used to or want to have, certainly also type of community meaning urban-rural. Also other considerations as put forth by jorr. Bardo1 has valid comments about housing cost which vary greatly, also social attitudes that may be appalling.

I think of differences betw. the UK and U.S. and see many geographically, religiously, politically, etc. Even the &quot;language&quot; is different....yes, I'm the one who initiated the recent discussions of &quot;Do you speak American?&quot;
BTW, have you considered Canada?

ozarksbill [email protected]

It's hard to sort entire states by temperatures--quite a few have areas that get hotter than others. California is a good example. The cities along the northen coast have much more moderate (and lovely!) climates than those farther inland, where summer temperatures can easily reach 100 degrees F. However, air-conditioning is widespread, which makes the heat less of a problem.

Since you are both young, I would recommend being near a large city. It will be more fun for you. There will be nightlife and you will be able to walk and take public transportation places.
Weather should be a factor in choosing a destination. It is a lifestyle. Some people can't get enough of the cold weather and others love the heat. Somewhere inbetween is my personal choice.
You will be well received with a brit accent. I don't think anyone would be anti-british here. Most girls will probably find your accent appealing. So, hopefully lots of dates for you!! :)
This country is so big and things like climate varies greatly. See what your career options are and then you can look up the highs and the low averages. Also, remember, the further south you go, the higher the humidity. That is hard to get used to.
Good luck!