Help! Where should I move to in the US?!?
 

I'm a 28 year old single professional female looking to move somewhere new in the US. I previously lived in Sydney and absolutely loved it. If it was in the US I would move there in a heart beat. Not ready to make the permanent move I returned home to my small town in NY. Where I live now it's all families and I'm ready for a better social life again. I need some advice on where I should head to.

I'm not a big fan of cold winters, do not like humidity and I love being active outdoors especially the beach. I'm laid back and although I want a city I would like to still have a car. Dog friendly too! I would prefer a larger city as I will be moving alone and want to have a better networking of meeting people.

Places I've been considering are...San Diego, Denver, Santa Barbara, Orange County, San Fran, Charlotte.

I would love to hear any advice people may have. I was originally really set on San Diego but it seems like there are not many jobs there and the cost of living is high. The cost of living in San Fran also seemed very high. It's very expensive where I live now but I just worry about moving somewhere where the cost of living makes it impossible to buy. And if I'm going to make the move I want to at least be somewhere with a good social scene. Very curious to see what you think!

Thanks so much!

Seattle

Get a job first and then move to where the job is.

Charleston,SC.

Given how the job market is these days, am thinking that mlgb gives good advice.

Choosing a city that fits all your requirements and isn't in California can't really be found. If the beach is a must, you don't like cold winters, and you don't like humidity, that eliminates everyplace along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. Given the amount of rain the Pacific Northwest gets, am thinking this will also be more humidity that you want. In the US, that pretty much leaves anyplace on the California coast from San Francisco south to San Diego, as well as parts of Hawaii. But if a high cost of living is a deal breaker, you're entirely out of luck, as that's true of the California coast and Hawaii.

Am thinking you'll have to compromise on at least one, if not a couple of issues here.

Am thinking that the humidity anyplace in the South (Charleston included) will be a deal-breaker here, as well as in Seattle.

I think you need to investigate you immigration and possible employment status before making inquiries about where to live.

The OP said her hometown was a small town in NY, so it doesn't sound like immigration would be an issue.

I agree that the most important thing is going where you can get a job. Unless you have an enormous trust fund (and it sounds like you don't if you think San Diego may be out because of cost of living), I would not advise anyone to move anywhere right now without a job offer first.

San Diego!
Sydney is the equivalent of Sydney and a little bit of San Francisco rolled into one.
Home prices are as cheap as I have ever seen them and the weather is very much like Sydney..I used to live in Rose Bay!
Such happy people and you are central to everything.
If you are in the Biotech field, this is one of the best places for a very high paying job.

I suggest you check out Ventura, California: http://www.cityofventura.net

It's a nice town of about 107,000. It is on the ocean 32 miles south of Santa Barbara.

The temperature in Ventura is very similar to Sydney, but it rains much less in Ventura. According to weather.com, on the average, Sydney is warmer than Ventura by 4 F. and it is wetter than Ventura by 35.6 inches.

A few years ago I spent a week in Ventura to size up if I might want to move there. I liked the place, but family circumstances kept me where I am--Seattle.

HTTY

Charlotte. 2 hours to the mountains. 3 hours to the seashore. Very very nice young community. Climate well, beautiful. Humidity? Well, sometimes it is awful, but not always. Quality of life=priceless.

I disagree with 'bachslunch'. I live here & Seattle does not typically have humid weather. That would be pretty rare.

Cities you'd probably enjoy could include Seattle, Portland OR, and San Diego. Portland is probably the cheapest, San Diego would have the best weather.

But unless you can support yourself for 9 months or a year or even longer w/o having a job --- I'd reconsider relocating right now. The employment picture is awfully dreary.

Thanks so much everyone, I really appreciate all your advice. I will not move without a job but I wanted to narrow down my search to a few cities first. I am a US citizen so that's not a problem either.

No humidity is on the wish list but definitely not a deal breaker. I mostly just want to avoid the cold long winters.

I was in San Diego on vacation briefly but it seemed pretty spread out. Do you feel there is a community, culture feel there? What about the OC vs San Diego? I don't want to be a victim of the media but is it really that superficial? Easy to meet people there? I've been hearing a lot of mixed views.

I also heard great things about Boulder, Denver, Portland and Seattle. Anyone think one area is better for single people in their late twenties?

If you don't want cold winters - I don't think Denver fits at all. November through March, the average low temps range between 19F and 28F w/ highs in the 30's and 40's.

And -- PLEASE don't call it The OC. Cringe making :)

Jersey Shore: close to metro area,beach, seasons. Just like Australia without the wine.

About Orange County (and just about anywhere else), the sense of community is a very local thing, confined to a neighborhood or even part of a neighborhood. You can't generalize about a whole county or a whole city. One of my sons and his wife and kids live in an older section of an Orange County city where all the neighbors know each other and sometimes get together. Another of my sons and his wife and kids live in a different Orange County city and in their (more upscale) neighborhood no one knows anyone and they all go their separate ways.

BTW, there are something like 272 communities in Orange County. See:
http://california.hometownlocator.com/ca/orange/

If you'd consider Denver (despite no beaches) you should consider Albuquerque and Tucson.

Several of my former students (all now in their late twenties/early thirties) have settled in Austin, Texas, and all just absolutely love it.

There is a great social scene for young people in Baltimore, primarily because of the great colleges/universities: John Hopkins, Peabody, MICA, etc. Cost of living is reasonably low, and you would be a decent drive between beaches and mountains. Lots of people go to the beaches in summer and skiing in PA, just an hour and a half away, in winter.
Winters are usually not bad (this year was a crazy exception though with several feet of snow), but summers can be pretty humid, though not like SC or Florida. Baltimore is filled with wonderful neighborhoods and there is a real sense of community.

Native San Diego and the community is so real and awesome here.
Living in both Sydney and SD, it is very similar.

OC..most of my family is from Lido Island, Newport, Laguna, and Corona del Mar and back in the day, it was all old money without ever any flash, whatsoever!

OC is a lot of new money and people with no class or taste..just my two cents but its changed a lot.there are great neighborhoods everywhere but I've never seen so much vain people in one concentrated area.

Most of that new money is foreclosed and they have moved on to the greater Riverside area!
I do agree that you need about a years savings anywhere you go because of the economic situation that has plagued everywhere.