Looking for my dream city - would you help?
 

Hi, I am thinking about moving to another city this fall. I thought I would narrow down my choices to a few cities and then start job search and visit the area this summer. Does anyone know any city that meets the following criteria? <BR><BR>(In the order of importance to me)<BR><BR>1) Good job market for IT/software industry<BR>2) Cultural diversity<BR>3) Reasonable housing cost<BR>4) Mild weather (no long, harsh winter)<BR><BR>If I can add another wish, I would like to live not too far from the ocean, but I know I'm already hoping a lot for... :) I currently live in Massachusetts. Thank you very much in advance for your advice! <BR>

Raleigh/Durham or Charlotte

Here's a few:<BR>London<BR>Baltimore<BR>Brooklyn

Definitely the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area, which sounds like exactly what you're looking for. Housing isn't particularly cheap, and is expensive as compared to many other cities in the Sun Belt, but I expect you'll find it cheaper than Massachusetts (or at least Boston).

I've lived in over 20 cities in 6 states and as a flight attendant I travel all over the US year round. I think Seattle is fantastic, Portland, OR, and Albuquerque are great too.

We live in Ponte Vedra Beach Florida, which might be a little steep for the housing. But, I'll tell you, we moved to this area about 3 years ago and absolutly love it. You could also try Jacksonville Beach and St. Augustine.

Me again. I also forgot to mention that Jacksonville is excellent for the IT/software market.

No City is good for IT jobs now, ever heard of the tech crash Jacksonville booster?

Being a long-haul semi driver, I reckon I can offer some places that would fill your cup:<BR><BR>1. Des Moines<BR>2. Fargo<BR>3. Waco

You're thinking of trading in the long, harsh winters for long, hot, humid summers, perhaps?

Thanks for the tips, everyone. I really appreciate it! I'll definitely do some more research on those cities you recommended. Thanks again for your help. And yes, I'm definitely a summer person...

Princeton, new jersey

DISNEYLAND!!!!!!!!!

Consider the mountains of western North Carolina. The Asheville area in particular. Very diverse culture and scenery. You'd love it!

I've read a lot of postings lately about Asheville, NC. While the mountain areas surrounding the city are beautiful, you have to keep in mind that the city is still a small, conservative area with not much of a job market to speak of. And the "diversity" that everyone raves about consists mainly of New Age hippies. (But I don't live in Asheville, and I'm all for diversity, so don't get me wrong.) There is no software industry there, and it truly is more of a retirement community than anything else. If you've already made your money, it's a nice place to retire, but for a young person still in the job market, don't even consider it. Plus, remember that it's a long way from a beach, and the best airport (Atlanta) is 3.5 hours away.

You're right Anna! My mistake. Being my own worst enemy here, I guess. I've lived here all my life. It would still be as it "used to be" here if it weren't for all the new age hippies. A quiet little town in the mountains is now the melting pot for "the anything goes" crowd. Sorry that we ever encouraged anyone to move here. It'll never happen again. Thanks for the reminder!

Wes, I'm from Asheville too. I haven't lived there in many years, but still visit often. It's definitely not what it used to be, and in some ways that's definitely a good thing. But I think there are enough people there, so let's not let the secret out!

findyourspot.com

I cant believe I am going to say this but Colorado Springs, CO pretty much meets all your requests except for the Ocean. They are pretty high on the list for tech jobs (my husband has one here). I have noticed a lot more minorities here than where I am originally from so there is diversity. The cost of housing is much cheaper than Denver and although we do have snow, it is usually pretty mild and the weather changes constantly. It can get very hot in the summer and spring. Personally I would choose Denver over Colo Springs but I just thought I would mention it since some people seem to love it here. The mountains are beautiful though.

Sorry, but the IT market here in the Triangle crashed early last year and will not stabilize (maybe) until late in the year, according to article in yesterday's News and Observer. Nortel, Cisco, IBM, WorldCom, coupled with the telecom meltdown means layoffs in the thousands, with many more coming. Sorry.

What about Atlanta? The weather is great, the city is fun, and traffic isn't as bad as you might think if you live close to where you work. There seem to be a lot of jobs here too.

Portland and Seattle fit your requirements, even the housing cost bit if you know where to look. IT is in a relative slump around the country, of course, but the west coast centers (NW, Bay area, LA/SD) have very diverse economies and will likely make the quickest recovery. In the meantime, they're nice places to hang out.

Bay Area-California. Meets all your criteria. Silicon Valley - San Jose, CA is culturally diverse, fantastic climate, semi-reasonable housing relative to income for those in the IT field. Also very near to beaches (within one hour) and San Francisco. Yes, housing may be higher in CA, but relative to wages. Look into the Chambers of Commerce for any suggestions people have posted to get demographics on those cities you'd like to further research.

San Jose definitely would be a place to consider. As the largest city in Northern California and the Capital of Silicon Valley (www.sanjose.org), it is a major business center. In addition, it has a very reputable culinary and arts scene(ballet, opera, symphony, reperatory theater, as well as the American Musical Theater which features Broadway plays). The proximity of the City to the Monterey Bay Area(about 30 miles to Santa Cruz), the Wine Country(3-3.5 hours), Lake Tahoe, and Yosemite(each about 4 hours) make this a great place to live. As Move said, the cost of living is high, but it is all relative to your salary, especially in the high tech field.

Hey Michelle, I'm in the same boat with you, but not willing to go cross country.. so Providence or Portland, ME are my best bets.

Santa Monica, California meets your requirements.

Check out South Florida. Miami, Fort Lauderdale and the Palm Beaches. Im am sure that you know of some people that have moved here from MA. There are lot of them. The weather is great always, The IT sector is good ( They call it the Silicon Coast), and we have diversity like no place else. Housing costs are increasing but not as bad as Boston! And you will never be more than a half hour from the beach.

Michelle, I would strongly agree with Rankin. I too, live in Ponte Vedra, and find that Jacksonville has a great deal to offer in the IT/Software industry. We also have Mayport Naval Base here. <BR>Only 30 min from the beach, or move out here with us..Atlantic Beach, Neptune, Jax Beach or Ponte Vedra...many homes in various price ranges. Nice communities and meet ALL of your requirements. At LEAST put it on your list of places to check out. If nothing else you wil enjoy your trip here.

I was just in Jax Beach for the opening of the beaches last week and they have really done a great job of redeveloping the whole area. Atlantic Beach, Jax Beach, Neptune Beach are all cleaned up and new construction is going up where shacks once stood. Good job Jacksonville! It's about time you follow the example of the rest of Florida and keep redeveloping.

I am looking for an IT job and interested in Jacksonville. Does anyone know of a good recruiting agency in the area?<BR><BR>Thanks.

Do not listen to anyone who thinks Atlanta is a great place. I have lived here 8 years and its bad and getting worse. After all Georgia is 50th in the nation in s.a.t. scores, that pretty much says it all. And the people here make fun of "ignorant" Alabama?

Folks, please note that the original post on this thread is from last May, and the OP was planning to relocate in the fall, so it's history. <BR><BR>For some reason, at 12:58 Am today, ck decided that this would be a good place for his question about relocating to jacksonville.

Jen:<BR><BR>If you don't want to visit an old thread then don't and stop complaining. Sometimes people see discussions that are intersting to them and reply.<BR><BR>Also, you assumed the ck is a guy. Shows that you don't have much of an open mind.