Hi everyone!

I was laid off just over a year ago now and am so disappointed with the job choices. I'm in my mid 30's, educated and have had a few great jobs in the past. Unfortunately I'm in the real estate consulting industry and there are very limited choices for new jobs due to the economy. I have an opportunity for a job with a company that has offices in Nashville and Boca Raton. The question is which one would be better suited for me?

I currently live in Southern California. While I don't want to be shoveling snow on a daily basis, I'm not always thrilled with constant sunshine. I'm used to dry heat, so not sure how well I'd handle high humidity.

I love to travel, play tennis, cook, theater, live music, etc. Any ideas on which location I should indicate would be my preference. Obviously I would go to visit before relocating. But due to the long unemployment, I can't really afford to be flying around checking out new cities for every job that might be a possibility. At this point, I just need to tell them my preference.

Thanks for any advice!

Personally, I'd jump at the Boca opportunity. If you're accustomed to So Cal theater, tennis, live music, etc. then Boca's a better fit for you unless you're a BIG country-music fan. Yes, it gets humid but everything indoors is under AC so it's very tolerable. Fly into Palm Beach on Southwest if you can.

Hi Beth - Sorry to hear about your layoff, but it sounds like things are looking up. Regarding your relocation options, I cannot comment on Nashville since I've never been. However, I have lived in Florida for over 20 years. I moved from NE Ohio and spent the first 6 six years in the Orlando area and the balance in Boca Raton. I prefer Central Florida to South Florida since Central FL has a more "mid-western" feel, but you've got to go where the jobs are, right? The weather in Boca can be quite hot and humid, especially from May through September. It will rain most days during these months, but it's rare to have a whole day washed out (unless a hurricane is on the way!) The rest of the year is usually quite pleasant and comfortable with occasional cold snaps in the winter that never last for more than 2-3 days. You will NEVER have to shovel snow in South Florida!!

Air travel is a breeze from Boca because we have Ft Lauderdale(FLL) and West Palm(PBI) close by, plus Miami is another (less desirable) option. Traveling by car is not so great, unless you just want to explore the state. From Boca, it will take 5-6 hours just to reach the Georgia border.

South Florida has a large portion of its population from the Norhteast, especially New York and New Jersey. Between Thanksgiving and Christmas our population swells from the "Snowbirds" who ususally head back North around Easter/Passover. If you are from those areas, I'm sure it will not be a huge culture shock like it was for me. Also, the Boca Raton area is about 40-45% Jewish, many of whom are from the northeast. This will be a big plus if you are Jewish too. Or it may be a non-issue altogether. Anyway, I hope I've helped. (PS: My husband and I are in our early 40's, but were in our late 20's when we moved here.)

Nashville: Beautiful scenery, low cost living and housing for $200,000 you live like a king, Friendly people (recent study that was presented on Dateline on NBC indicated the people in Nashville were the nicest people in the USA. Great places to eat because of the tourist infrastructure. People a bit country, dominated by white and black (one of the highest percentage of whites in the south for a metro area), very few Asians and hispanics.

Boca Raton: Heavy Jersey Jew population, which creates its own culture. Expensive for Florida, beautiful homes and landscaping. Great warm weather year around. Country club feel. People not nearly as friendly as Nashville but a bit more wordly.

My take!

Just for the record, you don't have to be a HUGE country music fan to live in Nashville. Yes, it is best known for its country music stars. But, Nashville is also known for its depth and breadth musical opportunities!

One thing to think about if you like to travel. Nashvile is centrally located and you can get to many different areas in just a few hours by car (Atlanta, Memphis, New Orleans, Charleston, St. Louis, Louisville, Smokey Mts,Birmingham etc, not so with Boca. Also, NAshville has an international airport that is the hub airport for American Airlines so you can get a flight most anywhere as well. These are inportant things for those who like the convenience of traveling. NAshville is also a city (not just for country music) It has a population of over a million and has all the things that come with city whether you see these as good or bad. Boca on the other side is small town and has that feel even though it is not too far from cities, it itself is not one. Do you like city or small town feel? These are important things to ask.

My brother-in-law (a musician)moved from SoCal to Nashville about a year ago. He loves it.Low cost of living, friendly people, great music scene, and he enjoys the seasons ( it does get cold in the winter). He misses the ethnic diversity of SoCAl and claims he can't find a good Italian restaurant or a decent deli, but I wonder how hard he's looked.
I also have uncles, aunts, and plenty of cousins who left the East coast for S. Florida. Most of them are in West Palm beach or that area and they LOVE it. Gorgeous beaches, plenty of outdoor activities, low cost of living, small town atmosphere with access to big city (Lauderdale, I guess), lots of good restaurants, and no winter. As a previous poster noted, summer is humid, so you use the AC. (Nashville-winter is cold--turn on the heat).

Good luck wherever you go....

Thanks for the advice! Sounds like kind of a toss up.

I'm not Jewish, so not sure how well I'd blend into that community. But I do have some close Jewish friends, so it's not like I haven't been introduced to some of the culture.

While I'm not into a western lifestyle or line dancing, I actually do really enjoy a lot of the country music artists. So I might really enjoy the local music scene in Nashville. I would really miss good Italian food if it's really that tough to find, but the bbq choices would maybe make up for it.

Does anyone know just how cold it gets in Nashville in the winter months?

Former Nashvillian here. I would say the average temp in Jan is high 30s. We usually get two "snows" a year which are a about 2in. each and then several other days with snow flurries. It would be rare if ever that you would get snow which required shoveling. With temps above freezing the snow melts quickly as well (a day or two) Yes it gets cold in Nashville but the winter is short Thanksgiving to the end of February. Go to www.bestplaces.net and get the city profile for Nashville you will see cost of living and climate as wellas other things. On another note, the south in general has a lower cost of living but larger cities including Nashville are not as low. My parents live in Bell Meade (southwest area of Nashville) and my cousin just bought a home in that area as well. Not a mansion but a 2-story brick 3br/2.5 bath (a little under 2000 sq.ft.) they paid $275,00 which is more than the previous poster indicated to you. Granted that is a nice area but he house is just average.

Check out www. weather.com for average temps. You will notice that the average high temp in January is about 50 degrees. Average rainfall 50 inches per year. Lots of greenery in Nashville, you will see a sea of green as you fly into the city.

Check out www.realtor.com for pictures and prices of homes in Nashville. Prices are about 60 percent of the cost of a simular home in Boca in Florida. Though depends on wages.

I have to put in a vote for Boca Raton. My folks moved there several years ago (from the Northeast) and love it. They do return back to New England during the hot months May-Sept since they find it a bit uncomfortable. Anyhow, I love to visit to Boca. I'm amazed at how convenient everything is. The shopping is wonderful and the beaches are nice. I think it's worth considering. It is a big retiree community (if that matters or not). That could be a plus for a good real estate market. Best of luck.

Why move to a Jewish senior citizen resort when you're only in your 30's? I actually think that Nashville would be a more progressive city that would suit your needs.

Nashville has four true seasons and great people. Winters are generally in the 20s and 30s and can be grey and drizzling, but also sunny and delightful, and as the previous poster said, it snows probably twice per winter, enough to close the schools and clear Kroger of milk and bread for absolutely no reason, then melts the next day or two or sometimes even that afternoon. Winter is not all that long, and some January days find people in short-sleeved shirts enjoying the beautiful weather. Springs are dazzling, crisp and colorful with the dogwoods, azaleas, daffodils, forsythia and all. Summers are hot and can be humid, but still better than Florida as far as heat/humidity. A/C is a necessity. Falls are gorgeous, with that hint of crispness in the air, beautiful leaves and trees, October blue skies and football.

If travel is truly a priority for you, Nashville is the better choice. More centrally located, and the airport is a 15-minute drive from many residential locations (except at rush hour). It's not an American hub any longer, but it is a Southwest city and there are good flights for good prices there. Also serviced by Delta and lots of other major airlines. Going in/out of Nashville airport is easy.

People in Nashville are great, unless you're looking for religious diversity. Overwhelmingly Protestant. Increasingly expanding Hispanic community.

Did I mention football? With the Titans in Nashville, and with Vanderbilt and University of Tennessee football, it's a big deal in the fall. Just a warning.

The Nashville Symphony is excellent. They played Carnegie Hall last fall and got rave reviews from the Times. During the current tour of the London Symphony Orchestra, the conductor of that orchestra is unable to make the tour, so they asked the conductor of the Nashville Symphony, Kenneth Schermerhorn (sp?) to conduct the LSO on its tour, which he is doing quite successfully. Yes, there IS country music in Nashville. There are some quite excellent musicians in Nashville. One night a couple of months ago I went to a concert at the Ryman auditorium in downtown Nashville that featured only bluegrass music, and all acoustic -- it was a taping for Public Television and featured such musicians as Vince Gill, Travis Tritt, Ricky Skaggs, Patty Loveless, Allison Kraus, Ralph Stanley, Bruce Hornsby, etc. All the musicians left their egos at the door and spent the evening concentrating on amazing acoustic music, backing each other up, singing perfect harmony, etc. The ticket proceeds were donated to Second Harvest Food Bank to help feed people in Appalachia. I think my ticket cost $35. Now THAT'S great live music. Even if it IS bluegrass, performed by true artists almost any music is magical. I'd like someone to tell me where else I could pay $35 (which gets donated to charity) and see incredible musicians like that, in a small venue.

Housing prices can be higher than you think. Belle Meade is a ritzy area of trust fund babies and inherited mansions, with expansive lawns and lots of gardening help. Green Hills is a closer-in area of (for the most part) smaller yards, smaller houses, better location than Belle Meade in terms of convenience to downtown, Vanderbilt, etc. Expect to pay more than the previous poster mentioned if you want to live in an area like Belle Meade or Green Hills. Outlying areas (Antioch, Joelton, etc.) are much more affordable -- secretaries, etc. live there and the housing is much more affordable there. But the commute is worse.

Good luck!

South Florida is mostly northern escapees or Cuban/ South American escapees (really). Boca has always been the more upscale community in the South, although there are pockets of very high end neighborhoods all along the coast. Boca originally had a great mall, the Polo club, etc but over the past 20 years just about every piece of land between Miami and Palm Beach has been developed. Boca is still very nice city. There are many well planned developments with beautiful landscaping. It's an expensive town to live in. It is surrounded by many communities with nice homes and suburban stuff. The night life on the beach is growing, you'll be close to Ft.Lauderdale and several casinos in the reservations just west. South Florida is great if you have family here or you really, really enjoy the water. That's the main reason to live down here. It's not easy or cheap to travel. Look at a map and you'll see how long Florid is...It is hot down here but we spend the majority of our time in air conditioning. Cars, offices, stores, schools, homes...the AC is on year round. (maybe you can shut it off 2-3 days in January. You can swim year round, fish, and enjoy water sports and get a tan in the winter. ( I don't enjoy the sun and water so to me this isn't a big deal but I know it is for most people who live here). Culturally, Boca has lots of Jewish retirees and New York Italians but the younger family population is growing rapidly. Unless you are getting a high paying job you would probably want to rent in an adjacent community. Real estate is booming with the surge of housing communities west and north of Boca. Hope all these pieces of information help. I'm sure both towns have places you will and enjoy and areas you won't. At your age, if you don't have children, I suggest you take a chance and try something different. Worse case, you relocate in another year.

We have lots of tennis, golf, great restaurants and cultural events. We don't have any seasons other than hurricane season and not hurricane season. No big deal.

Working in Boca doesn't mean you have to LIVE in Boca with all the grannies. Palm Beach county is one of the fastest-growing areas of the country, and there are plenty of young adults and families moving into the surrounding towns around Boca.

If you enjoy country music and are looking for less humidity, I'd say Nashville is it for you.

In Nashville, you are welcomed by
"Howl you all dooing?" In Boca they will say, "getta outa my face"

The southern vs transplanted New Yorker welcome

Oh really? Why anyone would choose a southern HICK town like Nashville over beautiful, sophisticated Boca Raton is beyond me!!!

I can't imagine making a choice to live in Boca. It is so, uhm, boring and unattractive - just plaza after plaza, manicured gated communities. Of course the beaches are lovely; I am talking about all the rest of it.It seems like it is a population of elders or very wealthy young families. Being from New England, I can't imagine living in an area that I can't easily get to mountains, hills, trees, diverse surroundings. Southern Florida is so all the same.

In addition, what troubles me the most is the Boca value system. I do not appprove of a high school parking lot fillled with 16 yr. old's BMW'S, Lexus, etc. A relative of mine in Boca was telling me about how spoiled the kids are there - there is so much wealth and feeling of entitlement. When she talked to her high school daughter about getting a summer job, the daughter responded, "Mom, I'm from Boca, kids don't work here". I know you do not have children but I think the wealth and attitude is everywhere.

I must say if you like to eat out a lot there are alot of great restaurants. It is unbelievable how crowded they are even during the week.

To me Nashville has everything that is truely American. Green space, big lots, middle american friendly people, great colleges, recreation, parks, shopping, culture, etc.

Boca just has warm weather!