For a temperate climate with no snow, the SF Bay Area might be the ticket. Transportation is good, with private frequent bus services provided by major Silicon valley employers. However, housing prices are extremely high.

The Bay Area is great, but I would note that the cost of living in San Francisco is a bit more than double that of the places mentioned.

San Francisco is out of the question due to cost of living. Since I probably won't have a job lined up when I move, I want to go somewhere where my money will last the longest (just in case my job search takes longer than expected). I'm going to be living off my savings until I find a job.

Why would anyone simply move somewhere and HOPE to get a job?

<Why would anyone simply move somewhere and HOPE to get a job>

A number of reasons.

A lot of jobs won't hire you unless you're local. As much as I'd like to secure a job before moving, it is highly unlikely that someone in Texas or Arizona will hire me when I'm living in the Northeast. Sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and move somewhere, then focus on getting a job once you move.

There's been a recession for the past 5 years or so. We're just now recovering. Some states are doing better than others. If your state has a bad economy, it can't hurt to move to a state with a better economy. Right?

I also have goals/dreams. My goal/dream is to live somewhere I actually like (instead of living in the region where my family happens to be from). I'd be miserable if I spent the rest of my life where I currently live just because staying here is the less risky option.

I know it will be a risk to move somewhere without job. But I've also come to terms with the fact that there's really no other way to move.

I did it like that in 2000 when I decided to move to San Diego. I didnt have a job nor did I know anyone. Just packed up and did it. And it was.mostly great for 10 years and glad I did it.
Now toying with the thought of doing it again to a new place. Move, it will be fine no matter where you go.

Funny, I just read this a few minutes ago. Have a read and this may help.

http://blog.chron.com/opportunityurb...ard-of-living/

I live in Houston and work at the Med Center and DH is in the oil industry. A lot of people complain that there's not a lot to do in Houston - not true. You may prefer other places, depending on what you like to do but certainly plenty to do here. Between Austin, Dallas, San Antonio, and Houston, I always recommend those other cities first for tourism but there is still quite a bit to do here if you live here. Yes, Houston IS humid here but then again, so is Dallas. I myself prefer Arizona's dry heat versus the humidity but between the 3 choices, I would choose Houston anytime. If I were to move, I'd move to Colorado or out of the country. :-)

We do have a light rail system but it is only in a concentrated area (they are planning to build out more) but the bus system is perfectly adequate.

Wanted to add. It won't hurt you to try to apply for jobs before you come and make sure you note that you are willing to relocate. I'd hire someone from out of state if I knew they were wanting to move here...(and qualified for the job, that is). That will at least get you a head start.

I think that people who live elsewhere have a hard time appreciating just what a massive cost of living advantage Houston (and Dallas to a lesser degree) has over virtually every other large city in the US. For the most part, if you live in a big city, you could take your income, cut it in half, and still be "better off" in Houston.

agreed, travelgourmet. Seriously, have a read of the report. Very interesting. It is saying that Houston makes a case for the WORLD'S highest standard of living...from the Manhattan Institute.

http://www.manhattan-institute.org/pdf/cr_75.pdf

<<I think that people who live elsewhere have a hard time appreciating just what a massive cost of living advantage Houston (and Dallas to a lesser degree) has over virtually every other large city in the US>>

That's too true - on a scale of 100 being average, Houston and Dallas are in the 80s, NYC is over 200 and San Francisco scale # is probably close to the President's salary in dollars.

Still Dallas over Houston - good GOSH what a commuting fiasco the latter is. Still prefer the additional rail facilities in Dallas too.

BigRuss, have you taken the bus in Houston? I have, and it wasn't bad so am interested to know why you think it's a fiasco.

Thanks

<i>That's too true - on a scale of 100 being average, Houston and Dallas are in the 80s, NYC is over 200 and San Francisco scale # is probably close to the President's salary in dollars.</i>

Let's not exaggerate.

Taken from the web:

You would need around 3,814.35$ in Houston, TX to maintain
the same standard of life that you can have with 5,500.00$ in San Francisco, CA (assuming you rent in both cities).
This calculation uses our Consumer Prices Including Rent Index.

Median income in Houston is $40,000 while it is $71,000 in SF.

<i>Let's not exaggerate.

Taken from the web:</i>

Other sources give different numbers. Sperling's (bestplaces.net), for example, says that the $40k median income in Houston equates to $89.5k in SF. And Sperling's ignores differences in state and local taxes, which would have a significant impact too.

Other sources support the Sperling numbers. For example, Trulia reports median home prices for all properties in Houston of $82,540. For SF, the same number is $760k.

In my estimation, I would say that Houston is easily a fair bit less than half as expensive as SF or NYC, at least for those on lower to middle incomes. The numbers converge a bit when you get way up there, as show homes in the Houston area can be pricey, though you will get far more space and "luxury" than you will for a comparably-priced property in SF.

If I had that sort of money, I would live in SF too! ...but that wasn't the OP's question. :-)

<i>If I had that sort of money, I would live in SF too! ...but that wasn't the OP's question.</i>

That's funny, because I always say the opposite.

Whenever the Powerball gets above $300m, I buy a ticket. I figure that - at that level - the $1 buys me a chance to dream about what I would do with that kind of scratch and I get $1 of amusement out of it.

The one thing I always say is that I wouldn't want to really "live" anywhere and that I would travel extensively. The problem, of course, is that some state will try to sink their teeth into you and extract their pound of flesh. And I always thought Houston was a good solution to that problem. I always figured I would buy a nice place in Houston (maybe River Oaks) and establish that as my primary residence. A nice place to store stuff, low taxes, and a large airport that I can use as a launching point for travel. It is kind of perfect actually!

Of course, Houston is also my solution to the problem of "getting sick of my job and want to scale back", because I know I could cash out of my current house, pocket half the equity and take the other half and buy a quite nice house with cash in Houston. With that out of the way, I could find a low-key, if low-paying job that covers the basics and take comfort in the ready availability of cheap and yummy eats that litter the Houston area.

What about Austin, Texas? It is often ranked as a livable city in many surveys.

Phoenix, IMHO, is blistering hot 6 months out of the year. And is drab. If you like the color brown then that's your town. On the other hand, we have friends who moved there and the cost of living made home buying a reality for them. They loved the schools.

I would certainly spend some time in each place before deciding.

I was interested in Austin. But the high cost of living (at least by Texas standards) caused me to shy away.

When I lived in Las Cruces, I actually liked the brown scenery.

Like I said, I've already visited Phoenix. But I was leaning toward not visiting Dallas or Houston. I feel like you can't truly get to know a place from a short visit. I visited Las Cruces before moving there. But I didn't really get to know the city until after moving there. I think it would have been just as well if I didn't visit.

Also, travelling would really dip into my budget, even if done cheaply. I feel like my money would be better spent if I just saved as much as possible so I'd have a financial cushion when I move.

With the huge data processing used by the Oil Companies and Geophysical Data Mapping companies that support them, I would think Houston would be your best bet for finding employement

Op, dallas and houston love to hate each other. I'm born and raised in dallas so I can say that. It is JUST sibling rivalry, so take it with a grain of salt. I will say, not driving is an issue in all the cities u mention. Good luck! We'd love to have you here!!