Recommendations - places to live

[ek1357 116]

Hi all

 

My case is slightly different to a lot of K1 applicants as we are both moving from the UK to America once my fiancé has been approved.

 

We are most likely looking at CA as we want to live somewhere with fair weather. I want to live somewhere safe and clean (don’t we all!) and with good job prospects- I come from a finance background here in the UK (and need to find employment very quickly since I’m the only one eligible to work!).
 

If anyone has any recommendations- or places to avoid!- I would be most grateful. 

[JeanneAdil 6,514]

try this site and compare it to living costs and climate

 

https://www.investopedia.com/insights/best-cities-working-finance-jobs/

 

the first being Charlotte NC has a lot of advantages

[Highmystic 234]

18 minutes ago, ek1357 said:

Hi all

 

My case is slightly different to a lot of K1 applicants as we are both moving from the UK to America once my fiancé has been approved.

 

We are most likely looking at CA as we want to live somewhere with fair weather. I want to live somewhere safe and clean (don’t we all!) and with good job prospects- I come from a finance background here in the UK (and need to find employment very quickly since I’m the only one eligible to work!).
 

If anyone has any recommendations- or places to avoid!- I would be most grateful. 

I've lived in Cal before, and for me, I will never ever live there again.  One of the highest taxes, highest cost of living, high unemployment, etc, at least on the coastal areas, and highest in homelessness.  Other options would be Nevada (Vegas is always booming and growing, constant freeway building, constant new neighborhoods popping up.  Casinos being built, stadiums, etc.  a new hotel takes 3 to 5 thousand new employees.    I am in Arizona, for the past 30 years and do not expect to move unless we retire in Cebu, PH.    Arizona is also the hottest state, temp wise but lower tax and cost of living. (NV has no state income tax laws)  Arizona is pro 2nd Amendment (no permit needed to carry open or concealed) and my county just passed a resolution as a "2nd Amendment sanctuary county). 

[databit 328]

SoCal provides the weather (it's 88 degrees as I write this) and opportunities IF you live near LA or SD. If you live farther out, which can be less expensive with lower crime and more clean, you will likely have to commit to a brutal commute, usually by (owning a good) car, (unless you live where a train goes door-to-door), plus you'd run a greater risk of wildfires. In the cities, figure $5-6k a month just to live ordinarily in a centrally-located apartment, so if you want to add to savings especially for future home buying, the ideal job would pay $80k. Or even better, work remotely.

[ek1357 116]

34 minutes ago, Highmystic said:

I've lived in Cal before, and for me, I will never ever live there again.  One of the highest taxes, highest cost of living, high unemployment, etc, at least on the coastal areas, and highest in homelessness.  Other options would be Nevada (Vegas is always booming and growing, constant freeway building, constant new neighborhoods popping up.  Casinos being built, stadiums, etc.  a new hotel takes 3 to 5 thousand new employees.    I am in Arizona, for the past 30 years and do not expect to move unless we retire in Cebu, PH.    Arizona is also the hottest state, temp wise but lower tax and cost of living. (NV has no state income tax laws)  Arizona is pro 2nd Amendment (no permit needed to carry open or concealed) and my county just passed a resolution as a "2nd Amendment sanctuary county). 

Thank you. I have done a lot of research on CA cities and it is looking very expensive to rent and I have read lots of frustrated comments regarding traffic. The city I am coming from in England is very busy with heavy traffic and has a very bad homeless/ drug problem and I really want to avoid those things! I will look into Arizona. Thank you for the suggestion!

43 minutes ago, JeanneAdil said:

try this site and compare it to living costs and climate

 

https://www.investopedia.com/insights/best-cities-working-finance-jobs/

 

the first being Charlotte NC has a lot of advantages

Thank you! My fiancé’s brother knows a lot of people living in Charlotte and they love it, so maybe I will have to seriously consider! 

[ek1357 116]

7 minutes ago, databit said:

SoCal provides the weather (it's 88 degrees as I write this) and opportunities IF you live near LA or SD. If you live farther out, which can be less expensive with lower crime and more clean, you will likely have to commit to a brutal commute, usually by (owning a good) car, (unless you live where a train goes door-to-door), plus you'd run a greater risk of wildfires. In the cities, figure $5-6k a month just to live ordinarily in a centrally-located apartment, so if you want to add to savings especially for future home buying, the ideal job would pay $80k. Or even better, work remotely.

Thank you! I really need honest reviews- a car is initially out of the question so CA might not be looking like my best contender so far! The search continues  

[JeanneAdil 6,514]

20 minutes ago, ek1357 said:

Thank you. I have done a lot of research on CA cities and it is looking very expensive to rent and I have read lots of frustrated comments regarding traffic. The city I am coming from in England is very busy with heavy traffic and has a very bad homeless/ drug problem and I really want to avoid those things! I will look into Arizona. Thank you for the suggestion!

Thank you! My fiancé’s brother knows a lot of people living in Charlotte and they love it, so maybe I will have to seriously consider! 

Ca is expensive / lived there for 2 years and watch the news as the wild fires there are scary / and i mean scary

look to the best all around

take into account living expenses,   weather ,  jobs,   friendly people places 

Atlanta and this area of Chattanooga are good for job industry and good living

[ohcoffeeeyes 120]

Look into Oregon and Washington. Cheaper than Northern California with somewhat similar weather. Gets a nice warm in the summer and snowy and chilly in the winter, plus no issues with tax. 

 

California is a pipe dream promoted in movies imo, its very crime-ridden and its scary. 

 

(I have never lived there, this is stuff I know cause of my wife telling me, she lived in SD, California for a long time.)

Edited November 12, 2019 by ohcoffeeeyes

[DaveAndAnastasia 2,092]

On 11/12/2019 at 2:42 PM, ohcoffeeeyes said:

Look into Oregon and Washington. Cheaper than Northern California with somewhat similar weather.

Well "Northern California" by convention (aka the SF/San Jose/Oakland area). Which is almost closer to LA than to Oregon, and so ought to be called central California.