Well, I finaly made the decision to get out of Upstate NY. There are no jobs (without a Bachelor’s degree, which I’m working on), and the weather sucks.
I just got a possible job offer that uses my military experience (CTM in the Navy) in South Carolina.
So far we’re willing to re-locate to SC, NC, AZ, (maybe TX?).
We’re looking for dry heat or mild/warm temperatures year round.
Crime index and a decent school for our daughter is also important.
We also prefer being close to a city (large or small), but not in the middle of it.
I would give you the suggestion to not overlook the Kansas City Area, Topeka, Lawerence. It is nice. Big city and small all in one. Great Football, lots of sports in general. as long as you dont like a good baseball team. The Jobs may not pay as much BUT the cost of living is about a 1/4 that of the coasts. Great place to raise kids as well. Great colleges in the area. etc.
[quote]Phill wrote:
I will say NOT the DC Metro Area. NO!!!
I would give you the suggestion to not overlook the Kansas City Area, Topeka, Lawerence. It is nice. Big city and small all in one. Great Football, lots of sports in general. as long as you dont like a good baseball team. The Jobs may not pay as much BUT the cost of living is about a 1/4 that of the coasts. Great place to raise kids as well. Great colleges in the area. etc.
[/quote]
Thanks!
I did get job offers a while back in the DC area (comming right out of the military with a TS/SCI security clearance).
I’ve driven through there many times and have heard a lot about it from friends, so I know to avoid it LOL.
Unfortunatley, that’s where most CTMs in the Navy go after their service.
I’m with you on the upstate NY thing. What part of upstate? Buffalo or Albany?
I moved out of Dutchess county after obtaining my degree and only working for IBM, which sucked.
We are debating even now whats the best place to move, when we move back to the US. Right now we live in the Caribbean. Yes, I know, I heard it “Shut up ya live in paradise”. Well it isnt always paradise when ya live here. Schools are horrible. Getting paid even more horrible, but it comes along. And no one respects ya! haha
We been looking at North Carolina quite a bit, but more on the mountain side. Hell, with recent yrs and hurricanes/natural disasters - I kinda wanna be inland a bit if you can not blame me.
Depends what you’re into really. I never been into sports all that much, so its not a driving force for where I live. But basically, living in the country with a relativly short drive to a medium town (with a walmart or somethin haha) is fine by me. Friendly neighborhoods, everyone in town knows you kind of thing. I lived in NY long enough Im tired of not being close with my neighbors.
I’m with you on the upstate NY thing. What part of upstate? Buffalo or Albany?
I moved out of Dutchess county after obtaining my degree and only working for IBM, which sucked.
We are debating even now whats the best place to move, when we move back to the US. Right now we live in the Caribbean. Yes, I know, I heard it “Shut up ya live in paradise”. Well it isnt always paradise when ya live here. Schools are horrible. Getting paid even more horrible, but it comes along. And no one respects ya! haha
We been looking at North Carolina quite a bit, but more on the mountain side. Hell, with recent yrs and hurricanes/natural disasters - I kinda wanna be inland a bit if you can not blame me.
Depends what you’re into really. I never been into sports all that much, so its not a driving force for where I live. But basically, living in the country with a relativly short drive to a medium town (with a walmart or somethin haha) is fine by me. Friendly neighborhoods, everyone in town knows you kind of thing. I lived in NY long enough Im tired of not being close with my neighbors.
Good luck!
T-Islander[/quote]
I live right in the middle of the state, 42 miles East of Syracuse.
I know what you mean about people thinking you live in “paradise”. I lived on a tropical island for a year, and couldn’t wait to get back to “civilization”. I didn’t miss it untill about a year after leaving.
I have lived in many cities, but I have to say that I am a big fan of the South in general. I can recommend Charlotte, NC, Atlanta, GA, and Houston, TX. Houston can be a little humid in the summers, but the rest of the year is great. My favorite of the three cities is Atlanta. It is a newer city, metropolitan, and you have access to a great airport, good school systems, culture, and a cheap cost of living relative to the northeast markets.
I also vote against DC, though you get a job really easy with that clearance. I’ve heard the Carolinas are nice but I imagine the summers get humid as well. I love Az, it’s hot but dry, nothing compared to the humid hell of a DC summer.
Have you looked at San Diego, it’s warm/dry and there’s some Navy in the area so you know there’s contractors working somewhere. Also you may want to check out http://www.clearancejobs.com , if you clearance is still good, your TS/SCI is gold.
Also I would recommend to try to contact job recruiters in the area you want to live in. Contracters may send you to school or retrain you for a particular job somewhere you want, it’s a lot easier and cheaper then trying to get a clearance for someone.