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Looking a new city to call home UPDATE: New job accepted! Move in progress.
Capsaicin
I asked my 2 y/o son to draw a pic of my German mom, and thats what we got.Registered User regular
I asked my 2 y/o son to draw a pic of my German mom, and thats what we got.Registered User regular
Hey all, looking for some advice here. I'm getting VERY VERY sick of the DC Metro area and my wife is also. I've lived here for 32 years and I'm starting to get the itch to move my wife, 2 kids and 2 dogs with me.
Unfortunately, since I've lived 99% of my life here, I don't really know what other areas would be a good match for us. Here are some basic requirements:
1) Must have a good IT sector and it should be pretty simple for me to find a job (more details on this later)
2) Cheaper cost of living than Northern Virginia (for comparison sake, my old 1505 sq.ft. condo + garage in Fairfax, VA was purchased used in 2005 for $383k and sold this year for $350k - i.e. ridiculous!)
3) Less traffic than the DC metro area
4) Good public schools
5) 4 definitive seasons (Not too cold and not too hot, hopefully way less humid than swampy DC)
6) Not too far from NoVA as my parents live there and I want them to see my kids from time to time.
7) As far away from Cleveland as possible since thats where my in-laws live!!!
8) Not massive big cities like NY or LA
etc...
Regarding number 1, work is probably the most important aspect. Living in DC sucks at times, but it's nice that there are ALWAYS jobs due to the U.S. Government being to local. I'd like our new prospective area to be similar in that regard. For work I'm a MS SharePoint Senior Developer/Engineer. It's apparently a pretty hot job right now. I won't get into too many more details on it unless you have openings and want to discuss them with me via PM.
I've got all these job search engines open, but am unsure where I want to live. Thanks for any suggestions!
Unfortunately, since I've lived 99% of my life here, I don't really know what other areas would be a good match for us. Here are some basic requirements:
1) Must have a good IT sector and it should be pretty simple for me to find a job (more details on this later)
2) Cheaper cost of living than Northern Virginia (for comparison sake, my old 1505 sq.ft. condo + garage in Fairfax, VA was purchased used in 2005 for $383k and sold this year for $350k - i.e. ridiculous!)
3) Less traffic than the DC metro area
4) Good public schools
5) 4 definitive seasons (Not too cold and not too hot, hopefully way less humid than swampy DC)
6) Not too far from NoVA as my parents live there and I want them to see my kids from time to time.
7) As far away from Cleveland as possible since thats where my in-laws live!!!
8) Not massive big cities like NY or LA
etc...
Regarding number 1, work is probably the most important aspect. Living in DC sucks at times, but it's nice that there are ALWAYS jobs due to the U.S. Government being to local. I'd like our new prospective area to be similar in that regard. For work I'm a MS SharePoint Senior Developer/Engineer. It's apparently a pretty hot job right now. I won't get into too many more details on it unless you have openings and want to discuss them with me via PM.
I've got all these job search engines open, but am unsure where I want to live. Thanks for any suggestions!
Capsaicin on
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Seattle also fits a lot of them.
True, but might be too big for my tastes (and too expensive also).
I should clarify a bit. About 5 years ago, Austin, TX was the place to move to if you were somewhat young and were an IT professional. It had a booming job market, lots of culture, and a lower cost of living. I'm looking for something similar to that.
I've heard the tech corridor of Nashville, TN is similar.
@Capsaicin I'd absolutely give my endorsement to Seattle. But then I am ridiculously biased. Cost of living is a little on the high side if you're close to the city, but you can find good deals on places if you don't mind a little bit of a commute, and the public transit system is actually really good.
Seattle then.
Also Ohioan oosik get-togethers
I've lived in Austin 20 years and probably won't ever move, but if I were a new transplant I would look at Ft. Worth. In many ways I see it as being Austin 10-15 years ago.
I think he's looking for central to eastern USA.
You'll get all four seasons. Our summers can suck, our winters can suck, our springs can suck, our autumns can suck. Conversely, they can all also be amazing. Having the occasional December where I can still play golf is great. Having to still mow the lawn in December isn't as much fun, but that year I don't think I ever started my snowblower. So, you win some you lose some. There are suburbs I would recommend, and some I would shy away from. But that's all personal preference. With kids though, yeah, you want to find one of the better school districts.
If you are like me and don't care for OSU football, be prepared to deal with the folks who constantly ask "Well why?" You have a better reason not being from here so they may leave you alone, but you'll still get that question from people you first meet.
PSN : Bolthorn
Heh, I live in Houston, but then I saw this:
We just have summer and SUMMER, broken up by "hey it's cool outside today."
Nintendo Network ID: imperialparadox | 3DS FC: 2294-4029-6793
XBL Gamertag: Paradox3351 | PSN: imperialparadox
I'm in Austin, myself, and would recommend it but for it not fitting your weather requirements.
Pros:
It's further from DC, we don't have all that seriously horrible traffic, housing prices are much lower than they are in NoVA, we've got a steady and growing IT industry, it's close to NoVA (like a 2 hour drive or so), you're close to both DC and the Research Triangle in NC. There's lots of festivals, museums, culture stuff in Richmond. It's also really bike friendly. You're literally 2 hours south of DC, so it's not that much of a change. There are some great public schools, and Richmond is nowhere near the size of NY, LA, DC, etc.
Most IT jobs are either: in Richmond; in the west part of Richmond; Downtown Richmond; close to Ft. Lee; close to Chesterfield; or close to Fredericksburg/Stafford area. Those aren't all that long of a commute. Richmond city itself is a predominately .NET shop.
Cons:
Compared to DC, public transportation in Richmond might as well be horses with carts. There's the Richmond city buses that are always operating, but there is no metro. IT jobs are clustered around Short Pump (West End) or Downtown Richmond, and depending where you live that can be either a 5-10 minute drive or a 30 minute drive. Lots of hipsters. In the city, housing costs vary greatly; whereas out in the Westend it's more expensive (but pales in comparison to NoVA). It's still Virginia, and it's more south than NoVA so you will still run into people flying and flaunting the Confederate Flag.
The weather is just about the same as it is in DC.
I'm a Perl/Python/Linux developer/devops sort and I haven't been unemployed in 7 or 8 years now. Last time I had to look for work I had 3 offers on the table to choose from. And that's doing work which is incredibly low demand in Richmond. My friends who do .net stuff pick up new jobs with what seems to me like barely any effort at all.
Kent, WA
Nashville, TN (Chattanooga, Knoxville, etc...)
Charlotte, NC
Anyone know anything about these?
I'm not entirely sure of the quality of schools, but I'm sure there are decent ones as well as bad ones. The only downside I can think of to NC is the current political landscape (which is atrocious), and it has one of the highest unemployment rates in the country (44/51, including DC according to the BLS)
I got married there, met my best friends there, and the state itself is gorgeous. You've got the Appalachian's on the west, and the beautiful (when not beaten by hurricanes) coast of the Outer Banks on the East. In Raleigh (or Charlotte) you'll get less snow than DC, and you're far enough inland that the most you'll get from hurricanes is some heavy rain (Raleigh moreso than Charlotte).
The Boston area is booming with IT right now, and I'm not talking about right in the city. The surrounding area has tons of companies coming in and start ups as well. Depending on what kind of IT job you're looking for, I'd recommend the surrounding area(s) of Boston, like Cambridge, Billerica, etc.
Looking for Edith Finch Pin!
There's also some fantastic schools and it's fairly easy to spend 90% of your time not in "the city". Cambridge/Somerville is more expensive these days, but it's not that bad overall. It's not south or midwest levels of cheap, but the opportunities and infrastructure are much more established.
My company is actually hiring now if you want to PM me some details of what you're looking to do and how soon you're available.
I moved up here in 2008 and haven't regretted it.
If you decide to bend on the geography clause, you could take a glance at Omaha. 4 distinct seasons (sometimes in the same week!), barely hit by the recession compared to the rest of the country, lower cost of living, minimal traffic, good schools, etc. Great place to raise a family. IT sector I'm not as clear on but I know Paypal's got a big office here and there are some other large companies (Mutual of Omaha, Union Pacific RR) as well.
that said, i've had some friends move to Charleston, and love how it's a very modern and somewhat liberal city in the south - some are in IT industry as well.
and i have other friends in Austin, and again, they like it a lot (all are in tech)
i'm moving from NYC to NJ this month - decided to trade a tiny apartment for a house on .2 acres for the same monthly outlay
As a resident of the area, I can tell you that Minneapolis and Saint Paul are quite isolated from most other major metros. Milwaukee is the nearest metro with over 1 million people and it's 5 hours away by car and that's a 340 mile long trip.
That said, that isolation and the relatively large size of the Minneapolis-Saint Paul area leads to having a lot of amenities you wouldn't expect a Plains city to have. Quite a few Fortune 500 companies here, too, as well as the largest co-op in the world in Cargill. Strictly IT companies are a bit smaller scale, though, since most if not all of the Fortune 500s based here have in-house IT departments.
I constantly see people looking for SharePoint IT people on the job sites here. And it is an airline hub so air travel is easy.
Winter would be worse than you are used to and public transit isn't the best.
Schools are good. Tons of music, art, restaurants, plays, all the culture stuff. We have plenty of that, just as good as out east and west.
Much cheaper than DC too.
but they're listening to every word I say
Went to school in Winona, near Rochester, and yeah Minn/St Paul was nice but very isolated.
How important to the city is Best Buy these days?
I run a meetup and constantly meeting up with people who moved to the area in the IT field due to work.
I'll add another vote for Columbus too. Wife and I went there about two months ago, and we both agreed that it would be a really nice place to live.
Knoxville / Nashville aren't bad either, and I really liked Pittsburgh when we went there ~5 years back.
Huge. They have one of the biggest corporate campuses here. However I heard corporate is downsizing. The is always general mills or target or a million other places. Seriously check the M/SP craigslist. SharePoint is all over
but they're listening to every word I say
I guess the same question for TN and NC.
I think I'd love Minnesota but my wife would explode!
Are you looking at cities just for the job market? Would you consider a commute if it didn't mean driving?
If so, I'd suggest looking at areas in the vicinity of MARC stops. For example, the Duffields, WV stop is near a college town, national parks (Harpers Ferry, the C&O Canal, Antietam), the Blue Ridge, the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers, farmland and orchards, and, within a half-hour drive, a few smaller cities. You'd still be close enough to DC and NoVA area for family visits to be an easy thing.
Yeah, it can be long ride, but the important thing it would be a ride and not a drive down the Dulles toll road. Take a nap, read a book, play a game, etc.
I actually don't mind driving if it moves. The problem is that I'm effectively losing 1 to 1.5 hrs of my day that I could be spending with my kids/wife/dogs/xbox/myself.
I think the REI headquarters are in Kent or Auburn, they're supposed to be pretty decent to work for.
fuck up once and you break your thumb / if you're happy at all then you're god damn dumb
that's right we're on a fucked up cruise / God is dead but at least we have booze
bad things happen, no one knows why / the sun burns out and everyone dies
Thanks for the ProTip.
I just applied to:
Amazon (meh fit)
Bluetooth (good fit)
Starbucks (amazing fit)
We're not 100% set on Kent but it does look nice.
I agree with Matrix up there. A train ride is so much better than a drive, so I'd consider moving to somewhere with nice transit.
Your avatar thing says you are German? Come here and play hammerschlagen at octoberfest, drink some nice beers, and eat sauerkraut on everything. Germans everywhere! Minnesota is not as Siberia as your wife would expect i'm sure, but if she is set against it... then that is that.
but they're listening to every word I say
You can drive into the transit center in the morning and take the Sounder train into Seattle, which is fairly convenient.
fuck up once and you break your thumb / if you're happy at all then you're god damn dumb
that's right we're on a fucked up cruise / God is dead but at least we have booze
bad things happen, no one knows why / the sun burns out and everyone dies
I can't stand even visiting cities as big as NY, LA, or Tokyo, and I loved my 8-9 years living in Boston. It was just the right size for me, big city-wise. Has just about everything you'd want out of a big city, but just about everything is within walking distance of everything else.
It's not the cheapest place to live, though. Not the most expensive, mind you, but also far from cheap.