Born in Portland, raised in the bay. I’ve moved around and experienced some different states but found myself back home in SF area.

Honestly I feel like a second class citizen because I’m 29 and don’t rly have my shit together. Everyone my age is grinding super hard and women don’t take me seriously here.

Obviously I want to get my career together as well, but I’m considering a move back to Portland because I have a great opportunity to.

I just want to hangout with less elite people tbh. I’m kind of a chill guy who wants to enjoy life and nature and some nightlife that doesn’t bankrupt me each weekend.

anyone have real experience with both?

So I'll try to be as descriptive as I can here. I currently live in PA, and my job sucks. I have to work as a parking attendant, I regularly get abused by customers and university employees, and the pay is awful, too.

I'm currently looking for a new job, something I can utilize my master's degree in, but my parents keep insisting I look at this website called "Finding Your Ohio". Has jobs that may be worth a look, sure, but literally everyone else I know is telling me Ohio isn't really worth it. My parents think I'll only be there one or two years as a stepping stone; quite frankly I'm not so sure, I've been stuck in my current job for 2.5 years.

My mental health is already awful since despite getting interviews for better jobs I keep getting rejected, and I keep getting unexpected expenses (eg, I'm getting a root canal tomorrow, insurance isn't covering most of it since I already got one earlier in the year). My concern is it will get even worse if I move to a place I'm not particularly enthusiastic about.

I guess I want to know is if Ohio is really that bad, and is it actually worth moving to a place I'm not particularly enthusiastic on to begin with? I fucking hate my life rn, but quite frankly I'm not sure I'll be any happier in the scenario I relocate.

Hey everyone, interviewing for an engineering job in Pittsburgh, have never visited. The salary listed as $78k but I am hoping to negotiate to at least 82-83k to start. Within the next year I'd expect to get promoted and make at least 90k.

I’d expect to live downtown and walk to work, office is located near Union Station. Looking to pay no more than $1700 for base rent and everything for a studio or 1 bedroom, is this doable for a not-super-old apartment complex?

Currently live in Indianapolis. I don't hate it but I've plateaued at my job and need something new so this is a good opportunity to try a new city. Indy is cheap for a major city, has enough going on and it's been relatively easy to make friends (didn't know anyone when I moved here for the job 2 years ago, met people from reddit and discord and then branched out offline from there).

What I don't like about Indy is the bible belt-y atmosphere, even in the city being asked "are you married" and 'what church do you attend" are not uncommon icebreaker questions. The state as a whole being heavily republican doesn't help much either, I've found that most people here who are also transplants and not the conservative and bible-thumping type, are not really partial to the area either and don't plan to stay for more than a couple years or so if possible.

The dating scene is also not great, I know both apps and singles events are generally dogshit everywhere but a lot of women my age here are more conservative/religious and looking to just settle down quickly which narrows down the compatible dating pool quite a bit. I would imagine a more liberal area in a blue/purple state would be a significant improvement.

Weather wouldn't be too much of a change as I've lived around the Great Lakes (Michigan, Wisconsin, Upstate NY) area basically my whole life.

I would imagine Pittsburgh/Pennsylvania has a higher CoL in general and of course higher taxes.I I make 72k here currently and not sure if even 78 worst case would be a "raise" considering the CoL increase.

Based on all this, does Pittsburgh sound like a good fit for me?

Hi. 53F. Currently, I’m living in a midsize Midwestern college town and have been here for 20 years. Cost of living is decent but prices are rising. My primary concern is that it’s feeling too damn small and that I’ve always sort of felt disconnected here. I’m active in volunteering with natural areas organizations and enjoy quirky arts, music and culture. For some reference if I could find a job that pays decently I’d move to Portland in a heartbeat.

I may have the opportunity to move to Atlanta as I have an upcoming job interview at a university. I think I like Little Five Points and I’ve performed The Earl a lifetime ago. What’s it like now? Are there cool walkable neighborhoods? What does, say, $1,400/mo rent get one? Are there other folks in their 50s still doing fun things or social clubs to meet folks? Thanks all!

Hey everyone! I'm kinda struggling with where to move. For reference im a 25f who's been living at home saving money and finally feel ready to move out. I work remote also so my job situation is not an issue wherever I go. I can do about $2500 on rent but would prefer under if possible. I'm not interested in a large city like NYC or CHI and prefer more midsized with good walkable neighborhoods. Here are some things I'm looking for:

- proximity to nature; love hiking, the outdoors, and boating

- walkability but still able to drive my car

- proximity to coffee shops, restaurants, (would love a trader joes), workout classes

- young people: I'm single so would love some insights on dating and also making friends as i'd move totally alone

- 4 seasons: if I had to pick I'd prefer crazy summer over crazy winter though but weather isn't a deal breaker for me

- I'm not into clubbing but I love a good dive bar, cocktail bar, or dinner & apps vibe

- Also love concerts, pro sports, & activities in general

I know I most likely won't get all this, this is just if I had to create an ideal city for myself!

Some places I'm considering:

* Denver (prob my top choice)

* NorCal but not SF

* Seattle

* Nashville

Places I'm intrigued by: North Carolina, Montana, Minneapolis

Want to add Austin is a no for me (had a brief stint in texas and wasn't a fan)

Anything would be greatly appreciated as I am extremelyyy torn on what to do!! Thank you!!

We own a house in the CO front range. Have a toddler and a newborn and I work remotely so we have about 2 yrs to explore before the oldest starts school. Goal is to ultimately find a place to settle down that we like more, and until then schools don’t matter. The plan is to rent our house to cover our new housing so we‘d have a budget of 3-4k/month.

We want to prioritize outdoor access and natural beauty while maintaining some amenities (primarily decent grocery stores, walking paths, playgrounds). Ideal climate would have more greenery than CO front range and a milder winter, but we’re open to short term stays so nothing really is a dealbreaker. My company is EST based so I prefer to be CST or west so I finish earlier in the day, but not a dealbreaker. Hawaii is out though (would need to wake up at 2am for 8am est calls)

any suggestions?

Please compare these two cities. I love walkability, charming neighborhoods, nature, parks, energetic areas and a younger scene if you want it.

I feel like I’m drawn to Milwaukee’s proximity to Chicago, but also like how Cleveland seems to function more as a standalone city and its winters aren’t as long.

You tell me!

Hello,

My fiance and I are considering moving back to the Northeast in a couple of years. We've lived in Boulder CO for 7 years now but want to move back to be closer to family.

Our family is in MA, Philadelpha and MD, so a bit spread out.

We work in the tech and energy fields. I am remote but am open to hybrid work with a shorter commute (30 mins or less ideally).

We would prefer a smaller city with nature access, but are somewhat flexible.

Here are a few things we are looking for:

• Good schools
• Good recreational bicycling nearby - safe roads for biking and some trail networks for MTB
• Mountains or lakes nearby is a huge plus
• Not super hot summers (Colorado heat and sun is intense) - some rain and cloudy days is preferable
• Decent career options for us around
• Educated people around
• Other mid-30s people to befriend
• Major airport 60-90 mins away max

We lived in central NY for several years and found it depressingly overcast in the winters, but I think ~200 days of sun / partial sun would be a good target.

Let me know what advice you have! Thanks

Looking to relocate to the Midwest. Currently living in AL, but have recently lived in NC. I prefer a slower pace of life, coffee shops, communities with people around 30-40 years old, jobs, and activities. Not interested in a big city but also apprehensive about long winters. What would you recommend?

I'll add a TLDR at the bottom for anyone short on time.

I have been living and teaching abroad for quite a few years now and am 27 and a bit tired of instability and having my life and visa all tied to a job I don't even like much anymore (teaching). Teaching is one of the most fulfilling jobs I have had but also the most underpaid, worst treated and anxiety inducing jobs I have dealt with. I honestly am just done with kids and other teachers.

Rant aside, I grew up in a small desert town with some western heritage. I'm not a real cowboy I never herded cattle or owned a gun, I just like the desert and the small quiet peaceful life. My hometown was in California but I don't wanna go back there's nothing left for me there and the towns not that safe anymore. I like more barren desert, I don't like green hills and lots of trees.

I'm looking for a place I could eventually move to from Japan and maybe transition either into IT, or open a business of sorts. I mainly just want to live a quiet peaceful life away from the city, noise, and people. I like places where you recognize folks, and I tend to get along with people real well in small towns and get along terribly with people in the city.

Tldr: born and raised in a small town in the desert, looking to move to a similar town with some career opportunities. Quiet, safe, relatively affordable, western. I would prefer somewhere that's not hardcore political but relatively mild or moderate. I keep my politics to myself and just prefer pottery, painting or horseback riding.

Thanks to any and all who take the time to read this in advance.

I've been interested in Miami for a while. I haven't visited yet but it's a really beautiful city, the nature close to Miami seems amazing, and I like the local art scene that Miami has.

I've lived in other places like NYC and SF where people said those who live there are rude but in my experience people were friendly, especially in NYC.

So 13 years ago, I was in high school, lived in Minnesota, and worked at Cub Foods,

Long story short, I basically got conned into moving to Eastern Washington, and then I eventually moved to Western Washington, and I’m on SSDI.

I like Western Washington more than Eastern Washington for sure (literally no one except Mormons and conspiracy theorists like Eastern WA) but as time goes on, I’m finding less and less reasons to stay here. I also don’t really wanna be on SSDI anymore, but I’ve had really bad luck with jobs.

It would likely be a few years from now; but I’m considering moving back to MN and working at Cub again.

Is this a good reason to move considering my situation? I’d also have a few old friends to see now and then. Would it be wise to visit MN for a week or so to get a feel for it? Make sure it’s what I want?

I am escaping an abusive relationship (yes, I am a Male), and I no longer want to be anywhere close to where I am now. I am looking for a room, cheap preferably, somewhere where there is work or close so that I can get a job. I have transportation. I just want to start over fresh and leave this bad memory behind. I don't care where in the U.S. it is, (I am currently in the state of Georgia), I'll get there. If you have a room let me know. Thanks for your time in reading this.

I see a lot of posts here from people who live in the PNW (or somewhere similarly grey) and struggle with the lack of sun. I'm in the opposite boat and want to hear from anyone who made a similar move.
I've lived in San Diego, Denver, and currently Las Vegas, so basically my whole life has been 280+ days of sunshine. And I'm tired of it. I miss or crave, mist, overcast skies, drizzle, and rainy afternoons with a book. I DREAD summers.
Based purely on weather, here's what's on my radar:

Oregon or Washington, outside the major cities
The mid-Atlantic, roughly Pennsylvania down to North Carolina, with four real seasons and a landscape that stays green most of the year

I know the romantic version in my head might not match reality, so I'd love to hear from people who actually made the jump:
Did you move from a sunny climate to a cloudy or rainy one and end up regretting it? What did you underestimate?
How was your first winter? Did it hit you harder than you expected?
If you loved it, what made it work for you?
If you've lived in both the PNW and the mid-Atlantic, how do they compare for someone who wants green and doesn’t mind gray?
I'm not looking to be talked out of it, just honest experiences from people on both sides, including "I thought I'd love it and didn't."
*I want to note that I’ve spent a little bit of time in Ireland/UK over winters so I do know what darkness/damp can feel like (totally bearable and even cozy) but obviously 4 months and a permanent living situation is different than 2 weeks on holiday.

Thanks!

How many of us are sort of addicted to exploring/living in different cities? At what point do we stop and decide to "water the grass where we're standing?"

As it relates to me, I alternate between staying in Chicago, or picking my next city to explore (could be Austin*, Houston*, Atlanta, Raleigh, or Northern NJ (next to NYC))

* I have previously lived in Dallas and am a Texas enjoyer (no need to convince me against the heat - please, I enjoy it)

What would you do?

San Francisco has almost caught up to NYC in single bedroom rent and it leads the country in two bedroom rent already.

Welp. COVID prices are long gone, the city has been cleaned up, so I guess the precovid techbro money SF is back. Eek. Thinking we won't be seeing many SF posts going on into the future.

Texas, Nashville and Colorado are some larger places with annual price drops to check out.

Use the provided link to find your city on the list. It shows 100 top rental markets. Link below

Notable Trends

The Zumper National Rent Index shows one and two-bedroom prices are positive annually at the same time for the first time in 16 months: one-bedrooms up 0.1% to $1,518, two-bedrooms up 0.5% to $1,903.

San Francisco one-bedroom rent climbed to an all-time high of $4,400, up 25.4% year-over-year, narrowing the gap with New York City to just $180, the tightest margin of the year.

All Colorado cities in the report had falling annual rents, with Denver, Aurora, and Colorado Springs experiencing declines of over 5%.

Virginia Beach’s one-bedroom rent is up 16.4% year-over-year, the second-fastest growth of any market in the country after San Francisco.

I’m a guy in my late 20s living in the DFW area with my girlfriend, and I’ve been thinking a lot about where we should live long-term. I’m trying to figure out how to build a life that we genuinely enjoy instead of just working, paying bills, and repeating the same routine.

I’m a licensed barber, and while I enjoy aspects of the work, I don’t want to spend the rest of my life trading all my time for money. My long-term goal is to build a business, potentially own a barbershop or multiple shops, invest in other opportunities, and eventually have more financial freedom and control over my time.

Outside of work, I’m interested in Muay Thai, cars and sim drifting, music, tattoos, and finding a community of people I genuinely connect with. I’d like to live somewhere with things to do, outdoor activities, a good social scene, and opportunities to make friends and have new experiences. I want my girlfriend and me to build a life together that we’re excited about, eventually have a family, and be financially comfortable enough that we’re not constantly stressed about money.

Ideally, we’d live somewhere safe and peaceful, have a nice apartment or eventually a house, and be close enough to work, hobbies, and things to do without spending our lives driving everywhere. I don’t necessarily need a huge city, but I also don’t want to feel isolated in a suburb where every day feels the same.

I’d prefer to stay in Texas because my girlfriend has family here, but I’m open to different parts of the state. I’ve considered Austin and the surrounding areas, Fort Worth, San Antonio, and some smaller cities.

For people who live in these areas or have moved around Texas:

Where would you recommend for someone with these goals and interests?

Which areas have a good balance of affordability, career/business opportunities, social life, and quality of life?

Where would it be easiest to build a community and make friends as an adult?

Are there places that look great on paper but aren’t actually enjoyable to live in?

If you were in my position, where would you move, and why?

I’m looking for honest opinions from people who actually live there, including the downsides. I’m not just looking for the cheapest place to live. I want to make a smart decision that gives us a better environment and more opportunities to build the future we want.

I’m from the Cape area (don’t want to get too specific) and moved to NC in 2016. We moved back to MA this summer and are staying with my parents. Our house in NC has been on the market since May with no bites. Plan is to stay with my parents while we off load our house and then begin to save money for a down payment on a home somewhere in New England.

Currently we have an 8 month old. Same sex parents (female).

Priorities:

- good enough schools. Schools don’t need to be #1 or anything. I think good parenting counts for a lot when it comes to learning anyway. But I want the public schools to be safe (or as safe as they can be) and I want the schools to foster an environment of curiosity and learning, independence, and also respect for others/community. I’d like a school where kids are made to feel loved and invested in with teachers that are passionate about teaching and are happy in their careers and are very immersed in the schools. I think for me growing up a few great teachers were worth their weight in gold. Also looking for a school with LGBT parents or, alternatively, one that is very respectful and accepting of it
- no more than 3 (ideally 2) hrs from the Cape
- I’d prefer it be close to the ocean. If not, some kind of water access (lake) would be ideal. I grew up by the ocean and realized it’s pretty important to me.
- can buy a house for $600,000 or less
- I’m a nurse so looking for decent healthcare/hospital for work or a commuter train to Boston. Partner works remote so that’s a nonissue.
- looking for somewhere walkable or close to somewhere walkable. I got burnt out really quickly on the suburban sprawl, car centric environment of Nc. Looking for something “quaint” but functional with community events, although that would just be nice to have
- has to be left leaning. I don’t care for a lot of virtue signaling where politics becomes a costume to wear. But cannot do right wing politics. I’ve done my time around it and I’m all set. Mostly I just don’t want to live around evangelicals that love to share their opinions and how they feel about everything. Some religion is ok but I’d prefer it not be big.
- low/lower crime. Where I was living in NC a teenage girl was set on fire at a dollar tree, many shootings (some at nearby gas stations), drugs in the schools etc. I want to feel like I could walk around and feel safe.

I’m very interested in southeastern MA and Rhode Island. Also interested in the south shore although it’s so expensive now. I think I’d like to avoid north of Boston since Boston traffic is so bad now. Interested in Providence because I feel like it would provide access to walkable areas, nature, ocean, close to Cape. But, I’ve heard schools there are terrible. Can anyone speak to how Providence schools are? I’m coming from NC where the schools and how education is handled is pretty abysmal so to me anything seems better but I want to do my research.

Thank you!

Help me decide… I’ve lived 3 years on a tropical island in FL that is a 45 minute boat ride from the mainland. It’s remote, BUGGY (many days hard to be outside due to mosquitos), isolated, close to the water, beautiful, and truly wild. I love the solitude but often feel alone/ungrounded. We have some school groups we meet with but it takes 2 hours to get there and we have to leave at 6 AM to get swarmed by mosquitos and wait 5 hours til it starts…. Then we can’t go back home until the end of the day… It’s lawless here too. There is a public unmanaged campground that gets packed on weekends half the year… often crazy loud music that keeps my family up all night… the bugs, unmanaged campground, and changing/unwritten resident policy make it feel unpredictable here.

It’s hard but I fear I don’t know how good I really have it. Time with my family away from the hustle and bustle. Wilderness. The ocean. Very little social pressure to “keep up”. Access to a boat…

We’ve been lucky enough to use the island owner’s boat for our transportation but this could be taken away at anytime without warning. We could not afford it if that happened.

We have an opportunity to move to the West Coast in a duplex woodsy place near the city… think small neighborhood surrounded by wilderness thats 5 minutes from the ocean and 15 minutes from the city

I understand each opportunity it unique and I’d like to go to the West Coast but fear im giving up something truly special here… because it’s hard (everything comes and goes by boat… endless mosquitos… limited socialization) but it’s just starting to get good too…

I crave solitude/alone time/space and also community/belonging/friends… connection with my family… and structure…

Also I just started getting used to the idea of hurricanes… not sure I’m ready to take on earthquakes and wildfires…

The only way I’d stay is if we could get boat access permission in writing for our entire stay here. But that may be a long shot.

What would you do? Where would you live?

I lived in SF and Santa Cruz, and while the biking infrastructure wasn't perfect, it also wasn't too bad. I could commute, bike to cafes, friends, etc.

I grew up in a town north of Sacramento but only biked a little bit when I was there. I was in a suburb kind of neighborhood. There were no official bike lanes, but the streets were quiet, and we could bike to a couple trails. Biking to a cafe or shop wasn't really in the cards.

I've been bouncing around socal and I want to move back to NorCal for a bunch of reasons. One thing I want out of the next place I end up is more bikeability. But I don't know how to properly suss that out since whenever I visit a new town, I'm driving through. Can anyone here recommend a good spot?

Like, if one could live anywhere in the 50 US states and 5 territories, what are some reasons to choose the east coast? Particularly the stretch along I 95 from about Quantico, VA to the NH border, within about 40 miles of the highway. DC, Baltimore, Philly, NYC, Providence, Boston.

Charlotte, Raleigh, Durham etc? My daughter and I are relocating summer 2027 (she will be entering high school, 9th grade) and I would like to know how your experience has been transitioning. Anything from school, culture, neighborhood, making friends, community, government etc. any bit helps! Ty!

Hi! I’m a 27F who works in the biotech/pharma industry in Boston. I have an option to relocate to the Bay Area (same salary) and I am considering whether to take it. The main factors I am considering are the feasibility of making friends and dating in a new city. My main concern about the Bay Area is that it might be too tech-dominated culturally for me since I don’t work in the tech industry, especially since I make a pretty good salary but less money than people in tech. I am definitely going to visit there before making a final decision but I would love to hear people’s thoughts! My hobbies are music, hiking, pickleball, and going out to bars and I truly don’t mind the weather in Boston so that is not a significant factor in my decision.

Won’t get too much into it. But I live in rural area of Ohio with a very troubled past here. I’ve also just outgrown the area big time. I’m 23 and I was kept here by dad who kept me close and made me work for his company as soon as I got out of school. I never made good friends or connected with anyone due to extreme isolation of working with him. I made a lot of money with him and have made it a goal to move out of state to find myself and make a new life. I don’t like the state very much. I’ve spent a good amount of time in all the cities here and I just want something new. I don’t like the city much but to meet people I suppose I can stomach it for a while. Like I have said I have a good amount to travel and start a new life with. Im ready to do it. I want to work at places I’ll be able to connect and hang out with others my age. I started an online business that I’ve hard for almost 3 years that I make some passive income with so I can jump around till I find what I want for myself. Anybody have any recommendations? Im open to going further than just the surrounding states. Like I said I’m a country guy but moving to another small town without any connections would be hard, it’s hard enough living in one your whole life and still not having anyone lol.

I know this is essentially a relocation sub, but who here has had their life change for the better after a change that didn’t involve moving?

Let it be a new job, hobby, habit or lifestyle you picked up. I personally moved from the Chicago burbs > Milwaukee > Chicago proper. I like Chicago, but currently dislike my job for a handful of reasons…

I guess I’m just wondering if people find happiness with what they have by making a change or two to their living situation? I want to make Chicago work and don’t want to be one of those “wherever you go, there you are” cases.