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Korean Job Discussion Forums
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sjrm
Joined: 27 Jul 2005
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 Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2007 9:32 am Post subject: |
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| sock wrote: |
In no particular order ...
Cold-weather suggestions:
Warmer weather suggestions:
1 Santa Fe/Los Alamos, New Mexico
2 Tuscon or Flagstaff, Arizona (Flagstaff isn't that warm, but still a nice place)
3 Las Vegas, Nevada suburbs, especially southeast and northwest.
4 Stockton, Sacramento, or Modesto, California
5 St. George, Utah
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Well, if you're into small town living, Santa Fe, Tucson and Flagstaff might be right for you. I lived in Vegas for 11 years, and couldn't wait to get out. Nothing really to do but drink and gamble. Unless you're into that sort of thing. As for St. George, well, it's not that great of a town imho. Everything closes at 9:00, and well, there's nothing really else going on in town. Went there many times when I was in Vegas, and just started passing through on my way to Cedar City(an ok small college town) and on my way back to Vegas. |
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zappadelta
Joined: 31 Aug 2004
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| Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2007 4:27 pm Post subject: |
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| sock wrote: |
In no particular order ...
Cold-weather suggestions:
1 Jackson Lake, Wyoming (can be a little pricey depending on how close to "downtown" you want to be)
2 Denver or Colorado Springs, Colorado
3 Reno/Truckee area, Nevada (Some areas are not that cheap though.)
4 Boise, Idaho. (It is a decent, down-to-earth town that is growing fast, but personally I think it's quite ugly and not scenic at all. Kind of barren and cold-desert-y. Still, it's one of the fastest-growing mid-sized cities in the US. I think Eastern Idaho is more beautiful, but the cities are much smaller.)
5 Seattle is a great place, but rainy and maybe a little big for what you are looking for ... don't know exactly what size of city you want.
6 Park City, Utah
Warmer weather suggestions:
1 Santa Fe/Los Alamos, New Mexico
2 Tuscon or Flagstaff, Arizona (Flagstaff isn't that warm, but still a nice place)
3 Las Vegas, Nevada suburbs, especially southeast and northwest.
4 Stockton, Sacramento, or Modesto, California
5 St. George, Utah
I've also heard that Billings, Montana, and the Corvalis-to-Portland, Oregon, area is nice, but I've never been to either of those.
Anyway, what are you planning to do (ie, occupation) there? If it's something other than teaching, you may want to consider what the local economy's industry specializes in.
I have found a lot of places in the west to be culturally pretty down-to-earth. The further west you go, the more relaxed people are, and less nosy (and the flip side, less caring) about their neighbors. |
Thank you Sock, that reminded me that I forgot to mention what kind of climate. I want to live somewhere where it's like fall/spring for the majority of the year. I do prefer a colder place to a hotter place though. |
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Tiger Beer
Joined: 07 Feb 2003
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| Posted: Mon Apr 09, 2007 9:32 am Post subject: |
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Hawaii's Oahu would be #1 preferred place by far. But obviously, very expensive.
Las Vegas is up there.. I actually do like drinking and poker.. and most importantly, it's 24 hours. Entertainment all of the time.. and the casinos apart from the gambling aspect, do add an additional element to a city that it wouldn't otherwise have. Real estate is somewhat high however (but nothing quite like Hawaii or California though).
For very affordable housing.. my home state of Michigan is filled with available options. They also have beaches - although only good for a couple months of the year. However, its way too cold for me.. so I wouldn't readily consider the area. Warm weather is a much higher priority.
Another area I've considered is southeastern Gulf Texas. Brownsville, Harringer, etc. It would also be very affordable to live.. moderate weather as well.. and nice Tex-Mex influence. They are a bit small townish right now.. but growing fast.
Fort Lauderdale is another area I'd consider. |
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Travelous Maximus
Joined: 15 Jan 2007
Location: Nueva Anglia
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| Posted: Mon Apr 09, 2007 9:55 am Post subject: |
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| shifter2009 wrote: |
If its not wisconsin, forget about it. 
We do that flag thing 365 cause we just have such a nice looking flag. I gotta say, as far as flags go, U.S.A. has to be top 3 nicest looking flags. Only one I can think of that I might like more is the British flag, its pretty badass too. Maybe that could be a thread. Best flags. Someone with ambition should get on that. |
Korea's flag is pretty dope. So is the Vatican's, EU, Kiribati......
and this one:
of Bhutan. Pretty bad ass.
Check out more flags here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gallery_of_sovereign-state_flags |
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Keepongoing
Joined: 13 Feb 2003
Location: Korea
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| Posted: Mon Apr 09, 2007 6:17 pm Post subject: Pittsburg |
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| i have heard that Pittsburg is making a comeback and that the cost of living and housing was very reasonable. I think Pennsylvannia is a good state. |
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Tiger Beer
Joined: 07 Feb 2003
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| Posted: Sun Aug 05, 2007 8:08 am Post subject: |
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| Keepongoing wrote: |
| i have heard that Pittsburg is making a comeback and that the cost of living and housing was very reasonable. I think Pennsylvannia is a good state. |
I drove through Pittsburgh years ago.. and was impressed with the beauty of the region.
I've heard Pittsburgh be called the 'poor man's San Francisco' because of its many rolling hills.
I'd like to hear more about Pennsylvania. Upstate New York as well. They seem very urban-like in their smaller cities as well. |
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Roch
Joined: 24 Apr 2003
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Sun Aug 05, 2007 10:56 am Post subject: |
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| Gatsby wrote: |
There are two states the discussion appears to have overlooked: Vermont and North Carolina.
I will concede that if I had my life to live over, I might have settled in the Northwest. However, I hear it is not such a cheap place to live now.
Another state I wish I had moved to is Vermont. Very nice people, beautiful state.
But another fine state that people tend to overlook is North Carolina. It has a lot going for it, including the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains. The Asheville area has a lot of charm, and a lot of artisans types have moved there. However, Asheville is no longer the bargain it was. But there are great values to be had in the foothills, beginning perhaps 30-40 miles west of Charlotte, and westward. Charlotte, itself, is a very nice city. I know someone who looked for an average home in the Northwest, and found a good sized house on 12 acres with a stream running through it for the same price in the foothills.
North Carolina is not a typical Southern state, having put more emphasis on education, as evidenced by UNC Chapel Hilll, and the arts and sciences high schools, as well as the Research Triangle.
Another interesting area is the Florida Panhandle, from around Panama City westward to Pensacola. It is a growing area, and is a nice place to live. The barrier islands are the ones that are most at risk in a hurricane, but there are plenty of safer homes a bit more inland. |
The Panhandle has many problems. It's full of rednecks and white trash covered in tatoos. Many of the people have serious meth problems. More, there is the growing Russian mafia presense in the region to contend with every day and everywhere. |
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articulate_ink
Joined: 23 Mar 2004
Location: Left Korea in 2008. Hong Kong now.
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| Posted: Sun Aug 05, 2007 11:25 am Post subject: |
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I'm from North Carolina but I've also lived in both Seattle and Portland.
If you're looking for a moderate climate and a decent-sized city, consider Greensboro or Winston-Salem. They're big enough to have many urban amenities (no decent public transport yet) without being clogged by traffic all day. I think housing prices are still reasonable, more so in Winston than GSO. Raleigh and Durham also have a lot to offer.
Eastern NC has not been discovered yet. The inland cities on the coastal plain like Greenville (my hometown, surprisingly decent college town) and New Bern have more going on that you might think. Wilmington is a great little city, as well. Real estate's going up, but it's still much lower than other places.
As far as the Northwest goes, if you want reasonable prices go a little farther outside the immediate Portland and Seattle metro areas. Vancouver, WA, is suburb of Portland, and houses there aren't crazy expensive. Olympia's a cool little city, and it's about an hour from Seattle (in good traffic). I like Bellingham a lot, too, and it's right on the border near Vancouver (Canada). Eugene and Salem in Oregon are also worthwhile. Southwest Oregon's warmer, more like Northern California but less expensive. The PacNW rain and grey end somewhere south of Eugene. Climatically, it's pretty nice.
Check out the city forums in skyscrapercity.com to get a feel for what different urban areas are like. Might help you narrow the list. |
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whatever
Joined: 11 Jun 2006
Location: Korea: More fun than jail.
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| Posted: Sun Aug 05, 2007 5:35 pm Post subject: |
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| Gatsby wrote: |
| North Carolina is not a typical Southern state, having put more emphasis on education, as evidenced by UNC Chapel Hilll, and the arts and sciences high schools, as well as the Research Triangle. |
Do you mind spelling the name of my hometown correctly?
What an idiotic statement...it is in every way typical, both good and bad (just like everywhere else). 'Not a typical Southern state' is a horribly patronizing and ignorant way of expressing yourself. Even a guy like me, from Chapel Hill, a liberal hotbed, is proud to be from the South. Our traditional moniker for the town is "The Southern Part of Heaven".
Are you insinuating that other Southern states do not care about education, higher or otherwise?! If you are, that is a deliberately demeaning remark that speaks volumes about your own insecurity.
That said, it is a very nice state to live in. Geographic diversity, clean air and water, multicultural, etc. |
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applesandshanana
Joined: 09 May 2007
Location: Michigan
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| Posted: Wed Aug 08, 2007 7:46 am Post subject: |
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I'm trying to figure out where to live after I come back from Korea. The requirements being it has to have readily available teaching jobs and a liberal/artsy-fartsy/music scene going. If we can't find new vinyl albums in a 30-mile radius, it won't cut it.
I've found plenty of cities, unfortunately I can't spend 300k on a one bedroom condo. |
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browneyedgirl
Joined: 17 Jul 2007
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| Posted: Wed Aug 08, 2007 8:48 am Post subject: Re: Buying a house in the US - Where? |
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| Quote: |
I'm trying to figure out where to live after I come back from Korea. The requirements being it has to have readily available teaching jobs and a liberal/artsy-fartsy/music scene going. If we can't find new vinyl albums in a 30-mile radius, it won't cut it.
I've found plenty of cities, unfortunately I can't spend 300k on a one bedroom condo. |
New Mexico (which I still can't believe how many people don't know is a state) has a lot of nice cheap housing and an okay job market. Taos, Albuquerque, Los Alamos, Las Cruces are all good places. Belen, Bernalillo and Los Lunas should be avoided.
You'd like Nob Hill in Albuquerque. Lots of art jobs and galleries...lots of rich hippies and art minded people. VERY liberal minded area. The artsy-fartsy/music scene in that area never stops. There is always something going on. |
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djsmnc
Joined: 20 Jan 2003
Location: Dave's ESL Cafe
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| Posted: Wed Aug 08, 2007 11:12 am Post subject: |
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[quote="Roch"]
| Gatsby wrote: |
The Panhandle has many problems. It's full of rednecks and white trash covered in tatoos. Many of the people have serious meth problems. More, there is the growing Russian mafia presense in the region to contend with every day and everywhere. |
Rednecks and white trash are everywhere in the US, but there are certainly a lot of methheads in the middle North Crackalack. Russian mafia? I haven't even met a Russian in the Carolinas! Well, there was an exchange student at my university...
Anyway, North Carolina lacks excitement. Too many fat people who just like to binge on products from Sam's Club, drive SUV's, and stay home. There are fun things to do if you're willing to drive 3+ hours. I suppose if you're old it may be a nice place to relax. |
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Okibum
Joined: 28 Jul 2006
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| Posted: Wed Aug 08, 2007 1:14 pm Post subject: |
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I love the Florida panhandle. The only problem I saw is that although housing is relatively cheap in between Panama City and Pensacola it is almost impossible to get home owner's insurance.
I love Spokane's summers. I am actually here right now. It's hot and if you like the outdoors it is the place for you. I plan to buy real estate in Spokane next year. |
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storysinger81
Joined: 25 Mar 2007
Location: Daegu
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Tiger Beer
Joined: 07 Feb 2003
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| Posted: Sat Aug 18, 2007 10:36 pm Post subject: |
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Seems like soon the markets will be sorting themselves out!
In the past I grew up in Michigan, and lived at Grand Canyon AZ (1 year), Minneapolis (1 1/2 years), Portland Oregon (1 year), New York City (2 1/2 years) and San Francisco (1 year).
IDEALLY, Hawaii, California or Washington State would be best for me it seems. That is IF the price of housing comes back relative to local salaries/wages.
My main interests would be heavy Asian populations and ocean-proximity.
Last edited by Tiger Beer on Wed Jan 02, 2008 5:35 am; edited 1 time in total |
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