#37802
Amok
Participant
@amok

So my wife and I are considering moving to the USA in the near future but have no idea what we are in for. Having never been to the US except for Hawaii it’s hard to be confident.

We want somewhere with good weather, good place to raise a family and availability of healthy living as we don’t eat overly processed food. I’m a fitness nut so there has to be good gyms available and lots of outdoor activities.

We’re thinking California would be good but what do you guys think? Is it hard to get a job at the moment? Is the cost of living high? Is it hard to buy a house in Cali?

I really have no idea. If it helps we currently live in Sydney Australia which is great but the cost of living is high.

#114167
mrchen
Participant
@mrchen

as our country is in a big recession what you do for a living may have more impact on where you live right now………….jobs are very scrace in most occupations………….there are many states and cities with good weather and natural food, we have gyms everywhere, maybe letting us know the industry you work in and more about your intended occupation would allow us to give better advice,

#114170
anonymous
Participant
@anonymous

Hawaii is definitely not indicative of the rest of the nation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdoYXdcqT54

Anyway, you can’t really predict the weather outside of the San Diego area where it’s pretty much 70F and sunny and all year round. Like pretty much all of California (except for the ghetto), the cost of living is very high.

There are good gyms throughout the country so that’s not a tough requirement at all. As for the outdoor activities, that depends on what you like to do outdoors. Obviously, there’s not a lot of great hiking spots in California, but there are plenty of beaches and the weather is great for running, skating, etc. outdoors. California is certainly known for being more health-conscious than most of the nation, but regardless of where you live, you make your own health choices.

As for good schools and nice neighborhoods, again, this exists in every state in the country, as do the opposite. Make sure you check the ratings of school systems and crime statistics online before going to the area to check it out in person.

Jobs are scarce all over as mrchen said. What do you do for a living?

#114172
Amok
Participant
@amok

Great replies thanks guys. I’m a sales rep for a pharmaceutical company, I’d hope to get a job with the same company in the US but that is by no means guaranteed. My wife works in retail which I imagine could be harder to find a job? More specifically she’s in women’s fashion.

#114173
anonymous
Participant
@anonymous

I don’t know anything about the job market for pharmaceutical reps, but jobs in retail are definitely limited. If your wife has adequate experience though, I am sure she will do ok. My wife is in retail management and was forced to find a new job last year. It took her 3 months before she got a solid job offer, which is actually pretty good within the current US job market. She also makes about 10% more than she did at her last job. However, she does have nearly 17 years retail experience so she usually gets a fair amount of bites when she sends out her resume.

#114174
Wardy
Participant
@wardy

lucky bastard!

#114175
Amok
Participant
@amok

Hmmm I guess if we do make this move we’d better have jobs lined up before we leave. Or maybe we should wait until the economy picks up.

#114176
anonymous
Participant
@anonymous
Amok;98966 wrote:
Hmmm I guess if we do make this move we’d better have jobs lined up before we leave.

I would absolutely have at least your job lined up before you move here. Even though retail is struggling, there are far more opportunities in this field, especially if you move to a heavily populated area.

Amok;98966 wrote:
Or maybe we should wait until the economy picks up.

So you’re never coming to the US then?

#114177
Amok
Participant
@amok
D3FiANC3;98967 wrote:
I would absolutely have at least your job lined up before you move here. Even though retail is struggling, there are far more opportunities in this field, especially if you move to a heavily populated area.

So you’re never coming to the US then?

Lol c’mon it’s gotta happen eventually!

#114185
JENerationX
Participant
@jenerationx

I lived in Virginia for 5 years and loved it down there for the weather and outdoor activities with the beach etc. Now I’m in Upstate NY and not loving the possibility of 2 feet of snow happening overnight in the winter, but it does mean skiing. There’s really no state that’s better or worse, you just have to find the better areas in each and as far as the weather, what are you looking for?

#114187
Amok
Participant
@amok
JENerationX;98977 wrote:
I lived in Virginia for 5 years and loved it down there for the weather and outdoor activities with the beach etc. Now I’m in Upstate NY and not loving the possibility of 2 feet of snow happening overnight in the winter, but it does mean skiing. There’s really no state that’s better or worse, you just have to find the better areas in each and as far as the weather, what are you looking for?

I hate cold weather, we want weather similar to Sydney. It never snows here and summer is very hot. Hardly ever rains here either. Not that I mind rain, but screw living where it snows, that’s not for us.

#114190
JENerationX
Participant
@jenerationx
Amok;98979 wrote:
I hate cold weather, we want weather similar to Sydney. It never snows here and summer is very hot. Hardly ever rains here either. Not that I mind rain, but screw living where it snows, that’s not for us.

Cross the North East off your list then LOL. I’d actually like to move back down to Virginia or North Carolina. Beautiful weather most of the year, I saw snow flurries once in 5 years and had to laugh when the entire state freaked out about it.

Hey, before you leave Sydney, please stop in and say hi to P. Sherman, 42 Wallaby Way, for me. 😀

#114196
anonymous
Participant
@anonymous

My inlaws live in the lowlands of South Carolina. Very hot, though I’m not not sure how often it rains. It snowed once since they lived there I think and it was about an inch. They shut down the schools and everything. lol

I’m looking to move out of PA in the not-too-distant future and Virginia is on my short list of places to live. Every time I go camping there I don’t want to leave. I was just there a couple weeks ago actually.

IMG_1293.jpg

#114200
msmercury
Participant
@msmercury

Well, I would say, stay away from Maryland. They are in love with taxes here, so they find new ways to steal our money away everyday. They also love to make laws to oppress and further erode freedom whenever they can. Politically it sucks. The economy and jobs outlook here is not so great right now either. We have four seasons here, so you would not have pleasant stable weather year round. A plus for Maryland is you have ocean and mountains nearby and it is a small state, so you can get to the beach or the ocean fairly easily. It is pretty much like anywhere else, there is good and bad in everything. Best of luck to you if you move!! 🙂

#114201
bluey
Participant
@bluey

We want somewhere with good weather,
good place to raise a family
availability of healthy living as we don’t eat overly processed food.
I’m a fitness nut so there has to be good gyms available and lots of outdoor activities.

Hmmm the US is a great place, however wrong choice if you don’t want overly processed foods – ask for a white coffee – it aint milk! They say cream, but it doesn’t come from a cow, or any other animal for that matter.

By your description above I think you have described a place about 800Km South!

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