Long story short, I recently lost my job and got thrown out of home by my brother. I'm homeless, but safe, temporarily residing in the city's equivalent of 'that hotel you meet call girls at'.
I can't stay in the city because there aren't any real opportunities for me, and I don't really like it here anyway. So I've decided to move, to a city/state that I find a little more palatable. I've been doing some research into possible locations, but I'm somewhat stymied by the fact that I've never been to these places; I'm relatively new to the country so haven't picked up common knowledge about places (aside from the obvious ones, like Detroit, Chicago etc). They're just names and numbers on a paper for me.
My selection criteria are:
-Decent job market. Until I get properly back on my feet, I'm happy (and have been working) unskilled work. I don't need professional industries. Just lots of places desperate for workers. Before coming to the States I worked in banking/finance/admin for five years. Since I've come here I've worked in retail, service, and manual labor and after moving around the country a few times I've always gotten a new job within 4-8 weeks. I'm fairly confident I'd be able to get a new job sooner rather than later.
-Pedestrian-friendly/decent public transport. I don't have a car, and I can't drive, and a large part of the problem here (ND) is everything's so spread out; it's impossible to get to by foot, and paying for a taxi everyday to get to work is a little counter-productive.
-Here's the kicker: low, affordable, rent. Wherever I'm going, it will be with my savings, currently just under $4k. I need to make that money last as long as I can while I'm looking for a job, and I feel most of that will go towards rent. I don't have any expensive hobbies, or recurring payments, and I'm perfectly happy eating ramen every day. I'm talking in the range of $400-600.
-Might clash with the last one, but low crime. With no friends or family, being isolated, I feel vulnerable in more ways than one. If push comes to shove I can live in area with a dubious crime rate, but certainly not gangland.
Non-essential, but hopefully extra criteria that gels with the above:
-Hot weather, I don't care if it's dry or humid. I hate the cold, and being this far up north is getting unbearable. When people complain the weather is 'too hot' you'll see me there with an ear-to-ear grin. It needn't necessarily be scoring hot 365 days a year, just somewhere where I don't have to wear a coat/jumper for three quarters of the year.
-Decent nightlife: I'll be alone, it would be nice to have the opportunity to meet people and make friends, maybe more.
-Cultural/ethnic diversity: I like meeting people from different backgrounds. When every other person you meet has the same origin story it gets very boring, very quickly.
Taking those into consideration, the States/cities I've come up with are:
Texas- Houston, Austin.
Ohio- Toledo, Columbus.
Idaho- Boise
Arizona- Tuscon
Georgia- Savannah, Augusta
Can anyone knowledgeable about those places (or live there) comment one way or the other? The list isn't exhaustive, and please feel free to suggest other places. It doesn't even have to be a particularly large/capitol city if it fits my criteria. I should also point out, whether you're knowledgeable about these places or not, if you've ever had to do a start over with less cash than you'd like please do share any tips you might have! In all the places I've moved to already I've always had friends/family, and somewhere lined up to stay. I'll be sailing completely into the unknown this time and I'm a little scared.
May 29, 2017 at 07:38PM
