Considering a big move (geographically), but where and how?

[JustMe]

I live in Oregon and have recently learned enough about the potential of the Cascadia earthquake to make me want to get out of here and move myself and my 2 kids (ages 13 and 16) somewhere else. I feel like I have gone from hearing nothing about this to hearing enough to completely freak me out. They are claiming the earthquake is likely to be the biggest natural disaster in north America, destroy roads, structures will come down, etc. My house is not made to withstand that and it would cost $$ to get it to a place where it might be okay. It might not happen in my lifetime but it might, and my house is what I have to leave to my kids (or the value of it). I am afraid that soon it won't be marketable. Most people don't seem to be changing what they are doing *yet* as far as buying houses, etc, *yet*. For whatever reasons, my friends here tend to be older than me with no kids or kids that are fully living their own lives. In short, I dont really have anyone around me who seems to be taking this as seriously as I am. I am a very play it safe person, and am not a gambler.

I don't know where I would move to or how. I need to live in a liberal place. My kids are latina/o and we are Jewish. I really don;t deal well with cold weather. I don't know where I would go and what process I would use to get a job/house etc. I made 2 big moves by myself, but the last was about 20 years ago and this was before kids. The first move was right out of grad school and I picked myself up and moved to CA with no job. The other was from CA to OR and I drove down, stayed for several weeks, applied to jobs and got one. That won't work this time. I would need to have a job before moving and someplace to live. I need to live someplace that is affordable on a social worker salary. My sister lives in NYC, and I am actually from there, but it is too big and expensive for me, the pace is too fast. I love the West coast, but not sure it makes sense as I might trade one earthquake threat for another. Someone suggested Pittsburgh, someone suggested Delaware. I just have no idea about these places.


So basically where to consider moving to and how does someone like me make that happen? I am on linkedin, but only in a basic way. Its not really used here as a way to get jobs as its small enough its just not necessary or that useful. Not even sure where to start, so I welcome and ideas. Feel free to pm me! Thanks!

[westwoodmom04]

How open are you to having a winter or a very hot humid summer?

[JustMe]

How open are you to having a winter or a very hot humid summer?

I think I would be okay with a hot humid summer, but not sure where you have in mind in terms of needing someplace liberal? As far as a winter, not sure. I hate cold, hate snow. OTOH, I may have to consider being more open to that given my other needs. I can't see myself living in someplace like upstate NY weather-wise, where it is that cold and that much show.

[KpbS]

I would look into Dallas or Atlanta. I think moving could be a good thing for your family. (((Hugs)))

[SnuggleBuggles]

So you couldn’t handle Michigan cold. I was thinking Ann Arbor. But, I think that if you start looking at university towns, that might be a good start. Many universities are liberal bubbles- obviously with some exceptions so do take religious affiliations and other philosophies into consideration!

I’ve heard good things about Boise. Might be worth a look.

Pittsburgh is affordable and there is a large Jewish population specifically in one city neighborhood (Squirrel Hill). But, not a large Latin population. Tons of universities so if you stay within a certain range, it’s very liberal. It doesn’t take too long (30 minutes) in any one direction for the politics to do a 180 though.

I think you need to bring your kids into the fold. Then might have strong opinions, especially regarding moving at all.


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[JustMe]

I think you need to bring your kids into the fold. Then might have strong opinions, especially regarding moving at all.


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Thanks for the replies. I have told the kids I am worried about the earthquake and think about moving. Dd is saying she wants to (but would probably change her mind about this if I were to start actually doing things). Ds does not and is obsessively giving me about all I need to do to prepare for the earthquake. I have that info from more reliable sources, so this is not helpful, but its what he feels he needs to do. Nevertheless, I think he is the one who would adjust the easiest if we actually moved. Dd would have a hard time, but she is having a hard time here anyway.

As far as where, I would not get their input on that quite yet. I mean they give it to me, but they are not able to be reality based in their input and it would just set them up for feeling like I am not listening to them. If I get to a point where I have narrowed down some choices, maybe at that time.

Keep the suggestions for where coming. Also, am interested in any search engines (other than indeed and craigslist) for locating jobs for this kind of move. Wish I knew of a forum for social workers as it would be great to hear about job potential and how that translates into the cost of living from people who are there (wherever there may be).

[jawilli4]

Someone suggested Pittsburgh, someone suggested Delaware. I just have no idea about these places.


Not very helpful advice-wise but can help with my impression of Delaware as we lived there for a few years then just outside of it in PA for a bunch more...

Delaware is nice and I have good memories of it. However, in general schools are not very good and restaurants are not very diverse. People either luck into charter schools, go private, or move to PA and commute into DE for their jobs. However, it is a pretty inexpensive place to live, especially for seniors. We are in NJ right now and I have heard countless natives say that realtors tell them to move to DE if they want to live somewhere cheaper.

We also lived in Texas, although outside of Houston. With all the flooding, I would be hesitant to go back. However, I loved the people and the food. I like KpbS's idea of Dallas.

[georgiegirl]

Pittsburgh can be very grey and gloomy and the traffic is horrible. I lived there for 4 years. It’s beautiful and culturally would work for you (large Jewish population and liberal). Weather isn’t the best though.

[westwoodmom04]

I think your biggest obstacle is going to be finding locations with relatively good weather that are liberal that have a lower cost of living. Most of the east and west coast wouldn’t qualify due to hcol. A city in a southern state or southwestern state might work— most are liberal even if the state itself is not. You could try a city in a state that is trending more liberal like Nevada, or Arizona. Parts of a Florida might work as well. Certainly there would be sizable Latino populations in these states.

[JustMe]

I think your biggest obstacle is going to be finding locations with relatively good weather that are liberal that have a lower cost of living. Most of the east and west coast wouldn’t qualify due to hcol. A city in a southern state or southwestern state might work— most are liberal even if the state itself is not. You could try a city in a state that is trending more liberal like Nevada, or Arizona. Parts of a Florida might work as well. Certainly there would be sizable Latino populations in these states.

Thanks. Yes, I am wondering if I am going to have to compromise majorly on the weather.

[sariana]

I can't really think of a single place that doesn't have some risk of catastrophic loss. Your concern seems unreasonable to me (CA girl--I grew up with earthquakes and hearing about The Big One). Have you considered therapy?

I've been hearing a lot lately about the volcano under Yellowstone. If that goes, the entire country will be devastated. But there's nothing I can do about it, so why worry excessively about it?

An asteroid could hit the Earth at any time. No one on this planet has the technology to stop it.

There are many, many reasons to move. The risk of one particular earthquake event is not necessarily a logical one. Are there other factors prompting your desire to move?

[mom2binsd]

On reddit there is a subreddit called socialwork, it's a forum for social workers to ask these type of questions, I'm on tbe SLP one and it's very helpful.

Weather wise Baltimore works, and there are large Jewish areas, affordability might be tricky.

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[JustMe]

I can't really think of a single place that doesn't have some risk of catastrophic loss. Your concern seems unreasonable to me (CA girl--I grew up with earthquakes and hearing about The Big One). Have you considered therapy?

I

I appreciate your concern, but have you been exposed to the latest on what has now changed from The Big One to The Great Big One and other recent info about the Cascadia earthquake? I lived in CA for 7 years and never worried much. I lived here for 18+ years, heard about earthquake potential but things have recently changed A few weeks ago I went to an event that was hosted by the school district, American Red Cross, and our local utility company. There is new research that indicates this is going to be much bigger and worse than they thought. They are now asking us to have 2 weeks of supplies on hand (changed from 3 days, which I never did and never worried about), be prepared to be without medical or any other kind of help for 2 weeks, be prepared that landmarks will be gone, be prepared to have a meeting place to meet our families and have walkie-talkies. They say they thnk the quake is more likely to last 5 minutes, which is a very long time, and may be a 9 on the scale. They said it will be the worst natural disaster thus far in North America.

Our local newspaper (not a publication that is "out there" in any sense of that phrase) recently published an article on what our area is likely to be like "after the great big one" that agrees with all of the above. Additionally, one of our major freeways is under major construction to be retrofitted; there is generally not a lot of money for roadwork here and they have not hesitated to make things really disruptive; not sure it that last part is clear, but all of this to say that the people in the know seem to be taking this extremely seriously and there is an urgency and financial commitment to this that is a new shift. At the same time, this has not seemed to reach most of the general population here yet. Even on a purely financial level, I would hate to get to a point when my house is not marketable; I could make some changes to make it more stable, but given some factors about my house that I wont get into would be huge and I have dealt with the contractors who do that type of work here for other reasons; I do not feel good about them.

I would be more than happy to convince myself that this is not a reason to move; maybe make the the changes they advocate for(to prepare) and go back to my life. In fact, I may do this as a move is overwhelming to me under the current circumstances, I agree there are concerns that various things could happen most places, and this may not happen anytime soon. OTOH, they say its now not if it will happen, but when it will happen and say it really is likely to be worse than was thought. I have days and weeks when I do not think of this at all, and have even recently applied to other jobs here. So, I do not think this is a psychological issue for me.

As far as other reasons to move; yes, there are some, but I would not move *at this time* if this was not such a huge concern. My other issues include that my daughter was recently sexually assaulted at school and the school has been awful to deal with (but there are less dramatic ways to deal with this than moving to who knows where) and that the lack of diversity both for my children as latina/o and us all as Jews has become more of a concern in recent times.

[Globetrotter]

I understand the fear. I’m generally risk averse but we live near a major CA fault. Go figure. But overall we love it here, the high tech jobs are here, and we do what we can to prepare.

I went through a moving phase with similar criteria though we have equity in our house so that wasn’t so much an issue, and I found almost anywhere there are potentially catastrophic climate and geological issues, and they only seem to be worsening. Think about the excessive flooding, hurricanes and tornados, and the list goes on.

I found the northeast has blizzards, but (maybe I’m wrong) they don’t seem to be as deadly as some other events. There are hurricanes in places like NY, and given the worsening risk, that might be a bigger problem in the future.

However, I don’t want to move to a very cold place, partly due to health reasons.
Colorado seemed ok.. maybe a place like Denver. Large cities in Nevada or Arizona might work, though they will Be hot. I realized we were going to have to compromise on weather if we wanted to move :) Sacramento doesn’t have the same earthquake risk, but there is flooding.

Austin TX might be good and the weAther is relatively moderate for Texas, but it’ll be hot. College towns are a good bet, almost anywhere, but I’ve lived in a college town bubble in a red state, and I Wouldn’t want to go back in these times.

Check this out to get some ideas, but take it with a grain of salt as the patterns seem to be changing!
https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/the-10-states-safest-from-natural-disasters.html

[123LuckyMom]

Have you considered Massachusetts? You can find lots of towns that are liberal and have substantial Jewish populations. It’s close enough to NYC that you can visit family easily. There are parts of the state that are very expensive but others are much more reasonable. The schools are generally good, and many are excellent. There are numerous college towns, and those provide really wonderful access to the arts. Winter might not be appealing, but otherwise I think it would be a good fit.


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[twowhat?]

Following. DH and I have thought about moving to Washington state when we retire for the cooler weather (we do believe it's just going to get hotter over time!), proximity to Canada, etc. I'm worried too about diversity. We don't have to live in a liberal area but it needs to be relatively diverse and accepting and I kind of worry about the Oregon/Washington suburbs where it would be cheaper to live (maybe I'm unnecessarily worried?).

We currently live in the Dallas area. I know lots of people frown on Texas but honestly there are some lovely neighborhoods in the DFW area that are diverse and people are truly nice here. Cost of living is low (for now!!) and it's easy to live here. Schools are outstanding (if you choose an area with a good district). We have all the arts/music/shopping/food etc that you would want. Drawbacks are the long, hot summer and the potential for severe weather in the spring/early summer. Having your A/C break here is considered an emergency in the summer and it's expensive to cool a large house. Public transportation, though it exists, isn't very extensive. You have to have a car. And of course you could consider the political environment a drawback depending on which way you lean. We are moderate-liberal and live in a county that leans liberal but even then we have had occasional bad experience with racism - I'm thinking about the old white man who was mean to us at a kids dance recital - we were taking pictures of our kids (like EVERYONE ELSE) and he targeted us for blocking the view. I mean literally everyone else was trying to take pictures of their kids. I 100% believe we were racially targeted, and that sucks. The only thing that makes me feel better about it was that he was probably a grandpa from out of town here to watch his grandkid.

If you ever watch that show "What Would You Do" they did a social experiment on a lesbian couple out with their 2 kids (actors) and had a nasty woman make snide comments (also actor) and did the exact same experiment in NYC. The folks here (and this was a suburb of Dallas - the town right next to us) were far more likely to stand up for the family than people in NYC, EVEN IF they didn't necessarily agree with it. When they say people are nice here, it's a genuine nice. We moved my MIL here a couple years ago and I feel comfortable with where she lives - her (white) neighbors are so kind and helpful. I really do like living here except that it's so hot in the summer (and I grew up here so I should be used to it but I still hate it). But I will admit that in the past few years I feel hyperaware of being the only non-white person/family in some areas that we go to for shopping/dining. The neighborhood that we live in itself is pretty diverse and overall I feel comfortable.

There's a pretty big Jewish community in the North Dallas area - the public schools in that area suck but all those kids go to private anyway. It is a more expensive neighborhood. But with your kids being teens already, and who knows where they will want to go to college, maybe don't rush right now and keep looking/researching (and I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts on Washington/Oregon - away from the fault line! And maybe that's something else for you to consider is just moving away from the fault line).

Austin is nice and comes with some surrounding natural beauty. But the nice neighborhoods are getting REALLY EXPENSIVE...it is starting to remind me of California.

[JustMe]

(and I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts on Washington/Oregon - away from the fault line! And maybe that's something else for you to consider is just moving away from the fault line).

.

I have to say that geography is not my thing so much, so I myself need to look more into where those places are. I do know they are constantly changing, and pretty much don't know, how wide of a radius we need to be seriously concerned about. More recently they are worried about a wider radius/longer distance. I do think there are probably some parts of WA that are probably great, but I can't say I know which those are. If you do any research, let me know!

LOL! I did watch that particular What Would You Do. OTOH, I really dont wish to move anyplace where people are nice to us "even though" we are Jewish, latino/a, etc, if that makes sense.

[anonomom]

When you say liberal, how broadly do you mean that? I ask because Wake County NC sounds like it could work very well for you. It’s a blue, albeit semi-purple in spots, county in the middle of a purple state currently dominated by a deep-red legislature. The people here seem quite open, friendly and accepting. There is some cold weather and snow, but we’re not really a hot spot for most natural disasters.

I think that the Charlotte area has a more vibrant Jewish community, but it’s more politically conservative. Durham and Orange counties might work, too.

[JustMe]

When you say liberal, how broadly do you mean that? I ask because Wake County NC sounds like it could work very well for you. It’s a blue, albeit semi-purple in spots, county in the middle of a purple state currently dominated by a deep-red legislature. The people here seem quite open, friendly and accepting. There is some cold weather and snow, but we’re not really a hot spot for most natural disasters.

I think that the Charlotte area has a more vibrant Jewish community, but it’s more politically conservative. Durham and Orange counties might work, too.

I honestly don't know the answer to your questions. The more liberal the better, but I will have to compromise on something. North Carolina has come up in some of my google searches as well, so it is a good suggestion. Thank you.

[SnuggleBuggles]

Raleigh would be a good option. A nice size city that’s still affordable.


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[Zansu]

If you can deal with hot summers, you're describing Tucson. Liberal, large percentage of Jewish population compared to other US cities, large Latinx population, visible Latinx-Jewish role models, university town, ongoing need for social workers, etc. Top-rated public and charter high schools, low to medium COL.

[marymoo86]

Raleigh would be a good option. A nice size city that’s still affordable.


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Not sure what you are considering affordable. It is getting much less so especially city center where the past couple if years 300-450k houses are demolished to give way to $1M+ houses. Some value is there but quickly dwindling. Not like it used to be. I wouldn't consider it blue either. Chapel Hill yes but definitely accepting. Certain neighborhoods not withstanding.

[ourbabygirl]

Yeah, I was going to suggest Austin, TX, too. More liberal/ open-minded than the rest of Texas, and good weather, so I'd think lower COL than places up north with snow.

[trales]

If you think you can used to cold, Northern New England. Liberal and reasonable cost of living, good schools. We are in the middle of the opioid epidemic, so there is work for you.

[doberbrat]

I love NC but I would not call it liberal nor all that accepting of culturally diverse populations. at least not Forsythe county - hard to believe that other parts would be completely opposite? For instance IME public school sporting events are opened with prayers. As are boyscout events. That would NEVER fly in MA or NYC!

Except for cold weather, parts of Mass could work though even the lower COL places might be higher than you're wanting. Depends on what you'd sell your house for - housing is the most expensive here - other things are on par with other cities I"ve been in.

Florida tends to be more liberal & has high latino & Jewish communities. But its hotter than H*$$ in the summer and there is that whole hurricane thing. If you're looking to be away from natural disasters, that might not be a good choice for you. Texas also has hurricanes, floods and tornados.

[mmsmom]

In general NC schools are awful. There are pockets with good school systems but as a whole the state is usually at the bottom of rankings. Chapel Hill has good schools and is pretty liberal but has a higher cost of living than other parts of the state. Same for Asheville. I think Raleigh and Charlotte are too conservative but there is a large Jewish population in Charlotte. I have friends in Austin who complain about housing prices.

[marymoo86]

Winston Salem? Yeah, that's totally not representative of Raleigh or Charlotte metro areas.

[pharmjenn]

I was going to suggest Las Vegas area. It gets hot, but not as bad as parts of Arizona.
How about Glassdoor to search for salaries? If you use a cost of living comparison calculator, you can enter what you make now and where you live, and where you are looking. It will tell you what you need to make in the new area. Then compare that to what you see on Glassdoor.
I found out how much more I make in California than anywhere else I would want to move but doing this.

[azzeps]

What about Bend? I live in Oregon, too, so I understand your concerns. My best friend is a geotechnical engineer and has taken up the cause of helping people prepare and spreading awareness about the Cascadia earthquake, so I know all about all the horrors. It's scary, but there are things you can do to mitigate risk. Things I should probably get on myself.........

[JustMe]

Thanks so much for all of the responses and ideas about places to move. I tried to talk myself out of moving, because its just so overwhelming, and I really dont even know where to start. As I said, I made 2 big moves before kids but that was totally different. I mean, do I start looking at jobs first in areas I may be interested in or go fly someplace and consider if I could live there or not first. I know there is no "right" answer, but it is so overwhelming.

That led me to believe I should just fork over money to get my house retrofitted for earthquakes and do everything possible on that end of things. I can only say that led me to sites with more info on what is expected from this particular earthquake (reputable ones) and what is expected is just so scary serious that I am feeling like exploring moving options is necessary. If anyone has any ideas or suggestions about where to start, what kind of process to use, or what steps to take (look for job in various places first, go fly somewhere and decide if I could live there, or what) , hit me with them, please!

I did e-mail the graduate school I went to and asked if there is any on-line forum or other resource they would recommend for a social worker looking to re-locate but not sure where.

azzeps, I am pming you!

[div_0305]

I would suggest the Washington DC metro area. If you choose to do social work for the federal or a local government (DC, MD, or VA), you would have lots of options. There are many socio-economically diverse communities here for housing, and for the northern VA area, excellent public schools. I know there is a large Jewish and Latino population here, too. Northern VA/DC are liberal (the rest of VA --ugh). While I still find winters here extremely cold, they are not unbearable. Snow totals are manageable most years. Summers are hot and humid--horrid. My main reason for posting is that the job market here is PLENTY, and many options to move around if you don't like your place of work. Housing in the Arlington area of northern VA has become hard to come by due to Amazon's HQ II. However, that is just one, liberal, diverse area to live in. For natural disasters, the worst we seem to deal with are insane thunderstorms. There is a fault under VA, but it's not an active one. Our manmade disasters here are traffic.

[Kindra178]

Chicago works for everything you want except weather. Lots of social work jobs and a tremendous need for private practice. Some of the close in suburbs have great diversity in every respect.

While there are pockets of liberalness in the south, you will always be at odds with state legislatures and backwards thinking.


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[RiverRat]

While I still find winters here extremely cold, they are not unbearable. Snow totals are manageable most years.

This made me smile - I’m from the North and never wore my winter coat when I lived in Northern VA. Winters were so mild to me! [emoji3]

OP - snowy weather sucks - but if you think of somewhere more Midwest than north the weather could be more manageable. When house hunting, make sure you get a garage to park in. Snow is more manageable that way. And consider paying someone for snow removal.

Good luck in your quest. I’d consider applying for jobs and seeing what sticks.


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[ezcc]

I live in Baltimore and think it would be a good fit- easy bus/train to nyc to see your sister, not that much snow, very liberal east coast vibe. Lots of need for social workers. Large Jewish population, very diverse. People are (rightfully) concerned about crime and local politics for good reason but there a lot of amazing people here and really cool neighborhoods. I find it a very livable city. Schools are tricky, but there are a handful of very good public high schools- all high schools in Baltimore are application based, not geographical so you would need to look into what the transfer application is like (I imagine it would not be too difficult to find a good choice.) I loved Pittsburgh when I visited, but is definitely a lot colder, grayer and not close to much else. Baltimore is great because you can be at the beach, in the mountains, in dc, in philly, in nyc with relative ease. University of Maryland has a well regarded school of social work that is in Baltimore, maybe start there to get ideas on employment? I feel like the job market has changed a lot as far as how people get jobs so not really sure how to go about that.

[DualvansMommy]

your request for mild weather make it really hard, while finding low COL area. I agree with above for D.C, NYC, and Chicago cuz I lived in those cities as a social worker and there was always tons of work. But I was also a single person in those times, so not really sure on feasibility of raising kids on 40-60K income in those cities. Midwest is really your best bet as far affordability, but you won't have the weather though.

[SnuggleBuggles]

your request for mild weather make it really hard, while finding low COL area. I agree with above for D.C, NYC, and Chicago cuz I lived in those cities as a social worker and there was always tons of work. But I was also a single person in those times, so not really sure on feasibility of raising kids on 40-60K income in those cities. Midwest is really your best bet as far affordability, but you won't have the weather though.

Yeah, I think some people really don't get the affordable aspect. To find decent housing that isn't super far our is so expensive in any of those cities listed. There are places where $300k would be considered a bargain (or you'd assume it was a crack house ;)) but there are places that you can buy a kick a$$ house for $300k and you can buy a modest, safe, comfortable house for $150k. Everyone has a different gauge on affordable. (I still contend that you can get affordable housing in Raleigh but I admit I was more thinking outside of the area- outside of the beltway or in Cary.)

[bisous]

I went looking last night and still had a hard time finding info about a catastrophic earthquake. I had never heard it mentioned at all prior to your post! I really do feel like you can find natural disasters anywhere. I think your retrofit plan is smart!!

[trcy]

Haven't read all of the replies, but what about the Asheville area?

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[AnnieW625]

I can't really think of a single place that doesn't have some risk of catastrophic loss. Your concern seems unreasonable to me (CA girl--I grew up with earthquakes and hearing about The Big One). Have you considered therapy?

I've been hearing a lot lately about the volcano under Yellowstone. If that goes, the entire country will be devastated. But there's nothing I can do about it, so why worry excessively about it?

An asteroid could hit the Earth at any time. No one on this planet has the technology to stop it.

There are many, many reasons to move. The risk of one particular earthquake event is not necessarily a logical one. Are there other factors prompting your desire to move?

I agree with this especially the suggestion for therapy.

Could you move further south in Oregon to Medford?

TBH I wouldn’t move for the reasons you are concerned though.

My college roommate lost her home in the 1989 SF Earthquake, and they rebuilt. I lived 90 miles north and felt the quake. My uncle would’ve died that day had he gone his normal way home from work (the 880 freeway in Oakland collapsed) had he not decided at the last minute he had to run an errand and go home a different way.

I vaguely remembered the sky being darker than normal for a few days (when I was 4 or 5) and Mt. St. Helens erupted....I lived about a 600 miles south of it. When I was little I thought it was so much closer than it really was.



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[marymoo86]

Yeah, I think some people really don't get the affordable aspect. To find decent housing that isn't super far our is so expensive in any of those cities listed. There are places where $300k would be considered a bargain (or you'd assume it was a crack house ;)) but there are places that you can buy a kick a$$ house for $300k and you can buy a modest, safe, comfortable house for $150k. Everyone has a different gauge on affordable. (I still contend that you can get affordable housing in Raleigh but I admit I was more thinking outside of the area- outside of the beltway or in Cary.)

Nope not Cary - that's where all the Northern transplants have tended to migrate in part driving up home prices due to demand as well as the growth from RTP. The further you get from Raleigh proper the more conservative you get. Generally more liberal = higher housing costs. It's relative as it is MCOL but has really appreciated greatly in the past 10 years. Not the value it used to be. There are good values still but get snapped up quickly. Of course, depends on budget as well but there's a shortage of <400k houses that are somewhat updated and over 1000 sq ft.

City data forums are good to get a feel.

https://www.zillow.com/cary-nc/home-values/

[westwoodmom04]

I would suggest the Washington DC metro area. If you choose to do social work for the federal or a local government (DC, MD, or VA), you would have lots of options. There are many socio-economically diverse communities here for housing, and for the northern VA area, excellent public schools. I know there is a large Jewish and Latino population here, too. Northern VA/DC are liberal (the rest of VA --ugh). While I still find winters here extremely cold, they are not unbearable. Snow totals are manageable most years. Summers are hot and humid--horrid. My main reason for posting is that the job market here is PLENTY, and many options to move around if you don't like your place of work. Housing in the Arlington area of northern VA has become hard to come by due to Amazon's HQ II. However, that is just one, liberal, diverse area to live in. For natural disasters, the worst we seem to deal with are insane thunderstorms. There is a fault under VA, but it's not an active one. Our manmade disasters here are traffic.


DC area has a very high col, it has really skyrocketed over the past decade or two — Baltimore is better, but still high compared to most parts of the country. Add in high income and property taxes. Op is seeking a lcol location.

[citymama]

I would consider Davis, CA or Salt Lake City. I'm in the SF Bay Area, and several of our multi-racial, liberal friends who could no longer afford to live here have made happy moves to SLC. Real estate is much cheaper, they've bought 4 BR houses with yards for the price of a 1BR here, schools are good and their neighbors are liberal and diverse. Davis is a college town that has great weather and is significantly cheaper than the Bay itself. I have good friends there who are Indian, Jewish, Latinx, African-American, and they feel very welcome and supported. If we needed to move due to real estate cost, I would certainly consider Davis.

[Aishe]

I went looking last night and still had a hard time finding info about a catastrophic earthquake. I had never heard it mentioned at all prior to your post! I really do feel like you can find natural disasters anywhere. I think your retrofit plan is smart!!

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/07/20/the-really-big-one

[div_0305]

DC area has a very high col, it has really skyrocketed over the past decade or two — Baltimore is better, but still high compared to most parts of the country. Add in high income and property taxes. Op is seeking a lcol location.

OP said "affordable," not lcol. As I said in my post, the DC metro area is socio-economically diverse, so I think that with the better rates of pay and robust employment market here, she could afford to live comfortably on a social worker's salary, with access to safe living and excellent public schools.

[westwoodmom04]

OP said "affordable," not lcol. As I said in my post, the DC metro area is socio-economically diverse, so I think that with the better rates of pay and robust employment market here, she could afford to live comfortably on a social worker's salary, with access to safe living and excellent public schools.

I agree that the dc area meets her other criteria, but DC is the 7th most expensive metro area in the country. I think it is difficult for families who make less than six figures to live here and social workers salaries are usually not that high. The median house price in dc is $580,000, in Arlington it is $640,000 and Zillow describes the market as very hot.

[pinay]

DH is a social worker with the VA and they have availability all over the country- he's interviewing someone for a position here in San Diego that is coming from Las Vegas, and has many coworkers from the East Coast. Working with a veteran population isn't for everyone, but there is definitely a need for social workers.

[westwoodmom04]

Here’s a list of the 25 most expensive metro areas in the country- all the usual suspects, NY/CT/NJ, many parts of California, Baltimore and DC, Seattle, Boston and parts of NE, Boulder, Miami, Hawaii, amd Alaska. https://247wallst.com/special-report/2018/09/07/what-it-actually-costs-to-live-in-americas-most-expensive-cities/

[Globetrotter]

I would consider Davis, CA or Salt Lake City. I'm in the SF Bay Area, and several of our multi-racial, liberal friends who could no longer afford to live here have made happy moves to SLC. Real estate is much cheaper, they've bought 4 BR houses with yards for the price of a 1BR here, schools are good and their neighbors are liberal and diverse. Davis is a college town that has great weather and is significantly cheaper than the Bay itself. I have good friends there who are Jewish, Latinx, African-American, and they feel very welcome and supported. If we needed to move due to real estate cost, I would certainly consider Davis.

I too was thinking of Davis. I’m not sure about the job market, however.

[bisous]

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/07/20/the-really-big-one

That’s a good article! I did see some note of the phenomenon but I just haven’t heard much about it at all. Maybe they dont want a panic situation? I guess if it were me I’d just make sure I was out of the tsunami zone. The rest is scary but none of the places mentioned in this thread are completely safe from natural disaster.

[citymama]

I too was thinking of Davis. I’m not sure about the job market, however.

My friends work at the University, commute to Sacramento or neighboring or have their own private practices.

[anonomom]

Nope not Cary - that's where all the Northern transplants have tended to migrate in part driving up home prices due to demand as well as the growth from RTP. The further you get from Raleigh proper the more conservative you get. Generally more liberal = higher housing costs. It's relative as it is MCOL but has really appreciated greatly in the past 10 years. Not the value it used to be. There are good values still but get snapped up quickly. Of course, depends on budget as well but there's a shortage of <400k houses that are somewhat updated and over 1000 sq ft.

City data forums are good to get a feel.

https://www.zillow.com/cary-nc/home-values/

Actually, Cary is a great place to live. Granted that new construction is expensive, but there are still lots of pretty affordable older neighborhoods. And I wouldn’t say it’s particularly conservative — the prevailing vibe seems more indifferent to politics at all and the interpersonal ethos tends towards “live and let live.”

[AnnieW625]

I would consider Davis, CA........ . Davis is a college town that has great weather and is significantly cheaper than the Bay itself. I have good friends there who are Indian, Jewish, Latinx, African-American, and they feel very welcome and supported. If we needed to move due to real estate cost, I would certainly consider Davis.
I am from the Davis area (and I lived in Davis for 4 years post college till I moved to SoCal in 2004) and while I love it it has gotten very expensive to live there because it is a college town, and now with the influx of transplants it has only gotten worse. The rental market makes regular affordable SFRs very hard to come because while there are apartments throughout the city the bulk of the students all rent the 3 to 4 bedroom houses and they are always rented and are never sold because they make a lot of money for the owners (because 5-8 kids live there) and in some cases parents will buy a rental for their kid to live in and three years later sell it for a profit or continue to rent it out after their kid graduates. If you are a two income professional level income (ie: min. of somewhere around $300k per year) from the Bay Area then it makes the area look like a bargain, but if you are coming from anywhere else with an income less than lets say $300k then it isn’t going to look like much of a deal at all and in fact might be more expensive than some of the other high col areas in the US. DH and I are govt. employees and we make just under $200k combined and if we were moving back to NorCal living in Davis could possibly be a stretch for us as well.

The weather from May-September averages in the 80s-low 100s so it does get hot to very hot there. Everything is air conditioned though so it isn’t that big of a deal, but I am used to it. The heat will be a shock if you aren’t used to it. It doesn’t snow, but it does rain a fair amount about 15”-20” per year.

Like I said upthread I felt the Loma Prieta SF earthquake in 1989 so Davis could most likely feel the effects of another earthquake on the San Andreas or Hayward Faults.

The schools are good and are some of the best in the region so that is a plus.

Davis and really the whole Sacramento Valley are pretty diverse, and there is at least one Synagogue, if not two in Davis.

If you really decide you like the Davis area you can look at Woodland, which is 10 miles north and is where I grew up and it is cheaper, but even though it has gotten more liberal over the years it still has a good old boys feel to it as agriculture and farming are still very big in the area. There aren’t many people who can afford to live in Davis and say they actually would rather live in Woodland so Woodland often gets a bad rap, but it is a nice place to raise a family. This causes a bit of a rift between the two cities, but if you aren’t from the area it probably will never be on your radar.


I agree that the dc area meets her other criteria, but DC is the 7th most expensive metro area in the country. I think it is difficult for families who make less than six figures to live here and social workers salaries are usually not that high. The median house price in dc is $580,000, in Arlington it is $640,000 and Zillow describes the market as very hot.

Per Zillow the median house price in Davis, CA is $684,000. https://www.zillow.com/davis-ca/home-values/

The median price of a house in Woodland is $384,000. https://www.zillow.com/woodland-ca/home-values/

And I kid you not they are 10 miles apart and probably have the same amount of houses sized greater than 3000 so. feet and the same amount of houses sized less than 3000 sq. ft., but the university and the rental market have really skewed Davis negatively unless you have money to spend. The population is pretty equal iirc.

$684k is not affordable imho.


Here’s a list of the 25 most expensive metro areas in the country- all the usual suspects, NY/CT/NJ, many parts of California, Baltimore and DC, Seattle, Boston and parts of NE, Boulder, Miami, Hawaii, amd Alaska. https://247wallst.com/special-report/2018/09/07/what-it-actually-costs-to-live-in-americas-most-expensive-cities/

I found that interesting and some of the regions to be quite large, and at least one city listed in some of the areas is known for being under performing and not being as nice or affluent as the other two cities. I live in area #10 now, but will be moving to area #24 next year.


I too was thinking of Davis. I’m not sure about the job market, however.


My friends work at the University, commute to Sacramento or neighboring or have their own private practices.

There are a lot of university employees, plus state employees in the Sacramento region. There is also biotech and some aerospace government contractor firms in the area however like Citymama says there are a lot of Bay Area transplants in the area now and I am sure some of them have their same jobs in the Bay Area and telecommute vs. driving 60 miles each way to work or finding a potentially lower paying job in the Davis area.



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[JustMe]

Wow, once again I am amazed at the support and knowledge within this community! I will go through it all and decide---something. Dont ask me what. I got excited about Davis/the surrounding area mentioned (I lived in the Bay Area for 7 years before kids and before it got too expensive for me), but I think that is most likely still high for me. One of the things I would have to do is figure out local social work salaries; yes they tend to run low but there can be a big geographic difference on that. Glassdoor, etc, is not always accurate.

Something like the VA would be great, as people do move for those jobs, they pay well AND have good benefits (something which is huge for me). Its not a preferred population, but if my co-workers were good I think I could do well. I also think university jobs are another way to go as they are used to people re-locating.

As far as this particular earthquake threat, it really is pretty "special", meaning intense and extreme in terms of a natural disaster. I read things like the sewer system and hospitals (just for examples) will be down for months. It is an odd phenomenon in that you can find info about it, but it does seem to somehow be on the downlow, and many dont know about it or dont know how serious it is; I didnt know it until about a month ago. It makes it hard b/c I cant have a real conversation with others that live here if they have not read the latest. Me just talking about it seems like I am making things up or exaggerating.

[AnnieW625]

Wow, once again I am amazed at the support and knowledge within this community! I will go through it all and decide---something. Dont ask me what. I got excited about Davis/the surrounding area mentioned (I lived in the Bay Area for 7 years before kids and before it got too expensive for me), but I think that is most likely still high for me. One of the things I would have to do is figure out local social work salaries; yes they tend to run low but there can be a big geographic difference on that. Glassdoor, etc, is not always accurate.......

I would look for a county or state government job in social work if you can. I am not really sure the journey level salaries are for social workers, but it should be pretty decent if it is anything close to what I make in my sector with 19 years experience. Please send me a PM if you have questions about the Sacramento area, it is a good region to live in as long as you can handle three months of potential hot weather (above 85) and dry heat.



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[Percycat]

Columbia Missouri or St. Louis Missouri might be an option.

My sister lives in Columbia. It is a university town (University of Missouri, Stevens College, and Columbia College), liberal, and fairly diverse for the midwest. The cost of living is low and the quality of life is high. I know there is a shortage of counselors -- at least ones who work with children -- because my sister has had a very hard time getting appointments for her children (wait list for several months... which seems outrageous considering the issues involved). There are also several hospitals in the community, including a Veterans Hospital.... I mention the VA hospital because I have a friend who is a social worker at the Columbia VA hospital and she commutes from St. Louis (75 minute drive) because she likes the working conditions and also because federal employment has great benefits and you frequently ask questions about health insurance benefits. I'm not sure if there is a large jewish community, but the community seems very accepting of people of all faiths.

St. Louis also has a VA hospital -- so you could see if you could get a federal position -- and lots of different options for employment. University City, Olivette, and Creve Coeur are areas that have a higher Jewish population. U. City and Olivette are generally more affordable than Creve Coeur. U City is near Washington University and very liberal for St. Louis.

Missouri has winter and humid summers -- you get to enjoy all four seasons. The miserable weather comes, but it doesn't linger. The next season is around the corner.

[HannaAddict]

I can't really think of a single place that doesn't have some risk of catastrophic loss. Your concern seems unreasonable to me (CA girl--I grew up with earthquakes and hearing about The Big One). Have you considered therapy?

I've been hearing a lot lately about the volcano under Yellowstone. If that goes, the entire country will be devastated. But there's nothing I can do about it, so why worry excessively about it?

An asteroid could hit the Earth at any time. No one on this planet has the technology to stop it.

There are many, many reasons to move. The risk of one particular earthquake event is not necessarily a logical one. Are there other factors prompting your desire to move?

This exactly. While there is a fault, what you are worried about is a possible event measured in geological time. And the city of Portland has some of the most progressive earthquake codes now and has been actively working on infrastructure. If you live in an unreinforced masonry house (brick) then sell it and buy a less susceptible house. Have you looked to see where the hot spots for the cascadia fault is in your area? Big differences in a single city and what ifs. This seems completely illogical and emotional and some of the cities face other more common natural disasters as well. Tornados, hurricanes, floods, horrible heat waves, ice storms worse than Portland. I would think about educating yourself more than just the splashy headlines of earthquake danger and be prepared. I wouldn’t worry about the value of your home as an inheritance decades from now. I would explore earthquake insurance and get an estimate on earthquake retrofitting at the very least. I wouldn’t ignore it but I also wouldn’t just move because of a possible geological event. There are many places in Oregon that are not impacted by the cascadia fault. If you want to move for other reasons too, good luck. If you love Oregon, it will be culture shock in Dallas or Atlanta or Pittsburgh and other ideas. West coast is pretty nice.


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[HannaAddict]

I went looking last night and still had a hard time finding info about a catastrophic earthquake. I had never heard it mentioned at all prior to your post! I really do feel like you can find natural disasters anywhere. I think your retrofit plan is smart!!

The Cascadia fault is well known to west coasters but recently much more info out there about it. Portland is ahead of Seattle in preparing, revising building codes, providing funding for retrofitting schools and government buildings and more. When you read about worst case scenarios is is scary. But it could be 200 years from now as all these events are geologic and not sure things. In our city, knowing what they know about the fault line and the type of soil in various neighborhoods (some of the city is on full), you can see what neighborhoods are potentially “safer” and we didn’t buy a beautiful house with a fab view as too close to a slope that would not be great in a slide. I loved the house too. Be informed and prepared but also realistic and not let emotion dictate.


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[bisous]

The Cascadia fault is well known to west coasters but recently much more info out there about it. Portland is ahead of Seattle in preparing, revising building codes, providing funding for retrofitting schools and government buildings and more. When you read about worst case scenarios is is scary. But it could be 200 years from now as all these events are geologic and not sure things. In our city, knowing what they know about the fault line and the type of soil in various neighborhoods (some of the city is on full), you can see what neighborhoods are potentially “safer” and we didn’t buy a beautiful house with a fab view as too close to a slope that would not be great in a slide. I loved the house too. Be informed and prepared but also realistic and not let emotion dictate.


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I’m in Southern California and I’ve never heard a word about it before. The New Yorker link a PP provided was very interesting. I still don’t feel like it’s a mandate to move but I am somewhat fascinated by how this completely escapes my notice and geology and natural disasters are something of a personal interest of mine and I’m an almost religious listener to NPR and Science Friday and I still hadn’t heard a word.

[citymama]

I’m in Southern California and I’ve never heard a word about it before. The New Yorker link a PP provided was very interesting. I still don’t feel like it’s a mandate to move but I am somewhat fascinated by how this completely escapes my notice and geology and natural disasters are something of a personal interest of mine and I’m an almost religious listener to NPR and Science Friday and I still hadn’t heard a word.

It was a HUGE story after the article came out and many of my Cascadia friends at the time were considering moving, earthquake retrofitting etc. As you know from living in CA, one can get complacent and forget once the buzz dies down. But this story was and is a really big deal.

[essnce629]

I can't really think of a single place that doesn't have some risk of catastrophic loss. Your concern seems unreasonable to me (CA girl--I grew up with earthquakes and hearing about The Big One). Have you considered therapy?

I've been hearing a lot lately about the volcano under Yellowstone. If that goes, the entire country will be devastated. But there's nothing I can do about it, so why worry excessively about it?

An asteroid could hit the Earth at any time. No one on this planet has the technology to stop it.

There are many, many reasons to move. The risk of one particular earthquake event is not necessarily a logical one. Are there other factors prompting your desire to move?
I’m in Southern California and I’ve never heard a word about it before. The New Yorker link a PP provided was very interesting. I still don’t feel like it’s a mandate to move but I am somewhat fascinated by how this completely escapes my notice and geology and natural disasters are something of a personal interest of mine and I’m an almost religious listener to NPR and Science Friday and I still hadn’t heard a word.Agree and I'm in Los Angeles just a few miles from the epicenter of the Northridge quake (with a large crack running through my garage because of it)! I would never move just because of an earthquake risk, although I probably wouldn't buy a house that was directly on top of a fault line if I had that info beforehand or a house in the hills that is held up by what looks like two toothpicks! All we've talked about briefly is retrofitting our house which makes the most sense financially since our house was built in 1945. I actually feel safer living in CA with the threat of a huge earthquake being tomorrow or a 100 years from now. To me, that is much more comforting than living with the annual threat of massive floods, blizzards, hurricanes, and tornados that other states have regularly. My half sister lives in Kansas and no thanks!!! I'd be way more stressed out there!

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[westwoodmom04]

I’m in Southern California and I’ve never heard a word about it before. The New Yorker link a PP provided was very interesting. I still don’t feel like it’s a mandate to move but I am somewhat fascinated by how this completely escapes my notice and geology and natural disasters are something of a personal interest of mine and I’m an almost religious listener to NPR and Science Friday and I still hadn’t heard a word.

There have been a few shows in the discovery channel about it — might be available on Netflix.

[HannaAddict]

I’m in Southern California and I’ve never heard a word about it before. The New Yorker link a PP provided was very interesting. I still don’t feel like it’s a mandate to move but I am somewhat fascinated by how this completely escapes my notice and geology and natural disasters are something of a personal interest of mine and I’m an almost religious listener to NPR and Science Friday and I still hadn’t heard a word.

It’s been on NPR but I wouldn’t think someone who doesn’t live in the general region to notice much or have is rise alarm. It has been a pretty big story locally over the last couple of years because of our lack of any building codes or regulations for schools and lots and lots of URM schools that need to be retrofitted.


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[citymama]

Agree and I'm in Los Angeles just a few miles from the epicenter of the Northridge quake (with a large crack running through my garage because of it)! I would never move just because of an earthquake risk, although I probably wouldn't buy a house that was directly on top of a fault line if I had that info beforehand or a house in the hills that is held up by what looks like two toothpicks! All we've talked about briefly is retrofitting our house which makes the most sense financially since our house was built in 1945. I actually feel safer living in CA with the threat of a huge earthquake being tomorrow or a 100 years from now. To me, that is much more comforting than living with the annual threat of massive floods, blizzards, hurricanes, and tornados that other states have regularly. My half sister lives in Kansas and no thanks!!! I'd be way more stressed out there!

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The Cascadia quake has significantly greater implications because of the absence of building codes (think homes, schools, bridges, highways, power plants) that anticipate a quake of that magnitude, unlike in CA. The infrastructure in Cascadia is not prepared to handle something like that.

[SASM]

I am sure that a lot of this has been repeated but have you considered Austin, Texas? My impression is that it’s very liberal and a wonderful place to live. My friend lives there - homeschools her girls. Their homeschool opportunities are incredible. Diverse landscapes, interesting culture, etc. It’s always on the top cities lists.

Raleigh NC would probably be a good location as well. Lots of culture and interesting things. I think the schools are okay. Wide price points. Great university amenities and good airfare deals.

Not mild weather and possibly $$ but my almost-divorced friend is trying to find a way to get to NH. Great schools. Close-ish to Boston, should you want to commute.

[DualvansMommy]

I am sure that a lot of this has been repeated but have you considered Austin, Texas? My impression is that it’s very liberal and a wonderful place to live. My friend lives there - homeschools her girls. Their homeschool opportunities are incredible. Diverse landscapes, interesting culture, etc. It’s always on the top cities lists.

.

Not sure if it’s affordable for OP. She would either have to live way out of Austin proper for the affordability factor and having to commute into town is rough. Austin is a very popular city to relocate for many Deaf people due to their growing strong deaf community, and many have told me that.


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[o_mom]

Per Zillow the median house price in Davis, CA is $684,000. https://www.zillow.com/davis-ca/home-values/

The median price of a house in Woodland is $384,000. https://www.zillow.com/woodland-ca/home-values/

And I kid you not they are 10 miles apart and probably have the same amount of houses sized greater than 3000 so. feet and the same amount of houses sized less than 3000 sq. ft., but the university and the rental market have really skewed Davis negatively unless you have money to spend. The population is pretty equal iirc.

$684k is not affordable imho.



I find it really interesting what is considered "affordable".

In our area, the median numbers for the "affordable" and "not affordable" areas would be about half those.

[Globetrotter]

The Cascadia quake has significantly greater implications because of the absence of building codes (think homes, schools, bridges, highways, power plants) that anticipate a quake of that magnitude, unlike in CA. The infrastructure in Cascadia is not prepared to handle something like that.

I think we get used to whatever is normal for our area. I hear about people having to evacuate for hurricanes almost every year, and that to ME is more frightening. at least you have warnings with hurricanes, whereas with earthquakes they can strike anytime, but I got used to this. I believe in an earthquake there is more chance of building damage vs fatalities.

When I first moved to California, I was terrified of earthquakes, but after a while you get used to the idea and learn how to prepare for them, and since it is a risk here the newer buildings at least are retrofitted. We earthquake wax our decorative items, maintain an earthquake kit, and keep portable phone battery chargers. We know what to do when it strikes (duck under a sturdy table or solid doorway away from glass) and Have an emergency call plan to communicate. Kids here grow up with this information and do earthquake drills in school. And so on.. it’s part of life, which might sound terrifying to others, but it’s normal for us. So far I’ve experienced smaller shakes, so I can’t say how I’ll feel if, heaven forbid, we experience the Big One.
We do have earthquake insurance, though the premiums are high and it has a high deductible. It makes sense in our case since we have equity, but most people advise against it.

I grew up with tornados, and one time a tornado came to the adjacent street to my dorm- that was scary as heck! We grew up with tornado drills and learned to go into an interior room without windows, sit in the bathtub, etc. etc. It’s a risk but we learned how to reduce the risk, though we couldn’t avoid it.

They are discovering new fault lines, even in places that are not known for them, but I feel this is the place to be in an earthquake, since it’s a known risk. I do think preparation is key. I didn’t even realize that the Northwest was a great risk for earthquakes, though it does make sense geographically.

OP, I hope you’re able to find what you’re looking for.

[Globetrotter]

OP, I sent you a PM

[citymama]

I find it really interesting what is considered "affordable".

In our area, the median numbers for the "affordable" and "not affordable" areas would be about half those.

Where I live, a 3BR for $1M would be considered a steal (a unicorn, maybe). My friends in SLC have a 4BR mansion for $350K. In Detroit that might be $100K. I can't even process.

[SnuggleBuggles]

Where I live, a 3BR for $1M would be considered a steal (a unicorn, maybe). My friends in SLC have a 4BR mansion for $350K. In Detroit that might be $100K. I can't even process.

Yeah, I don't think that $100k would buy a mansion in Detroit. They might be struggling some but they are swinging back and housing prices reflect that. :)

My brother lives in a not-yet-gentrified part of Oakland, CA and the amount of $ they paid for their tiny house in a bad neighborhood kills me since I know what that kind of money would buy in many other places. They made the decision that being in the Bay Area (and close in vs burbs) was worth paying for. Not a choice I'd make but it works for some people. :)

[citymama]

Yeah, I don't think that $100k would buy a mansion in Detroit. They might be struggling some but they are swinging back and housing prices reflect that. :)

My brother lives in a not-yet-gentrified part of Oakland, CA and the amount of $ they paid for their tiny house in a bad neighborhood kills me since I know what that kind of money would buy in many other places. They made the decision that being in the Bay Area (and close in vs burbs) was worth paying for. Not a choice I'd make but it works for some people. :)

I've read about 4BR houses for $85K in Detroit! Maybe not mansions but man, that's unbelievable.

[mom2binsd]

The weather might be an issue, but Burlington, Vermont is very liberal, has a decent Jewish population, and because of the progressive politics is becoming more welcoming of all folks, regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation etc. It's beautiful and you can enjoy winter so easily! It's still pretty affordable compared to many places.

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