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

[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.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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!