Hi there

I need some input on where to live. I currently live in St. Louis, Missouri and I want to move. The one thing is I am just not sure what place is good for a young, single nurse. Obviously I need some place where the cost of living is affordable and safe. If you could just suggest some places to check out and why. Thanks for your time in advance.

Pittsburgh is always awesome...housing is affordable.. great hospitals... the only drawback is the weather.

I love Atlanta or the suburbs of Atlanta. The cost of living is low, the weather is nice year round, and there is a really young population here! Good luck wherever you go!

This may or may not help, but it's kind of fun, either way. :-)

http://www.bestplaces.net/fybp/quiz.aspx

Good luck!

Irvine, CA is supposed to be safe, and it has great malls and entertainment. Weather is pretty good. However, I've been out here in Southern CA for 30 years and about every day I've missed my Chicago Cubs, the great Chicago food, and my friends, now long gone of course. So it depends upon you. The pay is good here, the ratio is 1:5 for medsurg and 1:4 for tele patients. I work in Anaheim, not Irvine, but I've been tempted to change jobs often.

Good luck. Moving is a stress, and especially if you don't like where you end up. Can I suggest travel nursing first?

I came to Boston, and now I am looking to move again!!!!!

Since I am single and dont have children, it is not as much of a problem, but it is sooo stressful.

Boston is nice for young people, but hard to "break in" and make friends, cost of living is high and the weather is too brutal for me, coming from california...also no nursing shortage here!!

im considering colorado, tx, atlanta, NC, or back to cali... im gunna look into places that have shortages that offer incentives and go visit, and make a thoughtout personal choice... visit and research places, and call around..

good luck!!! Im sure you'll find your place:nurse:

NC and Atlanta are on my list of places too. Good luck with your search! Thanks for the reply.

As a single woman who has moved many times in my life, I suggest that you choose a place with a population that includes a lot of people not originally not from that area. That way, you won't seem "odd" or "out of it" because you didn't go to high school or college there ... or because you don't have family there. You'll want a population of potential friends who are looking to make new friends (like you) themselves.

Another thought is to move near (but not necessarily in exactly the same town) some of your family, college friends, etc. That will give you some people to spend holidays with, to help you get settled in the area, etc.

Another thought is to consider your career plans. Might you be interested in going back to school? Then move to a town with a school that you would like to attend -- even if you are not ready to enroll right away. After you get settled, you could take a class or two -- which would not only further your career, it would also help you meet more people and make friends.

Finally, consider plane connections. It will make visits back home to your family a lot easier if you can get a direct flight from you new home to wherever your family lives -- or that is within a day's driving distance.

You really need to define what you are looking for and then rank each thing from most to least important. Things to consider: whether or not family/friends are nearby to help when you have car trouble/are sick/need other types of help; weather; activities/hobbies you have or want to learn; salary vs cost of living; slow vs face paced lifestyle; availability of public transportation if needed; distance to/from work and activities like shopping from your home; prefer apt or house living; interested in jobs that allow nursing autonomy or not; and the list goes on. Also look at what is more important - your work life or personal life. You may have to trade a great job for a not so great job to live in a place that offers you more great things for your personal life. You may decide that you don't care much about activities in your personal life and prefer a job that is high paying even if it isn't fulfilling or vice versa.

Personally, I :redbeathe Indianapolis!!! It's at the top of my list of places I am considering after NS.

Why dont you look into taking a travel assignment, to me that would be the perfect solution for your dilema.

If I didnt have a husband, little kids and dogs I would jump all over being a travel nurse.

That way you can test each city out for 6months before you commit to living there, and they help with housing costs.

Travel assignments is what came to mind as soon as I read this post. You can visit many places and get a feel for yourself.

There was a time that I would have said Florida, but with the high cost of insurance and property, it's not as attractive anymore.

My next choice would be Seattle. It's a modern city with lots to offer, a good real estate market, and in the region where nurses make some of the highest salaries in the country.