Nursing is my oyster...now where to live

LilRedRN1973 · May 25, 2006

I'm also from Reno and although I can't stand the high cost of living (well, compared to California, it's cheap but compared to Houston, where I'm from, it's ridiculously expensive), I absolutely adore the location, the weather, and how many outdoor activities there are to do. I also get paid a decent wage....I'm a new grad making $25/hr base pay at one of the larger hospitals in Reno.

I do miss Texas sometimes.....I grew up in Kingwood/Humble area, which is NE of Houston and I loved it. The food, the people, the ridiculously low cost of living (think a 2000sq ft house for $90,000). But I think I'm here to stay. I don't think I could handle moving back to a place that had higher than 20% humidity.....ROFL!!!!!

Melanie = )

introspectiveRN · May 25, 2006

I too am searching for the best place to live for both my daughters (ages 11 and 8) and myself.

I think that most of a "best place to live" choice has to do with your current circumstances even moreso than climate choices. If you are a happily married, dual income (moderately affluent) couple that are politically conservative and you have children and can rely on your mother/mother-in-law/extended family for babysitting then your ideal community is going to be very different from a single mom with two children and very few connections and an early bedtime (Moi). Someone who is just Single and looking to buy their first home and meet some quality peeps and enjoys an active nightlife (I hear that Austin is great for these type of folks BTW) will be looking for a very different type of community as well.

The area where I live is actually really great...for a specific type of person. Unfortunately..."it ain't me".

I need a community that has a decent amount of transient/transplanted folks who have room in their lives for newcomers. I also really miss attending home church/fellowship meetings (they are non-existant here). And I am both politically conservative and liberal (depends on the issue). I am also a vegetarian. (who, me? lonely? :lol2: ) So...I know that my ideal community is out there somewhere...finding it is quite the challenge though :rolleyes: .

Maybe along with climate and pay; we could list the general social structure of the places we live. :idea:

Where I live it is dominantly conservative/republican, very friendly and safe, the city schools have a good rep but there are also several private schools to choose from. Housing is incredibly cheap and plentiful...there are suburbs but not lots of "sprawl". It is still really cheap to buy land and build your own home as well if you wish. It is around one hour to drive to Atlanta (sans commuter traffic..with commuter traffic it is more like almost two hours). There are lots of churches to choose from and the scenery is very lovely. If your children graduate from high school here IN Georgia, they are eligible for the Hope grant, which will pay for the bulk of their college tuition . It is typical Georgia climate: AKA "Africa hot" in the summer.

Oh, and most importantly: nursing jobs are PLENTIFUL.

So: if you have any questions for me I will be happy to answer them and if (please, God) anyone has some community recommendations for me...lemme know!

mitchsmom · May 25, 2006

You can get ideas of where to live for your lifestyle at http://www.findyourspot.com/ (I just looked it up because I was curious what it would say for me).

Salary.com cost of living wizard to compare locales:

http://swz.salary.com/CostOfLivingWizard/layoutscripts/coll_start.asp

Some other sites I found:

http://www.cityrating.com/

CNN best places to live:

http://money.cnn.com/best/bplive/

http://www.neighborhoodscout.com/neighborhoods/

Moving.com best places to live (also America’s Most Affordable Places to Live

America’s Best Places to Live and Work For Those Under Forty):

http://www.moving.com/Find_A_Place/FAP_Article/Americas_Best/Best_Places.asp

What one person loves, another person may hate, so opinions are difficult to go by!!!

Travellpro · May 25, 2006

You can bash Florida all you want. Hopefully people will stop moving here so the price of houses will come down and I can finally afford one! haha. I love living here, just struggling to afford it.

HARRN2b · May 25, 2006

Intro RN,

Where are you at in the metro Atlanta area. I am from Cherokee county up 575. However, I am currently residing in the midwest for the next 2 years to get my nursing degree (no wait list up here!). I want to come back to Atlanta, but am concerned about traffic. All the big hospitals are inside the perimeter (Piedmont, Northside, St. Joe's, ect) I wonder if the work different hours than 7am-7pm to avoid the traffic. Otherwise I would be forced to work nights. I am not going to leave my house at 5 am to be there at 7, then not get home until 8:30 pm to turn around and do it all over again the next day. Otherwise, I am going to buy a used rv and park it in the parking lot and sleep in it during the day until my next shift!!!!

ScrappingTrojan · May 25, 2006

Findyourspot.com is really interesting and asks all the really important questions. Thanks for posting that Mitchsmom!

ScrappingTrojan · May 25, 2006

After living in southern California all my life, I moved to Texas 6 months ago. The nursing salaries are decent in the major metro areas and brand new homes can be purchased for $100,000 to $150,000. I don't know much about the Woodlands, but I live in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area and it is great here. I bought my new 1,900 square foot house for $104,000 in October '05.

So I take it you're happy with the decision? Where in SoCal did you move from? Do you work in Ft. Worth or Dallas? I have family and a friend in and around Dallas, so it would make sense for me to move there. And it is actually on my "Find Your Spot" List. :) Sorry for all the nosey questions, I've just really been struggling with this decision and I'd love all the feedback I can get from someone who's been through it, KWIM?

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · May 25, 2006

So I take it you're happy with the decision? Where in SoCal did you move from? Do you work in Ft. Worth or Dallas? I have family and a friend in and around Dallas, so it would make sense for me to move there. And it is actually on my "Find Your Spot" List. :) Sorry for all the nosey questions, I've just really been struggling with this decision and I'd love all the feedback I can get from someone who's been through it, KWIM?

1. I was born and raised in Ventura County.

2. I live and work in Fort Worth.

3. I am happy with my decision to move.

sddlnscp · May 26, 2006

Hey 1Tulip & RNinTraining1973. Nevada, huh? I have always been intrigued by Nevada, but now you've really got my interest. My problem is that my family is not 'city' people - we live in a town of 63 people. Are there outskirts to your area that would have a decent cost of living and still allow a not too horrible commute (I commute a minimum of 30 miles one way around here anyway, so that is no big deal) out there? Any ideas of the cost of a 3-bed 2-bath or so house out there?

Thanks so much! Now I am getting excited - and I NEVER thought we would leave CO, but who knows? :)

HARRN2b · May 26, 2006

I have been doing research on Houston. So very big. However, a great cost of living city. I guess it just depends on what commute times are. I also like the fact it is close to the gulf, though that may be a problem with hurricane season. My husband thinks what I want is ridiculous. I WANT DEEP BLUE SKIES!!!! None of this midwestern gray days. I am completely mood affected by it. I do not mind really hot summers as long as the rest of the year is temperate. I also like great working conditions and friendly people. I wonder if such a place does exist????

military spouse · May 26, 2006

I agree with the above posters about renting being a waste of money, I should know, that's all I've ever done. And with the housing situation as it is in Southern California, I'll probably keep renting. It's really sad that I was born and raised in LA and despite having a BSN and making decent money, I'm still priced out of SoCal. I can't even afford Compton on my own.
I've actually been giving a lot of thought to moving to Texas, Dallas or Houston. Is anyone from The Woodlands, Texas? I've become fascinated by this community and would love to hear some feedback about it. I LOVE LOVE LOVE living in LA, but I'd like to be a homeowner some day, I just don't think it's realistic here.

Had to laugh about the Compton remark. We grew up in OC, but haven't lived there for almost 20 years. Hubby joked the other night that if we went back, we probably couldn't even afford Compton. :lol2:

military spouse · May 26, 2006

I too am searching for the best place to live for both my daughters (ages 11 and 8) and myself.
I think that most of a "best place to live" choice has to do with your current circumstances even moreso than climate choices. If you are a happily married, dual income (moderately affluent) couple that are politically conservative and you have children and can rely on your mother/mother-in-law/extended family for babysitting then your ideal community is going to be very different from a single mom with two children and very few connections and an early bedtime (Moi). Someone who is just Single and looking to buy their first home and meet some quality peeps and enjoys an active nightlife (I hear that Austin is great for these type of folks BTW) will be looking for a very different type of community as well.
The area where I live is actually really great...for a specific type of person. Unfortunately..."it ain't me".
I need a community that has a decent amount of transient/transplanted folks who have room in their lives for newcomers. I also really miss attending home church/fellowship meetings (they are non-existant here). And I am both politically conservative and liberal (depends on the issue). I am also a vegetarian. (who, me? lonely? ) So...I know that my ideal community is out there somewhere...finding it is quite the challenge though .
Maybe along with climate and pay; we could list the general social structure of the places we live.
Where I live it is dominantly conservative/republican, very friendly and safe, the city schools have a good rep but there are also several private schools to choose from. Housing is incredibly cheap and plentiful...there are suburbs but not lots of "sprawl". It is still really cheap to buy land and build your own home as well if you wish. It is around one hour to drive to Atlanta (sans commuter traffic..with commuter traffic it is more like almost two hours). There are lots of churches to choose from and the scenery is very lovely. If your children graduate from high school here IN Georgia, they are eligible for the Hope grant, which will pay for the bulk of their college tuition . It is typical Georgia climate: AKA "Africa hot" in the summer.
Oh, and most importantly: nursing jobs are PLENTIFUL.
So: if you have any questions for me I will be happy to answer them and if (please, God) anyone has some community recommendations for me...lemme know!

You really need to live in a military community! My daughter's new teacher (not military) basically suggested that we did our daughter a disservice by moving so frequently. Of course, she lives on a road that is her last name Seriously, most military communities are VERY welcoming of new people. We just moved to PA (hubby retired) and I have to say that for the most part, people have been friendly here. We joke that every 8 year old girl lives in our neighborhood (our daughter is 8). We attend a great church. The bad aspects are the cost-of-living and the need to drive to experience a variety of jobs. Good luck!