Southern Nurses Please Help!

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I currently live in an area of Florida that has a very high cost of living. Everywhere I look all I see are subdivisions, gas stations, convenience stores and Walmarts being built on every corner. :( I've lived here all my life and like a slower pace of life. I've decided that once I finish school I want to move. I really only want to live in a Southern state because I can't handle tons of snow. I also can't handle extreme heat where there's basically no Winter. I'd like to see the seasons change. So, if you are a nurse (LPN or RN) working in a Southern state can you please tell me what the average salary is? I've seen some posts on here saying that the average starting salary for a new grad RN is $14 to $16/hour in some states. That sounds terribly low! If it starts out that low, how long does it take to get to a reasonable level like $24/hour? Also, could someone tell me what state tax is? I think that's what it's called. Here in Florida we have income tax that comes out of our checks. Isn't it the same everywhere? Thank you so much!

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Specializes in cardiac.

I live near Chattanooga, and it is really a wonderful place....warm but not horrible in the summers, rare snows in winter, mountains, less than a day to the beach, city close if you want it and plenty of countryside...

We are about halfway between Nashville and Atlanta, same distance from Knoxville as well. Not the highest paying place, but then the cost of living is nice. Tennessee has no state income tax, either!

Beth

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Specializes in Pediatrics.

I know that you want to stay in the southern states, but in Oregon you see all the seasons change, rarley snows on the valley floor, and if it does manage to snow it only lasts about a day. During the summer in it reaches around 90+ for about a week. Yes, it does rain, but it is beautiful here. Also no sales tax, however there is income and property tax. Starting salary is around $24.

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Come on up to Atlanta! The summers are hot and humid but you are probably used to that, and we do get a couple of months of winter (it might snow once a year or it might not). Having traveled to many other cities, I have come to appreciate how beautiful Atlanta really is.

As for starting pay, I think I have read on this forum it is around $21/hour. Not sure tho since I am just now starting nursing school.

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I live in East Tennessee in the mountains and i LOVE it. We don't even get much snow in the winter. The pay is around $15/16 an hour. So I'd guess it'd take a long time to get up to $24/hr. But I moved here because home prices are so much lower (I moved from N Myrtle Beach). So you make less but your mortgage payment is less, too. I was going to move back to NC where I lived 17 years but (in the mountains) home prices are enormous. What state are you really interested in?

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Geriatrics.
I currently live in an area of Florida that has a very high cost of living. Everywhere I look all I see are subdivisions, gas stations, convenience stores and Walmarts being built on every corner. :( I've lived here all my life and like a slower pace of life. I've decided that once I finish school I want to move.

If you want to escape this way of life, do NOT come to Atlanta. As much as I love the place, it is NOT slow-paced and despite the best efforts of many ofus there are Walmarts, subdivisions and convenience stores everywhere. I suggest South Georgia. It can be very hot down there but there are mild winters since you like different seasons and the starting pay for new grads runs about $18-$21/hour. But you better hurry, there are a lot of Florida transplants trying to escape the high cost of housing and as a result housing prices down there are rising rapidly.

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mtngrl--the state i was really thinking about moving to was tennessee. i've fallen in love with gatlinburg and the mountains. i thought i wanted to live somewhere in that area and get a nice cabin on a little bit of land. however, i don't want to have to deal with extremely low pay though. :( if i have to accept low pay, it seems like i'll just be living the same way i would here in florida. with real estate like it is in florida, even if i make $25/hour i will still be struggling to pay my astronomical mortgage. :( ugh. i want to get out of this hot, flat state. i think there are mountains in north georgia, but i haven't looked into it. tennessee if the most beautiful place i've ever seen! i really don't know where i'll end up at this point though.

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Specializes in Peds ER.

Hey Angelic,

I live in New Orleans and as you can guess, the nursing work pool is wide open. Starting pay around here with no experience is around 21/hr. Not bad considering the cost of living. Problem is, unless you intend to purchase a house right away you may have to live in a fema trailer for awhile.:(

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Angelic lady,

I had to reread your post as I thought I might have posted it LOL!!! We lived in Sarasota but I have children and the retires in our neighborhood were not receptive to my children. We relo'd to Atlanta about 6 years ago. Loved it. Lived in the north georgia mountains. I would love to go back there. However, all the big hospitals are downtown, and Atlanta traffic is some of the worst in the USA. Took my husband 2 hours to get to his office. I am in the midwest now for school. Been here 4 months. Looking to relo ANYWHERE in the USA to escape exactly what you mention. Yet I am not spending all this for school to work for peanuts. If you know of anyplace, I am looking for warmer climate, nice views, good cost of living, not so much suburbia, good schools and a nice work environment. Is that available anywhere anymore?????????

I hope so!

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Specializes in Gerontological, cardiac, med-surg, peds.
Angelic lady,

I had to reread your post as I thought I might have posted it LOL!!! We lived in Sarasota but I have children and the retires in our neighborhood were not receptive to my children. We relo'd to Atlanta about 6 years ago. Loved it. Lived in the north georgia mountains. I would love to go back there. However, all the big hospitals are downtown, and Atlanta traffic is some of the worst in the USA. Took my husband 2 hours to get to his office. I am in the midwest now for school. Been here 4 months. Looking to relo ANYWHERE in the USA to escape exactly what you mention. Yet I am not spending all this for school to work for peanuts. If you know of anyplace, I am looking for warmer climate, nice views, good cost of living, not so much suburbia, good schools and a nice work environment. Is that available anywhere anymore?????????

I hope so!

Eastern or Western North Carolina - except for the good public schools part

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Specializes in Transgender Medicine.

Hey, I'm in South MS, and I'm a nursing student. There are still some areas around here, just not right on the coast, that are still pretty slow and all. Vancleave for example, or maybe Latimer or Hurley. Woolmarket, Leakesville, and Lucedale also come to mind. These are a bit inland, but not too much. Vancleave and Woolmarket are only around 20 minutes north from the coast, so if you want civilization, you can still go south to Gautier/Ocean Springs/Biloxi/Gulfport to find a mall or something. Hurricanes are a worry, of course, but unless we get another Katrina, you pretty much just get a bad storm by the time the hurricane gets to Vancleave/Woolmarket. The starting hourly for new nurses is $17-$21 per hour before differential pay. Of course, agency work pays a lot more. Not sure about taxes. When I get a paycheck for say $400, usually all I will take home is $340. There is usually 15% total gone for taxes, medicare, social security, etc. Our cost of living isn't near as bad as Florida. Some places are still overcharging because of Katrina, but not everywhere. I'd say for $100,000 you can get a fairly new 3-4 bed, 2 bath house maybe with a garage in a decent neighborhood. Probably around 1500+ sq ft. I'm not a realtor; I'm just guestimating. I have no clue what it's like in the country such as Vancleave, though, because I live on the coast. Hope this helps.

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Thanks Vicky!

I loved Georgia. It is just so pretty in the mountains. I hate the commute into the city of Atlanta. It was awful. Really, the most important things are working conditions and of course, the temperate climate. My husband does not understand how important the climate is to me. He thinks I should be able to work anywhere. I am so affected by seasonal affective disorder :(. Anyway, thanks for your opinion!!!!

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