What to like about your state

Illinois

We usually get all the four seasons. Last couple winters have been mild. Had an ice storm this year. Caused a lot of power outages. Summer can become very humid. Lots of farm land around my area. Deer, chipmunks, squirrels, rabbits, all kinds of birds. Cost of living is low. $250,000 can buy you a nice house. Around 3-4 bedrooms on a little piece of land. I think pay for a new grad, full time is around 18.00 and hour and that's with benefits. After a year, you could go PRN and make much more money if you choose to. All kinds of recreational activities around here. Like I said, we usually get all four seasons.

SWtooh- good luck! I am in NH too and love the no taxes! There is a website out there that compares salary based on living costs by state- can't remember the URL though. I plan on staying here a few years maybe then going to FL and have tossed the idea of CT around as well. There is a CRNA school there I want to go to someday and I have many friends, family there.

CT has taxes and higher cost of living but overall the people seem more educated there and I like that. Also there are great suburbs but are a bit expensive but I know a nurse there making 50/hr.

Parts of FL pay extremely well considering cost of living.

Anyhow, Best of luck and congrats on the upcoming grad!!!!

okay, i'm on the other coast...i live in arizona (phoenix area). i love that the traffic isn't as bad as l.a., the winters are sunny and comfy, that i can park and get errands done easily, that living expenses are reasonable, that we have great hospitals in town, and that on my days off i cross the street and i'm in the middle of a desert wonderland hiking area. it's so pretty. the summers are hot as hell and really, really long (hot from may-september, sometimes into october....). but overall, living here is good. i'm an almost-to-be new grad and i'll start at $24 an hour. i would suggest taking a winter travel job, most of the travelers really enjoy working and getting to play outside on their days off in t-shirts most of the winter. good luck to you!

Check out this website--- Best Places to Live: Compare the Best Cities & Small Towns for You!

I think you will be able to get all the information you need. This site lets you put in the most desired criteria for you personally and will generate about 10 top places that meet your specifics. I "found my spot" -- I plan on moving in the next 3 years.

Michigan

Here in Michigan you can live in the inner city or in the middle of nowhere and get between the two within an hour or so. We have a great spring, summer is usually pretty temperate with a few horribly hot days. Fall is beautiful with all the leaves turning vibrant colors and winter is well... cold and some snow. The snowfall varies year to year, sometimes a lot, sometimes not so much. Michigan has the Great Lakes to provide lots of recreation - anything from shipwreck diving, to swimming, to fishing, to boating. Many of the beaches are very good. I've seen lots of people even wind surfing here on Lake Huron, near where I live. Also a plus for many (not me however) is the hunting. Deer hunting is big in my area and there are plenty. There is also a hunting season most all year long, turkeys, pheasant, whatever. The upper penninsula offers great forests, hiking, waterfalls, and nature at it's best and most pristine. Even bears and wolves live up that way.

Culturally Michigan has a lot to offer as well. There are great places to see theater, concerts, museums etc. There are lots of festivals and fairs in good weather, some funny ones like the Munger Potato festival, or the Bay Port Fish Sandwich festival. People here will have a festival for anything edible!

Wages are typical, I think. I don't know how much a new grad would make, but I would guess in the $18-20 range. Cost of living is good where I live as it is quite rural. There are some fancy schmancy suburbs that will cost you an arm and a leg, but overall pretty affordable.

Good luck with your decision.

Indiana

Like Illinois and Michigan, we get the 4 seasons-but not a lot of snow, not too bad on taxes, the southeast part of the state is hilly and very scenic, the southwest is flat but has it's own charm too! A new house with a small plot of land goes for about 110-120 thousand $$$, and new grads in my part of the state make about 19.75 starting, and of course goes up with experience....Good luck wherever you go, there are many beautiful places out there

I live in Ohio and I love it! My husband was in the Air Force and I have lived in many different places and nowhere feels like home quite like Ohio. We have 4 seasons, an Ikea coming next year, and a large amount of colleges per capita. I feel like Ohio is one of the nation's best kept secrets. More presidents hail from Ohio than any other state. We have awesome schools and amazing diversity. I am in Southern Ohio and new grad pay is about 22 bucks an hour plus differentials, if you go a little further south it goes up a couple dollars. Where I live I am 5 hours from Chicago, 4 hours from Pittsburgh, 4 hours from Detroit, 8 hours from Atlanta, 5 hours from Gatlinburg, and 6 hours from Asheville. I feel like I am really in the center of it all. Good luck in your decision.

thank you all for your responses so far. six down 44 more to go . WeeBaby my brother lives in OH and works on an airforce base as well, hmm could be the same base, I think it is near the PA border?

Swtooth

Sorry, someone else had already posted the site.

:selfbonk:

Florida, I'm on the east coast and can cross the street to the beach from my front door. No state taxes!! I have lived in PA and also KY which was ok but I dont believe I'll ever leave Fl again. I'm not far from Orlando so much to do there and enough local things to do so not to ever be bored. Cost of housing is bit more than other states it seems but overall I dont believe the general cost of living is much more than I was paying out when I lived outside of the state. Yes we have storms but none this past year thank god. Sun, warmth and no snow or ice to fight with. My kids have done much better with school here than they did in KY or PA and I noticed requirements were more stringent for graduation also. People from everywhere so lots of cultural diversity which I love.

I live in AZ. It's kinda obvious though. lol I have to admit that I love AZ!

The pay for nurses starting out in my area is only around 19.50 an hour as a fresh RN, but I live in a small town. I toss myself back and forth on moving out of town for better pay. What is hurting our area the most is a large copper mine is starting up and everyone that owns, or leases property in town has jacked up the prices to the point their choking out the college students and families. Even the contractors and miners are feeling the pinch. I've checked the cost of living in Phoenix and compared it to my area and its the same and sometimes better. My rent is 685.00 for a two bed apt. I could pay that in Phoenix in a fairly nice part of town. I have to take into account that I went right into the nursing program here though. No waiting or fighting. It almost made me kinda sad. I still feel like it wasn't that hard of an accomplishment to make. Believe me I'm thrilled about getting in just kinda bummed because I worked so hard at my GPA and they really didn't seem to even take it into account.

AZ also has great recreation. Grand Canyon! Hiking! (watch out for mountain lions, Rattle Snakes and Scorpions) Their kinda sneaky! Lots of Lakes! Fishing! Anything and everything you could think of doing outdoors. If you move to Phoenix your just a few hours from the ski lodge in Flagstaff. Scottsdale is all art if you love that sort of thing. The Schools are awesome here if you have little ones. I'm starting to wonder if I should've been a travel/real estate agent instead of an RN! :smackingf

Anyway you can check out these sites and get all the info!

Arizona - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Arizona State Board of Nursing

Reasons not to move to AZ!

The heat could actually kill you!

AZ has the countries largest nuclear power plant (Palo Verde)

Anyone can carry a gun in AZ as long as your a law abiding citizen

(cowboy up)!

Every wild bee in AZ is a killer bee!

On the up and up, i totally believe that some day I will have ocean front property in Arizona!

TEXAS!!!