First, let me say that I love Austin and I love UT. I will graduate in a year, and if I can get a good job, I would like to stay here. But, from my vantage point, it seems that this city is growing at a prodigous rate. Traffic is horrible, and it will only get worse. So, unless I get a great job, I will have no choice but to relocate. I'm young, so I figure why not do it now. I have a short list of cities that I would want to goto. I'm Asian, so I basically ruled out the deep south. I know this is the 21st century, but I feel their is still more racism in the south than the rest of the country. I also ruled out the east coast. Too crowded, very hustle and bustle type cities. I'm a very easy going guy. You folks that post on this forum seem well-traveled and knowledgeable about other cities. So, I was wondering what you could tell me about the cities on my list. 1. Portland 2. St. Louis 3. Denver 4. Phoenix 5. Seattle 6. Minneapolois I could go to citysearch and find all this, but I would like to hear it from you guys. What do you know about the job market (may want to be a realtor), diversity, night life, etc. of these cities ? Thank you in advance. ------------------ "It's not a matter of if we will win the NL central, it's by how many games." Barry Larkin
Have you considered Houston? Growing economy. Low unemployment. Lots of job opportunities -- including a bunch of fortune 500 companies. Even though it's the third (or fourth, depending on who's counting) largest city, it is spread out enough that you don't have to deal with many of the congestion problems of other large cities. Houston also has a large Asian population, especially on the West Side. Not to mention, Houston has a climate and culture similar to what you are used to. Cost of living and housing is very low. Houston also has a lot of UT alum -- making a degree from that institution a lot more respected here than it would be up north. ------------------ Stay Cool...
The Seattle area does in fact have a strong Asian population, as do the surrounding Canadian areas nearby. ------------------ There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."
I personally don't know about any of the cities you've listed except Denver. I lived in Denver for 3+ years and would highly recommend it. The people there are pretty laid back, traffic is nearly non-existent (and people will actually make room for you in their lane if you put your blinker on!!), and the weather is fair most of the time. In fact, Denver boasts 300+ sunny days a year. I remember marvelling repeatedly at the fact that I could be out shooting hoops in my shorts 3 days after a snowstorm blanketed the city. Also, the city's experiencing a boom and it's especially a good time for realtors there. The economy is really strong in general. If your an outdoorsy type, Colorado is a great place to be. I've never seen a place that is more bike- and pedestrian-friendly, especially Boulder (which is just 40 mins. from downtown Denver). I'm not much on night life myself but I do know that downtown Denver is hopping with activity after dark - thanks in no small part to the new stadiums down there (shameless SOR plug). I could go on and on but I'll rein it in unless you'd like to hear more. ------------------
Thanks. Is Houston larger than Chicago ? That is news to me. I would definitely consider Houston or Dallas. I've been to Denver. My only worry is that it is somewhat polluted due to the city layout, so I hear. btw, hope you guys don't think I'm prejudice or anything. I just want to live in a city that is diverse. ------------------ "It's not a matter of if we will win the NL central, it's by how many games." Barry Larkin
Yes. Houston is larger in area than Chicago but Chicago is larger in population. As for your cities, I really don't know much about most of them but St.Louis. St.Louis is real nice, it has a nice cozy atmosphere and is a small city. It's diverse also. I went there this summer. ------------------ Francis out top, 9 seconds on the clock, he gives a no look pass to Cuttino Mobley, 4 seconds left, Mobley passes to an open Langhi in the corner with 1 second left! Langhi at the buzzer.......YES!!! How Sweet It Is!! [This message has been edited by Rockets R' Us (edited October 16, 2000).]
I live in Dallas.....LOVE IT! ------------------ There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."
Seattle is super, rains alot, great people.(Like a NW Austin almost but not 112 degrees) Denver very pretty, but also very "white bread". ------------------
Houston is the best! It has the Rockets rite Besides that its aight. I'm Asian too, and yeah Houston is about as diverse as it comes. Sometimes horrid weather, sometimes really nice weather. Nightlife is okay, but downtown is getting alot better (gee i wonder why). Low unemployment, and like dc said, alot of fortune 500 co's. ------------------ Fun Police Says: 1. Stupid threads & Stupid BBS names are not FUN! 2. Spelling, grammar, punctuation and sentence structure are not FUN! 3. Conduct yourself in a FUN way! The Fun Police are Watching. Vote for the Rockets & Have FUN!
Damn, dc, which Houston are you talking about? I'm happy to be out of Houston for 2 reasons... the congestion/traffic and the dang humidity. (I still miss my Rockets, though. I always thought of Houston as a city that just expanded and expanded until you had this giant, congested, traffic-riddled area we now know as well... Houston. The DFW area is a great area to live as far as I'm concerned. There are areas where the traffic is nearly as bad as Houston, but at least these guys are doing something about it. They're building a tollway that spans across the DFW area including the Telecom Corridor. They've already got light rail implemented and they're about to expand on that by building a rail system that, again spans across the DFW area (from what I remember it will go from Dallas to Irving, but don't quote me on that). The scary part of all this is that DFW is growing fast and companies are moving here fast. A lot of this city is fueled by the networking/Internet/telecomm industry much as Houston is fueled by some tech and a lot of energy companies. DFW is different in that it's basically a bunch of suburbs that are exploding population-wise - they're growing "inward" and there's plenty of room to grow. Houston, on the other hand, always seemed to be expanding and the "inner city" was just getting more and more congested with no place to grow. I love the city I grew up in, but given a choice, I'd rather just stay here. There was just more opportunity for my line of work, the quality of living appears to be better. If it keeps growing the way it is, however, it'll end up being in the top 3-4 cities population-wise (ugh). BTW, I'm Asian and I go to Wal-Mart and all the redneck 60 year olds say "hi" to me, too. ------------------ I got nothin'.
One more thing. Of the cities that you listed, there's no way I'd pick any of them over Denver, and that's just based on what I've heard co-workers who had to take business trips there have said. It's a very beautiful city with an incredible backdrop (the Rockies). Is climate important to you? I ask because I pity the poor native Texan that wants to live in Minneapolis. Them winters are mighty tough. Of course, then you have Phoenix on your list, and that's like a freakin' oven. St. Louis isn't much better heat-wise. The other thing you need to make sure before you move is the kind of salary you're expecting. Whatever you do, make sure you compare cost-of-living before accepting salaries. Texas' cost-of-living is amont the lowest in the country. I once was offered a job in Alexandria, Va. that would've given me about a 30-35% pay raise. If you account for the cost-of-living increase, I probably would have been getting a paycut had I accepted that position. Other places where cost-of-living is high include California and the Northeast. Go to a salary/cost-of-living calculator on the Internet and see what you would have to make in other cities if you're making $X in Austin. One good site for this is http://www.datamasters.com. Just to help you out, I looked up what salary you would need to get in your desired cities to match a $45,000 salary in Austin : Portland : $50030.49 St. Louis : $44451.22 Denver : $48475.61 Phoenix : $46737.80 Seattle : $50167.68 Minneapolis : $48475.61 These compare pretty favorably with Portland and Seattle being the extremes. Of course, COL for different people vary based on various things like whether you plan on owning a home or not, etc., but it gives you some idea at least. Good luck and plan well; the good decisions you make now will only lessen the frustrations later in life. ------------------ I got nothin'. [This message has been edited by Dr of Dunk (edited October 16, 2000).]
"BTW, I'm Asian and I go to Wal-Mart and all the redneck 60 year olds say "hi" to me, too." Some real thought went into this one.... ------------------ "UNBEATABLE"
*drool*... Dr. NoogyBooger... Strahlia's one of the places I want to move to if when I retire. *sigh* ------------------ I got nothin'.
I think it depends where you live in a city. I'm paying 585 for a 550 square foot apt. in Austin. It's in Hyde Park, an old, but highly desired neighborhod. ------------------ "It's not a matter of if we will win the NL central, it's by how many games." Barry Larkin
You're absolutely right, of course, but you still need some guidelines to move and make selections by. Another related story : I once almost moved to Tulsa, Ok. (I think it was Tulsa) to accept a job with MCI. A high or mid-rise apartment in the city's downtown area was about $650/month. And I believe that was for a 750-800 sq. ft or so apartment. Man, I wish I could find that kind of value around here, muchless in a highrise! ------------------ I got nothin'.
What I love about Houston is that it seems the majority of people there love it. That coupled with everyone who doesn't live there hating it, it leads to the citizens loving it even more. I just went to Boulder, and I loved it. I've never seriously considered moving out of the state, but I would probably move there in a heartbeat. I also love Chicago and San Francisco. ------------------ Cheerleaders are just dancers who've gone r****ded. visit www.swirve.com
I loved going to Denver even before Coors Field and Pepsi Center. I imagine the atmosphere has improved since the addition of the new sports buildings (and teams. The last time I went to Denver, the Avs and Rockies weren't there yet). And being so close to skiing and actually having some changes in the seasons are all pluses for me. Denver is one of the few places outside of Texas that I would ever consider living. Of course, I like living in Dallas (and I haven't noticed that it's all that different from Houston. A little more suburban in Dallas, but not all that much different), so maybe I'm the wrong person to ask. ------------------ Houston Sports Board DFW Sports Board
