Relocating? This isThe Thread for YOU!

[RedefinedDiva]

OK, as of today, I have 363 days left before I graduate from law school. YAHHH ME!! During my so-called summer vacation and the upcoming fall semester, I am hoping to land permanent employment. The thing is that I don't want to stay in the (great) state of Louisiana. I am ready to branch out and explore other parts of the US. I've even considered moving abroad, but I'm not sure if I'm quite ready to do that, considering the state of international affairs these days.

So, here's where my wonderful GC family comes in. I'm looking for some recommendations as to where I should consider moving. I am open to just about any place, but I would like to live somewhere that would afford me a good blend of cultural experiences, ability to mingle with a collection of young, professional, upwardly mobile African-Americans, low to moderate crime (I know that no place is perfect, but I can't live in the murder capital either), affordable housing, and an all-around good quality of life.

So, if you live somewhere, have lived somewhere, or just know a lot about a particular place and can offer me some advice, hook me up! It would be GREATLY appreciated!

[Wonderful1908]

Houston!!!! When I finished school also in the (great)state of Louisiana I was ready to get! My husband and I considered Dallas, Houston and Atlanta and Charlotte just a little.

I love Houston, at first I hated it....it was wide and I didn't have friends or family but now so many people have moved here and the cost of living is great. Its city but still country, large, diverse and you can do anything you want, in the 5 years we have lived here we have had a SuperBowl, World Series, Baseball and basketball All Start game, etc. Its a great place for young educated African Americans, and there are plenty of suburbs that are within 5 minutes of Houston!

[AKA2D '91]

Don't sleep on your opportunities abroad. I have 2 LSs working abroad as civilians. They love it and they have not had any problems with security risks. One is in Dubai.



My cousin graduated from SULC in '05. He got a job with the Fed Gov't in Dallas. He left that and moved back home, when he passed the bar. If you don't want to move abroad, something with the Federal Government is an option. You can get placed anywhere. As with any profession, your possibilities are endless.

You can always do like Eddie in Coming to America...spin the globe and pick a place. LOL

ETA: You have to make the decision. You know what you prefer or do not prefer. Are you comfortable with the south? Would you like the hustle and bustle of a large city like New York or LA? Would you like the coldness of the north? Do you want to move far, far away from your family? You have to answer simple questions like that. Only you can do that, and only you will know that. Whatever you decide, you will be fine.

[SummerChild]

To piggyback on what Soror AKA2d'91 said, one of my LSs worked abroad in France, which might be very amenable to your law degree from a Louisiana school. Don't they teach the civil law of France as opposed to the law that is typically taught in other U.S. lawschools that comes out of England?

Might be an interesting time,
SC

Originally Posted by AKA2D '91

Don't sleep on your opportunities abroad. I have 2 LSs working abroad as civilians. They love it and they have not had any problems with security risks. One is in Dubai.



My cousin graduated from SULC in '05. He got a job with the Fed Gov't in Dallas. He left that and moved back home, when he passed the bar. If you don't want to move abroad, something with the Federal Government is an option. You can get placed anywhere. As with any profession, your possibilities are endless.

You can always do like Eddie in Coming to America...spin the globe and pick a place. LOL

ETA: You have to make the decision. You know what you prefer or do not prefer. Are you comfortable with the south? Would you like the hustle and bustle of a large city like New York or LA? Would you like the coldness of the north? Do you want to move far, far away from your family? You have to answer simple questions like that. Only you can do that, and only you will know that. Whatever you decide, you will be fine.

[Still BLUTANG]

You can check out Black Enterprise latest list of Best Cities for African Americans

Although the DC metro area somehow got #1, I would recommend without reservation Raleigh/Durham and Charlotte (you'd probably make better money there than Raleigh). I also have a good friend who moved to Nashville and LOVES it.

Good luck and enjoy your lil bit of break this summer

[RitaMae1908]

Darn Soror Wonderful you beat me to it... but to reiterate Houston is a great place to live and prosper in your career, any career. There are so many young Black intellectuals and professionals in Houston and the surrounding areas. There are 5 major Universities in the city of Houston (Rice University, Texas Southern University, University of Houston, Houston Baptist University, University of St. Thomas) if you want to further your education. Houston is also melting pot having residents from probably every corner of the world. The night life is great if you're into that. There are numerous festivals and events that occur every year (Houston Livestock and Rodeo, Jazz Festival, International Festival, Cajun Fest, and many more) so there's always something to do. Come on to the Bayou City Soror RD!!! The traffic is everything that you've heard... but you get use to it. Once you learn I-45/ I-610/ I-59 and Beltway 8... driving is a breeze. And I love my Brothas from the The-H.. but you gotta watch them, sometimes they think they're prettier that you are.

Originally Posted by Wonderful1908

Houston!!!! When I finished school also in the (great)state of Louisiana I was ready to get! My husband and I considered Dallas, Houston and Atlanta and Charlotte just a little.

I love Houston, at first I hated it....it was wide and I didn't have friends or family but now so many people have moved here and the cost of living is great. Its city but still country, large, diverse and you can do anything you want, in the 5 years we have lived here we have had a SuperBowl, World Series, Baseball and basketball All Start game, etc. Its a great place for young educated African Americans, and there are plenty of suburbs that are within 5 minutes of Houston!

[risingstar]

Originally Posted by RitaMae1908

Darn Soror Wonderful you beat me to it... but to reiterate Houston is a great place to live and prosper in your career, any career. There are so many young Black intellectuals and professionals in Houston and the surrounding areas. There are 5 major Universities in the city of Houston (Rice University, Texas Southern University, University of Houston, Houston Baptist University, University of St. Thomas) if you want to further your education. Houston is also melting pot having residents from probably every corner of the world. The night life is great if you're into that. There are numerous festivals and events that occur every year (Houston Livestock and Rodeo, Jazz Festival, International Festival, Cajun Fest, and many more) so there's always something to do. Come on to the Bayou City Soror RD!!! The traffic is everything that you've heard... but you get use to it. Once you learn I-45/ I-610/ I-59 and Beltway 8... driving is a breeze. And I love my Brothas from the The-H.. but you gotta watch them, sometimes they think they're prettier that you are.

Hi! I want to second this! (or should I say third!)

Congratulations on everything!

[MeezDiscreet]

[hijack]I didn't know there were so many Houston people here! I knew Wonderful1908 but I didn't know so many others![/hijack]

[OneTimeSBX]

i went to Charlotte and fell in love...now i will be relocating there next summer. the housing market is ridiculous. one of my friends had a house built, 2200 sq. feet, for under 180k. it is also very diverse, coming from the south (i live in Richmond now) i know how important it is to be around more people of your education level, etc. Charlotte also has pro teams, which means lots of parties, lots of places. i dont plan to return to VA once we get down there...

also if you dont want to deal with as many people or travel time, Savannah GA is absolutely gorgeous! that same southern feel without all the people. i want to retire there one day!

congrats!

[OOhsoflyDELTA#9]

Originally Posted by OneTimeSBX

i went to Charlotte and fell in love...now i will be relocating there next summer. the housing market is ridiculous. one of my friends had a house built, 2200 sq. feet, for under 180k. it is also very diverse, coming from the south (i live in Richmond now) i know how important it is to be around more people of your education level, etc. Charlotte also has pro teams, which means lots of parties, lots of places. i dont plan to return to VA once we get down there...

also if you dont want to deal with as many people or travel time, Savannah GA is absolutely gorgeous! that same southern feel without all the people. i want to retire there one day!

congrats!

Ditto!!
I'm biased because its home but Charlotte is a very up and coming city with great housing options and tons of local and transplanted progressive AAs...nightlife here is slower then in a major city, i.e. NYC or ATL, but most things here are great...

[RedefinedDiva]

I've been hearing great things about Charlotte. I also fell in love with the "look" of Savannah from watching "What You Get for the Money" or "National Open House" on HGTV (my FAVORITE channel!). But, I have a professor that's from there and she was like "Don't be fooled by that mess you see on TV!"

I am going to spend some time traveling this upcoming Fall semester. I'll be attending job fairs in Chicago, Boston, and Washington, DC. I may even schedule some weekend trips to Charlotte, Savannah, and Minneapolis. Aside from the fact that I want to live it up during my senior year , I want to see some of these cities firsthand.

[Wonderful1908]

Originally Posted by RedefinedDiva

I've been hearing great things about Charlotte. I also fell in love with the "look" of Savannah from watching "What You Get for the Money" or "National Open House" on HGTV (my FAVORITE channel!). But, I have a professor that's from there and she was like "Don't be fooled by that mess you see on TV!"

I am going to spend some time traveling this upcoming Fall semester. I'll be attending job fairs in Chicago, Boston, and Washington, DC. I may even schedule some weekend trips to Charlotte, Savannah, and Minneapolis. Aside from the fact that I want to live it up during my senior year , I want to see some of these cities firsthand.

Hey we don't see Houston on your list!

[delph998]

Originally Posted by RedefinedDiva

I may even schedule some weekend trips to Charlotte, Savannah, and Minneapolis. Aside from the fact that I want to live it up during my senior year , I want to see some of these cities firsthand.

Call me when you come here so I can show you around a bit.

[RedefinedDiva]

Originally Posted by Wonderful1908

Hey we don't see Houston on your list!

I've been to Houston SOOOOO many times already! LOL! Most of my family relocated there post-Katrina.

Originally Posted by delph998

Call me when you come here so I can show you around a bit.

I certainly will! I've been looking for flights, but they are kinda pricey. I'll let you know what weekend I settle on.

[SummerChild]

Soror, if you move to Minn., please do get used to shoveling your car out, scraping ice off your windows, trudging through the dirty snow, getting stuck in the snow and hoping that a nice stranger will help push your car out. Take it from a Chicago soror who got tired of that mess. Watching the tv each night to see if you will be snowed in for 3-4 months out of the year is not too much fun. But you may enjoy it, who knows!

It is also very cold there. (Sorry Delph ). It was always much colder there than in the Chi when I watched the weather - and that's with the windchill in the Chi. Ouch.

But hey, check it out. I know a couple of people who have moved there voluntarily. LOL.

SC

Originally Posted by RedefinedDiva

I've been hearing great things about Charlotte. I also fell in love with the "look" of Savannah from watching "What You Get for the Money" or "National Open House" on HGTV (my FAVORITE channel!). But, I have a professor that's from there and she was like "Don't be fooled by that mess you see on TV!"

I am going to spend some time traveling this upcoming Fall semester. I'll be attending job fairs in Chicago, Boston, and Washington, DC. I may even schedule some weekend trips to Charlotte, Savannah, and Minneapolis. Aside from the fact that I want to live it up during my senior year , I want to see some of these cities firsthand.