Relocating? This isThe Thread for YOU!

[BlessedOne04]

I recently moved from Columbus, OH. I thought that is was a great place to live especially for young professionals. It made someone's list of best cities for African American young professionals. I found the shopping and cultural experiences to be top notch. Good luck!

[RedefinedDiva]

Originally Posted by Wonderful1908

Houston has really been well endorsed on the board. I honestly don't no anybody who has moved here and wants to go back to Lousiana. I think Houston is great becuase even though its a city its so wide that there are like 25 mini Houstons in Houston. Plus as I said earlier the cost of living is awesome! I had a brand new 2500 sq. foot house built 4 years ago and after upgrades we only paid $123,000, so whatever the occupation Houston is the place!

The only persons that want to stay are those that went voluntarily. Ask the folks FORCED out by Katrina and they sing a different tune! They ALL want to come back!

But, damn! A brand new home for $123K doesn't sound bad AT ALL!

[RedefinedDiva]

Any opinions of Chicago? A bunch of folks have gotten jobs there from my school. I've never been, but I have one classmate that is originally from Chicago and says she will NEVER go back. What's up with the Chi?

[Wonderful1908]

Originally Posted by RedefinedDiva

The only persons that want to stay are those that went voluntarily. Ask the folks FORCED out by Katrina and they sing a different tune! They ALL want to come back!

But, damn! A brand new home for $123K doesn't sound bad AT ALL!

Thats a good point, let me back track all the people who came voluntarily love it!

Yea the house thing is awesome, I caught my house right before that big buidling explosion but one of my friends just bought a 2 story 3 bedroom house for $147,000 and another just closed this week on a new home for $127,000.

I don't know but Mayor Bill White needs to come pay us Houston gals on this board!

[treblk]

Wow, with all the information you all have provided on different cities, it makes me wanna take a trip!! But I can not let the DC metro area just be a simple pass through, though I know someone has mentioned it. It is a GREAT place to be, what ever you like to do, you can and will find it in DC Metro and talk about professional AA's , we are all over the place. But like all major cities we have our goods with the bads. When you're in town RD, let me know

[Proverbs31]

Originally Posted by RedefinedDiva

Any opinions of Chicago? A bunch of folks have gotten jobs there from my school. I've never been, but I have one classmate that is originally from Chicago and says she will NEVER go back. What's up with the Chi?

This really surprises me. I guess I would call Chicago my second home from visiting my dads side of the family over the years, and I LOVE it! Of course some areas are better than others, as is the case with most cities. But from what I understand there are LOTS of job opportunities there for professionals, the night life is excellent and there is always some type of cultural festival, play, concert etc. going on in the city. I'll actually be moving there in less than 3 months for law school and I plan to start my career there. If you have any specific questions about the city, feel free to PM me.

[unspokenone25]

Now Soror RD, you know that I love Houston (born and raised and coming back at the end of the month) but I'm not going to tell you to come here. I have a lot of friends for law school as well getting jobs in Chicago. But it is called the Windy City and my little azz would blow away.

The reason that I'm not going to tell you to come to Houston: IMO, it's boring as hell. Maybe because I'm from Houston but there is no excitement to the city. The transportation sucks. The H looks like a big slab of concrete. Although I would rather live in Houston than Dallas, that's not saying a lot.

Keep your options open. If I could, I would move back to DC (or the surrounding areas) in a second. Yes, the cost of living is high but I just love that part of the country. It's much more progressive.

[SKEEphistAKAte]

Hello all, long time no see.

Soror RD, I wanted to move to Houston as well. It was probably my top choice of places to relocate to after graduation. But I simply was unable to secure employment there. So of course, you already know that I am moving to Miami. Therefore, I recommend that you move to Miami simply so that you can be there with me :-)

[Little32]

Originally Posted by RedefinedDiva

Any opinions of Chicago? A bunch of folks have gotten jobs there from my school. I've never been, but I have one classmate that is originally from Chicago and says she will NEVER go back. What's up with the Chi?

I am from Chicago (raised there anyway) and I think that it is a great city. Lots of cultural activity, museums, festivals, theater, music, a lot of diversity in that respect. Of course, Lake Michigan is beautiful, my family has a home a couple of blocks from the lake. Public transportation is good--you almost don't need a car--and the shopping is pretty good too.
The complaint that I have heard most often about Chicago is the weather--its cold and often gray during the winter which lasts really from November to April (so if you do not like the cold, it is probably not the place for you). Also, housing is becoming increasingly expensive, especially if you want to live anywhere near the city. There are some neighborhoods that are being revitalizing about 15 mins from downtown (on the southside which is where most of us live), but those prices are rising quickly too.
If you enjoy cold weather, and I am probably the only person on the board that prefers cold to heat, Chicago is a pretty nice city to live in.

[SummerChild]

Soror RD,
Being born and raised in Chicago too, I co-sign with everything Little32 has said. It's a great place for AA professionals and tons to do if you like museums, etc. It is often said that there is no better place to be in the summer than Chicago. Now, the emphasis there is "in the summer." If you are ok with the cold, below zero temperatures and gray, dark skies from November to April, as Little32 said, you are good. It is more expensive than down south but it is a very reasonably-priced northern city. It is nowhere near the cost of living (esp. for real estate) as say a DC, a NY or an LA - yet, it is just as cosmopolitan. If you're just interested in renting for now, I could point you to areas that I lived in in Hyde Park over near the lake with one bedrooms from 675-875 per month, radiant heat so you only pay electricity and cooking gas. There are lots of professionals in this area. Also, it is a bit of a student community b/c UChicago is there also, so it can be a bit of a walking community the closer you are to the lake. I took the #2 or the #6 right past my house straight into downtown so it's convenient into downtown. If you want something out in the suburbs, the commute is longer (I think it's about 45 minutes to an hour) but there are nice places out there too. Sububs not so nice if you don't drive, however. There are also other places in the city that you may like. But trust that it is *real* inner city life. My parents live in GA so I know the Atlanta (or other souther inner cities that I have seen) are not quite like what I would consider to be inner city - buses all the time, train stops in walking distance, etc.. This is Chicago so if that's what you like, it may be cool for you.

Chicago is more fast-paced than say any other city in the midwest, if that's what you like. It is also true that you can survive w/out a car. One of our sorors has been doing it for over 5-7 years now and she sees all sorts of plays, etc. downtown regularly. The reason that I moved from Chicago was b/c I got tired of the dark, gray skies for so much of the year. It was kind of dreary and depressing to me. But during that season, the sun does manage to peek through at least once every couple of days for a little while, for a very little while, at least. I also got tired of watching the news each night from Nov to March to see if there was going to be a snowstorm and, hence, I would have to get up even earlier to shovel my car out. Then I got tired of my car getting stuck in the snow on the streets when I parked on the street or my car getting stuck in the main thoroughfare of my gated lot b/c my management was too trifling to have the snow trucks out there at a reasonable hour. It is one thing to deal with snow and bad weather when you have a parent that will go out and shovel your car out for you and warm your car up and scrape the ice off the windows for you, as a teenager, and quite another when you have to do it yourself.

But if you're cool with the cold and gray skies won't bother you, then Chicago is a great place!

SC

Let me know if you have specific questions.

Originally Posted by Little32

I am from Chicago (raised there anyway) and I think that it is a great city. Lots of cultural activity, museums, festivals, theater, music, a lot of diversity in that respect. Of course, Lake Michigan is beautiful, my family has a home a couple of blocks from the lake. Public transportation is good--you almost don't need a car--and the shopping is pretty good too.
The complaint that I have heard most often about Chicago is the weather--its cold and often gray during the winter which lasts really from November to April (so if you do not like the cold, it is probably not the place for you). Also, housing is becoming increasingly expensive, especially if you want to live anywhere near the city. There are some neighborhoods that are being revitalizing about 15 mins from downtown (on the southside which is where most of us live), but those prices are rising quickly too.
If you enjoy cold weather, and I am probably the only person on the board that prefers cold to heat, Chicago is a pretty nice city to live in.

[RedefinedDiva]

Originally Posted by SKEEphistAKAte

Hello all, long time no see.

Soror RD, I wanted to move to Houston as well. It was probably my top choice of places to relocate to after graduation. But I simply was unable to secure employment there. So of course, you already know that I am moving to Miami. Therefore, I recommend that you move to Miami simply so that you can be there with me :-)

LOL! You know that I HAVE been looking fr jobs there. Since the BLSA conference, I've been I LOVE with Miami! I had a fabulous time for those few days. I would spend nearly every weekend I could at the beach. I hope to visit again soon.

[SummerChild]

Congrats Proverbs! I think you and I briefly discussed your possibility of going to lawschool there, right?
Congrats!
SC

Originally Posted by Proverbs31

This really surprises me. I guess I would call Chicago my second home from visiting my dads side of the family over the years, and I LOVE it! Of course some areas are better than others, as is the case with most cities. But from what I understand there are LOTS of job opportunities there for professionals, the night life is excellent and there is always some type of cultural festival, play, concert etc. going on in the city. I'll actually be moving there in less than 3 months for law school and I plan to start my career there. If you have any specific questions about the city, feel free to PM me.

[SummerChild]

MeezDiscreet, may I PM you re the city?
SC

Originally Posted by MeezDiscreet

Dallas is my hometown and while it may not be as metropolitan as Houston, I still think it's a great place. I think it's easier to navigate and takes less time--you get almost anywhere in 15-20 minutes compared to the 30 minutes or more in Houston.

[Proverbs31]

Originally Posted by SummerChild

Congrats Proverbs! I think you and I briefly discussed your possibility of going to lawschool there, right?
Congrats!
SC

Yes we did, thank you!

[unspokenone25]

^^^
Congrats, Proverbs! You got a lot of people here on GC to get you through the three years of law school. Don't be afraid to utilize us.

The more I keep hearing about Chicago, the more I wonder if I should relocate up there!