Where to move

[Viktor K]

I'll throw out a few more areas for you to reject

That is how it feels like huh?

[unemployable]

Your process does come across as inchoate, capricious and unappreciative of others' experience.

[Viktor K]

Your process does come across as inchoate, capricious and unappreciative of others' experience.

So?

On staying in city for professional networking:

Again, not my thing and also not on board with the logic of this. It’s often regurgitated advice and evidence of most jobs being through word of mouth. But a) not all opportunities are and b) not how I want to get a job and c) not worth living in a violent, crowded, non-outdoorsy place like Chicago and d) subjective value of earning higher is not worth for me personally.

On covid temporary:

Completely disagree the US is on track to even kind of go back to normal in next year. I’d rather be happy with where I live for the next year, thus the thread. Not to mention increasing frequency of emerging zoonotic viruses, if it’s not COVID, then whatever’s next.

Thinking more Raleigh and Colombia as top picks right now, with priorities leaning towards cost of living for 1-2 bedroom, 1000+ sq ft and yard, convenience of groceries + medical, access to hiking/open space.

Budget about $1500 for housing+transportation

[Viktor K]

Utah still trying to avoid mostly as mentioned not my favorite climate/ecosystems. But does fit otherwise.

Girlfriend pretty much same world views as me. Will also be employing similar method of automated, job bot application sending catered resumes that i built and used to find my job.

One reason this decision may be a month or 2 before finalized, since always a chance first job is some sort of location-dependent offer... however I think that’s a bit of a red flag for a software role given current COVID situation. Whenever I look at companies requiring office attendance “at some point in the future” I just see a lack of emotional intelligence, and sort of a “get back to normal” mentality that I’m not really looking for.

But it’s her first role in the field, and she’s on a deferred tuition program that kicks in after first offer. We’ll see what happens

[sky]

https://www.zillow.com/manistee-mi/?sea ... 22%3A14%7D

[chenda]

Burlington in Vermont is supposed to be a nice town, and it looks it on google street view. You will have a lake, mountains and less than 2 hrs from Montreal if you want some big city excitement. Montpelier looks nice as well. Actually Vermont in general looks nice, and probably affordable. And they have dealt with corona pretty well.

[Alphaville]

Burlington in Vermont is supposed to be a nice town, and it looks it on google street view. You will have a lake, mountains and less than 2 hrs from Montreal if you want some big city excitement. Montpelier looks nice as well. Actually Vermont in general looks nice, and probably affordable. And they have dealt with corona pretty well.

oh hell yes burlington!

not very walkable town as i recall so he’d need a car, but lots of bicycles, so there’s that option

lovely nature all around as well

plus it’s a university town

as for healthcare, they attempted medicare for all and failed, but i don’t have all the details

even if location does not factor into employment, the sociocultural environment of the place where you live is crucial (for me anyway).

[Laura Ingalls]

Decorah, IA - similar issues to Richland Center... these are probably too small for me.

Might be small and hard to find a rental in but you could hike for days without leaving town. Especially, if green wooded trout streams are your jam. Some intense elevation changes if you like that too. Lacrosse, WI might be another option bigger town

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/215- ... e=txtshare

I’d have to hike a lot if I lived here since it’s above one of my favorite ice cream places

[WingsOnFire]

How about Cambodia for SE Asia! It used to be dangerous, not so anymore. I've spent some months there on two occasions (volunteer work and travel a bit).
It wasn't touristy, it was affordable, the people were friendly. Even Phnom Penh is small enough to get to know easily so you are comfortable biking around to anywhere (well, if you forget about the crazy traffic!) I traveled there as a 20-something woman by myself, never had to be really scared.
I met some travelers coming from Thailand (they were western people) though who looked at everything down their noses, because everything was so poor, everything was better in Thailand in their opinion.
Anyway, I totally loved it.

[niemand]

O Canada. My (only slightly tongue in cheek) reasons are proximity to US, health care, and friendly police. Weather will get better over time.

[Viktor K]

O Canada. My (only slightly tongue in cheek) reasons are proximity to US, health care, and friendly police. Weather will get better over time.

Good enough reasons for me presently.

Feel like have to wait for girlfriend job search just in case. New Zealand sounds nice too. Old high school friend has been there (US expat) last few years, ongoing.

[Viktor K]

@wingsonfire always been worried about land mines. Probably irrationally?

But when in China, always thought why Cambodian when I can go to japan, Thailand, Vietnam.

Your thoughts?

[Viktor K]

Might be small and hard to find a rental in but you could hike for days without leaving town. Especially, if green wooded trout streams are your jam. Some intense elevation changes if you like that too. Lacrosse, WI might be another option bigger town

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/215- ... e=txtshare

I’d have to hike a lot if I lived here since it’s above one of my favorite ice cream places

+@sky
Honestly, biggest thing with these small, off mainstream Hiking towns is finding a reasonable rental market. Houses online don’t seem worth the price.

[UrbanHomesteader]

Silver City NM has a lot to offer in terms of nature, like the Gila Wilderness and Continental Divide Trail, lots of free hiking and camping and the local culture is pretty chill. It might not seem like much when you drive through, but once you get to know it it is pretty awesome. A lot of people randomly pass through and then decide to stay. Great climate too, the elevation keeps it from getting as hot as other places in the Southwest.

[CS]

If you and girlfriend are considering children then factor in the availability of health care if the ACA is repealed and you are retired. pregnancy is considered a preexisting condition and a birth in a hospital can easily costs 30k. I know in my state I could get health insurance even without the healthcare act because I did just that before obamacare -with a preexisting condition. That varies widely between states. Generally red states will hang you out to dry (die) but it's not a universal rule.

[classical_Liberal]

@CS has a great point.

Not only about health care, but more generally, make sure that the place you live accepts your general ethical and ideological beliefs within the local overton window. I've written about this in a few places here recently. It's important you're not constantly in friction with neighbors and local government to maintain your chosen lifestyle.

[Alphaville]

Not only about health care, but more generally, make sure that the place you live accepts your general ethical and ideological beliefs within the local overton window. I've written about this in a few places here recently. It's important you're not constantly in friction with neighbors and local government to maintain your chosen lifestyle.

this. but it’s not just a lack of friction— it’s a need for nourishment, choosing “a good soil” so to speak, not just avoiding a toxic one.

and that’s precisely why so many “lcol” locations are nonstarters for me. sure— if my life was just about money, it would make sense for me to move to kansas.

but it’s not really about money at all, and i really despise money, hahahaha. i’ve learned the hard way to behave as if i don’t despise money, but deep down in my “soul,” the bean-counting and money-as-a-value kills me.

this is why staying in the black is important too—being in the red makes you think constantly about money.

so the way to make frugality work for me is to spend as little as possible without having to count money all the time, which sucks the joy out of everything. to put in another way: to make it qualitative rather than quantitative.

goddamn, i went off a tangent, ha ha ha...

how to live cheaply in an expensive city? 1. ditch the car and walk everywhere. 2. live in a small space and get invited to parties (lol) 3. squeeze the public library for all its worth and attend free events. 4. accept that continued work is a tradeoff for the delights in which you partake [eta:4a. and rewarding work as one of those delights] 5. this is not ere, but semi-ere, if the city [and your work, are] worth it to you. 6. city life as more than mere residence: as a value. 7. rewarding work as a value