What are the best places to live/work/play?

[xxForgedxx]

I am an Army National Guard Officer Candidate at Penn State. I grew up in Maine, and I have been to New Hampshire, Mass (Boston in particular), Missouri, Mississippi, San Antonio and bla bla bla. Not too many exciting places but I swore to myself that part of loving your job is loving where you live as well.

I am a car fanatic, I am a fanatic of good scenery as well. Both of them combined can totally demolish a stressful day and or situation... but some times it comes with a hefty price tag (i.e. California). I am trying to compile a list of cities that I would like to live in after I graduate from PSU. So I need your help.

A friend of mine just graduated from Bryant University, he is now an accountant at BDO Seidman I believe. He lives in Boston, his starting salary was $53,000 a year and after student loans, rent (which is CRAZY! he has a roomate and still pays out almost $1,500 a month in rent/utilities) and though I like the city in moderation it is too cluttered for me. I love cars too much to have that boxed in cluttered location.

I lust for places like California, though they are probably too expensive for me to live in. I don't know what kind of money I am going to be making out of school but I need to pick a state to go with because I will be a part of the National Guard and belong to that state. Here are some things I am looking for:

-A solid night life, even if I get married I still want to have fun things to do, places to drink, hang out etc etc. I refuse to conform to the traditional bla lifestyle that marriage (If I ever do get married) ties you into.

-A solid day life, for the times it isn't time go get drunk... certain places are great at night but offer nothing to do sober. I like outdoorsy stuff, I like indoorsy stuff. I'm versitile.

-WEATHER! I am from Maine, a state that offers a real chunk of every season but to be honest I care for comfortable summers and overall weather than blistering COLD! Snow is great but winds and icey chill that make you wanna cut your god damn ears off, I can live with out.

-Employment: I don't want to have to pray I get a job

-I don't want to have to worry about my freakin car getting stolen if I go out to dinner

-I don't want a place so cluttered and congested that I have to rely on public transportation to get to where I need to go because traffic and such a boxed in area makes it impossible to drive (I.E. Boston/NY/Conn)

-I want to be able to drive to where ever I want to go, but also if I am going out, it wouldn't hurt if places were close enough that I didn't have to drain my bank account on cab fees.

-I don't want to live in a dirty place, and I also don't want to live in a place that makes a decent salary a shitty salary because of how damn expensive it is.

-I hate rain and dreary weather... HATE IT!

-I don't want to live in a place that is all play and no one that takes life seriously (like Hollywood?)

Any suggestions?

[Tondtar]

Come on, Forged ...You know Cali is calling you bro.
Follow your heart ...the hell with everything else

[Perpetrator]

I may be biased here, but I would say OC has what you're looking for. Yes, it's California and expensive blah blah blah, but I think the media hypes it up a bit. OC isn't all Laguna Hills etc, there are affordable pockets throughout.

-weather = do I need to say? No need for "winter wheels" etc
-scenery = you have oceans, mountains, snow, beach, and even deserts
-nightlife = tons of great options by the beach, or even just drive to LA
-daylife = beautiful weather and women...you can pretty much go anywhere.
-Space = tons of space, and not considered an urban area. you can drive everywhere, and places actually have parking lots! Unless you go to LA, and fight for parking, or use valet.
-Safe? = nowhere is gonna be completely safe, but OC is fine. there's tons of nice cars (BMW's are standard), so your car most likely won't stand out in the parking lots.
-Cars = there are plenty of nice cars you will get to see. If you're into modding, Socal is the place to be. Just fish thru the FS threads, and see where most of the buyers/sellers are, or even vendors. You will even be close to the infamous (more than famous) Long Tran, who I still have yet to meet.
-Jobs = honestly, it's prob not the best location for job opps.

The only girpe people have about OC is the pretentiousness, or even that it's "sterile". It's true, but once you live in it for a while, you get accustomed to it. Yes, you go to a bar, and will be surrounded by douche lookin guys and ditzy girls...but there's really no harm in it if you think about it. Yes, it's also very "sterile" with mall strips and track homes, but once you have kids of your own (like I do), then you actually prefer the "clean suburban" environment.

Ok, I think I rambled enough. everything above is just my .02 tho. My views don't represent OC as a whole.

Good luck

[Tondtar]

Originally Posted by Perpetrator

I may be biased here, but I would say OC has what you're looking for. Yes, it's California and expensive blah blah blah, but I think the media hypes it up a bit. OC isn't all Laguna Hills etc, there are affordable pockets throughout.

-weather = do I need to say? No need for "winter wheels" etc
-scenery = you have oceans, mountains, snow, beach, and even deserts
-nightlife = tons of great options by the beach, or even just drive to LA
-daylife = beautiful weather and women...you can pretty much go anywhere.
-Space = tons of space, and not considered an urban area. you can drive everywhere, and places actually have parking lots! Unless you go to LA, and fight for parking, or use valet.
-Safe? = nowhere is gonna be completely safe, but OC is fine. there's tons of nice cars (BMW's are standard), so your car most likely won't stand out in the parking lots.
-Cars = there are plenty of nice cars you will get to see. If you're into modding, Socal is the place to be. Just fish thru the FS threads, and see where most of the buyers/sellers are, or even vendors. You will even be close to the infamous (more than famous) Long Tran, who I still have yet to meet.
-Jobs = honestly, it's prob not the best location for job opps.

The only girpe people have about OC is the pretentiousness, or even that it's "sterile". It's true, but once you live in it for a while, you get accustomed to it. Yes, you go to a bar, and will be surrounded by douche lookin guys and ditzy girls...but there's really no harm in it if you think about it. Yes, it's also very "sterile" with mall strips and track homes, but once you have kids of your own (like I do), then you actually prefer the "clean suburban" environment.

Ok, I think I rambled enough. everything above is just my .02 tho. My views don't represent OC as a whole.

Good luck

There is another downside to OC for me personally ..I always get lost if I don't have my GPS and NAV in the car. All neighborhoods and homes look the same around 90% of the time.

Irvine ....Need I say more?

(but I'm an LA snub so you can ignore me )

[Perpetrator]

Originally Posted by Tondtar

There is another down side to OC for me personally ..I always get lost if I don't have my GPS and NAV in the car. All neighborhoods and homes look the same around 90% of the time.

Irvine ....Need I say more?

(but I'm an LA snub so you can ignore me )

I hear ya. The problem is that our roads are always curvy and never straight!

[JME]

Austin, Texas.

Yeah, I said it. You probably didn't even think of it as a possibility. If you don't have any ties to current family or friends it has a great nightlife, great daylife, pretty good weather, not too terribly expensive, decent job prospects. The music scene is excellent. The traffic CAN get bad, but is NOTHING compared to congested parts of other major cities (God the traffic anywhere in California between the grapevine and the border will make you cry.) Austin itself is not very much like the rest of Texas with regards to the sucky-side of southern living. It is neither dirty nor shitty, and your car should be relatively safe, or as safe as safe can get nowadays.

The only problem is you are surrounded by the rest of Texas.

If you are stuck on California do NOT go to any major city if you want a job that pays what your worth right now. The unemployment rate in California is 9.3% right now. People are desperate to do anything for a job, including working for much less than they are worth. I've lived in most of the major cities in California (SD/LA/Sacto/SF) and right now things are just terrible. Yeah, the people there are getting great deals on brand new homes, but you can't take advantage of that if you have no money.

So yeah. Think about Austin.

[krote345]

Hoboken, NJ. I know...it's Jersey. Jersey in general sucks. However, I might be moving there for similar reasons. See below.

Night Life: Lots to do in Hoboken and a gazillion good restaurants. A few good bars. If you really feel like going nuts for a night, hop on the Path train and head into NYC. Entertainment is endless and the Path runs all night so you don't have to worry about having trouble getting home.

Day Life: Nice parks, restaurants, and lots of young people. There are a few soccer leagues if you're into that.

Weather: It's no Cali. Warm summers and cold winters. Just like everywhere around here. Probably not much different from Penn State.

Jobs: You can commute into NYC or find stuff in Jersey. Depends on your field. There is definitely no shortage of work.

Car Safety: Parking is shitty but you don't have to worry about getting your car stolen. It's a very safe town.

Congestion: It's crowded but most people still rely on cars. You can get where you need to go on public transportation but still have a car handy. It gives you convenience and freedom.

Driving/cabs: See above. Cabs within Hoboken are a flat $5 no matter where you go. The town is about 1 mile square so in the summer, it's nice to walk places. In the winter, a mile can be pretty cold and the $5 is well worth it.

Cleanliness: Very clean, despite it being NJ.

Rain: Just like PSU. You know the drill. Not Seattle but there is occasional rain.

All Play: The far majority of residents are young professionals. Everyone likes to get bombed at night but step up and get shit done during the week. (clearly a generalization)

Scenery: Depends on what you're looking for. The view of NYC from some of the condos there is absolutely amazing at night or on a clear day.

Downfalls: Real estate prices are insane. Parking sucks unless you have a garage. You have to admit that you're a Jersey resident. Traffic can be ugly at rush hour.

Other pros: Incredibly attractive girls for the east coast. Number 1 town in the country for young singles (forget which magazine said that). See the rest above.

[xxForgedxx]

Originally Posted by krote345

Hoboken, NJ. I know...it's Jersey. Jersey in general sucks. However, I might be moving there for similar reasons. See below.

Night Life: Lots to do in Hoboken and a gazillion good restaurants. A few good bars. If you really feel like going nuts for a night, hop on the Path train and head into NYC. Entertainment is endless and the Path runs all night so you don't have to worry about having trouble getting home.

Day Life: Nice parks, restaurants, and lots of young people. There are a few soccer leagues if you're into that.

Weather: It's no Cali. Warm summers and cold winters. Just like everywhere around here. Probably not much different from Penn State.

Jobs: You can commute into NYC or find stuff in Jersey. Depends on your field. There is definitely no shortage of work.

Car Safety: Parking is shitty but you don't have to worry about getting your car stolen. It's a very safe town.

Congestion: It's crowded but most people still rely on cars. You can get where you need to go on public transportation but still have a car handy. It gives you convenience and freedom.

Driving/cabs: See above. Cabs within Hoboken are a flat $5 no matter where you go. The town is about 1 mile square so in the summer, it's nice to walk places. In the winter, a mile can be pretty cold and the $5 is well worth it.

Cleanliness: Very clean, despite it being NJ.

Rain: Just like PSU. You know the drill. Not Seattle but there is occasional rain.

All Play: The far majority of residents are young professionals. Everyone likes to get bombed at night but step up and get shit done during the week. (clearly a generalization)

Scenery: Depends on what you're looking for. The view of NYC from some of the condos there is absolutely amazing at night or on a clear day.

Downfalls: Real estate prices are insane. Parking sucks unless you have a garage. You have to admit that you're a Jersey resident. Traffic can be ugly at rush hour.

Other pros: Incredibly attractive girls for the east coast. Number 1 town in the country for young singles (forget which magazine said that). See the rest above.

I go to Penn State and as far as I am concerned, fuck Jersey. There are so many Jersey, Jersey shore BITCHES here I wish it were ethical to haymaker a bitch! They are so fucking rude, snotty and annoying and they love the guido which makes me sick. "Hey browski, two HEInikinzzz... yaga bombzzzz bla bla"

Austin, I've been there but I was too drunk to remember, I just remember having an open bar at senior frogs lol and San Antonio weather drove me nuts... so freaking hot and humid my GOD.

[krote345]

Originally Posted by xxForgedxx

I go to Penn State and as far as I am concerned, fuck Jersey. There are so many Jersey, Jersey shore BITCHES here I wish it were ethical to haymaker a bitch! They are so fucking rude, snotty and annoying and they love the guido which makes me sick. "Hey browski, two HEInikinzzz... yaga bombzzzz bla bla"

I'm with you on the guido hatred. Fortunately, most of them can't afford to live in Hobo. You're spending too much time with chicks from Seaside Heights. Like I said, one of the downfalls is admitting you live in dirty Jerz. Love the town anyway.

[evoi19]

if you like cars and open roads or mountains to drve through with a decent night life and warm weather..i'd say san diego. Close to LA, lots of sun, awesome bars, beaches and mountains. Vegas isn't that far away, mexico is close...what else do you want?

[xxForgedxx]

Originally Posted by andrew@Karbonwerke

if you like cars and open roads or mountains to drve through with a decent night life and warm weather..i'd say san diego. Close to LA, lots of sun, awesome bars, beaches and mountains. Vegas isn't that far away, mexico is close...what else do you want?

A place I could actually afford to live in with a $40-50k entry level salary lol.

[evoi19]

Originally Posted by xxForgedxx

A place I could actually afford to live in with a $40-50k entry level salary lol.

you could....maybe a place in a lesser expensive neighborhood, some roomates, etc.

Also remember your salaary/pay is usually adjusted to where you live. For example, I live in the Bay Area, and cost of living is higher than other places, but i get paid accordingly and the same goes for where ever you live.

[BillLee]

Originally Posted by JME

Austin, Texas.

Yeah, I said it. You probably didn't even think of it as a possibility. If you don't have any ties to current family or friends it has a great nightlife, great daylife, pretty good weather, not too terribly expensive, decent job prospects. The music scene is excellent. The traffic CAN get bad, but is NOTHING compared to congested parts of other major cities (God the traffic anywhere in California between the grapevine and the border will make you cry.) Austin itself is not very much like the rest of Texas with regards to the sucky-side of southern living. It is neither dirty nor shitty, and your car should be relatively safe, or as safe as safe can get nowadays.

The only problem is you are surrounded by the rest of Texas.

If you are stuck on California do NOT go to any major city if you want a job that pays what your worth right now. The unemployment rate in California is 9.3% right now. People are desperate to do anything for a job, including working for much less than they are worth. I've lived in most of the major cities in California (SD/LA/Sacto/SF) and right now things are just terrible. Yeah, the people there are getting great deals on brand new homes, but you can't take advantage of that if you have no money.

So yeah. Think about Austin.

i've always wanted to live in austin.

[JME]

Originally Posted by andrew@Karbonwerke

you could....maybe a place in a lesser expensive neighborhood, some roomates, etc.

Also remember your salaary/pay is usually adjusted to where you live. For example, I live in the Bay Area, and cost of living is higher than other places, but i get paid accordingly and the same goes for where ever you live.

I lived in the bottom floor of a multi-million mansion in Point Loma for 735 bucks a month +utilities. I had 2000 square feet to myself. You can find good deals if you look hard enough.

However, I still wouldn't live there if I had the choice. Traffic is terrible, people kinda suck, bitches won't get off the cell phone, and there's a good chance if you make friends you'll all live 45 minutes away from each other cause there are so many god damned people there.

[FStop7]

Los Angeles, San Diego, or San Francisco.

The car scene in LA is absolutely out of control. I live in West Hollywood and I see so many Ferraris, Lambos, Bentleys, Astons, Porsche, Rolls, AMG Benz, BMW ///M, that I hardly even notice any more. There was a Scuderia parked at Trader Joe's the other day and a blacked out LP640 at Whole Foods. On a nice day in Malibu I saw two different Carrera GTs, an F40, and a fucking _Pagani Zonda_.

In SoCal between the months of May and November it does not rain. Maybe two or three times, that's it. The weather in NorCal is more normal.

There are several different great places to go driving in SoCal, like PCH, Angeles Crest, etc. However NorCal destroys SoCal in that department. There are so many incredible roads in Norcal that you could probably find a new one every single day for a year.

The down side is that it's expensive to live in a nice part of LA or SF.

If you don't like West LA then maybe OC would be more your style.

As far as LA nightlife goes, I think it kind of sucks. Everything in LA shuts down at 2AM. For all its glamor LA is kind of a sleepy town compared to New York. If you live in SoCal and you really want to go clubbing or really have a good time, you go to Vegas.

[MCMLXXXIX]

work/live/play?

at Google

haha

[radix]

Although I live in Chicago, my two favorite cities in the U.S are Boston and San Diego. The city I liked overseas was Naples.

[xxForgedxx]

From what I am hearing the OC is the more affordable of Cal... which seems odd because I always thought the place had baller status. But keep in mind you guys driving E90 M3's and so forth. I'm the guy that is going to be coming out of PSU with a BA, maybe a BS and a commission from the U.S. Army. I don't think I will be rolling in hoards of cash. Hell I may even be forced to buy a lonely car and clean it up in order to pay for the life there.

Looks like it's FWD, 200whp for me if I end up there lol... and also, no commitment lol. I've heard many things about californian women, extremely beautiful, have more money than you, stuck up, superficial and watch too much of "The City"... now I'm a good looking guy but screwed in the cash and bling department.

[Turbo>NA]

Fuckn Vegas dumbass

[FStop7]

Originally Posted by xxForgedxx

From what I am hearing the OC is the more affordable of Cal... which seems odd because I always thought the place had baller status. But keep in mind you guys driving E90 M3's and so forth. I'm the guy that is going to be coming out of PSU with a BA, maybe a BS and a commission from the U.S. Army. I don't think I will be rolling in hoards of cash. Hell I may even be forced to buy a lonely car and clean it up in order to pay for the life there.

Looks like it's FWD, 200whp for me if I end up there lol... and also, no commitment lol. I've heard many things about californian women, extremely beautiful, have more money than you, stuck up, superficial and watch too much of "The City"... now I'm a good looking guy but screwed in the cash and bling department.

Live with a roommate until you've got some years under your belt in your job.

The women in San Fran aren't as snobby as some of the LA twats, too.

[JME]

Originally Posted by FStop7

Live with a roommate until you've got some years under your belt in your job.

The women in San Francisco aren't as snobby as some of the LA twats, too.

fix'd

[MTV]

Originally Posted by Turbo>NA

Fuckn Vegas dumbass

haha