Tell me about your town

[innerSpaceman]

Oh, and it's effin' hot almost year round anyplace you could afford to buy a house in Southern California ... plus those locations do not have what we like to call "air," but rather a compustible mixure of pollutants that the body's lungs will grudgingly accept .... until they prematurely don't.

[katiesue]

Every area has it's drawbacks. You just have to figure out which ones you can live with. Sacramento is hot in the summer, but maybe heat doesn't bother you. LA area has traffic but maybe a few hours alone in your car every day is ok with you.

I have a former co-worker who moved to Chicago from San Diego, huge change there. They love it. They love having so much to do nearby, easy public transportation and as long as you don't stand around outside in the winter it's not so bad.

One of my best friends lives in Portland because she can't stand heat. Another lives in Phoenix cause she can't take the cold.

Personally I'd rather move somewhere smaller. But unfortunatley I'm stuck here for another 7 years so just have to make the best of it.

[cirquelover]

I would be miserable if I had to move to Medford, OR. It is hot, dingy and the politics are not something I would want to be in the middle of. It is near nothing of any importance except the Shakespearean Festival. The mountains are nice but you can find mountains anywhere. The only reason we ever go down there is when my husband races his car, which thankfully we haven't had to do this year!!

Please mark that one off of your list.

[3894]

Originally Posted by cirquelover

It is near nothing of any importance except the Shakespearean Festival.

A college roommate was from Medford via Santa Clara, CA. The Shakespeare Festival is IT which, for the townies, means getting to know people like David Ogden Stiers. Also, let's not forget that Harry & David is hq'd there and has an outlet. Shakespeare and Pears You Can Eat with a Spoon at off-price - not too shabby.

[Stan4dSteph]

I like the CA Bay Area, but most of it is very expensive. Alex summed it up pretty well in his posts.

Is the Northeast pretty much out?

[Prudence]

Originally Posted by Stan4dSteph

Is the Northeast pretty much out?

At the moment I'm concentrating on west coast and places where I have family (Des Moines and Orlando) and actually spent time. Anything 2nd circuit area (New York) faces the same competition challenges as the 9th.

But, that's why I'm also looking for recommendations. If there's some place not on the list that you think is amazing, please tell me what it is and why it's amazing.

In a normal job search process I'd apply various places, go on interviews, and if I got an offer, take a few days to consider it, explore the area, etc... If I get a clerkship offer, I won't have that luxury. One is expected to accept any offer if one is given - and they can come as early as during the interview. It's considered bad form to even take 20 minutes to call your family. So I have to be absolutely okay with living in any of the cities to which I send applications.

[Alex]

Most of the Seattle area people I know who have made the move end up really loving Chicago (once they get used to the idea of extreme summers and winters).

To name a place not on your list.

[Morrigoon]

LA - too big an area to summarize, could be anywhere. Plenty of choice on great places to live, almost all with a significant commute.
San Fran - what, in the City? High cost of living, but if you're near a BART station, you can actually live across the bay as far away as Concord and Walnut Creek or down the peninsula a bit from the City, which would also work. Bay area people loooove the Bay area. NoCal isn't for me though, so the question is, are you the NoCal type or the SoCal type?
San Diego - Chernabog loved it when he lived there. Easy access to lower-priced areas, but San Diego made a recent list of most overpriced (compared to avg income) cities in America. So did LA. Not OC though
Pasadena - Beautiful. South Pasadena gets a bit sketchy, but for the most part Pasadena is awesome
Reno - Haven't lived there. Haven't heard anyone rave about living there. Prices will be quite decent though, and you're close to skiing in Tahoe.
Las Vegas - Like SoCal, only REALLY far inland. Not quite as nice a place to live as it was 5 years ago because it grew so much, but I loved it there. Avoid Summerlin unless you like HOA interference level set to "Nazi". However, that whole west side, up the hill from the strip is a great place to live. A lot of the new stuff on the southwest end should be great. Prices have been declining a bit, but they gained a lot beforehand. Still, compared to CA, much more affordable.
Phoenix - Saw a LoT of growth in the boom. Sellers suffering now. Could probably bargain and pick up a deal from over-invested speculators
Tucson - no idea
Sacramento - Depends. Some nice rural and suburban areas. Not far from Tahoe, but not as close as Reno
Spokane - no idea
Portland - no idea
Medford - no idea
Honolulu - Well hey, it's Hawaii. Prices are high though. But... it's Hawaii.
Santa Ana - You wouldn't wanna live *in* Santa Ana necessarily, but plenty of great areas within close commuting distance, and it's near Disneyland! You'd have LoTers near you in Garden Grove, Orange, Lake Forest, Costa Mesa, just all around you!
Fairbanks - Alaska? Gorgeous landscape and about 8 men to every woman (as they say, "The odds are good, but the goods are odd.") Actually, I don't know, I've never been there myself.
Boise - I keep hearing buzz about Idaho. It's probably nice.
Billings - no idea
Anchorage - Alaska?
Juneau - They really want you in Alaska, don't they?
Riverside - "The I.E." It's where people move to when OC is too expensive. Really grown in the last few years. The area gets mixed reviews, some love it, some don't.
Woodland Hills - it's like, The Valley, okay? I grew up in Chatsworth, not far from there. Nice place, but I see the Valley as a declining area. Still, would be a decent choice to start with.
Fresno - growth area. No longer "dee ends of dee urt" like it once was. Some folks say it's quite nice.
Oakland - no. Okay, not "no", but you'll want to commute in. Like San Fran, consider coming in from Walnut Creek
San Jose - Not wholly familiar with the area, but probably alright. Dot com boom had an effect on prices. Pixar is near there.
Missoula - I have one friend in Montana... she can't wait to leave. She's in Missoula. However, she does like the wild areas.

[Prudence]

So, what's the difference between a NoCaler and a SoCaler?

[3894]

Originally Posted by Prudence

So, what's the difference between a NoCaler and a SoCaler?

That's a thread in itself.