Author Topic: Do you live where you do for the jobs?  (Read 14982 times)

Ricky

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Do you live where you do for the jobs?
« on: July 03, 2015, 06:44:13 PM »
Just curious. I can't think of any other reason anyone would want to be in a loud/dirty rat race if not for the jobs. Retail? None of us care about that. Give me a Walmart and access to Amazon and I'm golden. Restaurants? Once in a while, but still not a huge decision maker. Access to parks? Live in any small to midsize town and the whole town is basically a park.

The only two reasons I can think of to live in an over-crowded area is the jobs and the people. And increasingly, even those are becoming more and more less relevant with the internet. One can start an online business or telecommute quite easily these days, as well as meet people online.

What are your thoughts? Am I missing anything? Do you feel the same and are moving once you no longer need your job?

Bracken_Joy

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Re: Do you live where you do for the jobs?
« Reply #1 on: July 03, 2015, 06:54:47 PM »
Been in the city for 2 years now. We moved here for the schooling. Both my and DH's programs are only offered here in the state. We'll be here at least a total of 4 years as a result.

I do like this city though, which is a shock, because I grew up quite rural (72 acres of rye, sheep, and horses). We walk EVERYWHERE up here, and we can even walk to numerous hiking trails/rose gardens/river banks. Anywhere else I've ever lived, I've had to drive at least 30min to reach outdoor recreation places. We very rarely drive anywhere and never have to worry about parking. I hate driving, so this makes me very happy. And where I live now is actually a lower crime area than where I grew up (lovingly called "the meth flats" or "felony flats", since it was a flat part of the valley). More homeless people up here, but I've never had the police wake my up during the night to explore the property for an escaped felon! So I count that as a win.

We will eventually move back to a more rural area later though. I can't imagine raising kids in a city, it all feels very convenient for adults but not for children. And cities frown on children running around buck naked.

forummm

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Re: Do you live where you do for the jobs?
« Reply #2 on: July 03, 2015, 06:56:36 PM »
I live in the city I'm in because of work. Once I RE I might move. I don't feel any attachment to being here other than this is where my stuff is and there would be some expense and hassle associated with moving. It's a fine place to stay though for as long as I'm here. Good selection of cheap groceries, parks and greenery, whatever city stuff I might need (although I tend to not use any of it).

pka222

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Re: Do you live where you do for the jobs?
« Reply #3 on: July 03, 2015, 08:01:01 PM »
yep- small south seas island- without the job I wouldn't be here- but its nice for the time being- clean air, warm year round, nice beaches. When we FI we're moving to a US or European town with mountains, decent schools, and seasons.

Lanthiriel

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Re: Do you live where you do for the jobs?
« Reply #4 on: July 03, 2015, 10:49:10 PM »
We moved to Anchorage for the job market for sure, and it's worked out swimmingly for us. Luckily Anchorage is a small city, so we live only 2 and 5 miles from our jobs and are still are able to have a decent sized lot in a quiet neighborhood. This being Alaska, there really isn't any suburban sprawl, so it only takes you about 10 minutes before you can't tell you're in a city anymore. I love everything about living here (yes, even the weather) except for the high COL. But that's the price you pay for a robust job market and high salaries, I guess.

Zamboni

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Re: Do you live where you do for the jobs?
« Reply #5 on: July 04, 2015, 01:55:01 AM »
Yes, I live where I do for my job.  And for the arts (concerts, shows, galleries, etc.) Realistically, though, upon retirement I can travel to attend a favorite show or concert.

kamille

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Re: Do you live where you do for the jobs?
« Reply #6 on: July 04, 2015, 03:17:50 AM »
So you are asking me to defend my reasons I live in a dirty, over-crowded city even if I didn't need to for my job? I don't think I would convince you the benefits of city living since you already seem to have made your mind up on the matter. I grew up in a small town and there's way more places to visit and things to do in the big city. Some people just like the fast moving pace of the city over quiet little towns.

chasesfish

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Re: Do you live where you do for the jobs?
« Reply #7 on: July 04, 2015, 06:23:35 AM »
I've exclusively lived where the job is for the last nine years.   My income has quadrupled, so it was a pretty easy choice.

I think the people aspect depends on your lifestyle.  If you're an early retiree in your 30's and chose to have kids, its easy to live anywhere.  We've twice been assigned to smaller towns and don't have kids, so that was actually kind of tough to find people you relate to.

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Re: Do you live where you do for the jobs?
« Reply #8 on: July 04, 2015, 08:49:41 AM »
I am from NYC and moved to Long Island 10 years ago for college. Stayed here because despite being far from perfect it is still way less crowded than the city. We are close to beaches, parks, family, friends, and the jobs are abundant and pay well. The reason I stay is mainly family/friends and work. I have another 2-3 years left in my current position and then I can transfer to an out of state office or switch companies.

Case

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Re: Do you live where you do for the jobs?
« Reply #9 on: July 04, 2015, 09:04:32 AM »
Just curious. I can't think of any other reason anyone would want to be in a loud/dirty rat race if not for the jobs. Retail? None of us care about that. Give me a Walmart and access to Amazon and I'm golden. Restaurants? Once in a while, but still not a huge decision maker. Access to parks? Live in any small to midsize town and the whole town is basically a park.

The only two reasons I can think of to live in an over-crowded area is the jobs and the people. And increasingly, even those are becoming more and more less relevant with the internet. One can start an online business or telecommute quite easily these days, as well as meet people online.

What are your thoughts? Am I missing anything? Do you feel the same and are moving once you no longer need your job?

I live in a small-medium town, for my job.  My field tends to stick people in places like that, and usually they're not small towns in beautiful places like Longmont, but rather less popular places.

I grew up close to Washington DC.  Although it is a clusterfuck of crowding, here is what I miss:

-history:  the area has a lot of history that is fun to learn about and be located in.
-culture:  better access to museums, shows, etc...
-food:  better access to restaurants; i hardly ever eat out in my current location which is fine because I'm homing in on FIRE, but having options are good.  Especially on days when I'm exhausted and don't want to cook.  Also, sometimes inexpensive ethnic food is really not that much more expensive than cooking.
-people:  some places have a younger age distribution of people.  This can be good and bad.  Good, because it feels more vibrant.  I also dislike areas that are mostly just designed around raising a family; I find these places boring even if they are safer.  On the other hand, youth can bring negatives. 
-social:  Large places have more people to potentially meet and thus perhaps better odds of finding a group of friends you click with.

There certainly are many perks to small towns, and generally they are superior from COL standpoint.  But I think it is incorrect to think it's hands-down better to live in a small town.

Myself, I hope to experiment around in various places until I find what is optimum for me.  Probably a medium sized city, or on the outskirts of city.

seattlecyclone

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Re: Do you live where you do for the jobs?
« Reply #10 on: July 04, 2015, 10:18:23 AM »
I live in Seattle and have no plans to leave. The ability to get many places on foot and by transit is a big draw. I don't particularly enjoy driving myself around, and it's bad for the environment besides. "Overcrowded" is in the eye of the beholder. If I thought my city was overly crowded I wouldn't live there. Instead I support increasing the population density. Doing so prevents more rural land from being turned into suburban sprawl. It also increases the number and diversity of businesses that I can visit without hopping in my car. It can also lead to improved transit and other services, given a larger tax base covering the same geographical area.

Widget

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Re: Do you live where you do for the jobs?
« Reply #11 on: July 04, 2015, 10:29:07 AM »
I do.  I knew going into my (rather small) field that I would have to move for my job; likely to a large city.  And I did.  I live in a suburb and have about a 40 minute commute. I carpool so I only drive half the time, which is a big help.  I would like to be able to walk to work or take public transit, but the area I work in is pretty unsafe.  To me it's not really worth it to live closer to work and deal with getting my home broken into.  I am able to walk to coffee shops and parks, and a grocery store is being built within walking distance so I'm looking forward to walking to that as well.  I think even if I didn't have to move here for work I would like living on the edge of a city about this size though.  I like being able to take advantage of all the great city-provided free entertainment, like nature trails, festivals, and parks.

vhalros

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Re: Do you live where you do for the jobs?
« Reply #12 on: July 04, 2015, 10:44:22 AM »
I like living in the greater Boston area because it is walkable, bikeable, and public trasnit-able. The many schools and Universities in the area means there is always something interesting happening (big name speakers in many areas, talks that you can attend for a small fee or for free). Additionally, whatever you are interested in, you can find other people around doing it. Learn Turkish? Classes at MIT. Want to learn how to squat, deadlift, press correctly? One of the best places for that is 5 miles from my house. Learn to weld? Artists Asylum. I don't think these human interactions are really replaceable with internet interactions.  The minute man library network means I can get nearly any book you could think of.

Also handy that things like Google Express in areas such as this first. Retail is useful because even we sometimes have to buy stuff, and Amazon does not necessarily have the best prices. The population density also means, if there is some odd thing you need, you are more likely to find it used on Craig's List.

Additionally, when I finally get around to reproducing, I won't have to drive my kids every where until they are 16.

The population density means that I have many friends near by.

It certainly helps that, since we are both pretty specialized, only in a large city could both DW and I find very high paying jobs. If your not trying to live in the super trendy areas, costs are less crazy.
« Last Edit: July 04, 2015, 11:21:21 AM by vhalros »

pbkmaine

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Re: Do you live where you do for the jobs?
« Reply #13 on: July 04, 2015, 10:53:16 AM »
I don't like cities, but I have a classmate who lives in NYC on Central Park West. She's been there since the 1980s, so it's not as insane a choice as you might think. Anyway, she walks the dog in Central Park, and gets around town on foot and with a subway pass. Housing aside, NYC can be surprisingly affordable. A former coworker loves opera and ushers at Met Opera. He sees everything for free. If you love the arts, there's probably no place better. Yes, Broadway shows are expensive, but there's plenty of experimental theatre. Some of the priciest restaurants in the world are there, but you see fruit and vegetable pushcarts everywhere. One of the world's great public libraries is there, not to mention Met Museum and hundreds of smaller museums, many of which are free. There are great thrift and consignment shops and discount stores. Now, if you love gardening and peace and quiet, it's not for you. But many people who live there cannot imagine living anyplace else.

cdttmm

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Re: Do you live where you do for the jobs?
« Reply #14 on: July 04, 2015, 12:01:26 PM »
Do you live where you do for the jobs?

Nope. And never have. I live where I live because I love just about everything about the location. It is as close to perfect as I imagine I'll ever find. Fortunately, I have many talents and I suspect I could find a job living just about anywhere. I'd rather live someplace I love and figure out the job part afterwards. At age 21, when I graduated from college, I chose where I wanted to live and then found a job that I liked in that location. I cannot imagine doing it the other way around.

Ricky

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Re: Do you live where you do for the jobs?
« Reply #15 on: July 04, 2015, 01:57:04 PM »
Do you live where you do for the jobs?

Nope. And never have. I live where I live because I love just about everything about the location. It is as close to perfect as I imagine I'll ever find. Fortunately, I have many talents and I suspect I could find a job living just about anywhere. I'd rather live someplace I love and figure out the job part afterwards. At age 21, when I graduated from college, I chose where I wanted to live and then found a job that I liked in that location. I cannot imagine doing it the other way around.

I think more people should do this!

RobinAZ

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Re: Do you live where you do for the jobs?
« Reply #16 on: July 04, 2015, 05:12:21 PM »
I think about this all the time.  We need excellent schools for my son.  I need a nearby endocrinologist.  And we have a sh%#€? ton of debt and zero saved for retirement.  I am 44.

My job is here, and although I have been laid off three times since 2010, things are stable now and getting better financially.  My husband finishes grad school to be a special Ed teacher in Dec.

We would love to move to somewhere with a LCOL, but finding an attorney job long distance at my age wouldn't be easy.  I am also certified to teach elementary school, but then we would be living on a combined income of $70k gross, which is what I make by myself now, working about half time.

Thing is- I hate Phoenix.  I don't want my son to grow up here.  Ten years of teaching and public loan service would eliminate our school loans.  If we sold all the property we have here, we would have zero consumer debt.  Just school loans. So I am starting to wonder if I want to keep practicing law?  I love many things about it and I am good at it, but the stress is high. 

If I went back to teaching, I don't know that we would retire early.  In some states, incl. AZ, you have to work 20 years for your pension.  Of course, both my husband and I could go into administration.  In addition to each having a masters in education, I have a JD and he has a masters in public administration.  In a LCOL area, we could live on one salary.

Hell.  Maybe this is more doable than I imagined???

JLee

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Re: Do you live where you do for the jobs?
« Reply #17 on: July 04, 2015, 06:03:00 PM »
I moved to Phoenix for the weather.

I also like having stuff nearby. I'm 5 miles from an international airport, 2 miles from an industrial metal supply warehouse, etc etc. And I like people.

okits

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Re: Do you live where you do for the jobs?
« Reply #18 on: July 04, 2015, 06:55:22 PM »
So you are asking me to defend my reasons I live in a dirty, over-crowded city even if I didn't need to for my job? I don't think I would convince you the benefits of city living since you already seem to have made your mind up on the matter. I grew up in a small town and there's way more places to visit and things to do in the big city. Some people just like the fast moving pace of the city over quiet little towns.

Agree, some of us like it. 

In addition to other reasons mentioned, jobs in the big city tend to pay more.  I'd rather save 50% of a big paycheque than 50% of a smaller one.

Our city has a lot of ethnic diversity and it's not contentious or even a curiosity to be non-white or multiracial.  I like that a lot.

I could go months without sitting in a car. Most of my life is walkable, otherwise I use transit.

Large population centres have lots of votes, so politicians pay some attention to our wants, issues, and problems.  It's better than being ignored.

The availability and quality of medical care.

The pool of potential mates is larger. Though I'm paired off now it was a consideration when I was single.

I enjoy the plethora of arts, ethnic cuisine, sporting events, festivals, and exhibits, and that it's not a lot of effort or money to experience these things. 

We periodically consider the benefits of leaving the big city, and in the end we conclude that it is more advantageous to stay here and I simply don't want to leave.  It's not for everyone but right now it is for us.

tj

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Re: Do you live where you do for the jobs?
« Reply #19 on: July 04, 2015, 07:20:12 PM »
Do you live where you do for the jobs?

Nope. And never have. I live where I live because I love just about everything about the location. It is as close to perfect as I imagine I'll ever find. Fortunately, I have many talents and I suspect I could find a job living just about anywhere. I'd rather live someplace I love and figure out the job part afterwards. At age 21, when I graduated from college, I chose where I wanted to live and then found a job that I liked in that location. I cannot imagine doing it the other way around.

What place?

Bearded Man

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Re: Do you live where you do for the jobs?
« Reply #20 on: July 04, 2015, 07:26:24 PM »
Yeah, pretty much. Though now I also live here for my rental properties. They kind of tie me down. It would cost over 1K a month in fees not counting the 50% of first months rent per unit for a PM to manage. So I'm looking at nearly 20K a year going to a PM if I move out of state.

Considering cashing out and investing in turnkey rentals in Indianapolis, IN. Also might relocate there due to the cheap housing.

cdttmm

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Re: Do you live where you do for the jobs?
« Reply #21 on: July 05, 2015, 07:04:06 AM »
Do you live where you do for the jobs?

Nope. And never have. I live where I live because I love just about everything about the location. It is as close to perfect as I imagine I'll ever find. Fortunately, I have many talents and I suspect I could find a job living just about anywhere. I'd rather live someplace I love and figure out the job part afterwards. At age 21, when I graduated from college, I chose where I wanted to live and then found a job that I liked in that location. I cannot imagine doing it the other way around.

What place?

I live in the western part of Massachusetts.

wenchsenior

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Re: Do you live where you do for the jobs?
« Reply #22 on: July 05, 2015, 08:27:47 AM »
Unfortunately, yes. It's the great cosmic joke deployed by the universe in retribution for the rest of our lives working out so well. We are stuck in a place that is in nearly every way the opposite of suitable for our personalities, and we are people for whom landscape matters a lot.

It sucks, but you can't expect everything in life to work out how you want it.

ETA: It's not really being in a mid-size city that we object to, so much as the specific city and location. However, given our preferences, we'd be living on some property outside a smaller city than this. Somewhere else.
« Last Edit: July 05, 2015, 08:33:57 AM by wenchsenior »

arebelspy

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Re: Do you live where you do for the jobs?
« Reply #23 on: July 05, 2015, 09:28:25 AM »
We moved here for the jobs (placed here by Teach for America).

We very much enjoyed living here.

But now that we're FIRE'd, we're switching to full time travel.

So I guess you could say we just lived here for the jobs.
I am a former teacher who accumulated a bunch of real estate, retired at 29, spent some time traveling the world full time and am now settled with three kids.
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tj

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Re: Do you live where you do for the jobs?
« Reply #24 on: July 05, 2015, 09:56:15 AM »
Quote
Personally I'd rather be in a small city (living right downtown!) in a tiny apt where I could walk and bike everywhere, that had good public trans and all the city things I like, yet was close enough to nature to get out of town quick. Probably some place like Burlington, VT or Portland, Maine or Bellingham, Wa.


This sounds good to me! (except for biking- I want to walk/take public transit everywhere.) :D Are there any with California climate? I'm guessing not. :)
« Last Edit: July 05, 2015, 10:03:57 AM by tj »

BlueHouse

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Re: Do you live where you do for the jobs?
« Reply #25 on: July 05, 2015, 09:57:10 AM »
I'm sort of a Pollyanna in that I convince myself that I can be happy anywhere, and I pretty much can, but after I move from one place, I start to see the negatives.  If I have a reason to move someplace, then I'll pick up and leave, but so far, the only reason in my life has been for work.  Once I settle in a place and start to establish myself, the ties start to grow, friendships get formed, and it becomes harder to pick up and move -- so the only thing that's done that so far is the promise of more money/better lifestyle.  So yeah, I guess I'm chasing the jobs. 

In my present location (WDC), I live within walking distance to the Smithsonian museums which are all free.  I go to world-class, free lectures many evenings.  I go to free concerts once a week.  I have a (paid) subscription to theatre.  I can walk to the ballpark 2 hours before any home game and get $5 tickets. There are free (older) films at outdoor venues just blocks from my house in 2 different locations 2 x per week for 6 months of the year.  I see free IMAX films after closing hours at the National Air & Space Museum.  I go on free tours of the White House, U.S. Capitol, and Supreme Court.  On Friday nights, I like to take guests to the Marine silent drill https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQuJkjLYT4I.  On hot summer Saturdays, I wake up early and ride my bike to the Jefferson Memorial, sit on the huge granite steps and watch the sun rise while I eat an apple and drink ice cold water.  On my ride home, I might stop by the Maine St. Fish Market and pick up some fresh crabs or I may ride to Eastern market for some locally grown fresh fruit.  I may even get stopped on my way home and asked if I want to join in a game of pickup Bocce ball.  This week I'm going to see Madeleine Albright and Colin Powell speak at the Library of Congress.   
So there are a lot of things to do here that you can't do any other place in the world

As for city living, I am single with no children.   I can live in urban or rural areas, but I'll never live in suburbia again.  Suburbs are built for families and cars and people's lives seem to revolve around chauffeuring their children to soccer, ballet, band, etc.  Many parents seem to lose their own interests and focus almost exclusively on their children, so it becomes very uncomfortable for me to be in that environment.  I felt it was literally killing me. 

As for Walmart shopping, I admit, I am a big snob about Walmart and would love to make sure I never ever live in a town with a Walmart.  I don't shop a lot, but when i do, I prefer to shop small independent stores where I make relationships with the owners/shopkeepers and who make my neighborhood unique. 

tj

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Re: Do you live where you do for the jobs?
« Reply #26 on: July 05, 2015, 07:10:04 PM »
Quote
Personally I'd rather be in a small city (living right downtown!) in a tiny apt where I could walk and bike everywhere, that had good public trans and all the city things I like, yet was close enough to nature to get out of town quick. Probably some place like Burlington, VT or Portland, Maine or Bellingham, Wa.


This sounds good to me! (except for biking- I want to walk/take public transit everywhere.) :D Are there any with California climate? I'm guessing not. :)
No - unless it's in Calif with Calif housing costs :-)!

I prefer to walk in the city as well myself but would love to live in a small city that has lots of off road bike paths running thru it (Anchorage Alaska, as someone mentioned above and where I lived before, is a great example of such a place).  While Anchorage wouldn't be on my list of permanent places to live for a variety of reason, it does have a lot the things I'd like about a place.

http://www.trailsofanchorage.com/

Burlington, Portland ME and Bellingham all of walkscores in the 40s. Says they are car-dependent cities.

Ricky

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Re: Do you live where you do for the jobs?
« Reply #27 on: July 05, 2015, 07:34:17 PM »
Yeah, small city usually isn't synonymous with good public transportation, unfortunately.

tj

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Re: Do you live where you do for the jobs?
« Reply #28 on: July 05, 2015, 07:42:07 PM »
Yeah, small city usually isn't synonymous with good public transportation, unfortunately.

That makes sense. I guess the small city isn't so small that everything you need is walkable. :-D

mustachepungoeshere

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Re: Do you live where you do for the jobs?
« Reply #29 on: July 05, 2015, 11:18:34 PM »
We live Sydney for my husband's job.

He's in a small, specialist field (fewer than 40 full-time roles in all of Australia).

It was his life goal when I met him at 18, and from then on we both worked towards that goal, starting with moving to Sydney.

I'm in the same field but less specialised, so I could (and would prefer to) work from a regional area, but I could never ask my husband to give up his job.

Short of industry wobbles and redundancies, it will hopefully be a job for life. (And anything relating to this industry is also based in Sydney or Melbourne.) That makes it hard to pitch ER to my husband, because he never, ever wants to retire or do anything other than what he's doing.

Housing is absurdly expensive here but we've grown accustomed to the idea of renting.

I'd love to be closer to my family, and I desperately, desperately want a dog.

pbkmaine

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Re: Do you live where you do for the jobs?
« Reply #30 on: July 06, 2015, 04:04:44 AM »
Why can't you have a dog? Or a doglike cat? (They do exist.)

BlueHouse

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Re: Do you live where you do for the jobs?
« Reply #31 on: July 06, 2015, 05:05:51 AM »
Or a doglike cat? (They do exist.)
Rut-row?  Please explain. Is there a particular breed or just a few lucky cat owners who get responses when they call the cat by name?  I would be very interested in a dog-like cat.

Bracken_Joy

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Re: Do you live where you do for the jobs?
« Reply #32 on: July 06, 2015, 06:26:30 AM »
Or a doglike cat? (They do exist.)
Rut-row?  Please explain. Is there a particular breed or just a few lucky cat owners who get responses when they call the cat by name?  I would be very interested in a dog-like cat.

Every Maine Coon I've met has a very dog-like personality. My brother and his ex had a cat that was just an orange one who would play fetch, come when called, LIKED belly rubs, etc, but they had his brother too and his brother was classic cat. So I think it's some of both- some breeds tend to be dog like, but you can also luck out.

pbkmaine

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Do you live where you do for the jobs?
« Reply #33 on: July 06, 2015, 07:32:44 AM »
Two of our thee cats come when called. One is a total lap cat. Another taps you with her paw when she wants something. The third is shy. I would visit a shelter and hang with some grown cats. Kittens do not have their personalities set, so you can't tell. One of the grown cats will probably come right over and claim you. Having had both dogs and cats, the biggest difference is that cats use the litter box rather than waking you up at 5 am for a walk. I prefer the litter box.

My two friendly cats are tuxedo cats, named for their coloring. Domestic shorthair.
« Last Edit: July 06, 2015, 07:35:01 AM by pbkmaine »

JLee

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Re: Do you live where you do for the jobs?
« Reply #34 on: July 06, 2015, 08:07:48 AM »
Or a doglike cat? (They do exist.)
Rut-row?  Please explain. Is there a particular breed or just a few lucky cat owners who get responses when they call the cat by name?  I would be very interested in a dog-like cat.

Every Maine Coon I've met has a very dog-like personality. My brother and his ex had a cat that was just an orange one who would play fetch, come when called, LIKED belly rubs, etc, but they had his brother too and his brother was classic cat. So I think it's some of both- some breeds tend to be dog like, but you can also luck out.

I had a Cheetoh who would meet me at the door when I got home, play fetch, etc. He was awesome and I want another one, but I looked and they're $900 now. :(

https://youtu.be/bHtnOmkpGls?t=19

Jouer

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Re: Do you live where you do for the jobs?
« Reply #35 on: July 06, 2015, 08:46:35 AM »
Yes and no. After I finished university, I knew I would have to move provinces to get a decent career going. Before I moved, I did tons of research on cities, mostly looking at the number of companies in the industry for which I wanted to work. So I moved here specifically for work. But I've stayed here because I love the city.

MissStache

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Re: Do you live where you do for the jobs?
« Reply #36 on: July 06, 2015, 08:56:42 AM »
Washington, D.C. here.  I'm a born-and-raised rural girl, and while I love rolling hillsides and big farms, I must admit I love living here:

-Reliable, cheap, safe-ish public transportation that can take me to work, play, and two major airports all in under an hour. 
-I can bike just about anywhere, including a Major League ballpark where I can get $5 tickets to almost any game.
-10 minute bike ride or 30 minute (gorgeous) walk to a dozen free and magnificent Smithsonian museums.
-Free lecture, concerts, and readings from the luminaries of our generation.
-Amazing variety of ethnic foods, often for reasonable prices.
-Amazing variety of astonishingly good restaurants when it is time to splurge.
-Interesting people.
-And yes, jobs. 


NumberCruncher

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Re: Do you live where you do for the jobs?
« Reply #37 on: July 06, 2015, 10:27:15 AM »
I do like this city though...We walk EVERYWHERE up here, and we can even walk to numerous hiking trails/rose gardens/river banks. Anywhere else I've ever lived, I've had to drive at least 30min to reach outdoor recreation places. We very rarely drive anywhere and never have to worry about parking. I hate driving, so this makes me very happy.

+1 to all that!

Quote
Personally I'd rather be in a small city (living right downtown!) in a tiny apt where I could walk and bike everywhere, that had good public trans and all the city things I like, yet was close enough to nature to get out of town quick. Probably some place like Burlington, VT or Portland, Maine or Bellingham, Wa.


This sounds good to me! (except for biking- I want to walk/take public transit everywhere.) :D Are there any with California climate? I'm guessing not. :)
No - unless it's in Calif with Calif housing costs :-)!

I prefer to walk in the city as well myself but would love to live in a small city that has lots of off road bike paths running thru it (Anchorage Alaska, as someone mentioned above and where I lived before, is a great example of such a place).  While Anchorage wouldn't be on my list of permanent places to live for a variety of reason, it does have a lot the things I'd like about a place.

http://www.trailsofanchorage.com/

Burlington, Portland ME and Bellingham all of walkscores in the 40s. Says they are car-dependent cities.

Look at the heat maps. :)  The edges will have low walkscores that drag down the total score, while the downtown area is nice and green (highly walkable). This is why only super-dense areas score reasonably well as cities - New York City is the highest in the US and still only gets a 88/100, and when you get down to the 10th most walkable, you're already only at 66 (labeled "somewhat walkable").

Bellingham has the lowest total walkscore of those three mentioned above (score of 44), but it has something like 2-3 square miles of scores in the 70s to 90s.

These types of smaller cities/towns are my preference as well - best of both worlds in a way.

James

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Re: Do you live where you do for the jobs?
« Reply #38 on: July 06, 2015, 10:38:53 AM »
I moved to small town to be close to my wife's family, but we hope to move as soon as kids finish school. We would possibly move sooner except for the high pay and low COL that makes saving for FI easier here than anywhere else. I could easily be FI right now had I met MMM sooner...


Eventually we would like to be in a larger town where we can walk/bike to everything we want and have more culture and variety in life. Where you enjoy life is so personal it's hard to generalize, but mainly it's about being around people and places you enjoy. For everyone that is a different mix, so one person's heaven is another's hell. :)

tj

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Re: Do you live where you do for the jobs?
« Reply #39 on: July 06, 2015, 10:58:02 AM »
Quote
Personally I'd rather be in a small city (living right downtown!) in a tiny apt where I could walk and bike everywhere, that had good public trans and all the city things I like, yet was close enough to nature to get out of town quick. Probably some place like Burlington, VT or Portland, Maine or Bellingham, Wa.


This sounds good to me! (except for biking- I want to walk/take public transit everywhere.) :D Are there any with California climate? I'm guessing not. :)
No - unless it's in Calif with Calif housing costs :-)!

I prefer to walk in the city as well myself but would love to live in a small city that has lots of off road bike paths running thru it (Anchorage Alaska, as someone mentioned above and where I lived before, is a great example of such a place).  While Anchorage wouldn't be on my list of permanent places to live for a variety of reason, it does have a lot the things I'd like about a place.

http://www.trailsofanchorage.com/

Burlington, Portland ME and Bellingham all of walkscores in the 40s. Says they are car-dependent cities.
I find that hard to believe as I lived in Portland (actually across the river in South Portland) and found it one of the most walkable cities I've ever been too. Didn't even own a car while I lived there and walked or biked everywhere. Other than the weather and the icy hills during winter, it was great. Same with Burlington and Bellingham - been to both places but never lived there and found them both highly walkable.  Maybe the walkscore people felt they were too hilly or snowy or rainy to make walking or biking enjoyable for most people.

ETA: looked at some articles about walkscores in Portland, ME and this link from someone who lives there , as well as several others, seem to say it got around a 97. That is where I would personally rank it as it is easily walked end to end and side to side within a short time with everything you could possibly want (including awesome civic center and sports arena, museums, art places, amazing restaurants and bars, nice park, etc.. all with in a few blocks of each other. Plus it's a very interesting small city with a lot of history and cool old buildings. It has always been my dream place to live once I settled down but high costs of housing and things like prop taxes and utilities and the need to be near family has put that off longer than I would have planned. . http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/energy/blogs/walkability-city-portland-maine

Intriguing. I also read that many of those New England states have the lowest % of population who attend church. :D

I'm a red panda

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Re: Do you live where you do for the jobs?
« Reply #40 on: July 06, 2015, 10:58:51 AM »
We kind of do.  We moved to Iowa because of an educational opportunity.  When husband finished his PhD recession was pretty big, and I had a good job, and he had a good job offered- so we stayed here. If we thought we could move and both get good jobs, we probably would have moved at that time.

Having been here for quite some time now, I really like Iowa. And now I have a great job. It would take a lot to get me to leave, because of my job.

I do wish we were closer to family.

I'm a red panda

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Re: Do you live where you do for the jobs?
« Reply #41 on: July 06, 2015, 11:01:05 AM »
Yeah, small city usually isn't synonymous with good public transportation, unfortunately.

But what do you need it for? It's a small city. Get on your bike :)

jeromedawg

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Re: Do you live where you do for the jobs?
« Reply #42 on: July 06, 2015, 11:08:34 AM »
I've never thought of relocating for a job, but I have been 'selective' (or maybe just lucky and fortunate) about getting a job that's close to where I live - I've never commuted for more than 30 minutes from any place I've lived so far... I'm in LA/OC and really don't think I could handle traffic or long-commutes. Anyway, my current job is 4-5 miles away and my wife works about 7 miles away but soon she'll be in SAHM status for a while (we're not sure how long but it'll be indefinite until she feels like she can or wants to work again). As far as relocating, it has to be for the right company and on the right terms to get me to move so that I'm closer to the job.

mustachepungoeshere

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Re: Do you live where you do for the jobs?
« Reply #43 on: July 06, 2015, 05:33:53 PM »
Why can't you have a dog? Or a doglike cat? (They do exist.)

It's a combination of can't and won't.

Our building is pet-free. Our rent is artificially low at the moment as we've been in the same apartment for four years, so moving to a pet-friendly equivalent would see result in a $200+ per week increase in rent.

But mostly we know that our lifestyle would be unfair on a pet. We leave home for work before 7am, often don't get home until 9pm or later, we spend about half our weekends travelling to see friends or family or attending functions. And my husband travels for work for at least a third of each year.

It would be cruel to have an animal and not give it the attention it deserves, so although I feel like something is missing in our life, it is, for the time being, the right decision.

ambimammular

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Re: Do you live where you do for the jobs?
« Reply #44 on: July 06, 2015, 05:54:04 PM »
We're in a teeny town for the job. In academia you have to go where the colleges are. Any given year there may be five jobs at the type of schools we were interested in (liberal arts, non-mega-city). Closer to 30 positions if you're open to anything (community college/non-tenure/state school). The more specialized the more difficult to find. The year my husband was on the market we'd look at what years the older profs graduated speculating how close they were to retirement. It felt a bit like scouring the obituaries. 

A Canadian friend watches for jobs up north, some years there are literally 0 in his field.


Ricky

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Re: Do you live where you do for the jobs?
« Reply #45 on: July 06, 2015, 06:50:21 PM »
Yeah, small city usually isn't synonymous with good public transportation, unfortunately.

But what do you need it for? It's a small city. Get on your bike :)

Yes and no. Small cities are generally more spread out and obviously way less dense. Generally no bike lanes either, although less traffic, so that kind of cancels itself out.

Rural

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Re: Do you live where you do for the jobs?
« Reply #46 on: July 06, 2015, 07:08:01 PM »
Or a doglike cat? (They do exist.)
Rut-row?  Please explain. Is there a particular breed or just a few lucky cat owners who get responses when they call the cat by name?  I would be very interested in a dog-like cat.


One of ours is an American bobtail, which is reported to be very dog-like overall. This one certainly is. He comes when called, sits on command, likes belly rubs, and is the most sociable cat I've ever met. The dogs like him,and he likes them. He plays with the female despite the fact she's almost exactly an order of magnitude bigger (large housecat, Great Dane.) He also peed on a laptop once, so he's still a cat...

Villanelle

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Re: Do you live where you do for the jobs?
« Reply #47 on: July 07, 2015, 05:50:34 AM »
My husband is in the military so we have no choice in where we live.

I think the OP misses culture as a major factor in city living.  Also, Dh and I like to travel.  Proximity to a larger airport is a huge plus for us, and that's much easier to find in or near a larger city.  Groups of like-minded people, and/or those who share any given hobby are much more likely in a place with a lot more people. 

When the day comes that we can finally choose our location, I really have little interest in a small town.

Gray Matter

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Re: Do you live where you do for the jobs?
« Reply #48 on: July 07, 2015, 05:58:01 AM »
Though I appreciate the job prospects in the city, and the belief that if one or both of us got laid off, we could find jobs without having to move, I don't live here because of the jobs.  I love living in the city, lots to do, walkable neighborhoods, old houses, school choices, liberal politics, etc.  As a matter of fact, my love of this city has become limiting to our careers, because I won't move for a job opportunity.

use2betrix

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Re: Do you live where you do for the jobs?
« Reply #49 on: July 07, 2015, 10:28:47 AM »
The last 6 years I've traveled all over the country for work. Some places I've enjoyed, others I've hated. Most of them I've felt I have been able to make the most of.

That being said, with how much I've been chasing the dollar the last several years, i'm really starting to get burnt out, and i'm only in 20's.

My issue is that traveling for contract work, I can easily make twice as much. In the long run being able to save 60% of take home pay vs 20-30% of take home pay, it really adds up. After my current project I hope to backpack through Asia for at least a month. I feel like I will really learn about myself getting away from work that long. I haven't had more than 3 weeks off work/yr in the last 7 years, often working 50-70 hrs a week.

If I stick at it I could FIRE in about 8 years. I could even get to the point where I could live anywhere in the country I want, partially retire, and then fly out and do contract work a few months out of the year.

Regardless, i'm unsure if it's work or the locations that's been burning me out. A lot of the time I've spent working in the south, and it's just too damn hot for me here.