I am writing my thoughts down so I can look back and see my state of mind as it is right now.
By next December my husband and I plan on moving from Philadelphia. Where to? We’re not sure yet. Why are we moving? So my husband can go to medical school and get an MD. Also I am a bit sick of this city for a variety of reasons. The goal is to pay of all our existing debt before we move, so we’re planning on living entirely on my salary next year which will be $1400 net/month. Besides funding out respective Roth IRAs and a little bit left over for savings, almost all of husband’s salary will be thrown at his (and then my) debts.
What is the criteria for next living location? Low cost of living (NYC, SF, LA is out) and walkability. It also shouldn’t be too boring (I would like a nice library, ethnic grocery store and farmer’s market and preferably no big box stores taking up the personality of the place). If there isn’t a giant highway cutting the city/town in two that would be absolutely wonderful. I also am not too crazy about living in the midwest (Dakotas, Iowa), although the Great Lakes region is fine. Dust Bowl area is most certainly out. I am also paranoid about living along the Pacific Ring of Fire, especially because of the active volcanoes. Laughable maybe, but I also refused to visit a friend in New Orleans because I read about the possible dangers of flooding (this was before Hurricane Katrina). I would like to live in a place where there isn’t a ghetto every 10 blocks. There should be some sort of bicycle culture in the form of bike paths, bicycle clubs (Portland, OR, Madison, WI, and Burlington, VT and others fit this criteria). The town/city should also have a medical school and isn’t outrageously expensive for non-residents. The plan is to pay for most of the cost out of pocket. There should be job opportunities and more than one large employer. I am seriously thinking about starting my own business (bookkeeping, tax services)…but am too afraid for various reasons. Maybe I can start out small. I also wouldn’t like to live in some sort of disaster zone (like Galveston, TX that has the cheapest med school but is always hit my floods/hurricanes, etc). The place should also be feasible for us to settle down for at least 10 years. I am in love with the idea of living in New England for some reason even though I’ve never been north of CT. The town/city should also have an Amtrak station or a station that can connect with Amtrak.
I currently have a spreadsheet of every med school in the country and am filling it up with data on costs, demographics, cost of living (my estimate) and other stuff. Since the application process will begin next summer, we hope to have made up our mind by then.
I love Portland! It is a really beautiful city, but I don’t know if there’s an Amtrak station. The West Coast isn’t really navigable by train really.
I’ve also heard fabulous things about Madison. And I actually really like Milwaukee more than I thought I would when I visited.
Comment by arduous — December 30, 2007 @ 5:28 pm
Portland sounds so perfect (the med school isn’t expensive either)! But there is whole thing with the active volcano right outside the city…and the question of how quickly we can peddle away from the floating lava….
Comment by Beany — December 30, 2007 @ 6:56 pm
I love Portland minus the rain! The constant rain during my recent visit bugged me a lot more than it did during my shorter visits.
What about Austin or Boston? I think both seem to fit your descriptions. I’m looking to move also in the next year or so because I’m tired of the expensive cost of living in SF and the taxes are killing me.
Comment by sfordinarygirl — January 1, 2008 @ 8:12 pm
I would love to live in Boston, but it is pricey. Especially their med schools. So sadly, its out. I would consider Austin except that there isn’t a med school in Austin.
One main criteria I used to weed out schools was the tuition rates for non-residents. Anything over $30,000 was removed from consideration. I actually got the list narrowed down to 10 schools (and therefore 10 cities). I will eventually post the list (probably after my husband gets accepted so as to not jinx the process).
Comment by Beany — January 2, 2008 @ 7:58 am