Im thinking of just picking up everything and moving. Right now I live in Ohio and am so bored with it. I wanna get out there and see whats going on, I dont wanna be 35 and regret my life, and still be in Cleveland. I cant stand winter as well. Im 23, wanna go back and finish college(havent even completed a full year), I have a decent job right now for a huge company, but its not what I wanna do with my life. I have friends that live in some pretty cool places, but I cant decide, any input or discussion would be appreciated. I want to move somewhere thats got some decent looking women and stuff to do, with nice weather all the time. Also, cost of living is a big factor as well, heres my obsevations of each place I could possible move.

West Palm Beach, FL:

Pros:
1) From what my boy says, tons of stuff to do, tons of hot girls
2) Cost of living isnt much different than Ohio
3) There is a business college he goes to that I could also go to.

Cons:

1) Hurricanes
2) Hurricanes
3) My boy isnt 21, but he has a fake

Phoenix/Chandler, AZ:

Pros:
1) Tons of hot chicks
2) If I move out there, I can transfer within my company and have a job lined up already.
3) ASU, huge party school, and from what Ive read, you can still get a decent education if you arent all about school and not having fun.
4) Nice weather all the time
5) Cost of living is cheap out there
6) 4 hours from San Diego and Las Vegas


Cons:
1) ASU has a huge student population, from what Ive read, can sometimes be hard to get one on one with a teacher
2) Sometimes its way too hot I guess
3) Might get too caught up in the partying and **** up school, the friend out there is all about going out all the time.

Southern Cali:

Pros:
1) Its California
2) Tons of stuff to do
3) My boy already has a nice apartment out there
4) Chance to become famous

Cons:
1) Really damn expensive
2) Earthquakes
3) Havent read into college yet

Las Vegas:

Pros:
1) I guess cost of living isnt too bad
2) Obviously a ton of stuff to do
3) Nice weather

Cons:
1) Expensive to go clubbing
2) To me, doesnt seem like it would be fun to live, just go on vacation, but thats why I started this thread, to see what people thought.
3) The friend out here isnt doing very well for himself.



So, thats my thoughts, if anyone lives in these places, or knows someone, or is planning on moving to one, drop by and leave some comments, thanks...

Well, here is the best advise I can give you....get back into school right now were you are, finish up, then move!! At least then you will have a degree to back you up were ever you end up! There are PLENTY of schools who off accelerated classes for working adults! Where you can get a 4 year degree in half the time! Thats what I do! I attend Indiana Tech University, its a normal university but they offer these classes for people who also work full time and cant come to classes everyday. I go to school 2 times per week for 4 hours at a time, but usually dont spend that much time in the class. So, I have a new class every 5 weeks! So, you get classes done pretty quickly!! I double up though, so Im taking 2 classes a week, so every 5 weeks, Im finishing a class and moving on to another one! I also work 40+ hours a week for Johnson and Johnson! So, I get paid well while I go to school, you cant beat it!! And, its a normal university! So, Id check around if I was you! Look for the accelerated classes and get enrolled! Get the degree out of the way that way you are free to do what ever you want!! Just my advise!! Enjoy

Jason

Collegeguy, do you have the answers to everything? Just kidding man. But yeah, that two days a week thing sounds like something I could handle, only days I have off though are Thursdays and Sundays. I work for Progressive Insurance and my hours kind of suck. 1:15-10:00 pm. So you are saying one class lasts a whole 4 hours?

Well.........I wish I had the answers for everything!! But, yes, generally my class run for about 3 hours and 50 minutes, but they NEVER keep us there that long!! Usually a few hours! 3 at most!! But, you pick which nights you can go, depending upon which classes you need for your degree and such! Plus there are classes offered online!! If I was you, I would start calling all the local universities with in 30-50 miles of you!! Ask them if they have an adult program offered such as the accelerated programs! Thats the way to go about doing this!! Then, find out which colleges offer that, call them, price them, then go from there!! If you need any suggestions Id be happy to help you! Anyways, best of luck, hopefully I was able to help!! Enjoy

Jason

Damn bro, you are more helpful than any of my real friends, thanks.

Congrats for wanting to move. Too many people just stay where they are at, and stay miserable. Let's face it: The rust belt is never coming back. Jobs are now in tech and marketing, not factories anymore.

I live in Las Vegas. A good friend of mine bailed the West Palm (Delray Beach) area for here and isn't heading back. I'm familiar with Phoenix. I've lived in So Cal, and many of my relatives live there.

So let me take a shot at helping you out:

West Palm:

You won't touch any of those hot chicks unless you are fat ... in the wallet. You have to compete with a truckload of trust fund guys who can go party and live the good life with a different chick every night. Huge disparity between rich and middle class (since the rich are very rich). My understanding is that job situation isn't that great or diverse.


Phoenix:


All of the pros you noted are on the money. About the heat ... co'mon. It is you guys in the cold states that are nuts. Snow, cold, freezing all winter. That sucks. No one in Phoenix or Vegas shovels snow. And let me ask you this: Do you want to see hot chicks dressed in next-to-nothing because of the heat, and be hanging around the pool in your apartment complex? Or dealing with not-hot chicks wearing 3 layers of sweaters in the rust belt?

I'll take the hot summers and very nice spring and fall anytime. Some parts of the country are under a frost advisory as I write this in early October. Today, my air conditioning was running, the high in Vegas was 89, the low will be 65. You know the kind of weather that people in the north call Summer? Phoenix and Vegas get it twice a year for all of spring and fall. You want three months of perfect weather each year or six?.


So Cal:

Dude ... you aren't going to get famous. The cost of living is going to KILL you. People are leaving So Cal by the hundreds of thousands to move to Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Arizona, Utah ... you get the picture.

Businesses are bailing to other states because the cost of doing business is prohibitive. Statistically, the only reason So Cal's population keeps rising is because of immigration and foreign workers (both illegals from Mexico and mostly legal long term visitation and imigration from Asia).


Vegas:

Depends if you are moving here to live or party. Too many people move here thinking that it is the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. But more than anywhere else, you have to bust your ***. Network big time. Either your friend has no work ethic, lousy people skills, or drinks and gambles too much.

Your club concern is a non-issue. Locals on the club scene don't pay if they are regulars. With SO many clubs, the clubs need locals to "pad the room" so it looks happening to the tourists paying full price.

The cost of living is no longer cheap. It is around the national average.

Because so many people have unusual days off, there is lots of stuff going on every night. And I don't mean just clubs. Plus, snow skiiing is one hour away in the winter at Mt. Charleston (13,000 feet) and that also means hiking and plenty of other outdoor stuff the rest of the year. Plenty of concerts, events, festivals.

If you only know The Strip, you don't know the real Vegas. It is a normal city except you have Sin City and the worlds best dining at your fingertips.

Bottom Line:


From all you have said, I'd go with Phoenix. Sounds like you will party every night in Vegas until you are broke. And you can do well here, but you have to work very hard, and network very well.

Sounds like you don't have the bank account for West Palm. So Cal sucks to live now. Half my relatives have bailed for Vegas or other Western states. Nice thing about So Cal: Very short plane ride from Phoenix or Vegas.

Plus, you can get a job transfer to Phoenix. And when you finish college, you can bail somewhere else if you don't end up liking it there. Plus, while there, I suggest spending a one week vacation in both So Cal and Vegas. But do a "local's" vacation. Get in your car and get out to see neighborhoods. Read the local paper cover-to-cover everyday. Look at apartments and stuff. Shop in some local stores away from the tourist areas.

Whatever you do, I wish you well.

Thanks man, definitly some great info. You are the second or third person I have talked to that said people are starting to leave SoCal. And the famous thing was a joke though, forgot to add a smiley.

As for AZ being too hot, I dont give a damn either, I absolutely despise winter. Thats just what people have said on internet chatrooms that I was asking. I guess its because they have never experienced winter, then they wouldnt complain.

I think AZ is the choice for me. I guess ASU doesnt offer any accelerated or weekend classes like CollegeGuy was talking about, Im gonna have to do some more research of other colleges in the area.

Thanks again.

You get huge props for looking at all the options. Too many just move based on some crazy notion from visiting. I wasn't trying to say "You'll never get famous" (even though you meant it as a joke) but that you'll go broke their before you even get a shot!

I'm one of those looking into getting a place in PCB or Destin down the road, and I'd encourage people to do the same thing: Do your research. When you visit, grab a map and get away from the tourist areas.

I found out I can transfer whenever I want with my job, and I might have to move sooner than I thought because I stay with my buddy and his family and he is moving to Florida.

Arizona is like 2100 miles and 31 hours(doing the speed limit) from my house. Do you guys think that it would be worth it to pay $500 to have my car shipped out there, and take a plane that would cost at most $200 or so....as opposed to driving out there by myself and putting 2000 miles on a leased vehicle, paying for gas, getting like 2-3 hotel rooms on the way there, food etc...

Normally, I'd say drive and see America if you have not taken a real cross-country trip from sea to shining sea (or at least part of it).

However, it sounds like you need to calculate the miles on the car because of the lease, plus food and lodging. You'll have to run the numbers and see what is most cost effective. Just remember that Phoenix is really spread out. So you'll probaby be putting more miles on your car there than you planned for.

My friend is in the Air Force and he lives in Tucson, AZ right now. I know it's not far from Phoenix and he seems to really like it. He's 22 and the University of Arizona is so he has things to do that he would want to. I think ASU is in Tempe though, but I'm not sure how far away it is from Phoenix. I'm like you though, I want to get out of Alabama. There's just nothing here. I was actually thinking of moving out to Tucson when I graduate next year because my friend is out there, but there's also no guarantee that my friend will be there. I don't know enough about the other places, but AZ seems like the best option to me. I know there are plenty of hot girls out in AZ and the party scene doesn't seem too bad from what my friend has said. Good luck wherever you decide to go though man.

I am living here in Michigan, metro detroit, and I am not thrilled... The weather is getting to me, there isnt all that much going on... the typical clubs, I go party quite a bit at UM, MICH STATE, so thats fun.. I am 22, and I am going to graduate from the University of Michigan - Flint with a BBA after next fall 05. I am going to pursue an MBA, and I am really leaning towards moving out of state.

Like others have said, this is the rust belt, and it is manufacturing heavy, besides a huge tech sector here where I work at EDS in Auburn Hills, and Troy.. manufacturing is not where it is at, everything is going overseas as far as jobs... I myself am an entrepreneur, so I will hopefully be starting several businesses in my life...

Now the info you provided is very good, the same pros and cons I was thinking. I have 2 really good friends that moved down to Orlando, and they have a NICE house and they have an extra room waiting for me if I want it. Now this is great because It is 1/4 mile away from University of Central Florida, with the 40,000+ students... I visited them for a long weekend a few months back and had a blast, and got to see the area somewhat... it is quite congested as far as traffic, but thats a fair trade-off... The thing is, I want to go get my MBA at University of Tampa, in tampa of course. I have been down there and the University looks great, My 2nd cousin is the PRESIDENT of the entire UNiversity! so that would be VERY beneficial I think...

So I am really considering moving down to FL... my buddy is going to get his MBA within a year and a half I believe, in Orlando, So he may want to move over to Tampa.

But also we have talked about moving out to AZ, and Vegas, so this thread was very interesting... Vegas sounds very nice, and I have been there, but mainly the strip, but i did venture out to the regular city... what is the cost of living, and house prices out there??? like what will 150k get you....

Also, AZ is a huge destination, and is growing very fast, I can see why. The heat is not humid as FL, so some peopel say it is much better, like 90 and humid in FL is worse than like 115 in AZ etc...

As far as PCB and Destin, my rents might want to move to the panhandle, and I hear it is still the great bargain left in FL near the ocean, so it is applealing down there... I am going to PCB for spring break this year, so hopefully Ill be able to get a feel for how life is down there... I know Orlando is pretty cool, and Tampa is very nice.

Any comments or suggestions are welcome, thanks in advance...

Adam

If I were you, Id choose Tampa. From what Ive heard and researched, Tampa seems like alot more fun than Orlando. Also, your cousin is the damn president of the university, you cant beat that.

Check this site out, its pretty cool. You basically answer a bunch of questions and they come up with the optimal cities to live in. All my top picks came up, Phoenix/Tempe being #1 for me...

www.findmyspot.com

I live in Los Angeles. Its a great place to be, only it is very expensive to live. Weather is beautiful year round, and people here are generally friendly (this was confirmed by my Canadian cousins who just left 3 days ago - they kept telling me how friendly the people here are). There is a lot to do here. All kinds of people from everywhere. It is somewhat superficial here though. People are very concerned with money, money, money. More than likely, youll end up being a small fish in a big pond; or best case scenario - a big fish in a big pond... Nevertheless, both cousins want to move here, and another of my cousins already did. Shes been here for 2 years and loves it.

Now for Vegas: I visit vegas all the time (its like 3-4 hours from LA). I dont know that i would ever do anything more than visit for a couple days. It gets very tiring - very quickly (but then again, im in the hotels and whatnot, so i cant give you actual living info).

I have a friend in tempe, az. She likes it there a lot. But, she also wants to move to LA in the future (to be an actress though). And dont fool yourself...the heat gets unbearable.

West Palm Beach...never been there, but heard its a pseudo-retirement home kind of place...but its beautiful...so ive heard.

Hope this helped.

Neither Vegas or Phoenix are places you want to be if you can't deal with really hot summers.

As far as running out of things to do in Vegas after a couple of days ... I live here and haven't run out of things to do since 1993 when I showed up! And that is just on The Strip, which I cover for a living. Have yet to stand there in the neon glow and go "I'm bored ... I don't know what to do." Everything from outstanding clubs to late night dining to dueling piano bars to jazz lounges ... and that is just on the Strip.

And so much more is happening all over town pretty much each and every night because service industry workers have odd nights off. But you have to live here to know those secrets. We are happy with the tourists staying on The Strip and out of our way.

But then I like to try just about everything out there. I can come to the Emerald Coast for a week and still not do everything I wanted. So it depends both on budget and how many different things interest you.

But for people wanting a bigger city (we only have 1.7 million in Las Vegas) with that major market feel, you need to move to LA or Phoenix. For the locals, Las Vegas still has a very small town feel. Which is great if you get on the inside, but can make you feel shut out if you aren't networking, connecting, and super-personable.