Help me to decide where to move!

[IrishJedi]

I am weighing my options here, with an eye toward relocation in early-mid 2008. Staying here in Atlanta IS an option (especially concering the kids) but I have pretty much decided that I need to move. So, I have so far whittled it down to the following:

Option 1: NEW ENGLAND (Boston, MA area; New Haven, CT area; or Coast of Southern Maine)

Pros: Cool history and culture. Generally nice people. Lots of Irish (like me ). Four true seasons. Usually a white Christmas. Some good job markets. Great food & drink. THE RED SOX.

Cons: Some brutal Winter storms. Boston College.

Option 2: CALIFORNIA (L.A. area or Bay area)

Pros: Lots of cool career possibilities. Generally nice weather. More beautiful women on average than anywhere else.

Cons: LOTS of people. Cost of living through the roof. Smog. USC Trojans.

Input? Ideas? More PROS and CONS for each??

 

[Shai]

Go North..Canada rules !!!

 

[occulum]

isnt this a decision for your "recently reunited with" girlfriend to make for you?

 

[IrishJedi]

isnt this a decision for your "recently reunited with" girlfriend to make for you?

Hehe... NO.

This is MY decision all the way. Hence the serious thought being put into it. I gotta be where I need to be and I'm too old & wise to let a girl be the deciding factor.

 

[gbtv01]

Go North..Canada rules !!!

 

[tomandshell]

If I had to move from California, I would probably choose the northeast.

You've got the pros and cons pretty much figured out--not sure what to tell you!

 

[IrishJedi]

You've got the pros and cons pretty much figured out

Well, that's good to know.

 

[pixletwin]

Definitely New England. For me there is no competition. Great beautiful area, wonderful Christmases, you are close to a lot of major cities, less pollution, I could go on and on and on.

New England Irish. Hands down.

 

[Cocoboloboy]

Maine, New England area. I go there about once a year. I love the weather(rather have it cold than humid and hot) and the history and feel of that part of the country. Lots of stuff to do and yes the food is great(i.e. Red's lobster rolls, Lobster Dock chowder). Plus you've got Monhegan Island and Nantucket not too far away. Ben and Jerry's right next door in Vermont. I could go on and on too.

Shai is right. Pix is right. Go north.

 

[Adoptedscot]

isnt this a decision for your "recently reunited with" girlfriend to make for you?

You got back with her?? Irish what ya doin man?...fly you fool....fly

x

 

[occulum]

I'm too old & wise to let a girl be the deciding factor.

ahhh... there ya go.

 

[SKARY]

STAY AWAY FROM NEW HAVEN CT.!!!!!! Not a great area there are some nice towns around it but your choice. Boston does have the jobs hell my buddy works at a place that always hires temps to do monkey work and they start at like $16.00 for doing sheeeeet. What's your field???

 

[IrishJedi]

STAY AWAY FROM NEW HAVEN CT.!!!!!! Not a great area there are some nice towns around it but your choice. Boston does have the jobs hell my buddy works at a place that always hires temps to do monkey work and they start at like $16.00 for doing sheeeeet. What's your field???

Professionally I am a Senior Project/Product Manager in the IT sector. But I'm also a freelance writer and have been jonesing to do something more creative for a while.

Thanks for the feedback so far, guys! Keep it coming!

 

[Adoptedscot]

All the best to you Irish, wherever you decide to go I'm sure It'll be great


Shell
x

 

[The Mike]

You can't beat the climates even in the Bay Area, you want cold head towards the ocean you want warm, head towards the valley. You want snow? Just go North, you want beaches and sun go south. I'm definitely biased because I'm a born, raised California boy but you can't beat when a couple of sprinkles hit the ground its suddenly "Stormwatch 2007"....in the North East.....stormwatch has a whole different meaning.

 

[CAhobbit]

Obviously I'm a bit biased since I live in California (and LOVE IT!). The Bay area is much more expensive to live then the L.A. area (depending on the area in L.A. that is). You have all the other pros and cons worked out well for California.

If I had to leave California (hopefully that will never be the case though) I would choose the New England area...it is beautiful there.

 

[IrishJedi]

So it looks like I have the 2 choices picked right at least!

 

[MaulFan]

Irish, as Massachusetts resident, I can say, winters have been pretty mild the last year or so. Granted, maybe for you, a 6-8" snow storm sounds bad, but speaking as someone who has lived here for 24 years, that's mild, I definitely think Global Warming is taking effect. We probably can't compete with Cali in the ladies department, but we've got our share. There is a good ammount of history, and you get a nice spread of rural and urban areas. Western Mass is some of the most unpopulated cities you'll find, with Central to Eastern getting gradually more urban. There aren't many places you can't easily get to by highway or train. As a plus, I hear getting to Baltimore from here is quite easy, so you can even check out the Sox on the road for a decent price in a nice stadium. If you like bars, it's really hard not to find one in Boston, in fact you can just about stumble out of one and roll into another in Boston. Being an MA boy, obviously my vote goes that way, I've heard mixed feelings on parts of Connecticut, and I don't know much about Maine other than some areas are fairly unpopulated, but it's close enough you could take trips there.

Hope that helps some.

 

[devlinboy]

go to ny. the bars stay open late. thats my deciding factor

 

[Darklord Dave]

I think you're a little confused - you have the USC Trojans under Cons, when they are obviously the biggest Pro for the LA area.

I can't really recommend LA, I'd get out if I could - but the places I'd rather live - SD or SF are more expensive.

But if you like a single season all year round then there's no place like SoCal.