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After doing research, I'm checking out several cities for a future place to live... I made a post earlier today describing what I am looking for and want to live in a special place:
Quote:
I'm graduating college in a few years and would like to start getting ideas on where to visit in preparation for finding my dream city.
A few things that are important to me:
Low crime
Cheap to live in (can get a decent place in the 'burbs or rural area within commuting distance for $150-200k) OR with a walkable, reasonably priced downtown area
Mid sized (100-500,000k people)
Good food!
4 seasons, I don't mind a very cold winter, in fact I kind of prefer it. I'm not a big fan of the heat!
A good economy
Not necessary but preferred:
A population of German/Russian speaking people (I am from Germany, my hopefully soon to be wife, Russian)
Good sports scene... I love watching basketball, hockey, and soccer
Near a small body of water at least, a city with a lot of lakes or maybe near the great lakes
Recommendations on cities/states?
So... I ask you... Why is your area the place for me, if it is at all?
I posted a similar thread for Minneapolis and am currently weighing all options... ND seems like a great place to live, and I have a few friends from Fargo, all have talked about the city like it was incredible. The climate and unemployment matches exactly what I'm looking for, as do the demographics and the likes... As far as sports, I'm a big NCAA fan, so I don't need a professional team ;P
I posted a similar thread for Minneapolis and am currently weighing all options... ND seems like a great place to live, and I have a few friends from Fargo, all have talked about the city like it was incredible. The climate and unemployment matches exactly what I'm looking for, as do the demographics and the likes... As far as sports, I'm a big NCAA fan, so I don't need a professional team ;P
For college educated, I would stick to Minneapolis... heck, even South Jersey would fit your criteria very well.
In ND there's very little in the way of sports outside of UND Hockey. In Bismarck, there's nothing outside of high school sports. In either place the opportunity and career growth for someone with a college education is also very limited. Biggest reason for ND is the slower paced, more relaxed way of life. Traffic jams, police sirens, and long commutes aren't even really in the vocabulary there.
Minneapolis has the professional sports team as well as UofM college sports. Much more in the way of professional opportunities and milder climates on either end due to the water. Obviously with that you get some of the big city problems with traffic, pollution, and some run down suburbs.
I can go into South Jersey if you'd like but it'd probably be better for you to visit that forum... When you have Washington DC, Baltimore, Philly, and NYC all within 3 hours... the sporting opportunities, hell, all opportunities are plentiful. It's impossible to beat the professional opportunities that exist as NJ sports the most educated workforce and with that a multitude of companies looking to employ them. You can definitely find homes in that price range in South Jersey though you'll have to watch the taxes... they are... in a word... shocking.
There's a lot more sports here than UND hockey. Good grief, there's the whole gamut of collegiate athletics, semi-pro teams, etc.
Yeah, Bismarck has the Wizards(NBA D-League) and the Bobcats(NAHL). Never saw the Wizards but have been to several Bobcats games. Not NHL, but not NHL prices either. Heck, a lot cheaper than UND games. Still, I'd love to see Bismarck get a baseball team. Fargo has a Northern league franchise, maybe Bismarck can get a Pioneer league team. They could build a good rivalry with Billings.
For college educated, I would stick to Minneapolis... heck, even South Jersey would fit your criteria very well.
In ND there's very little in the way of sports outside of UND Hockey. In Bismarck, there's nothing outside of high school sports. In either place the opportunity and career growth for someone with a college education is also very limited. Biggest reason for ND is the slower paced, more relaxed way of life. Traffic jams, police sirens, and long commutes aren't even really in the vocabulary there.
Minneapolis has the professional sports team as well as UofM college sports. Much more in the way of professional opportunities and milder climates on either end due to the water. Obviously with that you get some of the big city problems with traffic, pollution, and some run down suburbs.
I can go into South Jersey if you'd like but it'd probably be better for you to visit that forum... When you have Washington DC, Baltimore, Philly, and NYC all within 3 hours... the sporting opportunities, hell, all opportunities are plentiful. It's impossible to beat the professional opportunities that exist as NJ sports the most educated workforce and with that a multitude of companies looking to employ them. You can definitely find homes in that price range in South Jersey though you'll have to watch the taxes... they are... in a word... shocking.
South Jersey? You must be joking. That's the exact opposite of what he's looking for. High taxes, high home prices, not exactly a hotbed on Northern European types, no real winter, a rotten and corrupt state economy, etc....
The poster wanted a community that 100-500k... FM metro has 200k so it is what he is looking for.
Low crime. Fargo almost always one of the safest places to live in the country.
Cheap housing, 120-200k. That would get you a nice house in Fargo.
Four seasons and doesn't mind a cold winter. Fargo has four seasons, the drawback is the winter but that doesn't sound like a problem.
A good economy. Fargo has a very strong economy and it is fairly diverse for a metro area of just 200k.
Not so sure about a German-Russian speaking population, a lot of people have German ancestry but I don't think many speak the language.
Good sports scene. Fargo has NDSU basketball and football, not exactly Big 10 caliber but it is entertaining nonetheless. NDSU was in the NCAA tournament just a year ago. He also likes hockey and Fargo has a very good minor league hockey team in the Force that has a number of elite young players. UND is an hours drive north and that is one of the top college hockey programs in the nation.
He wants to be near a body of water, all it has to be is small. Lakes country is an hours drive and he can chose from hundreds of lakes.
Looks like Fargo has basically everything he is looking for.
As for my degree, it's in GIS and urban planning so anywhere with a transportation cabinet, oil industry, or any kind of resources will likely have opportunities for me.
ND seems like an under the radar place, a good place to raise a family and take life easy. A place where it's easy to have land and be near a city too, a place with a lot of opportunities for those with a different idea of opportunity... I've never been but plan to visit soon
South Jersey? You must be joking. That's the exact opposite of what he's looking for. High taxes, high home prices, not exactly a hotbed on Northern European types, no real winter, a rotten and corrupt state economy, etc....
Not joking at all... yes, I did acknowledge the high taxes, though you're wrong on the other parts. Home prices in South Jersey are VERY reasonable... I just bought a 4 bedroom 2 1/2 bathroom, 5 year old 3,650 square foot executive style home with 2 car garage for $304k... see how much that would cost in Bismarck and then tell me South Jersey is expensive... trust me, it's not... we're right on the average cost of living for the country but still have the ability to get nice high wages in the Philly suburbs if we want.
It's cold here from November through February... not as cold as ND nor does the snow last as long, but definitely winter. It's actually a bit worse than what my wife was used to from Billings. We do have a winter.
NJ is like all of the east coast, Americans. Most people out here are very far removed from their immigrant relatives just due to how long people have populated this coast. It's not Great Grandpa that came from Poland or Norway, it's Great Grandma's Greatest Grandpa.
As for economy... I would take my economy against North Dakota's any day, especially for college educated folks. In ND, I'm sure that college diploma looks great hanging right next to your McDonalds badge. NJ actually lets people use their education and make a darn good living off of it.
Does NJ have corruption issues? Most likely as indicated by our high taxes. Money tends to bring corruption. As one of the richest states in the country, it's a very attractive place for corruption. You take the good with the bad. As I said, we are one of the richest states (one of the reasons we can support welfare states like ND). That money also allows us to be one of the safest states (last ranking was about 16 and that includes the sewage pits of Camden, Trenton, Paterson, and Newark which most people in NJ avoid), tend to be at or near the highest in public school rankings (generally top 4), and offer more amenities within driving distance of any other place in the country... the shore, mountains, forests, farmland (yes, farmland, NJ is the country's leading producer of blueberries), wineries, big cities, little towns (I believe NJ has more small towns than any other state in the country), and a whole lot more. So in terms of taxes, yeah, you have to pay to play... but man do you get a lot.
If he's hung up on ND... Fargo beats the pants off Bismarck in terms of the things he was looking for... but he also left out there other places that may meet his criteria. Personally, I'd argue South Jersey against any place in the country. I'm biased, I live here... but I've also lived in ND, MN, MI, and North Jersey. I've also spent a good bit of time in Montana and Arizona. I'd love to golf 12 months a year, but it's not worth sacrificing everything else this great area offers.
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