So you’ve decided you want to move, but don’t know where you should apply for jobs; or maybe you are ready to settle into that early retirement you’ve always dreamed of. Hear me loud and clear: where you live does matter! I have read multiple academic papers that claim that where you live generally doesn’t have a significant effect your happiness. But I don’t buy it. For one thing, self reported “happiness” is a very suspicious metric. How can I tell how happy I am if I don’t know how happy I would have been somewhere else? I believe now, and always have, that we need change in order to be happy. But that’s a topic for another day.
These are the metrics that I analyzed when considering where to live:
Proximity to Family
If you want to escape your family, increase the distance between yourself, if you want to stay close to your family, don’t underestimate:
- Flight Time
- Does the location you are considering have easy access to a major airport? The closer the airport, the higher quality of life you will have during vacations, and the more likely you are to go visit your family.
- Drive Time
- Similar to airports, everyone has their limit for how much drive time they can handle. Know your limit, and make sure you are closer than that. I break trips into: Day trips(less than 2 hours drive time), Weekend Trips (less than 6 hours drive time), and Week Long trips(less than 24 hours drive time). The distance I’m willing to drive is colored by the fact that I’m now paying for 6 plane tickets every time I travel somewhere for vacation.
If you are fortunate enough to have family support (especially if you have or are going to have children) don’t underestimate how nice it is to be near family. Many grandparents love to watch their grandkids. Even if they don’t, I can’t tell you how useful it is to have someone who’s stuff you can borrow. My dad owns a skid-steer and a flatbed trailer, and if I lived a little nearer, I could borrow it anytime.
Climate and Geography
So maybe weather doesn’t matter to you. But some people insist on having snowy winters. Some people insist that they love HOT days. I’m of the opinion that the more days that I can be outside enjoying the outdoors, the better. So weather with highs in the upper 60s to the mid 80s are ideal for me.
There are other things to consider: for example, if you like to garden, how much precipitation there is, and how long the growing season are become important.
If you Love fall colors, then you need someplace with a cold enough climate, as well as deciduous forest.
For the love of Pete, do not settle in Northern Minnesota or North Dakota. Winters there are brutal.
Depending on how far north you are, the days can get very short in the winter, which makes going outside that much harder. For example, the length of a day in December in Anchorage, Alaska, is less than 6 hours. So if you work during those hours, you may not see the sun except during the weekends.
Here are some websites I’ve found useful when looking at weather:
https://outflux.net/weather/noaa/index.php
https://www.weatherbase.com/compare.php3
https://www.usclimatedata.com/
Money/Cost of Living:
Yes, it matters how much you can make. But it also matters what the cost of living will be for you in that area. The older you are, and the less likely you are to settle for an apartment with multiple roommates, the more likely this is to to make a difference. When I entered the location search scene this time, it was with a wife and 4 kids. So the expense of real estate became an important consideration.
This website will allow you to search by job title and area, and see what the median wage is:
https://data.bls.gov/oes/#/occGeo/One%20occupation%20for%20multiple%20geographical%20areas
This website will allow you to compare the cost of living in multiple cities:
Remember that it doesn’t matter how much you make, what matters is how much of what you make you can save.
If I were to move to silicon valley, the area with the highest wages for my career, I wouldn’t be able to purchase a home, and my rent would be over $50,000 a year, which makes it pretty difficult to save, even at wages coming in over 85k (gross) for entry level positions.
Another important consideration is that of taxes, this website allows you to compare different area’s tax rates:
https://smartasset.com/taxes/income-taxes
Professional Opportunities:
Early career go-getters will suffer if forced to work in an environment that does not reward their energy and enthusiasm. Larger metropolitan areas tend to have a greater selection of positions, leading to a easier and shorter job search for the kind of position that you want.
Aesthetics:
We each have our own preference, which I believe can change, but if the area doesn’t have at least one of the following, you might want to consider why you chose that location over another similar location: Clean Cities/Mountains nearby/Water view/Beach/Low Crime
Recreational Opportunities
Proximity & Quality of Outdoor recreation:
- How close are national parks to your location?
- How many trails are listed on Alltrails (a good proxy for accessibility)
Child-Rearing Environment
For those of you have kids, a spot for the kids to safely roam outdoors might be an important consideration, as well as good schools.
Absolute Deal-breakers:
You need to consider what is important to you. The following were deal-breakers for many US cities that I considered:
- Cost of Living (COL) too high to allow me to purchase a house on a reasonable timeline
- Commute to work of over 40 min
- Mediocre Weather (or smog)
- Lack of proximity or access to Mountains
Other:
There may be some intangibles that just can’t be qualified. Maybe you don’t want to be associated with Idaho because Idaho is only known for it’s potatoes. Or maybe you don’t want to be in a place with lots of hippies. Maybe you have connections to an area due to childhood stories or visits. Maybe you have a friend that moved to an area, and you’d love to live close to them. Wherever you go, make sure you make an informed decision, as moving is a lot of work, and you don’t want to discover that you don’t like the place you’ve moved to after just a few months.
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