Where should I live???

[tom4bren]

Going off topic ... but not too far:

Does it really matter where you live? Engin-nerds are globally type classified.

[vt_maverick]

...Our general cost of living is pretty reasonable, definately much cheaper than any of the coasts...

This might be true of the West Coast (especially California) but it isn't true of the entire East Coast by a long shot. Boston, New York, DC, Miami for sure, but there are a lot of cheap places to live between.

[pbkid]

Aaaand with legalization just around the corner...

You know.

around the corner? you mean on every corner, right? Its legal here now, if thats your thing.

This might be true of the West Coast (especially California) but it isn't true of the entire East Coast by a long shot. Boston, New York, DC, Miami for sure, but there are a lot of cheap places to live between.

didnt know that, ive only lived in Cali, never been to the east, but i hear its expensive.

[PHO2GR4]

There is only one answer: Austin, Texas. It's like Texas, without all those idiot redneck Texans. In brief:
1) Excellent weather. Maybe a bit hot in August, but we have cold beer for that.
2) Tons of outdoor activities: 4 wheelin', fishin', campin', hills, beaches, Big Bend, Piney Woods, Corpus Christie, kayaking, bicycling, dog parks... um... food... rodeos... the Alamo, with Pee Wee's bike in the basement...
3) Low cost of living, relative to so many other "popular" areas.
4) VIBRANT economy, with tons of jobs for engineers and such.
5) Strong housing market: low enough prices to buy what you want, with good year-to-year appreciation.
6) All of the benefits of being both a capitol city and a university city. Lots of money for schools and other infrastructure.
7) South By South West and Austin City Limits music festivals!!! We're the self-proclaimed "Live Music Capitol of the World!"
8) Breakfast tacos.

[HeckaTrebeka]

around the corner? you mean on every corner, right? Its legal here now, if thats your thing.

Decriminalization is there. Not Legalization. HUGE difference when it comes to this, class 1 felony, drug.

[vt_maverick]

Ditto on PHO2GR4's recommendation, my wife just visited there a few months ago and loved it.

[tom4bren]

Ditto on PHO2GR4's recommendation, my wife just visited there a few months ago and loved it.

The city motto is: "Keep Austin Wierd".

Who wouldn't want to live there???

[VX MileHigh]

The city motto is: "Keep Austin Wierd".

Who wouldn't want to live there???

I think you have that wrong "Keep Boulder Wierd". If is was going to move any where in Texas it would be Austin. I visited the city and it was very nice. I like Colorado much better but there is a lot to be said about Austin.

[eblank]

I've thought about Austin. It probably would be a "smart" choice since its cheap and there's tons of jobs from what I understand, and I know people love it there.... but I don't do heat.... Even this summer in IL made me lazy and not want to go outside much. My wife and I do much better in cooler weather. Plus we love snowboarding

[vt_maverick]

Then I think CO or UT really are your best options...

[Ldub]

Reno? Cold? Naaaa. Chicago is cold. Wisconsin is cold. That place where Dub lives, is stupid cold. Reno has very mild weather in my opinion. I like 40s/50s/60s/70s. Outside of that is too cold or too hot.

Bart

I know people love it there.... but I don't do heat.... Even this summer in IL made me lazy and not want to go outside much. My wife and I do much better in cooler weather. Plus we love snowboarding

Even this far nort, I had the same experience this summer...totally lethargic...
So ya may as well live in a place that has mild winters...the summers are hot everywhere.
The summers aren't as humid, & the winters are perfect...but in all the places those conditions exist...there are too many damn people...go figger...
(I'm talk'n Hawaii, SoCal, etc here)

My 2 centavos...FWIW

[RickOKC]

Reno? Cold? Naaaa. Chicago is cold. Wisconsin is cold. That place where Dub lives, is stupid cold. Reno has very mild weather in my opinion. I like 40s/50s/60s/70s. Outside of that is too cold or too hot.

Bart

Besides, I saw on the news that their favorite pastime is feeding people through wood chippers (or was that a movie?) Regardless, I don't trust them.

Aaaand with legalization just around the corner...

You know.

<gulp> Oklahoma recommendation officially withdrawn. Even though we have a long history of "that" being one of our top cash crops, any minute now we will probably re-institute the requirement for men to wear buckles on our hats and women will be barred from showing their wrists.

There is only one answer: Austin, Texas. It's like Texas, without all those idiot redneck Texans. In brief:
1) Excellent weather. Maybe a bit hot in August, but we have cold beer for that.
2) Tons of outdoor activities: 4 wheelin', fishin', campin', hills, beaches, Big Bend, Piney Woods, Corpus Christie, kayaking, bicycling, dog parks... um... food... rodeos... the Alamo, with Pee Wee's bike in the basement...
3) Low cost of living, relative to so many other "popular" areas.
4) VIBRANT economy, with tons of jobs for engineers and such.
5) Strong housing market: low enough prices to buy what you want, with good year-to-year appreciation.
6) All of the benefits of being both a capitol city and a university city. Lots of money for schools and other infrastructure.
7) South By South West and Austin City Limits music festivals!!! We're the self-proclaimed "Live Music Capitol of the World!"
8) Breakfast tacos.

Hmmm, I hear really great things about how Austin is not only "Engineer Heaven", it could also be considered the easternmost city in California (or is that California should be considered the westernmost section of Texas?) Whatever, it's a REALLY neat place! Breakfast tacos -- OH HECK YEAH!

[Ldub]

Besides, I saw on the news that their favorite pastime is feeding people through wood chippers (or was that a movie?) Regardless, I don't trust them.

That'd be our 2nd fav passtime...



By way of observation, with a bit of reason & logic applied, I dare say that staring through a hole in the ice, waiting for a stupid fish to bite your hook, is at the top of the list...at least in the 9 months of winter we usually experience.

You may ask yourself..."self, why do people do that sort of thing?"...to which your self should reply...

"See below schnapps ad"...



OH whoops...I was saving that for the "dynamic duo"...

Here's the right img...

OK...I couldn't find the ad copy, but it was a pic like this...



& the caption read:

Is Jim coming fishing today?

Naaaaa...his wife lets him drink at home...

[Maddawg]

I could try to convince you that the coastal areas of California are the best places to live weatherwise (about 72 deg year 'round) but you probably couldn't afford it anyway. Plus we got enuf furiners living here already. Dont come!

[Leon R]

I went into ME field for the same EXACT reason! I wanted to design cars! At first, I realized that if I wanted to design cars I had to move to Michigan (something I did NOT wanted to do). So to tie me over, I started working for industrial automation company (robot design). My first boss happened to be an ex-Ford engineer, who just left Ford after 6 years there (this was back in '94/'94). He was on the modular V8 engine design team (the folks who ACTUALLY designed that engine!!!), which sounded very cool to me!

That is when he introduced me to the reality of "designing cars"... Very few engineers actually design cars! Everyone is highly specialized, so they are all working on components: a hinge, a bracket, or small structure/mechanism. And when it comes down to such component design, does it really matter if it ends on Ford Mustang or the next robot that is going to build that Ford Mustang? His mentor at Ford was PHD engineer who did nothing but crank bolts for almost 30 years (BOLTS!!! and nothing else!!!)

I, eventually, decided to stick to designing robots and did LOTS of car work (wrenching, fabricating, tuning and racing) as a side hobby .

As for specific areas, you better like Michigan if you want to design on cars... (because that is where you will find most of automotive jobs).

New England doesn't have many automotive engineering jobs (there is Factory Five, Callaway, and a few limo design/building companies), but... there are plenty of other ME jobs! So if you are having a hard time find any job, and willing to go into some other field, check out Mass and Southern NH.

Something else to consider, not only automotive engineering jobs are rare, they also do not pay as much as other fields. One of my friends got a job offer at Callaway (in CT) as an FIA analyst. He spent years trying to get into that place! But the offer was so low that he had to pass on it .