oving on up!
Being out on your own can be stressful. It can be really hard to adapt on your own. Although that may not always be the case when you turn 30. When you are in your 30’s, you have more than likely gotten some experience with some aspects of adulting. You got yourself some experience getting jobs, you managed to figure out how to navigate the grocery store, and in some cases you may have even graduated college. However, one question will always follow you no matter what stage of life you are at; Where am I going to sleep tonight?
Where we live can often affect us in very major ways through the people we surround ourselves with, the local weather, and more. You can also find yourself moving for a number of reasons. It could be to be closer to a new job or to be closer to family or just have a change in scenery.
For today’s feature presentation, let us go ahead and go into all the aspects of moving somewhere new when you find yourself in your 30’s as well as some good places to potentially move to.
Tackling your moving strategy.
What to Account for When Moving
There are many different things you should pay attention to when choosing a new place to live. The fact that this is such a major purchase is a frankly obvious reason that you do not make your decisions to move somewhere sporadically. Here are a few things to conduct your own research on when looking out for a new home to visit.
- Costs
The cost of living in any area can shift and change depending on a number of factors. Your new home could be in a more high income area and be effectively sealed off from anyone who could never afford it. Other factors could contribute to the cost such as….
- Neighborhood
How good are you at socializing? An important aspect of any new place to call your own is naturally the people. The state and condition that your neighbors keep their homes can really shift the price. Is their lawn overrun with weeds? The price might be lower.
- Proximity
How close is the new house to a grocery store? To a school? A shopping center? Each and every one of these can be a contributing factor to the price just as much as it can contribute to your living experience. If things are too far away, you might find yourself using up more gas just to do the most mundane things.
- Weather
Wonderful weather we are having. Weather is not exactly a stagnant aspect of nature. Some areas have warmer climates like Florida and California while others are colder like North Dakota. That, and you will need to buy everything that is in accordance with that weather (i.e. getting swimsuits and shorts for warmer weather, bulky jackets and gloves for colder weather).
This list is not meant to scare you in any way. Instead, this list will give you a nice framework to do your own research. You need to be properly informed when doing anything that involves a major purchase, and it is near impossible to find a purchase more major than finding a brand new place to live. However, before we give you a small list of places you can look at, there are also some small steps you can take to ensure the process has less stress than it may in later stages of the process.
Remember who you are. Who do you want to be?
Where Did You Come From?
It is always important to remember your roots. You can always take a little piece of home with you whether it’s something more sentimental like a family photo album or something more practical like a cooking appliance lent to you from your parents. Not only that, but you may also want to go ahead and take into account what aspects of where you grew up you can find in the place you might move to. It could be a familiar restaurant that sells your favorite comfort food or it could be a store that simply has an atmosphere that calms you, makes you feel warm and nostalgic.
Yes, moving is a very big change, but that does not exactly mean that you can’t be the same person you always want to be deep down. Remembering who you are and who you want to be is one of the most important things you can focus on.
Where Did You Go?
Website publications The Street and US News have put together their own small lists of various places you can go in your 30s. Each one has its own benefits that can serve you a nice helping of happiness for as long as you live there.
- Austin, Texas
Yeehaw! Texas has been beloved for its culture, and that culture primarily consists of the music, the food, the people, and the art. That alongside the average home price being 350k and the average age of residents is somewhere around 35.8 years. There is a reason that the idea of “southern hospitality" has been so prevalent in the United States for such a long time.
- Atlanta
The ATL. The atmosphere of the capital of Georgia mixes the southern charm of Texas and the aforementioned hustle and bustle of Denver and New York! With a median age of 36.8, you’ll find yourself in great company. You can also find all kinds of companies to work for like Delta Airlines and Coca-Cola. Georgia is also known for having a sprawling art and music community as well as a truly fascinating aquarium.
- Boulder
If you have not been living under a rock, you would know that lots of folks love Boulder Colorado. Home of the famous Rocky Mountains, Boulder has some truly stunning scenery. However, Boulder is not just a feast for the eyes. It can also be a nice feast for your stomach with a list of wonderful restaurants to visit. The average salary of residents is $73k, so I suppose you could say that this town rocks.
- Charlotte
Good ole North Carolina. With an iconic racetrack, jobs with places like the Bank of America, and with an average salary of 57k compared to the median home price of 407k, you can find yourself living a fruitful life. Be sure to also visit the Levine Museum of the New South, the museum of the Southern states during the post Civil War reconstruction era. If that is not your speed (pun very intended), why not check out the NASCAR Hall of Fame?
- Denver
Are you going to do work in STEM? Want to do work in the tech industry but feel intimidated by the high property values of Silicon Valley? Here’s a nice surprise; Denver Colorado. Unlike Silicon Valley with a 2M dollar median, the median price is 560k. The sprawling city against the towering mountains also contributes to some lovely scenery.
- New York City
If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere. The setting for all kinds of popular media ranging from Spider-Man and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to The Great Gatsby and Goodfellas. While housing in NYC is higher than most peoples’ budgets, the options for food, shopping, and entertainment are immense. There are so many things to do and places to be!
- Portland
Portland Oregon, birthplace of Simpsons and Futurama creator, Matt Groening. With a housing cost average of around $601k and the average $64k, you will find yourself having a rather nice lifestyle. Combine that with the fact that Oregon as a greater state is known for having a diverse climate with towering mountains, a large sandy desert, deep lush forests, and some relaxing beaches, and you will have yourself a recipe for a lovely life.
- San Diego
California is not entirely off the table. Sunny Southern California is a great place to be. San Diego in particular is home to not only the famous San Diego Zoo, but also has an openly thriving job community. Yes, the average housing cost is rather high at $889k, but the warm and open community of folks who live there. Besides, how can you discount those stunning views of coastal beachfronts with some nice warm weather?
- Zurich
Do you like Switzerland? Zurich is known for its great health care system and an overall phenomenal sense of safety. That combined with shimmering waterfronts and stunning sunsets makes for a great place to live.
Loading the truck.
Pack ‘em up, Boys!
So, with a nice and healthy list of factors and potential places to go in your 30s, your path down this road is now a little less scary. You have learned to do proper research on wherever you may be heading to call your forever home. Just be sure to keep remembering what makes you who you are. Take that flavor of where you go to spice up the dish that is you.
