Moving To A New State: a how to guide

Denver Colorado also made the list.

why do you want o move??
and where are you residing...

Personally...the way the economy is right now I'd stay put. Oh wait!... Thats right...they say the economy is doing great! I'm sure you'll find a great job in...uh...india?...no...uh...china? Ah hell...just go for it...pack your stuff and just move.

I'm in Ohio, and I don't have a lot of money. I want to move somewhere that people have lots of money!

I moved to a new state (ohio) incidentily just 7 months ago. However I knew the area I wanted to move to for personal reasons. I made a trip out and spent a week looking for places and secured one. Then moved. I was on unemployment at the time so that made it easier in a way. I just found work when I got there.
Some jobs have relocation plans or can help with it.
Otherwise not sure if this helps as I think how each person might move from state to state will vary.

I live in NY, one of the most expensive places to live

1000 rent for one bedroom. Hard to pay back student loads with that and be unemployeed at the same time.

I here Ohio is coming up, along with New Mexico. There are some other places. I list them when I get back home.

I say Oregon.. very beautiful up here!!
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Florida is fairly cheap to live and a lot of opportunities in the tech market.

I am going to have to second the oregon vote

Research unemployment statistics and find an area that is least effected. You should be able to get set up with some sort of job/anything to get you started in that area.

Research unemployment statistics and find an area that is least effected. You should be able to get set up with some sort of job/anything to get you started in that area.

Hey, didn't think of that. Thanks.
Here are the list of places (cheap) to live:
http://www.forbes.com/bestplaces/2004/08/09/life2land.html
The ones I am thinking about:
New Mexico (great houses and apartments over there... rent 200 - 500 USD)
Birmingham, Alabama
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Las Vegas, Nevada
Yuma, Arizona
Miami, Florida
Douglas, Georgia
East Stroudsburg, PA
Traverse City, Michigan
Athens, Georgia
and finally... that's it.
Those are the better places I found without using NightTrain2002 suggestion. But still, the question is how do you move from one state to another? How do you secure yourself before you move?
I'm scared...

forgot Iowa City, Iowa

Nothing to be scared about. Change is always a good thing when in a rut. At least it gets the wheels rolling in a different direction. Time is your only enemy!

Give-up everything and just ..move

I have lived in Wyoming, Colorado, Indiana, Illinois, and now Iowa.

I have ALWAYS obtained a job before making the move. As a matter of fact, every time, my last day of work at one job was on a Friday, and my first day at the next job was on the following Monday. My shortest job has been 24 months, my longest was 10 years. After 11 years as a Land Surveyor I changed careers to the IT industry. Even with the career change, I still started the next job the following Monday.

I looked for a place to live, after securing the job. Sometimes that was easy, a couple of times, it took a month.

I guess my situation has been different than what yours is now, I have never been unemployed, well not for more than the Saturday & Sunday between jobs anyway. I'm not sure how I would handle it if I was already without a job.

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What do you mean by "secure yourself?"

Basically, unless you have a friend or relative you can stay with in the town/city you want to move to, you need to establish either a new residence before you move, or find a really cheap room and a place to store all your stuff when you get there (provided you take enough money) and then find a job as soon as possible, otherwise you'll need a sturdy refrigerator box or a tent.

When I moved to florida I stayed in a camp grounds which at the time was $12.50 a day for a decent sized lot that had running water and electric, and there were bathroom facilities and a store on the grounds. I used 2 large tents, 1 to live in the other was for my kitchen, I even had AC. After I got a job I saved some money and got an apartment.

Thanks C♥C

oh what I mean by secure myself is how do you make sure you can get the job you want or a place to stay?

I think I will go with securing a job first. It just that how do you explain to the future employer that you have to move or you dont live in the state I the first place?


I am just wondering what other peoples experiences were like moving. Any lessons learned before I go off into the void?


webgizmos, now that is a story. was it hard? did you already have work or found it after you moved?

It wasn't really hard at all. It was mostly apprehension about the unknown. Hell, I didn't know anyone in florida or where I was even going to stay, and no I didn't even have work lined up at that point, I just went for it.

I just knew the area I wanted to be in. So when I got there I just asked around as to where I could find a good camp grounds. I did help that I was in a warm climate. In fact, I liked camping out there so much I stayed at the campgrounds for about 8 months.

I got a job at a landscape nursery, and then after a few months of being there, the owner allowed me to setup camp on his property (13 acres) so I could save money faster in order to get an apartment. And in no time I was in one. 2 years later I had my own business. Which by the way was a great business for "warm climates" such as florida and can be started on a shoestring, but yields big bucks. I was making 180-400 an hour as my own boss working my own hours. So if you decide on florida let me know and I'll tell you what it is and how to get started on it.

As as far as telling employers you don't live there yet shouldn't be a problem. The fact that your trying to get set up in a job before you move might actually be points in your favor. It shows initiative.

What I would do if I were you...first save some money...at least enough for a few months rent in the area you decide to move to. Then make some calls to that area and maybe even call some newspapers in that area and ask them if they can send you the classified ads so you can see what kind of jobs are there, and places to live as well, then make some calls.
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Joe, I’m a New Yorker myself and right after 9/11 NYC just got unbearable to live in. Prices went up and salary went down so I took the big plunge into the south. I moved to Miami about 3 yrs ago. I'm still not used to the way of life but things are much better here for me.
One advice I can give you is which ever city you choose, make sure you visit first and see for yourself how it’s like.
It also wouldn’t hurt if you have friends or relatives in/near the city you want to move into.
Try emailing your résumé to potential companies in your field of work that way you get a jump ahead before you pack you bags.
Best of luck in your decision.

Thanks guys, all this advice is a real help!!!