What are North Eastern and West Coast parts of USA like?

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I'm British but would like to immigrate to either a state on the West Coast or somewhere in the North East. I get the impression that most other places in America are dominated by fundamental christinaity and don't have particularly dynamic economies.

Places I have considered living are small towns in California, Seattle in Washington, Portland or Eugene in Oregon, New York City or a smaller place in New York state, near Cape Cod on the eastern seaboard of Massachusetts and possibly Maine (though it seems a little drab).

Does anyone know what kind of jobs are available? Is there a shortage of something in particular in these areas?

Britain doesn't really warm my heart. I'm depressed and disillusioned with living here. Football hooligans, rudeness, binge drinking, severely overpriced property, ugly architecture on average (discounting city and town centres), the bullying of people who don't wear the most popular brands, there are too many flaws to list.

I'm attracted to America for a lot of reasons. There's no state religion, no aristocracy, an entrepenreurial spirit, more attractive homes (even among the poor), more attractive roads, it's less crowded, there are bigger gardens, there's more wilderness and more beautiful natural areas. The accents are friendlier - the British accent is curt and frightening to my mind.

The jobs that are currently available are: Health care (doctors, nurses, paramedics etc.), commercial truck drivers (licensed tractor-trailer drivers, especially with hazmat endorsement) and CPAs (certified public accountants).

I like Southern California but maybe I’m biased. Here there is no rain, no mosquitoes, it’s both near the ocean and the mountains and very few rednecks.

I live in Massachusetts. The northeast is a beautiful area-- plenty of untouched forests, close to the ocean, and where I live it's only about a half hour drive to Boston, which is a very clean and vibrant city if that's your type of thing. I know nurses are always in demand, but if you have a professional degree and are driven your chances of finding a job are as good as anyone's.
The weather, however, is a bit drab. That's probably the only downside. Very cold in the winter time, tons of snow. If that doesn't bother you and you're looking for something a bit more on the rural side, the northeast is perfect. Vermont is great too.

As DollyJupiter mentioned, there are always plenty of nursing jobs, and also PT/OT jobs. I don't know much about other fields, as I am an SLP. There are lots of jobs for SLPs in schools and in centers that cater to children (especially those with developmental disabilities), but way fewer in hospitals. Of course, you do need degrees for these, but if you have a bachelor's, the grad school would be only 2-3 years. I believe there is also usually a demand for teachers.

There is plenty of binge-drinking here, and if you are bothered by overpriced housing (actually overpriced everything!), then southern NY (NYC and suburbs) are not a good choice, as housing and the general cost of living is extremely high. Housing in northern NY or Pennsylvania is much cheaper, but you will probably run into many more conservatives (it sounds like that would not appeal to you). Massachusetts housing (even relatively close to Boston) is cheaper than southern NY, so that might be a good option. Also, if you want less crowding, more wilderness, and gardens, I would not recommend NYC.

You also might want to consider the weather. Coming from the UK, you might be surprised by how hot and humid the summers are, and how cold and snowy the winters are on the East Coast. I know western MA has really nasty winters (not sure what it's like near Boston), and NY weather would also likely be somewhat of a shock. If you dislike cold winters where you spend 30 minutes several times a week chipping the ice off your car, the West Coast might be better (parts of CA at least).

Just for reference, I spent two years living in central PA for grad school, I've spent many summers in northern PA, I lived in western MA for 4 years during college, and the rest of the time I've lived in a suburb of NYC. So those are the areas I'm most familiar with.

One more thing- if you like to travel in Europe and others places outside North America (except Asia), living on the East Coast is a huge advantage, because you don't have to fly across the whole country first (as far as flying to England from NY) in order to get there.

Hi!

I live in Oregon, and have lived in Portland, Eugene and many many other places in Oregon. It is beautiful here, has that glowy green like England and Ireland because we are on the Japanese Current that keeps the snow only in the mountians and the rain in the valleys.

Oregon attracts your rugged individualists and they can be far left, and far right. We have John Birchers and intentional communities of very right and very left wing flavors of politics. We seem to exist side by side, though. The lifestyle is for people that like outdoor sports and activities. A lot of us use wood heat and live back up in the mountians get our internet connections via sattilite, but we have modern (and very 'green') cities, have a lot of wind power and solar power. We take global climate change very seriously.

Merle

The medical field is a good way to earn a living. Keep in mind that the U.S.A. is also a police state like Britain, however, if you live out in the more rural areas, people do not tend to bug you as much. I happen to live in Florida (in the country). The down side to living in America is you have to drive everywhere you want to go if it is any significant distance. Only in major cities is there a mass transit infrastructure. The Christian fundamentalists are for the most part pretty friendly. I have never really had any trouble from them.

I also want to point out that in most places there are very few services for autistic people and usually none if you are what the government considers, "high functioning."

Sometimes I used to think the grass was greener elsewhere, particularly America. I used to dream of living there too, when my personal fortunes were way down and that made a new start a good idea. As my fortunes have taken a turn for the better, I became a bit more settled in my life here. I found I could do perfectly well here.

All the problems you list with the UK (with the obvious exception of football hooliganism) exist in America at least as much. Again, is the grass necessarily greener?

If I did ever live in America, it's the places that some say are dominated by fundamentalist Christianity that appeal like the midwest, and the south. Those areas sound like they appeal more to my attitudes and sensibilities. The west coast and the north east do not interest me.

What about Florida (central or southern Florida specifically) as a place to live? I imagine it's liberal enough, and I imagine it's not a place dominated by fundamental Christianity. What about Chicago? It's probably cosmopolitan and liberal enough.

Well you should visit the southern part of the east coast since there is a ton of history down here. Virginia itself is a mecca for history lovers (it is the birth place of the states).

First off, Coadunate is WRONG! There ARE a lot more jobs than that! There CAN be rain, and sometimes a LOT. There CAN be mosquitos! There ARE rednecks!

LESS CROWDED? Actually, parts of the US are VERY crowded! HERE there is ALSO "Football hooligans(Both football AND soccer!), rudeness, binge drinking, severely overpriced property, ugly architecture on average (discounting city and town centres), the bullying of people who don't wear the most popular brands, there are too many flaws to list. "!

In the US, most places are NOT "dominated by fundamental christianity"! In fact, there are laws to try to FRUSTRATE IT! and a number of places DO have decent economies, IF the US government allows them! Right now, the US government is frustrating that.

California is nice as far as the land and climate. The weather in most places is usually temperate.(Big Bear, Mammoth, and even PALM SPRINGS are among areas where there can be major snow in parts.) The four things it is REALLY known for are agriculture, wine, technology, and media. Of course, you CAN ski(water or snow), sail, fish, etc....

If you want to get along with everyone, it is best if you can appear asian(It helps if you speak like chinese or korean), hispanic(speak spanish), black("ebonics"), and american(knowing the culture and english language well, and just interested in living as a middle class or better US citizen). It is estimated that there are about 400 languages spoke in California. They recently mandated that government workers at some levels MUST be FLUENT in Spanish or Chinese. There is no word as to whether they require anyone to be fluent in English. Things WERE getting pretty hispanic, but it might be telagu, tamil, or hindi in a few years! BTW they EVEN redefined the term bilingual! In LA, for example, it means you speak spanish and at least IMPLIES you speak a little English! So you can speak 20 languages and STILL be turned down for not being "bilingual"!

New York is similar to California, but probably a bit more adept at speaking english. It can be COLD. They are probably most known for finances and international business. Like California, some places are CROWDED, poor with english, and NASTY, and other places have a strong middle class are nice/clean, and BEAUTIFUL! The two main airports, that they are known for, are in areas that are kind of about midway between the two extremes.

From what I have seen of Massachusetts, it is probably about between California and NY in some respects. The people seem OK, can speak english, the areas I have seen seem nice. There IS the big dig though, which is a DISASTER!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Dig_(B ... sachusetts)

BTW Boston is ALSO known as a financial center and, of course, fishing. It ALSO has international business. Are you SURE you want to live where the pilgrims were though!? Just kidding!

From what I have heard, Maine is like Boston, but not known for the financial/business aspects, known for MORE fishing, and is COLDER! Out of the places I mentioned, maine is the only one I haven't been to. It sounds NICE though, if you can get around the weather.

BTW You will need an H1B or some other work permit if you want to work here and aren't a student, citizen, etc....

BTW Some British accents are NICE! All the American accents are dissappearing! And what do you mean GARDENS!?!? Did you know they used to have a GIANT orange orchard in California!? It may have DWARFED florida's! The city is called ANAHEIM! It is in ORANGE county! Do you know what it is best known for NOW!?!?!? DISNEYLAND! It is not NEARLY as nice as it was.

I live on the northern coast of California in Humboldt County. Our weather is temperate all year round. We're known for our wilderness areas and beaches. The people around here run the full spectrum from rednecks to hippies. The easiest jobs to get are in nursing, however there are always jobs to be had working for the County or the Courts in an office. Good luck with your search!

Have you considered Austraila? I used to live in the UK so I know where you're coming from. I moved back to Australia after six years, I couldn't handle the crowds and crap grey weather. I live in a country town between the mountains and the coast and life is good.

2ukenkerl wrote:

Sure there are a lot more jobs, but the ones in demand the most at the present time are the ones I stated.




I lived in other places also, when it doesn’t rain for five to six months at a time I call that “no rain”. As for mosquitos: If you can go out at night for several hours wearing shorts and short sleeves and maybe get bitten once if at all I call that “no mosquitoes”.

As for rednecks: I live near Pasadena. There are many Latinos and Asians here, in Hollywood there are a lot of Russians, in West Los Angeles there are a lot of middle easterners and so on and on. The only other place that comes even close to Los Angeles is New York where I also lived. Where do you live?



My son is in the military and was stationed in some of the Southern states. He is white, has an English name and no accent of any kind. The stories he can tell about prejudice would amaze you. In fact he thought me some words that even at my age I didn’t know. In fact I heard the same kind of stuff from another guy I know who was also from South of the Mason Dixon.

Racism is hidden behind a façade of tolerance in The Southern states. They don’t even tell each other how they really feel unless your happen to be in a tight group like the military and the like. Compared to those states I would say Southern California is heaven.

I have always thought the North should have let the South go when they seceded from the union, it is another country.

I am very happy in my ecotopia, I searched all over the States and love my Oregon! (which is just up the coast a little way from Northern California) Shivan and I live in paradise!)

Merle

You will find Christian fundamentalism throughout rural parts of of the country. You'd probably meet many devout Christians in Upstate New York. The major inland cities still have some diversity, and they are usually a little less crowded than the likes of New York City, Los Angeles/Southern California, or the San Francisco Bay area. The small towns of noncoastal California can be fairly conservative and Republican leaning.

For example, I live in St. Louis, Missouri; you've got traffic and crowds but not what you'd get in New York, Los Angeles, Seattle, Houston, or Chicago. It's large enough to have neighborhoods and suburbs for more conservative lifestyles, hipster living, impoverished urban living, etc. Politically, the area is roughly evenly divided between Democrats and Republicans although culturally St. Louis is a little conservative (in the sense that it is a little slower paced and more risk averse). St. Louis has museums, universities, and other cultural institutions; and you will not find the fundamentalists carry significant influence here (but if you go to outstate Missouri, you will definitely find the rural fundamentalism-and-guns culture).

How are you going to manage this? You'll need a visa, with a work permit, in advance. That would, if you are in a profession in demand, be a H1B visa. Those are good for a total of six years, then you have to leave the country for a year, then apply for another. If you are in a "demand/shortage" field, such as nursing, your potential employer will sponsor you for the visa. Once you got "in country" your employer could sponsor you for permanent residency, if they wanted to. It costs a few thousand dollars.

You may want to check the Department of Labor's website for listings of future "high demand" fields. http://www.bls.gov/oco/oco2003.htm

Be aware that if you do get a visa, you'll have to be making the same wage or more (not less) than a citizen. Wages vary wildly from state to state, as does the labor market. You will have to be working full time to keep the H1B valid - and it's only valid for the employer who got it for you. If you want to switch jobs, you'll need to get your new employer to get one set up for you before you quit the old one, as once you quit the visa is no longer valid and you'll have 10 days to leave the country.

Just showing up and looking for a job, without the proper documentation, will make you an illegal alien. And the climate towards IAs in this country has gotten notably frosty in recent years - it's worse if you are dark skinned and don't speak English well, but it's bad all - around. If ICE catches and deports you, you'll be prohibited from re-entering the country (possibly permanently).

Careful planning is your best bet. Best of luck!

You may want to check out these sites: CNN Money - Best Places to Live in 2008 and City Data .com

I don't blame you for wanting to avoid the bible belt states. If I didn't have family living in them I wouldn't live here either, it is pretty pervasive.

For further consideration you may want to know which states have no state income tax and which offer a federal income tax deduction. No sense paying the government more than you need to.

States with no state income tax:
Alaska
New Hampshire
Tennessee (Bible belt state)
Florida (Bible belt state)
South Dakota
Washington
Nevada
Texas (Bible belt state)
Wyoming

States with federal income tax deduction(Quotes from tax year 2000):
Alabama (Bible belt state) -All federal personal income taxes paid are deductible.
Iowa (Bible belt state) -All federal personal income taxes paid are deductible.
Louisiana (Bible belt state) -All federal personal income taxes paid are deductible.
Missouri (Bible belt state) -Maximum federal income tax paid deduction is $5,000
Montana -Taxpayers choose between taking the standard deduction and itemizing deductions. If they itemize, the full amount of federal taxes can be deducted UNLESS the taxpayer makes over $128,950. Then, the deductible amount is limited as income increases.
North Dakota -Taxpayers can either take the deduction for federal income taxes paid and apply higher state tax rates, or multiply their federal tax by 14% to get their state liability. 5% choose the deduction option.
Oklahoma (Bible belt state) -Taxpayers have two options, only one of which allows a deduction for federal income taxes paid. 58% of taxpayers choose the federal tax paid deduction option (which entails higher nominal state tax rates), and the rest forgo the federal deduction in favor of lower nominal state rates.
Oregon -Maximum federal income tax paid deduction is $3,000.
Utah -50% of the federal income tax paid is deductible.