mandianna

So we are so tired of the taxes and we want out of upstate NY. Just wondered if you recommend anywhere with lower taxes and where we could find work. I am in healthcare and my husband in admin. Would consider anywhere apart from the south im not great with the heat. We like New England a lot have looked in Maine and New Hampshire not many jobs though. Any thoughts??

penguinsix

The Washington DC area has quite a few jobs, but the cost of living is pretty high, especially as compared to upstate NY.

Have you considered a smaller college town in the Midwest? Lower cost of living with some cultural activities associated with the University.

What kind of lifestyle do you want (urban, rural, etc)? Any family reasons why you need to stay in a certain area?

mandianna

No commitments here we can leave anytime as soon as we can find jobs. We have no kids would like city/suburbs not rural.

penguinsix

DC is a fun area, but it is a) expensive and b) kind of hot in the Summer.

If weather is really important, you could consider a place like Madison Wisconsin or Minneapolis/St. Paul. While they don't have the extreme heat they certainly have some rough winters (but hey, you are in upstate NY so not a problem?)

Both cities have some cultural activities beyond that of your general rural area. If you are willing to go further afield you could consider someplace like Portland or Seattle (generally I'm making some recommendations based on temperature in part).

Bomjeito

I was born and raised in upstate NY and left from chronic tax sickness. My folks are leaving the second they retire. (Born Adirondack-way but also lived years in Albany as an adult.)

The southwest is a dry heat. I love the SW of the USA.

I'm presently, though, in Houston, which is a very humid heat (see thread for the poll (is Houston shit or not shit) - but there are jobs here, and tons in the health care field. You both will find jobs here.

Texas and Nevada (and more, just check online) have no state income taxes. In Texas, our property taxes are about as high as NYS, and in Nevada, they were about 1/4 (due to gaming paying for many of the state-provided services.)

I love New England. I love the 4 seasons. I became, however, very tired of my car being eaten by salt, shoveling snow, and in the rural areas, the lower quality of education for the kids. Maine is not less expensive that upstate NY, by the way. In fact, none of New England is less expensive than upstate NY.

How about the Carolinas?

MsElui

Columbus Ohio seems to be busy - lots of large companies here like Chase, Nationwide Insurance, Honda, etc.

Manc

Madison Wisconsin is a great hidden gem of a city.

JAJ

Colorado?

Kaffy Mintcake

Cincinnati, OH is a fairly conservative city, but it has some definite positives. It's large enough to have professional sports, for music concerts to visit and to have lots of things to do, yet it's a manageable size. Cost of living is good and we have several large companies headquartered here (Proctor & Gamble, Kroger, 5/3 Bank, Convergys, Cintas, Chiquita, Kao Brands, Luxottica, Ethicon Endo-surgery), etc. The diversity of employers is a real strength of the city in my opinion.

scrubbedexpat099

Full

Bluegrass Lass

Portland, Oregon has come up quite frequently as well. We've never visited there, but it would be high on our list of cities to move to (if we were staying in the US). Lots of culturalism, arty, no extreme heat in the summer, no state taxes, and lots of outdoor activities available.

Giantaxe

Oregon has state income tax, but no sales tax. Washington is the state with no income tax.

Sarah

I'm dying to get out of NY too, NYC to be more precise, so I feel ya.
That being said, if I could, I'd move to New Hampshire in a heartbeat, it's beautiful state, and if you are going to have a family, I'd say it's ideal.

Moxie

Too bad you're against the South. The Texas Medical Center in Houston is one of the largest medical centers in the world. In about 1-2 square miles there are 13 hospitals, 49 institutes, two medical schools, one dental school, four nursing schools, pharmacy school and that doesn't include all the hospitals scattered to the suburbs to the north and west. The brand new Texas Children's Hospital-West Campus opened this week. Beautiful! http://westcampus.texaschildrens.org/media.aspx (photos)
Our gasoline is cheaper, houses cheaper, no state income tax, 6.25-8.25% sales tax. It's hot, in the summer but everything is air conditioned and the people are super friendly.

Bomjeito

If the south is out (what a shame, its a better quality of life IMHO having moved from upstate NY) - try Pittsburgh and the surrounding 'burbs. PA has a flat tax for state income tax, about 3%.

Housing is cheaper than in NY State, and still has the 4 seasons.