What's better then Florida

[kdm31091]

Most people don't seem to think I should move to Florida when I'm 18. I'm curious. What states do you guys recommend for high school graduates going into college?

Please avoid the advice about college and stuff. I'm going. So don't rub that in or anything. All I want are some states that are "better" then Florida

 

[kdm31091]

Just as a note, here's some other states I have/had considered:

New Jersey - probably too expensive
Pennslyvania - right near here, but don't know much bout the cost of living
Maryland - expensive
Carolinas - don't know much about the cost of living; but they look nice
Texas
Washington
Oregon
California

On that list, which ones have the best cost of living and aren't mean to gays? As in, gay-friendly for the most part? You could also suggest other states which might fit the bill better

 

[Hedy]

Have you tried something akin to findyourspot.com?

 

[Cindy's Mom]

I think you need to look into the costs of living for the states you are considering. I know that I wouldn't want to get all psyched up for a location only to find out that I couldn't afford it.

 

[kdm31091]

I've tried findmyspot. Actually, it gave me Florida as one place (it said Orlando). It also gave me a lot of Tennessee, the Caroinas, Kentucky, and I think I had a few cities in West Virginia listed too.

 

[daughter_of_amid_chaos]

you should look at colleges instead of locations.

 

[kdm31091]

I will look at colleges once I find some states to consider. I know it makes more sense to look at colleges first, but I wanna do it this way.

I do know some things about the costs of living. I know Washington and Oregon for the most part are not cheap. California obviously expensive. Texas is cheap, the Carolinas are kinda medium. Maryland and New Jersey are pretty pricey. Pennsylvania is big, but I think it's mostly medium.

As for what findmyspot said, most of the places it listed were low cost, like Tennesee and West Virginia, which could be a big plus

 

[kdm31091]

So any state ideas?

Forgot one state I would consider: Virginia. I like it there, and I like Busch Gardens and the waterpark which would give me my theme park fix.

So I need gay-friendly/gay-tolerant, not too expensive and also, despite my love for Florida, I somewhat like four seasons too, maybe some snow.

 

[rparmfamily]

I like Florida and think it's the best, LOL.

 

[WonderfulDreamer2]

you should look at colleges instead of locations.

This was going to be my suggestion as well, as it seems you're putting the cart before the horse here. Do you have any idea what you want to do with your life? I mean, I've seen a list of professions, none of which have anything in common with the other. For example, if you plan to supplement your income in between classes with lets say....oh, construction or landscape...area's with high snow fall in the winter months wouldn't make a good choice as there would be little work for you. This type of work is seasonal. It seems much more practical to be thinking long term here. Decide on at least a "general" major, seek out stellar schools that will give you the real training you need, and spend 4 or 5 years making something of yourself. Many colleges offer job placement assistance for their graduates. With an education, you will have much better luck moving to your dream destination and making it work. And before you get in a huff, I know you are planning on college so "education isn't the issue", but it really is.
Here is a tidbit. Besides cost of living, take a look at the job market in these places. Tennessee has one of the worst job markets around (DH is from there and we have lived there) and depending on the area of TN you look at, it is not gay friendly. We lived in NE TN....right in the smack middle of the bible belt. I am heterosexual and DH and I were living together before we got married...a mortal sin there. We had a very difficult time finding someone to rent to us. As others have said, just because it's legal to rent to an 18yo and illegal to not rent based on sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation....it doesn't mean it doesn't happen.
Dreams are great to have. If someone doesn't have a dream of some sort, they don't have much. But don't set yourself up to fail. Get your priorities in order. If FL is what you have to have, do you want it at the price of living there, but not ever really being able to LIVE there? All the planning on room mates and jobs and apartment prices in the world wont make them come true. There are no guarantee's in life. Set yourself up for sucess at every turn so that giving up and moving back to mom's never has to be an issue.

 

[kdm31091]

LOL. Yeah Florida's nice. I just want some other ideas too

Well that's the reason I'm asking, WonderfulDreamer. I just want some state ideas which will suit my criteria. It will just give me a general idea. Then I'll look for colleges. I have the luxury of time, so I just want some basic state ideas.

 

[Planogirl]

The University of Texas in Austin is a great school and Austin is quite friendly to anyone and everyone. It's a nice area even though a bit expensive but it really depends on what you'll be studying too.

 

[WonderfulDreamer2]

Can I ask a question? What will be the deciding factor for you here? People have offered a lot of good advice to you and you scorn it all. If I said "Hey, Ohio is the way to go because of A. B. & C.", is that going to make your decision for you? No one here knows you, your life aspirations or family circumstances. I just want to know exactly what you're looking for? No one can tell you where to live or what to do with your life. I guess I really just missing the point to your several threads on this topic and what you're looking to gain here.

 

[kdm31091]

Deciding factors will be that the state is affordable, the wages are not horribly low, it's gay friendly, and the colleges are good to excellent. The crime is also a factor. Weather and tourists and stuff is back burner right now. Just the stuff I listed will help me narrow it down at first.

 

[Cool-Beans]

For anyone interested in the background, there are currently four threads about this, started by the OP.

 

[kdm31091]

Wow Coolbeans, you're insensitive. They're SEPERATE TOPICS. They are related, but SEPERATE. One of them is an APOLOGY. Can you put your disgusting attitude behind you please?

 

[Missy Mouse]

For anyone interested in the background, there are currently four threads about this, started by the OP.

 

[MrsNick]

Deciding factors will be that the state is affordable, the wages are not horribly low, it's gay friendly, and the colleges are good to excellent. The crime is also a factor. Weather and tourists and stuff is back burner right now. Just the stuff I listed will help me narrow it down at first.

Not sure there are many places that are "affordable" and have wages that aren't horribly low. Typically, places with higher wages (i.e. New Jersey) also have the higher cost of living. Good luck with this. Most places that are cheap are cheap for a reason (I believe a previous poster mentioned portions of Tennessee that had a terrible job market). So, it wouldn't be so easy to find well paying jobs while you go to school, and not so easy to find well paying career jobs once you graduate.

Also, remember that in a college town, there is going to be a more than ample source of cheap labor: all the other students. In addition, those who are granted Work Study through financial aid are going to have an advantage in finding work over those who aren't. Their wages are subsidized, so employers prefer to hire them.

 

[xCourxCorex]

Wow Coolbeans, you're insensitive. They're SEPERATE TOPICS. They are related, but SEPERATE. One of them is an APOLOGY. Can you put your disgusting attitude behind you please?

 

[kdm31091]

Well, if not a low cost of living (considering cheap states do have low wages), how about states with moderate costs of living, and moderate, average wages?