relocation questions- WA, NV, AZ, CA

koyote

koyote

Joined
Mar 29, 2007
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Hey guys, we're looking at relocating later this spring or summer.

Currently in Davis, CA- once Jessica graduates from nursing school (RN) this april, we're looking at moving to:

East of Sacramento- Jess has a 99.999% guaranteed job at a hospital in Sac, but we would in general prefer to leave the state. (I love my state, but it's getting too crazy to try and live here.)

Tri Cities, Washington State. This one has Jessica excited (useful, since I have to - you know- spend the rest of my life with her and all that), they are actively recruiting nurses, and the cost of living seems less insane.

Reno/Sparks, NV- I like it, Jessica not so much so. really easy place to live and work for a knifemaker, but not quite such a great environment for raising the children.

Northern AZ- I love it out there, but....... it's a long move with no solid job openings for her.


I'd love input from people - anyone who lives in these areas.
 
I don't live in the Tri-cities, Washington area (Kennewick, Pasco, and Richland area) but somewhat south of there in the Portland, Oregon area. I am familiar with the Tri-Cities area. It's a very nice area.
 
One thing I'm liking about the Tri Cities option is being close enough to several states to make a homestead land purchase in any one of them.

The politics of WA aren't as much to my liking as NV, it seems to be going down the same road as CA (so does Oregon) where the overly urbanized coastal population centers mess up the rest of the state.

All that aside....salmon. Rivers. Hunting. Hiking. Local Agriculture. Blade West. Portland and SeaTac being reasonably close.


And I'm the only one in the household who is really a desert rat.

I'm also just cowboy enough that the heavy hand of government busybodies really doesn't work all that well with me.
 
Might want to look into the Moses Lake area in WA. We spend a lot of time out there in the late spring thru fall.

Tri-cities is also good. More urban and more work opportunity. I like Pasco. Weather is more like CA central valley (I grew up in Stockton/Manteca).

Downside to Moses Lake is Costco is 60 miles away.

Eastern WA although much drier than Western WA, it does get bone chilling cold in winter.

No state income tax out here!

HJ
 
hatchetjack said:
Might want to look into the Moses Lake area in WA. We spend a lot of time out there in the late spring thru fall.

Tri-cities is also good. More urban and more work opportunity. I like Pasco. Weather is more like CA central valley (I grew up in Stockton/Manteca).

Downside to Moses Lake is Costco is 60 miles away.

Eastern WA although much drier than Western WA, it does get bone chilling cold in winter.

No state income tax out here!

HJ
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Well, we're a bit north of Stockton, in Davis. I like aspects of the environment here, and can handle a bit more cold.

The focus on the tri-cities area is specific to Jessica's job market- I can ply my trade anywhere (though having electricity is preferable), but the almost-graduated nurse needs to be relatively close to a job.

Oddly, it looks like for her, base pay in Reno is slightly higher than Tri-Cities, which is about $25/hour
 
I'm in Sacramento right now, and I kind of regret leaving Davis. There's a certain charm about that small town, though it does get kind of hectic come the end of September and middle of June. There's something about Sacramento drivers that, I swear, has made me more of an angry driver.

If I had to stay close to the Sacramento area, it'd be either Davis or Roseville. Roseville is one big commercial town, but the people there are nice enough.
 
koyote said:
Well, we're a bit north of Stockton, in Davis. I like aspects of the environment here, and can handle a bit more cold.

The focus on the tri-cities area is specific to Jessica's job market- I can ply my trade anywhere (though having electricity is preferable), but the almost-graduated nurse needs to be relatively close to a job.

Oddly, it looks like for her, base pay in Reno is slightly higher than Tri-Cities, which is about $25/hour
Click to expand...

I don't have any figures to quote, but I'll just about guarantee you that the cost of living is a lot cheaper in Tri Cities than it is in Reno....
So even if the hourly rate is a little less, you might still be ahead of the game.

I would suggest Bend, Or where I live. St.Charles hospital is a nice facility, and very highly rated. Because so many people want to live here, we get some of the best doctors there are... Its very expensive to live here though..
 
338375 said:
and very highly rated. Because so many people want to live here, we get some of the best doctors there are... Its very expensive to live here though..
Click to expand...

How does Bend compare with Medford, Springfield, Eugene, and Portland in cost of living?

for OP, can't RNs pretty much get jobs anywhere?
 
well, right now the active conversations Jessica is having are with hospitals in reno, tri-cities, and sacramento.

honestly, the only appeal to sacto is having a period of a couple months to move slowly, and a few months of freedom to pick a place.

Other options could be available- but areas like Bend are going to be harder to walk into because of the fact that so many people do want to live there. There's even talk in Tri-Cities of some moving expenses being paid- for a brand new graduate!
 
I don't spend any time in the northern part of the state, so I can't help you much there.

If you like guns, you can pretty much own anything that federal law allows you to.

As for knives, you can open carry anything, although concealed carry limits you to a "pocket knife".
 
SkinnyJoe said:
How does Bend compare with Medford, Springfield, Eugene, and Portland in cost of living?

for OP, can't RNs pretty much get jobs anywhere?
Click to expand...

yes and no. The economic situation is such that it's actually not a guarantee, and theres jobs and jobs. It's almost certain that she could go anywhere and get a job as an insulin dispenser at a local prison or care facility, but while that requires an RN for some reason, it's not "real nursing" to her.

There's also the difference between being a 'butter bar' RN and a field grade RN, so to speak. She couldn't walk into SF and just get a $140k job. Very, very few nurses with less than 5 years of experience could.
 
how would you feel about Phoenix? Lots of people retire there, and I imagine lots of work for healthcare people. If I understand correctly, the politics of AZ are more favorable to individual freedoms than many states.
 
koyote said:
yes and no. The economic situation is such that it's actually not a guarantee, and theres jobs and jobs. It's almost certain that she could go anywhere and get a job as an insulin dispenser at a local prison or care facility, but while that requires an RN for some reason, it's not "real nursing" to her.

.
Click to expand...

In TN the hospital websites openings pretty much go like this: "RN, RN, RN, RN....RN, RN.....RN, RN" :D
..on all kinds of floors.

I wonder if this has something to do with it:
http://www.statehealthfacts.org/comparemaptable.jsp?ind=80&cat=2
 
SkinnyJoe said:
how would you feel about Phoenix? Lots of people retire there, and I imagine lots of work for healthcare people. If I understand correctly, the politics of AZ are more favorable to individual freedoms than many states.
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Her main interest areas are midwifing, and pediatric nursing. There's also the "medicare ceiling' on wages for fixed income situations, which won't matter at first....

I grew up moving every couple of years and am tolerant of it. She moved once, less than a mile, between birth and 18. She sin't making me promise, but is making me promise to consider the possibility of working on a permanent place to be- and as much as I loved growing up in Scottsdale, Maricopa county pales for me in comparison to SE and northern AZ.

Regarding Maricopa specifically- I'm just broadly travelled enough to think that my civil liberties are in danger the moment any group gets hammered mercilessly and inhumanely. Which I don't want to get into without a different thread in a different area (cheeeeeeeeeese), but it's a big factor in not wanting to go back to scotssdale/tempe area.
 
Northern Arizona would be my first choice from that list.

I haven't been to Washington, but this is a real put-off:
Seattle days of sunshine: 58
Raton, New Mexico days of sunshine: 300
 
SkinnyJoe said:
How does Bend compare with Medford, Springfield, Eugene, and Portland in cost of living?

for OP, can't RNs pretty much get jobs anywhere?
Click to expand...


Of those you listed, I would say Portland is probably the closest to Bend in cost of living. There isn't a job anywhere that would pay enough for me to live in Portland though. Traffic, people and lots of rain.

I was born and raised in Springfield . Cost of living isn't to bad there. Sacred Heart just built a new HUGE hospital right on the McKenzie river, in what was farm land. The traffic isn't to bad there either.
I haven't been to Medford in years, so I can't comment on how things are down there.
 
Bob W said:
Northern Arizona would be my first choice from that list.

I haven't been to Washington, but this is a real put-off:
Seattle days of sunshine: 58
Raton, New Mexico days of sunshine: 300
Click to expand...

The eastern side of Washington and Oregon are completely different.
Once you get east of the Cascades, there isn't much rain. We do get some snow and cold temps though in the winter...
 
Bob W said:
Northern Arizona would be my first choice from that list.

I haven't been to Washington, but this is a real put-off:
Seattle days of sunshine: 58
Raton, New Mexico days of sunshine: 300
Click to expand...

Tri-Cities days of sunshine: 300 :D

I'm still hoping some job dialogue will turn up in northern AZ for her, but nothing has yet.
 
Congratulations on being able to leave California. :thumbup: Eastern Washington and Western Idaho would be at the top of my list. :D Nevada would be good for the lack of personal income tax.
 
Tri-Cities would get my vote. (I wonder why?) :D

Cost of living is very reasonable. Housing with acreage is available if you want that. Hunting and fishing are right out your back door. If you like to fish, the Columbia River runs right through town. You can be on the water fishing, in your boat, less than 30 minutes from your door.

Politics? Conservative on this side of the Cascades. Sarah Palin spent Thanksgiving with her famly in the Tri-Cities.

Also, this is a shall issue state. Pay your fee, give them your fingerprints, pass the background check, and you can start carrying concealed.

The Tri-Cities area is growing very fast. Main reason is from the Hanford cleanup. However, the economy is diversifying as well. Several westside (seattle area) businesses are relocating here due to the lower cost of living, skilled labor pool, the 4 seasons of weather, and the quality of life.

If one of the three hospitals are offering relocation benefts, and other benefits, then she is a highly desirable candidate. If you want to , PM me the name of the hospital, and I'll let you know if they are the best one or not. One of the hopspitals is a public, tax supported facility. The other two are private.

Good luck with your decision.

ETA: There is NO state, or local income taxes. A definate advantage.
 
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