Help me pick a place to live...

Hello all,

I'm currently in the search of a place to call home. I'm 25 and will be graduating in May with a Doctorate in Physical Therapy degree. I'm originally from IL but want to move somewhere where I do not have to put up with snow and can golf nearly year round. My current interests are Austin, TX and Phoenix, AZ but could be persuaded into other areas of the continental US. Sticking points... I'll be in the healthcare field so access to hospitals and being in states with good Medicare reimbursements would be key and I'll be a fresh grad and therefore not financially stable - high cost of living would be out of the question. Little more about myself - will be relocating with fiance, we like to eat out a lot but don't like the club scene, I like to workout so access to decent gyms would be good, love cars, love to hike, would like to take our dog with us, and most importantly LOVE to golf. If anyone could help me weigh the Pros/Cons of AZ and TX or any other state you can think of it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Austen might be the best city in the world to which I have travelled, and like the song says, "I've been everywhere man...."

Well, OK, I haven't been everywhere, but I've been to most major cities in North America and to many in Europe, and Austen is just about my favourite. A little on the large size in terms of landmass, so you'll be driving a lot.

Would you consider Las vegas? Nice weather, you can golf year round, and from what I hear the cost of living isn't to bad. There are plenty of areas to be outside you can walk Red Rock, climb mountains. Not sure how that job field is there though, and the yards with many homes are small so your dog may not have as much freedom as he/she would like. just my observations as a previous Vegas resident.

Thanks for the replies so far. Vegas is not out of the question. The only thing I worry about is the cost of golf there. I read somewhere on golf.com that the average green fee is over $100 in Vegas. I don't need the nicest courses to play at but would prefer a nice selection within a reasonable drive. Can anyone from Austin or Phoenix comment on the price of green fees in those areas? I know Austin has a fairly low cost of living and I believe the green fees are pretty low also.

Two of the most expensive places to live are the Austin area and the Phoenix area. I've lived in Austin, I currently live in Houston. I vacation in AZ, and would like to move there ASAP and have looked into it.

As far as job opportunities go, I don't think there's anywhere that has more demand in your field than the metro Houston area. Now, Houston has it's world famous Medical Center in the downtown area. However, all the major hospital systems are building, or have just built, major medical areas out in the suburbs, like The Woodlands, Sugarland and Katy. There's lots of medical professional buildings around these new hospitals. I am going through rehab on my back in one of those areas right now. All are awesome areas to live and the cost of living here is fantastic. You can get a very nice house for 1/2 to 1/3 what you would pay for the same house in Austin or Phoenix. Sugarland, Katy and The Woodlands has lot's of great golf. I prefer The Woodlands area. The Woodlands has everything, great restaurants, great golf, etc., and I like that it's heavily wooded. Sugarland is just almost as nice as The Woodlands, but the area is plains like.

http://www.thewoodlands.com/

http://www.sugarlandrelocation.com/

http://www.katytexas.com/

http://www.methodisthealth.com/tmhs/ourHospitals.do?channelId=-1073829254&programId=1073768732

http://www.memorialhermann.org/locations/

If I was financially independent, I would pick AZ as my place to live. I can't do that yet. The Austin area, also known as The Hill Country, is beautiful, but expensive. If I was just starting out, knowing what I know, I would pick the Houston suburbs because I can have a nicer place to live, have plenty to do, and be able to put money in the bank for the future.

Reno, Carson City, Tahoe, Truckee

[size=4][b][i][u]any where but OHIO![/u][/i][/b][/size]
[b][i][u][size=2]but most likely[/size][/u][/i][/b]
[list=1][*][size=2][b][i][u]miami[/u][/i][/b][/size][*][size=2][b][i][u]cancun[/u][/i][/b][/size][*][size=2][b][i][u]aruba[/u][/i][/b][/size][*][size=2][b][i][u]italy[/u][/i][/b][/size][*][size=2][b][i][u]any where in southern california[/u][/i][/b][/size][/list]

Consider DALLAS

Pro's
You have access to TONS of golf courses.
Low cost of living.
Lots of Hospitals in the Area
Year round golf (jan/feb may be iffy some years)
You can get a great home in the suburbs or get a cool loft/condo/townhouse towards the city


Con's
very large...things are kinda spread out
lacking in "nature". Not too many outdoorsy things to do. Not much tall green trees, outdoors activities, hiking trails etc.
Traffic kinda sucks

I'm 32 and I moved here 4 years ago from DC. I LOVE IT.

Easy.

Tampa...great golf, year round golf, cheap summer golf, inexpensive to live there, huge aging population with major healthcare tie-ins. My mother broke her hip last year and her hysical therapist told me there is a major shortage of health professionals at the higher end there. Most are not PHDs so you could run the place. Good luck!

Look into North County San Diego

charleston, sc or savannah, ga

Raleigh, NC. Nice golf course commuties, both high and low end. Should be a good
area for PT as well. Good to Great weather, reasonably priced golf, housing etc.

Phoenix and Las Vegas are hotter than hell in the summer. Austin is a nice town, and weather is decent, lots of retaurants. Dallas also offers a lot. Many golf courses, professional sport teams, many fine restaurants, low cost housing, no tax.

Birmingham, AL

End of the Appalachin trail and plenty of awesome hiking.
RTJ Golf Trail
Very low cost of living.
UAB hospital system
4-5 hour drive to the gulf coast and the beaches.
Night life is not hoppin but there are certainly some gems of restaurants down here to go out to eat.

Mild winters in the mid40's to 50's normally. Golfable year round...probably tougher to golf in the summer then winter due to the heavy humidity down here.

[quote name='JSunGolfPharmD ' date='02 March 2010 - 11:21 PM' timestamp='1267590069' post='2289580']
Birmingham, AL

End of the Appalachin trail and plenty of awesome hiking.

[/quote]

The AT doesn't run through Alabama. The Appalachian Mountains do though. But Bham is a great city, I grew up there.

This is my first winter in the Phoenix area and must say I'm not that impressed. If you want to hike and eat out, you have some nice options. The golf on the other hand is so so. Granted the weather this winter is a little unusual but it has been downright cold to me and the summers I hear are crazy. The west side of town, Sun City, has got to be the senior citizen capital of the world so lots of work for you.
My vote goes to Florida...whether it be Tampa, Orlando, or Pensacola you will have all the options you want in regards to work, golf, and nature. Golf all day, go to the beach at night and get some good food.

[quote name='d373rm1ned' date='02 March 2010 - 06:27 PM' timestamp='1267572468' post='2288843']
Thanks for the replies so far. Vegas is not out of the question. The only thing I worry about is the cost of golf there. I read somewhere on golf.com that the average green fee is over $100 in Vegas. I don't need the nicest courses to play at but would prefer a nice selection within a reasonable drive. Can anyone from Austin or Phoenix comment on the price of green fees in those areas? I know Austin has a fairly low cost of living and I believe the green fees are pretty low also.
[/quote]

Was in the same boat as you 2 years ago. Was ready to get out of the DC area and wanted to live someplace with year-round golf, came to Vegas and knew that I wanted to live here. No regrets since, weather is perfect 10 months of the year with July and August getting in the high 100's (but dry which easily beat 90 degree 85% humidity in DC).

The rates have fallen because of how hard the economy has hit Vegas. You could get a discount card for $99 and play a number of courses for $35-$55 anytime, plenty of homes available within short drives of nice courses in my part of town (NW). Good selection of hospitals and medical offices here in town.

Orlando isnt the place...godawfully hot in the summer, with no ocean breeze. Live closer to the coast if your in Florida. I would try to live out west, Cali, Zona, somewheres like that. If it being too hot is your only complaint, I guess your doing alright then.

My vote is for the Bay Area...

Southern Cali... The Temecula Valley/Murrieta area has a LOT of golf within an hours drive that is reasonably afforadble.

+1 for the Bay Area, I live in the North Bay and lets just say I played every weekend in February...IN SHORTS!!! Believe it man! Plus, if you are looking to buy a home there is no better market then here right now, $745,000 homes going for $300,000 thanks to our wonderful economy.

I know nothing of Medicare reimbursements in the US, but there are allot of elderly people in FL, and you can't beat Clearwater for real estate prices, golf, or weather, add to the fact you are on the West side of FL and on the Golf of Mexico, well it's pretty much paradise. Good Luck.

Mayo Clinic - Scottsdale or Mayo Clinic - Jacksonville

My two cents in Pensacola, FL. I am from Ohio, but went to college in P-cola for 5-1/2 yrs. I must say that city is my favorite place on the planet, besides Muirfield Village Golf Club! Lots of golf courses, beaches, great restaurants. A little hot during the summers, but October thru April more than make up for it. Check out becoming a member at Tiger Point Golf Club...nice track.

[quote name='aslan' date='02 March 2010 - 08:43 PM' timestamp='1267580588' post='2289203']
Raleigh, NC. Nice golf course commuties, both high and low end. Should be a good
area for PT as well. Good to Great weather, reasonably priced golf, housing etc.
[/quote]

I second this suggestion. Ok there will be the odd winters like this year where RDU area gets some snow, but most years it doesn't get any and you can count on pretty much year round golf, with temps staying near the 50's and some 40's in the winter time.

It has some of the best hospitals in the country, I don't know about the Medicare reimbursements. But it is a great place to start and raise a family.

[quote name='putt4_66' date='02 March 2010 - 04:41 PM' timestamp='1267573278' post='2288879']
Two of the most expensive places to live are the Austin area and the Phoenix area.
[/quote]

Incorrect for Phoenix.


[quote name='mizunogolf74' date='02 March 2010 - 10:09 PM' timestamp='1267592948' post='2289711']
This is my first winter in the Phoenix area... Granted the weather this winter is a little unusual but it has been downright cold to me ...
[/quote]

This winter has not been unusual by any measure.


For the OP - Here is a link to another recent thread debating Austin vs. Phoenix:
[url]http://www.golfwrx.com/forums/topic/288972-austin-tx-vs-phoenix-az/page__st__80__p__2268579__hl__austin%20phoenix__fromsearch__1&#entry2268579[/url]


Good luck!

It does not even to appear to be on your radar but you may consider Colorado. Louisville, CO was selected by Money Magazine as the best place to live in 2009. Here is what CNN Money.com had to say about Louisville. [url="http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bplive/2009/snapshots/PL0846355.html"]http://money.cnn.com.../PL0846355.html[/url]

"[i]Some towns nestled along the Rockies are full of pretentious eco-hipsters. Not Louisville. Ice cream shops dot the historic downtown. Families grab burgers at the cozy Waterloo Café. A Friday-night street fair, with a beer garden, live music, and games for the kids, runs all summer. No wonder this down-to-earth town has appeared high on Money's Best Places list before--and on many others.

It's also weathering the economic downturn well. Robust industries in the area, such as high tech, energy, and health care, make county unemployment among the lowest in the state.

But the top reason residents give for moving here? The great outdoors. Louisville is laced with nearly 30 miles of trails, Rocky Mountain National Park is less than an hour away, and eight world-class ski resorts are within two hours. The town's schools are highly rated as well. Add in dry, clear weather, little crime, good health care, and low taxes, and Louisville is pretty tough to beat. "

[/i]Some other notes is the area sees over 300 days of sun a year despite being located so close to major Ski resorts it has mild weather year round I often play golf year round I may miss a few weeks do to snow this year has been worse than most. I live south of Denver Lousville is just north of denver but the area offers so much to young couples and families alike. Major sports teams NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, Major League Soccer and Lacross. Some of the best public golf courses in the country. Check it out I moved from south eastern Wisconsin to Colorado, have never regreted it and i don't believe I could find a better place to live with more to offer.

I can't speak to the green fees in Austin, but in San Antonio you can find $25 - $65 for 18. Here are some of them: http://www.texasoutside.com/golf/sanantonio.htm

Housing's a little cheaper than Austin - 5%, maybe, based upon our housing search in both towns. Austin's a computer center, while San Antonio's shooting for bio-med center notoriety.

I'm around your age, with a girlfriend I live with, slightly older than me. She's in the healthcare system.

I grew up in north of Austin, Tx, and it's a fantastic area. Expensive, but plenty to do, and just plain good folks.

I'm in Atlanta now.. I lived IN the middle of the city for a few years, and it's pretty reasonable living. Plenty of condos and homes, moderately priced. Decent job market, lots of large hospitals, and large medical schools like Emory and such..

Plenty of golf, but the problem is, it's all extremely private, with a few odd end courses that allow public. Rates for a middle of the road place, are around $40-70 a round.. Lots of courses if you'll drive in a 45 mile radius.. But with the traffic in the city and around it, thats around an hour and a half.. during the week.

We moved south of the city. I joined a private club, live in a real nice swim/tennis/golf community. Cost of living is way cheaper, and way more courses around here. We eat out alot, and aren't club scene people. 30 minutes south of Atlanta, which has EVERY kind of dining you want. We enjoy that part alot.

About an hour from the mountains, and some large lakes are all within a 40 minute drive. 4 hours to the coast of GA. 45 minutes from the RTG golf trail in Alabama... 3 hours from Florida...

Hot as hell in the summer, year round golf for the most part. Normally no snow, slightly wet winters( not now, but normally ). Humidity is abundant, so if you can't stand that.. stay away.

Other than that.. After work.. I walk 18, with a cold beer, drive 4 minutes home, fire up the grill, and sit on the patio with a drink and enjoying the 60* evening summer nights.

Phoenix is expensive lived there for a year cost of living is high but pay compensates it... I personally didn't like it, need to see the water and not man made. Which is why I'm headed to FL.