Moving out of North Carolina
Hey y'all!
I'm a 21 year old guy looking to move out of Raleigh upon graduation. For some background, i've lived in quite a few places, and having experienced living in suburban North Carolina for the last couple of years - I think I am ready for a change. I have a job lined up which starts after I graduate, I can be based out of anywhere in the US. Here are a few baseline requirements (in order of importance):
- Easy access to psychiatric/therapeutic care: I am neurodivergent, which makes this a priority. most big cities will have this, but I figured I should call it out nonetheless.
- Decently young population.
- Car scene - not looking for takeovers or anything stupid, track days/HPDEs & C&Cs is perfect! My passion for cars is quite significant and would be something i'd be putting most of my time and disposable income into.
- Liberal/leftist politics
- Moderately active job market - I'm not as ambitious about rising up the ranks. I'm mostly disillusioned by corporate as of late, and I'd rlly just like to have the ability to find a new job quickly in the off chance I get laid off (touch wood.)
- Affordability - I'd eventually like to get a place to my name. Apartment, single-family house, anything. I don't like the idea of living in borrowed spaces but I am okay with renting for the first couple of years as an early career professional.
- No roommates. Roommates introduce a lot of variables that I'd be better off not having to deal with.
Some places I've been looking at are:
- Seattle: I lived there over the last summer and loved it. I don't think it's monetarily feasible though. I'm not making Amazon money to be able to afford a place anywhere. Yes, I could thug it out in Aurora for a bit but I wouldn't prefer it. Bellevue/Redmond is a similar deal, too expensive. Maybe when I'm older.
- Portland: Seems quite nice! I've visited it a couple of times but it's not as bustling as Seattle, which makes it a little less appealing. That being said, it seems quite affordable and fairly nice to live in for what it is.
- SF/Bay Area: That is where I've lived for a good bit and would eventually like to return. I'm unfortunately priced out of every neighborhood including Oakland.
- San Diego: Not sure about SD in terms of affordability. I've only ever visited it once and it was quite beautiful. I'd love to live here and would appreciate more of an insight into what it's like.
- Austin/Dallas/Houston: My top runners at the moment because it seems to check most of my boxes (albeit Texas is a red state, but that's okay). Seems quite affordable, has a sizable car scene and has plenty of entertainment after work. Would appreciate y'alls opinion on these cities!
- St. Louis: Didn't expect STL to make it into the list, but the idea is the same as the Texan cities.
- Portland, ME: Another anomaly. I quite like New England, but I can't afford Boston comfortably. Portland seems to be quite nice for what it is!
I'm open to all of your suggestions. I know I wrote a whole lot of stuff down but it does seem quite vague, please feel free to ask clarifying questions. Thank you so much!