Moving, need some advise

[Cassie85]

I came into a sizable inheritance recently, and my fiance and I have decided to use a good part of it to move to a different state. We live in Texas currently, but want to plant roots father north. We have been researching the best cities/states to love in as far as job market is concerned. We dont have kids, so finding a place with a good education systemb isnt a priority right now. Mainly what we are trying to find is a city or town that has a good job market (keep in mind, neither of us has a college education), the housing/apartments arent too very expensive, and has a little more social variety that what we have. We would love to move somewhere that offers more outdoor activies.
As I said, we have been doing research online, but the only problem there is that each site says something different than the one before. Any advise is welcome:)

[jrr74]

I don't know how far north you are thinking of, but I am from Madison, Wisconsin.  It is a small city with a population of approx 250,000, but it is close to Milwaukee and Chicago.  I don't know much about the job market and living expenses may be more than what you are looking to spend. 
Good luck in your search 

[kaoskat]

I'm not at all north but I wish you luck! How exciting!

[Hervoyel]

What kind of work are you looking for?  The job markets can vary depending on the field that your experience is in, so I think that would be one the biggest factors.

The area around DC (I just moved from there this past summer) has a host of opportunities and is nice and close to Shenandoah for outdoor activities, but the housing costs are pretty high until you get into the distant suburbs (ex-urbs, as some people call them).

[melodys_angel]

Best of luck!!

[MoondancerMilkyWay]

well, I live in the PNW and moved from MN (around and around but settled here) I like the lots of outdoor things, the weather (not too hot, not too cold. not a lot of snow!) not sure if you were thinking a particular coast or just "north" in general. If you enjoy travel, I'd suggest somewhere with a better hub than the PNW. It's great, sure, but not as great as Vegas, Orlando, Atlanta, Chicago, etc.
What field of work are you looking for? what is "too expensive" ?
is there a field of work you'd *like* to get into?

[ponygrl07]

I would look into Indiana, they have some of the most affordable properties and homes in the US. The state is within traveling distance to a lot of major hubs so plenty of attractions. Nature parks are a big thing there. I remember there being a great deal of retail and factory jobs available near and around Indianapolis area. Beware though, moving up north means adjusting to snow. I moved from Texas to Indiana and remember hating my first winter there because I had to drive in ice and snow!  I hope you find a wonderful place and good luck!

[Tak]

I recommend the Seattle metro area. It's very diverse and milder weather than inland.

[LadyMoondancer]

I recommend the Seattle metro area. It's very diverse and milder weather than inland.

It's expensive, though.  I think it would depend on if the inheritance is big enough that you could buy a house immediately.  The housing market is expensive and will only get worse in the near future.  The minimum wage is now $15 in Seattle (not in the entire state), so that's a help, but seriously check out the housing / rental prices.

Spokane, on the east side, is not as diverse as Seattle and doesn't have as many big town amenities, but it's much more affordable.  I'm not sure how the job market is over there.  It has cold snowy winters, be prepared.

You might want to look at Minneapolis / St. Paul.  Big city, diverse city, and it seems very affordable.  Also Minnesota has forests and lakes, very pretty.  EXTREMELY cold winters.