So Zac is in his 4th semester of 7 for Physical Therapy school. He gets to do his first internship starting in the begining of November here in Escondido at Palomar Hospital. I'm SO happy that he will be working a normal job and normal hours and we can feel somewhat normal for 8 weeks! Next summer he has two more internships and then he graduates next December, it doesn't even feel that far away anymore.
With the end in sight we get asked EVERY day where we want to end up. Obviously, we will go where Zac can get a good job, but where to apply...we have NOOOO idea where we want to end up.
We've narrowed it down to the western states. I think we'll skip Montana, Nevada, and New Mexico, but we've considered places in most of the other western states.
Most of our family is in Utah and Idaho so we don't want to be far away from them, but we aren't huge fans of the cold weather so we're stuck in such a dilema! We could always move back to Idaho Falls or Rexburg where our family started.
After living in San Diego for a year I would absolutely love to stay here the rest of my life, obviously in a nicer neighborhood, but that is going to be out of our price range, at least until our student loans are paid off...My vote is for Valencia, CA where I grew up, but Zac has pretty much outlawed California unless he gets paid millions. I'd love for that to work out. :)
So I'm on a quest to learn a little more about some of our top choices where neither of us have lived. We've considered Boise, Logan, Salt Lake area, Eastern Oregon, St. George, Mesa area, and maybe Washington or theDenver area, but we don't really know anything about those places. If you do please share your knowledge. Zac has to pick out his top choices for internships for next summer soon and we're thinking about going somewhere that we might end up.
So I'm asking you where the best place in the world to live is. Where have you lived that you loved or hated. Should weather be a determining factor to where you live. Should family be a determining factor to where you live? Should money, fame and popularity be a determining factor to where you live? I'd really like to hear some opinions on this one.
Veggie Smoothies
16 years ago
15 comments:
congrats zac! that is something to be proud of. it is great being by family... especially when you have kids. it's fun to have them grow up with relatives. but it's also nice to rely completely on each other too. so who knows.
charlie and i want to live in boise/meridian area some day. he needs a job there though... but it will happen in the near future hopefully. i like it there because: the summers are hot. blue skies. the winters aren't too bad. there are places to swim. sporting events and concerts. you can still go camping. lakes nearby. snow in the hills. i like the diversity. but if you do choose WA for some strange reason... we are here! the summers here are fab. the trees and greenery is beautiful. but the grey skies are not my fav. good luck!!!
Well I am going to vote for Denver because then I could still see you guys fairly often! And the mountains are pretty spectacular..and winter sports are fun. It's not cheap to live there but it's not as expensive as San Diego. He will be out of school in no time, how exciting!
I am sure there are a lot of great places to live and raise you family and I am confident you will find that place. I am from outside Denver (Littleton) and I absolutely love it. Great neighborhoods, schools and church activity. The sun shine 360 days a year and the weather is fairly mild (for being at the base of the rocky mountains). jake and I constantly talk about moving back to this area, it is awesome! Good luck on Zac finishing school in the near future and keep us posted on your decision!
I LOVE Idaho, anywhere in Idaho that is. We lived down in Provo for awhile, It was a nice place, not a HUGE city but not too small. It's a fun place - lots of things to do (Football - well, not so much this year :) ) I think you guys would really like it there. It has longer summer than winter - which is nice! Good luck, wherever you end up! :)
Well I notice you said where in the "world". So my vote, keeping in mind no outside constraining circumstances, is in England or Australia. The weather, atmosphere and people are stupendous and hey PT's have more authority over there.
love ya.
Well, I don't have any comments about where you should live but I do have to say, yay for Zac!! It is so much better to work off-campus in an intern position. It makes all the on-campus clinical stuff worth it--at least for speech path (and I'm sure it is that way for most prof's). He's almost done!!
I say...Carlsbad!!! We won't be able to afford it for a little while either, but somehow it will just have to work out. Here's my two cents--money is obviously a huge issue. BUT the thing is that usually salary in a given area is pretty proportional to the cost of living of an area. For example, in SF a nurse can make 2.5x as much as a nurse in Utah can make but the cost of living is probably 2.5x more in SF so it essentially ends up being the same. What I'm trying to say is that the lifestyle I could maintain in Utah would be pretty similar to the lifestyle I could maintain in SF because pay rates are fairly proportional to the cost of living of a given area. Of course I don't know if the circumstances are the same for a PT, but that's just what I've noticed. So, I say SAN DIEGO baby!!! We'd be there to join you Summer of 2012. :) Sorry that was so...long-winded and wordy. :)
I think-Yes weather, family, money, all matter. The best thing to do would make a pros and cons list for each place...Even not knowing much about a place could be a pro or a con. Depending on you two. If I had all those places to choose from, I would live in Boise. I love that town. Mild weather, not too big, not too small. Reasonably priced. Lots of young families...amazing down town shopping :)
I'm just excited that you have all these options. We are all so proud of Zac! Way to go after what you want. You'd probably be really happy living close to Julie. I know I would. Tough decision. Uh...make a list...
I know I make fun of my hometown (Wenatchee, WA) all the time but it's actually a really great place for raising a family. The cost of living is really low and home prices are amazing, with lots of open land. The area is offering some of the highest starting salaries in the nation right now too (there was just a job posting at the local hospital for 90k starting)! It's fairly large, about 40,000 people but still has a small town feel. Very fun in the summer with mountains surrounding it, the Columbia river running through it and clean lakes everywhere. However, it does get cold and snows a lot in the winter, but you could take up snow skiing! No rain either, over 300 days of sunshine a year (even if it is 20 degrees outside). Also, it would still be in driving distance to ID. I sound like a tour guide but it's worth checking out!
I know a lot about Boise! It is wonderful here! If you have any questions I would love to direct you in anyway I can.
I also lived in Southern Utah very nice too.
Both of these places I loved the weather.
I think it is best to visit a place and try it on. Any time you are in Boise let me know. We would love to host your family!
Love
Rebekah
I don't have a lot of experience in very many places, but my sister loved the Boise area, and Zac's mom's cousin Leyan's kids live in the Mesa area and love it. Boise gets some of the cold and stuff, but not near as bad as Teton Valley.
Do you really need to ask that? The answer is: Anywhere your sister lives, so I guess Salt Lake is the very best place to live!
I think Preston, ID is your best bet. Not only is Napoleon Dynamite from there, you are only 20 minutes from Logan, UT which is a nice farming/rural/college community. (Rachel reminds you that there is a nice milkshake shop called Bar J and a Sunshine Bowling Alley.) You are then in a nice, affordable, safe community with nice people all around but then close to I-15 where you can zip north or south for family members. I've lived many, many places and I always said that if I had enough money and friends, I could live anywhere. But then for work, I think the University of Utah Medical Community is a real treasure and if Zac could be associated with them, that would be incredible. Of course, there is Teton Valley, where there is a big center of gravity of parent-types, aka grandparent types which is pretty neat for the kid types. And housing is now pretty affordable. Salary and cost of living is a very big deal when starting out. The more you make, the more taxes you pay and the less you take home. Also some places (like California) have higher state income tax, property tax, and insurance rates which all play a factor. What you bring home and get to spend after housing and such is a very big deal. You don't want to feel like college students forever! Also, prayer and a sincere desire to follow God's plan for you will lead you to the perfect place for what is best for you and your family. Good luck!!
O.K., here's another thought for Preston. I stole the idea from a family in our ward whose kid lives in Preston and her husband works in some hospital doing x-rays. I believe the hospital is in Logan. She said it was a super nice place to live. Also, for Teton Valley: Dan Streubel, our favorite PT, just opened his own practice here (because he is so good and popular). Could you do an internship here for him and live for free in our apartment while doing that? His number is 208-354-1999. O.K., I'll stop giving input!
I know that this is not one of your options but you could always come out here and live by this beach. I know I would love it and so would Nyali. And it doesn't get cold here like in Utah and those places. So my pick, South Carolina! Def!
Post a Comment