wedding dress

First, the winner of the giveaway...Angela! Send your information to paperwhitejewelry@gmail.com

In other news, the city comparison/search is complete. We are officially moving to Austin, Texas.

I am excited to test out swimming in Barton Springs and Ruby's BBQ.

Remember the Alamo?

Pros:
Approximately 1 hour from family
Abundance of things to do and places to see
Reportedly excellent Mexican cuisine.

Cons:
Yet again, really low test scores. This seems to be a recurring theme.

Hot and humid summers

Median Property- $78,627
Median Family Income- $55,958
Median Age- 31.9
Population- 1,351,305
Crime Rate- (the national average is 100, the lower, the better)
Personal Crime Risk- 7
Property Crime Risk- 72
Restaurants- 3,754
High temp in July ° F- 94.5°
Low temp in Jan ° F- 39.0°

via welcome to the city, wikipedia,

Another city comparison. We are getting down to go time as far as decisions go. My husband is flying to Texas for interviews in a week, we are hoping to have a job tied down and a location chosen in the next month or so. Now on to Tyler!

Pros:

Warm climate
Low cost of living
Serious potential for Friday Night Lights vibes

Cons:
Appallingly low test scores. So low they are negative test scores.
An hour from a major metropolitan area.
Regional airport only


Median Property- $133,148
Median Family Income- $53,984
Median Age- 32.7
Population- 96,500
Crime Rate- (the national average is 100, the lower, the better)
Personal Crime Risk- 7
Property Crime Risk- 46
Restaurants- 388
High temp in July ° F- 93.6°
Low temp in Jan ° F- 37.3°

via MacKev, tschaefer, wikipedia, JBEwing

City Comparison is coming back! We are looking at various jobs in our preferred states (Colorado, Utah and Texas) and I loved having the comparisons of different cities so they are returning for the cities in which we are applying for jobs! So on to McAllen...

Pros:
Winters will never see anything close to a single digit temperature
Housing is cheap
Possibility for some fantastic Mexican restaurants


Cons:
Summers will be HOT, HOT, HOT
It is 5 miles from the border which given the troubles border cities have had recently is something to consider...
The airport is more of a regional airport
I looked through 40 pages of pictures, these were the best I could find. That makes me nervous. Very, very nervous...

Median Property- $125,691
Median Family Income- $45,252
Median Age- 29.4
Population- 127,200
Crime Rate- (the national average is 100, the lower, the better)
Personal Crime Risk- 3
Property Crime Risk- 62
Restaurants- 1,033
High temp in July ° F- 96
Low temp in Jan ° F- 48.5

photo sources- 1, 2

image via lindy bloggers

Pros:
Rolling Hills
Very resident centric
Family
College Town
Lakes, rivers, dining

Cons:
Very humid
Besides University of Texas there are few sports to watch (although there are plenty within 1-3 hours)
Summary: We loved Austin. Next up: Denver in 2-3 months.

Cons:

Flying in, out, or through Dallas= nightmare

Flat, flat, flat. No hills, anywhere

A large amount of subdivisions which are indistinguishable from each other

Dallas is the definition of urban sprawl

Pros:

Awesome neighborhoods like Highland Park, University Park and Preston Hollow

Great parks with running trails and lanes

Final Analysis: Dallas is okay. If we end up there I am sure we will find a great place. I strongly prefer Austin.

My husband and I have been evaluating the different cities (see here) and these are our front runners. We will likely be visiting all three of these cities before the summer is through in order to get a better feel for them. While these are our top runners we are keeping an eye open for good opportunities in the other cities as well, we will have to follow the best opportunity in the end.

via destination 360
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake is a long shot, due to a distinct lack of opportunity, but it is our number one choice. There's no place like home.

via Wikipedia
Dallas, Texas
The cost of living is hard to beat and the weather is so warm. Plus, it just seems like an awesome place.

via batikart
Denver, Colorado
Denver's easy access to family is a definite plus. It is an awesome city and the weather and mountains help to make it feel more like home.

via tucapel
Pros:
Salt Lake is what we consider to be home
Mountains, skiing, wonderful summers
Family and friends are abundant

via appalachian encounters
Cons:
According to money magazine the test scores are low- way, way low
It is pretty homogeneous
Winter inversions


via theredsign
Median Property- $219,450
Median Family Income- $59,008
Median Age- 31.8
Population- 180,700
Crime Rate- (the national average is 100, the lower, the better)
Personal Crime Risk- 8
Property Crime Risk- 84
Restaurants- 1,870
via money magazine

via NOAA
Pros:
Varied cultural opportunities
On the water
Mountains!!!

via Austinist
Cons:
Rain, rain, rain- although a friend tells me it is not as bad as everyone says
Long drive to our hometown
Congested
Cost of living is towards the higher end


via ankneyd's flickr
Median Property- $399,950
Median Family Income- $79,211
Median Age- 38.0
Population- 594,200
Crime Rate- (the national average is 100, the lower, the better)
Personal Crime Risk- 6
Property Crime Risk- 57
Restaurants- 5,859
via money magazine

via velo-retro

Pros:
Warm
Close to L.A.
Cultural opportunities galore
Charming

Cons:
Higher housing
High cost of living
Summer fire zone?


via DisneyKrayzie

Median Property- $485,000
Median Family Income- $68,407
Median Age- 35.7
Population- 143,400
Crime Rate- (the national average is 100, the lower, the better)
Personal Crime Risk- 5
Property Crime Risk- 30
Restaurants- 11,696
via money magazine

via San Diego Concierge
Pros:
Perfect weather
Close to family
Beaches
Lots of college and pro sports as well as other cultural opportunities
Everyone wants to visit California!

via Travel Agent Central
Cons:
Higher cost of living
Lack of seasons
No mountains

via Airport Commuter
Median Property- $323,339
Median Family Income- $70,507
Median Age- 32.7
Population- 1,266,700
Crime Rate- (the national average is 100, the lower, the better)
Personal Crime Risk- 5
Property Crime Risk- 35
Restaurants- 5,898
via money magazine

Median Property- $270,000
Median Family Income- $62,934
Median Age- 37.2
Population- 550,400
Crime Rate- (the national average is 100, the lower, the better)
Personal Crime Risk- 7
Property Crime Risk- 57
Restaurants- 4,391
via money magazine

via activerain

Pros:
Warm
College town
Cost of living is fairly low
A growing city
Diverse cultural options
City slogans include, "Keep Austin weird"

Cons:
Only one airline offers non-stop flights to home town
Only major sports offerings is the Longhorns.
Summers are very hot and humid

via fanpop

Median Property- $215,000
Median Family Income-$71,418

Median Age- 31.5
Population-743,100
Crime Rate- (per 1,000)
Personal Crime Risk- 5
Property Crime Risk-61
Restaurants- 2,624
via money.com

via austin parks and recreation

We have narrowed our list down to 12 cities! It's a good thing we still have a year before we have to make final decisions!

via the hume group
Pros:
Within driving distance of parents
On the Puget Sound
30 minutes from Seattle

Cons:
Temperatures average between 40-60 degrees- year round
rain, rain, rain

via wikipedia
Median Property- $200,000
Median Family Income-$58,709

Median Age- 34.7
Population-196,500
Crime Rate- (per 1,000)
Personal Crime Risk- 10
Property Crime Risk-76
Restaurants- 2,669
via money.com

Pros:
Close to home-driving and flying
Cheap airfare- often less than 100 to fly home
Climate is similar to the one we grew up in and love
Snow skiing is awesome
I remember hearing they were revitalizing the arts in downtown Denver a couple of years ago
Lots of Pro-sports teams

via fast tracks
Cons:
Winters are still cold, although warmer than Michigan.

Median Property- $178,500
Median Family Income-$60,896

Median Age- 34.8
Population-588,300
Crime Rate- (per 1,000)
Personal Crime Risk- 6
Property Crime Risk-38
Restaurants- 4,720

stats via money.com

P.S. My better resolution was the one my husband made for me. Every time I swear I have to put a quarter into the man movie fund, where he gets to pick out which movie we rent/see. I think he will be disappointed, I don't really swear that much.

For the record, I don't think St. Louis even made my husband's list. Hopefully this will change his mind. They have some incredible Victorian era homes, incredible.
Pros:
Big airport
Gorgeous houses
Cost of living is on the cheaper side
Market is good for dentists
Several sports teams
Nice sized city
Seasons?

Cons:
Long drive home and flight is almost 3 hours
Property crime is high
Test scores are very low (an indication of struggling schools?)

Median Property- $95,000
Median Family Income-$41,581

Publish Post

Median Age- 35.0
Population-350,800
Crime Rate- (the national average is 100, the lower, the better)
Personal Crime Risk- 22
Property Crime Risk-95
Restaurants- 3,555

info via money.com

Dallas is pretty high on the list, my list at least. My husband is still prioritizing his list.
Pros:
Large airport nearby
Big city
Cheap cost of living
Warm
Major sports teams are abundant
No income tax

Cons:
Do they have tornadoes in Dallas?
About a 3 hour flight home (2 hours or less would be ideal)
Long, long, long drive home.

Median Property- $142,775
Median Family Income-$51,194
Median Age- 31.7
Population-1,240,500
Crime Rate- (the national average is 100, the lower, the better)
Personal Crime Risk- 11
Property Crime Risk-67
Restaurants- 8,907

info via money.com

via google images somewhere

My husband and I are starting the preliminary search for our post graduate school move. We have so many cities on this list so we are starting to research them so we can eliminate some. First up, San Jose, California. In the Bay Area and recommended by a friend.
Pros:
California
Warmer on average
Metropolitan
11 hour drive to parents
Cons:
Very Expensive
Crime Rate higher than the National Average
Expensive
No major sports teams (by major I mostly mean basketball, football, and baseball- Pro and College) this is a big one for the husband.

Median Property- $610,000
Median Family Income- $84,857
Median Age- 34.1
Population- 889,309
Crime Rate- (the national average is 100, the lower, the better)
Personal Crime Risk- 101
Property Crime Risk- 67
Restaurants- 3,475
via money magazine