Where would you go?

[germdoc]

I could live pretty much anywhere if they paid me enough money...

That's a joke.

I would look at the high tech hubs of the midwest. In WI we have relatively low unemployment rates, about 4% statewide and in the 3's in the Madison area. Don't know about Minneapolis and Milwaukee, but I'd look there as well. The housing market is relatively healthy here too.

Quality of life depends on many things other than money. I will say that my part of the country has beautiful scenery, great schools and public services and a relatively low cost of living. Of course, we have snow in the winter, which scares off a lot of the riffraff...

I am enthusiastic about the administration's plan to turbocharge electronic medical records. One of the leaders in that area is EPIC in Madison. Check it out. I think there will be a lot of jobs in the medical IT field in the near future.

[cgallery]

Turn into a "snow bird" for the winters.

Are you serious? I'm not going to help you escape the snow!

Embrace the snow.

[herb fellows]

With all the news about the housing nightmare I was thinking about taking advantage of houses that are up for auction. Idea would be to find a "modestly" sized and priced place somewhere warmer than here. Somewhere south of the Mason/Dixon line. What would be the best way to look up real estate on the web? Any suggestions from our real estate ww buddies out there?
Not so much as making any profit from it but since I don't have a mortage I probably can afford a second place. Turn into a "snow bird" for the winters.

Might be a good idea, but be careful! The roads are littered with people that were out to 'make a killing' or 'get a bargain' in the real estate market. You really have to do your due dilligence to the nth degree in a market like this.

[jackellis]

I've lived in about a half dozen places, did temporary stints in a couple more, and have traveled a fair amount. You can make a decent life just about anyplace if you're open-minded, but a lot depends on what kinds of amenities you're looking for, what your spouse and kids are willing to tolerate and where family is.

Remember too that this downturn is unlikely to last forever. I don't know what the bounce is going to look like but the economy has always recovered and it will recover again, unless Yellowstone explodes or we're struck by a meteorite.

[Kristofor]

With 2 kids getting ready for school I'd focus on the quality of the education they would receive. If you're going to use private schools there may be more flexibility, but if you're going public that would probably be in my top three priorities (along with having some kind of a job, and distance to other family members).

And remember that even the "bad" states will generally have some good districts and vice versa.

Personally, if my own desires were all that played into the question I'd look at the Rockies... I love the mountains for the recreational options, and the psychological recharge they provide (perhaps not if you live there though?). Ideally some nice city with middle-of-the-road, well-grounded people within two to four hours of a larger metro. Failing that, a city that was a little bit hippie would be okay, one that was full of neo-nazi survialist types not so much...

[Kristofor]

On the unemployment front here was a map of the states from last month.

http://money.cnn.com/news/storysupplement/economy/gapmap/index.htm

The bad news is that all of those numbers are worse now. The national rate went from 7.2 to 7.6 in that time. At that rate, every job in America will be gone in 20 years!

[cgallery]

On the unemployment front here was a map...

From the map it looks like WY and ND are pretty safe bets.

Fargo anyone? I liked the movie.

[shoottx]

From the map it looks like WY and ND are pretty safe bets.

Fargo anyone? I liked the movie.

They celebrate summer if it falls on Sunday!

[vaking]

I cannot comment on the job front, but I would make one suggestion. People live in Texas and people live in Alaska. We can adjustment to any climate and enjoy it. We can also adapt to city, suburb or rural settings - whatever is necessary. Each has its positivies and negatives. Job and your attitude are infinitely more important than that. I was born and raised in megacity in Northern Europe. I then immigrated to New York where it is much warmer but still a megacity. I now live in NY suburbs and I consider going to the city a punishment. My wife likes going to the city for entertainment, but she was the one who initiated move from city to suburbs to begin with.
People also change professions when there is a need. At 35 I was an engineer designing computer-based control systems. Now I am 50 and I work in a bank. My wife started out as a draftsperson. She later got her MCSE but now she is completing her bachelor's in accounting. She is positive she will find a job when she is ready. At this moment she has associate's and there are some offers already.
So the suggestion is very simple - be open-minded and flexible. Set your priorities correctly.