What city should I move to?

In My Humble Opinion
1

Hey folks, I have a dilema.
I just got offered an interview for Teach For America, the program where college grads teach in public schools for two years. I’m really excited about the program, but I need to decide where I’d like to live should I get accepted. Here are my choices:
Atlanta
Phoenix
North Carolina
Houston
Mississippi Delta
Rio Grande Valley
South Louisiana
New Mexico
Greater New Orleans
New York City
New Jersey
Washington, DC
Baltimore
Los Angeles
San Jose
Chicago
Detroit
St. Louis

The areas that aren’t cities (e.g. Mississippi delta) are rural areas, which I think i’d rather not apply to. I also don’t want to apply anywhere near the upper midwest (where I’m from) or New York/Pennsylvania (I have too much family there). I’m thinking somewhere in the South would be new and exciting, but I don’t know if my midwestern-ness would make it hard for me to get along there. Also, I’m a very small woman, and I want to go someplace where I can feel safe after dark. Any suggestions?

2

New Orleans probably has the best food. You’ll likely fit in fine as long as you remember to say N’awlins and not New OrLEENS.

3

I would imagine the public school teaching experience will be somewhat different in places like DC or NYC than in some of the more rural areas -

That said, I’ve been to a few of these places, and I’ll give you my impressions:

If you want to experience urban east coast living, go with DC, Baltimore, or NYC. Personally, my favorite of the three is DC - they’ve got the Smithsonian!

Raleigh, NC is a good city if you want to experience Dixie - I don’t think being from the midwest will be too much of a problem for you. Generally speaking, there’s less crime there than in the previous three, but then again its a smaller city. The summers are hot and muggy, but the winters are pretty mild - it doesn’t get below freezing that often.

San Jose is in the Bay area, and it’s absolutely beautiful there, but you’re looking at a high cost of living. The Left Coast is somewhat known for its eccentric characters and liberal politics, but all in all I found it to be a pleasant place.

The Mississippi delta is hot and humid. I’m talking at 4am before the sun is up it’s 90. Walking out of your house is like stepping into a sauna. You’re grimy, sweaty, and sticky within a few minutes. It’s a swamp. But, again the winters aren’t too bad.

I didn’t like St. Louis at all, but then again I didn’t like my job at the time, so that could be it. And I’m not a big fan of New Jersey (even though they’ve got Atlantic City!). I’ve never been to the south west, so I can’t comment.

Anyway, that’s MHO - YMMV.

4

If you’re looking for something that’s the most different from WI, go for the Rio Grande Valley. I love it there and half of my family is from there–nice and tropical, right next to Mexico, and a short drive to South Padre. Great oranges, honey, and–of course–food, too!

5

Is cost a consideration? I’m just wondering how tough it is to get on in some of these areas on a teacher’s salary.

6

That’s a lot of choices. What are some of your other criteria? Some people have already mentioned weather considerations, what else might be a deal-breaker for you?

I had a friend in Teach for America here in Baltimore. She lived downtown and taught in one of the inner city schools. She had a slight build, but a surprising amount of attitude for someone I originally perceived to be a spoiled Ivy-Leaguer. Most of Baltimore city is ghetto, but on the upside, even the nicer areas aren’t too expensive.

7

Mississippi Delta

Poorest region in the United States.

Rio Grande Valley

Second poorest region in the United States. A large percentage of the population are Mexican immigrants; langauge will definitely be an issue.

South Louisiana

Again, extremely poor.

New Mexico

New Mexico is notorious for low teacher salaries, but outside of Santa Fe, the cost of living is fairly low. Schools on the south side of Albuquerque may be challenging. Check out Las Cruces; it’s a college town, it has a fairly good sized population of young professionals, and its public schools are socioeconomically integrated. The Farmington-Four Corners area and Silver City are also nice. Roswell, Alamogordo, Clovis, Deming, Galllup and Socorro are pits.

Greater New Orleans

Very high crime rate. Housing is expensive close to the city. Teacher salaries are low. Skip it.

New York City

Contrary to popular belief, New York City has an excellent public school system. Still, though, there’s the high cost of living. Public sector jobs in NYC assume you’ve been living in rent-controlled housing forever; pay is good, but it doesn’t make up for the outrageous cost of real estate.

New Jersey

Suburban NYC, suburban Philadelphia, or the swamps?

Washington, DC

Cost of living, tough schools.

Los Angeles

Cost of living, tough public schools outside of middle incoem neighborhoods. Lots of language issues; with the cliche “the students at this school here speak 200 different languages” line often heard.

San Jose

Outrageously high cost of living, even in the slums (East Palo Alto)

Chicago

High cost of living, although rents aren’t that bad. Public schools are tough outside of middle class neighborhoods, but remember that much of the area that popular culture finds notorious, like the South Side, is surprisingly afflient.

St. Louis

Maybe. North side schools are tough, but St. Louis and KC are knwon for having decent public schools. Cost of living isn’t that bad, and the city, though gritty, is actually quite liveable.

If it were me, I’d shoot for New Mexico.

8

I’ll put in a vote for North Carolina. We need more good teachers here! The state is beautiful; folks are friendly; and the cost of living is fairly cheap.There are enough transplants here that your midwestern-ness will not make you unusual. (Besides, the stereotypical transplant that no one likes is from New York or Florida, not Wisconsin.)

You might want to consider someplace other than Raleigh, though. I lived there for two years and hated it. It’s an Anywhere, USA, jampacked with stripmalls and subdivisions. Durham, which is close by, is a much friendlier, funkier city. But if I were moving to NC, I pick the coast (Wilmington) or the mountains(Asheville, Boone) before the middle bits.