Need advise on re-location options in US!!!!!!!

Humble Spud

Hi Everyone,

Am just looking for a bit of info on some US locations. Got a job offer with a company and they have a number of locations which I have been asked to rank in order of preference. I have never been to any of these cities and if I make the move it will be on my own so I want to make sure I choose the right one.

The options given are:
Milwaukee
Savannah
Michigan
Kansas
Beloit

Ne advise would be hugely appreciated, I am a single male in mid twenties who is relatively sporty (into water / winter sports)

Cheers,
Humble Spud

InTheTrees

Savannah. Number One no question.

I work with a guy who went to the art school there and he really loved the place. nice climate. Close to the water.

Beloit? Dont know it. It looks inoffensive enough. Wisconsin is known for its cheese.

Michigan is a state so can you be more specific? I wouldnt want to be in detroit for instance.

Kansas is also a state (unless they mean Kansas City, which strangely enough is in Missouri), that's famous for its flat nothingness so I dont know anything about it.

Milwaukee. East coast industrial. They brew beer there(!).

Sorry I cant be more help.

dave2pvd

Good God, that's easy: Savannah.

Company name?

silja

Do you need public transportation? Do you want a big city? How much extreme cold/ hot can you stand, and which one is preferable? What winter sports do you do?

Savanah is nice, but very very hot May- Sept, can you handle that? As in too hot for sports.

Milwaukee is great for winter sports, and a nice medium sized place, but it'll be cold 6 months a year.

Agree with Trees, Kansas is flat boringness, avoid it.

dave2pvd

I agree with silja, Savannah can be very hot. Although, it's great for water sports.

To add:

• It's not far from Charleston (awesome spot)
• It has SCAD, so a vibrant cultural scene supported by a large student population.
• You could take a weekend and drive to FL
• Jekyll Island, St Simons, etc --> all absolute gems.
• The Blueridge/Appalachians aren't far away (but farther than Dublin to Kerry )

Can you be a bit more specific regarding those destinations? I mean, 'Kansas' is not a specific destination, it's more like an endless homogeneous horizontal surface that's 3 times the size of Ireland.

Michigan could be interesting.....but it depends on where. Again, a city would be useful. Regardless, it will be brass monkeys up there in the Winter.

Manic Moran

I must say, my initial thought is Savannah as well.

Milwaukee may not be a bad bet if you can handle snow. Not just a sprinkle, we're talking 'Oh my God it's freaking cold'. Very nice in Summer, I hear.

Michigan isn't a city, your mileage will vary considerably depending on where in the State you end up.

I took 'Kansas' to mean 'Kansas City'. Which at least is within driving distance of some interesting places (Bearing in mind the drive will be very boring), but otherwise I can't think of much going for it.

I've never even heard of Beloit.

Wisconsin is known for its cheese

And badgers!

NTM

h57xiucj2z946q

Savannah would be nice, but its supposed to be very humid in the summer, I don't know if that would be a factor for you.

Humble Spud

Cheers everyone....apologies for the vagueness...but thats all the info I have at the moment although the location in Kansas is Kansas city. I am still dealing with agents so I am waiting on more information. It may happen that I may not get a choice but they will try to meet my preference.

The kind of winter sports I like are skiing/boarding so I don't think the whole snow thing would bother me (I may live to regret that statement) and the water sports I like are swimming, surfing etc....so as it is, if I were to rank my top 3 it would look like:

1. Savannah
2. Milwaukee
3. Michigan (depending on the city)

Cheers again everyone....if I get anymore info I'll post it!

InTheTrees

Humble Spud wrote: »

The kind of winter sports I like are skiing/boarding so I don't think the whole snow thing would bother me

Except that the places you list, although sub-zero and snowed in 8 months of the year, are profoundly and achingly Flat.

SO you're not going to find any mountains (or even hills!) to snowboard on.

"Winter sports" in those areas is Hockey. And they're pretty fanatical about it too.

dave2pvd

InTheTrees is right. If you want Winter sports, make sure you're near a big airport. Savannah is pretty cheap to fly out of - most of the flights will connect through ATL. To Salt Lake City, Jackson Hole, Calgary, Denver,....

One other thing: do you really understand just how cold those Northern cities get? They even use a different temperature scale to Ireland. Kelvin, I think it's called.

cheesehead

Greetings from Wisconsin. Thought I might add my thoughts, particularly about the Upper Midwest locations: Milwaukee, Beloit, Michigan

I guess even before location, my first question when assessing a job is "who am I working with?" If you have any insight into your working conditions/workmates at the various locations, that must be entered into the equation.

Regarding the three midwestern sites above, I would rank them (for a young single man in his mid-twenties): Milwaukee, Michigan (depending on city) and then Beloit. Regarding Michigan - generally Western Michigan (Lake Michigan Eastern shore and region) is nicer than Eastern Michigan. For instance, many positives about Grand Rapids,MI. Not knowing what city puts the assessment at a disadvantage.

I live in Green Bay (about two hours north of Milwaukee), but know Milwaukee fairly well. As others state, you can't sugar-coat the winters. Generally, five cold months and seven decent months. Dec/Jan/Feb can be very cold and snowy, but June/July/August can be tremendous. Milwaukee, of any city in Wisconsin, caters toward the young and single. It has a few universities, good bar scene, major-sporting events, and solid cultural outlets. Also, you are only about one hour from Chicago (my favorite city) and very close to Madison, Wisconsin ( a model "College" town - think Galway/UCG).

If interested, Milwaukee actually has a decent "Irish Culture" scene. It hosts the largest Irish Fest in the world (always during the third week of August - for more information google Milwaukee Irish Fest). From this Irish Fest many other clubs/activities have sprung up in the city, including a Hurling Club and Curragh Racing Club. Regarding winter sports - there are actually many downhill skiing opportunities not too far from Milwaukee. Now, it's not the Rockies, but snow is generally not a problem. Also, huge numbers of cross-country ski trails exist all around. The largest cross-country ski marathon (The Berkebeiner) takes place every year in Northwestern Wisconsin. I must add, a friend has taken me to his local curling club (quite fun) and I know Milwaukee has an active curling club.

Water sports are plentiful during the summer months, but again, as others have stated - you're really only talking about three to four months of "good" water sport months. Whether it's Lake Michigan, Lake Geneva or any of the numerous lakes dotting the general vicinity, Wisconsin folks like to get out on the water and play during those nice months. It's not too difficult to meet someone who owns a boat.

I don't know much about Savannah. Oddly enough, it has the second largest St. Patrick's Day Parade in the US (after NYC).

Hope this helps. Best of luck in your decision-making process. Just remember - "Bloom where you're planted".

Edit: I forgot to add about Lake Michigan surfing. I can't imagine it's anything grand, but I recently saw a program about surfing in the Great Lakes ( I had to laugh, but these guys were getting after it!). They have a website you might want to check out: Lakesurf.com.

dave2pvd

Good post cheesehead.

I can see surfing on Lake Michigan: wind surfing!

Savannah's Irish settlers emigrated to the city before the famine. The same can be said of New Orleans and Savannah. My understanding is that later in the 19th century, Irish immigrants settled more in the Northern and Northeastern cities.

I'd wager that the Savannah Paddy's Day parade is not in fact 2nd biggest. I've seen it (and it's not small!). I've seen Chicago's too. I think it's bigger, despite claims otherwise.

Horse1920

Hi ,
Lived in Boston MA for years and like skiing so would prob pick Milwaukee , but then Savannah is def the better overall city -- Just my 2c -- Good luck

Humble Spud

Hey Everyone, cheers again for the response, no matter how much you look up these places online getting peoples own opinion on them is far better.

The company I would be working for is Kerry Group, their main HQ is in Beloit which I hear isn't the most desirable place to live just because it isn't the most lively of places...so I guess it really depends on what you are into.

Does anyone know what Kerry Group are like to work for? I suppose the fact that they are Irish and being Irish is somewhat reassuring.

Cheers again!