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Boston is also one of the best cities for expatriates to live in
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"I predict your ignore will rival Ben's" - Ecofarm
^ The Poly equivalent of:
"I hope you can see this 'cause I'm [flipping you off] as hard as I can" - Ignignokt the Mooninite -
Good places to live in DC? What kind of lifestyle do you prefer to live? Places to avoid in DC proper are anything other than the NW quadrant, west of about 12th Street. In the Maryland suburbs, avoid most areas southeast of the city. Go northwest of the city. Most of Northern Virginia is fine, although there are pockets that you want to avoid. You will know it when you see it.
Last edited by DanS; January 25, 2003, 17:22.I came upon a barroom full of bad Salon pictures in which men with hats on the backs of their heads were wolfing food from a counter. It was the institution of the "free lunch" I had struck. You paid for a drink and got as much as you wanted to eat. For something less than a rupee a day a man can feed himself sumptuously in San Francisco, even though he be a bankrupt. Remember this if ever you are stranded in these parts. ~ Rudyard Kipling, 1891Comment
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$70k in equity will get you started well enough. That will mean you can buy at least $300k in house with fewer questions asked (i.e., ~22% down). 30-Year mortgages run at 6%, or a carrying cost of roughly $1,500 per month. Is detached a definite criteria?
The market is moving up fast, but not nearly as fast as in the UK nowadays. My idea about prices may not reflect reality in some areas.
Edit: Once you get to the States, you can branch out from the major cities. There are some places where you can live like a king in a $300k house and wages are not that much less than what you would receive in DC, for instance. Some of these places support absurd amounts of disposable income. I'm sure that there are Indian enclaves in selected areas.Last edited by DanS; January 25, 2003, 17:17.I came upon a barroom full of bad Salon pictures in which men with hats on the backs of their heads were wolfing food from a counter. It was the institution of the "free lunch" I had struck. You paid for a drink and got as much as you wanted to eat. For something less than a rupee a day a man can feed himself sumptuously in San Francisco, even though he be a bankrupt. Remember this if ever you are stranded in these parts. ~ Rudyard Kipling, 1891Comment
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Although I live in Edmonton, and think it's great, I'd have to reinforce RedFred.
Vancouver would be your best choice in Canada. The climate is mild (it doesn't get milder here in British NA). The scenery is spectacular (it's one of the most beautiful cities I've ever seen). There is a large and growing population from all over Asia, and acceptance for differences is high.
Vancouver is a large commercial centre. Smaller than SF, but I'm sure there are lots of IT jobs. In fact, there are American companies with offices on both sides of the border (so that they can have access to more qualified professionals). Property values are steep for Canada, but they would compare very well with most any of the major centres in the US (I think).
On top of that, health care is provided by the state. That's a bonus and a curse. The bonus is that everyone gets taken care of, you can't get cut off, and you do not have insurance organisations (HMOs) telling you you can't have a proceedure (I've heard that can be a problem for some people in the States). Part of the curse is that results in our system do not match those for well insured Americans (longer waits, fewer options, etc). The other part is that we pay much higher taxes than people in the States, but we don't have to pay for insurance (I'm not sure who comes out ahead, but I think the Yanks who have higher incomes). Standards here would be very similar to those in Britain.
Aside from that, we know how to spell colour. Well, some of us anyways.
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(='.'=)
(")_(") This is Bunny. Copy and paste bunny into your signature to help him gain world domination.Comment
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1 Liter = a little over 1 quart.Originally posted by The Viceroy
As for Gas prices, ha ha ha .. you guys have no idea, here in the UK we pay just under 80p($1.30)a litre, trust me, its much much more that you do(wouldn't like to translate that into $/gallons
So 1 gallon = little under 4 liters
Saying that, UK price for a gallon of gas = $5.20 per gallon!!!
Yep, UK has higher gas prices than anywhere in the US!
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"One day if I do go to heaven, I'm going to do what every San Franciscan does who goes to heaven - I'll look around and say, 'It ain't bad, but it ain't San Francisco.'" - Herb Caen, 1996
"If God, as they say, is homophobic, I wouldn't worship that God." - Archbishop Desmond Tutu
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Im going to look more seriously at DC, and Vancouver, currently ive spent most of my time looking at Toronto, and having visited, I think I will visit these.
Currently working for BritishAirways, so travelling (Staff travel = 90% discount +tax) is fairly easy to do.
Don't worry notyoueither, I'll be spelling it correctly , and they will have to work it out.
UK like Canada has free health care, and I understand the benefits and disadvantages, ive had some issue's with the UK system for a while, but it certainly does cover you if your involved in an accident .. thats for sure."Wherever wood floats, you will find the British" . NapoleonComment
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DanS, when you say NW, are you talking about about Leesburg,Germantown or closer in like Reston ?? (obviously, I have no idea how close or far you guys call suburbs ??)"Wherever wood floats, you will find the British" . NapoleonComment
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well, there goes anyplace in Texas that'll meet your standards...Not too hot in the summer"I bet Ikarus eats his own spunk..."
- BLACKENED from America's Army: Operations
Kramerman - Creator and Author of The Epic Tale of Navalon in the Civ III Stories ForumComment
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BA flies into Dulles. On your drive into Washington, you can check out all of the empty office parks in the Dulles corridor. You know, to help your confidence.
I came upon a barroom full of bad Salon pictures in which men with hats on the backs of their heads were wolfing food from a counter. It was the institution of the "free lunch" I had struck. You paid for a drink and got as much as you wanted to eat. For something less than a rupee a day a man can feed himself sumptuously in San Francisco, even though he be a bankrupt. Remember this if ever you are stranded in these parts. ~ Rudyard Kipling, 1891Comment
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i did look for a while at Houston, certainly you can buy some amazing properties at real real low prices out there. Its still an option, but what is the S.Asian community like out there ?? I wasn't sure"Wherever wood floats, you will find the British" . NapoleonComment
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I agree with the people recommending the Bay Area. It's absolutely gorgeous.
I spent four years living in the Pleasanton/Dublin/San Ramon/Danville area and loved it.
Cost of living is fairly insane, especially considered to Calgary (where I am now), but it was well worth it.
It usually didn't get too hot in the summer, it never got too cold in the winters, and if you had the urge to ski or snowboard you could just drive up to Tahoe -- and never need to worry about shoveling the walk.
The areas I lived in had very very little crime, very comparable to Calgary, Canada where I am now."The issue is there are still many people out there that use religion as a crutch for bigotry and hate. Like Ben."
Ben Kenobi: "That means I'm doing something right. "Comment
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Re NW, I actually mean the northwest quadrant of DC proper. Anything outside of DC proper is the suburbs or exurbs. Germantown is more of the ex-urbs--you're getting pretty far out.
Here's something that might help you get your bearings. Look in Montgomery, Fairfax, and Arlington and Alexandria counties. And NW DC.
I came upon a barroom full of bad Salon pictures in which men with hats on the backs of their heads were wolfing food from a counter. It was the institution of the "free lunch" I had struck. You paid for a drink and got as much as you wanted to eat. For something less than a rupee a day a man can feed himself sumptuously in San Francisco, even though he be a bankrupt. Remember this if ever you are stranded in these parts. ~ Rudyard Kipling, 1891Comment
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"(cold winters and high crime). "
Well for the high crime hence my point about choosing to live in the right neighberhood. Common sense gets you a long way. And if he is willing to live in the suburbs it wouldn't be too much of a problem. Also, for the DC area, I'd want to have some idea where I would be getting a job. Getting around the DC area is non-trivial, it has some of the worst traffic in the conuntry, though if you can get a workplace that is reasonably close to a Metro station you will be fine. I don't know how rich you are, but if you can afford it Potomac is a place you could go for that is really nice. Rockville and Betehsda are also really good for living in the DC suburbs. If you really don't mind long commutes, there are some people who live in Frederick and commute to DC. That is a beautiful area and a good place to live and I think you would be able to find reasonably cheap housing there."I'm moving to the Left" - Lancer
"I imagine the neighbors on your right are estatic." - SlowwhandComment
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people usually dont ever want to leave the bay area, they usually have to leave"I hope I get to punch you in the face one day" - MRT144, Imran Siddiqui
'I'm fairly certain that a ban on me punching you in the face is not a "right" worth respecting." - loinburgerComment
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It could be I need to build up a bit more cash before I leap to SF. Im not really wanting to rent, so as much as I agree, it sounds supurb, I may have to put it on the back burner for now ..
A good friend of mine has friends that emmigrated to Calgary, they seem to love the place."Wherever wood floats, you will find the British" . NapoleonComment
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