Jimellow

In the not too distant future, I intend to move out of PA, to another state, and "start life" from there. I just graduated college and want to experience another part of the country, as I am finding this area, the people in it, and the general vibe, to be getting old and tiring.

The two choices I currently am considering are Los Angeles, California and North Carolina, outside of Raleigh.

A good friend of mine will be auditioning for a job with Disney and if he gets it, he will be moving to California, specifically LA/Hollywood. I assume he would live outside the city, and commute in. I was offered the opportunity to go to California with him and be his roommate. It is appealing to me in the sense that we will be roommates; easing into the "moving to another state" situation. However, I also am curious if I would prefer moving alone, and thus being truly "alone" to start life on my own.

That being said, I don't really have a desire to live in LA. To me, LA seems like a huge city with high crime, a terrible commute, and very pricey living conditions. Yes, it's California, and yes the weather is ideal, almost perfect, but if I were to move to California, I would not put LA high on my list of desirable cities. I've lived in a city my entire life, and if anything I would prefer a smaller town, with less crime, friendlier people, and a generally more "local" feeling.

Furthermore, if I did move to California, I would be the more "disadvantaged" of the two of us, as my friend would already have a job lined up and have immediate work. He is only going if he gets the job.

Despite this overly negative vibe, I have never been to California, or out west, so I could be way off base in my assumptions. This is a case where I specifically would welcome your experiences in and around California, specifically in the Los Angeles area.

The other option is North Carolina, outside of Raleigh. Where LA is mostly a turnoff, except for my friend going there, North Carolina seems ideal to me in the things I find important. Based on my research (CNN Money's "Best Places to Live, namely) North Carolina provides a decent job market, low crime, and friendly people. I have been up and down the East Coast through vacationing, and I found Florida to be too hot and muggy in the summer, but PA to be too cold and uncomfortable in the winter. North Carolina has always been one of my ideal places to live, despite me only being there briefly in passing on the way to Florida.

What I really would appreciate in this thread is any kind of feedback regarding either, or both, places. I would be moving there without employment, and would be looking to rent an apartment, get a job, and start "living."

I am not in a relationship, nor do I have burdens that are going to make moving anywhere difficult, and in a sense I guess this is a luxury. I also am not of the mindset that the place I move to is going to be where I spend the rest of my life. If I move to either place and don't like it, I will move somewhere else after the lease is up. Granted, this is only possible for a limited time, primarily due to employment and a career-type job, but initially I am not going to consider this move a once and done deal.

Any and all feedback, positive or negative, would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

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