Employment Spot

The Best Cities to Live and Work In

Survey Your Relocation Options

From Seattle to Norfolk, the United States is brimming with terrific places to live and work. Whether you’re drawn to the mountains, the sea or the wide-open plains, there’s a spot for you to set up office. Prefer the quiet calm of a small town? Crave the fast pace of the big city? We’ll help you start surveying relocation options.

Top 20 Cities with Job Openings

1. Jackson, Tenn.
2. Lafayette, Ind.
3. Phoenix, Ariz.
4. Boise, Idaho
5. Biloxi-Gulfport, Miss.
6. Reno, Nev.
7. Miami-Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
8. Palm Springs, Calif.
9. Kansas City, Mo.-Kan.
10. Tucson, Ariz.
11. Baltimore, Md.
12. Orlando, Fla.
13. Philadelphia, Pa.
14. Columbia, S.C.
15. Lafayette, La.
16. Fort Myers-Naples, Fla.
17. Binghamton, N.Y.
18. Utica, N.Y.
19. Rockford, Ill.
20. Wichita-Hutchinson, Kan.

For more information on the survey visit: CareerBuilder.com

Best Cities to Live in for Mid-Level Professionals

• 1. Kansas City, Missouri – Downtown Kansas City offers affordable and roomy housing. A wide variety of dining and bar options add to the cheerful atmosphere.
• 2. Boise, Idaho – Outdoor enthusiasts will flock to this scenic spot at the base of the Rocky Mountains. Local employment opportunities include careers in the agriculture, forest and mining industries as well as knowledge-based industries like information technology.
• 3. Portland, Maine – Nestled between the ocean and a mountain, Portland is another ideal city for lovers of the outdoors. The area serves as a popular relocation destination for people from larger east coast cities and offers numerous career opportunities.
• 4. Huntsville, Alabama – With a booming economy, Huntsville offers many opportunities for career advancement. The technology, aerospace and defense industries are especially dominant. NASA has a Flight Center here, and the Army has Redstone Arsenal, both of which aid in boosting area opportunities.
• 5. Fayetteville, North Carolina – Local charm abounds in this Southern town. Plentiful employment opportunities exist due to the close proximity of Fort Bragg and Pope Air Force Base.

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Best Cities to Live In for Married People with Children

• 1. Atlanta, Georgia – With a wide variety of suburbs and city neighborhoods, Atlanta provides many choices for housing and relocation. The financial services and telecommunications industries are strong here and provide many opportunities for career advancement. Families can bond while availing themselves of the long list of recreational opportunities and museums.
• 2. Minneapolis & St. Paul, Minnesota – The Twin Cities boast excellent school districts and many public or private colleges and universities. Outdoor recreation enthusiasts will raise happy, healthy children while taking advantage of the many local waterways.
• 3. Des Moines, Iowa – The Iowa state capital provides many opportunities to educate children in the local zoo, science center, art center and historical society museum. The award-winning public school system provides an excellent education.
• 4. Provo, Utah – The city’s economy continues to grow in leaps and bounds. Numerous employment opportunities combined with the safe neighborhoods and beautiful mountain vistas results in a wonderful place to raise children.
• 5. Green Bay, Wisconsin – Nearby Lake Michigan provides a lovely backdrop for this down-to-earth town. Local culture creates an ideal setting for a comfortable family life.

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Side-by-Side Comparisons

Several sites offer customized two-city or two-area comparisons. These tools allow visitors to compare cost-of-living, public schools, crime statistics and more. Want to compare the median cost of houses in Sacramento, Calif. and Durham, N.C? Money Magazine’s The Best Places to Live, HomeFair City Reports and Best Places all offer this service.

Nothing But the Best

Money Magazine’s The Best Places to Live offers a statistical snapshot of 300 U.S. towns. The very interactive "Find Your Best Place" tool screens your choices within a combination of categories. It then offers suggestions of where you might enjoy living.

Best Places features a collection of articles outlining the best places to live and discussing the quality of life in towns around the world. The articles address topics like towns with the least and most divorces, the best/worst cities for apartment investing and the best cities for retirement. If weather makes or breaks a location for you, view this site’s climate snapshots. You can also link directly to FBI crime statistics.

Getting Acquainted

Visit the city guides at Citysearch to get a general feel for the personality of a city – cultural events, restaurants, sports, shopping and more.

Reading the local newspaper is another way to get acquainted. LibrarySpot.com Newspapers suggests resources like Searchable Newspapers and Newspaper Links.

For young families on the move, the quality of a prospective town’s public school system is often an important factor. National center for education statistics offers school reports and comparisons for moving families.

Getting There

Once you’ve found your dream town, this information will help you get there:

• Employment Spot | Job Search
  Use Employment Spot’s large job search engine to find a job in your new dream location. Search hundreds of thousands of up-to-date job opportunities nationwide.
• Moving Center
  Employment Spot’s Moving Center will guide you through the relocation process step-by-step. Find mover quotes, packing tips, apartment rentals, realtors and much more.

Related articles:

• Best Cities to Live In for Mid-Level Professionals
Kiplinger.com recently compiled a list of the top five cities to live in for mid-level professionals.  The three most important criteria were average growth in creative-class wages, housing affordability and average commute time. ...
• Best Cities to Live In for Married People with Children
Kiplinger.com recently compiled a list of the top five cities to live in for married people with children.  The three most important criteria were low crime rates, low overall cost of living and a high student-to-teacher ratio.  These...