# Best place for young family to live in US?



## Nlitt (Jul 24, 2015)

Hi 😊
My family and I are hoping to move to America. I am a nurse and we will be relocating from the UK to US on a 'needed skills' work visa. There are a lot of options of places to move where nurses are needed. We are looking for somewhere that:
-is safe to raise a family,
-good schools,
-we are fine with diversity,
-where there is a sense of community and we could make friends easily,
-we don't want a big city,
-somewhere that the property prices are reasonable
-Nice weather (we don't mind winters but not long ones)
-things to do as a family close by

Thanks in advance for any advice 😊


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## twostep (Apr 3, 2008)

Please help me out - what do you mean by "needed skills visa"? Thank you.


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## Nlitt (Jul 24, 2015)

They are requesting UK nurses to work in the US. My job is in the 'needed skills' section of the work visa, thanks 😊


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## Bellthorpe (Jun 23, 2013)

Sorry to press, but your post raises questions. Which work visa? There are many types of visa, and not many where you can go where you wish to work. You generally have to get a job, from an employer who will apply for your visa. To get that job, sure, you must have skills that are needed. If you have such skills and qualifications, great. But the employer has to demonstrate that they can't fill the job locally.

As for the substantive part of your question, it really is very broad. Have you thought about taking a holiday in the US, and covering east and west, coast and inland, small town and medium - to get a feel for the type of housing, nature of the people, and so on?


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## Crawford (Jan 23, 2011)

Far too general a question to answer.

The US is huge and all states have areas within them that have good schools, community, reasonable housing. The weather too varies from state to state.

Probably would be better to ask the question again when you have obtained an employer who would be willing and able to sponsor you.

(I thought the visa for sponsoring nurses was closed in 2009)


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## Nlitt (Jul 24, 2015)

No problem 😊 I'm not worried about the visa, there is a big drive here at the moment for nurses to move to US. I've been to the U.S. before but only stayed in Boston. We don't have plans to visit with our family being so young and saving the money for the move. Once placed in a job the minimum contract is 2 years but they have said I can move to another location after the first year, however I would like to get the area right first time round if I can so I'm not unsettling the family again.


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## Nlitt (Jul 24, 2015)

Ok, thanks for the replies


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## Crawford (Jan 23, 2011)

Places which are generally considered _pleasant_ states to live:

Oregon, Washington State, California, Colorado, New Hampshire, Connecticut


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## MarylandNed (May 11, 2010)

As already been mentioned, it's a huge country with a diverse geography and climate so it's hard to answer your question but I'll give it a try. There are many nice areas in the US although you'll want to be where the work is. You'll also want options to move to a different employer - so probably not a small town with 1 hospital. 

If low property prices are important, then you'll want to avoid areas in and around metropolitan areas such as New York, Washington DC, San Francisco/San Jose, San Diego, Boston etc. That still leaves a huge choice on where to live.

I live in Maryland which I think is pretty nice as we have access to mountains to the west, ocean/beaches to the east and are within driving distance of some interesting cities (e.g. Washington DC, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York). I live 20 miles from Washington DC so property prices are higher in my area than in other areas of the state. I've considered moving to the Pacific Northwest. I like New England. I also like Florida and parts of California.


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## twostep (Apr 3, 2008)

Nlitt said:


> No problem 😊 I'm not worried about the visa, there is a big drive here at the moment for nurses to move to US. I've been to the U.S. before but only stayed in Boston. We don't have plans to visit with our family being so young and saving the money for the move. Once placed in a job the minimum contract is 2 years but they have said I can move to another location after the first year, however I would like to get the area right first time round if I can so I'm not unsettling the family again.


H1C closed years ago. It would be interesting to know under what visa you plan to work in the US. 
This sounds not right. :juggle:


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## Nlitt (Jul 24, 2015)

twostep said:


> H1C closed years ago. It would be interesting to know under what visa you plan to work in the US.
> This sounds not right. :juggle:


EB-3 visa. It's through a recruiting company


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## Davis1 (Feb 20, 2009)

all nurse visa to the US ceased in 2006 when POTUS decided to not import any more but use only American

the exception were highly skilled with Masters degrees who could use an HB1 ... there were 3 last year 


check with allnurses | Nursing Community for Nurses & Students


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## Nlitt (Jul 24, 2015)

I know, I've been waiting for it to open up again. It maybe because its a 2 year contract with scope to extend after that. I don't think its a scam because they are not asking for any money. I will ask a few more questions tho, thanks


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## Davis1 (Feb 20, 2009)

Ogrady Peyton have a sales pitch .
until you read the sidebar 


Important Information About Jobs in the U.S.

We have long-term assignments open from coast to coast in the U.S. for international healthcare professionals. At any given time, we have many positions available for PTs, which are continually updated with the most current assignments. In addition to our own opportunities we work with our affiliate Allied companies to find the right match for each individual candidate.

For nurses, however, due to immigration retrogression, we are currently only accepting applications from those who already have a U.S. work visa or are eligible for one.


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## twostep (Apr 3, 2008)

Nlitt said:


> I know, I've been waiting for it to open up again. It maybe because its a 2 year contract with scope to extend after that. I don't think its a scam because they are not asking for any money. I will ask a few more questions tho, thanks


Opening of a specialty visa causes lots of publicity and official announcements.mthere is nothing on uscisc.gov. 
They will not ask for money as long as yiu can back out.
Try common sense - who would go through Labor Certification to bring an employee on board who cannot empty a bed pan for lack of license? 
RN with Associates makes 12-15$/hr in my area, with Bachelor and specialty licenses 15-20$/hr.


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## MarylandNed (May 11, 2010)

twostep said:


> Opening of a specialty visa causes lots of publicity and official announcements.mthere is nothing on uscisc.gov.
> They will not ask for money as long as yiu can back out.
> Try common sense - who would go through Labor Certification to bring an employee on board who cannot empty a bed pan for lack of license?
> RN with Associates makes 12-15$/hr in my area, with Bachelor and specialty licenses 15-20$/hr.


Wow - those numbers are hard to believe! My kids were earning more than $12 per hour lifeguarding here in the summer at the local pool (Maryland). My wife is a UK trained nurse (in the days when you did all your training in a hospital program without a university degree). I can't recall the exact figure and she isn't here right now for me to ask but I know she earns more than $40 per hour here in the US. Obviously much depends on experience and where in the country you work.


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## twostep (Apr 3, 2008)

MarylandNed said:


> Wow - those numbers are hard to believe! My kids were earning more than $12 per hour lifeguarding here in the summer at the local pool (Maryland). My wife is a UK trained nurse (in the days when you did all your training in a hospital program without a university degree). I can't recall the exact figure and she isn't here right now for me to ask but I know she earns more than $40 per hour here in the US. Obviously much depends on experience and where in the country you work.


As out said - back when and she should be pretty settled in.
Being affiliated with a 71 campus educational institution heavy on the allied health side for a number of years mainly SE, SW and am pretty familiar with 5-10 and 10+ year income. No MSN - deduct 50%.


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## Nursemanit (Jul 10, 2015)

The mean for hospital based nursing ( BSN ) is $36 / hour . Just avoid the south ( GA, MS, LA, TX, AL, NM) and you should have no issue being over $40 / hour with 2 plus years experience in a hospital setting . You will not be as low as 15 / hour unless you are in ambulatory care or long term care in the south. 

The good news is the states that don't pay well are the same states that you really want to avoid anyway for other reasons

( cant post links yet ) but bls.gov linked from the US Department of Labor website has salary data for the US.


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## Karen Burge (Aug 23, 2015)

You're asking the right questions, but others might be along the lines of, what attitude and values do you have? The west coast is generally more liberal minded. As a Brit you might want all year round good weather, or you may want somewhere where you'd be sure of the seasons. Are you keen to be by the coast or near mountains? Somewhere culturally diverse or not? I'm not sure how you'd be certain anywhere was 'safe'. There are excellent resources on the net and plenty of books of advice for expats - you've a lot of research on the horizon. Good luck.


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## invisibletexan (Aug 23, 2015)

Try the Aledo/Weatherford/Willow Park, TX area. They've just built a new hospital and are supposed to building another nearby. The schools in Aledo are awesome. They are small towns just west of Fort Worth. Crime is very low. People are friendly. You may not make as much as in the northeast but the cost of living is much lower, and you can get a 2,000 Sq foot house for under $200k


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## Edward.Mei (Aug 13, 2015)

all the places in United states are safe and secure, so you can live anywhere with your family in United States


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## Nursemanit (Jul 10, 2015)

Edward.Mei said:


> all the places in United states are safe and secure, so you can live anywhere with your family in United States


 I wish that was true .


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## Fosteraustin (Sep 9, 2015)

Overland Park, KS is on the top of the list ranked in family activities & fun, health & safety, education & child care, affordability and socioeconomic environment.


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