DIFFERENT STATES

[Lawschool2005]

HI I HAVE ANOTHER QUESTION THAT WILL HELP ME DECIDE WHICH LAW SCHOOLS TO APPLY TO.
 I AM NEW TO THE USA, I AM ORIGINALLY FROM ENGLAND AND HAVE LIVED IN SOUTH AMERICA. I LIVE IN FLORIDA AND HAVE SINCE I MOVED HERE A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO. I would like people to recommend some states I would like to live in based off of what i tell you.
 1. I would like to live in a state that is not  too racist. I am multi-racial and so would prefer not to be around racist people, so no kkk states.
 2. I love culture, and theatre and cinema but prefer a smaller city where I can get to know more people.
 3. I am not a big party person so I would prefer somewhere where people have small parties but hang out more than pose!!
 4. I am interested in making good money after I graduate, so a state which will need lawyers or where they have alot of law firms.
 5. A state that has fairly young single people that I can meet!!

  Any suggestions would be great. Thanks in advance.

[scolomon]

San Francisco might be a little big for your tastes but from what I hear it seems to be the atmosphere you are looking for

[thechoson]

HI I HAVE ANOTHER QUESTION THAT WILL HELP ME DECIDE WHICH LAW SCHOOLS TO APPLY TO.
 I AM NEW TO THE USA, I AM ORIGINALLY FROM ENGLAND AND HAVE LIVED IN SOUTH AMERICA. I LIVE IN FLORIDA AND HAVE SINCE I MOVED HERE A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO. I would like people to recommend some states I would like to live in based off of what i tell you.
 1. I would like to live in a state that is not  too racist. I am multi-racial and so would prefer not to be around racist people, so no kkk states.
 2. I love culture, and theatre and cinema but prefer a smaller city where I can get to know more people.
 3. I am not a big party person so I would prefer somewhere where people have small parties but hang out more than pose!!
 4. I am interested in making good money after I graduate, so a state which will need lawyers or where they have alot of law firms.
 5. A state that has fairly young single people that I can meet!!

  Any suggestions would be great. Thanks in advance.

As for racism, I've lived in both Alabama and California (which can be on opposite spectrums in terms of diversity).  I never felt ostracized because of my race in Alabama, while in California I actually faced more racist attitudes (ironically from Mexicans, who were the majority in the town I lived in)  But these were confined to a small, idiotic few, which I am sure is the case in many cities.  But if you don't want KKK states, I'd say stay away from POOR states.  When economic conditions are bad, it brings out the worst in people.  So stay out of the deep south and the midwest.

Culture.  Yes, for culture, Los Angeles has been excellent.  But you want that in a smaller city setting so LA wouldn't be good.  However, if you live in some of the cities around it (Orange County), you can have access to LA culture on weekends and not be too close to the craziness of LA. I know OC people will not say it's that small down there, but it's smaller than LA

Small parties, no posing.  Can't help you there, I'd say you'd want to seek out someplace where people aren't shallow as heck, so stay the heck away from Los Angeles in that regard.

Lots of money.  California or New York

Young singles.  Hmm... well the girls here in LA are hot, if that's your thing.

Some suggestions...
1. Living in smaller cities around the LA area, like Irvine, Costa Mesa, Mission Viejo, etc.  However, there are no decent law schools in that area, so wouldn't be too good.  IF you want to go to Whittier or Chapman, that might be ok.

2.The Bay Area, as the above guy mentioned.
3. San Diego would be a good bet, 3 law schools there to choose from.

Now the following I am not directly involved with, but have witnessed in the past on trips and stuff.
1. North Carolina seems to be good.  The Raleigh-Durham area is getting rave reviews from people, and is growing rapidly.  Southern states always invoke caution in the racial regard, but like I said, it's mostly a question of being somewhere pretty wealthy.  (Racism is everywhere, but the rich racists are less likely to hook you up to their benzes and drag you)
2. Virginia was nice too, in a similar regard to the above.

Places I've never been to, but I'd recommend off of hearsay
1. Seattle, Washington

Uhh.. that's about it.
I mean California is great for the most purposes, but it's a deceiving state.  The big cities and areas are great, but everywhere else can really suck ass.  And the Bay, LA, San Diego areas may be too crowded for you.  I'd say try to settle in suburban areas of these large cities, or look to the East Coast, like North Carolina.  (UNC, Duke, Wake Forest are all excellent law schools)

Good luck!

[cal4ever]

I've lived in the San Francisco Bay Area all my life, and i think this is probably the best fit for what you are looking for. 

1.  CA, in general, is a very multicultural and very diverse state.  However, there are still some idiots in some parts of the state.  Like what thechoson suggested, stay away from poor states.  Similarly, stay away from poorer parts of CA since they do tend to bring out the worst in people.  Stay away from the central valley.  Stay around bigger cities like SF, LA, or SD. 

2.  San Francisco arguably has the best theatre and cinema (i.e. independent and art films) in CA--more so than LA since the artistic industry there seems to focus more on Hollywood.  However, I'm sure there is a thriving independent film and theatre scene in LA, as well, you might just have to look a little harder.  I would also suggest Berkeley.  It's very close to SF, but it's basically its own little world as well.  It's very, VERY artsy.  And, it's a much smaller city.  There are tons of mom and pop restaurants.  It's easy to get to know the people who work at the local supermarket, or the local cooperative local store.  Nevertheless, it's still a city.

3.  As for parties, I'm sure you will find what you are looking for in the Bay Area.  Personally, the people I know prefer to go to bars and hang out.  San Franciscans are self-proclaimed beer and bar snobs.  So, that might tell you the party scene in SF.  No parties, just a lot of drinking in bars and pubs. 

4.  CA is HUGE.  And unlike other HUGE states, CA has a wonderful economy (it's seen better times, yes) and a large market for almost every type of industry.  And of course, every type of industry need some type of lawyer or another.

5.  How young, is young?    CA has a large university system, so it brings out a lot of young folks.

Honestly, I think you should be looking for a city more than a state.  States, like CA, are large and each city has its own culture and its own type of people.  I suggest looking at cities more than states as a whole.  Or else, you'll give yourself one big headache.

[thechoson]

I'd have to agree with a VERY important point Cal4ever made.  Choose a CITY, not a state.  I think I was kind of going with this trend in my earlier post.
I don't know how long you've been in the state, but many foreigners get lost in the SIZE of the United States.  It is so HUGE, even a state is like the size of a country to most of the world.  Therefore, even choosing a state is difficult, because where you are within that state can be a huge difference.

Let me give you an example, from personal experience, again.

1. California- I've lived in San Diego, Los Angeles, and El Centro.  Each city has many different things to offer (and not offer).  Obviously going to law school you are not going to end up in a city like El Centro.  But let me tell you, coming to California for the 1st time and settling in El Centro, I thought ALL of California would be at least kind of similiar.  Boy was i WRONG.  Thus definitely focus on the city.

2. Alabama- This state gets such a bad reputation from a lot of people.  It is a poor state, and can have some downright rotten people.  I think Bedford Forrest (the father of the KKK) was born in Alabama, don't quote me on this.  But the KKK holds meetings and stuff and is quite active within pockets of the state.  Yet I lived in Huntsville, and it was the BEST place I've ever lived in, HANDS DOWN.  I've lived in San Diego, mind you.  The people were awfully nice, and it was large enough to offer some culture and allow me not to feel like a country bumpkin, while small enough where people still say hi, people would help get your car out of the snow (it doesn't snow often), and there is just that general sense of community amongst all the people.

Thus that's why I think while California would be a good choice for you, I think this state is missing that sense of togetherness and community that you also seem to be looking for.  I really got this sense of community in certain cities in the south.  So I wouldn't judge states, I'd judge cities, which is why I recommended towns like Raleigh-Durham, though I have no idea how close that is to some of the law schools in the state.  Nashville wasn't that bad (Vandy), Tuscaloosa is a nice college town (U of A), New Orleans had its own little charm (though it's a love it or hate it kind of city).  As you head up north along the Eastern coast, I think you start losing that sense of community and the people become ruder in general.  I really think you should give a hard look to some of those semi-large growing cities in the Southeast.

But I will echo one thing I said earlier, stay the hell out of the Midwest

[ttiwed]

what about davis, california? i've never been there but since it is in cali, i would imagine that its at least moderatly progressive and diverse, yet small enough to accomodate lawschool2005's desire to live in a smaller city with a more intimate atmosphere (pop: 60,000 or so). plus, after graduating from uc davis, you can practice and make big bucks in nearby san fran.

[martinibar]

Small tidbit of info. California has the second largest concentration of active hate groups in the country coming in second only to Texas. I think it was on a Justice department list that came out a few months ago.

[martinibar]

Some correction on the info provided above. It is the Southern Poverty Law Center that tracks the number of active hate groups in the US, not the Justice Department and California is tied with Texas as the #1 state for active hate groups. If you follow the link Southern Poverty Law Center will give you a break down of hate groups by state and what kind of people they hate.

http://www.splcenter.org/intel/map/hate.jsp

[zpops]

Believe it or not, I'm going to throw the largest city in the country into the ring:  NYC.  There are actually several ways to live in a real community in NYC, ranging for the village (the best in every respect you mention, but pricey) to living in a small community in brooklyn or queens, although those small communities aren't what they used to be.  I think you could be very happy in the village, it's an artsy, diverse place where people kow each other by name.  Great restaurants and bars too.  NYC has one of the three "greatest" theater districts in the world (along with london, and ontario), tons of off beat artsy things, and some of the greatest mueseums in the world.  You'll have no problem meeting young singles either.  Your party criteria seems kind of strange to me though, as any city will have its share of superficial clubs for the "beautiful people", but you can also build up a group of friends and just hang out like normal people.

[Jan]

  I would also have to say NYC.  I've lived in the northeast, southeast,and in southern California, and the one that comes closest to what you have said that you want is New York City.  Unfortunately, it's not exactly small! 
  Also...I wouldn't count out all of the southern states.  North Carolina was wonderful...the people there were really great.  I admit that I am white, but my friends are a variety of races and they never felt like they were being discriminated against.  I will say that I was mainly in the cities and I don't know what it is like once you get out of the cities as far as that goes.