Best Place in USA for a Pharmacist?

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TexasBlaze

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I will be graduating from pharmacy school in a few years and I want to know where is the best spot in the US for a pharmacist...

This includes:

1) Salary
2) Taxes
3) Housing
4) Quality of living
5) Weather

I would like a place with a high salary, low taxes, cheap housing, decent to high quality of life, and very warm weather

Does anyone have any suggestions?
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Arizona and New Mexico are both hiring pharmacists at pretty much whatever they ask. Certain parts of those states meet your list of standards except the fact that "Quality of Living" is determined by ones self, not by a scale or formula.
 
Arizona has a high cost of living, well at least the big cities do. New Mexico is going to be cheaper, but I think that is starting to change as well. Sounds like you want the dream city that doesn't really exist! Everyone wants those things.
 
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Dallas Texas.

No state income tax. Very cheap houing. Warm weather.
 
fenixtnlfan said:
Arizona has a high cost of living, well at least the big cities do. New Mexico is going to be cheaper, but I think that is starting to change as well. Sounds like you want the dream city that doesn't really exist! Everyone wants those things.
Click to expand...

Simple:

San Antonio.😀 Some may argue about the culture, but hey, we have the Spurs, Austin is an hour away, the beach is 2 hours away. All of your other requirements are not really contestable. Example home:

http://www.avalartexasidx.com/ListingsWeb/Listings/1828596/PropertyDetails.aspx?ESOURCEID=220728
 
I've spent a great deal of time researching this very subject.

I've found that Austin, TX, the major cities in Tennessee, Raleigh, NC, Atlanta, GA, Downtown Philadelphia, PA, and Pittsburgh, PA are the best.....for me, anyway....

I'd rank them:

1. Pittsburgh
2. Austin
3. Philly
4. Raleigh
5. Atlanta


My love for Pittsburgh stems from it's cheap cost of living, proximity to where I grew up, it's awesome, down to Earth people (the best people in the US, honest), and it's natural beauty. Driving out of the Fort Pitt Tunnel and seeing the city literally appear from nothing is breathtaking. There is also very little traffic for a major city. I can get from one side of town to the other in an hour any time of any day.but usually much less time than that. The only negative is the winters...but I can deal.

I like Austin because it has nice Winters, low cost of living (the Pflugerville area is hella cheap if you can handle the suburban sprawl...), and self described "weird." The chicks at UT are freakin' amazing, too. They also have fast food Mexican restaurants that taste better than the sit down Mexican restaurants North of the Mason-Dixon line.

I like Philly because, like Pittsburgh, the people are cool. The winters suck balls though. Cost of Living is kinda high, but you can get a sweet loft overlooking the Delaware River for $500k that's right next door to Dave & Busters...

Raleigh is a REALLY up and coming town with a damn young populace. They have more singles than anywhere that isn't a college town. It's cheap, weather is perfect, and many of my classmates wound up there. I fear that it will become a mecca of pretentious dinguses at some point soon, though...let's hope not...

Atlanta is a cool town, too. I love their public transportation system...it's really efficient. It's cheap to live there, the weather is awesome, and it's the capital of the New South....

But that's just me....
 
WVUPharm2007 said:
I've spent a great deal of time researching this very subject.

I've found that Austin, TX, the major cities in Tennessee, Raleigh, NC, Atlanta, GA, Philadelphia, PA, and Pittsburgh, PA (my fav a this point....) are the best.....for me, anyway....
Click to expand...

I agree, I like Memphis and Nashville. Atlanta is not a fav for me. I have never been to Pitt, but I like Phili although I would not want to live there.
 
Pharmcdc said:
Simple:

San Antonio.😀 Some may argue about the culture, but hey, we have the Spurs, Austin is an hour away, the beach is 2 hours away. All of your other requirements are not really contestable. Example home:

http://www.avalartexasidx.com/ListingsWeb/Listings/1828596/PropertyDetails.aspx?ESOURCEID=220728
Click to expand...



Ewwwww...McMansion....burn it.....I hate those types of houses.

That's actually about what the houses run in the Penn Hills and Monroeville boroughs of Pittsburgh where they are building all of the new McMansion subdivisions. I know dern there are some cool houses in San Antonio...I saw some of 'em...I wonder how much THOSE are..
 
hmm
what would u prefer, dessert vs a beautiful house?

but then again, there can be beautiful houses at other places
 
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WVUPharm2007 said:
Ewwwww...McMansion....burn it.....I hate those types of houses.

That's actually about what the houses run in the Penn Hills and Monroeville boroughs of Pittsburgh where they are building all of the new McMansion subdivisions. I know dern there are some cool houses in San Antonio...I saw some of 'em...I wonder how much THOSE are..
Click to expand...


Yeah, I don't like those kinds of homes either. I can't really describe what I don't like about them, but there's usually a ton of them in one place with very little land around them. I like older homes with character that have lots of mature trees around them.
 
jayce00 said:
hmm
what would u prefer, dessert vs a beautiful house?
Click to expand...


Hmmm. I'll take the beautiful house. I can get dessert anytime.
 
piyi said:
Yeah, I don't like those kinds of homes either. I can't really describe what I don't like about them, but there's usually a ton of them in one place with very little land around them. I like older homes with character that have lots of mature trees around them.
Click to expand...

I agree with you guys on those type of homes. That is typical of what you can get for around 250k though. Even less if you look around. Older homes with good square footage can be found also if you look. This was a 60 second search.👍
 
Pharmcdc said:
Uhhhhhhh, obviously you have never been to SA
Click to expand...

Maybe not SA, but I've been all over Texas. I was raised 30-45 minutes from the TX/LA border. My grandfather was raised in the Pan Handle. My aunt lives in Dallas. My other aunt owned a condo in Lake Conroe.
My great grandfather and grandmother died when they lived in Texas.
I've been to Houston so many times I've lost count.
 
PharmDstudent said:
Maybe not SA, but I've been all over Texas. I was raised 30-45 minutes from the TX/LA border. My grandfather was raised in the Pan Handle. My aunt lives in Dallas.
My great grandfather and grandmother died when they lived in Texas.
I've been to Houston so many times I've lost count.
Click to expand...

Ok, my apologies for assuming that you have not been to SA. I guess you just dont know what a dessert is.😛 In terms of dessert climate you cant compare SA to say Phoenix, or Vegas. Those are cities that are very dessert like. AC's on roof, rocks instead of grass, very few trees. Nothing like SA. I am not even from SA, but I was pleasantly surprised when I moved here. I thought it would be "dessert like" as well. Not quite.
 
Pharmcdc said:
Ok, my apologies for assuming that you have not been to SA. I guess you just dont know what a dessert is.😛 In terms of dessert climate you cant compare SA to say Phoenix, or Vegas. Those are cities that are very dessert like. AC's on roof, rocks instead of grass, very few trees. Nothing like SA. I am not even from SA, but I was pleasantly surprised when I moved here. I thought it would be "dessert like" as well. Not quite.
Click to expand...

As long as you're happy, I can't blame you for liking SA.
Heck, I know plenty of people who wouldn't set foot in New Orleans, but I love my apartment. It's a block off Canal St. The trolley cars and the oak trees that line the streets are wonderful.
http://www.nola.com/hp/photos/032306_streetcar.jpg
 
PharmDstudent said:
As long as you're happy, I can't blame you for liking SA.
Heck, I know plenty of people who wouldn't set foot in New Orleans, but I love my apartment. It's a block off Canal St. The trolley cars and the oak trees that line the street are wonderful.
Click to expand...

You're in the crescent city! I love New Orleans. My wife is from Shreveport although most call Shreveport more Texas than LA. Anyway, I spent five years in Shreve and made several trips to New Orleans. I have a lot of friends that are from there. I absolutely love the culture. I miss the crawfish boils, the boudin, the spicy seafood👍 and festivals. I miss hearing people say "eh baaaybe" "how you doin child". My personal favorite place for food. No cuisine is like NO. Some may argue about whose is best, but New Orleans is New Orleans. 👍
 
 
I want a condo overlooking the vegas strip.
 
Pharmcdc said:
You're in the crescent city! I love New Orleans. My wife is from Shreveport although most call Shreveport more Texas than LA. Anyway, I spent five years in Shreve and made several trips to New Orleans. I have a lot of friends that are from there. I absolutely love the culture. I miss the crawfish boils, the boudin, the spicy seafood👍 and festivals. I miss hearing people say "eh baaaybe" "how you doin child". My personal favorite place for food. No cuisine is like NO. Some may argue about whose is best, but New Orleans is New Orleans. 👍
Click to expand...

You know culture! You described NO like you were here yesterday. NO is usually difficult to describe, but you hit the nail on the head.
You'll have to be my tour guide if I ever go to SA! (maybe you could open up my eyes and change my preconceived notions)
 
Pharmcdc said:
Uhhhhhhh, obviously you have never been to SA
Click to expand...

No matter what she says, she's never been to San Antonio....so she doesn't know what Northwest San Antonio looks like... :meanie:
 
PharmDstudent said:
You know culture! You described NO like you were here yesterday. NO is usually difficult to describe, but you hit the nail on the head.
You'll have to be my tour guide if I ever go to SA! (maybe you could open up my eyes and change my preconceived notions)
Click to expand...

Heck...I'm from New Orleans...you're from Lake Chuck... who made you the expert in Nawlins eh? :meanie:
 
ZpackSux said:
Heck...I'm from New Orleans...you're from Lake Chuck... who made you the expert in Nawlins eh? :meanie:
Click to expand...

I live here, and you don't! Besides, you lived in Kenner.
Kenner[SIZE=-1] ≠ New Orleans.[/SIZE]
 
PharmDstudent said:
I live here and you don't! Besides, you lived in Kenner.
Kenner[SIZE=-1] ≠ New Orleans.[/SIZE]
Click to expand...


New Orleans International Airport is in Kenner....

I lived 13 miles from French Quarter. It was a 15 minute drive to the Superdome. And less than 10 miles to Nawlins city limit.

I am from New Orleans. 😎
 
Well, it takes me 45 minutes to get to work in Kenner.
Like I said, I live here. Things have changed significantly since you graduated high school. :laugh: Maybe even your perceptions???
 
PharmDstudent said:
You know culture! You described NO like you were here yesterday. NO is usually difficult to describe, but you hit the nail on the head.
You'll have to be my tour guide if I ever go to SA! (maybe you could open up my eyes and change my preconceived notions)
Click to expand...

Thanks. You know, NO is one of those places that is great for tourists, but if you experience it and get to know the place, it becomes dear to you. SA is sort of like that without the flashiness. To some people SA will be down right boring. SA has a large population but it is more like a giant small town if that makes sense. If you are not looking for a small town feel, with the convenience of a large city, then SA is not the place for you. Its a place that you must experience over time to really appreciate. The culture cant be readily experienced like in NO. You almost have to know people on a personal level to reaally get it. You can compare it to the Spurs. A championship team, but not very flashy, no exciting superstars, but all in all, a dang good team. I would not rank SA as number 1 in any category, but it rates high in most areas. I am not even totally sure if its the place for me. However, it is definitely on my list.👍
 
PharmDstudent said:
Well, it takes me 45 minutes to get to work in Kenner.
Like I said, I live here. Things have changed significantly since you graduated high school. :laugh: Maybe even your perceptions???
Click to expand...

No doubt many things have changed. But the Nawlins mentality will never change. Even though it's home, I could never live there again. I don't have any family there either. Just some ole friends.
 
PharmDstudent said:
That could be exciting! I want to go to Vegas for ASHP convention.

I used to watch the show Inked. Vegas seems like fun.
Click to expand...

I'll be there. I'm going to treat it as a vacation...not work!!! :meanie:
 
Pharmcdc said:
Hey Z, as a pharmacist can you count conferences as a tax deduction since it is job/business related?
Click to expand...

But hopefully you'll be working a job where they'll pay for the entire coference! 👍
 
Pharmcdc said:
Thanks. You know, NO is one of those places that is great for tourists, but if you experience it and get to know the place, it becomes dear to you. SA is sort of like that without the flashiness. To some people SA will be down right boring. SA has a large population but it is more like a giant small town if that makes sense. If you are not looking for a small town feel, with the convenience of a large city, then SA is not the place for you. Its a place that you must experience over time to really appreciate. The culture cant be readily experienced like in NO. You almost have to know people on a personal level to reaally get it. You can compare it to the Spurs. A championship team, but not very flashy, no exciting superstars, but all in all, a dang good team. I would not rank SA as number 1 in any category, but it rates high in most areas. I am not even totally sure if its the place for me. However, it is definitely on my list.👍
Click to expand...

SA sounds very comfortable, which is important. It doesn't sound "exciting", but that isn't always important. Maybe SA would be a good place to own a home. I would just have to own a vacation spot elsewhere so that I wouldn't get bored.
Thanks for your description!
-I'll have to stop bashing Texas for a while 🙂.
 
PharmDstudent said:
SA sounds very comfortable, which is important. It doesn't sound "exciting", but that isn't always important. Maybe SA would be a good place to own a home. I would just have to own a vacation spot elsewhere so that I wouldn't get bored.
Thanks for your description!
-I'll have to stop bashing Texas for a while 🙂.
Click to expand...


I would like to have a spanish style home facing west on top of a hill in San Antonio over a green belt with beautiful vegetation. I could probably see New Mexico. :laugh:
 
ZpackSux said:
I would like to have a spanish style home facing west on top of a hill in San Antonio over a green belt with beautiful vegetation. I could probably see New Mexico. :laugh:
Click to expand...

Just get a house in Germany. The view would be a lot better, especially in the Black Forest.
 
ZpackSux said:
I would like to have a spanish style home facing west on top of a hill in San Antonio over a green belt with beautiful vegetation. I could probably see New Mexico. :laugh:
Click to expand...

You know Z, I have read a lot of your posts and I must say that you are really a well rounded individual. You are very inspiring to me as a student in this profession. The interesting thing about discussions such as this is the fact that we live in a great country, not a perfect one by any stretch, but a great one all the same. Every city has its own character and we are free to move, or visit as we choose. Not only because we have the right to, but also with our profession there are not many boundaries. You can move to any city or town and find a job. It might not be the one that you want in some cases, but there is usually an opportunity. Some proffesions are bound to only certain parts of the country, or markets, unless they are aggressive opportunists/entrepreneur.......................Wow, I have to graduate🙂
 
Pharmcdc said:
You know Z, I have read a lot of your posts and I must say that you are really a well rounded individual. You are very inspiring to me as a student in this profession. The interesting thing about discussions such as this is the fact that we live in a great country, not a perfect one by any stretch, but a great one all the same. Every city has its own character and we are free to move, or visit as we choose. Not only because we have the right to, but also with our profession there are not many boundaries. You can move to any city or town and find a job. It might not be the one that you want in some cases, but there is usually an opportunity. Some proffesions are bound to only certain parts of the country, or markets, unless they are aggressive opportunists/entrepreneur.......................Wow, I have to graduate🙂
Click to expand...


Me well rounded? :meanie: I lie on all my posts!!! j/k

Thanks! That's why I love Pharmacy. We can literally go anywhere in the country right now and get a good job. You guys should see the latest head hunter's job posting I got last week....
 
ZpackSux said:
Me well rounded? :meanie: I lie on all my posts!!! j/k

Thanks! That's why I love Pharmacy. We can literally go anywhere in the country right now and get a good job. You guys should see the latest head hunter's job posting I got last week....
Click to expand...

Do tell!!!! inquiring minds want to knwo😀
 
Pharmcdc said:
Do tell!!!! inquiring minds want to knwo😀
Click to expand...

I just tried to PM you the list...but was too long. Give me your email addy...I'll send it to you. It's all hospital jobs.
 
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