Moving Rates.org

The Bureau of Economic Analysis recently released state economic data. The data shows which states have gained and lost the most in terms of the size of their economies. The data shows the shift away from industrial Midwest. Michigan and Ohio were the only states to have their economies shrink during the 2000-2010 period. Meanwhile, Virginia, fueled by federal government job growth, Texas, and Florida were the best states for jobs among large states.

California remains the country’s largest economy with a gross domestic product (GDP) of $1.9 trillion. Despite facing a steep housing downturn and high costs of living, California still grew 17.8% during the period.

Overall, the statistics show the best states for jobs in terms of growth were actually some of the smallest states. Wyoming (48.7%) and North Dakota (47.1%) were the two fastest growing states. South Dakota also had a strong gain of 35.1%. These states were helped by the development of natural gas exploration and low tax rates for businesses. However, each of these states has GDP of $40 billion or less. In comparison, the median state Alabama has a GDP of $173 billion.

Among states with above median GDP levels, Oregon showed the largest percentage growth with a 37.5% gain. Oregon was helped by its proximity to more expensive California to the south, more expensive Washington to the north, no state sales tax, and a solid technology sector. Despite this growth, Oregon has an above national average unemployment rate of 9.6% as of May 2011.

Oregon was not the only state adjacent to California to show strong gains. Arizona’s GDP grew 27.5% while Nevada’s grew 26.7%. Nearby Utah grew 29.1% during the period.

In terms of overall job growth, Texas was the best state for jobs. Texas’ GDP gained 26.8% during the period, which is impressive for such a large state. Texas is now the second state in the nation overall with a GDP of $1.2 trillion. Texas has no state income tax, low business costs, and a sunny climate. New Mexico, which is adjacent to Texas in the West, had a solid gain of 24.4%.

Texas’ growth appears to be continuing in 2011. According to this report from Joe Vranich, 70 companies left California from January 1, 2011 through April 15, 2011 and 14 of them went to Texas, the largest beneficiary.

Texas’ economic standing could play a role in the race for the 2012 Republican nominee for President. Current Texas Governor Rick Perry, whom has held the office for 10 years, is a possible contender and will undoubtedly use his state’s economic record to support his campaign if he decides to run.

If you are moving to a new city, crime is definitely a factor to consider before you move. Areas that have high crime rates, and all the problems that come with it, are generally not desirable places to live.

The FBI has released its 2010 crime statistics. The Bureau announced the news that violent crime was down 5.5 percent from 2009 and property crimes fell 2.8 percent. While most areas saw an overall improvement in crime rates, the Northeast region saw an increase in murders (8.3 percent) and forcible rapes (1.4%).

24/7 Wall St. performed an analysis of the numbers and published a list of the most dangerous cities in America with populations of more than 100,000. The most dangerous U.S. cities are:

1. Flint, Michigan – Flint is located 68 miles northwest of Detroit. Its violent crime rate increased for all categories in 2010. For a city of 109,249 there were 1,579 aggravated assaults and a shocking 53 murders. The city moved up from seventh to second for murder rate. Flint has an anemic median household income of about $27,000 and a 36.2 percent poverty rate.

2. Detroit, Michigan – To add more insult to injury, for the first time in five years Detroit had an officer killed in the line of duty last year.

3. St. Louis, Missouri – On the positive side, violent crime has decreased in the city since 2007.

4. New Haven Connecticut – Despite the presence of affluent Fairfield county to the west and exclusive Yale University, which is actually inside the city limits, New Haven has historically had the highest rate of violent crime in the Northeast.

5. Memphis, Tennessee – On the positive side, incidents of violent crime dropped about 15% between 2009 and 2010. The Memphis metro area has more than 1.3 million people. Beale Street in a historic area of downtown Memphis is a fantastic place to visit with its great blues clubs, BBQ food, and bars.

6. Oakland, California – Oakland’s unemployment rate is at 11%, 2% above the national average.

7. Little Rock, Arkansas – Little Rock’s crime rates remain high despite a low unemployment rate of just 6.8%.

8. Baltimore, Maryland – Baltimore is the largest city on this list with a population of 639,929. Visitors to the city should not be deterred. The city has a beautiful Inner Harbor that is framed by the city skyline and parks, an outstanding baseball park in Camden Yards, and great historical sites such as Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine.

9. Rockford, Illinois – Rockford has a high unemployment rate of 13.4%. Rockford’s proximity for trafficking drugs to Chicago, Milwaukee, and Madison results in heightened rates of violent crime.

10. Stockton, California – This San Joaquin Valley city of 292,047 has a very high unemployment rate of 18.4%.

This list of the top ten most dangerous cities in America has not historically changed much from year to year. Cities such as Detroit, St. Louis, and Baltimore have been on this list for years. However, cities as large as these three, which each have metro area populations of more than 2.8 million people, can have areas that are pleasant and generally safe to live and visit but then have other nearby sections of the city that have high crime rates and are to be avoided.

Looking for a new apartment can be daunting. The choices and considerations can be nearly endless and often there is not a lot of time to make a move. It is important to prioritize what you are looking for in your place of residence so that you are happy in your new home and will continue to be for the time you live there.

Below are seven tips on how to find an apartment:

1. Plan Ahead. This may not always be possible but if you know you need to move, start looking around at your options in advance. Think about your budget, the neighborhoods you are interested in, location for work, schools, proximity to shops and restaurants, how many bedrooms and bathrooms, square footage, storage needs, whether you want to live in a large complex or smaller building, a newer building or an older building. Defining your needs and preference in advance will streamline the process.

2. Use a Variety of Sources to Find an Apartment. There are many ways to find an apartment. Talk to family and friends to get ideas and feedback. Pick up a copy of free publications such as Apartments For Rent to peruse listings in your areas. The Internet has a wealth of resources. Craigslist.org is a great place to look as other major apartment search sites.

3. Take Tours in Advance. Apartment managers are usually happy to provide tours of available units even if your move is a few months away. Some large complexes even have demo units. Take advantage of this opportunity as this can help narrow down your choices when you are ready to move. Even if no units are available, you can get on the waiting list as one may become available when you are ready to move. Also, by seeing apartments in advance, you can get a better feel for the surrounding neighborhood.

4. Record Your Research. Take notes on your thoughts and impressions of units you have seen or found online. Also record their square footage, prices, parking, utility costs, and other factors to help in making your decision. This way when you are ready to apply for a rental, you will have be able to quickly look up and compare the places of most interest.

5. Look at Condos and Houses Also. With today’s falling real estate prices, condo rental prices have come down. This can make them an attractive alternative to apartments. Also, most condo rentals include some utilities such as water, sewer, and garbage, which are not typically included with an apartment rental. Renters often don’t think much about these additional costs but they can really add up. Also, depending on your needs and where you live, house rentals can be a good option.

6. Get Feedback from Other Renters. Talk to people who have lived there to get impressions. There are also may be apartment reviews online that can be found in a Google search or websites such as apartmentreviews.com. This can be a good way to gauge renter satisfaction and get impressions.

7. Take Advantage of Move In Specials. Due to weather and the school calendar, the majority of people move in the spring and summer months. While these are peak moving times, it is also the time of year when people are moving out more too, which creates availability. Keep a lookout for specials that apartments may offer when there is excess inventory. Some apartments offer promotions like first month free or discounts that can add up to more than a $1,000 over the course of a 12-month lease.

This information may just help you find your next apartment. If you need moving services, be sure to get moving quotes from different companies to compare rates and save.

If you want to live in a city with a drier climate, that has close proximity to mountains, warm summers, and snowy winters, you would likely enjoy living in a city that has pine trees. In the western U.S., there are numerous cities with pine trees, primarily Ponderosa Pines.

Ponderosa Pines tend to occupy western climate zones in mountainous areas with between 15 and 30 inches of annual precipitation. Mountainous areas in the West also have Lodgepole Pines and Bristlecone Pines, among other pine tree species. This article does not discuss cities with other types of pine species such as southern pines found in the southeast U.S.

Despite its disparate latitude range, elevation, and climatic zones, Ponderosa Pine forests exist in every state in the West including South Dakota in the Black Hills. Surprisingly the largest swath of contiguous Ponderosa Pine forest in the U.S. is in Arizona and New Mexico. This area of forest extends from near Flagstaff, Arizona, in the north central part of the state, into the mountainous southwest part of New Mexico near Silver City. It is largely in the area known as the Mogollon Rim.

Some of the cities with pine trees are world-famous ski towns such as Aspen or Park City. However, there are also larger cities that make great places to live and recreate, but with much more affordable housing prices.

The largest cities with pine trees (or very near) are Colorado Springs, Colorado and Spokane, Washington. Midsize cities would include Boulder, Colorado; Bend, Oregon; Flagstaff, Arizona; Couer D’Alene, Idaho (just 30 miles east of Spokane); Missoula, Montana; Grants Pass, Oregon; and South Lake Tahoe, California.

Smaller cities with pine trees would include Durango, Colorado; Truckee, California; Ruidoso, New Mexico; and Leavenworth, Washington. Boise, Idaho is in a dry valley but pine forests in the Boise Hills are less than ten miles from the city. Denver, Colorado and Salt Lake City, Utah are large cities that are also a fairly short drive from pine forests.

Spokane is over 1,000 miles north of Flagstaff. So how do these cities, which are both located in close proximity to mountains, both have similar tree species? The answer is elevation and climate. Spokane is located in the drier eastern side of Washington State at an elevation of 2,000 feet near the western foothills of the Rocky Mountains, whereas Flagstaff is at an elevation of about 6,900 feet near the San Francisco Peaks, Arizona’s tallest mountain range.

Flagstaff, which is only 120 miles north of Phoenix, enjoys summer temperatures typically about 25 degrees cooler than the desert. On the other hand, Flagstaff’s elevation and proximity to tall mountains brings on average nearly 100 inches of snowfall. Spokane has a cooler winter climate and slightly warmer summer climate but receives on average six inches less total precipitation (23″ and 17″, respectively) annually than Flagstaff.

Living in a city with pine trees provides outstanding recreational opportunities including skiing, hiking, fishing, and rock climbing, among other activities. Most have rivers or lakes nearby. All of the cities listed above have ski areas within an hour and some have it just a few miles away. Several of these cities have made “best places to live” lists and have been mentioned as top retirement spots. If you enjoy these types of activities, you may want to consider moving to one of these cities.

Spring is here and it really is a great time to clean house. That way, later this spring and summer, you can enjoy your home and do home improvement projects in an uncluttered, clean environment. Spring cleaning tips can help you be better prepared and have it be a more enjoyable experience.

Before you start going through your belongings and cleaning things out, you need a plan of attack. Think about what are the top priorities and what needs need to be done first. Make a spring cleaning checklist of all the supplies you need and purchase them in advance. The last thing you want is to be in the midst of cleaning and then realize you are missing a needed product for a task.

Make a schedule and stick to it. But keep it reasonable and try to have some fun. Spring cleaning should not be something you dread. Pull out a favorite record, and clean to the beat. Also, incorporate your kids into the project where you can. It can be a great teaching tool and can give them a sense of contributing to the family’s effort. They will probably even love to help you. And if you are doing heavy cleaning, it is a great time to get them over to Grandma’s.

Have a methodical approach. Target one area at a time. If your attic needs attention but it is not your favorite place to be, tackle it first. That will make the remaining tasks simpler if you tackle the more difficult ones first. It also keeps you from being overwhelmed by taking on everything at once.

House cleaning is more than just dusting, mopping, and scrubbing. It is also a great time to donate unneeded items to charity and reclaim your living space, whether you are moving or not. Go through your closets, cupboards, and storage areas and evaluate whether the items are still needed. If you have not used the item in months or years, it is probably time to get ride of it! It will also save you time down the road as there will surely be more things to go through and the last thing you want is a bunch of stuff accumulating.

When you are cleaning or reorganizing, think about changing family needs. For example, if you have had a baby, start thinking about where chemical products are in your house and reposition them into safe areas. Spring cleaning can be a good time to baby proof your home after it is all spic and span.

Another house cleaning tip is to work from the top down. For example, start by cleaning the cobwebs in the ceiling and then work down from there. That way, the dust can settle and by the time you are ready to vacuum, you will have cleaned the entire room.

These spring cleaning tips can you help you have a more successful, enjoyable experience. While it may not be the most fun process, think of it is a head start on tasks to do during the warmer months allowing you more time in the summer to get out to the ballgame, barbecue, beach, or a chance to get out shopping and buy some new clothes for the old ones you cleaned out.