Best Places To Live In CA

Whenever a person goes about finding the best cities CA has to offer, they could quite quickly find that list elusive at best. A couple of years ago a major news network published a list of best places and it included a list of best places to live in California along with a lot of other states. The list of California cities were not all in the top 100 for the nation but it was an interesting list none the less. I have compiled a list from several lists I found online and you might consider using this as a starting place if you were trying to find the best places to retire CA style.

It might be a little easier to find the best places to retire Los Angeles or best places to retire San Diego because the geographic areas are smaller and do not include so many retirement cities to compare. Having lived in CA for a long time, I think I would have a very hard time comparing even the cities that I have lived and worked in over the last 10 years. If I had to so my advice is to take a select few and just compare them and a list online might be a great place to start. Below you will see I have listed a few of the cities that should probably be in yours before you start and then you can go from there.

Here are some great places to begin your research and from that point to narrow even the criteria down. You may find some things in California that you want less or more than you originally thought you did. Of course cost of living CA is going to be a big topic of conversation no matter where you go but you could probably find some feedback on that in a cost of living forum by just doing a simple Google search. But I digress, here is a list of cities that this author thinks should be in your unfiltered list in no particular order:

San Dimas CA

Claremont village CA

Claremont CA

Clayton CA

Walnut creek CA

Martinez CA

San Luis Obispo CA

Pismo beach CA

Rancho Santa Margarita CA

Walnut CA

Atascadero-Paso Robles, CA

Santa Barbara CA

Santa Maria CA

Lompoc, CA

Orange County, CA

San Diego, CA

Vallejo CA

Fairfield CA

Napa, CA

San Francisco, CA

Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA

Santa Rosa, CA

There are no doubt others that you would add to this list and that is certainly ok. It is presented here as a starting point and should be considered just that. One that you can add to and take away from before the filtering process starts in earnest. Once that filtering process is begun you can begin to look at the cost of living index CA as well as things like the consumer price index CA because before you get a base list of cities to consider why would you want to even start to think about all the other factors that would make a place the cheapest place to live of the best place to retire.

Safest Place to Live in the World

Is their any safe place left in the world?

Events of the past few months, weeks and days can lead one to the paralyzing conclusion that there are no safe places left to visit.

Middle Eastern countries are in turmoil as the masses say, 'Enough already! I want my freedom!'

Brutal dictators like Muammar Gaddafi in Libya will not yield without a bloody fight.

An earthquake and tsunami ravage Japan.

What in the world is going on?

Truly it's enough to scare one into their home - locking the door and burning their passport. Many people who have been dreaming of a bigger globe trotting life, perhaps just for holiday or perhaps as part of a retirement plan, are giving up on that dream. It's a shame really.

Yes, there are major changes happening all over our wonderful world and because we are so plugged in with instant news arriving the moment the next catastrophe happens it can be overwhelming.

May I suggest we all take a collective breath and say the serenity prayer,

God grant me the serenity

to accept the things I cannot change;

courage to change the things I can;

and wisdom to know the difference...

The reality is the world has been going through constant change for millennia and will continue to do so for millennia to come.  There are and always have been dangerous places on our planet but at the same time the vast majority of places are safe. With the seeming doom and gloom all around us these days I thoughts this would be an appropriate time to write about some of the Safest Places to Live in the World.

Tomorrow I'll kick it all off with the safest places to live in America and once we've exhausted a decent part of the globe lets see if we can come to some conclusion about where the Safest Place to Live may be. I've got an idea and it's probably not what your thinking at all. But let's wait and see what the research reveals. 

Be sure to leave hour comments and suggestions for where you feel the safest.

Overseas Jobs For Americans

This post about overseas jobs for Americans is a follow-up to the post from two days ago, titled International Jobs for US Citizens. In my previous research I also found more information about teaching jobs overseas for Americans and international employment that I felt like was relevant to the American who is looking to move and work overseas but would make the last post entirely too long. In that article I talked about the normal avenues to find jobs that are available internationally like the following:

international banking jobs	teach English abroad	international business
teaching jobs abroad	international nursing jobs	overseas security jobs
international business jobs	teaching abroad	oil and gas jobs overseas
international executive jobs	overseas contractors	overseas teaching jobs
truck driving jobs overseas	international sales jobs	international finance jobs

Beyond these, what really caught my eye was a large quantity of information about the US government and how they hire a lot of employees and of course US citizens are who they hire. The overseas jobs for Americans that I found available through the government are drug abuse specialists, teachers, housing officers, social workers, engineers, equipment specialists, shorthand reporters, procurement officers, nurses, management analysts, foreign service officers, auditors, accountants and the list goes on. I felt like as broad a range as was included in this list, there must be people in these fields that come to this blog regularly and that could use this information about overseas government jobs.

There are almost 90,000 employees that work abroad in about 140 countries so surely almost anyone with any sort of skill could qualify for some of the jobs for Americans abroad. The largest employer is the Defence Department with almost 50,000 overseas employees and the State Department is 2nd with over 20,000 working internationally.

As far as an outsider that is a US citizen just walking in and getting a job, it is not quite that easy. First these agencies look internally to hire whatever skill they need for jobs overseas but if there is no one that either qualifies or applies for the job they will post the job through agencies .

One would need to contact an agency for these lists of jobs to start an overseas job search. Following are some of the websites that may offer you assistance in finding these jobs abroad :

The Air Force Service Career Program at this site:

www.afsv.af.mil/ndex.asp

The Army and Air Force Exchange Service at this site: www.odin.aafes.com/Employment/default.asp

The Navy Morale, Welfare & Recreation at this site:

www.mwr.navy.mil/

The Army Civilian Personel OnLine at this site:

www.cpol.army.mil/library/naf/

The Navy Exchange System at this site:

www.nexnet.nexweb.org/pls/nexjobs/work4us

The Marine Corp Community Services at this site:

www.usmc-mccs.org/

Overseas Employment Conditions

There are certain conditions that must be meet for some of the overseas contract jobs. These conditions can be security related, physical, educational qualification, tour of duty. These conditions are announced at the same time as the job and will be listed as conditions, restrictions and qualifications.

There are also other qualifications that may be part of a job requirement. Things like physical examinations, security checks, transportation agreements, requirements for foreign language, depending on the job there may be restrictions on dependents too.

International Compensation

The pay and benefits are most of the time very similar both in and out of the United States but in addition there is often a pay differential, housing allowance and sometimes a cost-of-living allowance depending on the situation. The benefits are good and are very similar for civil employees everywhere.

There is a fair amount of competition for jobs abroad for Americans but for a qualified individual there are still jobs, especially as the rotation of people back from tours of duty are constantly creating openings.

These types of jobs may not be the best for everyone but for those that qualify these jobs overseas for Americans can be a real bonus for the person seeking to live in a foreign country. It certainly will give you a chance to see a new part of the world and who knows, you may find your best place to retire or even find some really cheap places to live and retire.

Best Cities: Retire in the USA

Much of our time on this blog has been dedicated to discussing the idea of moving or retiring abroad. It began with the question, Where should I live? and quickly expanded to include: where to retire and we've done a lot of searching for the cheapest places to live.

Staying in the USA

Now although I look at myself as a citizen of the world (I do believe that patriotism is an outdated - out moded concept that is preventing us from reaching greater potential, but that's a discussion for another day!) I get a lot of feedback from people who don't want to move - at least not to far. They're not interested in living abroad and find comfort and security staying in the good old USA. I appreciate and respect that. So lately, you may have noticed, I've been trying to provide a lot more information about staying in the USA - the best places to live, retire and some of the places to avoid - like the most miserable cities in America!

The Best Place to Retire

One common characteristic I find in people who are requesting information about best city to live in USA is that they tend to be older. They were born and raised in the America and the idea of moving abroad is total foreign to them - pardon the pun. I can't blame them! America is home. They been through good and bad here and this is the place they want to spend their retirement years. Traditionally Florida was the dream for a lot of these working folks. It was thought of as the best place to retire in all of America. But times have changed. Florida has seen some turbulent times - again pardon the pun - and many retirees have written it off the list. That said, I still plan on doing a little research and finding the best places to live in Florida.

Places to Retire

So Florida may be down, but not out. However, Florida is only one of the best retirement states. There are plenty more. I've spent quite some time gathering data and presenting you with lots and lots of lists. I've also found retirement places rated in different surveys and passed that on. But now it's your turn.

Earlier in February of this year I made a post about a review I read online. It was regarding a list by RandomForest.com titled,

The Best U.S. Cities For Retirees

1. Asheville, NC
2. Sarasota, FL
3. Prescott, AZ
4. Paris, TN
5. Austin, TX
6. Green Valley, AZ
7. Winston-Salem, NC
8. Beaufort, SC
9. San Diego, CA
10. Ft. Myers, FL

I would like to know what you thought - think about that list. Are those places you would consider retiring to? Are you surprised by the best cities to retire in the USA , which made it on the list? I would really like to know!

My idea was to create a survey here in the post so you could just rank order the cities but I couldn't figure out how to do that on Blogger! So, I opted for the next best thing - it's over there to your right on the sidebar. Now before you vote you may want to go back and review my post from February - just click on the heading for that list above, it will take you right there.

Cast your vote and if you don't see your Best US City in the list then leave me a comment below and I will add it!

International Jobs for US Citizens

As you know this Blog is all about finding the Best Places to Live in the World. For some that means a great place to spend their retirement years for others it means cutting their cost of living - finding a more affordable way to live so they can enjoy a higher quality of life. I get feedback from people all the time wanting to move and looking for cheap places to live abroad. But they also need to find places where they can still work. My good friend Mel just sent me this handout he had put together for a course he was teaching called, The Best Places to Live Abroad for Americans. He shared this segment of his course and the handout is titled,

International Jobs for US Citizens

Guest post by Mel B

Our world has changed over the last few years as the economy has declined and because the job market has shifted too, overseas jobs for Americans are becoming more and more attractive. These overseas jobs for Americans are sometimes just more attractive and more people are willing to explore the possibility. Although there certainly is an appeal and a certain amount of glamor associated with working internationally, it often fades to some degree when the effort to secure that job is spread out before you. It has become more difficult as the competition has increased as a result of the global economy and the increasing numbers of people willing to work abroad but it is certainly still possible. There are many possibilities that are often available internationally that have domestic equivalents and should make the transition possible. For instance, teaching jobs overseas for Americans are plentiful but there are many others besides. Here are just a few:

• International nursing jobs
• International sales jobs
• Overseas security jobs
• Overseas teaching jobs
• International business jobs
• International finance jobs
• International engineering Jobs
• Non profit jobs
• International marketing jobs
• International accounting jobs
• Overseas construction jobs
• International consulting jobs

It is not unusual for we Americans to believe we can just make application and if we are qualified or the best candidate we will get the job. Unfortunately that is not the reality. There is a lot more to the process and it takes far more effort and persistence to secure a position internationally. Some Americans have never even heard of a CV which is the equivalent of the resume and it can even be different in different countries. Another issue that often needs to be addressed is the very real possibility that the country that you land a job in will likely require you to have a visa and it is not uncommon for a visa to take months to get. The good news is many companies that hire internationally will help with this process but it is another hurdle that has to be overcome in the process. One option that some people overlook is the company they already work for. If you are working for a multinational company right now you may have a good chance of transferring abroad easier than finding employment otherwise. You never know until you ask. When you set out to form a plan you will need to keep in mind several factors besides what we have already discussed. First, you will need s assess your abilities so you can accurately filter the jobs you do in fact find and apply for. Also you will need to identify the companies or the industries where your skill set fits and where you have interest. Overshadowing all of these decisions is to identify the countries where you would like to live. Hopefully you will have been in these countries and actually know first-hand about the customs and the cultures. The cultural differences can also be a blind spot that need to be addressed in order to successfully prepare for all aspects of finding and taking a job in a foreign country. The culture in your target country will have an influence on every aspect of the job like:

1. Interrupting information you gather

2. The job application process

3. The interview

4. Negotiation for salary and benefits

5. On the job relationships

6. Rules of conduct in the workplace

These are just some of the ways that culture can directly effect your success of failure in finding jobs abroad for us citizens and doesn’t even begin to address your experience outside of work that so often are important in building a network of contacts to support your work. Because many Americans do not speak a second language this can have a tremendous effect on which jobs are available to even apply for but there is good news. There are many countries where English is the official language and in turn there will be many more opportunities for employment there. In the following table are listed 54 countries where English is the official language and this should significantely reduce the barriers in finding international employment.

Anguilla	Cayman Islands	Jamaica	Papua New Guinea	Tanzania
Antigua and Barbuda	Dominica	Kenya	Scotland	Tonga
Australia	England	Lesotho	Seychelles	Trinidad and Tobago
Bahamas	Fiji	Liberia	Sierra Leone	Turks and Caicos Islands
Barbados	Gambia	Malawi	Singapore	Uganda
Belize	Ghana	Malta	Solomon Islands	United Kingdom
Bermuda	Gibraltar	Mauritius	South Africa	Vanuatu
Botswana	Grenada	Montserrat	St. Kitts and Nevis	Wales
British Virgin Islands	Guyana	Namibia	St. Lucia	Zambia
Cameroon	Ireland, Northern	New Zealand	St. Vincent and the Grenadines	Zimbabwe
Canada (except Quebec)	Ireland, Republic of	Nigeria	Swaziland

There is a lot to this whole international job search but we hope we are leaving you with a more in lightened approach to the matter and some tools that you can use to ease the process no matter where in the world you choose to make your next home. As one final gift we would like to leave you with is a list of some of the more established web locations where you can do significant research on finding international jobs for Americans.

Antal International

Offices in 24 countries with 50 staffed offices. Opened in 1993 and has successfully placed executive in 75 countries

ART: Atlantic Research Technologies

This firm works worldwide to place US and Canadian workers in upper and middle management . Caters to high-tech, industrial and service sectors.

Barclay Simpson

UK based corporate governance recruitment. Specializes in jobs in Internal auditing, financial crimes, information security, risk, compliance, IT auditing and public sector jobs.

CareerJet

This is a search engine for international employment. One can even browse by county, job type or geographic area.

Embassy Job Search

As the name indicates this site all about Embassy jobs but they are not job listings but there are links to the embassy websites you may show jobs available in countries where you may be interested.

Employerjobs.com

Another job search engine based in the UK with reach outside. Key word search based. It appears that applicants get some additional exposure on the front page with a rotating list of names of people seeking employment.

Eurojobs.com

Pan-European job search engine with great country search that details the results by job type and number of jobs

ExecutivesOnTheWeb.com

UK based career site offering executive job search for senior management jobs across the Middle East, Europe, UK, and Africa. Visitors need to register to apply for jobs but can search jobs without registering.

ExecutiveSurf

Executive search firm based in London with offices in Prague, Warsaw and Milan. On their website candidates can apply for positions they are qualified.

GigaJob

Large website covering many countries, some that are not often covered in the international sites. You will not be able to search the entire database at once but will need to switch from one country to another in your job search.

Goinglobal.com

This is a standout site as it offers more than most for the international job seeker. It has lots of country info as well as tools and links that are useful in putting together your resume/CV as well as your job search and cultural advise.

Hudson

An industry leader in recruitment with international recruiting offices in 20 countries. Many valuable resources for the job seeker offered online.

iAgora.com

This site focuses on the recent college grad that may be looking for opportunities internationally. You can apply for free but there is a paid membership offered.

iHipo.com

Singapore based "iHipo targets young professionals and students with a social network platform for both seekers and employers. Registration is not requred to search but it is to apply for jobs.

International Jobs

Career Services for the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Texas at Austin

This site offers a lot of information for the international job seeker including what to expect when you step outside your home country. It attempts to prepare the uninitiated for the world of international employment and they do a pretty good job.

Jobbind.com

Great search engine for finding jobs in many countries. You will default to your country when you go to the site but you can easily change country to search another. One of the widest array of jobs and countries although some have been in the database for an extended period.

Locanto

This site brings together classified ads from all over the world including job postings. You may find jobs posted here that may not be posted elsewhere.

Monster.com

One of the 'monsters' in the industry this site speaks for itself and its reputation for job listings proceeds your visit.

NES Global

This site specializes in engineering services and specialist staff support solutions to its worldwide client base across the Oil & Gas, Power Generation and in doing so gives it a strong footing with offices in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

OverseasJobs.com

International jobs and overseas assignments are the foundation of this site for expats and professionals alike. You can check out jobs without registering

PlanetRecruit.com

Jobs from all over the world on this site and registration is not necessary. One nice feature of this site is you can only send your resume to the intended receipent and it will not be visable to others.

Renego

A classified search engine that has a database of UK, Spain, India, Poland, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Italy, Netherlands, Sweden and even the US. Local language is requried on many of the countries internal pages.

SAM Headhunting

This site is a little different than most as it presents the searches it is working at the moment and you can even see the positions they are trying to fill in individual offices. They cover 19 countries.

StepStone

StepStone works primarily within Europe. Just like so many others you select a country from a map or from the dropdown menu and start your search there.

TipTopJob

This site is like many other in that it has an international list of jobs and you do not have to register to look but if you apply it will automatically register you with the details of your CV

Trovit

Covering many countries in Latin America as well as Europe and the US this classified site has a lot to offer even the casual international job seeker.

World Job List

Site offers advise as well as listing spread all over the world. Most are spa and hospitality industry although others are also represented.

Best Places: Retire in Belize

Retire In Belize - One Of The Cheapest Places to Live In The World!

One of the cheapest places to live in the world is still Belize. Consequently, to retire in Belize is really cheap and by many accounts it is also one of Central America's most beautiful countries too. It can be a retirees (bargain hunters) dream come true if you play your cards right. It has just about everything a retired person seeking a tropical paradise could imagine. To start with, the official language is English and that always makes living in a foreign country easier but beyond that, it offers wildlife as diverse as any country, a tropical climate and of course some really great beaches. If your thing is snorkelling or scuba diving then your little piece of heaven just got better because the ecosystems underwater are some of the best in the world and talk about options... there are 127 islands to explore in the Belize Barrier Reef.

If you really want to live cheap in retirement you might want to check out the Cayo area that is west of Belize City about an hour and at least at the last time we checked it out, you could rent a nice size home there for under $400 a month. The Cayo district has a population of about 40,000 and it covers about 2000 square miles on the western side of Belize. You shouldn’t forget that Belize is more than a beautiful beach. Sixty percent of the Cayo District is either a wildlife sanctuary, a Forest Reserve or a National Park and it offers a wide diversity of activities for a traveller as well as much to see and experience in this land of natural beauty. Of course if you are dead set on the coast you are going to pay a little more but considering you would be an hour away it might be worth living inland so you can enjoy all of Belize, depending on how often you want to dip your toes or your snorkel gear in the blue waters of Belize.

Because Belize is such a lush country and much of their food is grown locally, it can make your grocery bill quite inexpensive as long as you stay away from all those imported things you are so used to

buying. To embrace the local cuisine really is part of the adventure of it all so why not make the effort to try the new foods and save money too.

Here is a little bonus for all you retirees, folks over 45 can be eligible for the Retire Belize program or sometimes called Retired Person's Incentive Program. It can help you live almost tax free if you meet certain qualifications. This

program was initiated as a part of a plan to entice stable retirees to make this their home. We hope you are starting to get the picture about why Belize is one of the cheapest places to live in the world

especially if you are retired and want modern conveniences to be a part of your life style.

Now there has to be at least one negative to living here or everyone would arrive at once but in the big picture it may be minor detractions from abundant positive side of the equation. The deal is it rains a lot from May to October and it is a location that sometimes can be exposed to hurricanes. Many expats just use this as the time they head home since many are from the Northern hemisphere and May to October is summer there so the weather is often more agreeable anyway.

To retire in Belize is well within reach of many and it really can be one of the cheapest places in the world to live if you are careful and do a little planning and don’t become ridged about where you live or

what you eat. Of course let’s not forget the great plan Belize has for those of you over 45 to live tax free.

Best Places to Visit in Spain: Barcelona

Madrid is the capital of Spain. While Barcelona is the most populated city of the Catalonia region and the second largest city in the country next to the capital. Barcelona is also one of the most popular places to visit in Europe. Spring and summer break sees the population explode as tourists flood into the city. The capital city went through a major transformation in the early nineties which now includes a man made beach with plenty of Palm Trees in the lovely and lively cosmopolitan port.

Barcelona has so much to offer visitors. Here is a quick guide to

The Best Places to Visit in Barcelona

• The Picasso Museum - a must see! It has one of the most extensive collections of art by the twentieth century Spanish artist, Picasso.
• Park Guell - this is a pretty garden complex which is filled with unique architecture. It's one of the most romantic places in Barcelona and great for a stroll with your lover.
• La Sagrada = this impressive and very large Catholic church is still not been completed but that hasn't stopped it from being designated a World Heritage Site.
• The Batllo House - sometimes referred to as the 'House of Bones'. This incredible structure truly does have a visceral, skeletal organic quality. It was originally designed and built for a middle class Spanish family in a prosperous district of Barcelona.
• Camp Nou - it's just a football (soccer) stadium but well worth a visit because it's so big! It is very impressive and due to it's size has become world famous.
• The Tibidabo Amusement Park is a perfect place for families to visit. It has an IMAX theatre and the fabulous Magic Fountain of Montjuic.
• Las Ramblas - is a lively street with an abundance of street performers. It makes for a light, fun and happy atmosphere.
• The Olympic port (Ciutadella I Vila Olimpica) - here you'll discover a mix of bars and restaurants and a great casino right on the beach.

Tips for getting around Barcelona

This is a large city so the best way to get around is by using public transportation. The trains are very safe, easy to use, reasonably priced and run on time. Bus tours are also a good option and will take you to all of the top attractions.

If you do decide to visit the great city of Barcelona be sure to sample all the different "Tapas" (small plates of food) and don't forget to drink plenty of Sangria!

About our Guest Author Becky Padmore:

Get more great tips on top holiday destinations by visiting Becky at www.globalgrasshopper.com Her services include great advice on how to see Paris in a day