Hi all,

I'm using my first post here to ask a question for which I just wasn't able to find any satisfying answer elsewhere. My wife and I will be completing our PhDs soon and are now looking for biomed postdoc positions in the US. We will be moving from Toronto with our 1-year old boy plus another one on the way.

In addition to finding a good lab in a good university/research institute, we also need to balance family time with work and we're hoping that we can do that by finding a place where housing close (within walking/biking distance) to the lab would be affordable and in a somewhat "safe" neighborhood.

Could any of you guys suggest universities where this ideal situation is possible? I guess the proximity and affordability factors take out many of the best-known places - most of the west coast, Boston, New York... so what's left?

Cheers,
Ken

Hello, most of the people on this forum are not in the US so it may be difficult for you to get many replies to this question.

I don't know much about cities in the US, other than the one I am in, which is Davis, California,

This college town probably ticks all your boxes though, since the university sits in the centre and the accommodation surrounds it within 30 minutes biking distance. It's a very nice, safe, clean town with so many trees and green spaces. The schools are good too, since it is mainly academics that live here. I think it would be a great place to bring up kids. The only downside is it is probably expensive - although maybe not for 2 people on postdoc salaries. I guess it depends on your accomodation type. The cheapest 1 bed apartment is about $1000 pm rent here and 2 bed is $1500.

Additionally, Sacramento (capitol of California) is 30 minutes drive away for any other amenities you may require (and other universities/research institutes), and San Francisco is only 2 hours drive away. UC Berkeley is also commutable (but v. expensive to live there). Sacramento has much cheaper housing but it's a big city so there are also some undesirable areas.

Don't consider Davis if you don't like continual sun for 10 months of the year though...

Consider Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania- one of my best friends (an American) is from there and he absolutely loves it. I saw pics of it and it's awesome- very homely and cosy (and not as expensive as the big cities). There are many top universities as well in Pennsylvania.

Thanks guys,

Davis is a good one - would I be able to deal with the sun and mild winter? Most definitely, yes!

As for Pittsburgh, it was already on my list along with Penn, UChicago, UMichigan and Yale. Will have to visit these places to get a good feel of the vibe around campus and research conducted there.