An important part of a great healthcare career is living in a place you love.

The southeast states are famous for a culture unlike any other in the country! States like Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Maryland, West Virginia, Arkansas and Louisiana are unique and rich in individuality.

You have long, warm, sunny days and winters that practically don’t exist. You’ll find many areas where people have lived there for generations and have a very defined local cuisine, music and dialect.

Country music, American Jazz, the blues, and rock and roll all find their origin in the Southeast. These unique and distinctive features make the Southeast a vibrant place to live.

The Southeast is a great place to live, but as with everywhere, you need a good job that will meet your cost of living and leave more of your hard-earned dollars in your pocket.

Louisville, Kentucky

Louisville is famous for its southern charm. You have access to both the charms of the country and full city amenities. Louisville also has the most aging care businesses in the country. Meaning that if you are working in healthcare, you are almost guaranteed a job.

Some of the major healthcare employers you will want to check out are Baptist Healthcare System and the University of Louisville Hospital. The Baptist Healthcare System employs over 22,000 people.

The average salary in Louisville is $48,766 and has a cost of living of 8% lower than the national average.

Charlotte, North Carolina

The largest city in North Carolina, Charlotte is also home to the Bank of America and other Fortune 500 companies. This has lead to the city boasting a higher than average yearly salary.

The 2 biggest healthcare employers are Presbyterian Healthcare System and Carolinas Medical Center. You are looking at an average salary of $54,637 and a cost of living ranked at 5% lower than the national average.

Virginia Beach, Virginia

Virginia Beach is not (surprisingly) known for its beachfront. Tourism is the biggest draw in this thriving city that also contains 208 city parks, the 8,000-acre Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge, 3 military bases, Regent University, Stratford University, and Virginia Wesleyan University, as well as numerous historical sites.

It is not, however, just all about the tourism. You will also find major employers like Geico car insurance, Lillian Vernon, Amerigroup health care, and the Navy Exchange Service Command. Sentara Healthcare System is the biggest healthcare employer in Virginia, with hospitals, outpatient care, and rehabilitation facilities.

You could be considering a yearly average salary of $44,341 and a cost of living ranked at 110. A cost of living index above 100 means Virginia Beach, Virginia is more expensive than the average.

Nashville, Tennessee

If you are a country music lover than you know all about Nashville. Even if your dreams of being the next Carrie Underwood have passed you by, Nashville still has plenty to offer.

Nashville hosts a booming economy with industries such as finance, insurance, publishing, transportation, technology, education, biotechnology, and flourishing tourism. Of course, the key industries are music and healthcare.

There are over 400 healthcare companies in Nashville that offer jobs to over 126,000 workers in a mix of hospitals, research facilities, and universities. Some of the big names to apply at are the Vanderbilt University Medical Center, St. Thomas Hospital, and the Nashville General Hospital.

The average income of $51,214 matches well with a relatively low cost of living ranked at 3% lower than the national average.

Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Maybe this is cheating by including 3 cities in one recommendation, but this tri-city region, known as the Triangle, has the highest concentration of health care jobs. Almost 1 out of 10 jobs in this area is in healthcare, so you would be in good company if you call this place home!

These cities are home to 3 major universities: Duke, UNC, and North Carolina State, as well as the largest research centers in the country and the UNC Health Care system.

The average salary is $66,489 and a cost of living ranked at 5% lower than the national average.

Are you interested in diving into some Southern charm and hospitality? Look at the cities listed here, and you might find that dream healthcare job that allows you to love both the place you live and your career.