Field journal · running issues

Methodology, stories, and field notes.

How we score cities, what we learned from people who moved, and the data quality work that keeps the verdicts honest.

May 30, 2026·2 min read

We show the law as a fact, not a verdict

Where a state stands on abortion, guns, cannabis, and LGBTQ protections matters to a move. So we report the law plainly — and let you decide what it means.

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May 28, 2026·2 min read

How current is the data behind a comparison?

An honest, category-by-category answer — what's live from a government API, what's a curated fact we maintain by hand, and what never needs to change.

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May 26, 2026·2 min read

What $100k is really worth, city to city

A salary is a number until you move it. Taxes, rent, and the cost-of-living delta can swing a six-figure offer by tens of thousands — here's how we translate it.

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January 22, 2025·2 min read

Showing crime data without the judgment

Why we won't compute a "safety score" — and how to actually read FBI crime stats.

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January 15, 2025·2 min read

How the salary translator works

It's not just a cost-of-living index multiplier. Here's the math and the reasoning.

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January 12, 2025·2 min read

Why we built piomover

There's no single place that gives you an honest answer to "should I move there?" — so we built it.

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