My husband and I have four kids and live in the northwest. (near seattle) We are planning on moving sometime in the next couple of years. I've lived here my whole life and want to get away. The problem is, we don't know where we want to go. Any suggestions?
Thank you all so much. My husband is pretty handy and can find work anywhere it's available. So unemployment rates are important. I love the heat, but my husband would probably die in the south so that's probably not an option. I'm ok with a freezing winter as long as we have a good summer, so somewhere with seasons. We would very much like to be far away from the northwest. Again, thank you all so much for your input. It's great to hear all your likes and dislikes about different places.
Go onto google and look for th 10 best place to live to raise a family then pick by where you would like to live by weather, jobs etc
N.
You need to look at where the work is, especially in today's economy, and, you should look into what innate beliefs and habits or social mores are in the society you are thinking of moving to. Do you agree with them? Are you comfortable with what you children will learn or be exposed to on a daily basis? How segregated is the area? Is this good or bad or unimportant? How are other ethnicities viewed? are you considered ethnic? Also, look at crime rates, cost of living, and such. Its such a hard decision to make, good luck!
It's not Fargo . . . Just Kidding, we just moved here 2 months ago - the city is really, really busy, it's very, very windy and where are the trees??? We couldn't find leaves to do fall pictures!!
I've lived in a few places . . .I think everything has pros and cons - you just have to find what makes sense for you and make the best of where you are.
Good luck!!
California! The number of scrumptious restaurants and unique cuisines is unparalleled except for in New York. We have very diverse and progressive communities. There are lots of activities for kids and some very competitive school districts. People rarely smoke in public and are generally health-conscious. The weather is amazing without having the extremes. There are tons of places to sight-see. You can take weekend trips to SF, LA, Monterey, San Diego... The natural wonders here are incredible - Yosemite, Tahoe, beaches, desert, mountains, etc. I have visited several states and none compare to California...and you will still be on the West Coast.
I'm from WA originally. I've lived ALL OVER the PNW. I've since moved many times. I've lived in Mesa, AZ, Hollywood, CA, Crawfordsville, IN, Killeen, TX, Augusta, GA, Germany, and now Jefferson City, MO.
I love Jefferson City. The cost of living here is VERY inexpensive, we get all four seasons, and the city is pretty and safe. My kids can go pretty much anywhere. We just bought a 3,400sf house on 1.3 acres IN town, right on the public golf course for...$150,000. Seriously. We're close to Columbia, MO (home of the University of Missouri, Columbia College and Stephens College). There's lots to do, good fishing and hunting, and great churches.
It IS a big change from WA...you'll miss the tall trees...but it's definitly a great place for a family.
Best of luck on your search.
It has a lot to do with your likes, dislikes, and how far from family you want to be.
In 1989 we had an opportunity to move most anywhere in the southern most states from NC for my hubby to start a sales job. After much analysis, no children yet, we chose the Dallas area, specifically the Plano/Allen area.
Our reasons were based on business and the forecast of the Dallas area based on the recent housing crash they just went through and we saw it as a good area to be in economically.
We moved here, we hated all the concrete and missed the NC hills and trees but it was about 2 yrs into it.. ... We fell in love with the huge sky. ... Watching the storms roll in and out. We lived being within an hour from 2 major airports and being able to be on either coast within 2-4 hours.
We hate cold weather and ice so that's a plus but the heat gets to some people. I love my home on a hard to find wooded lot, my daughter's high school is in the top 1% of high schools in America, Plano school district is top notch ( Allen is good as well... Our physical address is Allen but we are proudly in the Plano school district). I can go on an on. We just got home from a football game played in the new Allen Eagle stadium which is a $60 million stadium and nicer than many college stadiums.
There is so much to do and explore, many opportunities to serve the community.
Again... Prioritize your likes and dislikes and then start narrowing down some places. You've had great suggestions so far!!! Plus... We loved NC too!!!
I live near Salt Lake City, Utah, and love it. I love that there are 4 seasons and that a good amount of the time, the sky is blue and it us sunny and beautiful out. The kids can play outside due to good weather most of the time. I feel safe here and I feel comfortable letting my kids play outside with the neighbor kids. It is easily 15-30 minutes tops to the nearest canyon or lake- recreation is huge here. People love Utah because there is so much to do outdoors- hiking, fishing, boating, skiing (water and snow), canyoneering, ATVing, camping. There are soooooo many programs, activities and parks for children. There is always a nice park within walking distance, anywhere you live. Lots of running and biking trails have been established the last few years, too. You will find that most Utahn's are exceptionally nice, you can expect fast and courteous service most places you go. I think it is just ingrained into us to "be nice".
Lots of LDS folks here, and I think that can take some getting used to, it is conservative for sure. Traffic is really not bad at all and the cost of living is fairly low. During the winter the mountains also trap smog pretty bad and we will have yucky air till the next storm blows through. Long winters, too, some years it is Oct-May that it is cold and snowy...but not always. Last year was fairly warm with little snow.
Well, I have to admit here, I'm just a WEE bit biased... :)
Oklahoma is by far the friendliest, most down to earth, kind-hearted place I've lived. My husband and I both grew up there, and when he decides he's done with the military, we 100% will be going back. As a side note, if you had a thing for the Seattle SuperSonics, the OKC Thunder is right there! ;)
Most of Oklahoma (OKC included) has a smaller-town feel. Although OKC is VERY widely spread out (according to wikipedia, the 8th largest city in the US according to sq mileage), you can still get anywhere (literally from one side of town to the other) within 30 minutes because the highway system is excellent. The downtown OKC area has had a lot of fixing up and is attracting a LOT of new interest, including a new outlet mall (that's just the most recent thing I know of).
Okay, like I said, I'm a bit biased. I love everything about OK, and could go on about it all day long. If you want to ask any specific questions, I'd be more than happy to answer, so just let me know!
Thought I should add, the OK public schools are NOT good. Private schools, there are a lot of really good ones, but the public school system is awful. Also, if you are heavily opposed to gun rights, OK is not the place for you. :)
ETA: If you want to look at Bend, as per Nancy's recommendation, my aunt is actually a real estate agent there, so I could give you a name of someone to talk to! :)
It depends on what you are looking for. Cold, Warm, Hot, what are you looking for and what are the interests of the family. You want to find somewhere that will have things that your family enjoys. I love where I am but not everyone can handle the heat in TX. I live near Dallas. There are so many things to do around or within driving distance.
MONTANA!!! You get all seasons and it's a pretty safe place. It's beautiful and if you come to the kalispell/columbia falls/whitefish area you get to visit Glacier National Park and you get to visit Big Mountain!
Alright, I'll put in a plug... have you checked out Bend, Oregon? We're about a 6-7 hour drive from Seattle, have some great views and open space, less traffic and more sun. The economy here stinks so jobs are tough to come by. But the housing is a deal compared to Seattle and it may be a good move for someone selling a house there a buying here. We are still in the NW and there is a sense of pride about that. But being a small city, there is a sense of community and neighborliness that I haven't found elsewhere. Some great family friendly neighborhoods and good schools, too.
Well I love Oregon haha best vacation I ever had. But if your looking to get out of the NW I suggest you see where the best place to get a job is. Money is important. If money is not important the East Coast is very nice.
Tennessee :)
My husband and I are moving to Chattanooga next year. There is decent weather there and plenty to do.
I loved *L.O.V.E.D.* living in Denver, CO.
We moved to Corvallis, Oregon about 6 years ago and it is a GREAT place to raise children!
St. Charles, IL! Lived there for 13 years growing up. They are in the top ten best places to live this year I think. GREAT schools, (think the taxes are pretty high though), lots of activities/festivals/traditions. The place is a lot more built up than when I used to live there, back then we called it the "boonies" HA but still, great place to live! Loved it!
