Well, we plan on moving to Colorado next summer. Tim will be finished with school then, and we want to get far away from South Carolina!
I live in South Dakota. It is really nice in the summer. It is also very safe as far as I am concerned. I used to live in Arcata, CA. That place is really rainbow friendly and actually a good place to raise kids as well because they have a lot to do for families. In SD, there is not much to do except the usual going to the park and arcade. There are some nice state parks but other than that, it is pretty boring. But rent is very cheap compared to some places, and gas prices are not that bad either. I don't drive much, try to walk a lot, but there are a lot of advantages to living here in the sticks and there is a cool little hippy clan here too, but also it's a melting pot of people. Lots of immigrants from Ethiopia, Sudan, and eastern Europe. Also, a lot of african americans from Chicago and Detroit are moving here to get away from the harsh ghetto life in the inner big cities.So it's a huge growing place, Sioux Falls that is.
I would love to live in San Francisco. The problem is, of course, that you have to make 80 thousand dollars a year to get by as a homeless person there. Slight exaggeration, but it still is expensive. In all honesty, Upstate New York was a good place to grow up. Relatively inexpensive, it's pretty, and there are a lot of jobs. The problem is that the public schools are still using the Regents Program, which is a pretty shaky. It’s our state requirements, but they’re not very good. The bar is either raised to high or too low, and you never know where it’s going to be from year to year. A lot of good private schools, especially Poughkeepsie Day School, but they cost a lot of money and are very snobby.
Did you check out hippy havens from this site yet? I have been to many of those towns and they are indeed hippy havens !(and usually great places to raise children. )I remember seeing a site once called www.findyourspot.com they'll ask questions about what you like then customize suggestions of towns to your liking. sugrmag - I hope you have visited Colorado to know for sure if it's for your family. Unfortunatly I made the mistake of moving to Colorado Springs - hating it - then moving all the way back home. There are definately some awesome places in Colorado though! Crestone is Gorgeous - Based in the mountains of the Sangre de Cristos. Boulder is cool but it is also an expensive place to live cuz of the colleges. Nederland is also VERY nice. Where are you headed?
I want to bring my kids up in another country- probably Mexico, Spain, or Argentina. Spain especially because, let's face it, Americans don't have access to such good education as Europe's. I lucked out with a great high school that lets me take alot of advanced classes and be self-motivated, but many schools only go up to, say, Spanish 4 in languages. That's just pathetic. Even many private schools don't make the cut. I don't think home schooling is a good idea (no offense to anyone who does it, I just know that I would have probably killed my parents had they ever done that to me), so I need to live in a country that offers amazing public schools. I want my kids to grow up bi-lingual and bi-cultural so they'll understand their place in the world as well.
Hey kyndmama, thanks for that link. It was sorta fun taking the quiz and my list actually brought up places that I thought of living before. It had alot of New England and Oregon but no Maine or Hawaii which are our top 2 choices to live right now.
The quiz was fun! I DIDN'T get Chicago on my list. I did get San Bernadino, Frederick Maryland, Albuquerque, Fayetteville, Ak, Charlston WV, Las Vegas (WTF) El Cajon CA, Portland, Sacramento, Medfor OR, Reno, Carson City, Sheboygan WI (the (ONLY city that is anywhere where I live now) Honolulu, (SURE!) Salem OR, Santa Barbara, Shrevepor LA, and a couple of cities in Conn. I guess I should live in the West.
I live in Sacramento Ca I like it here we have good seasons and we don't get snowed in in the winter but get snow less then an hour away in winter. We are in the center of everything travel wise..ocean, farms, snow, redwoods,wine country, whatever....it's jsut a day trip away...
Kyndmama, thanks for the info! We haven't gone out there, yet but we plan to this summer to see if we really want to do it. We are thinking more along the lines of Boulder/Denver area. I'm about to graduate with an accounting degree, and Tim is going to be finished with school (welding) by this time next year, so the $$ thing shouldn't be an issue. I DO want to check out the schools before we make any decision, too. I hope to home school, but just in case, I want a kick ass public school to fall back on.
I live in germany, but I grew up part in tunisia, a small country in northern africa. If I ever had the chance again, I would probably go there. Teach art in the small but wonderful international school, have a house by the mediterranean sea.... wonderful seasons... europe not to far... what do you want more ;-)
I took the quiz too. I don't remember all of the ones I got, but I remember Bosten, Mass., and San Francisco, of course. I swear, California has a Jessica magnet called San Francisco and is trying despritely to pull me there. Though do I really want Schwartzy for my governer? Seriously, Massachusetts does seem like a good place to live, even if they are the home of the Red Sox. (you know, they have established a holiday for when the Sox broke the curse- It's About Fucking Time Day. Lol) I wonder how expencive it is to live there.
I took that little test thing and most of mine were in Massachusetts... surprise surprise. Not my hometown though. My #1 was Danbury, Connecticut, which is pretty true. Also in the top 5 was Santa Fe, Sheboygan, Boston, and Providence RI. If I have to spend the rest of my life in the US, it's either going to be the Northeast or the Southwest. I could maybe even stand the midwest if I was in a city like Omaha.
Always wanted to emigrate, just never knew were too. So that quiz was great. Not sure how accurate it is though as the top suggestion was Little Rock, Arkansas. Now maybe it's changed since the civil rights movement, but still not keen. Suggested a few places in Oregon, Connecticut, and New England, those sound promising. (Well Connecticut would be if I could spell it unaided ) Might have to give it another go and see.
just don't pick florida - it's getting down right crazy here. there's jobs, if you want to work in hospitality or be a temp - but the schools are lousy, they are plowing under the whole state so the can concrete it over in the name of 'progress', and the cops are out of control. florida's unofficial motto? come on vacation, leave on probation, come back on violation....
funny i like all these places. the top one i visit all the time. cahttanooga tennesee greenville SC hickory NC asheville nc johnson city TN bloomington Indiana then i got tulsa OK clarkesville tn cincinati oh knoxeville tn auburn al athens georgia. im a little upset that louisville didnt come up.
wow, it just listed my top choices in their top 10! all of them! i'm impressed. it also gave me some other places to consider...
