Want to move - where is like this:

[Radish4ever]

We are really unhappy where we live. I have basically grown up here for half of my life (and in TX my whole life) and I don't want to live in regret that I didn't branch out....

 

I am wanting to move somewhere that has easy homeschooling requirements (or none, like TX!), where non-vaxxing is easy (easy exemptions), and where there are lots of educational opportunities (like childrens' museums, science centers, theatres, etc) and recreational activities (like city-run programs with pools, karate, basketweaving, whatever as well as private ones).

 

Does anyone have suggestions??

 

The goal is that we'd move after we pay off our debt, get some savings, and then put our home on the market about the same time DH looks for a job elsewhere (we can live with family if he's still looking and our house has sold). This way we would have money to live on and if we moved far away, we could just sell all our big stuff and start fresh when we moved.

 

Help!!! I'm really depressed where we live because we're so isolated. The homeschooling groups don't offer many activities and certainly that also has a lot to do with the lack of PLACES here (I went to the big annual picnic of one and the "big thing" everyone kept telling me about when I asked about activities was their big Valentine's day skating party...uhhh) and I just really need to try something new. I don't want to live my life as "what if".

 

I would also love to live in an area with some distinct seasons!!! 4 of them every year!? :lol: We pretty much just have ridiculously hot, not so darn hot, and where the heck did this cold come from? No pretty scenery either here...

[babysparkler]

Except for the seasons and getting out of Texas, the DFW area fits the bill :) We love it here and we are packed with opportunities/support. We moved here from the northeast and we are here to stay... there is no place like Texas :)

[OnTheBrink]

Central Illinois. If you pick someplace close to St. Louis (but stay on the IL side) you'll have the best of both worlds. It's not that expensive to live, you can enjoy all St. Louis has to offer (zoo, science center, museums, etc) and you'll have the complete freedom to hs unhindered.

 

Or, you could go to Chicago, which has more educational opportunities, but is more expensive to live.

 

Or, you could place yourself about in the middle between St. Louis and Chicago (which would be around Bloomington or Champaign, or maybe Peoria) and have the best of it all! :D

 

ETA: We have seasons here! And, the central part of the state doesn't get winter as bad as the north part. I'm a San Diego transplant and I LOVE it here, even the cold!

[Scarlett]

Central Illinois. If you pick someplace close to St. Louis (but stay on the IL side) you'll have the best of both worlds. It's not that expensive to live, you can enjoy all St. Louis has to offer (zoo, science center, museums, etc) and you'll have the complete freedom to hs unhindered.

 

Northwest AR is similar to this. I doubt they have all that St. Louis has to offer (I don't live there), but there is a huge homeschooling community there. Both VA and independent.

[Tiff in TX]

Except for the seasons and getting out of Texas, the DFW area fits the bill :) We love it here and we are packed with opportunities/support. We moved here from the northeast and we are here to stay... there is no place like Texas :)

 

:iagree:

And as for the seasons.... we sometimes get two or three seasons in a single day :lol:

[Heather in Neverland]

As much as I hate to say it....Southeast Michigan.

[EKS]

Seattle area?

[Tess in the Burbs]

well we didn't want to move here but now I appreciate it for all it has :-)

 

We are in VA, the Hampton Roads/Tidewater area (Norfolk/Virginia Beach/Hampton/Williamsburg)

 

It is easy to hs here. It has TONS of museums and such for kids/families. You aren't too far from DC for all that. We have the beach :-) We don't vax and the state has an easy exemption form. It has 4 seasons.

 

We like our lives here and for kids it's great...always something to do. It's not one big city with suburbs ......it's tons of individual cities...and each city has to have it's own thing...so you seriously have a ton of opportunities. We have several hs leagues for sports and a local hs store.

 

I never would have chosen to come here, but now we realize how nice it is here. the bad thing is housing is overpriced IMO. but with so many different cities you can really find where you feel most at home. Norfolk is more urban in some areas and VB has all kids...city feel all the way to country(Pungo area). We are in a growing area but the city is mostly rural although I never get to that part of town, lol.

 

have fun looking and choosing!

[babysparkler]

:iagree:

And as for the seasons.... we sometimes get two or three seasons in a single day :lol:

 

Isn't that the truth!!!:lol:

[Marie in OR]

There's no place better than the Pacific Northwest! Green, beautiful, four seasons, perfect summer weather, fresh air and water. If you live near Portland, you are 90 minutes from the beach and 90 minutes from skiing or snow play mountains. It has a pretty good homeschooling network, not many homeschooling restrictions (notification and testing at 3rd, 5th, 8th, 10th). Loaded with culture, museums, historic sites (Lewis and Clark or Oregon Trail, anyone?). Can you tell I like it here?

 

Now the bad news...as in many places, the job market is not good at the moment. Given time, the big high tech sector will bring it all back, I'm thinking. There are some good house bargains out there right now!

[LNC]

I'm fascinated by Maine. We went to Acadia last summer and loved it. Portland Maine is where I would move if I could live anywhere, but I don't know Maine's homeschool laws.

[jujsky]

I live in southern NH and I love it! It's not horribly difficult to HS here (you register and then submit a portfolio or standardized test results) but I'm not sure how easy it is to get vaccination exemptions. We do a delayed vaccination schedule and we've never had a problem with that, but I don't know how exemptions are handled.

 

We live in a small city, so unlike many of the smaller, surrounding towns, there are activities through the community. My kids had week-long swimming lessons this year for $20 each through the city. The lessons were awesome -- far better than those at the YMCA. The city also has soccer, football, and basketball offered through parks and rec. There are a couple of outdoor skating rinks and a big indoor skating arena that offers (inexpensive) public skate. There are a couple of community and children's theaters. There is an art museum about 20 minutes away in the next city. We have a man-made lake/state park about 20 minutes away (it costs about $2-$4 to get into it depending on the day). There are several state parks within easy driving distance. We live only an hour from Boston, and there is a bus that goes there, so any major cultural/educational activity you'd want to participate in is easily accessible.

 

We live about 40 minutes from the ocean, 40 minutes from the mountains. We get all 4 seasons here. Homeschoolers can participate in public school classes or activities if they choose. The only real negative I see is the cost of living. It's pretty high!

[OhM]

Central Ohio is very nice:

 

Relatively simple hsing req's - check

vaxxing - ?not sure

seasons - yep, got that for sure!

hs'ing community - I'm not part of a co-op myself, but I know of at least three that seem to be thriving. And even without being part of a co-op - I find the problem isn't finding something to do, it's deciding among the great options and activities! We take advantage of inexpensive hs gym and band programs, and have had to put a great swimming and some art programs on the back burner for now.

 

We have the added benefit of living in a rural area in easy proximity to a smaller city (Lancaster, ~35,000 pop.) but still within reach of the "big city" - Columbus - and all that it offers.

[Jenny in Atl]

Seattle area?

 

Wahhhhhhhh....:sad:

 

Someone find my dh a job in Seattle or Portland... Pretty please! I wanna move too. My vote is either PNW or the North East for 4 season, and lots of stuff to do. We kinda have 4 seasons in Hotlanta, as well as tons of shopping, but not too much else. And we are way too far from the coast. :tongue_smilie:

[jujsky]

I'm fascinated by Maine. We went to Acadia last summer and loved it. Portland Maine is where I would move if I could live anywhere, but I don't know Maine's homeschool laws.

 

I'm not overly familiar with them, but I'm a native Mainer from right outside of Portland. Maine is beautiful. From what I understand from my mom who works at a school in Maine, the homeschooling laws are pretty easy. They're similar to NH. The public schools will even let you borrow books. They also allow homeschoolers to participate in activities/classes.

[*********]

As much as I hate to say it....Southeast Michigan.

 

HEY! Hey now, why would you hate to say it? Certainly not because of the economy here... :D

 

But seriously, I live in a Detroit suburb. There's lots of stuff to do, lots of homeschool groups. Just make sure your dh's job has NOTHING to do with the automotive industry. My dh's does, as does, well, most of the folks we know, in some way or another. We've been blessed dh still HAS a job. The unemployment here in our area is, oh, I think around 15%. In the actual city of detroit, I believe it's over 30%.

 

We do have 4 seasons. Well, 3 this year; what happened to fall?! The high today is 46!

 

Oh, and the cost of living is CHEAP.

[Avila]

Central Illinois. If you pick someplace close to St. Louis (but stay on the IL side) you'll have the best of both worlds. It's not that expensive to live, you can enjoy all St. Louis has to offer (zoo, science center, museums, etc) and you'll have the complete freedom to hs unhindered.

 

 

We fit in all but the active homeschool groups. The Illinois suburbs of St. Louis probably have more to offer than the OP has now, but honestly, the homeschool groups here don't offer that much. There are weekly PE classes at the YMCA and occasional field trips, but that is about it. People moving here from other places ALWAYS complain about that part and how hard it is to really meet people and get hooked into things here. And we are all kind of spread out, so when you do meet people, you often live 25-45 minutes away from them.

 

The Missouri side has WAY more to offer. They have many more groups and more activities to offer. This is JMO as somebody living here.

 

PM me if you are interested in details, and I will tell you more.

 

ETA: Oh, and the job situation in St. Louis is not good right now, and almost everyone I know works in St. Louis because there have never been many jobs over here.

Edited October 15, 2009 by Asenik

[musicmommy]

I'd have to agree with the Pacific Northwest, other than not a bunch of jobs here and a kind of high cost of living. Tons to do, easy to homeschool, many doctors don't blink an eye when it comes to vaxing and the parent's choice. We love it here! I love having the mountains and the ocean within a 90 minute drive from us. Lots and lots of hiking areas. We live about 45 minutes from Portland which makes everything there and in Salem accessible to us.

 

I could gush on and on out the PNW. Love it, love it, love it!

[FourOaks]

I'd 2nd the IL side of St. Louis (Asenik -- where are you? I am from that area). Or even Central IL -- I'd stay clear of Chicago --outrageous cost of living IMHO. However, I put a HUGE vote in for Indianapolis area. We came here from IL and LOVE IT! It has everything, and I do mean everything you want. Very little traffic, modest housing costs, all the museums and so forth, professional and non-professional sports teams, and homeschooling is easy here and very prevalent. Teach 180 days and you're good to go.

 

I must say though that Tess lives in a beautiful area. Last month while on vacation there I WANTED to move there!! If it weren't for the cost of housing increase (as compared to Indy area), I may be begging my hubby to go!

[whitestavern]

New England fits a lot of those requirements. You wouldn't want to be far into the sticks, nor too far from a city, so you're near lots of activities and cultural opportunities. We live in a super rural town 15 min from Hartford. We can easily access Hartford and New Haven, Boston, Springfield, & Worcester, MA, and NYC is an easy day trip for us. All four seasons are represented and CT has NO homeschooling laws. None, nada, nothing. There are several large homeschooling organizations, as well as smaller, more defined ones. The one drawback is the cost of living; it's considered pretty high.

[Tap]

...... the Pacific Northwest! Green, beautiful, four seasons, perfect summer weather, fresh air and water. If you live near Portland, you are 90 minutes from the beach and 90 minutes from skiing or snow play mountains. It has a pretty good homeschooling network, not many homeschooling restrictions (notification and testing at 3rd, 5th, 8th, 10th). Loaded with culture, museums, historic sites (Lewis and Clark or Oregon Trail, anyone?). !

 

Salem or Portland Oregon would fit......QUOTE]

 

..... My vote is either PNW .......QUOTE]

 

I'd have to agree with the Pacific Northwest, other than not a bunch of jobs here and a kind of high cost of living. Tons to do, easy to homeschool, many doctors don't blink an eye when it comes to vaxing and the parent's choice. We love it here! I love having the mountains and the ocean within a 90 minute drive from us. Lots and lots of hiking areas. .......QUOTE]

 

:iagree::iagree::iagree::iagree:

 

 

Portland, Oregon/Vancouver, Wa (just over the river) is a wonderful place to homeschool. There are many homeschool groups, organized homeschool activities, nature opportunities, seasonal variety, historical/cultural events, arts events/museums/galleries, international airport for travel, environmental awareness and a lot of very nice people. Homeschooling is seen as perfectly normal here, and we have never been happier.

 

My guess is that the summers are in the 80s/90s (occasional low 100s), fall 50s/70s, winter 20s/50s (occasional snow but not for months at a time), spring 40s/70s. There are definitely 4 seasons with sunny summer days that are hot enough for a pool but not so hot that you can't go outside to play, golden/red fall leaves, a little winter snow, and spring flowers.

[Cera]

I would also recommend Virginia Beach. We loved it there and would go back in a heartbeat. It never really snows but it gets cold (and you can drive to the snow in a few hours). There are also quite a few active coops.

[JFSinIL]

Central Illinois. If you pick someplace close to St. Louis (but stay on the IL side) you'll have the best of both worlds. It's not that expensive to live, you can enjoy all St. Louis has to offer (zoo, science center, museums, etc) and you'll have the complete freedom to hs unhindered.

 

Or, you could go to Chicago, which has more educational opportunities, but is more expensive to live.

 

Or, you could place yourself about in the middle between St. Louis and Chicago (which would be around Bloomington or Champaign, or maybe Peoria) and have the best of it all! :D

 

ETA: We have seasons here! And, the central part of the state doesn't get winter as bad as the north part. I'm a San Diego transplant and I LOVE it here, even the cold!

 

She took the words right outta my mouth, er, outta my head. And I am from S. California as well!

[Happy]

Well, it's Texas, but Ft. Worth really fits your bill. Great homeschool laws and oodles of support groups, activities, sports leagues, classes, co-ops, and more. Cultural stuff galore...the Kimbell, the newly expanded Science museum, Bass Hall...and all those professional and semi-pro sports teams to root for.

 

Personally, I think we have four seasons because I have to wear a coat in January and February.

 

And, hon, if you've been living in the Permian Basin ANY place is gonna have better scenery!!!!! ;)

[TXMomof4]

Well, it's Texas, but Ft. Worth really fits your bill. Great homeschool laws and oodles of support groups, activities, sports leagues, classes, co-ops, and more. Cultural stuff galore...the Kimbell, the newly expanded Science museum, Bass Hall...and all those professional and semi-pro sports teams to root for.

 

Personally, I think we have four seasons because I have to wear a coat in January and February.

 

And, hon, if you've been living in the Permian Basin ANY place is gonna have better scenery!!!!! ;)

 

Amen! I moved to DFW from Lubbock - it's a different planet! Dallas has tons to do. Honestly, I'd prefer to be in Ft. Worth, but DH's job is on this side of the metroplex.

[Jennifer in MI]

I agree with the two pps who mentioned MI! I also live in a suburb of Detroit and, yes, the unemployment rate is sky high right now, but that means you can get a GREAT deal on a house right now! (The value of our house has fallen 40% since we bought it just TWO years ago. Ugh)

 

There are NO requirements as far as homeschooling is concerned.

 

And, we have four distinct seasons. And, yup - this year, we skipped one (or two? did we ever really get a summer?).

 

And, I can put in a great word for my suburb! We have wonderful opportunities here for kids of all ages! And, Detroit is right around the corner (we're 15 - 20 minutes from nearly anything we'd want to do downtown). They have a great art museum, science museum, theater, orchestra, etc, etc, etc.

 

Good luck with your decision!

[Tangerine]

Have you tried findyourspot.com? I love that site.

[mrscopterdoc]

There's no place better than the Pacific Northwest! Green, beautiful, four seasons, perfect summer weather, fresh air and water. Can you tell I like it here?

 

I'd have to agree with the Pacific Northwest

I could gush on and on out the PNW. Love it, love it, love it!

 

:iagree:

[MommyRyan]

Grand Rapids, MI. I'd move there in a heartbeat. Half hour from the lake, two hours from Detroit and Chicago; the only growing economy in Michigan. Great, down-to-earth people, dirt-cheap real estate, big homeschool community. Definite four seasons. I can't stress enough how amazing this city is: the energy is incredible. I have truly never felt so welcome anywhere in my life.

[amyco]

Denver metro area fits all those requirements! Easy hs requirements, easy to get out of vaccinations, four distinct seasons (no, really...even if autumn gets confused and thinks it's winter for a week), tons of stuff to do, a huge hs community (more than one group), close to mountains. Most local communities/suburbs have their own museums, libraries, theatre groups, sports groups, you name it, not to mention all the stuff that's in Denver. We have lots of good trails in the area for walking/running/biking. And good shopping! It's all a little overwhelming sometimes. I'm guessing the cost of living is somewhere in the middle of the country average. Heck, if I didn't live here I'd want to move here!