We want to relocate to the south..does this place exist?

[SailorMom]

I think if you want a small town feel, somewhere around dothan or enterprise might be nice. (AL) Mobile is pretty big. But, Saraland AL is not big and they have a newly formed city school system that is pretty attractive to home buyers. We don't have palm trees, but FL is a stone's throw...,

 

We lived in Enterprise for 6 months :) That's why it reminded me of Alabama....

I don't know the surrounding areas very well - but you know the movie Forest Gump? The house with the huge lawn? That's what the area reminded me of. Everyone has acres of space.

It takes about 3 hours to get to Destin, FL (a resort beach town) and there are many very nice lakes nearby.

VERY low cost of living. Houses are about 1/3 of what they are here (panhandle, fl)

That being said - not much to do without a long drive. Small town life :)

[Jan in SC]

If you want SC, I would look in the upstate between Greenville and Spartanburg. Boiling Springs, Duncan, and Greer have what you're looking for. You are in the Bible Belt, so it's really conservative. You can get a nice house with some land and thee are several decent schools. There are many private school in Greenville, which is vey close.

 

I do live in SC, but I don't live in that part of the state. If you can spend a little more money, you should look in Mount Pleasant near Charleston. It doesn't have the tourists that you have to deal with downtown, or the crime! It has decent schools and there is awesome beach access a few miles away! You might not get quite as much land, though.

We used to live there and I really miss it.

[astrid]

I just know we are getting the heck out of this lousy state we are in. I am SO sick of it.

 

Just curious--- in which NE state do you live?

We have friends who moved to the Hendersonville, NC area. I don't think it's especially conservative, but they ADORE it.

 

astrid (taxed to death in CT!)

[MamaT]

Just curious--- in which NE state do you live?

We have friends who moved to the Hendersonville, NC area. I don't think it's especially conservative, but they ADORE it.

 

astrid (taxed to death in CT!)

 

Hendersonville is a nice town with lots of transplants, but it does snow there. We live about 45 minutes north (Asheville area), but I go to Hendersonville every day for dd's gymnastics and my dh owns a business there. There is a great homeschool group there.

[vonfirmath]

Hello! Look up Austin, TX in your U.S. Atlas. I'm pretty sure that's the description you'll read. :)

 

I live in Austin, TX and it fits most, but not all of those.

You'd have to go out a ways to get houses on 1 acre of land. Of course, the houses there would be cheaper as well.

 

(Technically, I live in Del Valle, TX. But I do have a palm tree just across the street from me. There are several on our street. So it isn't something I normally associate with Texas, but they are here!)

 

Oh and Texas is conservative, but Austin is liberal -- much more liberal than the rest of Texas for sure (but I'm finding that makes it very similar to conservative in Washington state, where I lived for 14 years before coming home again)

 

I would NOT recommend SC. My parents live in West Columbia and says there is very much a "good old boy" attitude there. Transplants have a much harder time finding jobs than people who grew up there. My mom got into the University of South Carolina because her professor had graduated from there. My dad has never been able to find a job (17-ish years of living there). He worked in Georgia for a while and is now a travelling teacher all around the Central-East Coast

Edited August 31, 2010 by vonfirmath

[lllll]

..

[Ellie]

Actually Ellie, I don't even know that that is a requirement, since it is legal to homeschool for someone else here. :D

 

(I have considered sending my 6 YO DD to my former 1st grade teacher for reading.)

True dat. :lol:

[Ellie]

I live in Austin, TX and it fits most, but not all of those.

You'd have to go out a ways to get houses on 1 acre of land. Of course, the houses there would be cheaper as well.

Even then, you'd be close enough to the Big City to enjoy any of its perks. :D

[TXMary2]

Hello! Look up Austin, TX in your U.S. Atlas. I'm pretty sure that's the description you'll read. :)

 

 

I agree with the Texas part, but Austin isn't exactly "conservative." Unless you are comparing Austin to say, Chicago or SFO -then it is conservative. LOL

[chiguirre]

Although Houston has a very conservative reputation, I don't think it really reflects actual city government. Our mayor is gay, most of the city council is D and public facilities are a priority and well-funded. Texas is already a majority-minority state and that trend's probably going to continue in the future. So Houston might flunk the conservative and demographic tests.

 

Other than that, it meets most of the OP's criteria. We get snow as a special treat every couple of years. It melts almost immediately, but it looks pretty and the kids get excited. We do have palms, but they can be killed by cold weather, so they require gardening vigilance. Our schools are lame, but there are better and worse areas. Our public universities are well respected and a bargain. Crime depends on the area. For $200K you can live in a safe area with relatively good schools and 4 BRs. You'll have to pick between parks and acreage, they tend to be mutually exclusive. If you live on the south side of Houston, you're less than an hour from the beaches on Galveston Island. However, you are in the mandatory evacuation zone in case of a hurricane. On the north side it's an extra 45 minutes to Galveston, but you can "hunker down" safely. The economy in Houston is relatively strong due to the oil industry.

[jentancalann]

Valdosta, GA would be my suggestion. It has most of the things on your list, but is about 2 hours from the beach (Jacksonville). I went to school there and we started our family there. It is hot, though!

[DawnM]

I really like going up there! I could live there. Unfortunately, DH's job is in Charlotte.

 

My dad's good friend is an orthopedic surgeon there and dad came all the way out here to have his hip replacement at the Hendersonville hospital.

 

Dawn

 

Hendersonville is a nice town with lots of transplants, but it does snow there. We live about 45 minutes north (Asheville area), but I go to Hendersonville every day for dd's gymnastics and my dh owns a business there. There is a great homeschool group there.

[DawnM]

Have you taken the quiz:

 

http://www.findyourspot.com/Default.asp

[Dobela]

 

We also liked Texas and Arkansas, although I'm not sure about the current job market in Arkansas, and some of their smaller towns may not be outsider friendly.

 

Well, if you are looking for property close to a lake,then yes, you can live in most places in Arkansas and be near a lake, as long as you are west of center. However, we are hundreds of miles from any ocean beach unless you live in the most southern parts of Arkansas. Hot humid summers (just had a record breaking 60+ days straight over 90 with 80% humidity or more), mild winters in the south central parts (like south of Little Rock). Jobs haven't been hit as hard here as other places but the housing/building industry has almost completely died. Most electricians I know have lost half of their business or more. And, many of the small towns are not necessarily outsider friendly as the PP said. Two larger towns have large retirement communities predominately filled with 'yankees' and most of those folks are not well liked. A lot of it is simply because they seem to come here and then complain about everything and go on and on and on about how everything was done better where ever they came from. So, if you don't complain, you might be ok even in small communities.

 

Depending on which town you chose it may be very liberal or very conservative with great or terrible schools.

[juelle]

Another plug for SE Alabama. Dh grew up in Dothan and one of his best friends from school works at the power plant there. Not very diverse, I would guess, but pretty quiet, comfortable and affordable.

 

I'm feeling panic attacks already at the thought of another NE winter. Hope you find your spot.

 

My sister emigrated to Chico, CA after finding that it matched a wish list similar to yours. They moved after a few years to Fresno for a job, and seem quite happy there. You just never know!:001_smile:

[Frontier Mom]

Well, I admit I didn't read all the responses, but we have it all except the palm trees. We do have them, they are just planted by homeowners and not everywhere. We also live right on Lake Norman. My house is two houses away from the lake and my guys fish off the neighbors dock almost every afternoon. We do get snow about every 5 years though and it is a requirement to shut down all schools and rush to the store for bread and milk. I've lived in the South my whole life and still can't figure that one out as our power is the first to go.

 

PM me if you want specifics about where I live but it is about 20 minutes above Charlotte, NC. Small town but lots of neighborhoods because of the lake. Oh, and my dh is a pastor so I'm sure we can find you a church! Couple of private schools close by and the houses are a great deal right now.

 

It must be a great place to live because most of my neighbors all moved from New York and Michigan. We are actually the ones with the accent on the cul-de-sac.

[leighp]

Georgia is pretty nice.

[AngieW in Texas]

Austin or the suburbs around it would work.

 

1. A conservative state

Texas fits this.

 

2. WARM weather. No bare trees!!!! NO snow.

We typically got snow 1x/yr that lasted just 1-2 days in Dallas. We've been in the Austin area for 7 years now and have only had snow 3x.

 

3. Jobs. Especially in the electrical industry.

Texas seems to be doing very well compared to other states and Austin is doing very well compared to other cities in Texas.

 

4. Family friendly with parks.

Lots of parks in Austin.

 

5. No houses on top of one another. At least an acre of land or more.

You'd want to go just outside of Austin for houses on acreage that are affordable.

 

6. More house for your money. Can you get a 4BR house to rent uner 1500.00 a month to rent? Or under 200,000 to buy?.

You can get a 4BR house on acreage for under $200k here, but you have to go out a little farther from Austin proper. It's still leaves a commute that's fairly reasonable.

 

7. Churches

The street behind my house is just 1.25 miles long and has 3 churches.

 

8. Palm trees would be a bonus

Two houses in the neighborhood next to ours have palm trees.

 

9. Low crime

We have never had an issue. One of our neighbors got broken into last year, but that was the only crime on our street the entire time we've been here (7 years). I know that somebody had a bike stolen from his open garage on the next street over.

 

10. Although we have none in school, schools are a priority because of resale. Also, close proximaty to private schools.

I have actually had my oldest in ps for two years and my youngest for two weeks. I didn't have any problems dealing with the schools and my neighbors all think the schools are great.

 

11. Within a half hour of a lake or an hour of the beach.

We're about 20 minutes from a lake, but a long way away from a real beach (if you mean actual ocean).

 

12. FRIENDLY PEOPLE!!!!

definitely

 

13. LOW taxes

No state tax in Texas.

[ma23peas]

1. A conservative state

2. WARM weather. No bare trees!!!! NO snow.

3. Jobs. Especially in the electrical industry.

4. Family friendly with parks.

5. No houses on top of one another. At least an acre of land or more.

6. More house for your money. Can you get a 4BR house to rent uner 1500.00 a month to rent? Or under 200,000 to buy?.

7. Churches

8. Palm trees would be a bonus

9. Low crime

10. Although we have none in school, schools are a priority because of resale. Also, close proximaty to private schools.

11. Within a half hour of a lake or an hour of the beach.

12. FRIENDLY PEOPLE!!!!

13. LOW taxes

 

Okay, does this place even exist???

 

Love to hear your thoughts!

 

I'm an Alabama/Georgia/Florida nut...born in Alabama, lived in Georgia/traveled the state for my job, vacationed in Florida sooo many times....here would be my votes

 

Anniston, Alabama....Prattville, AL (outside Montgomery)....Madison, AL (outside Huntsville)...Decatur, AL

Macon, Georgia....Valdosta, Georgia....Newnan, Georgia (about 45 minutes from Atlanta) Warner Robbins, Georgia (just not sure about private schools there)

Perry, Florida....more rural...

 

Now on electrical jobs, check with Alabama Power/Georgia Power...they might have a map of sorts that locates big power areas for both states...most our electrical runs off TVA (Tennessee Valley Authority) and they have plants throughout the state...

 

We are outside Huntsville, I like being close to a city just for all the opp's for our kids....

 

Good luck, you won't regret it! :)

Tara

[Joker]

St. Augustine / St. Johns county

 

It seems we're still doing really well even in this economy. The tourists are still coming here like crazy. It looks good according to your requirements except possibly the job. I really don't know about jobs in the electrical industry here. Everything else on your list is here.:D

[unity]

We lived at Ft Rucker near Enterprise, AL for about 20 months. Beautiful lake there open to the public, and 2 hrs to the ocean. Good community in nearby Enterprise. Lots of churches, lovely park in town. Friendly people everywhere. Way more affordable real estate than I was used to in NH.

 

Dothan is much bigger and might offer more opportunities, although we found most of what we needed right in Enterprise. The whole area was very nice.

[celticmom]

I saw that Pass Christian was mentioned already. Further east on the MS gulf coast is nice as well. Helena/Big Point/Hurley has many if not most of the items on your list. Another benefit is that when you want the amenities of a larger city Mobile, AL is a relatively short drive away. There are more private schools in AL than here in MS but if I decided to go that route I would probably take my dd over to Mobile every day.

[celticmom]

Another benefit of the either end of the MS gulf coast is that you would have the option of working in Louisiana in the west or Alabama in the east in addition to MS.

[greensummervillian]

Consider Summerville, SC. If I had plenty of money, I'd recommend Mt. Pleasant, which is right next door to Charleston but Summerville is almost as nice for less money.

 

1. A conservative state-Yes.

 

2. WARM weather. No bare trees!!!! NO snow.-It's rarely truly cold here. You can make it through most of the winter with a light jacket.

 

3. Jobs. Especially in the electrical industry- Check

 

4. Family friendly with parks.- Yes, we have parks. Charleston has more, and they are nearby. Still, S'ville has some nice parks and the town itself is beautiful, especially in spring when the azaleas bloom. You'll find lots of families here.

 

5. No houses on top of one another. At least an acre of land or more.- Depends where you look. We have compact suburbs and very large lots.

 

6. More house for your money. Can you get a 4BR house to rent uner 1500.00 a month to rent? Or under 200,000 to buy?.- If you want an acre plus a 4br house for less than 200,000, you can't expect a beautiful mansion, but you can probably find something nice enough.

 

7. Churches- Yes, I find it amazing that one medium sized town can support as many churches as I see driving around here. Summerville is very friendly to evangelical conservative Christians. There are also at least 3 Catholic churches. I know Charleston has a few of the more liberal churches like Unitarian and gay friendly type churches. I haven't found anywhere like that in Summerville though.

 

8. Palm trees would be a bonus- Just this morning I was enjoying the scent of ripe palm fruit on my morning walk!

 

9. Low crime- I think we're average. Not sure, but I feel safe.

 

10. Although we have none in school, schools are a priority because of resale. Also, close proximaty to private schools.- Dorchester District 2 is considered the best district around. People move here or to Mt. Pleasant because of the schools. There are many private Christian schools, and Pinewood Prep is a highly regarded prep school.

 

11. Within a half hour of a lake or an hour of the beach.- Less than an hour from several beaches. Ashley River runs through S'ville, and you can swim in it. There are lakes about 30 min away too, though I never go there, because I prefer the beach.

 

12. FRIENDLY PEOPLE!!!!-When we moved here when I was a kid, we were treated like outsiders. Times have changed. The town has tripled in size, and there are lots of newcomers now. I guess the old timers got used to the new people. I think you will find it friendly here.

 

13. LOW taxes- I don't know how we are compared to other places.

[mhg]

You're describing Hattiesburg, Mississippi (we make the top 100 places to retire every year for many years). You may have heard of us by Brett Farve being from here or Tiger Woods having his sex rehab here, but don't let that steer you off :)). It's a great place (and, I've toured the entire US more than once). Friendly folks from all walks of life. Doesn't look or feel at all like a city. To me, it sounds EXACTLY like what you're describing. Beautiful area. Can get a lot of home/land for the money. Palm trees? (very few). Near lakes/ponds/parks. 90 miles from the beach. 2 hours from New Orleans. 2 hours from Mobile, AL. It's snowed like 4 times in 20 years (and only an inch or two that melts by the next day). Friendly people. Conservative. Mild winters. We do have HOT humid summers. Decent taxes. I've met many-a-yank who concurs it's the best kept secret around. A "suburb" of hattiesburg is Petal, MS (15 minutes northeast) of Hattiesburg and it's known for great public school district and is a nice, convenient little town. There's a few private schools in Hattiesburg. Give us a consideration! And we have several colleges here (one that has a college for dance/art if your daughter's a singer/dancer):-).

 

And, as to your question about could you get a home for $200,000 with 4 bedrooms and more than an acre, you can here! absolutely!.....here's one (of many)....(you always get the house for slightly lower than the asking price, eh?). http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/54-Stonegate_Hattiesburg_MS_39402_1119813700 (I know NO ONE in real estate.....so not why I'm listing this:-)!

Edited September 1, 2010 by mhg

[Guest]

Texas. San Antonio ranks as one of the best places to live in the US. AWESOME hs laws. I live in North Houston. I like it here. I have lived in almost every part of the US and of Houston, too. Hurricanes do happen, though. But TONS to do. Great medical center, museaums, NASA, water parks, beach,etc. If you need it, name it, somewhere in the Houston area, you will find it. Did I mention 2 homeschool speciality stores? One with a huge back room of used books?

Edited September 1, 2010 by Guest

[vonfirmath]

I agree with the Texas part, but Austin isn't exactly "conservative." Unless you are comparing Austin to say, Chicago or SFO -then it is conservative. LOL

 

My experience is that liberal in Texas is the same as conservative in many other parts of the country

[Melissa in NC]

North Carolina

 

They call us the "half-back state" as those who moved from the NE to FL and can't handle FL move to NC.....half way back to the NE! :lol:

 

We have TONS of transplants here from the NE. We are the odd-balls who moved from CA. :tongue_smilie:

 

Dawn

 

Totally agree with the above. It meets your requirements.

[My3Boys]

TX is good :) We just moved here and really like it so far. People have been VERY welcoming to us. We live in Fort Worth, and even though living in a bigger city has taken some getting used to, it's been nice.

 

We are FROM East TN. (And I'm so sorry to the previous poster that had a bad experience! But it can be kind of family centered in some places) I loved it there, and we may move back some day.

 

Neither of these places are very close to the beach, but do meet a lot of your requirements. And there's rarely any snow any more in the Knoxville area..especially in the valley. Even when it does, it doesn't hang around long.

 

I should add, there are a few things we miss about east TN (we were in Knoxville). We miss the mountains the most, and we lived near a lake we could take our canoe out on. It is a more conservative state than PA, although PA in general isn't bad, and we live in a very conservative county. You can comfortably be a conservative there.

 

People are friendly, in general. They just don't care to be "friends". Your neighbors would probably be a little warmer to you though.

 

We were there for 16 years so it's not like we didn't give it a chance. We just tired of feeling like we were being "shunned". We also tired of the aggressive driving habits, adults as well as teens (lots of kids from the local high schools killed in car accidents), and the materialism/pretentiousness that was so prevalent (it was worse at the Christian school and church). So many there seemed to judge you by how big a house you lived in, if you drove an SUV, etc. Lots of Mcmansions there! I don't know if that is prevalent in the south in general or confined to specific areas. We had friends in Atlanta and Chattanooga and they both said it was the same there. There are definitely places like that in the northeast as well, it just doesn't seem as widespread.

 

Are you by any chance in New England? Maybe you already said that.

[KidsHappen]

Sounds like TX to me.

 

1. A conservative state - TX is conservative, FL not so much

 

2. WARM weather. No bare trees!!!! NO snow. - About the same in both areas.

 

3. Jobs. Especially in the electrical industry. - TX job market is still doing pretty well whereas it is really bad in FL.

 

4. Family friendly with parks. - TX has these in abundance. There weren't so many in the parts of FL I lived in.

 

5. No houses on top of one another. At least an acre of land or more. - TX still has tons of land available. FL is over populated and their infrastructure can't handle it now.

 

6. More house for your money. Can you get a 4BR house to rent uner 1500.00 a month to rent? Or under 200,000 to buy?. Housing prices are excellent in TX and substantially higher in FL.

 

7. Churches - More than you could possiblt hope for.

 

8. Palm trees would be a bonus - There are some palm trees in TX but no where near as many as FL.

 

9. Low crime - FL has a very high crime rate. TX's is better especially farther out from the major cities.

 

10. Although we have none in school, schools are a priority because of resale. Also, close proximaty to private schools. I honestly have no idea what the school situation is in TX but I know that they are really bad in FL.

 

11. Within a half hour of a lake or an hour of the beach. - Lots of lakes in TX and close to a beach on the east coast. FL of course has tons of beaches.

 

12. FRIENDLY PEOPLE!!!! - These are about the same especially if you join one of the larger homeschool group or churches.

 

13. LOW taxes - Neither state has an income tax.

 

Other places to consider are TN & GA which meet most of your requirements.

[WTMCassandra]

Haven't had time to read the responses, but Titusville, FL comes to mind when I read your description. We have friends who've lived there for years. I LOVE Titusville.

[Joker]

Sounds like TX to me.

 

1. A conservative state - TX is conservative, FL not so much

 

 

9. Low crime - FL has a very high crime rate. TX's is better especially farther out from the major cities.

 

The part of FL we're in now is actually more conservative that the part of TX we moved from and has less crime. It totally depends on where you live. A lot of North Florida is actually really nice. We we found out dh was being transferred here we were very upset but were so surprised to see that it was nothing like what we were expecting.

[FriedClams]

One thing to factor in is property taxes. My parents paid $$$$ in upstate NY where we pay $ here. There is a HUGE difference between the N and S on this one.

 

As for fitting in - I'm a Yankee and have lived in the deep south for 15 years. I love it here now.

 

I would say that people here are polite more than "friendly". Like anywhere, it takes a year to get settled, make friends, fit in. There's still some N v. S stuff I see - but you can't fix stupid and ignorance is everywhere - just the rallying cries change.

 

If I could move anywhere in the S I'd pick Pensacola, FL. I loved, loved, loved it.

[Margo out of lurking]

I've never seen any kind of 'attitude' towards the transplants, or experienced any myself. I love it here.

 

Dh says our taxes are on the low side of average. And the biggest business in Roanoke is the healthcare business, says dh. There are also tons of retirement homes, assisted living centers, ambulatory care centers, etc., here. Dh says it's because it's a fairly low cost-of-living here. (He's on vacation and sitting right beside me here. :D)

 

...

You can pm me if you'd like.

 

Kathy, I tried PMing you, but it says you don't receive any personal messages. Maybe I'm doing it wrong?

 

We moved to the Roanoke Valley three years ago from Colorado. I agree with so much of what you said in your post. We researched places off an on for about ten years and ended up here. We loved Colorado; we love this part of Virginia!

 

Can you PM me? I'd love to chat privately, if you'd like.

[sheryl]

Charleston, SC!

Savannah, GA

Wilmington, NC

 

The snow issue is tricky. I'm originally from the north (OH, WI, MI). I know snow!

 

We moved to Charlotte, NC 20 years ago and love it. But, I still love the snow and wish we had more of it. Some time ago the eastern seaboard received 10=12" inches of snow, but I don't remember when. So, it's rare, but it can happen.

 

Remember last year. National news coverage of every state in the country had snow simultaneously! Except Hawaii I think. This is a recorded fact and publicized.

 

So, you may not get snow, and it may be slim, but no one can say that you will not ever get snow.

[smrtmama]

That's funny, I was going to say "well, Birmingham is nice..."

 

LOL

 

 

a

 

Sounds more like Mobile to me.

[lllll]

..

[mcconnellboys]

Sounds like southern Alabama, Mississippi, or Georgia to me..... Any of the area where TVA electric operates....

[Laura Corin]

 

4. Family friendly with parks. - TX has these in abundance. There weren't so many in the parts of FL I lived in.

 

 

We have visited Texas regularly over the years (my parents-in-law live there) but during the summer the parks are unusable until the evenings: the playground equipment is too hot to touch. Husband (who grew up there) spent all day every day of his summer holidays in the pool, so think about acceptable local pools if you decide on Texas.

 

Laura

[cjbeach]

This is a mixed review of a Yankee living in FL. I'm all over the place in my feelings....

I'm a NE transplant now living in FL. I've adapted to the weather, I've adapted to a lot - ok, not the bugs (I'll never get used to palmetto bugs, ever), but I have STILL not adapted to the the lack of culture. I'm not sure where you are in relation to NYC/NJ/PA but if you're used to NYC or thereabouts - you're not going to find that culture here. That is probably my #1 biggest issue. I am desperate to expose my children to the cultural activites that I grew up taking for granted, that just doesn't exist (without travel time) here.

And honestly, I still find things *too* slow. It drives me batty. I'm a go, go, go type of person, as is my dh (ex Wallstreeter) and though we love the beach (minus the sharks, here in the shark capital) I just have days when I just crave something to DO. The beach gets old very quick, the heat gets old even quicker, and I miss the seasons (snow? no. I can do without the snow). But I do miss brisk Fall days and I miss wearing boots. I think I'm actually tired of casual dressing because it's too stinkin hot to do your hair, face, and dress clothing.

I live near Orlando and would consider moving there but for those few extra degrees of humidity that we lose being on the coast- it is GOLDEN. We're not big Disney people (I cannot stand the in-your-face merchandising that makes makes visits with 3 small kids there HELL) but I would move there moreso for the ballet, a few museums, a few arenas,etc... Occasionally you'll find an opera traveling through and UCF has OrlandoShakes. Then there is the Rep (children's theater) in O-town. An alternative to that would be live in the Atlanta suburbs or Dallas/Houston suburbs I've heard (don't know that for certain).

 

So just know, if you move, you're not going to find the all-in-one culture here that you will up there. When I moved here a friend of mine, who is a professional dancer, told me the only culture here is Mickey Mouse, and he's sorta right. You have to seek it out, it doesn't abound here. My kids' tennis coach is from SoHo and he's not happy about the lifestyle here at all. He's back home visiting more than he is here.

 

Now... the cost of living... it IS much cheaper to live here however, the income is considerably lower as well. Obviously my electric bills are much higher than I ever paid before. Gasoline shockingly is a bit higher than what we pay back in NJ?!??! Real estate taxes are much cheaper but I wouldn't buy any time soon- we've been told we're not at the bottom. We actually walked from our home when the value dropped to less than 50% from what we owed on it (in a private,gated community with a dock on the lake:001_huh:). Private schools school prices vary. Anything in South FLorida is pricey, period. If you're considering an alternative to homeschooling Jax schools are sought out. I know friends who love Ponte Vedra, FL (Jax burb) and Lake Mary, FL (Orlando burb).

 

We are looking to move but I'm not sure where... I'm all over the place.

 

ETA_ Huge ++ for moving to south........ nice, warm, friendly Toll collectors! (If you've spent time on the Turnpike...you'll understand). Our toll collectors are actually friendly here!

Edited September 4, 2010 by cjbeach

[naturegirl7]

Check out the Space Coast of Florida. The Melbourne and Palm Bay areas are the nicest, most land, etc. Or more north like Port St John, which would also make it closer to Orlando (ie: more jobs).

We have GREAT and plentiful parks, the beach, nature trails, etc. Lots of great charter and private schools too. ACTIVE homeschooling community too. Housing market right now is a buyers market - lots of houses for sale and in foreclosure. Crime is average - seems low to me (unless you are up by Cocoa or in Orlando)

I wans't sure we'd like Florida honestly - but the area we finally ended up in is perfect for us right now.

[Sonshine]

We live in Houston too. I like living here, but do think the local economy is a little down. North Dallas is supposed to be hot economically, but it is much farther from the beach. You see a few palm tress here, but they are not always flourishing.

[Trish]

We live in Lakeland, FL, which has all those things you mentioned EXCEPT low crime -- have to say though we live southeast of the city (closer to Highland City) so it's really more like a 'burb in terms of safety, it feels VERY safe to us unless you go to a particular area north of the downtown at night.

 

Also we just started hsing this year and there's a nice big, well organized group with more activities than we can possibly take advantage of. We're 45 minutes from Tampa, 45 minutes from Disney. There are lots of local lakes, although "the beach" is probably an hour and 20 minutes from here.

 

But we don't have to evacuate in case of hurricanes, either. Taxes low, property prices falling...

[MotherGoose]

Charleston tends to be quite expensive--used to live there. The areas with better schools are particularly expensive. Columbia might be a better choice, or Greenvillle/Spartanburg. Columbia has a lot of lakes. Jobs may be a bit iffy, don't know about that.

[Trish]

I lived in the northeast for the first 30 years of my life, and although I never appreciated the cold (wasn't a skier, etc.) the weather never particularly bothered me, it was just a Fact of Life that we really only had 4 nice months of weather each year. With occasional thaws and flawless fall days. But a LOT of gray, gray days, too!

 

Anytime it's gray here in Florida (which is rare) I say, "feels like home!"

 

After living in Fla for 12 years I have to say the weather is great 90 percent of the time. The other 10 percent is too hot, so we either go swimming or stay inside with the A.C. on.

 

I never truly understood how BAD the weather can be up north until I moved away from it.

 

Now, even Georgia would be too cold for me!

[texasmama]

Haven't read all of the repliles, but I agree that some parts of Texas meet all of your criteria.

[AlmiraGulch]

Sounds like Southern Alabama to me....

:iagree:

[creekmom]

I've always dreamed of living in Savannah, Georgia. It seems so beautiful and welcoming- lots of southern charm and right on the coast.