Guest KatherineZ Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 I don't know if this is an answerable questions, but here goes. For the past 15 years we have been homeschooling in a rural area. We are contemplating a move of 2,000 miles to a city (but probably will live on the outskirts). The town we currently live in is friendly and safe and overall I think country living has been good for our family. However, as the kids get older their higher educational and job opportunities are very limited. Our kids would have to travel at least an hour to get to a community college. There seems to be a sort of apathetic character to our small town and as I and the kids get older I really feel the lack of social, intellectual and cultural stimulation. I'm not at all sure if moving closer to a city will help. We wouldn't be moving just for that reason. It would be primarily for my husband's job. However, we want to consider all the pros and cons. Anyone been in this situation? Moved from rural to city? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoVanGogh Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 Different situation, but we live in a city and had been thinking about moving to the country. I think DS needs 100 acres to roam. But for now, we love being plugged into an active homeschool community. There are so many field trip options, outside classes, etc. I enjoy being five minutes from quality art and music lessons, 15 minutes from homeschool sports classes, 30 minutes away from major art galleries. We have two nice community colleges within 20 minutes. Looking ahead, I would think this would be more of an issue. Like you said, job opportunities and community college options can be limited in rural areas. As far as academic expectations, my husband and I both grew up in a rural area with low expectations. As adults - and homeschooling parents - it is nice to live in an area with literally hundreds of other homeschool families that have equally high expectations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingnlearning Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 I haven't made the move from rural to city but we are considering it also. For us moving to a bigger town is still moving to another small town but right now we are very rural. I don't know if we'll be able to make our move but I do want to for the increased opportunities for the kids and me. I'd like to take classes myself, do more things, and I want the kids to have more options. The town we are considering has two excellent private schools, community college and a state college. It's also close to wilderness and outdoor activities. So while we would be moving to a more populated area we would still have a lot of what we love around. I worry about losing their connection with the country life but so much of that we would bring with us. We would still have property where we have horses so it's not as big an adjustment as if we moved right in town. If we had to do that I would have to make sure my daughter still had her horse and riding options-the last thing in the world I want to do is take away her horse in her teenage years and have her turn her attention to boys! Better horse crazy than boy crazy... We would still have to garden if we moved to the city to keep that connection, farmer's markets. We would still do camping trips and as much outside as possible to fill the gap. We would have to think of different chores... I think having the farm chores have instilled an excellent work ethic in the kids. I think you would have to bring what you love about rural living to the city as much as possible! Good luck with your choices and potential move! It's a lot to think about, I know! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 I'm not at all sure if moving closer to a city will help. We haven't moved from the country, but from the capital to a country city and back again. My guess is you won't know until a year or so after you move, but relocating to reduce travel times is a good reason by itself. Rosie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 I moved from a large city to a smaller rural city where I began homeschooling. I would love to be in a city and have theatres, museums, concerts and educational activities for my kids - we're two hours from a city. (This said: in a real city we might even have found school choices and would not have to homeschool) The one thing that we like about rural is that my DD gets to ride horses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justamouse Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 Well, I went from rural to a town. The CC is a walk away, there is a very active art culture, there is music and theater and the library is at the end of the block. I *love* it. It wasn't a move that we pursued for the sake of living closer to civilization, we were kinda backed into it, but now that we're here? I am thanking God for it every day. And, I didn't have to give up all of my rural ways-though I did give up my chickens. I have an enormous garden, a gorgeous yard, and we walk all over. I can get to the grocery in 2 minutes. There are farmers markets, mom and pop shops that are amazing, and I love walking to the yarn store. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 We live right in the middle of a city. If you click my blog, our house is in that row of houses. I've never homeschooled in the country, though I grew up in a very rural area. I think there are a lot of benefits to being in a city generally - we can walk to grocery and shops, library, subway, Saturday farmer's market, ice cream shop on a warm evening, play fountain, multiple playgrounds... And our city is so rich in cultural resources that we take full advantage of. For homeschooling, I often feel like one of the complaints I hear most often online is that people feel isolated. I'm sure some people in smaller towns or rural areas don't, but I feel like I hear it pretty often. But we have so many opportunities with other homeschoolers that we routinely have to turn down awesome opportunities. We have great groups of homeschool friends who share our general outlook and approach. Of course, the cost of living in the city is higher... Sigh. Sometimes when people post how much something cost on this board (food, babysitting, home repairs), it's downright depressing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarreymere Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 I am in a rural area now, and I know that if I moved to a city I would spend a lot more money on all of those 'opportunities'. I lived in a city growing up and I know that there are a lot of free or nearly free things to do but it always seemed that the most interesting things did have a cost. I know if I had a book store or a yarn store within walking distance I would really spend some money! I also think that when so many opportunities are so readily available it is too easy to get caught up in the excitement of participating in so much and to forget to set limits on outside activities. And I rather enjoy those lazy evenings on the patio with the kids, listening to the tree frogs and watching the fireflies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justamouse Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 And I rather enjoy those lazy evenings on the patio with the kids, listening to the tree frogs and watching the fireflies. I have frogs peeping in my pool right now. :-) I love them. I want them in there forever. :D I need to catch them... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eleni Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 We live on a farm and will probably be relocating for dh's job in a few months. The kids love living here but they want to give living in a city or neighborhood a try. I would love to not have to drive everywhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peela Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 I havent been in the same situation, but dh and i wanted- and sometimes still want- to move to the country- but we wont do it because of our kids. Here in our city we have good resources, we had a great homeschooling community, good highschools, and plenty of opportunities for our kids. While living in the country would have been ok for some of their childhood, we have heard from many people, including a policeman, that so many kids get into trouble in their teenage years in the hills near us- which are beautiful, convenient, many like minded people- through sheer boredom. So we won't consider moving till after they are adult and have cars- if then. I was just thinking this morning how lucky we are- living in a city with all its conveniences- but we are a short walk from a beautiful river and I am woken by birds every morning. There are many pockets of nature around, and we live 15 minutes drive from great beaches. We have great coffee shops and markets and community. Best of both worlds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newbie Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 We just moved last year, and I love it. The change is nice. I like being able to get to everything. Now, we have to move to suburb, not happy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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