Heather in VA Posted October 9, 2011 Share Posted October 9, 2011 We are thinking about moving. We live in the DC suburbs of Northern Virginia. The cost of living here is extreme. The traffic is getting to us. The constant increase of our property taxes (even in the bad housing market) etc is just taking its toll. Last year our property taxes were over 10k for the year. My husband grew up in an area where kids played with other kids in the neighborhood. Most kids came home after school to moms rather than nannies or daycare. That's just not common around here. Because of the cost of living, single income families are just not that common. I used to work before I got laid off and it's killing us to try to be here on one income. So we want to live somewhere else but we don't know where to go. We have family here (my parents) and in Southern California (his parents). So moving to family doesn't solve the financial problem. SoCa is one of only a couple places in the country even worse than here. We want somewhere with decent homeschool laws and not super rural. I want smaller and less congested than here but not something where it's 3 hours to the nearest Target. Also my middle daughter is a serious competitive gymnast so staying a bit closer to major cities (or at least not super rural) is important so she can continue to train. Finally, we are an interracial couple (my dh is Asian Indian and I'm caucasian) so while that shouldn't matter at all, I know it does in some places. Even in the Chicago suburb my DH and I lived in right after we got married was odd. People remembered us because mixed couples were so rare. So tell me why you love (or hate) where you live. Do I want to move there? Help us decide where to go. Thanks Heather Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momof3littles Posted October 9, 2011 Share Posted October 9, 2011 The Triangle of NC? (Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josie Posted October 9, 2011 Share Posted October 9, 2011 How about a Dallas, TX suburb like Plano, Frisco, Allen or McKinney? I don't think there would be a problem with mixed race couples there. I assume you could find a good gymnastics situation for your daughter. Housing isn't too expensive there. Traffic can get crazy in Dallas, but the burbs aren't too bad. Also, Indianapolis, IN might be an option. Something to check into anyway. Housing isn't too bad and traffic is ok. You would need to check on the gymnastics situation. I hope the mixed couple thing wouldn't be an issue, but I am not sure. I REALLY hate that it even has to be a consideration...but don't get me on my soapbox. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JumpyTheFrog Posted October 9, 2011 Share Posted October 9, 2011 There are lots of South Asians in the RTP area (Raleigh). Morrisville has so many that the town started a cricket league. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted October 9, 2011 Share Posted October 9, 2011 (edited) Portland Oregon....if dh has a job to move to. Don't come unemployed! ETA: Compare Washington DC to Portland OR (click on the various tabs) ETA: things to do Edited October 9, 2011 by Tap, tap, tap Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LAS in LA Posted October 9, 2011 Share Posted October 9, 2011 Harrisonburg or Charlottesville (VA)? Both very diverse, lots going on, not too far from your DC family, less traffic (but still some). Neighborhoods around Harrisonburg would be more likely to have stay-at-home families, I would think, but it would just depend on the neighborhood. No change in homeschooling laws to work through. (These are at the top of MY list of places to move to, so we could be near family -- can you tell?? :001_smile:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hsbeth Posted October 9, 2011 Share Posted October 9, 2011 We moved from New England to Georgia just over 5 years ago for similar reasons. It's been a huge blessing, though there was some cultural adjustment. Our housing expenses have been cut by almost 2/3rds though dh's salary is only about 5% less than it was. I am now able to be home with our children full time. Other expenses such as utilities and clothing are somewhat less as well. There isn't a significant difference in food prices. We live in the suburbs outside of Augusta, GA. It's a friendly area with a lot of northern transplants which has been helpful. The weather is beautiful, the people are friendly, and the homeschool laws are reasonable. We live in a town of about 25,000 but can be in a mid-sized city in 15 minutes. I know several with families with serious gymnasts, there are two major places in town. I'd look carefully at the southeast. We love it here! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brigitte Posted October 9, 2011 Share Posted October 9, 2011 Harrisonburg or Charlottesville (VA)? Both very diverse, lots going on, not too far from your DC family, less traffic (but still some). Neighborhoods around Harrisonburg would be more likely to have stay-at-home families, I would think, but it would just depend on the neighborhood. No change in homeschooling laws to work through. (These are at the top of MY list of places to move to, so we could be near family -- can you tell?? :001_smile:) Housing in Charlottesville is expensive. It is why we didn't move back there when we decided to leave Asheville. We ended up in Bristol/Abingdon, Virginia. Housing is cheap and this area is very homeschool friendly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotSoObvious Posted October 9, 2011 Share Posted October 9, 2011 Housing in Charlottesville is expensive. It is why we didn't move back there when we decided to leave Asheville. We ended up in Bristol/Abingdon, Virginia. Housing is cheap and this area is very homeschool friendly. But there are a lot of outlying areas that are affordable (although, everything is relative). We are here now and there are plenty of opportunities to buy homes under 300k, especially if you are fine being in the county, which we prefer. However, we have only found one real gymnastics studio and weren't super impressed. :( We like the Staunton area, too. Our parents are in SoCa, too. What about Oregon? Bend was a city we considered. Boise, Idaho is another place to consider. Low cost of living, closer to CA. Austin, Texas was on our list for a while, too. That would have everything you are looking for, but it isn't close to either family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer in MI Posted October 9, 2011 Share Posted October 9, 2011 Detroit area???? If you can find a job, you can find a place to live in a VERY desirable neighborhood for VERY little money. The comps on our house have decreased from over $500,000 to under $200,000. These are VERY nice neighborhoods near the lake. Don't come without a job lined up though!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kewb Posted October 9, 2011 Share Posted October 9, 2011 I say come to NJ. Your cost of living expenses won't be much better but the homeschool laws are great. Northern Jersey is near the city and has a fair amount of competitive gyms to choose from. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in VA Posted October 9, 2011 Author Share Posted October 9, 2011 We moved from New England to Georgia just over 5 years ago for similar reasons. It's been a huge blessing, though there was some cultural adjustment. Our housing expenses have been cut by almost 2/3rds though dh's salary is only about 5% less than it was. I am now able to be home with our children full time. Other expenses such as utilities and clothing are somewhat less as well. There isn't a significant difference in food prices. We live in the suburbs outside of Augusta, GA. It's a friendly area with a lot of northern transplants which has been helpful. The weather is beautiful, the people are friendly, and the homeschool laws are reasonable. We live in a town of about 25,000 but can be in a mid-sized city in 15 minutes. I know several with families with serious gymnasts, there are two major places in town. I'd look carefully at the southeast. We love it here! Georgia was one of the first places I thought of. Dh is wondering about the heat (which cracks me up since when we moved to DC he told me he would never think anywhere was too hot LOL. He'd lived in Illinois most of his life so hot and humid wasn't something too real for him. Do you mind telling me which suburb you are in? If not I understand or if you'd prefer to PM me that would be fine too. I have a friend who lives in the Augusta area as well so I'm going to check with her too. If I have the name of a couple of specific suburbs I could do an initial query on realtor.com to get some initial ideas of cost etc. Do you ever drive for vacation to the SC beaches or Florida etc? If so, about how far is it? Heather Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in VA Posted October 9, 2011 Author Share Posted October 9, 2011 Portland Oregon....if dh has a job to move to. Don't come unemployed! ETA: Compare Washington DC to Portland OR (click on the various tabs) ETA: things to do Thanks for these links. DH mentioned Oregon but I've never even been there so I know nothing about it. I'm going to check it out. Heather Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in VA Posted October 9, 2011 Author Share Posted October 9, 2011 Harrisonburg or Charlottesville (VA)? Both very diverse, lots going on, not too far from your DC family, less traffic (but still some). Neighborhoods around Harrisonburg would be more likely to have stay-at-home families, I would think, but it would just depend on the neighborhood. No change in homeschooling laws to work through. (These are at the top of MY list of places to move to, so we could be near family -- can you tell?? :001_smile:) I hadn't thought about Charlottesville but I did think about looking into the Chesapeake area. Same homeschool laws and excellent gymnastics we are already familiar with (having seen the teams at meets). Only a couple hour drive from my parents. I'll look at Harrisonburg and Charlottesville. Heather Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyandbob Posted October 9, 2011 Share Posted October 9, 2011 What kind of work does your dh do. If he's in IT, you may want stay close to DC--I may be wrong, but I thought was one of the healthier markets for IT workers. Does he plan to keep his job and telecommute? If he does could you truly go anywhere? How often would he have to return to the office. If it's weekly or twice a month you might not want to go too far. If gymnastics is a serious consideration maybe you want to survey the gyms in the far suburbs in the DC area. If you find one that is a good fit, maybe you should look at reasonable commuting distance for you dd to a further out gym. For example, if you picked a gym in Loudoun County would it be reasonable to look at housing in Clark county or in West VA. Or if you thought a gym in northern Montgomery county was good, could you look at Frederick County. I once seriously researched Loveland, CO. For various reasons at the time Loveland did not look like a good place for our family, but Fort Collins looked like a great place for a family and it was community distance to Loveland (and then the company that was making the job offer to dh announced they changed the location of the position to Palo Alto, so we didn't move at all cause well that was just too expensive). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted October 9, 2011 Share Posted October 9, 2011 You can come to Maine. It is nice up here in northern Maine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in VA Posted October 9, 2011 Author Share Posted October 9, 2011 How about a Dallas, TX suburb like Plano, Frisco, Allen or McKinney? I don't think there would be a problem with mixed race couples there. I assume you could find a good gymnastics situation for your daughter. Housing isn't too expensive there. Traffic can get crazy in Dallas, but the burbs aren't too bad. Also, Indianapolis, IN might be an option. Something to check into anyway. Housing isn't too bad and traffic is ok. You would need to check on the gymnastics situation. I hope the mixed couple thing wouldn't be an issue, but I am not sure. I REALLY hate that it even has to be a consideration...but don't get me on my soapbox. Believe me - I could join you on that soapbox. I grew up here in DC where non-white students in my high school outnumbered the caucasians and I never thought anything of it. I went to Illinois and could not believe it was an issue for people. My DH went to a bar (nice one - restaurant/bar) with a guy from work and at bouncer at the door actually asked the guy he was with 'Does your friend have ID'. UH... guess what - he's 32 and can speak English just fine. UGH.. Sorry - didn't mean to get on the soapbox... Anyway - I hadn't thought of Indiana. I could check. Dallas (well Texas as a whole) has come up in our conversations. I could survive living in the land of the Cowboys as a Redskin fan LOL. Do you know anything about Houston, San Antonio or Austin? I've heard good things about them too. Heather Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenL Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 Charlotte, NC. Plenty of mixed race couples here. Traffic is minimal (definitely compared to where you are currently living). Housing costs and taxes are low. The homeschool community is vibrant and growing, and our hs laws are easy to work with. There are many IT places in the area and Microsoft is building a location nearby as well (if that is of interest). We have similar weather to northern Georgia. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in VA Posted October 10, 2011 Author Share Posted October 10, 2011 You can come to Maine. It is nice up here in northern Maine. LOL!! My parents lived in Bangor for 6 years before I was born. They loved it but I've heard enough stories of the snow that I'm not sure it's for me :-) But the pictures they have are gorgeous. Heather Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 Norman, OK has a small town feel. But, it is also a university town. It has decent restaurants, lots of cultural opportunities, and interracial couples are fairly common. It also home to the Bart Conner Gymnastics Academy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paige Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 What about Atlanta metro? The housing prices have really, really declined there. It is ridiculous what you can pay and get a very nice home in a very nice neighborhood. Homeschooling laws are easy, you can be in a smallish town with little local traffic and lots of land and still be within 30min of everything ATL has to offer. And, you're a 3hr(ish) drive to the mountains and the beach. We just moved from there and I'd love to move back. It does get hot in the summer but just about every neighborhood has a pool and we have air conditioning. The lack of snow is a plus in my book. It still snowed every year we were there so my kids got to experience it. We also lived around Augusta and I think it is a very nice area but I enjoyed having all the big city things of Atlanta so close. I also think things are cheaper in Atlanta right now. I would suggest living outside the perimeter and to the south or west for cheapest land and homes, to the east for the most culturally vibrant and diverse hippy feel, and to the north for a more affluent yuppie environment. There's more to do in the eastern and northern suburbs and more of a country feel in the southern and western counties. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chepyl Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 Norman, OK has a small town feel. But, it is also a university town. It has decent restaurants, lots of cultural opportunities, and interracial couples are fairly common. It also home to the Bart Conner Gymnastics Academy. This is where we live. You also have Star Gymnastics owned by former Olympic Coach Steve Nunno. Housing prices are good, and we have a Target at the end of our street. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*lifeoftheparty* Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 (edited) . Edited October 10, 2011 by Gao Meixue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zippymom Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 We moved from VA (around Richmond) to Georgia about two years ago. DH's family is nearby so that was a big factor. We live about 35 minutes East of Atlanta. I am continuously amazed at the number of Homeschool families and opportunities in the area. There is another Homeschool family next door and three others within five miles and we live in the country! A town of good size is six miles away and it takes about forty minutes to get into the city. Cost of living and housing are less here. Panama City, FL is about six hours away and I can get to my family in Indianapolis in about nine. We like it here and love our home and church. It is stinking hot in the summer but not as bad as Texas...lived there too. The mild winters make up for the heat. I hope some opportunities open up for you to help guide you in this huge decision. HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LAS in LA Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 PPs are right about housing prices in Charlottesville. (We lived in University family housing, so it wasn't really an issue when we lived there). Lots of people live in Augusta County (Waynesboro area) and commute to C'ville. Greene and other counties to the north are growing rapidly as well. Chesapeake would have a lot of traffic, wouldn't it? Someone mentioned Stauton -- what a beautiful city! My grandmother lived just outside of there. I used to drive her downtown to Schwartzchild's to shop. :001_smile: Gypsy Hill park is lovely. The new Shakespeare center has contributed to a cultural boom in recent years. Not as much racial mixing as Harrisonburg or Charlottesville. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hsbeth Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 Georgia was one of the first places I thought of. Dh is wondering about the heat (which cracks me up since when we moved to DC he told me he would never think anywhere was too hot LOL. He'd lived in Illinois most of his life so hot and humid wasn't something too real for him. Do you mind telling me which suburb you are in? If not I understand or if you'd prefer to PM me that would be fine too. I have a friend who lives in the Augusta area as well so I'm going to check with her too. If I have the name of a couple of specific suburbs I could do an initial query on realtor.com to get some initial ideas of cost etc. Do you ever drive for vacation to the SC beaches or Florida etc? If so, about how far is it? Heather Sending you a pm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest IdahoMtnMom Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 (edited) Idaho... YES, IDAHO! Blaine County (cities of Hailey, Ketchum, Sun Valley, Bellevue, and Carey to be exact) Just hear me out before saying heck no! Let me first say that the area I live in is very very open to all races and lifestyles and religions. We have many interraccials couples if I think about it, but I don't. No one here does. Just like the gay couples or the Buddihists fit right now. We just LIVE LIFE. Idaho has very loose homeschooling laws... just made looser two years ago. All that is required is that children ages 7-16 learn what they would in the course of a public education. There is no reporting, no testing, no mandatory ANYTHING. Homeschooled children CAN participate in ANY public school activity or class. End of Story. I live in an area that is a resort area. Housing in South Blaine County (Hailey and Bellevue is very reasonable priced). But because of the resort, we have a great cultural community. Galleries, theatre, concerts, sumphony, center for the arts, ice shows, skiing, awesome restuarants, the works. Also, because of the resort and the catering to the uber wealthy, unemloyment is one of the lowest in the county.... and wages are high. We have 4 seasons, which is always a perk. We have NO traffic, unless you count sheep in the road in the spring and the fall. We have no pollution, little crime (two murders in 6 years), and its just awesome. And as I said, life here is LAID BACK. You will find most profressionals closed on Friday (and at lunch for two hours in the summer so they can hike or bike) and in the mornings all winter so they can ski... everyone is happy, well adjusted, and friendly.... always joke it is shan-gri-la... but actually it is... www.sunvalley.com (the resort itself) www.mtexpress.com (the newspaper) www.visitsunvalley.org (the chamber of commerce) Edited to add... there are NO potato fields up here in the mountains, lol.....ALSO THIS IS A MUST WATCH VIDEO O IDAHO... gets rid of the stereotypes Edited October 10, 2011 by IdahoMtnMom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFSinIL Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 (edited) Out here in Elgin, IL you'd fit right in (and an hour train commute to Chicago.) Oh, btw, we have a bi-racial family in the corner house :001_smile: My dd's best friend was born in Pakistan. And super easy to homeschool here. You just do it. Nothing to report to anyone. Edited October 10, 2011 by JFSinIL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WiseOwlKnits Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 Come to TX. Everyone else (it seems) is. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paige Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 ETA: I saw people mention Georgia, and it also looks like you are a mixed race couple? Is that right?? Well, I grew up in Louisiana and Georgia, and I dated outside my race in high school (several times).... there is NO WAY I would move there as a mixed race couple, especially if kids are involved. That may be true in some of the smaller communities but I don't think they'd have a problem around Atlanta. Atlanta is very diverse and living there was the first time I saw people really having integrated friendships. My kids (white) were a minority in their upper middle class school and the only white girls in their class although there were white boys. My neighborhood was very white bread middle class and super diverse- in the suburbs! And many, many of my friends were in interracial marriages. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karensk Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 And if the big-city-ness is not your thing, there are a lot of great suburbs...Katy (and Brookshire and other small towns out that way, out west), Sugarland, The Woodlands, Magnolia, Cypress. We live very close in to town, but it's surprisingly quiet in our neighborhood. Except for all the new construction. The neighborhood was built in the 1950s, with about 1100-1500 sq.ft. one-story houses. Some have been added onto. But over the past few years, it's been experiencing kind of a building boom, where the old house is knocked down and a completely new one (usually ~2500-3000 sq.ft.) is built in its place. I drove down one street a few blocks away the other day, and it seemed like over half of the houses were new homes (over a knock-down) or in the middle of construction. Ethnically, the city is very diverse. I am pretty sure there is no majority ethnic group (i.e., a group comprising over 50% of the population). There might be over a hundred different languages spoken here. It's easy to meet foreign students who come to U of H or Rice U. Last Sunday I met an Iranian grad student who recently took a driving tour of the U.S. -- he absolutely loves America (and especially loved Las Vegas, lol) and would love to stay here forever. Actually, you can regularly meet people from literally all over the globe without hardly trying. Well, the weather isn't so fabulous like southern Cal, but at least it's sunny a lot. And we use a lot of air-conditioning. :) Homeschooling in Texas is easy and awesome! Homeschools in Texas are treated as private schools, and so they are not subject to any government regulation (other than what the government requires of private schools, which is to have a curriculum that you're using and to teach reading, writing, math, and good citizenship). The main challenge might be what to say no to, as far as activities and groups go. Another plus: Texas' in-state college tuition (public universities) is lower than most other states'. It'd be great if y'all could come visit and get a feel for the place! Feel free to ask any questions, too! Blessings, Karen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Margo out of lurking Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 Charlotte is a great area. There are a LOT of Indians around and there are groups that meet quite often. We have several Indian friends in the area who all really like it here. Dawn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justamouse Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 Come to NJ, it fits ALL of your requirements. No home school reporting laws. Farms everywhere and Target right around the corner. It's beautiful. It's NOT all Newark. Lots of state parks and activities. As a mixed race couple, no one would bat an eye. Four seasons, and if you want some city, the Big Apple and all of it's museums and glory is 1.5 hours away. Even if you go to south Jersey, Philly and all of it's historical glory is right there. check out the real estate http://www.gsmls.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disney Dreaming Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 GA, again. Athens has UGA which has a BIG interest in competitive gymnastics. There are several NICE "bedroom" communities outside of Athens with the convenience of shopping within 15 minutes(and 45-60 from Atlanta). Homeschool laws are very easy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in VA Posted October 10, 2011 Author Share Posted October 10, 2011 Thanks everyone!! We are starting the hunt. I'm really liking the GA idea after spending some time on realtor.com. Wow - We are paying WAY too much for our housing. Anyone have any experience with the SouthWest - say Arizona or New Mexico? It was an idea that came up last night when we were talking. We don't want to live in CA but these places would be closer to his parents without being in CA. Heather Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diana B Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 Portland Oregon....if dh has a job to move to. Don't come unemployed! ETA: Compare Washington DC to Portland OR (click on the various tabs) ETA: things to do :iagree: This is what I was going to say! Portland is amazing. Big city feel but enough of a little city community in the right neighborhoods. Decent size suburbs to make it so you aren't right in the city, but you have all the resources available if you want them. Weather is mild & enjoyable. We tell everyone that it rains all the time, but that's just to keep the SoCal people away. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmeraldGirl Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 Thanks everyone!! We are starting the hunt. I'm really liking the GA idea after spending some time on realtor.com. Wow - We are paying WAY too much for our housing. Anyone have any experience with the SouthWest - say Arizona or New Mexico? It was an idea that came up last night when we were talking. We don't want to live in CA but these places would be closer to his parents without being in CA. Heather We had thought about GA, TN and KY, even had a job lined up. We found it was not for us in the mixed couple category. My husband was actually creeped out and did not want to go back even to visit friends whose kids were part of the problem, and we figured if it was in Christian homes....:confused: We live in Northern DE. Homeschool laws easy. Property taxes and housing prices low. Not too crowded, not rural. Vibrant homeschool & ecclectic community. Close enough to major metros (Philly, DC, Balto, NYC) & NJ beaches for day field trips. Not sure about the gymnastics though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Belacqua Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 Idaho... YES, IDAHO! Blaine County (cities of Hailey, Ketchum, Sun Valley, Bellevue, and Carey to be exact) Just hear me out before saying heck no! Let me first say that the area I live in is very very open to all races and lifestyles and religions. We have many interraccials couples if I think about it, but I don't. No one here does. Just like the gay couples or the Buddihists fit right now. We just LIVE LIFE. Idaho has very loose homeschooling laws... just made looser two years ago. All that is required is that children ages 7-16 learn what they would in the course of a public education. There is no reporting, no testing, no mandatory ANYTHING. Homeschooled children CAN participate in ANY public school activity or class. End of Story. I live in an area that is a resort area. Housing in South Blaine County (Hailey and Bellevue is very reasonable priced). But because of the resort, we have a great cultural community. Galleries, theatre, concerts, sumphony, center for the arts, ice shows, skiing, awesome restuarants, the works. Also, because of the resort and the catering to the uber wealthy, unemloyment is one of the lowest in the county.... and wages are high. We have 4 seasons, which is always a perk. We have NO traffic, unless you count sheep in the road in the spring and the fall. We have no pollution, little crime (two murders in 6 years), and its just awesome. And as I said, life here is LAID BACK. You will find most profressionals closed on Friday (and at lunch for two hours in the summer so they can hike or bike) and in the mornings all winter so they can ski... everyone is happy, well adjusted, and friendly.... always joke it is shan-gri-la... but actually it is... I wasn't even thinking of moving, and you've already half convinced me I want to live in Idaho! Maybe in a few years when the kid has gone to college... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susann Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 Also, Indianapolis, IN might be an option. Something to check into anyway. Housing isn't too bad and traffic is ok. You would need to check on the gymnastics situation. I hope the mixed couple thing wouldn't be an issue, but I am not sure. I REALLY hate that it even has to be a consideration...but don't get me on my soapbox :iagree: Hamilton county sounds perfect for you. NE side of Indy-Carmel, Fisher, Noblesville. Has won all kinds of "best place to raise your family" awards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsmama Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 We moved from Fairfax, VA, to Hanover County, VA about ten years ago. I have no regrets. Still close to DC if you want to visit family. Great metro area in Richmond, with tons of arts, culture, history, restaurants, medical expertise, etc. Hanover is a homeschool friendly place, and other localities are similar (with the exception of Henrico County, which seems to be a pain for homeschoolers). We are twenty minutes from downtown, ten minutes from Target. But I have 1.5 acres of land and plenty of fresh air. Traffic is a joke compared to NoVA. I know the market is different now, but when we sold in Fairfax, we got nearly double the house (and land) for the same money. You could have horses or walk to shops...depends on where you are. Check out listings for Mechanicsville and Ashland to start. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TravelingChris Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 Huntsville, AL. We just moved here from Northern VA. Traffic is great, good diversity in area - quite a number of Asian Indians. Prices are much, much lower- affordable for us to buy a home when in DC area we couldn't afford to buy in an area we would want to live. It also isn't any hotter than Northern VA though the winters are a bit milder. But the actual temperatures are very similar to VA's on a day to day basis since I have been monitoring them in mid April. This area has a number of universities and colleges, and lots of high tech and bio tech. Homeschool laws are easy- easier than VA, I think. People are very friendly and many of them came from other parts of the country. Alabama is also on the top 5 states for lowest tax burdens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TravelingChris Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 I know that Alburquerque NM has some decent gymnastic programs. We knew a male teen who was competing at a national level. Prices are cheaper than DC, traffic is better, homeschooling is fine. It is a desert but a high one so it gets cold in the winter but not all that hot in summer. Cooler than Northern VA in summer. Most of Arizona and lots of NM would be considerably hotter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*lifeoftheparty* Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 (edited) . Edited October 10, 2011 by Gao Meixue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Girls' Mom Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 Knoxville TN. It has all you've posted, and the houseing costs are very reasonable. New legislation has made homeschooling a breeze as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WTMCassandra Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 I don't know what line of work your husband is in, but we spent four years in the Blacksburg/Christiansburg area and LOVED it. I like Roanoke also. That would be far enough away from DC to be out of the rat race, but it would still be in Virginia. ETA: Since VT has soooo many international students, nobody blinks twice about people of different cultures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 . Did I miss something? Whenever I see that someone deleted a post that I hadn't had a chance to read, I wonder if I missed out on a big secret or something. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twoxcell Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 Portland Oregon....if dh has a job to move to. Don't come unemployed! :iagree: I was going to say the same thing. We love Oregon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tntgoodwin Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 (edited) Check out Colorado Springs. Homeschool- From what I understand, the homeschool laws are very reasonable there. Gymnastics - The U.S. Olympic Team trains in Colorado Springs! Interracial family - there is a large military presence in CS, which in my experience, there are a lot of multi-racial marriages in the military. I and my wife are the same race, and I feel in the minority among the people I work with. The population is somewhere near 400,000, so to me that is an in-between size city. I have heard wonderful things regarding the traffic there, relative to VA traffic. There are 5 Targets in CS. Also, it is about an hours drive to Denver, if you needed something at a bigger city. Cost of living is very good, IMO. The median home price is about $180,000 Edited October 10, 2011 by tntgoodwin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trresh Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 Indiana is very homeschool friendly and the USAG headquarters is located in Indianapolis along with DeVeau's which is a great gym. Depending on how good your DD is at gymnastics, Texas is the way to go but I'm not sure about homeschooling there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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