CHALLENGE: does this city exist?

[Heather in Neverland]

So dh and I were talking about our eventual exit plan from Malaysia. We plan to stay 4 more years until ds graduates high school then most likely move back to the states when he comes back for college (although the idea of leaving Malaysia makes me very sad).

 

At any rate, we do not have strong ties to any one area so we were tossing around ideas for where we could possibly live and we came up with these 4 requirements:

 

1. Mild winters (It can be super hot in the summer, we are used to it. But I cannot handle brutal winters)

 

2. Culturally diverse (Moreso than just white people and black people. We have a Korean child and an Indian child so diversity is important to us. Also, the diversity of the city should be looked at as a positive thing by the residents, not a negative thing. :glare:)

 

3. Educated populace (I don't mean rich and snobby but I want to live around people who highly value education, the arts, politics, religion, speak in full sentences, etc.)

 

4. Socially conservative

 

Does a place like this exist in America?

 

 

 

.

[Barb_]

I don't think so. Maybe you should start a commune. :D

[deacongirl]

Totally. Atlanta.

[Lucy in Australia]

Rats! I was going to suggest Perth until I read "in America". We meet all your requirements! (although no. 3 might be a bit iffy :tongue_smilie:)

[LibraryLover]

Various parts of San Francisco.

 

Oh wait. I missed the conservative part.

 

Never mind.

Edited July 19, 2012 by LibraryLover

[Heather in Neverland]

San Francisco.

 

Really? I have never heard of SF being described as socially conservative. Interesting. I have never been there but I have heard it is beautiful.

[JoLuRu]

Various parts of San Francisco.

Except for the socially conservative part...

[Heather in Neverland]

Various parts of San Francisco.

 

Oh wait. I missed the conservative part.

 

I have no idea. You might find some folks in North Carolina, but that doesn't meet your weather requirements. If it does, stay away from Cary.

 

I actually love Asheville, NC, but it is also missing the conservative part.

 

I think that one is going to rule out a lot of places. :tongue_smilie:

[kitten18]

There are certainly parts of California that fit that description. But cost of living is always an issue and I don't know how that will factor into your decision.

 

I've never lived there, but I would think there would be places in Arizona that will fill all those requirements.

[fhjmom]

I would say the suburbs of Austin, Texas meet all your requirements!

[mommaduck]

Tampa?

[MindyD]

Maybe Charleston, SC? It's not perfect, but generally it fits those descriptions. There's a lot of art, culture, and an appreciation for education. There's not as much diversity, but the area is conservative (except for the actual downtown area). Greenville, SC is great for three of your preferences, just not diversity.

[LibraryLover]

I actually love Asheville, NC, but it is also missing the conservative part.

 

I think that one is going to rule out a lot of places. :tongue_smilie:

 

 

Yeah, I had to edit quite a bit. ;)

 

SF is amazing. It meets all of your other requirements, especially for a multiracial family.

 

Somtimes even liberal people are nice. There is a fabulous Quaker church in Berkeley.

[OrganicAnn]

The socially conservative with the others may be difficult. You can find the culturally diverse and the educated in lots of college towns, but they tend to be culturally liberal. Of course you can always find pockets of social conservative within many communities, but if you want it to be predominate, that is a little more difficult.

[kitten18]

I actually love Asheville, NC, but it is also missing the conservative part.

 

I think that one is going to rule out a lot of places. :tongue_smilie:

I agree. When I think of places that are culturally diverse and have well educated populations, many college towns come to mind. But, most of the college towns I can think of (Austin, TX for example) are not conservative.

[dangermom]

Sacramento is mild, diverse, and fairly conservative. It's probably medium on the educated scale; you'll get all sorts. It does have a strong classical homeschooling population--enough to support a nice store.

 

Of course there's also the part where CA is broke. And Sac has plenty of gang and crime problems, but who doesn't?

 

Yuba City, a bit north, is very conservative and has a very large and well-established Indian community, mostly Punjabi. I think it's the oldest Indian community in CA.

[LittleIzumi]

Utah, except for the diverse part. (I WISH. Well, there is a large Hispanic and a decent Asian population, but that's it.)

[LibraryLover]

I agree. When I think of places that are culturally diverse and have well educated populations, many college towns come to mind. But, most of the college towns I can think of (Austin, TX for example) are not conservative.

 

 

This made me think of Oakland, CA. There are lots of Christian churches in the area. There is a lot of crime in some areas, but other areas are pretty havens for people fleeing the city. Some of the streets look like wealthy areas of Central FL to me. There are *so many* large non-denom churches, and that always surprises me, as it is so close to Berkeley.

Edited July 24, 2012 by LibraryLover

[FaithManor]

Is Seattle a temperate climate? I've heard some good things about the cultural diversity there and that education is highly valued.

 

I'm not certain about socially conservative as a city, but I do think that there are definitely areas around the city that are.

 

We have good memories of our time in Seattle. Unfortunately, it's been so long that I can't remember what winter was like.

 

Faith

[ShannonS]

We are location shopping too as DH retires from military service in a few years. Have you considered San Antonio or Houston? Texas is pretty conservative and the diversity and climate are there. I like a lot of things I read about San Antonio. I was hoping for snow in the winter though... :001_smile:

 

We live in Honolulu. It is very diverse, but I would not describe it as socially conservative.

[Heather in Neverland]

 

Somtimes even liberal people are nice.

 

Of course they are nice. We just don't share the same values. I would prefer to live and raise my children in an area that is more conservative than not. Of course, I am spoiled because I have all 4 items now but we can't stay in Penang forever.

[alpidarkomama]

Totally. Atlanta.

 

:iagree:

 

And Savannah isn't too bad either! :)

[Joker]

I think our area of St. Augustine meets all of those. We have mild winters, the area is socially conservative, the area is very educated, and I think we're culturally diverse. My dds two best friends at ps are both Filipino, and there are definitely more than just white and black students. I do think the white students are more numerous than the others, though, so I don't know if it would be what you're looking for.

[Heather in Neverland]

I think our area of St. Augustine meets all of those. We have mild winters, the area is socially conservative, the area is very educated, and I think we're culturally diverse. My dds two best friends at ps are both Filipino, and there are definitely more than just white and black students. I do think the white students are more numerous than the others, though, so I don't know if it would be what you're looking for.

 

That is Florida, right?

[LibraryLover]

Of course they are nice. We just don't share the same values. I would prefer to live and raise my children in an area that is more conservative than not. Of course, I am spoiled because I have all 4 items now but we can't stay in Penang forever.

 

I said more than that, Heather. :)

 

If you have all you need, why move? It's not easy to have everything you wish for your children! Why mess with perfection?

 

I don't have any issues with you wanting to raise your children in a conservative area. Your children will find what they need if/when they need it. Given your diverse family, you may one day may need to bounce crazy ideas off us liberals. Or not. :)

 

I do hope you find what you are seeking, and I type that sentiment with care & compassion sans judgement.

Edited July 19, 2012 by LibraryLover

[Joker]

That is Florida, right?

 

Yes!

[missmoe]

Many of the cities/towns on the other side of the San Francisco Bay meet your criteria--especially your smaller towns---and you can be close enough to SF, Berkley, Oakland to enjoy all the neat resources they offer. Rodeo and Benica are awesome little towns. Benica has the best library! Rodeo is like a Leave It To Beaver Town in that everyone knows each other and looks out for each other. And people there love their baseball! Most little kids play and the whole town shows up to watch and cheer on the teams. You can walk to the store, park, dentist, hardware store, ect. And it has it's own little beach---of course one must drive down a little dirt road and park next to the town dump to get there, but hey that's part of the charm! Anyway, I'm a fan!!!:D

 

My parents live about 30 minutes from Asheville. I'm not so sure you'll find much diversity in that area. I have Asian children, and most people in the area just don't know what to make of them. They don't know "what" they are and how they could be connected to this white as a ghost mama. :001_huh:

[Random]

So dh and I were talking about our eventual exit plan from Malaysia. We plan to stay 4 more years until ds graduates high school then most likely move back to the states when he comes back for college (although the idea of leaving Malaysia makes me very sad).

 

At any rate, we do not have strong ties to any one area so we were tossing around ideas for where we could possibly live and we came up with these 4 requirements:

 

1. Mild winters (It can be super hot in the summer, we are used to it. But I cannot handle brutal winters)

 

2. Culturally diverse (Moreso than just white people and black people. We have a Korean child and an Indian child so diversity is important to us. Also, the diversity of the city should be looked at as a positive thing by the residents, not a negative thing. :glare:)

 

3. Educated populace (I don't mean rich and snobby but I want to live around people who highly value education, the arts, politics, religion, speak in full sentences, etc.)

 

4. Socially conservative

 

Does a place like this exist in America?

 

 

 

.

 

How about San Diego, CA? or Prescott, AZ?

[LibraryLover]

That is Florida, right?

 

Yes.

 

St Augustine is a college town.

[Ellie]

Austin. :D

[Heather in Neverland]

Being snipped bites. I said more than that, Heather.

 

I don't have any issues with you wanting to raise your children in a conservative area. Your children will find what they need if/when they need it,

 

I do hope you find what you are seeking.

 

I realize you said more than that but that is the only part I felt I needed to clarify. I have nothing against liberals; I would just like to have like-minded people in my neighborhood. I am sure someone who is socially quite liberal would not choose to live in a very conservative area if they could avoid it.

 

It is hard enough being a "different" kind of family as it is. Having others that believe the way we do in our town would be a nice perk.

 

 

.

[Joker]

Yes.

 

St Augustine is a college town.

 

There is a private college downtown and that area has a small college town feel to it.

Edited July 19, 2012 by Horton

[Shawna in Texas]

Houston. Only because Austin and San Antonio are a bit more liberal.

[LibraryLover]

I realize you said more than that but that is the only part I felt I needed to clarify. I have nothing against liberals; I would just like to have like-minded people in my neighborhood. I am sure someone who is socially quite liberal would not choose to live in a very conservative area if they could avoid it.

 

It is hard enough being a "different" kind of family as it is. Having others that believe the way we do in our town would be a nice perk.

 

 

.

 

.

 

I wish you well. It will be a challenge, but you will roll with the needs of your children. It's a ride, for sure.

Edited July 24, 2012 by LibraryLover

[mandymom]

Atascocita or Kingwood, TX (NE Houston suburbs). We have a huge population of homeschoolers here too. Actually, many of the Houston suburbs would fit your description, I'm just partial to Atascocita and Kingwood.

[Brenda in FL]

The Triangle area in NC? (Raleigh, Chapel Hill, Durham)

 

I've only been here 2 years. Definitely educated populace, more diverse than Marietta GA, more conservative than S Florida, less diverse than S Florida. Mild winter - but hotter than S Florida.

 

(I live in Cary - BTW!) I don't get the bad reputation. Maybe it's because everyone here is from somewhere else? Which could be a good thing in Heather's case!

 

Morrisville, NC has a 27% Asian population per wikipedia. Cary 13%.

Edited July 19, 2012 by Brenda in FL

[Momma4Boys]

I live in San Antonio now and I get a very neutral vibe here. Austin, while wonderful, is more liberal but if you want to visit it is only an hour away.

 

We are enjoying the cultural diversity in San Antonio and it has a very strong home school population. Cost of living is very good, homeschool laws are pretty much non-existent, and the city has wonderful arts & entertainment to offer. The state, overall, is considered conservative.

 

Seriously, I am not a TX commercial :D - I've only been there 2 years and will only be there 2 more years at the max. Lived in GA before this - love Atlanta but the cost of living and the traffic there is terrible. Savannah is gorgeous...that would be a lovely place to live. I am from Cincinnati, OH - my favorite place in the world and very conservative but not a hugely diverse population...

 

HTH

 

PS - isn't it AWESOME that we live in a country with such diversity in ALL areas (including climate) and we have choices. USA rocks!!

[LibraryLover]

The Triangle area in NC? (Raleigh, Chapel Hill, Durham)

 

I've only been here 2 years. Definitely educated populace, more diverse than Marietta GA, more conservative than S Florida, less diverse than S Florida. Mild winter - but hotter than S Florida.

 

(I live in Cary - BTW!) I don't get the bad reputation. Maybe it's because everyone here is from somewhere else? Which could be a good thing in Heather's case!

 

 

LOL I really like Cary! We have heard Cary called "Containment Area for Relocated Yankees". lol I know folks in Cary, and they report it one of the more liberal areas in NC.

 

I have only visitied. All I know is what I learned while drinking white wine. ;)

[LibraryLover]

Heather, I think you are a Texas girl! :)

[mommymilkies]

North Carolina near Greenville? Not astoundingly conservative, but more so than I like as a bleeding heart liberal. ;)

[Brenda in FL]

LOL I really like Cary! We have heard Cary called "Containment Area for Relocated Yankees". lol I know folks in Cary, and they report it one of the more liberal areas in NC.

 

I have only visitied. All I know is what I learned while drinking white wine. ;)

 

Yes that may be so - I did see more lawn signs against the marriage amendment than for it . . . :tongue_smilie: It's hard for me to tell, because I've never lived in a socially conservative area. I just know it's a much better place to raise a family than South Florida! (And I love South Florida). And politically I don't feel like a fish out of water at all. The population is such that you can surround yourselves with people of similar values.

[tex-mex]

There are certainly parts of California that fit that description. But cost of living is always an issue and I don't know how that will factor into your decision.

 

Palo Alto has some really great schools and the weather is mild. Ditto for Orange County or Ventura County (the area we lived in was surprisingly conservative). I prefer the Irvine/Newport Beach areas, but they are not as diverse as Santa Ana or Anaheim. Santa Barbara is lovely, but very expensive.

 

If you want the majority of population to be more politically conservative, have you considered TX or AZ? It is cheap and diverse... but the weather and vista is horrible compared to CA, IMO.

[MamaT]

I actually love Asheville, NC, but it is also missing the conservative part.

 

I think that one is going to rule out a lot of places. :tongue_smilie:

 

The city itself, inside the "loop" around the city, is pretty liberal. Outside of that, in all directions, is as conservative as any other city in the Bible Belt. (Choose North, up here by me :001_smile:).

[WTMCassandra]

I haven't had time to read all the responses, but the Tri-Cities area of Washington, IMHO, fits the bill pretty well. We're probably not as diverse as, say, Blacksburg, VA, where we used to live, but it's reasonably diverse. We've had mixed race couples in our church and several families with adopted children of different races and nobody bats an eye. And it's a conservative church, too.

 

Our winters are mild, with 1-2 snow events, and it gets hot in the summer. The eastern part of WA is semi-arid, complete with tumbleweeds. But we've had irrigation here since the 50s, so we have some trees and stuff. And the Columbia and Snake Rivers keep things from being bleak.

 

We moved here from Virginia almost six years ago, and we like it. It is a conservative, family-friendly area, and the homeschooling laws are reasonable. People are generally well-educated. I believe we have one of the highest concentrations of advanced degrees in the state (not as high as Seattle and Redmond, of course). The mechanical engineering program available locally is supposed to be the best in the state.

[Dolphin]

I haven't had time to read all the responses, but the Tri-Cities area of Washington, IMHO, fits the bill pretty well. We're probably not as diverse as, say, Blacksburg, VA, where we used to live, but it's reasonably diverse. We've had mixed race couples in our church and several families with adopted children of different races and nobody bats an eye. And it's a conservative church, too.

 

Our winters are mild, with 1-2 snow events, and it gets hot in the summer. The eastern part of WA is semi-arid, complete with tumbleweeds. But we've had irrigation here since the 50s, so we have some trees and stuff. And the Columbia and Snake Rivers keep things from being bleak.

 

We moved here from Virginia almost six years ago, and we like it. It is a conservative, family-friendly area, and the homeschooling laws are reasonable. People are generally well-educated. I believe we have one of the highest concentrations of advanced degrees in the state (not as high as Seattle and Redmond, of course). The mechanical engineering program available locally is supposed to be the best in the state.

:iagree::iagree:

 

I was thinking that. Portland and Seattle are too liberal, but tri cities is lovely. I was just visiting Kennewick last month. It is on the edge of big sky country. Also, the water situation is amazing. Canals everywhere etc...

[The Governess]

.

[scrappyhappymama]

Sugar Land, TX. As a suburb of Houston, it is very culturally diverse, in an integrated way. When we lived there, our neighborhood was made up of folks from many, many different racial and ethnic backgrounds. It is a relatively affluent area, with lots of well educated folks and excellent homeschooling resources. It is also in one of the more socially conservative counties in Texas. I loved it there.

 

We now live in the suburbs of Fort Worth, and I think in many ways it would also meet your requirements. Some areas of town are more culturally diverse than others, but some ethnic groups do tend to live in clusters, so it is not as integrated as it was near Houston. But the summers are a little less intense than in Houston, so that's a bonus.

[Chelli]

Sugar Land, TX. As a suburb of Houston, it is very culturally diverse, in an integrated way. When we lived there, our neighborhood was made up of folks from many, many different racial and ethnic backgrounds. It is a relatively affluent area, with lots of well educated folks and excellent homeschooling resources. It is also in one of the more socially conservative counties in Texas. I loved it there.

 

We now live in the suburbs of Fort Worth, and I think in many ways it would also meet your requirements. Some areas of town are more culturally diverse than others, but some ethnic groups do tend to live in clusters, so it is not as integrated as it was near Houston. But the summers are a little less intense than in Houston, so that's a bonus.

 

:iagree:This is exactly what I was going to say. Sugar Land fits all of your requirements. I am in Sugar Land about once a week and it is like a rainbow of skin colors, a large Indian and Asian populace, African Americans and Hispanics. We'd be happy to have you :D

[twoxcell]

I was going to suggest Portland Oregon. It meets all of your requirements except for the last one. There are plenty of conservatives in Oregon but they are not the majority especially in Portland.

[Ibbygirl]

So dh and I were talking about our eventual exit plan from Malaysia. We plan to stay 4 more years until ds graduates high school then most likely move back to the states when he comes back for college (although the idea of leaving Malaysia makes me very sad).

 

At any rate, we do not have strong ties to any one area so we were tossing around ideas for where we could possibly live and we came up with these 4 requirements:

 

1. Mild winters (It can be super hot in the summer, we are used to it. But I cannot handle brutal winters)

 

2. Culturally diverse (Moreso than just white people and black people. We have a Korean child and an Indian child so diversity is important to us. Also, the diversity of the city should be looked at as a positive thing by the residents, not a negative thing. :glare:)

 

3. Educated populace (I don't mean rich and snobby but I want to live around people who highly value education, the arts, politics, religion, speak in full sentences, etc.)

 

4. Socially conservative

 

Does a place like this exist in America?

 

 

 

.

 

I was thinking of some places in South Florida until I got to #3 on your list. :tongue_smilie: I guess the education level would be the deal breaker. :p hehe