CHALLENGE: does this city exist?

[mktkcb]

absolutely. Come to http://www.santa-clarita.com/ . It's a great city to live in, despite it's unfortunate proximity to Los Angeles LOL. It's north of the San Fernando Valley, surrounded by mountains with tons of hiking trails & biking trails. Mostly politically conservative (our Representatives are republican), & very well run as a city. Has literally everything you mentioned. Literally. Everything. Lots of wonderful chuches to choose from, and tons of homeschoolers. Very culturally diverse, with a significant asian/Korean/filipino etc. community as well a lots of hispanics & other cultures. Excellent parks and rec department. Tons of community stuff available. Just a wonderful place all around. It got the nickname "awesometown" :o).

Kayleen

[mktkcb]

here's another good website :o) http://www.visitsantaclarita.com/

[mktkcb]

here's the google image page :o)

 

http://images.google.com/search?num=10&hl=en&site=&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1366&bih=667&q=santa+clarita&oq=santa+clarita&gs_l=img.3..0l5j0i5j0i24l4.1486.3026.0.3233.13.13.0.0.0.0.156.829.10j3.13.0...0.0...1ac.TUpClvsvTjc

[Kelly1730]

I love this thread. We will probably never leave PA and, for a number of reasons, it doesn't qualify for Heather's family. I wish it did, I would love to have a neighbor like Heather.:) It's interesting to read what it's like in other areas of the county. From reading this thread, I think I might be a Texas girl myself;)

[5wolfcubs]

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

It is super hot & humid this summer. My neighbor whose dh works for the state moved here after being Thailand & other tropical places for years. She is loving the weather! :confused:

 

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:)

Last week at the wonderful county pool where we are members, my children & I were the only ones with fair skin & light hair -- everyone else was of Asian or Indian heritage. Everyone. We were adding diversity, I guess! :D

 

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.)

Absolutely. :)

 

4. Socially conservative

Not sure about this one. I've got some very conservative and some very liberal neighbors. They all get along nicely though, which I appreciate. :thumbup:

 

Does a place like this exist in America?

I'd said yes!

 

But I wouldn't actually recommend it based on the hideous TRAFFIC and horrendous COST OF LIVING! :lol:

[Osmosis Mom]

I would suggest Boston. The concept of mild winters is sort of relative, hehe, and people have high morals even though most are democrats.

 

It sounds as if TX would fit your bill most, though. As long as you choose a college town, so you can get the real diversity and educated level of people.

[ChristyB in TN]

Yes, Nashville, Tn, Austin, Tx, Hmmmmm still thinking.

[kroe1]

Anywhere in southwest Florida from Tampa to Naples. That area can meet all 4 of your demands.

 

Enjoy looking. :)

[southcarolinamom]

Greenville SC! We love it here!!

 

Voted one of the top 10 places to move to from Relocate America.

[Paige]

Totally. Atlanta.

 

:iagree:

[Oak Knoll Mom]

Re:Asheville

I'm not so sure you'll find much diversity in that area.

 

:iagree: And while we're at it, I wouldn't say Asheville is very educated either. And you already know it's not conservative. If you like the area, though, you should check out Greenville, SC. It's an hour south of Asheville and meets all your requirements.

Edited July 19, 2012 by Oak Knoll Mom
clarification

[Alessandra]

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

 

I would also recommend several suburbs of Houston. Houston is conservative and the weather is mild ( though humid!). You can find educated communities and every time I visit my inlaws in Katy, I feel like I have entered an international community. Also, the cost of living is much lower than California. I live in East Texas right now and the educated part of your requirements couldn't be met. But do keep cost of living in your list of things to consider. I visited my uncle in California. He had a modest house.. the kind I could buy here in Texas for under 100,000. It was built in the 70's. His house is worth 1.5 million dollars.:confused: Good grief. For 1.5 million I could buy 15 houses like his here.

 

I was going to suggest Houston too, although I am a frequent visitor, not a resident. Houston has wonderful museums, Rice University, lots of homeschooling groups, cultural diversity. But when you look at homes, be sure to check the property taxes -- they can be high in Texas. No winter coats needed, and summers are both hot & humid. I have lots of relatives there, some in the city and some in Spring. Personally, I prefer the city itself -- lots of neighborhoods where houses have nice properties, room for a pool, etc, but a nice diverse feeling because the houses are older & not cookie cutter. In the area I know (the Heights), there is a mixture of apartments, older homes, beautifully renovated homes, and suburban type new construction. That tends to make it economically diverse, which you didn't mention specifically -- I am just presuming.

 

Or, Washington DC suburbs -- what did you think of that area while you were there?

Edited July 19, 2012 by Alessandra

[craftyerin]

: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

 

:iagree::iagree::iagree:

 

We lived in Sugar Land for 6 years (recently moved away) and it is CRAZY diverse. It's a great place to live, too! The other nearby suburbs (Katy, Missouri City, etc) would also be good choices.

[The Girls' Mom]

Fort Worth Texas, especially if you plug into the homeschool community. At least compared to the few other places I have lived. It was culturally diverse (our church had people of every ethnicity you can imagine and a huge adopted family population). While there are a lot of under educated people in Texas, Fort Worth seemed to have plenty of educated people that valued a good education. The people in the area seemed to be generally conservative. I loved it there. The winters are definitely mild, and the summers are hot!

 

Don't go for Tennessee if you are looking for diverse. It is getting better, but has a LONG way to go IMO.

[Mama Geek]

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?

 

 

 

.

 

Clemson, SC meets those requirements. It will snow a couple times of year but it doesn't get really cold.

 

ETA: Unlike most of the other suggestions it isn't a large city, but it is a college town.

Edited July 19, 2012 by Mama Geek

[DawnM]

We have found Charlotte to fit this description. 2 hours from the mountains, 3 hours from the beach too.

 

TONS and TONS of homeschoolers......I can't even believe the number of homeschool groups, sports, activities, scouts, Frontier Girls, all homeschool only groups.

 

The diversity is here and we are part of it......but it isn't *as* easy to find as Southern California for us. But there is a huge Indian population, very large Chinese population, not as many Philippino, but I have found the few who do live here! :D

 

We have quite a few very diverse churches, some who host refugees, many who offer ESL classes, many who offer classes in other languages (our church offers Chinese school classes.)

 

We are even seeing more and more people of other cultures homeschooling. It is awesome.

 

Dawn

[mommaduck]

I'll second the DC area, particularly Triangle, VA area (next to Quantico). I have friends that live there. It's pretty conservative (plenty of Baptist churches, military, those that work for the military, those that work for the government, etc). It's also VERY diverse and there are so many things that you can do (for free!).

[Jean in Newcastle]

Seattle area.

 

Mild winters - check

 

Culturally diverse - check, esp. Asians and East Indians.

 

Educated populace - check.

 

Socially conservative - not sure what this means since I assume it doesn't mean politically conservative.

[momofkhm]

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?

 

 

Raleigh-Durham, NC. Mild winter - this past winter was especially mild. I never pulled out my winter coat. Culturally diverse - There is a large Indian (as in not Native American) population. There are just a lot of immigrants to include blacks from Africa. I know many people who have adopted Asian children. (There are some families where it is true in the family that the 4th child is Chinese.) Educated - we have a large per capita of doctorates due to the large number of universities. Socially conservative - well, I feel right at home.

[Danestress]

If you look at voting records, it is conservative. When you are there, it feels exceedingly liberal.

 

I am thinking Research Triangle Park area - one of the highest concentrations of

Doctorates in the country, pockets of conservatism, and because of the universities (Duke, UNC, State etc) there is a vibrant diversity ethnically - much more so than Charlotte. Plus, if you establish residency there, you have access to good universities and also a number of private secondary schools that might offer you employment opportunities.

 

But it is definitely not Malasia:)

[Alice]

Northern Virginia/DC area. It would meet all your requirements. Some parts would more meet the socially conservative part than others.

[Lisa in Jax]

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

 

I'd agree. Jacksonville (which is only 30 minutes north of St. Augustine) meets most of your requirements, too. I think our area is great. :)

 

Jacksonville is politically and socially conservative, but open to other cultures and ideas. (In other words, I wouldn't peg Jacksonville as stereotypically southern in its views.)

 

The weather is so nice that you can do outdoor activities year-round. Summer is hot, but the weather is fantastic the rest of the year. In terms of activities, we have museums, a symphony, a football team, etc. We're at the ocean, so there are many water-based activities here. There's a state university, several small colleges, and two Navy bases. B/c of this, "outsiders" rarely feel like "outsiders."

 

Population-wise, Jacksonville is large (1.1 million). Despite its size, though, Jax has more of a mid-size town feel in terms of traffic, etc., b/c the land area of Jacksonville is very spread out. This means that Jacksonville doesn't feel like a city of 1 million+, while it has all of the benefits of a larger city in terms of activities.

 

There are people from many nations here. The couple next-door-neighbor are from Iraq (husband) and Ireland (wife), and neighbors across the street have a son from Romania. At the grocery store, I hear Spanish, Tagalog, Hindi, Albanian and Russian/Ukranian languages on a regular basis. On Sunday, we met a family who speak Telugu at the skating rink. :)

 

Because there are so many people from "other places," we have not had a single negative experience related to being a mixed-race family. DS (from India) occasionally hears "Is that your mom?" (noting that I'm not Indian), but kids would ask that question anywhere b/c we look different.

 

Homeschooling is easy here (the county allows kids to participate in PS sports and activities in their neighborhood school), and there's a Christian Home/School for those who want to do part-time homeschool, too. There are many private parochial schools. The magnet middle school of the arts wrote, scored and produced its own opera last year. The county's magnet high school of the arts is a "Grammy" school for the last several years, and two other magnet college-preparatory high schools are in the top 100 nationally.

 

I've lived in 10 states, and Florida is by far my favorite. The people here are friendly and welcoming. There's no snow. <g> There are dozens of religious denominations, traffic is mild (except near the Navy bases), housing is affordable, and differences are not problematic. ;)

[ereks mom]

Totally. Atlanta.

 

:iagree: Traffic is AWFUL though.

[pehp]

I would say Asheville although socially conservative is definitely iffy!!!! :) Roanoke VA is a few hours north of Asheville and kinda fits the bill (diversity not so much, although definitely 'improving' in this area!!!! and rapidly, it seems)...Blacksburg VA may also (more diversity there due to VA Tech, and probably would be considered pretty socially conservative overall, on balance, compared to other places?!). Charlottesville, VA is also a nice town and pretty diverse....I am not sure it is socially conservative, though either!

[TechWife]

Raleigh-Durham, NC. Mild winter - this past winter was especially mild. I never pulled out my winter coat. Culturally diverse - There is a large Indian (as in not Native American) population. There are just a lot of immigrants to include blacks from Africa. I know many people who have adopted Asian children. (There are some families where it is true in the family that the 4th child is Chinese.) Educated - we have a large per capita of doctorates due to the large number of universities. Socially conservative - well, I feel right at home.

 

:iagree:

 

There is also a large homeschool community - homeschooling has reached the point where no one blinks an eye when it comes up. I know several families who have adopted internationally and domestically.

 

The population is highly educated. The region is also home to three large universities and dozens of smaller colleges. This adds to the diversity of the communities as well as making some great resources available to us. There are several museums, including the state natural history museum and the state art museum, where there is no admission charge for the regular exhibits. All of the museums are busy on the weekends - a very popular family activity.

 

The international companies are also a draw that adds quite a bit of diversity to the area. Biking is very popular as a sport, I'm also seeing a slow increase in people biking to work or to shops, but there aren't many who fall into that category. We're in a neighborhood where most people bike to get around it and the bike racks are too small, so we just pile the bikes around the rack.

[cajunrose]

I was going to say New Orleans until you said the "speak in full sentences" part..lol New Orleans is a pretty neat city and is pretty diverse.

[cottonmama]

Totally. Atlanta.

 

:iagree: Atlanta is especially a hub for Korean immigrants (and their descendants). I believe you'll find more on the Northeast end of town. There are Indians and other cultures represented, too.

 

Definitely socially conservative, has mild winters, and IME more of a tech/science intellectualism than other places have... plenty of graduates of Georgia Tech and Emory stick around. You do also have some redneck types, but less of that than you get away from the city.

[Cosmos]

Socially conservative - not sure what this means since I assume it doesn't mean politically conservative.

 

I'm glad I'm not the only one who doesn't know this.

 

What does socially conservative mean?

[Heather in Neverland]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who doesn't know this.

 

What does socially conservative mean?

 

I guess I should have put socially/politically conservative to be specific. Sorry about that!

[Ferdie]

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

 

:iagree: I was going to suggest north DFW. Check out Flower Mound, Highland Village, McKinney, Carrollton, and Coppell.

 

We even have classical schools. Here is a link to a classical charter school in the area:

 

http://foundersclassical.com/

 

And a private classical school:

 

http://coramdeoacademy.org/

Edited July 19, 2012 by Ferdie

[Heather in Neverland]

Wow, I just woke up and there are all of these great ideas!! It gives me hope that we can find a great place when we leave here. We need to plan in advance which is why we are asking now. That way we can possibly visit some of these places on our summer trips to the U.S. and scope out the job scene.

 

Part of me really wants to stay abroad and maybe try a new country but it is hard to imagine sending our ds to college on the other side of the world. Different state? Sure. Different hemisphere? That's a little more dicey. But that is a different thread...

 

Thanks ladies!

[WIS0320]

You need to find a college town. Blacksburg, VA (VA Tech) meets most of your requirements and is just a great little place. Lawrence, KS (KU) is also an awesome town but the winters in the midwest are cold.

[Bootsie]

College Station, TX might be a possibility. Given a large number of university professors living there, you find a group that is dedicated to education and that offers some diversity. Yet, the town is conservative. You are only about 1 1/2 hours from Houston, which offers many activities and a diverse population (much due to the oil industry) and only about 1/2 hours from Austin--much more liberal, but it gives some variety.

[itsheresomewhere]

You might want to make sure you really like the area because towns/areas change. In my area, we have done a 180(YES). We now have lots of different types of people, culture and some wonderful foods.

 

So my point is it might be socially conservative when you move there but things can change so make sure you are happy with the area no matter what.

[shalom22]

Here is another vote for Houston area. It fills all requirements, especially the heat part. :D

[Mandy in TN]

Nashville, TN!!!

 

1. Mild winters (It can be super hot in the summer, we are used to it. But I cannot handle brutal winters) Occassionally we get some snow flurries in winter, but it seldom sticks.

 

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:) Nashville is little Kurdistan. There is a huge Kurdish population. There is also a huge Hispanic population. There are also large groups of Indians and Somalis. There is a large enough Chinese population to support a Chinese school and numerous Chinese New Year celebrations. There is a large Hindu Temple, a Baha'i center and a few mosques, but tons of Christian churches. I also know of at least one Korean Christian church in my area.

 

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.)

Certainly true in south Nashville and Williamson county, but it is also true that these areas have higher income levels. Although even with higher income, I would never call the people of Nashville snobby.

 

4. Socially conservative

Nashville is definitely conservative.

 

Does a place like this exist in America?

Yes, Nashville!

[Mandy in TN]

Wanted to add that in Williamson County a lot of homeschool families have adopted, so there are many multi-cultural families in the homeschool community.

 

Mandy

[Stacy in NJ]

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

 

This sounds about right.

 

I would think you'll need to be in the South and also in a university town. Austin would fit the bill.

[justLisa]

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

 

Seattle is great. I would never leave. It does not get brutally hot in summer but winters are mild. It usually snows once good enough to let the kids play in it and make me sick of it. I don't think there are many strictly conservative areas anymore. Eastern wa is, but it's tumbleweeds and wind.

[Stacy in NJ]

It's probably a bit to cold, though.

[TravelingChris]

Huntsville AL. It meets all of your criteria and the summers are usually not that bad either.

[fairfarmhand]

Clarksville TN.

 

College town, and close enough to Nashville so that you will run into professors from both APSU and some of the other Nville. colleges. Close to Ft. Campell, so there is huge diversity there. Our Cville homeschool group has plenty of people from different racial/ethnic backgrounds. Mild winters and fairly hot summers. Fairly conservative area.

 

The people there are warm and friendly.

 

Nashville would be another thought. There are huge pockets of other races/ethnic groups there. The suburbs are less expensive, especially on the northern sides of town.

 

I live halfway in the middle of these two places. Either one will fit your criteria.

[Jennay]

Northern Virginia/DC area. It would meet all your requirements. Some parts would more meet the socially conservative part than others.

 

Hmmm, I've lived in the DC area my whole life and I don't think it is socially conservative. Also, while we get some mild winters we get some more brutal ones mixed in there as well.

[Katy]

Nashville. Pensacola. Tallahassee. Charlotte? Louisville.

[greenvneck]

oops, double post.

Edited July 19, 2012 by greenvneck

[greenvneck]

Austin. :D

 

:iagree: except for the socially conservative part. :D I was going to suggest Frisco, Texas, about four hours north of Austin. It fits all of your criteria.

[Caroline]

Huntsville AL. It meets all of your criteria and the summers are usually not that bad either.

 

I was thinking Huntsville, too.

[TXMary2]

Texas. Various small towns outside of Austin or San Antonio would meet your criteria. Austin is pretty liberal, but most of the small towns are conservative, and great places to raise kids. Homeschooling laws are awesome, and there are lots of homeschoolers. Co-ops in the Austin and San Antonio area are pretty diverse.

[MamaAkins]

I would look at the Cary area of North Carolina. Winters are relatively mild; although summers are pretty hot & humid. The Cary area has a relatively high Asian and Indian population (especially closer to Morrisville and the Research Triangle Park area). Living in this area gives you easy access to at least 3 universities (Duke, UNC-Chapel Hill, and NC State University), as well as some smaller universities. Along with the higher education comes a variety of museums (art, history, science) and venues for shows, music, etc. (DPAC, PNC Arena, etc).

[Sparkle]

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.

 

Yes, Sacramento would meet your criteria mostly. It's very diverse in terms of race and culture - we have many Asian and Indian folks. There are always cultural festivals going on; we have a wide variety of churches; people in general are pretty friendly. Lots of homeschoolers here, and several colleges in the area. We have a state university, several junior colleges, several private colleges, and a number of other colleges within short driving distances. California in general tends to be on the liberal side, but the Central Valley is much more conservative than the Bay Area. No snow, rarely gets below freezing. Summers are hot, but we usually get a nice Delta breeze at night to cool things down. Humidity is not an issue. Now, the economic situation is a whole 'nother ball of wax.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacramento,_California