DH has been told to transfer or he loses his job :/

[umsami]

On your list... Ft. Myers is a nice relatively small airport... cheap homes around... and FL is super homeschool friendly. You can either have a portfolio evaluation, take a standard test, or enroll in an "umbrella" school, which usually just requires you to report attendance. Homeschoolers are also eligible for dual-enrollment in community college classes.

However, coming from Atlanta, know that it's a much smaller area, fewer resources, etc. Know that Orlando, Ft. Lauderdale/Miami, Tampa, etc. are all pretty easy to get to... up to 3 hours or so away.

 

I loved living in Nashville...but costs have gone up there. Still, really beautiful area, fun fun city. No idea how homeschool friendly TN is, though.

[umsami]

Oops...double post :)

[Amy in NH]

I know you said little snow...but Manchester NH is a great area. It can be rural or cityish depending on where you live. You would also be about 2 hours from downtown Boston or the NH coast. Yes there is snow...but they do a good job of keeping it clear. NH is a pretty easy state to homeschool in from what I have heard (we are considering crossing state lines so have checked a bit). Good luck

 

ETA: NH has no income tax and no sales tax.

 

Manchester is actually only an hour to either Boston or the Seacoast, two hours to the mountains. Homeschooling is easy. Manchester Airport is a nice, small, low-stress airport with easy access. The traffic in Manchester is not horrible like in Boston. They do get snow, but there are great homeschool ski programs at all the mountains in the winter (even at a small ski hill in Manchester). Manchester has nice homeschool groups. And did I mention that homeschooling in NH is easy?

[Susan C.]

DFW more than makes up for the lack of income taxes with their real estate taxes!

[Mandylubug]

On your list... Ft. Myers is a nice relatively small airport... cheap homes around... and FL is super homeschool friendly. You can either have a portfolio evaluation, take a standard test, or enroll in an "umbrella" school, which usually just requires you to report attendance. Homeschoolers are also eligible for dual-enrollment in community college classes.

However, coming from Atlanta, know that it's a much smaller area, fewer resources, etc. Know that Orlando, Ft. Lauderdale/Miami, Tampa, etc. are all pretty easy to get to... up to 3 hours or so away.

 

I loved living in Nashville...but costs have gone up there. Still, really beautiful area, fun fun city. No idea how homeschool friendly TN is, though.

 

Well, we live an hour out from Atlanta right now. He commutes that far! Our town is fairly small compared to some but we do have many restaurants, grocery stores and shopping to choose from. We are accustomed to a bowling alley and a movie theater but they aren't required in our next town. I would love to find a Chic-fil-a town ha ha. THAT should be my number one criteria. Just kidding ;)

[Wabi Sabi]

I'll be the lone person to put in a suggestion for Indianapolis. Very low cost of living, affordable housing and low property taxes , homeschooling is very easy (it's more or less totally unregulated), good central location for traveling elsewhere in the US and there's lots of variety all within 30 minutes of the airport: everything from rural to very urban and everything in between. Indianapolis has museums aplenty, cultural opportunities, art galleries, zoo, shopping, sporting events. It does get snow in the winter, but it's variable. Some years we barely get a dusting of snow, other years it's significantly more. Generally speaking though you might expect to get a handful of snowfalls each winter and the snow usually melts within a couple of days.

 

ETA: As others have said, Austin is great too. In fact, we've given serious consideration to moving there. Ultimately, however, we decided that we just couldn't take the summers there plus we were finding the cost of housing to be considerably more expensive than here in Indiana.

[mandymom]

If it is Bush Intercontinental in Houston (not Hobby), which is really more in Humble/Kingwood/Atascocita, TX, we have a HUGE homeschooling community here. HUGE! Other than being hit in the summer, it's a GREAT place to live. Super low cost of living, even cheaper than other places in Texas. It's also a very family friendly and homeschooling friendly place.

[mandymom]

double post

[Χά�ων]

I'll be the lone person to put in a suggestion for Indianapolis. Very low cost of living, affordable housing and low property taxes , homeschooling is very easy (it's more or less totally unregulated), good central location for traveling elsewhere in the US and there's lots of variety all within 30 minutes of the airport: everything from rural to very urban and everything in between. Indianapolis has museums aplenty, cultural opportunities, art galleries, zoo, shopping, sporting events. It does get snow in the winter, but it's variable. Some years we barely get a dusting of snow, other years it's significantly more. Generally speaking though you might expect to get a handful of snowfalls each winter and the snow usually melts within a couple of days.

 

ETA: As others have said, Austin is great too. In fact, we've given serious consideration to moving there. Ultimately, however, we decided that we just couldn't take the summers there plus we were finding the cost of housing to be considerably more expensive than here in Indiana.

 

 

The Indianapolis zoo and children's museum are wonderful!! I would love to live closer.

[mandymom]

I would love to find a Chic-fil-a town ha ha. THAT should be my number one criteria. Just kidding ;)

 

 

Oh, and outside of Atlanta, Houston has one of the biggest markets for CFA in the nation. My dh is the owner/operator of one here in town :)

 

I say Houston is your best bet!

[littlebug42]

Vandalia, Ohio is indeed the Dayton airport. Homeschooling here is easy and there are many great opportunities for classes, etc. We never lack things to do. The COL is pretty low here as well. We are about one hour from Columbus and from Cincinnati which opens up opportunities a lot. We are very happy here.

 

I went to college in Austin and loved it but the summers are far too hot for me. Couldn't do that again.

[Punchie]

I know that BUF and ALB are probably ruled out b/c of the snow :D, but there are several somewhat large and active HS groups in the BUF area. As far as I know, there are a decent amount of HS groups in ALB too. Yes, the snow does drag, but everyone then makes the most of warm weather. And all year round, there is surprisingly a lot to do. I never had any interest in ever living here, but now that I am, I find that I really like it.

[Mandylubug]

If it is Bush Intercontinental in Houston (not Hobby), which is really more in Humble/Kingwood/Atascocita, TX, we have a HUGE homeschooling community here. HUGE! Other than being hit in the summer, it's a GREAT place to live. Super low cost of living, even cheaper than other places in Texas. It's also a very family friendly and homeschooling friendly place.

 

 

it is Hobby

[Aspasia]

If you want to explore, I think Denver is a great choice. Very different from Georgia and SO MUCH to do. I haven't ever lived there, but I am from Salt Lake City (just the other side of the Rockies) and I just love the mountains. COL is reasonable. The only problem, I guess, is that it can be snowy.

 

[vonfirmath]

Austin--- Not too hot in the Hill Country, lower cost of living than here in Colorado, no snow, I don't remember any tornadoes......

 

I live in the Austin area. Used to live near the airport. (moved to PFlugerville) You probably do NOT want to buy a house in Del Valle (Schools. Although, you homeschool. No grocery stores/other conveniences CLOSE) VERY affordable.. Very homeschool friendly. Gets hot in the summer but you're in Atlanta. you know that.

[Giraffe]

Texas!! I have lived all over the US and found TX to be one of the most pleasant places. Homeschool friendly, no income taxes, low COL, hot as hades in summer, but mild winters. I've heard good things about Austin, but I was/am in Dallas when I'm in the US and love it there.

[milovany]

We *love* Washington, but one of the big pulls for us is Puget Sound and the ocean, and Spokane is pretty far inland. I don't know it very well, but I've heard good things about it as a place to live. We're about 3 to 3.5 hours directly west of there, and Seattle is another 2 hours from here.

[Live2Ride]

 

Well, we live an hour out from Atlanta right now. He commutes that far! Our town is fairly small compared to some but we do have many restaurants, grocery stores and shopping to choose from. We are accustomed to a bowling alley and a movie theater but they aren't required in our next town. I would love to find a Chic-fil-a town ha ha. THAT should be my number one criteria. Just kidding ;)

 

My father is an avionics tech at Hartsfield...he drives the commuter van and lives 1 hour and 45 min away! They lived in Dallas, but moved out towards Rome when they bought property to retire and build their house. I don't think he has much longer until he retires, but I would not want that commute until then.

 

Hopefully y'all find a new area that is just what you need :)

[Susan in TN]

I live near Nashville. There's plenty of affordable real estate on the North side of town within 30 minutes of town. Weather's not too different from what you're used to. (not quite as hot, we get 1-2 snows in the average winter, but overall its not too bad in winter) No state income tax. Homeschooling laws are fairly easy to work with. The recession has not hit the area too terribly, but you can still get awesome real estate deals too! I have a good friend who's a realtor I can PM you her info if you decide on this area.

 

So personally, :D :D :D I'd choose Nashville!

 

Yep! It's a good place to live!

[Orthodox6]

I had not read this thread before I spent a lot of detail responding to your Dallas thread. (wish I had!)

 

Texas and Oklahoma are worry-free for homeschooling.

 

Austin, TX has been destroyed from the beautiful, enjoyable city it once was. (I lived there as the ruination was beginning to be felt.) Costs are up, and traffic congestion will smother you. Beautiful older homes torn down to build condos and MacMansions. Still a lively city with much to do, and the surrounding countryside (whatever does not have a house on it) is truly beautiful.

 

Houston, TX: Bleeach. (Grew up there, and it's no better now.) Good place if you like high humidity and long commutes.

 

Some of the cities on your list have crumbled economies.

 

 

 

 

 

Ok, here is the LONG list of cities available to us. Some of these I know I wouldn't be interested such as New York, NY, etc.. We want low cost of living, preferable not covered in snow all winter long or have the potential for tornadoes constantly. GA has enough tornadoes for my liking. We have lived in AZ and loved it. We like mountains and dryer air but our family is on the east coast. We are currently in Atlanta, GA. Another criteria we would like to have is the commute being within 30 minutes of the airport. We don't require a downtown location in any of these. DH did say there is a possibility that if some older employees are willing to take a severance package and leave we may be safe. We need 8 people that are "safe" to leave for him to remain. He's optimistic.. I will still plan in my head that we need to choose a city by May 6th. We have to have our transfer requests turned in by then and they will notify them in June if accepted.

 

available cities:

 

Albany, NY

Austin, TX

Windsor Locks, CT

Nashville, TN

Boston, MA

Buffalo, NY

Baltimore, MD

Columbus, OH

Dallas, TX

Vandalia, OH

D.C.

Denver, CO

Detroit, MI

Newark, NJ

Spokane, WA

Houston, TX

Indianapolis, IN

New York, NY

Kansas City, MO

Chicago, IL

Manchester, NH

Milwaukee, WI

Minneapolis

Oklahoma City, OK

Fort Myers, FL

San Francisco, CA

St. Louis, MD

[Mandylubug]

I had not read this thread before I spent a lot of detail responding to your Dallas thread. (wish I had!)

 

Texas and Oklahoma are worry-free for homeschooling.

 

Austin, TX has been destroyed from the beautiful, enjoyable city it once was. (I lived there as the ruination was beginning to be felt.) Costs are up, and traffic congestion will smother you. Beautiful older homes torn down to build condos and MacMansions. Still a lively city with much to do, and the surrounding countryside (whatever does not have a house on it) is truly beautiful.

 

Houston, TX: Bleeach. (Grew up there, and it's no better now.) Good place if you like high humidity and long commutes.

 

Some of the cities on your list have crumbled economies.

 

I did read your detailed comment on the other thread and truly appreciate it! We are still considering Dallas highly as well!

[thewaka]

Since you want it to look different from GA, I think Nashville should be out. Based on your love of AZ, I think TX, CO, or OK are good choices. We moved to Tulsa, OK almost 3 years ago from PA and love it here. He could commute from Tulsa if you would prefer the green part of the state, too :)

 

There are tornadoes, but not too bad. You are already used to hot summers and the winters are short with little snow. Absolutely beautiful spring and fall weather to enjoy. And the homeschooling laws can't be beat because there aren't any! I have never heard anything bad about homeschooling (we are rarely asked during the day why the kids aren't in school and I always see other kids out) and there are many groups and homeschool activities in Tulsa. OKC is bigger so should have even more opportunities. COL is good and I know there are wonderful cities all around OKC, though I have no idea what the housing market is like.

 

We moved from one of the worst states for homeschooling and were not going to miss 5+ months of snow (it almost always snowed into May *sigh*) so our move was exciting and we looked forward to the new adventure. My children grew up in PA and were used to wearing long sleeves and pants even in summer (we were in the coldest part of PA on a windy hilltop with lots of trees lol) so it took some getting used to for them, but they love how much there is to do. I hope this move ends the same way for your family.

[kitten18]

Kansas City would have a lower cost of living. The airport is in what is called "North of the river". It was basically in the middle of nowhere when I was a kid, grew up around there. Now it's suburban. You would have a pick of nice living areas within 30 minutes. KC has a lot of homeschoolers, lots to do in the area. Central location for travel.

 

Weather can be variable. It's usually spring and nice by now, but we caught a bit of the snow (which is highly unusual). We do have tornadoes.

 

The airport itself is nice. It's 3 terminals, easy layout. I worked there eons ago. Supposedly it's an easier airport to get around because of the layout. Lots of older airline people in the area as TWA used to have their overhaul base here.

We lived in Kansas City for 9 years. I loved it there and I would move back in a heartbeat. There are A LOT of very nice areas that would be an easy drive to the airport.

 

After that, I would be open to any of the cities in Texas.

[Tammyla]

I would choose Colorado, because it's beautiful or Texas/Florida because of no tax.

[bobbeym]

I live near Houston Hobby. There are a ton of suburb towns on the south side near Hobby if you didn't want to live in Houston itself. Friendswood, Pearland, Clear Lake, La Porte, Deer Park, Pasadena would all put you within a 30-45 minute commute of Hobby. There are strong hs populations in these areas too. Plus Texas is a great state to hs in since we don't have any regulations beyond a very minimum curriculum requirement.

 

The humidity in the summer does suck, but that's what A/C is for. And if you choose to live near the water like we do, then the humidity isn't such a big deal. :lol:

[dancer67]

Well, stay off the east coast. Boston, NY, Hartford(Windsor Locks). COL is crazy. I would go to TX if it were me.

[Lanny]

I lived in North Central Texas for 28 years, so I have quite a bit of experience in that area. Also, when I would drive, from Texas, to temporary job assignments in the Northeast (Ohio, Pennsylvania, Delaware, etc), I always enjoyed the area in Eastern Tennessee (Knoxville, etc.) and on I-81 in the western part of Virginia. I would also like you to consider Oklahoma City (OKC) because it might be more relaxed, with lower commuting time, than Dallas/Ft. Worth (DFW) or Austin (AUS) or Nashville (BNA). Not sure what order I would put these cities into for you. Texas has the advantage that there is no State Income Tax and about 1000 people are moving into Texas, every day. Nashville (BNA) in Miiddle Tennesee, is also a nice area. I have driven thru there, flown in and out of there, and stayed there.

 

My list, from the cities in your much longer list, would be: AUS, DFW, OKC, BNA.

 

Probably the COL would be lower in Texas, or in Oklahoma City, than in Nashville, but I'm not positive about how much of a variance there is, between those cities, in COL.

 

Texas has a lot of things to see. The Alamo in San Antonio, the state capital is in Austin, the beaches on North and South Padre Island, Big Bend National Park in S.W. Texas.

 

Nashville also has a lot of things to see,

 

Much good luck to you with this relocation! When I was very young, I worked for 2 airlines.

[Swimtaxi234]

TX, TN and FL have no income taxes and are pretty inexpensive.

 

Texas might not have an income tax, but when we lived there, we paid a fortune in property taxes.

[GSOchristie]

1. Baltimore

2. Nashville

3. Fort Myers

 

I really like to visit Baltimore and love being near the ocean. Nashville has lots of fun stuff to do and the weather is not too cold. Fort Myers would be my first pick if someone hadn't posted about one giant slugs last week ;).

[vonfirmath]

Texas has a lot of things to see. The Alamo in San Antonio, the state capital is in Austin, the beaches on North and South Padre Island, Big Bend National Park in S.W. Texas.

 

More than that!

Blue Bell Factory in Brenham, TX

The Riverwalk in San Antonio

Washington-on-The-Brazos in the Brenham area

San jacinto Monument (where Texas Independence was won) in Houston

NASA in Houston

 

There's a Dinosaur park up near Dallas

The Dr. pepper factory and original plant in Dublin, TX

There's a HUGE history to Texas even though it was just an independent nation for 10 years.

[MFA323]

Texas (I would choose Dallas or Austin) would be a good choice for cost of living and easy homeschooling. I don't know about OK's homeschooling laws, but the cost of living there is very low also. Nashville would also be a great choice, especially with family on the east coast.

[Kelly1730]

We live in PA and my husband would move to TX in a heartbeat. I can't bear to leave the grandchildren though:)

[dontknow]

If I may, please let me provide perhaps another / different perspective.

 

Though I'm not in the airline industry, I am someone who has worked off/on for a large company for about 20 years. My "off" times were due to unwilling to relocate. I'm now able to work from home full time so I'm back "on".

 

The city I live in is terrible for employment overall and even more so with someone with my skillset and background. Housing is affordable here (taxes are outrageous though) and my wife currently has a job that she isn't too keen on.

 

When I resumed the company I communicated to them that if my employment was contingent on relocation, this time we'd relocate. It'd most likely be Dallas, Texas or North Carolina.

 

Trying to find a decent job at 47 years old that pays even close to well with any sort of benefits is brutal. I've had enough of trying to make this town - which we've been in all of our lives - work. No more.

 

I wish you the best of deciding of what should come next for you and your family.

[KungFuPanda]

Baltimore. Mountains are close, ocean is close.

 

 

I'd have to disagree. I live in the Balt./DC area and LOVE it because there is sooooooo much to do, but the mountains are really hills, it's NOT a dry climate, and it's VERY expensive.

 

If you can get past all of that though, you will never run out of cool field trips :-)

[QueenCat]

I'd have to disagree. I live in the Balt./DC area and LOVE it because there is sooooooo much to do, but the mountains are really hills, it's NOT a dry climate, and it's VERY expensive.

 

If you can get past all of that though, you will never run out of cool field trips :-)

 

 

:iagree: Field trips galore.... I grew up there, and loved being 3-4 hours to the beach as a teen. I can still remember taking the Greyhound to Ocean City. But my parents house, in Columbia, was a HUGE fixer upper when they sold it a few years ago, and it went for $200k. I still have friends in my old neighborhood, as they bought their parents homes for below market prices, and it is unbelievable what these 40 year olds go for.... granted Columbia is pricier than some other areas.

[mommymilkies]

If O'Hare or Midway are on the list:

Illinois is a relaxed state for homeschoolers. No registration, no required testing. I have several friends whose husbands are pilots at the two above airports and they live in the Rockford area. MUCH cheaper than the Chicago suburbs, and there are lots of homeschoolers here.

 

IL is homeschool friendly. But Rockford is really not much cheaper, there is not much in the way of organized homeschooling groups, and the crime is CRAZY HIGH. We moved from there a few years ago. There are good parts-free children's farm, Discovery Museum, great chiropractors. But unless you are rolling in cash, it is just not a fabulous place to live, and quite a far commute to Chicago.

[DawnM]

These would be my choices.

 

In no particular order:

 

Nashville

San Francisco

Spokane

Denver

 

 

However, cost wise, if salary is the same, I would nix San Fran.

[Ruby Rose]

My Top 4 would be:

1 TN

2 CO

3 TX

4 FL

[Seasider]

Of course you are (all) right that property taxes are higher in TX. I just wanted to point out the no- state-income-tax thing as a consideration when crunching numbers. If one just looks at salary and property taxes, one could miss the net effect, kwim?

 

a

Just a comment about the fact that Texas has no income tax...

 

This is true; however, the government will get your money one way or another. In Texas, it is through property taxes. We currently own two homes (one we live in, one we outgrew and is now a rental), and between them both, we pay roughly $1000 per month in property taxes. One of the houses is technically outside city limits, so we don't even pay city property taxes on one of them, yet we still pay a lot.

 

ETA: There's also a pretty high state sales tax. I'm not sure what it is up to now, but state and city sales taxes now have purchases in San Antonio up to about 8.5%.

 

Now, even given that, Texas is still an affordable place to live. Housing prices are low, as are gas prices. And I read somewhere recently that Texas has the lowest average grocery prices of anywhere in the nation. I still prefer Texas to any other state we've lived in.

 

[JFSinIL]

IL is homeschool friendly. But Rockford is really not much cheaper, there is not much in the way of organized homeschooling groups, and the crime is CRAZY HIGH. We moved from there a few years ago. There are good parts-free children's farm, Discovery Museum, great chiropractors. But unless you are rolling in cash, it is just not a fabulous place to live, and quite a far commute to Chicago.

 

 

Rockford is another hour beyond where I am in Elgin (taking the I-90 tollway, which is to be enlarged soon so think construction!) and I am a good 40 minutes to one-hour (depending on traffic) from O'Hare.

 

Midway is on the south side of Chicago - we do NOT even think of using it from here. You'd have to live south of Midway, along another expressway or tollway, to access it.

 

My friend's hubby used to work for American out of O'Hare - he was ground control/baggage - and had an ever-changing odd schedule. In winter when it snowed his commute was awful from Elgin to O'Hare.

 

You could do O'Hare if you were in Elgin, or another town on a Metra train line (so you can get into Chicago w/o the drive and costly parking- note Metra does not go to O'Hare although "l" line does from Chicago) no farther out than Elgin. But Rockford? That is a HAUL!

[Mandylubug]

Thank you everyone! We appreciate all the commentary. I will say commuting a long distance in snow does not sound ideal to me. In our current city he gets home at midnight and I worry enough without snow as is.

 

Our top contenders are Austin and Dallas. We were considering Ft Myers but their flight patterns do not look promising or consistent. So we will scratch it. Nashville is on the list I suppose because of nearness to family but I am not loving that option.I want adventure.

 

So, we need to have other cities to choose from as well if our first choices aren't available. We need to put down at least 10 of those cities in order of preference.

 

So currently we will list.

Austin

Dallas

Nashville

 

Looking for more info on cities like st. Louis or Indianapolis. What is the weather like, etc.

[Orthodox6]

I think you will be pleased, overall with Texas. I really condole with you on the prospect of the hyper-congested Austin traffic, however. There are some wonderful smaller-town choices close to Austin, which could be great choices for everyday living.

[sheryl]

Ok, here is the LONG list of cities available to us. Some of these I know I wouldn't be interested such as New York, NY, etc.. We want low cost of living, preferable not covered in snow all winter long or have the potential for tornadoes constantly. GA has enough tornadoes for my liking. We have lived in AZ and loved it. We like mountains and dryer air but our family is on the east coast. We are currently in Atlanta, GA. Another criteria we would like to have is the commute being within 30 minutes of the airport. We don't require a downtown location in any of these. DH did say there is a possibility that if some older employees are willing to take a severance package and leave we may be safe. We need 8 people that are "safe" to leave for him to remain. He's optimistic.. I will still plan in my head that we need to choose a city by May 6th. We have to have our transfer requests turned in by then and they will notify them in June if accepted.

 

available cities:

 

Albany, NY

Austin, TX

Windsor Locks, CT

Nashville, TN

Boston, MA

Buffalo, NY

Baltimore, MD

Columbus, OH

Dallas, TX

Vandalia, OH

D.C.

Denver, CO

Detroit, MI

Newark, NJ

Spokane, WA

Houston, TX

Indianapolis, IN

New York, NY

Kansas City, MO

Chicago, IL

Manchester, NH

Milwaukee, WI

Minneapolis

Oklahoma City, OK

Fort Myers, FL

San Francisco, CA

St. Louis, MD

 

 

 

From your preferences and the list I'd say Nashville, TN or possible St. Louis, MO (except there will be tornadoes now and then). You would be w/o many tornadoes, limited snow, no hurricanes, milder winter. I'm from Cols, OH (many generations back); have lived in Detroit area, Milwaukee, WI. Those are cold cities and can be somewhat depressed in the financial sector.

 

The other cities you mentioned are in cold, snow-belt states or hot, hurricane states, etc.

[sheryl]

I was going to mention Indy, and it's a lovely city, but it's in the snow belt.

[Paige]

St Louis is wonderful. It has excellent medical facilities, museums, restaurants, so many fun and inexpensive things to do with your family, and is in the middle of the country so you can explore in any direction without taking days and days on the road....but it's going to have snow in the winter.

[Mandylubug]

St Louis is wonderful. It has excellent medical facilities, museums, restaurants, so many fun and inexpensive things to do with your family, and is in the middle of the country so you can explore in any direction without taking days and days on the road....but it's going to have snow in the winter.

 

I figured it would. I wouldn't mind occasional snow that came and went just as fast but not an all winter long sort of situation lol

[vonfirmath]

I think you will be pleased, overall with Texas. I really condole with you on the prospect of the hyper-congested Austin traffic, however. There are some wonderful smaller-town choices close to Austin, which could be great choices for everyday living.

 

Where the airport is is outside of the normal congestion. If she stays on the east side of the city -- or the south, the congestion is not as bad.

 

I have lived in Oak Hill, Del Valle, and Pflugerville, all commuting to Manor and never found the congestion horrible. I avoided 35 and took 183 or 973 in preference though, the toll road when I absolutely MUST get there.

[mommymilkies]

Looking for more info on cities like st. Louis or Indianapolis. What is the weather like, etc.

 

 

Both have the usual Midwestern weather. There WILL be tornadoes nearby at least a few times a year. I would not say worse than Texas, though! Crazy humid hot (90% humidity and 90degree weather) summers, cold snowy winters, not a lot of in between. Indianapolis is windier and cooler than St. Louis. St.Louis is a bit milder. St. Louis, IMHO, has more fun kid stuff- free awesome zoo, free science museum, amazing City Museum, etc. I was less than impressed with the Indy children's museum. Indy has a good zoo, but it is very pricey. Both have great hospitals. Crime is better in Indy, but I found commuting and living outside of St. Louis to be wayyyyy easier than INdy. 465 is just a terribly congested highway around Indy every time we are there. There seems to be more homeschooling activities around St. Louis, but you'd have to ask someone currently there. There are more cultural opportunities around Indy and some really great historical sites, like Ste. Genevieve. There are some good parks like Turkey Run in Indiana, but they're a good drive away from the city...1.5 hours?

[mandymom]

I still say that Houston is a viable option, even with it being Hobby Airport. There are some really nice places to live here (I would start looking at Pearland or Friendswood....Sugarland and Katy are a little further out, but nice as well. The real estate site for the Houston area is www.har.com).

 

Yes, the weather is hot, but not any hotter than Dallas (I spent my first 28 years of life in Dallas) and as far as traffic goes, IMO Dallas is far worse. And COL is lower here, even lower than Dallas or Austin. We've looked at relocating to both, and there is NO WAY we could come close to the house we have here in either of those two cities.

 

Although I'm not intimately familiar with other parts of Houston, I know that the homeschooling community is large all over the city and suburbs. My dd's basketball team has played other homeschooling teams all over the city and she also participated in the regional spelling bee in the south part of town (we are far up north).

[crazyfordlr]

I would rec OKC. The weather is similar to ATL, there aren't many tornadoes (just warnings), and homeschooling is part of the state constitution. Oh, and you can't beat the COL. I grew up in Norman and dh grew up in Midwest City. We both went to OU for undergrad, so it's "home" kwim.

 

I really like Indy, too. It's not far from Chicago or Dayton. Weather is decent, not tons of snow. Good COL.

 

We currently live in the SF bay area - great place by very HCOL.