MrsMommy Posted October 5, 2014 Share Posted October 5, 2014 St. Louis hits most of the marks on your list: four seasons, moderate COL, decent traffic and commute times, heavily Catholic (lots of good Catholic high schools and a Jesuit university), trees and hills (but not too many!), and a ton of stuff for homeschoolers. Most of Missouri is rather "red state" but the metro area is very politically diverse. Lots of suburban areas can have a smaller town feel. Yes, it can be too hot/too cold/too humid/too dry here. Usually all in the same week, but it rarely goes on and on for weeks and months. DH is an Information Security Analyst and has no problems with finding employment. He's been on the DoD/government side. Totally agree...St. Louis is a great place to live! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted October 5, 2014 Share Posted October 5, 2014 I lived in Columbia, MD, which was very nice, but it is expensive. Most of my friends purchased townhouses because a single family home was out of their price range. It is the norm there, even for the solidly middle class.The OP might want to add a line about housing. They'll find the weather and likely the right companies in central Maryland, but how much house they can afford will likely change significantly. People are drawn by the salaries, then once they live here a while they realize it doesn't go very far. If the op HAS to have a house and a half acre, I wouldn't even look here. Don't get me wrong, we do love it, but if we were buying our own house today it would be too expensive and it's not remotely fancy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted October 5, 2014 Share Posted October 5, 2014 . Visited NC moutains (too claustraphobic....the trees are overwhelming) you absolutely do NOT want the PacNW. (western or, western, wa, northern id) we have trees, trees and more trees . . . . and they ain't little bitty things neither . . . . (I remember somewhere - someone was trying to tell me their area had trees so they took me to see some of their forested area. those aren't trees. they're bushes.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elisabet1 Posted October 5, 2014 Share Posted October 5, 2014 Make sure you consider politics and home school laws too. In some states, you have to answer to the state or local districts for home schooling. And you have to give every vaccination they want you to give, there are not exemptions for conscience. And religious exemptions have to go through a strict approval process and can be rejected. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravin Posted October 5, 2014 Share Posted October 5, 2014 Different strokes for different folks. Parts of Florida are on my "I wouldn't live there for all the tea in China" list. I was so happy when relatives moved away from there and I was no longer needing to visit there 1-2 times a year. I think what people don't realize about Florida is unless you're in one of the tourist/retirement cities, it's still very much the deep south. Get away from the beach and the city lights, and you're in a swamp, more or less. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted October 5, 2014 Author Share Posted October 5, 2014 I think what people don't realize about Florida is unless you're in one of the tourist/retirement cities, it's still very much the deep south. Get away from the beach and the city lights, and you're in a swamp, more or less. So true. I'm in Apopka, which is kind of the border land between redneck and Orlando, and yeah. If you go a few more miles west of me you get cows. And if you go north you get national forest. I like THAT aspect of where I live. I love that one street over there is a house with goats in the backyard, and and horses around the corner from them. I just hate going into Orlando for everything. HATE the traffic. Hate the traffic accidents (we are way up there on accidents nationwide, and the most pedestrian related accidents in the country). I liked living in smaller areas in Florida, even on the coast. My parents are in Merritt Island, and I love it over there, as far as the size of the town. Still have the issue of zero seasons, but it's smaller, no traffic, etc. I liked Tallhassee quiet a bit, other than the bars/etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted October 5, 2014 Share Posted October 5, 2014 Ohio is on the list, but I wonder if I could take the gray winter. Hubby has family in the Sandusky area, Finley, etc. Small towns compared to where we are. I grew up in NE Ohio. One of my friends, who was a transplant from Colorado, had a small snippet of newspaper text on her refrigerator. It said, "Sun? In Ohio?" :lol: Yeah, it's grey. Long winters, lots of snow. Still like it, but...nah. IIWY, I'd try somewhere in NC. Or VA. Or go west. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted October 5, 2014 Share Posted October 5, 2014 Totally agree...St. Louis is a great place to live! Is there a lot of crime in St. Louis? Just asking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happypamama Posted October 5, 2014 Share Posted October 5, 2014 The OP might want to add a line about housing. They'll find the weather and likely the right companies in central Maryland, but how much house they can afford will likely change significantly. People are drawn by the salaries, then once they live here a while they realize it doesn't go very far. If the op HAS to have a house and a half acre, I wouldn't even look here. Don't get me wrong, we do love it, but if we were buying our own house today it would be too expensive and it's not remotely fancy. Very true. I have almost three acres and a 2400 square foot house plus a barn plus commuting costs for less than we could have had a small house and a tiny lot close to DH's office, because we crossed a state line. I deal with the PA homeschooling laws vs. the MD ones because there are some things I do like better about hs'ing up here, but also because there are some things we like better about PA anyway. (We lived outside of DC for four years, and DH refuses to live there ever again.) And crime? What crime? I think it's pretty nonexistent in our little area. Speeding, maybe? But I don't know that the OP would like it up here; it's a pretty conservative area, and I have not seen a ton of Catholic Churches, although there are some. (But having never attended one, I also don't know how many you'd expect to see in a particular area. Like, we have a ton of Baptist churches, all a little different from each other, but idk if Catholic Churches work the same way -- do you have just one in a locale, and that's it, whether you like it or not, or might you have a couple close by so that you could pick the one you liked best?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted October 5, 2014 Author Share Posted October 5, 2014 Very true. I have almost three acres and a 2400 square foot house plus a barn plus commuting costs for less than we could have had a small house and a tiny lot close to DH's office, because we crossed a state line. I deal with the PA homeschooling laws vs. the MD ones because there are some things I do like better about hs'ing up here, but also because there are some things we like better about PA anyway. (We lived outside of DC for four years, and DH refuses to live there ever again.) And crime? What crime? I think it's pretty nonexistent in our little area. Speeding, maybe? But I don't know that the OP would like it up here; it's a pretty conservative area, and I have not seen a ton of Catholic Churches, although there are some. (But having never attended one, I also don't know how many you'd expect to see in a particular area. Like, we have a ton of Baptist churches, all a little different from each other, but idk if Catholic Churches work the same way -- do you have just one in a locale, and that's it, whether you like it or not, or might you have a couple close by so that you could pick the one you liked best?) I am remembereing visiting PA a long time ago, I was just a kid. It was pretty, from what I remember. (It was winter, the only time I ever saw snow really). As for churches, there is one per area, unless there are enough people to warrant more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted October 5, 2014 Author Share Posted October 5, 2014 NC is sounding good, although I know homebirth is pretty impossible in that area. Of course, by the itme we do this, I'll be past that stage in life. If we have one more it will be here. We won't move for another few years. How is homeschooling there? We have friends in various areas, mostly Chapel Hill. My aunt has a house in the mountains, Linville. Oh, and friends in Charlotte, as well. I have always joked that northeners move to florida, and floridians move to NC. Oops, I liked. They are in Raleigh, not Chapel Hill. And Aunt Lives in Linville. (my grandparents used to live in Bervard, hence the confusion) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted October 5, 2014 Author Share Posted October 5, 2014 Alright, according to google images, Chapel Hill (which I ended up looking at first, by mistake) is gorgeous. Everything I'd want. Raleigh is WAY too big, again, going only by pics on google images. So...Tell me about that area. Or better yet, I'll start a new thread! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted October 5, 2014 Share Posted October 5, 2014 The OP might want to add a line about housing. They'll find the weather and likely the right companies in central Maryland, but how much house they can afford will likely change significantly. People are drawn by the salaries, then once they live here a while they realize it doesn't go very far. If the op HAS to have a house and a half acre, I wouldn't even look here. Don't get me wrong, we do love it, but if we were buying our own house today it would be too expensive and it's not remotely fancy. The vast majority of people who move into our area come from MD for that exact reason. The house (and lot/land) they can get here + supposedly our schools and lack of crime make it worth it to them. I believe we also have lower taxes. We definitely have a Catholic population around - churches, schools up through grade 12, etc. My middle son took his AP exams at the nearby Catholic high school because at that time our local ps wouldn't get them in for him. They've since changed their policy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsMommy Posted October 5, 2014 Share Posted October 5, 2014 Is there a lot of crime in St. Louis? Just asking. I'd say there's pretty much the amount of crime you'd expect for a city this size. I definitely feel safe living here (in the suburbs now, but we lived in the city itself when we first got married). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted October 5, 2014 Share Posted October 5, 2014 Actually, NC is often referred to as the "Halfback State" meaning those from the NE will move to FL to retire and then find that FL isn't for them, so they will move halfway back, to NC. Dawn NC is sounding good, although I know homebirth is pretty impossible in that area. Of course, by the itme we do this, I'll be past that stage in life. If we have one more it will be here. We won't move for another few years. How is homeschooling there? We have friends in various areas, mostly Chapel Hill. My aunt has a house in the mountains, Linville. Oh, and friends in Charlotte, as well. I have always joked that northeners move to florida, and floridians move to NC. Oops, I liked. They are in Raleigh, not Chapel Hill. And Aunt Lives in Linville. (my grandparents used to live in Bervard, hence the confusion) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted October 5, 2014 Author Share Posted October 5, 2014 Ha, that's funny! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucyStoner Posted October 5, 2014 Share Posted October 5, 2014 So true. I'm in Apopka, which is kind of the border land between redneck and Orlando, and yeah. If you go a few more miles west of me you get cows. And if you go north you get national forest. I like THAT aspect of where I live. I love that one street over there is a house with goats in the backyard, and and horses around the corner from them. I just hate going into Orlando for everything. HATE the traffic. Hate the traffic accidents (we are way up there on accidents nationwide, and the most pedestrian related accidents in the country). I liked living in smaller areas in Florida, even on the coast. My parents are in Merritt Island, and I love it over there, as far as the size of the town. Still have the issue of zero seasons, but it's smaller, no traffic, etc. I liked Tallhassee quiet a bit, other than the bars/etc. I drove out well past Apopka to drop off my nephew to the other side of his family once. It was seriously all I could do to not just drive off with him and take him home with me to WA state. Now 80% of that was the people I was dropping him off to. 20% though was just the location. His school library was, IIRC, about the size of a very large utility closet. The location lacked not only sidewalks and paved roads but also actual roads of any kind for about a mile and they were NOT to only family in the area. There were quite a few pockets of ramshackle houses and trailers. One quarter of all homeless children in the USA live in Florida alone. http://www.cbsnews.com/news/hard-times-generation-families-living-in-cars-04-06-2012/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted October 5, 2014 Author Share Posted October 5, 2014 I drove out well past Apopka to drop off my nephew to the other side of his family once. It was seriously all I could do to not just drive off with him and take him home with me to WA state. Now 80% of that was the people I was dropping him off to. 20% though was just the location. His school library was, IIRC, about the size of a very large utility closet. The location lacked not only sidewalks and paved roads but also actual roads of any kind for about a mile and they were NOT to only family in the area. There were quite a few pockets of ramshackle houses and trailers. One quarter of all homeless children in the USA live in Florida alone. http://www.cbsnews.com/news/hard-times-generation-families-living-in-cars-04-06-2012/ Yeah, once you start getting into the area going towards the national forest...it's kind of creepy. I'm closer to Altamonte Springs, and we do have roads, a really nice library system, sidewalks, etc. But yes, homelessness is a HUGE issue. My church does a lot of work in that area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bug's Mom Posted October 6, 2014 Share Posted October 6, 2014 Wow, what a coincidence! I never though of the area as flat or lacking trees, but I guess everyone sees things differently. I'm heading that direction soon, and fall there is absolutely gorgeous. It's actually a destination to view fall color. I've lived some beautiful places (upstate NY, CO, and OR), but the 40 minute drive from my family's small IA town to MN and across the river into La Crosse is still one of my favorites with the Mississippi River on one side of the road and beautiful bluffs on the other and lots of trees everywhere. It's nice to see my part of the world through someone else's eyes. ;) If you have the time, drive up 35 and through the little towns: Nelson, Pepin, Stockholm, Maiden Rock. Beautiful. Also, we have the Packers and cheese curds. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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