homefree3 Posted December 31, 2015 Share Posted December 31, 2015 My family has the opportunity to select a new location. We are considering southern states near medium size cities. I am hoping for some advice based on the other's experiences. my wish list an active gifted support community community college that allow early entry. lots of museums and educational field trip opportunities easy to comply with homeschool guidelines my husbands wish list near water (lake or beach) near major airport reasonable housing prices. Any advice would be helpful Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LTBernard Posted December 31, 2015 Share Posted December 31, 2015 I don't know that we would be able to move, but I am following because you just never know ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike in SA Posted December 31, 2015 Share Posted December 31, 2015 San Antonio (and Texas in general): my wish list an active gifted support community No - there is a small group, but like most places, not a whole lot of mileage community college that allow early entry. At 16, but the universities are more accommodating lots of museums and educational field trip opportunities Loads, yes (Houston best for museums, SA best for field trips) easy to comply with homeschool guidelines May be the friendliest in the country my husbands wish list near water (lake or beach) Houston - 1 hour to below avg beach; D/FW, Austin, SA: lots of lakes, SA to nice beach 2 hours near major airport Yes reasonable housing prices. Yes (highest prices in Austin, best family life in San Antonio or Ft Worth, best overall blend in Austin, but traffic is terrible there) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tumbatoo Posted December 31, 2015 Share Posted December 31, 2015 Nashville, TN comes to mind. Ds was only 4 when we lived there, but they had lots of resources. Of course, we weren't planning to homeschool at the time, so I can't give details on homeschooling. I loved how so many field trip options are nearby, and there is a lake beach. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hellen Posted December 31, 2015 Share Posted December 31, 2015 If you define gifted as top 1% (as an example), then statistically speaking it will be difficult to find a gifted support group in a smaller town. Not only would a child need to be gifted but also homeschooled. If you know what sort of gifted support you want, then you could look for that. Do you want a local math circle? Do you envision your child competing in Science Olympiad? Robotics? Orchestra? You may be better off finding a state that allows equal access to Homeschoolers so your child can participate in a club at the local public school. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homefree3 Posted December 31, 2015 Author Share Posted December 31, 2015 One child excels in Physics, one in history and one in math. My family has been in small towns without great resources. Recently during a road trip we bumped into a university art history professor. After a lovely conversation, he invited my daughter to attend some of his lectures. Unfortunately, it was 2,000 miles from our home. I would love to live in a city with similar opportunities. I had not thought of the possibilty of Science Olympiad or a math circle....It sounds like a Christmas wish list. I will put these on my list to research while looking at locations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homefree3 Posted December 31, 2015 Author Share Posted December 31, 2015 Tennessee is high on my husbands list. Looks like Vanderbilt offers bi-annual gifted weekends. I will look for more information. I like the idea of Houston. I will look into the area more. Thanks for helping me focus on some specific items. I will add some of my thoughts after researching this weekend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Runningmom80 Posted December 31, 2015 Share Posted December 31, 2015 Silicon Valley 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hellen Posted December 31, 2015 Share Posted December 31, 2015 (edited) You might look at Louisville and Lexington Kentucky. Both have a large university. Lexington has a math circle. Louisville has a nice history homeschool group. They participate in National History Day and do programs with the local history museum. I don't know if they have dual enrollment for homeschoolers. Colorado gives access to public school stuff. They also have one day a week programs for Homeschoolers in some areas. My nephews are taking college classes there so I know dual enrollment is possible for homeschoolers. ETA: Other places participate in National History Day. I'm just familiar with the Louisville one because we used to live there. My kids were too young but the homeschool group looked really neat. The mom who runs it works hard. Edited December 31, 2015 by hellen 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rutheart Posted December 31, 2015 Share Posted December 31, 2015 Huntsville, AL would be my top pick. There are still a lot of NASA families in the area, so lots of smart STEM kids and educational support. I keep trying to find my husband a job there, so we could move there ourselves. Ruth 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeaConquest Posted December 31, 2015 Share Posted December 31, 2015 Athens, Georgia. It's a great college town (UGA) in the South with access to a math circle and other gifted events. I have friends that teach at UGA, and they love it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mathnerd Posted December 31, 2015 Share Posted December 31, 2015 (edited) Silicon Valley This is what I would suggest. The cost of living is very high, but there are excellent opportunities for gifted kids that are easily accessible. Edited December 31, 2015 by mathnerd 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quark Posted December 31, 2015 Share Posted December 31, 2015 Athens, Georgia. It's a great college town (UGA) in the South with access to a math circle and other gifted events. I have friends that teach at UGA, and they love it. I was surprised you didn't suggest San Diego! :laugh: Any idea if SD would fit OP's needs? Considering moving too like the OP, but would need teen resources. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quark Posted December 31, 2015 Share Posted December 31, 2015 Silicon Valley Agreeing to this. There is now (I think it must have been homeschool parent-driven) a resource called Outschool in the Bay Area where you can create a dream class for your preferred age group and advertise on Outschool for participants. I used to organize small groups years ago and found it so hard to pull in critical mass. Outschool is making this easier. I think they are even open to giving younger students access to independent biology lab projects (in an actual lab). 6 years ago, I would have killed for having something similar in chemistry/ biology but was turned away by every lab due to insurance concerns/ age of my child. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeaConquest Posted January 1, 2016 Share Posted January 1, 2016 (edited) I was surprised you didn't suggest San Diego! :laugh: Any idea if SD would fit OP's needs? Considering moving too like the OP, but would need teen resources. YES!!! Come here! It's cheaper than the Bay Area and less of a rat race. Plus, we have AoPS at our math circle. Classes for your DS at UCSD and much less traffic. And the weather can't be beat. I didn't suggest here because the OP asked for Southern and reasonable housing prices. But, we have lots of glorious water and amazing seafood tacos! :) ETA: we also have a homeschool group specifically for teens called TAG. Edited January 1, 2016 by SeaConquest 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quark Posted January 1, 2016 Share Posted January 1, 2016 (edited) YES!!! Come here! It's cheaper than the Bay Area and less of a rat race. Plus, we have AoPS at our math circle. Classes for your DS at UCSD and much less traffic. And the weather can't be beat. I didn't suggest here because the OP asked for Southern and reasonable housing prices. But, we have lots of glorious water and amazing seafood tacos! :) ETA: we also have a homeschool group specifically for teens called TAG. Good to know. :laugh: Thank you! Edited January 1, 2016 by quark 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deerforest Posted January 1, 2016 Share Posted January 1, 2016 RTP area in NC meets your requirements. PM me if you want details. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EndOfOrdinary Posted January 2, 2016 Share Posted January 2, 2016 Both Portland, OR and Seattle, WA meet those requirements other than housing. Right now we are experiencing an INSANE housing price jump. The bubble is going to pop soon and prices will drop dramatically. So you might want to keep it on radar. Seattle has one of the nations best EEP programs at University of Washington. quark - you should come up here! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeaConquest Posted January 2, 2016 Share Posted January 2, 2016 Both Portland, OR and Seattle, WA meet those requirements other than housing. Right now we are experiencing an INSANE housing price jump. The bubble is going to pop soon and prices will drop dramatically. So you might want to keep it on radar. Seattle has one of the nations best EEP programs at University of Washington. quark - you should come up here! Don't steal her! ;) I agree with you about the housing market. We are waiting for the next dip before we buy again. I read this the other day: http://www.businessinsider.com/us-at-risk-of-recession-says-jpmorgan-2015-12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EndOfOrdinary Posted January 2, 2016 Share Posted January 2, 2016 We would come down to you guys if I had a better income. No way we could live in SoCal on my coffee job income. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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