Help me figure out where to move! Once again....

[frugalmamatx]

I posted a few months back and it was a theoretical move. Well the situation with the neighbors is deteriorating fast, and tbh I want out. My job is portable. My stuff I"m not attached to, and already paring down in case. PLEASE help me figure out where to look for homes! 

 

Areas I've already considered:

 

~Kalamazoo MI {too many relatives}

~Other cities in Texas {many of the same issues as current}

~Pittsburgh PA {I love and strongly am considering, except for the homeschooling laws}

 

 

 

So - where would you move? This is my list of must haves. I'm okay with trade offs on this list too - I know I"m not going to find everything in one place!

 

• Good Public Transit system {basically can I use city bus / subway / etc 95% of the time and the occasional uber/taxi when absolutely needed}. I don't drive so this is a must. 
  
• Low cost housing. Probably looking for a fixer upper in the under $45k range and putting sweat equity into it just as with my current home. I'm okay with a slightly bad neighborhood but not really bad. But my idea of slightly bad is probably most people's cruddy neighborhoods tbh. Basically if it's so bad that Pizza Hut won't deliver - then it's too bad for me lol. 
  
• Good public library system. BIG bonus points if the library does things like check out passes for museums zoos etc. 
  
• Decent secular or at least tolerant homeschooling network for middle school and higher kids
  
• Good homeschooling laws. DD isn't crazy about the idea of testing, and I hate the thought of having to get things reviewed etc 
  
• Ideally, a college / community college nearby that allows dual enrollment prior to 16 {ours won't until 16 and it's putting a wrench in my theoretical high school planning}. Bonus if DE is free or nearly free. 
  
• Easy to access grocery stores / etc. So not a food desert. 
  
• A good network of local assistance programs {food pantry / utility assistance}. Especially the first couple of years while I'm working on the house, probably going to need to seek assistance at least a few times for things because money will be very tight. 
  
• Good medical care available. I have a chronic health problem that needs followed by an endocrinologist. 
  

[Ottakee]

Muskegon MI or Grand Rapids MI

[Janeway]

 

I posted a few months back and it was a theoretical move. Well the situation with the neighbors is deteriorating fast, and tbh I want out. My job is portable. My stuff I"m not attached to, and already paring down in case. PLEASE help me figure out where to look for homes! 

 

Areas I've already considered:

 

~Kalamazoo MI {too many relatives}

~Other cities in Texas {many of the same issues as current}

~Pittsburgh PA {I love and strongly am considering, except for the homeschooling laws}

 

 

 

So - where would you move? This is my list of must haves. I'm okay with trade offs on this list too - I know I"m not going to find everything in one place!

 

• Good Public Transit system {basically can I use city bus / subway / etc 95% of the time and the occasional uber/taxi when absolutely needed}. I don't drive so this is a must. 
• Low cost housing. Probably looking for a fixer upper in the under $45k range and putting sweat equity into it just as with my current home. I'm okay with a slightly bad neighborhood but not really bad. But my idea of slightly bad is probably most people's cruddy neighborhoods tbh. Basically if it's so bad that Pizza Hut won't deliver - then it's too bad for me lol. 
• Good public library system. BIG bonus points if the library does things like check out passes for museums zoos etc. 
• Decent secular or at least tolerant homeschooling network for middle school and higher kids
• Good homeschooling laws. DD isn't crazy about the idea of testing, and I hate the thought of having to get things reviewed etc 
• Ideally, a college / community college nearby that allows dual enrollment prior to 16 {ours won't until 16 and it's putting a wrench in my theoretical high school planning}. Bonus if DE is free or nearly free. 
• Easy to access grocery stores / etc. So not a food desert. 
• A good network of local assistance programs {food pantry / utility assistance}. Especially the first couple of years while I'm working on the house, probably going to need to seek assistance at least a few times for things because money will be very tight. 
• Good medical care available. I have a chronic health problem that needs followed by an endocrinologist. 

 

Other than the low house cost, I would say Minneapolis. Other than very small towns that would not have anything else on your list, I cannot imagine where you could get a house for 45K.

[Janeway]

I like Sioux Falls, SD. That would fit a lot on your list. Or Iowa City. Iowa City has a lot of the stuff on your list.

[Guest]

Missouri? Minnesota? Unfortunately the places with good public transit tend to not have that low of a housing cost. That's insanely low.

 

Honestly I've been impressed with Dayton, OH on that front though. In the city there is a plethora of dirt cheap housing and a very public transit and foot transit friendly system. Lots of cyclists too. The schools in those cheaper parts of town are mediocre but if you are homeschooling exclusively it's no big deal. Homeschool laws are moderately restrictive but not at all difficult to comply with, from my research.

 

Which of those factors can you flex on? You can't find perfect, so what is MOST important?

Edited July 6, 2017 by Arctic Mama

[frugalmamatx]

 

Which of those factors can you flex on? You can't find perfect, so what is MOST important?

 

 Most important would be transit. And housing. and slightly less so assistance. Everything else is gravy really and I can live without. 

[Carrie12345]

If you love PA, come to PA!

 

The regulations are stupid.  They take about an hour a year to follow.  Okay, an hour for the actual evaluation and a few more minutes to type and print paperwork, plus making your kids take a test 3 times over their entire homeschool careers.

 

To completely give up the existence you want for the burden of easy, vague, once-a-year paperwork would be nuts!

[happypamama]

If you love PA, come to PA!

 

The regulations are stupid. They take about an hour a year to follow. Okay, an hour for the actual evaluation and a few more minutes to type and print paperwork, plus making your kids take a test 3 times over their entire homeschool careers.

 

To completely give up the existence you want for the burden of easy, vague, once-a-year paperwork would be nuts!

That's what I was going to say as well. Jump through the little hoops once a year, and that's it. I'm not in Pittsburgh, but the Homeschool laws only sound bad until you've followed them once. There are a lot of other great reasons to live in PA.

[frugalmamatx]

If you love PA, come to PA!

 

The regulations are stupid.  They take about an hour a year to follow.  Okay, an hour for the actual evaluation and a few more minutes to type and print paperwork, plus making your kids take a test 3 times over their entire homeschool careers.

 

To completely give up the existence you want for the burden of easy, vague, once-a-year paperwork would be nuts!

 

I'm glad to hear this actually. And I've not yet been to PA tbh. But I'm drawn by the lower housing cost and the ease of visiting things on the East Coast with Megabus. I"m hoping I would love it as much as I think. 

[Lawyer&Mom]

Wow. Quick spin on Redfin and there actually are houses in Pittsburg less than 45K. Near downtown and walking distance to a Starbucks even... I vote Pittsburg.

[Frances]

I like Sioux Falls, SD. That would fit a lot on your list. Or Iowa City. Iowa City has a lot of the stuff on your list.

I don't think she would consider housing in IA City to be low cost. It is a thriving college town.

[FaithManor]

I don't know of anywhere that will have robust public transit, housing costs that low, and a reasonably low crime rate.

 

If you can find a way to afford more housing, that would be a big help. Maybe you could move to a college town, buy a duplex, and rent out one side to help make the payment.

[bettyandbob]

Wow. Quick spin on Redfin and there actually are houses in Pittsburg less than 45K. Near downtown and walking distance to a Starbucks even... I vote Pittsburg.

Go Pittsburgh.

 

45k is unfathomable to me (I live in No VA).

[displace]

Large cities in FL (suburbs).

 

College towns, anywhere.

 

Mobile homes, anywhere.

 

Places that support all those social services tend to be expensive places to live or large cities. I would focus on cities that are big but in a small state. Midwest and southern will generally be cheaper than the coasts. Have you done those "where should we live" surveys?

 

I'd also think about finances. We moved from a mid Atlantic state to the south and saved so much money I was able to quit working.

[73349]

My sister enjoyed living in Pittsburgh (stayed for a few years after college) & she used public transit. I would consider dealing with the PA laws to find the right housing, etc. Might be worth a close look.

[Guest]

Most important would be transit. And housing. and slightly less so assistance. Everything else is gravy really and I can live without.

I'd seriously look at Dayton, Cincinnati, or Cleveland. Property taxes aren't great but for a tiny house here manageable, and the public transit is great. Housing can be found for very inexpensively if you will put up with a less than amazing school district.

 

I've really been pleased with the quality of life you can get in Ohio for cheap cheap, and the buses in those cities are quite thorough.

[Guest]

This is in a not-ghetto part of Dayton, though a couple more blocks east isn't great:

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/942-N-Upland-Ave-Dayton-OH-45402/35119583_zpid/

 

And another one a few miles away:

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/318-Whitmore-Ave-Dayton-OH-45417/35118579_zpid/

 

Bus schedule:

http://www.i-riderta.org

Edited July 7, 2017 by Arctic Mama

[MotherGoose]

I don't think she would consider housing in IA City to be low cost. It is a thriving college town.

I'm not sure there is public transit there either.

[MotherGoose]

I don't think she would consider housing in IA City to be low cost. It is a thriving college town.

dp sorry Edited July 7, 2017 by MotherGoose

[littlebug42]

I live in Dayton, OH and really like it here.  The cost of living is quite low and you can find fixer uppers in the city for under $45.  Many food pantries.  I belong to an excellent secular homeschool group with many kids in the middle to high school age group.  It definitely checks all of your boxes.  My 13 year old is beginning DE classes at the local community college in the fall and much of it is either being paid for by the state or at a significant tuition discount.  The downtown area is revitalizing and there are always things to do.  We also have an excellent park system.  Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.   

 

I will say though that the Dayton City Schools overall are not good.  There is an excellent middle/high school for the creative and performing arts though. 

[littlebug42]

For Dayton, If you look at realtor.com and look up area code 45410, there are many houses that fit your price range.  As far as neighborhoods demarcated within that, I would look at the ones in Linden Heights, Walnut Hills and South Park. 

Edited July 7, 2017 by littlebug42

[Frances]

I'm not sure there is public transit there either.

Yes, there is, at least around the University area, but I'm sure it also runs elsewhere. I lived there in the late 1980s and it was very good and free.

[Guest]

I live in Dayton, OH and really like it here. The cost of living is quite low and you can find fixer uppers in the city for under $45. Many food pantries. I belong to an excellent secular homeschool group with many kids in the middle to high school age group. It definitely checks all of your boxes. My 13 year old is beginning DE classes at the local community college in the fall and much of it is either being paid for by the state or at a significant tuition discount. The downtown area is revitalizing and there are always things to do. We also have an excellent park system. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.

 

I will say though that the Dayton City Schools overall are not good. There is an excellent middle/high school for the creative and performing arts though.

What she said!

 

Three more weeks and then we are local :p

[Lawyer&Mom]

For Dayton, If you look at realtor.com and look up area code 45410, there are many houses that fit your price range. As far as neighborhoods demarcated within that, I would look at the ones in Linden Heights, Walnut Hills and South Park.

Some of them are really cute too! So why is it so affordable? What am I missing?

[Guest]

Some of them are really cute too! So why is it so affordable? What am I missing?

Well property and income taxes are on the moderately high side (hence the good public transport and maintenance) and the schools in those areas are decent to poor, whereas some of the other suburbs on the edge of the city proper have excellent schools. It also got hit very hard by the recession, from what I can tell.

 

Some areas do have expensive housing but Ohio in general is extremely affordable and the larger cities have so much to offer.

Edited July 7, 2017 by Arctic Mama

[DawnM]

If you love Pittsburg, I would move to Pittsburg.

[littlebug42]

Some of them are really cute too! So why is it so affordable? What am I missing?

 

Dayton is in the middle of revitalization because as Arcticmama said, we were hit hard by the recession.  Between General Motors leaving town along with NCR and some other corporations, the economy wasn't great for a while.  The city itself is surrounded by many suburbs, all with better schools, so it hasn't attracted as many young families.  Many areas of town are now considered historic districts and in those areas as well as a few others, housing is more expensive.   From my experience also, the houses selling for these low prices likely need a lot of work on the inside.  

[Lawyer&Mom]

Dayton is in the middle of revitalization because as Arcticmama said, we were hit hard by the recession. Between General Motors leaving town along with NCR and some other corporations, the economy wasn't great for a while. The city itself is surrounded by many suburbs, all with better schools, so it hasn't attracted as many young families. Many areas of town are now considered historic districts and in those areas as well as a few others, housing is more expensive. From my experience also, the houses selling for these low prices likely need a lot of work on the inside.

Vintage fixer-uppers with sub-par schools start at $400k in Seattle. Just a very different economy I guess. Still, I'm totally charmed by some of those Dayton houses. Especially if you go wild and start looking in the 75k range!

[vonfirmath]

Vintage fixer-uppers with sub-par schools start at $400k in Seattle. Just a very different economy I guess. Still, I'm totally charmed by some of those Dayton houses. Especially if you go wild and start looking in the 75k range!

 

Seattle is land-locked with water/other communities on all sides. And lots of people want to live there. When I lived there, people who wanted to save money lived farther out. Duvall, North Bend, etc.  I purchased my first, 550 sq ft, condo in Bellevue for ~ $70K.  Admittedly, prices have gone up since then.

 

Edited July 7, 2017 by vonfirmath

[Nicholas_mom]

We just move back to PA (after being gone 25 yrs).  We homeschooled ds this yr for the 1st time in PA, we moved from MD.  I was concerned about the homeschooling laws until I checked some websites out.  It is amazing easy to homeschool in PA.  Recently, the laws changed that you don't go through the school districts but find a teacher certified by PA (mostly homeschooling Moms- surprise, surprise) to be your evaluator.  Also, the PARENT diploma is now recognized by the State of Pennsylvania, if done correctly.  Just find the evaluator that is aligned to your schooling and you are set to go!

 

In Maryland, the State does not recognize a diploma issued by the parent.

 

My only concern about Pittsburg is crime.  I don't know the crime statistics but having grown up in Philly, Pittsburg was just as bad with crime but that was over 25 yrs ago, so a lot can change.  There are a lot more homeschooling groups around the major cities than where I live now in PA.  A small city in the middle of the state.