Carefully Put Together Thoughts That Are Not Random or Disjointed in Any Way
About a month ago, Husband finally agreed that we should move out of Florida. Since then, we’ve talked a little about where we want to go and he seemed stuck on California, however, I think I may have succeeded in talking him out of that idea because it would probably be impossible for us to ever buy a house.
I heard on the radio this morning that the cost of living in this part of Florida is rapidly outpacing what people are earning. Shit…I could have told you that with no research at all. It seems like the more money my husband makes, the more expensive everything gets. It reminds me of those greyhounds chasing the mechanical rabbit that they’ll never, ever catch. *sigh* He promised me he would work on his resumé soon, which is code for “sometime in the next three months” but still, it’s progress.
Now here’s where some of you can help me out. I know you’re excited about that.
What I need is for people in the south/southeast (because I can’t live anywhere that has fricken blizzards or gets three feet of snow) to think about places in your state:
- that are family-friendly
- that are not insanely expensive
- that have good schools
- that are progressive-minded
- where music and/or the arts are appreciated
- that are near a city if not in one
- that are not hit by hurricanes regularly
This is my wish list. I know we won’t find all of these but I need to know what’s out there. Your 2 cents on various locales is greatly appreciated.
Those Carefully Put Together Thoughts…
• I used to think Stefanie Powers had awesome hair in “Hart to Hart.” I don’t know what made me think of her this morning.
• I really LOVE ambrosia (the food, not the band).
• My son is the cutest thing I’ve ever seen. I’m madly, crazy in love with him. I wish he’d stay this age forever, even with all the dangerous stuff he does that makes me nuts. He’s so effing smart it blows my mind. Now if he would just start talking…
• My daughter is growing into an amazing girl. I’m so proud of her and when I look at her, I can’t believe she’s mine. And she made the kindergarten honor roll. (yes, oddly enough they have honor roll in kindergarten)
• I’ve been completely fixated on the Anna Nicole Smith drama that has been unfolding over the past week. I don’t know why. And if you were planning on telling me to get a life, I’m planning on telling you to piss off.
• It really bugs me when TV pundits (like those on Fox News, for example) refer to Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton as “Hillary.” They don’t call the other candidates by their first names. I’m not necessarily her biggest fan but still…it’s rude.
• We’re going out to dinner tonight with my in-laws. My kids are usually pretty good in restaurants but it’s still a giant pain in the ass and I’d rather stay home and order pizza.
• I want to see “Factory Girl” next weekend. I read a great biography about Edie Sedgwick in high school called “Edie: An American Biography” which I highly recommend.
• Bullet points are great for those days when your thoughts just don’t flow.
• I should be paying bills right now.
That is all :)
Hubby and I (pre-kids) met and fell in love (awwwwww) in Charlotte, NC. I’m originally from upstate NY and he’s from MA. Although now we’re back in MA (closer to family), we still wistfully dream about moving back to Charlotte with the kiddies. That city has all the traits you mentioned, and more. I’d move back there in a second, but it’s one of those “grass is always greener” dilemmas, you know?
Well, our winter this year knocks us off your radar but truly, Denver ROCKS. And I totally agree with you regarding Senator Clinton.
Good luck in your search. :)
P.S. I went to college in St. Augustine. I do miss the beach.
North Carolina (somewhere near Raleigh, Cary, Durham, or Chapel Hill).
You have 2 large first class universities (Duke and UNC) as well as tech and bio companies (Research Triangle Park). It’s a very suburban life and you can find conservative or liberal-whatever floats your boat.
Jobs are good.
Oh Izzy, come to Charlotte!!!
I love it here. We only get a smattering of snow which melts in one day, the temps are nice, the city has tons of stuff if you like the arts (theatre, symphony, museums) There are lots of things close by to do with kids (zoos, science museum, ) There is Charlotte mommies.com to connect you with some great local info and support groups. The schools here are wonderful (look on line at Charlotte-Mecklenberg for more info) You could live south of the city (where I do) and there are many affordable communities here. If you want more info about Charlotte, you can e-mail me!
So North Carolina is sailing into the lead! It is awesome here. I have to vote for Raleigh over Charlotte, but that’s just me. Check out http://www.raleighing.com/ for some info. Click “North Hills” for news on a still affordable and very nice location within Raleigh.
* that are family-friendly - check. Free and cheap activities for kiddos.
* that are not insanely expensive - depends on where you look, but we can cover that too.
* tha have good schools - right on. The magnet schools ROCK especially.
* that are progressive-minded - we got that. And we have the not-so-progressive that you can argue with for fun.
* where music and/or the arts are appreciated - absolutely. Truth be told, Charlotte spends more per capita than Raleigh on the arts, but Raleigh has more arts related employment. A great museum. A great symphony - with a kid’s series. Awesome free outdoor festivals. I could go on here forever.
* that are near a city if not in one - debatable. I’m from Mississippi, so I think I’m in the big city fer sure.
* that is not hit by hurricanes regularly - not regularly, but occasionally.
Seriously. I can’t think of a reason to tell you not to look at NC. It is completely awesome. And Raleigh is 3 hours from the mountains and 3 hours from the beach. Plus, Chapel Hill is just down the road if you are starved for a little pretension.
Sorry for the novel.
One last thing: Just don’t move to Mississippi.
Forgive me if this ends up being a double post . . .
So North Carolina is sailing into the lead! It is awesome here. I have to vote for Raleigh over Charlotte, but that’s just me. Check out http://www.raleighing.com/ for some info. Click “North Hills” for news on a still affordable and very nice location within Raleigh. I think the Triangle (Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill) proper is more progressive than Charlotte.
* that are family-friendly - check. Free and cheap activities for kiddos.
* that are not insanely expensive - depends on where you look, but we can cover that too.
* tha have good schools - right on. The magnet schools ROCK especially.
* that are progressive-minded - we got that. And we have the not-so-progressive that you can argue with for fun.
* where music and/or the arts are appreciated - absolutely. Truth be told, Charlotte spends more per capita than Raleigh on the arts, but Raleigh has more arts related employment. A great museum. A great symphony - with a kid’s series. Awesome free outdoor festivals. I could go on here forever.
* that are near a city if not in one - debatable. I’m from Mississippi, so I think I’m in the big city fer sure.
* that is not hit by hurricanes regularly - not regularly, but occasionally.
Seriously. I can’t think of a reason to tell you not to look at NC. It is completely awesome. And Raleigh is 3 hours from the mountains and 3 hours from the beach. Plus, Chapel Hill is just down the road if you are starved for a little pretension.
Actually, I was going to say Charlotte, too, and, I don’t even live there.
You can come to Nashville, too, and visit me, if you want!
I live in New Jersey and we currently have snow and ice. Doesn’t sound like your kinda place. Hell, doesn’t even sound like MY kinda place! =\ Let us know your findings.
p.s. your son IS awfully cute!
back again to send you this gem. the height of Anna Nicole creepiness.
http://thesuperficial.com/2007/02/anna_nicole_smith_clown_paint_fox_ne ws.html
Um…I’ve heard some really nice things about Decatur, Georgia…
Before we decided to move to DC we were looking seriously at Charlotte. I love the city and we would have gone there in a heartbeat if there’d been more jobs in the sector we were looking at.
I also agree with the others who recommended the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill area of NC. I went to grad school in Chapel Hill and it’s a lovely area. Lots of jobs, lots of culture. If we ever leave DC we’re headed there.
I do love the DC metro area too but I think it might be too far north to avoid all the bad weather…
I live in California, and I would move to Charlotte in a heartbeat…My part of Ca isn’t bad price-wise and is pretty good school-wise, but I miss what living in or near a good sized city offers…Good luck in your search!
Charlotte and Raleigh are both excellent choices. But if you want something slightly funkier, with a little more charm, there is always Asheville. Its beautiful there, very artsy, and althought it IS in the mountains, its not so high up that there is much in the way of snow. We are hoping to retire there one day……
I’ve heard good things about NC too. And … this isn’t an excuse … but I think they say “Hillary” instead of “Clinton” to avoid Hillary/Bill confusion. Just sayin’ …
All these nice, warm suggestions. My husband and I have always said if we move anywhere it will be New Zealand. I’m not sure why, but there it is.
Judging by your criteria and the whole not living where it dumps fuckloads of snow on you, I guess Canada’s out, eh? ;)
That’s EASY. Chapel Hill, NC.
Hi, I live in Missouri…however, I lived in Alabama my whole life. We moved from Alabaster, AL which is a suburb of Birmingham, AL. I LOVE that place. It is such a great place to raise your family. It is right on Interstate 65 which can get you to the white beaches of AL in 4 hours or 4 hours to Atlanta, 2 hours to Huntsville, AL and 3 1/2 hours to Nashville. It is a wonderful place.
Cobb, Paulding, Bartow, Cherokee Counties in GA!!!
I don’t know, but if you figure out a place that meets those criteria let me know because we want to move too.
Where I live is way too cold, so I have no advice. Oh, except when I was in high school, I lived in Mesa Arizona, and LOVED it! I hear good things about New Mexico too. Good luck on your search.
I vote Canada! There are lots of areas in coastal BC that don’t get snow.
I heart bulleted list. I would blog alot more if I could always use bulleted lists. My thoughts never really flow.
We’ve only been living in Florida since Sept and already we’re talking about moving back northeast. I want to see Factory Girl too but will have to wait for the TV in 2009!!
Great idea to ask others what they think of different areas. We currently are back in Southern California. Weather is nice… but the cost of housing is HORRID. No way we can afford to buy out here- at least in Los Angeles. But there ARE places that are less outrageous to consider if he really wanted California. If you go up north near Lompoc, which is an hour from Santa Barbara, or San Luis Obispo, or south of LA in Orange County or parts of San Diego. Besides my in-laws being down in San Diego, I’d say that would be the best place, hands down. Beautiful weather, good schools, and areas where you can afford to buy (at least by California standards, it’s dropping a bit down there).
But I’m interested that so many people are mentioning NC. I’d love to move back that way. If my husband could find a job out there - which may be possible in another few years, I’d SO go for that one!
Well, I absolutely hate to follow the crowd, but I’m totally voting for RTP in NC. Especially Chapel Hill. It’s a GREAT community, family friendly, fun with good local music, a great indy bookstore, decent restaurants, good schools, and nice housing. Plus, it’s close to Jordan Lake, which, although manmade, is a fabulout summer swimming area with a nice beach. I love it there.
I lived outside of Raleigh for a couple of years and the area is quite liberal (they consider Chapel Hill to be the Paris of NC, and that’s not a complement to the religious right) and the housing is freaking CHEAP.
I like Charlotte but it can’t hold a candle to Chapel Hill. Another great NC city is Ashville, which is also very liberal, in the mountains, has good schools, and wonderful local music and art. I love Ashville.
Honestly, it’s hard to go wrong with any of the cities mentioned in NC, but Chapel Hill, imo, rates above Raleigh, Durham, and Charlotte.
What the heck is ambrosia? (I mean, other than mythical nectar of the gods.)
I hear nice things about the Carolinas, and I have a friend who is enjoying Virginia…
I highly recommend somewhere in the triangle of NC (raleigh, durham, chapel hill). If you want a larger city (more urban, worse traffic, more metropolitan), than look into Charlotte.
Chapel Hill would be the most progressive. Cary is the most family-friendly and there isn’t a bad school in the city. Durham has its scary parts, but also some great parts. Raleigh has lots of great developed neighborhoods.
It must be so exciting to pick a place and go! My SIL just moved from Charlotte, which she loved. Looks like NC is the top winner. Here you are looking to get out of FL and I am counting the days until I can move back there. If we don’t end up back in FL though, I think the state of Washington is my second choice, particularly the Puget Sound area south of Seattle. No blizzards, but definitely rain. But it is forgiveable because of all the beauty that surrounds you. Good luck, Izzy!
I see it was already mentioned, but Decatur, Georgia!! We lived there and loved it. Great music scene. Very progressive. Right outside Atlanta. (Could you remind me again why we’re in Ohio now?)
Good luck finding another place to live, it was hard for us like that as well - we wanted a larger house, but just could not afford to live in London, so we moved about an hour outside of the city but it has GREAT schools and is much closer to the countryside, so we’re happy. Bullet points are such great things!
Well you had my town right up until the “not hit by hurricanes regularly.”
I won’t say we’re hit regularly, not like Florida, but we’ve had a few doozies. Nothing this year thank goodness. Last year was plenty exciting.
And they are building here very reminiscent of Miami. (It’s the whole waterfront thing.) I had to write an entire apparently totally boring blog post about my disgust with this.
So cost of living might soon go up when all the Richie Van Rich’s move in.
Plus, God Help Me, Rick Perry.
Otherwise, I’d really toot the horn for this town.
* I loved Hart to Hart.
* Can’t stand ambrosia.
* Your kids are cute.
* I hate the overly familiar disrespect, low blow gender attacks I see towards female politicians (not just Hillary).
* The Anna Nicole mystery is intriguing.
Sorry I couldn’t direct you anywhere. This really is a great place to live, hits your bullet points and all. But we’ve got those hurricanes. And that governor.
Atlanta, baby. Decent weather 9 months out of the year, affordable housing outside of the perimeter, AWESOME food and music scene, lots to do, great place to raise kids, good schools… I could go on. If it were on the water, we’d be living there right now.
Hmmm, ambrosia. Heavenly. Now I’m craving it, damn it Izzy!
The pundits drive me wild too when they call her Hillary. And I’m a Canadian, I shouldn’t care. But I do.
And Anna Nicole’s momma needs to back off and let her daughter be buried next to Daniel. Cuz as a momma who has lost a child, I can’t bear the thought of not being buried next to him when I pass. Unless Mommy dearest is planning on having her grandson dug up and transferred to Texas is it? she needs to shut the f-up and concentrate on finding out who that baby’s daddy is.
Sheesh.
Me too, on Anna Nicole, and also, now, Britney. And bullet points.
I wish you would come live in St. Louis. Only thing is that the weather can be sucky. Sigh.
And your children ARE beautiful. Course they get it from their mama.
Yes, Georgia is very nice.
I’m not going to recommend any Southern places, although I’ve been to many of them. I’m not sure I know of any place that meets all of those criteria.
I love the bullet points. I haven’t followed the Anna Nicole Smith thing that much, but I must confess to following the Britney Spears saga. I fear she is headed to the same horrible end that Anna Nicole found.
Want to pay my bills too?
I’m surprised Austin, Texas, hasn’t been mentioned. It also matches your wish list perfectly.
I’d vote Sydney, where I live. Of course ias I mean the one in Australia it might be a little further away than you meant. It has, however, never snowed there or had a hurricane in all my years. You might get a bit freaked out by Christmas being in mid-summer though.
LA?
Well, I’ll be here at least…
soooooooooo enthralled with the whole anna-nicole shambles as well. want to go shoot the judge and her mother, and the f–ker h.k. stern, and then want to wisk myself off to the bahamas and save that baby.
meanwhile, the poor girl lies decomposing in a drawer somewhere. we’re all twisted. oh well.
We live in L.A. - we like it. You can’t beat the weather (except tonight, it’s suppose to rain)
Yeah, it’s expensive depending on what neighborhood you want to live in. But there are some suburban areas that are well-priced and have good schools.
And I’d like to add, I am Anna Nicole’d daughters father too.
Well, I wouldn’t recommend Taxachussetts. But I know a few pple who’ve relocated from CA to N.C. and they love it. Just a thought. Good luck with your search Izzy!
If it weren’t for that insanely expensive bullet, I would suggest here. But the cost of housing makes me want to vomit.
I’m such a Memphis booster. I love love love love love it here. And my neighborhood is particularly awesome. http://www.uptownmemphis.org. We even have a message board for the neighbors: http://www.uptownyak.com. It’s great.
Memphis is not perfect, by any means, but there’s a lot going for us. Cost of living is crazy low. Check realtor.com. You can get a nice house for much less than $200,000. Ours was much much less than that, and we’ve got 4 bedrooms and 3.5 baths. Our utilities are some of the least expensive in the nation. Our water is fabulous, straight from the tap. Schools? There’s a mix. Integration didn’t go well here in the 70’s, so it’s a challenge to find the right school. That being said, we’ve been 100% satisfied with our experiences in the public schools here.
Arts? You bet. Memphis is known for its music, but we also have two excellent museums, as well as many great galleries. Good opera company, good symphony, and lots of dance companies. My husband is an amateur theater critic and there’s some pretty decent theater.
Progressive? In ways. The city itself is strongly democrat, while the county (the burbs) is more conservative. It’s more a neighborhood-by-neighborhood thing.
No hurricanes. Ever. Feel free to email me if you want to know more about my lovely world here. Did I mention that I love Memphis? Okay.
DUR! california of course! COME ON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You know why the Anna Nicole thing is riveting? It’s the wee baby thing… it’s so tragic we can’t look away.
Meanwhile, you should look at the NW… It’s beautiful and the weather is mild and the people hardly ever swear (in front of your children).
I’ve lived in Nashville TN for six years after moving from Bloomington, IN. We have a one-year-old, and find that this city is big enough to have things going on, and small enough to be comfy to a small-town midwesterner (me). Great non-country music scene (no really!) great restaurants, progressive thinkers, great neighborhoods in the city, relatively low-ish cost of living, etc. We told ourselves we’d stay here for five years, and after six we have no intention of leaving.
Of course, my brother lives in Charlotte and they love it just as much…
Um, yeah, what OTJ said: Decatur, Ga is where it’s at.
maybe this will help?
findyourspot.com
dear god. i’ve been behind on reading. i cannot believe how many folks are recommending charlotte! how cool is that?! i think i plugged this area a few months back when you casually mentioned leaving florida.
we live in tega cay, sc which is about 2-4 miles over the charlotte, nc border.
* that are family-friendly–VERY family friendly
* that are not insanely expensive–not insanely expensive, some parts yes but not all.
* that have good schools–MAIN reason we moved here from Massachusetts
* that are progressive-minded–dear god, with the influx of folks moving here over the past few years, VERY progressive.
* where music and/or the arts are appreciated–our town is small but we are like 20 minutes from charlotte and charlotte is a SERIOUSLY art/music appreciation town. (we can thank hugh mccoll for that, a fine man he is.)
* that are near a city if not in one–read above
* that are not hit by hurricanes regularly–not in over 19 years? 1 to 2 hours from mountains, 3 to 4 from the ocean, not a lot of snow, it melts fast. weather is fantabulous!
p.s. ON HART TO HART: i used to totally wish they were my parents and i grieved their deaths in real live. i even had a freaking scrapbook of them with pics.
i was troubled indeed but by golly i picked some good fake parents.
I especially agree about the Hillary first-name-basis thing. it’s fucking rude. and there are a million other ways that she’s treated as less-than, simply due to her status as female.
Irk-assery.
p.s. CrankMama knows what she’s talking about. And you *know* you’ve said you wouldn’t mind Portland so very much.
C’mon! Oregon is begging.
Check out Denton,TX. It’s a liberal college town just outside of Dallas. The University of North Texas has a wonderful music program so there are hundreds of free concerts every year.
Weather is great, and the cost of living is very low. http://www.denton-relocation.com/
I second Austin, Texas. It’s on the edge of the Texas Hill Country and has great weather, so there are tons of free outdoor activities. There’s a great music scene, no state income tax, and very friendly people. The only downer I can think of is Rick Perry. Lived there for 6 years and loved every minute of it. Ended up having to move to Houston for my job, but I visit Austin a couple of times a year.
Since I live in the Midwest, I can’t promote my town. My sister lives in Raleigh and isn’t as crazy about the school system as a lot of people, but I’m sure it depends on your perspective. It’s also a place where you have to drive a lot.
Anyway, a recent article in the New York Times noted that the H. Clinton Campaign has made a point of using only Hilary. That seems to be the way she wants it. The article noted that in a piece about announcing her candidacy on her website it barely used the word Clinton, but almost always used Clinton. It is her way of separating herself from Bill and the issues he raises. So it is fascinating that using just her first name would seem rude to you and several others when she seems to be doing it from a position of a strong feminist who also sees herself as a well-known celebrity who can just use her name. Also, it’s a way that her campaign can poke at the Barack Obama campaign as the common wisdom is that he can’t go by just Obama. But I’m not quite sure about that and neither is Oprah.
I’m partial to New England, and at this rate, we’ll have a tropical climate in a few years!
I live in Cary, NC (outside Raleigh) and love it! The schools are in a bit of a mess (rapid development, no foresight into building schools, durr), but it’s more of a capacity problem, not a quality problem. A couple people have mentioned Asheville as well–while beautiful and progressive, the job market sucks ass (I lived there for two years), unless you’re in the service sector or have a ‘portable’ job (I’m not sure what your husband does). And the cost of living is higher than you’d think since the rich retirees moving into the area have jacked up housing prices.
Wake County, North Carolina. Raleigh, Cary, Apex, Fuquay. As a matter of fact, there is a house for sale right down the street from me… :-)
I can’t believe you just said “Progressive” and “south” in the same paragraph. LOL. Just kidding. Just a yankee up here. In the snow. LOL.
I’m late to this discussion but I’d have to vote for Atlanta. There are certainly very conservative areas (mostly in suburbs) but Decatur is great. If you want a smaller city, then maybe Athens. It has all the benefits of being a college town with the proximity to Atlanta.
Richmond, VA. Except for the whole progressive thing. Around the U of Richmond is lovely and the city itself is great except for the schools. Maybe we should move to Charlotte too…