My DW and I are strongly considering moving from an increasingly over-crowded major metro in the SE. We have 2 kids in early elementary school.
We are easily FI (in the same club as Hesperus), so a job is not a priority, although I am not opposed to a PT gig in my field.
We are looking for an area that is down-to-earth, has great schools, very low crime and is family-friendly.
We are open to almost anywhere but think Florida and California are out for various reasons.
We would love some suggestions of places to consider. TYIA!
So much depends on your preferences and your tastes, etc.
That said, we kinda did this back in 2000. We had been living in Silicon Valley and the place was just getting too crowded, fast passed, expensive, etc. The key point for us was that DS was just about to start kindergarten and we didn't like the public schools and private was too expensive for us. So it was an optimum time to move.
He moved to the Columbus, Ohio area. I'm from Ohio originally (not Columbus) and Columbus is arguable the nicest larger city in Ohio so it had our attention. Their are a number of suburban school districts that are quite excellent. Bexley, New Albany, Upper Arlington, Olentangy. DS is now in grad school doing very well.
We live in a quiet neighborhood in a nice house we couldn't afford back in California. It's a neighborhood, but we have woods out back and lots of critters to make life interesting. Neighbors are very friendly and there is lots of good shopping, restaurants, and so one close by.
Lets see (checking your criteria). There's very little crime and it defines family friendly.
It's still easy to get out. Most of the east coast and Midwest is a days drive away and we love Columbus airport - decent connections and very few long lines.
Finally, there's traffic here, but I often chuckle when people complain about it given the horrendous traffic I suffered through in the Bay Area. There's actually a "rush hour" here that's about that long.
Oh yeah, four seasons. That was something is missed ALOT in California. Here the seasons aren't extreme and never is very hot or very cold for too long. Perfect if you like the rhythm of the seasons.
