best places to RE with kids

[perinova]

I am looking for an alternative best list to the Kiplinger (see other thread). I am looking for ideas regarding places to RE with kids middle to high school age.

Top considerations to come up to the list is:
1. housing costs - health insurance - taxes
2. education related considerations (homeschool OK)
3. other? (recreation, qual.of life etc)

I am contenting that usual RE places would do with more emphasis on Health insurance and education. Maybe it points to some cheaper mid-size city rather than a even cheaper more rural location and rather than a well educated but more expensive big-city like SF.

What would be your top 5 choices today? (or top 10...)

 

[brewer12345]

If you could stand the climate, Oneonta, NY would probably make an excellent choice. Good schools, nice place (Catskills), a college town with all the amenities, generally low cost of living. Besides the snow, the only real downer would be the RE taxes, but they are largely offset by absurdly low RE prices.

I am curious, though, since DW and I have wrestled with this idea: you think it wouldn't be too much of a disruption to uproot the kids in the middle of the schooling years? We both have pretty much put moving off the table because of that, but I am interested to hear what you and others think.

 

[perinova]

I had to google that town to find it...


We moved once mid-year. DS was 5yo at the time, it was the end of KG. Went OK but I think a little bit stressful for him since at that age they dont really know what to expect.

We are now homeschooling. The nice part about that is being able to go whenever we wish; we will provide the school continuity (it was one of the reason we considered homeschooling in the first place). I will not mind doing it mid-year.

If DS was at school I don't think we would consider it. We would wait end of school year. Even better would be to move during the elementary-middle or middle-high or high-college junctions. When I did a life plan in the past I put job changes and move at those times. Since we have only one child it helps (unfortunately not all moves are programmed ahead of time )

 

[Nords]

We are now homeschooling. The nice part about that is being able to go whenever we wish; we will provide the school continuity (it was one of the reason we considered homeschooling in the first place). I will not mind doing it mid-year.

If you're homeschooling then it probably doesn't matter when you move. Of course you'll have a great buyer's market if you're shopping for a home in December/January.

Most people move for the school and, by extension, the neighborhood. As kids grow older they're strongly influenced by the people they spend time with, and that's usually other neighborhood kids. As long as yours don't have to choose between Crips or Bloods then probably anyplace with a nice climate and plenty of activities will do.

Proximity to family/relatives may be nice, especially the kid's aging grandparents. But not too close.

 

[Brat]

I had a discussion about moving with school-age kids with a classmate several years ago. He is a physician who moved a lot when they were in grade school. He said it is wise to enroll kids in school at least a month before the end of classes so that they can establish a social circle, else they will drive you nuts all summer entertaining them.

 

[RE2Boys]

WE enjoyed Huntsville, AL. Due to NASA, it's got a population with a high education level and decent incomes. Live in the SE part of town or in adjacent Madison, AL.

But we moved to NW PA for family reasons, elderly parent, and have decided to stay here for the time being.

Retired Early with 2 grade school boys (RE2Boys)

 

[Sandy]

While most kids can adjust and cope with moves, it can be especially hard on teenagers. Their social circle is very important and needed for life lessons. Disrupting that in their junior or senior year can be tough.

 

[Lusitan]

Our first child is less than a year old, but as we're planning one (or possibly two) moves as we get closer to FIRE I have also given some thought to the issue of moving while kids are in school.

And there's two different points:

(1) moving during the middle of the school year

(2) moving while the kids are "in school" in general, meaning anytime between 1st and 12th grade.

As for the first point, we will probably seek to avoid moving in the middle of a school year. It's tough enough for a kid to go through a move without throwing him in the middle of a school year someplace new. Of course, if you're homeschooling your children (something I am considering) then it doesn't matter.

As for the second point, I think it depends on what stage the kid is at:

- any move before first grade is a non-issue;

- any move during elementary school is a minor issue;

- a move between elementary and middle school is ideal (because as kids advance to middle school they will experience a whole new batch of kids anyway);

- a move during middle school is rough on a kid, and I would try to avoid it;

- a move between middle and high school is slightly better, but still an issue to be considered;

- a move during high school sucks, and i wouldn't want to put my kids through that.

These ideas are based on talking to people who experienced childhood moves. I never did - my parents still live in the same house they were living in when I was born ...