Ideas on Where to Move

I moved from Michigan a year ago and I am seriously thinking of moving back in the next 5 years. It is safe, the schools are great, the cost of living is affordable, everyone is friendly, you have four seasons, there is a lake always nearby...It is beautiful!!! I have lived in Grand Haven, Allendale, Grandville(all in michigan). If you want, you can go on www.greatschools.com to look at the schools and their test scores. or you can go on www.grar.com and look at houses and their prices. I give a solid vote for Michigan. You have to like snow....

Austin Texas
I loved living there It is a great town oh but it is not small town however surrounding it are some fantastic small towns Like San Marcos. The state itself has so much to offer and in Austin you are sooo close to everything and it is a great place to raise kids. I would be back there except all my exes live in Texas and so I like the distance away from them :)

Love Bend, Oregon! My in-laws moved there from the Bay Area and it's great. Downside is that there aren't many professional jobs, but if you're in retail or the trades you'll be ok. It's beautiful there, tons of outdoor activities, very family-friendly. Downside is that it's far from a big city (about 3 hours to Portland), but it's still worth taking a look at.

Good question! My hubby was in the navy for a while and that forced us to move up to Washington. We were in a city called Lynnwood, only 20 minutes out of Seattle. It was amazing!!! We want to go back! Yes there's rain but you get used to it and it's a ton better than the 110 degree weather here in Cali. Yuck! Goodluck!

I love Colorado too! Denver is the best, I think. I also live in California. I also like Colorado Springs. I loved Texas too and Oregon. For me, it would be a toss up between Denver, Co and Bend, Or. I know that is not helpful, but they are both really pretty, nice places.

Hi, K.,
My mom moved to Grapevine, Texas with the plan to move back to California after 5 years. That was 13 years ago, and I doubt they'll be moving back! She loves the people there, and the prices are so much better...

Grapevine is a suburb of the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex. It's very close the DFW (if you like to fly or expect lots of visitors). You get Texas weather: hot in summer, cold in winter (it snows, but the snow doesn't usually "stick"... meaning it melts shortly after hitting the ground).

One thing to keep in mind if you're thinking about leaving California... you might not be able to afford to move back!
[My mom says she can't afford to move back to CA, but I think she just doesn't want to leave TX.]

Hi K.,
I have been thinking the same as you. I was born & raised in California (in SoCal/Now in Sac). We moved here to Sacramento 10 yrs ago,for a better life for my kids & we still can't afford to buy a home.
We have been looking in to Washington. I don't know what the job climate is there for police officers though.I have heard that the median income is a little higher than in Sacramento. I recently saw a home on-line in the Tacoma area, with a ocean view (Puget Sound) for $399,000. Now this home was considered high priced due to the ocean view, it also had 5 bdrms/4 bath's (which is way too big for us).But you couldn't buy a grass shack with an ocean view in California for that price!
My biggest issue was the rain. I just don't know if I could deal with the weather. However, for me I would rather deal with rain than snow,but that's just me. I have also heard some really great things about Idaho & Wyoming.
I will tell you there are many small town area's in Washington,near larger towns such as Seattle or Tacoma. I read alot of novels, and one of my favorite writers, writes about & lives in Port Orchard Washington. A small town, close to Seattle & Tacoma but it is an island. The series of books are written kind of like a friend telling you a story about the locals,or gossiping. The writer is Debbie Macomber, & the books are all addresses. I just read one called "8 Sandpiper Way", there is also " 16 Lighthouse Rd", 311 Pelican Ct"....she makes this town sound like where everyone would want to raise a family!!! I do relize that they are fictional books however, she does say that most of what is written about the town itself is true. And she does mention that her town now has many tourists, and WANT TO BE citizens. But there are many many places like this in that area. Some of the island area's, you can only get to the main land by ferry! I don;t know exactly what your looking for and to be honest I am quite the city girl but to me this just sounds like heaven!
Not alot of cars in town, great schools, small class size's, a home I could afford,a community of people that care about easch other. I want to know my neighbor's & invite them over for a BBQ etc...We have found very little of this in the area where we live now.
Would love to hear what your final decsion is & why.....Please let me know, I am in the same boat....My direct e-mail is:____@____.com
Good Luck,
L.