Tell Me About Where You Live

Kalamazoo MI is cool! Google it!
Kalamazoo Public Schools offer the "Kalamazoo Promise" which is funded by private donors and offers graduates FREE college!

Albuquerque, New Mexico.
For the most part I love it!
We have 300+ days of sunshine a year, but it is a hot dry summer ( not as hot as Arizona but close) Winter is very mild, especially in central NM where Albuquerque is.
New Mexico is full of wide open beautiful spaces. There is lots of outdoor activities, like hiking, camping & skiing in the winter. To me the best part about NM is the food. Green chile can make anything taste better! NM (except for a few select places) is very affordable, pet friendly and you have lots of space to breathe. The things i dislike is the hot summers, and that public transportation is allmost nonexistant. I would say families here spend a lot of time together outside.

Its hot as hell in summer...literally! But the rest of the time its perfect. Very family oriented, huge mormon area so very family based. Lots to do and great family values, low crime rate and one of the highest rated school districts. I love it except for the summers...ugh...

RICHMOND, VA BABY!! LOVE it, and I'm never leaving. We have everything. 2 hours from the beach, 2 hours from the mountains, 2 hours from DC and the city, 2 hours from countryside where no one would ever go to look for you. It's the perfect melting pot. We have soccer moms, artsy moms, rich moms, poor moms, crafty moms, girl scout moms, hippie moms, teacher moms, student moms, SAHMs, working overtime moms.... EVERYTHING. No overexaggeration.

We've got history, we've got nature, we've got museums, we've got kids friendly parks, we've got pet friendly parks ;)

We've got.... THE JAMES RIVER. The good part. The upstream part ;) The part where family memories are made.

We've got model school systems. We've got great hometown colleges.

There's something to do, no matter which season we're in.

LOVE Richmond :) RVA, oooooh yeah ;)

J.:

I live in Reston, VA...we are 22 miles west Washington, D.C.

Hate things first:

The humidity - it sucks during the summer.
the traffic - although when taking public transportation it's great.

LOVE things:

We have a BEAUTIFUL Spring, Fall and Winter!!
We have BEAUTIFUL trees and flowers!
There is sooo much rich history here - Manassas, Gettysburg (just 2 to 3 hours away), Williamsburg (about 3 hours away).
LARGE selection of homes - condos, townhomes and single family homes in ALL price ranges.
many SAHPs here - lots of play groups and places to take your children (either free or paid for).
Many ways to improve or do for yourself - lots of cooking classes (i love the one where I pay to come in and prepare 5 meals for the week), classes, etc.
In my personal block we have block parties twice to three times a year. We have an AWESOME block!! YAHOO!!!

Lots of opportunity for employment as well!

HaHA. Nikki cracked me up with her Texas Response. Not all year is bad. Summer is aweful, It gets very hot, but I was born and raised here, so I'm alittle more use to it than others. Our winters arent usually bad, well have a few days in January each year that the ice and snow gets us, but thats it. Were only making up 2 snow days this year.

Yes the traffic can be bad, depending where you live, there are many subburbs, that have a country feel. I live about 30 min from downtown Dallas. Honestly, we have everything and I can go months without ever getting on one of the major highways.

Shes correect in this is the land of oppertunity, there are jobs everywhere. When the ecomony crashed it didnt hit DFW very hard at all. That Dallas Fort Worth.

Sports are a big deal in Texas, Football and cheerleading are huge.

Good luck in your decision, how wonderful that you can just move, Id love be able to say I had the guts to that.

Seattle! I've always heard from others how friendly everyone is here! Our weather is very mild, four days of snow this winter, not usually over 90 in summers, trees everywhere (it's the evergreen state!), water close in every direction, and two mountain ranges. Tons to do, it's still a "big city" with great suburbs especially to the west, north, and east. It does rain, but not nearly as much as people say it does, none of us actually own umbrellas if that says anything..Just cute rain boots!

Our housing prices aren't very low, but that also means our economy is pretty well off! We are technologically advanced, but many of the suburbs still have that small town feel while being close to the conveniences of the big city. Microsoft is huge here, so if either of you work anywhere near computers, check it out! We also have boeing. Most people here ski, hike, boat, fish, we have great museums, restaurants, Childrens museums, tons of historical places to visit, great shopping!, pike place market, the space needle and Seattle center, plenty of parks, off leash dog parks too, tons of concerts (many outdoor because of mild weather), sporting events (Seahawks, new kick butt sounders fc soccer team, mariners, wnba champions Seattle storm, light rail, monorail, great public transportation, beaches, ferries to the peninsula or several island communities, an international airport...what more could you want in a city?

Our natural disaster is earthquakes, but they don't happen often. And I've been though my share of them, I'd take one any day over a tornado or hurricane, the news lately in your area is terrifying to me! I've seen a few Mamapedia requests in the past asking about visiting or moving to Seattle, you could try to look them up for more information. Or feel free to ask me, mamatothreewee, Laura u, Riley j, or any other seattle mama regulars here why we love our city so much and would be happy to have you! People who grew up here usually don't leave or they come back because once you've seen it, pacific northwest is the best!

DFW, TX

It's HOT. I hate the weather. I grew up in IL, and TX weather is hideous. It's overpopulated, heavily congested, and traffic is a nightmare.

As far as job opportunities go, North TX is definitely the land of opportunity compared to where I grew up in Northern IL.

As far as entertainment, there is tons to do here- city life is very close to suburbia so you can have the best of both worlds. We have some of the best restaurants as well.

Where I live - Los Angeles, CA area
Like it or not? - Like living close to beach, theme parks. Dislike traffic, high cost of living
Moms and families in the area are very focused on money, competitive and into cliques. If you're an attractive but not *too* pretty mom that spends plenty of time with kids preparing organic meals, saving the earth, attending to beauty and exercise while running a part time business on the side while taking wonderful care of your wealthy husband with the help of household staff, but not too much help, well by all means have your moving co . pack you up and move your family out here.

But seriously, I've noticed in my area most parents started having their families at about 40. So my kid can invite her friend's parents to hang out with her grandparents.

I moved from DFW last year. I liked the cost of living, the friendly people, the drop in child care centers. The heat knocked me down. But hey I go where my job goes so I'm in Cali now.

I live in Western Massachusetts- Berkshire County. I don't care for it much- the winters are looong. Winter essentially starts in mid- Nov. and you don't get reliably nice spring weather until May (this year it started this week, but this has been an especially crummy spring). That's SIX MONTHS of cold weather!! Unless you love skiing, snow-boarding, ice-fishing, snow mobiling (which I don't), I wouldn't recommend it.
I'd move too, if I could :(

Have you ever tried findyourspot.com? You answer a bunch of questions about your likes and dislikes, and it gives you a list of places that would supposedly be ideal for you. I don't know how reliable it is, but I thought it was fun.

http://www.findyourspot.com/

Very best wishes with wherever you decide to move!!! :)

Just moved from the Sacramento, CA area and glad we did. More to do in Sac compared to where we moved to but I just did not feel safe. I also like smaller towns for bringing up kids since that was how I was brought up. People are more neighborly.

My favorite state is WA, unbelievable beauty. It does rain a lot in some areas but that is also why it is so pretty. However, I have never lived there.

I was born in the mid-west. I like the wholesomeness of the people compared to California but it doesn't seem very ethnically diverse.

Before I'd move anywhere I'd check the crime rate first and see what the economy is like and check the schools.

Jamestown, CA. It's a historic town near Yosemite National Park. I'm an apartment manager, need an apartment? jamestownterraceapartments.com

The economy is really suppressed here, and I manage a low income, subsidized property. All my tenants are struggling to survive. Most people here go camping and gold panning for pleasure.

I live in north central texas in between dallas and fort worth. There are water parks, 6 flags and lots of family stuff to do. The suburbs have good schools but that's about it! I don't want to be a texas hater but its extremely hot here for a good bit of the year and there really isn't" seasons". Lots of concrete and not too much in the scenery category. But, its cheap and the property taxes are low. You can get bang for your buck if your looking for a house long as you don't have a heat stroke looking for it!
Ps- I watched a tornado form outside my bedroom window yesterday evening! Not fun!

Spokane, WA. I LOVE it! We are in Eastern WA, near the Idaho border. People in our area camp, fish, hike, bike ride, snow ski, snowmobile, water ski, anything outdoors. The winters get pretty rough but you still get all 4 seasons. We are also only 4.5 hour drive to Seattle.

Well, I am originally from Springfield, MO. I loved it there, but if you are not in the medical community it's hard to make a good living there. The people are super friendly/ It's mostly a college town, so not a good place to retire. The fall and spring season are simply beautiful. However, as seen in recent news they are in tornado alley. The town of Joplin is only 40 miles away.

I moved to Jacksonville Florida about a year and a half ago, and I am ready to go home. No, really it's not that bad, but I miss my family. The good thing is the people here are pretty friendly. It's hotter than I like, but not as rainy so I am split there. It's a military town, so lots of young families, it seems as though the retirees go further south. Guess that's really all I know to tell ya

I am in Spring, TX - near The Woodlands. LOVE IT! Someone posted and it seriously sounded like this was the worst place EVER to live. It's not. I am from the Chicago, IL area and moved here 11yrs ago. Now, I will admit...sometimes it is so HOT here in the summer, it feels like my face is melting however, that is why we have A/C and pools. : ) Our winters are absolutely wonderful. There is tons to do. The cost of living is MUCH less than most places I know. Great schools.

Good luck in your search, it sounds like there are alot of great places out there to consider.

Its hot here, the traffic is awful, 50% of my city does not speak English. This makes it difficult to get a lot of things done. Other moms arent into what i want to be into, outdoor activities and such(probably because its too hot, or they are too busy working on that second income that is usually required for these houses here). Other than that the job opportunities, property value, chances for shopping and local restaurants are great.

I may move to Austin, Texas. The job opportunities are less for most people, just not us because my husband works in oil and my specialty is vitamin consultant.

After Rachel D's response I'm moving to Richmond VA!

San Antonio, Texas.

I'm from ND, so I LOVE the hot weather, but if you don't like it warm (100 degrees today), then it's not the place for you.

Lots of job opportunities (that's why we moved here to begin with 8 years ago). Low cost of living compared to up north. School systems vary through the city, so you do ahve to do some homework on where to live.
Loads of cultural and fun things to do. Six Flags, Sea World, Water parks, etc.
Moms and families are very good. I'm part of two play-date groups that really help to come up with fun things to do, especially on the weekends.

I live on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Been here for 20 years, moved from New Orleans.

When I had my son in 1996 I had the option to move back to NOLA, but decided to stay here as I though it was an easier place to raise my son. And it has been. Although "I know what it means to miss New Orleans" I love the slower pace here, the lower crime rate, and the fairly consistent good quality public schools here.

We boast the longest man-made beach in the world, have lovely community rec centers that offer a variety of exercise options for a fraction of the cost of private centers, a large airport that serves international flights, 2 military bases (Air Force and Navy), decent public transportation, several major universities, and a great community college system, and a large art community.

I find the people to be friendly, with a diverse mix of income levels, and socio-political views. I have easily made friends with other Moms in my son's schools - and I am considered a little "different" due to my views and background LOL

Moms here are into what all Moms, everywhere, are into - family, and education, an eco-friendly environment, and the ever present juggling act of work/home/personal time.

Hmmm, I really do like it here !!!! Nice to be given a reason to pause and reflect. Thank you.

God Bless

We live in Boulder City NV. It's a small town just outside of Las Vegas. About 20 minutes. There is no gambling, bars and stores close. Very family orientated little city. There is a huge park that is always having things going on. Festivals, BBQ cook offs great for the whole family. And not to mention Lake Mead is minutes from us.....we love it here:)

http://www.bcnv.org/

My family and I live in Wauconda and I absolutely love it. We are a lake community and I have always felt everyone is out and about (especially in the summer) and very friendly. The down town area has several great family owned places to dine and enjoy the beautiful views of the lake. We share a boat with my husband's parents and get to water ski, sun bathe or take an evening cruise. The Lake County Forest Preserve in Wauconda has a great museum and miles of out door bike paths, horse paths, sledding hills and nature walks. Wauconda also has a large dog park, part of the LCFP. My son started preschool this past August in the special education sector (speech delay) and I can not say enough good things about the teachers, OT's and speech therapists involved in helping him progress leaps and bounds in his speech and socialization. Our community has a great small town feel with lots of out door activites tucked away from all of the shopping malls and congestion, yet close enough (15 min.) to great shopping and grocery stores (Trader Joe's, Costco and Deer Park Town Center). Housing is very reasonable. We live in a great town home right on Bang's Lake with a pool right on the water, private beaches and a marina.

Montgomery, IL

LOVE it. The community is small and yet filled with people our age (mid 30's) plus or minus a couple of years with children our kids ages and they are raising their children with the same morales and beliefs that we are. Everyone looks out for each other and we all get along. You get more for your money out here and you within an hour of Downtown Chicago. They are even trying to put a Metra stop here. :)

The Mom's like to take their children to the park, have coffee together, scrapbook, go to movies/ get drinks, go to garage sales and the families all get together for Friday Night pizza, Saturday night drinks or whatever. Great, great community. We couldn't ask for more, for us or our children. Well, maybe better weather. :)

Oh and the school system is phenomenal! District 308!

Berthoud, Colorado.
Beautiful and seriously green here right now. We are 30 minutes from Denver, Ft Collins, Boulder and the Rocky Mountains. I have been here my whole life and I love it. The weather is pretty mild, but very dry with the occasional T-storm and tornado. The winters have been really cold recently though... - 28 and below for a record number of days this last winter.

The economy is weak, but better than some places and improving slowly.

The people in my crowd are country folk and into family activities, scrapbooking, horses, gardening and camping.