My little family and I live in UTAH VALLEY. So I'm just dreaming of where we can move when dh finishes school. I'm dreaming, not planning because we have a lot of medical and education debt. And he's planning on teaching high school. I'm afraid we may be stuck here forever.

If we could move anywhere, though, where's the best place to go? And why?
We have 2 little boys if that makes a difference. We probably can't become beach bums, darn it.

Skip the country. It's easy to be a beach-bum.

Go wherever you want to go, as long as you can find work there. I grew up in Texas and loved it. I'll always be a Texan at heart. But several years ago I decided to move closer to my sister in Florida. And I LOVE IT HERE! I live about 30 minutes from the beach. I don't go often, but there's lots of water here and it just fills a need in me. There's lots of "tropical" trees and bushes and it makes me feel like I'm on vacation.

There are people who move to foreign countries because of the economy, or they want to let the kids see a different culture. Some people move every few years for the same reason.

There are no rules set in stone. So, where do YOU want to live? Go for it!

I was born in Oregon, but I'm Californian by choice. If you consider moving here, choose a small town, as they have the best schools for your kids. Your housing will be smaller in square footage than in other states. The weather will be vastly superior to any other state with the exception of Hawaii. I have been to Hawaii, and it's awesome as well. Also expensive. I guess you pay to play in the sun. Aloha and adios.

It's funny that you should post this. I'm here in Utah Valley as well and I was just daydreaming about this last Saturday with my husband. :) I kind of thought very North California or Oregon.

That'd actually be my ideal area too! I'm afraid it could be expensive though.

Hubby dreams about living in Maine. For the seafood. :)

I've lived in Southern California, Connecticut, Chicago, Washington DC, Atlanta, Albuquerque, Las Vegas and now Seattle.

Of all those, I liked Atlanta a lot (plus: low cost of living; increasingly sophisticated; minus: thunderstorms, lack of nearby water, humid).

But my absolute, without-doubt favorite is Seattle. Growing economy, laid back people, great schools, water and beauty in every direction. The only negative is the cost of living is higher, but it's not as expensive as California, and you nature at your doorstep. Did I mention the outdoors beauty? It is really unbelievable. Mountains in three directions; a lake in the middle of the city/lake to the east/sound to the west; and beautiful trees as far as the eye can see. Mild winters and stunning temperate summers. It rarely rains hard enough to prevent you from going outside to enjoy nature. Oh, and the best part -- no major religious presence, so no one is trying to use government to impose morality. Gay marriage? Yup. Legalized pot? Yup. Politicians calling for anti-abortion laws, restrictions on liquor sales and other morality-issues? NOPE. And all the coffee you could want.

Lewis and Clark High School is rated one of the best in the nation.

I have told my hubby that I will be leaving Orem in two and a half years with or without him. And that my two kids are coming with me?
Oregon is where I want to go but I am flexible as long as its west coast and within two hours of the coast. I have realized that as much as I love the mountains these particular mountains have been poisoned for me by the beliefs of the seemingly millions of Mormons around me.
I am from Sacramento/redding and I love Cali but its so expensive.
Oregon has a vibe that I want to try out :) do tons of research and try to do a trip to the places you narrow down to.
If your hubby has a lucrative degree I would reccomend Ca.
I am a NorCal girl so I don't know a lot about the south except that the weather gets better the closer to the coast you are. Also Seattle is my favorite city! And for a taste of Oregon watch portlandia On Netflix because it's hilarious!

Just be sure you don't live in Utah or Idaho.

Since you have so much debt, i'd check out the be situation for that.

Maybe I should ad that I have lived the majority of my life in either Portland or Seattle. I love the PNW



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/15/2013 03:55AM by madalice.

I'm hoping we can pay off a lot of that debt and save some money for a big move in the next two years. Dh missed two MONTHS of work this year because of medical problems. :( we have to recover from that financially, then, I'm going to start saving.

This has made me even more anxious to get out of here. Reading about others having such better experiences outside of Utah.

Western PA, Pittsburgh region. Great teacher pay in most suburbs (look up Upper St Clair, South Fayette, North Allegheny, Pine-Richland, Hampton Twp, Mt Lebanon), with a low cost of living.

Great universities, museums and libraries. Excellent hospitals. Low taxes outside of Allegheny County.

Very few Mormons. If that matters.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 10/15/2013 10:05AM by bookratt.

Come to Ohio. It's really fun here.