Posted on 05/22/2006 10:57:55 AM PDT by SantaLuz
We are thinking of making a life changing family decision in the next couple of months: To sell all, quit my job, buy an RV, leave California and go fulltiming across the USA for a year or so, and find a new home city. We are a family of 5 with children aged from 5 to 15. So why would we do something like this? Well for a number of reasons:
- My health has deteriorated due to stress, long commutes, and lack of time to take care of myself. I've known I needed a sabbatical for some time now. - We've made the decision that we want to move away from California, but we don't know where we want to move to. We been looking at Boise, Raleigh, and parts of Texas lately. - My oldest was diagnosed with ADD in kindergarten and we have been trying to keep him from being forced to take drugs to fit into the formal square school peg ever since. He's been in public school, home school, and currently in a very expensive private school. But it's hard to watch him suffer in a formal school setting. We just had him complete over two full days of testing, and they diagnosed him with superior intellect, but with ADD holding him back. From experience we already know home schooling or very small class setting works best for him, and the experts diagnoses confirmed that. - My wife already home schools our other children and so this is something we already have experience doing on the road. - We'd have less distractions and could really focus on the learning of our children. - We've always wanted to travel across America and see it together as a family while we are still fairly young. Both my wife and I are in our forties. Our parents retired with poor health and never had any "golden years". We want to be rich with family memories and not with material things. - Visit some older relatives across the country that we've not seen in many years and whose days are numbered. - We want to blog, write a book, and create a family movie of our experiences. - We're not rich but we can afford to do this for a year if we sell everything. We'll have less money to put as a down payment where ever we move to; but at least we'll know something about the area.
My wife and I were discussing next steps the other day when our kids begged us to go see a movie. They chose RV! Without knowing what we were talking about. My wife and I laughed so hard in the movie and winked at each other knowing our kids didn't have a clue. And the we realized we didn't either.
It would be hard to say goodbye to family and friends, and certainly there are many risks; but it is something we can't get out of our minds. Our kids are excited about it too now.
I'd be grateful in getting some opinions on best family oriented cities to live in. Best places to visit. Best RVs to own, and any extended road travel experiences with children.
Are we being bold or crazy?
I used to work in job placement and I've seen lots of dead broke people who sold out and literally loaded up the station wagon with the kids for the promised land. They were usually in a very bad way by the time they saw me.
But if you have the legitimate resources to do this without ending up dead broke in "alien territory", go for it.
Isn't that the movie where they lose their "Nest Egg" in Vegas?
If your job is so stressful that a year of travelling in an RV with 5 children sounds like a relief - it's probably high time to leave!
Wish I could afford that. Can I come along? Sigh.
If you can afford to do it, and it's something you think is best for your family, I'd say go for it. [Not that what I say matters in a family decision. :) ]
That's the one. Hilarious.
I'm with Nissan in L.A. too, but am not an FTE. So I don't get the moving assistance and can't afford to move with the company. I'll be out of a job soon. :(
This has really got me to thinking...
A few more thoughts on midwest/great plains:
Housing costs-If I told you what people can buy a nice family home here for you would be shocked.
Schools-you won't have nearly the hassle you have had with Cali schools. Small town schools are much more likely to work with parents and ignore nonsense from the educrat establishment.
Economics-Everyone out here has a job. But few have really high paying jobs. Out here one has to make an effort to remain unemployed. On the downside there are few "California wage" type jobs. Still, a working guy can support a family. I have several friends and relatives in this situation. Wives take care of kids while Dad works. They don't starve, they watch their budget, but they don't "suffer" with only one wage.
A lot of the folks I know live outside the urban areas in Kansas. (like we have any real "urban" areas..hehe) They commute into KC or Wichita or Topeka. Generally within 15-30 minutes.
If I were seriously considering such a move I guess I might take a few short family trips. Take the kids to Texas or Raleigh, for example. While they are playing you can survey the situation. Talk to locals to get a feel for the community, jobs, hassles, bad neighborhoods, etc. Look for houses and jobs while you are there. What seems good on paper can blow up in your face, and it's much better to waste a week figuring this out than a spending a few years extracting yourself from a nightmare.
Dallas and Houston are interesting in that they have the high-paying CA-type jobs you refer to...but the housing costs of Kansas.
Very wise choice. Insanity reigns there. My mother was glad we left there, as she saw the craziness a comin...
True, but I'm just reminded of horror stories from friends that moved to Houston. Houston apparently has a bit of a crime issue and they felt it wasn't a great town for their young children. They're back in Kansas now. He went a lil crazy at 30, decided to go back to law school. Now he's a small town lawyer and the wife takes care of kids.
As for the Big D a cousin of mine moved to Dallas, and it's basically California now, according to him. He rants about traffic from hell, millions of idiots moving in, buffoons running things.
He's still there, so it can't be all that bad..hehe.
Oops! I skimmed too quickly and turned your "family of five" into five children. I think my statement still applies, though! We do an annual trip of nine days with our son and his family (he has one little boy), and our adult daughter. By the end of the trip, we're all glad to be home!
RE: www.findyourspot.com
My wife used that site. It's Interesting that it mostly recommended southern cities for her. (A lot in North Carolina, Georgia, and Texas). She is an Arizona girl, so I'm not sure how she'd do in the humidity and with the bugs. She's a big bug ninny. I used to live near Charlston, SC when I was a kid so I have no problems there.
Check out a website called www.homefair.com
In it you can get the relative cost-of-living differential. You put in what you make in one city and check out how much you would need to make to live in another city with the same lifestyle. The difference can be huge.
I see you are looking at North Carolina. Good choice. Cost of living is low and the economy is booming. Raleigh might not be the best choice right now. It's right next to Durham - the Somalia of the South with the runaway DA. Other than proximity to Durham Raleigh would be great. Charlotte is another alternative. Economy is booming. Great family town. Greensboro is good too.
I am partial to New Hampshire since I live here but I also have seen a lot of the country. New Hamphire is the "Live Free or Die" state. No state employee income or sales tax, good people and no traffic snarls. Close enough to Boston to get the city if you want it but has all the hiking, skiing, lakes etc and the air is clean. Colorado is similar and I like that state also but you have the state income and sales tax...
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