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teachingmyown
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My dear husband put this question to me the other day:
If you could pick any American city in which to live, where would it be? Take into consideration climate, diocese, homeschooling laws, commuting time for dh, and culture/pace of life, etc.
Since I have never really left Virginia  , I don't have a clue!  So, I am putting the question to you all.
Can't wait to hear your answers. My dh says not to feel any pressure, although your responses could affect the course of our lives!
__________________
In Christ,
Molly
wife to Court & mom to ds '91, dd '96, ds '97, dds '99, '01, '03, '06, and dss '07 and 01/20/11
Remembering Today
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ladybugs
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Only because I'm here and you need to study CA History, I recommend Sacramento! 
Ok, but seriously, some of the finer points of Sacramento include:
We do have a wonderful Bishop! 
proximity to beach and mountains
proximity to Bay Area
lots of gold rush history
you could go on the CathCM West Coast camp out 
A downtown and waterfront area that is has the microscopic attention of the city councils of both West Sacramento - it's own city - and Sacramento.
Nina Murphy
Lissa Petersen
Chari Bryan
Willa Ryan
Robynn Frame
Jeanne Condon
among many others and I'm sorry to leave anyone out
close to lotsa wineries
close to skiing and snowboarding
University of Sacramento - university founded by the Legionaires of Christ
GREAT produce
Cons:
Traffic
housing costs
close to lotsa wineries - just kidding - I don't even drink -
the weather in the summer can be unbearably hot - but we do have low humidity.
What industry is your dh in?
Of course, VA holds a special place in my  - in '94, after my college graduation, I flew out to visit my uncle who lives in Midlothian. I thought some of the regions - Charlottesville was one in particular(I think that's the name of it) was spectacular!
So, I don't know if that's enough to tempt you...but in case it's not, I have chocolate .
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Love and God Bless,
Maria P
My etsy store - all proceeds go to help my fencing daughters!
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lapazfarm
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Seward, Alaska.
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Theresa
us-schooling in beautiful Fairbanks, Alaska.
LaPaz Home Learning
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Bridget
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Pretty funny Molly, I would have said somewhere in VA. I love VA.
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God Bless,
Bridget, happily married to Kevin, mom to 8 on earth and a small army in heaven
Our Magnum Opus
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Elizabeth
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| Posted: July 30 2006 at 7:31am | IP Logged
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It's hard to take into account commuting time because you don't know where he'd be working. Discounting that, I'd say Purcelville, Va, as close as possible to where Molly Smith lives.
I'm half an hour from there; so close, yet worlds away.
DH would buck the "American" qualification and say New Zealand. He's really campaigning for New Zealand...
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Elizabeth Foss is no longer a member of this forum. Discussions now reflect the current management & are not necessarily expressions of her book, *Real Learning*, her current work, or her philosophy. (posted by E. Foss, Jan 2011)
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momwise
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My dh and I love the Rocky Mountains so much one of our top priorities throughout our marriage has been to never relocate away from them (not hard for a machinist).
Take a look at this.
Well, my veiw isn't quite the same as Kim's, 75 mi. south of us but it's close. Our diocese is a dream too: Archbishop Chaput and almost 100 seminarians. We have 300 days of sunshine a year and if it's 100 deg. (which it will be today) you can drive for an hour into the foothills and cool off.
But like Maria we have high housing prices and bad traffic.
I think you will get as many favorite places as there are people posting to this thread!
EDIT: I forgot about culture/pace...Denver is a very liberal city while CO is slightly conservative (this is always changing as more people leave the rural lifestyle). We are going to be fighting tooth and nail for a Marriage Amendment this Nov. What cities are socially conservative but still have a diversity of races and cultures? Are there any?
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Gwen...wife for 30 years, mom of 7, grandma of 3.....
"If you want equal justice for all and true freedom and lasting peace, then America, defend life." JPII
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Cay Gibson
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Eureka Springs, Arkansas or anywhere in the Ozarks. 
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Cay Gibson
"There are 49 states, then there is Louisiana." ~ Chef Emeril
wife to Mark '86
mom to 5
Cajun Cottage Under the Oaks
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Dawn
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Somewhere in southern Vermont. Manchester is beautiful but too $$$. My folks have talked of retiring there (VT), and if they do, we're right behind!
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Dawn, mum to 3 boys
By Sun and Candlelight
The Nature Corner
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Jen L.
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I've also lived in (Northern) Virginia all my life so I am reading this thread with interest. I often imagine having some open space and much less traffic than I currently do. (However, my husband does really like his job and our extended family almost all live here and it's very hard to imagine leaving for real.)
Note to those of you who think you have high housing prices: Where I live (not far from Molly) it is hard to find a town house (which is what I have and wouldn't be able to buy nowadays) for less than $380,000 or so.  Gets me a REALLY good house in the Denver suburbs and almost everywhere else, right?
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Jen
dh Klete,ds (8/95),dd (12/97), dd (11/00), and ^2^ in heaven
"...the best state in which to glorify God is our actual state; the best grace is that of the moment..." St. Peter Eymard
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lapazfarm
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Here in Western NC you could likely get a large house with acreage for that! Yikes! Of course, incomes are low here, too, and land prices are increasing steadily while incomes are not. Many people retiring here are driving the prices up considerably, but it still seems they are behind what you are paying.
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Theresa
us-schooling in beautiful Fairbanks, Alaska.
LaPaz Home Learning
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mom2mpr
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We vote(and miss) Charlottesville, VA area. We miss the lifestyle-very kid friendly, low key, fairly slow pace, small, hometown atmosphere, 4 seasons (but winter is the short one-complete with snow), trees, space, green, horses, farms, playgrounds/parks, etc. Also, a mere 1 hour to Richmond and museums, Civil War battlefields and some serious history; about 2 hours to DC. Shenandoah National Park(and lots of educational programs) and mountains a quick hop to the north(15 minutes), and VA beach is a few hours away.
We found wonderful friends and homeschool supports too. No Catholic groups when we were there(there seem to be very few of us homeschooling Catholics in the area)but we connected up with some wonderful families through the available resources-like Lissa!!!The school system actually ended the response to our notification letter with "We wish you a successful school year"--I miss that! I found homeschooling there was positive and most people supportive-even in public.
Churches, there were actually quite a few to chose from, 3 in Charlottesville itself. Others a little drive away. I didn't really get involved in the "politics" as my kids were little and not into school yet. We enjoyed our church as it started getting active with more kid friendly activities and started meeting more people-then moved.
Housing was getting expensive as we left--sold our home and did fairly well but now if we had to go back not sure how we would do it But, compared to other areas(northern VA) some might say it is a bargain.
TRaffic could be hard on the one north-south route but it didn't affect us much homeschooling. Dh worked north of town and we lived north of town so commuting wasn't hard for him but I see it could be depending where you worked--some people commute to Richmond and DC!!!
I found the healthcare excellent, having come from CT where you are just a number in the system, having people really seem to care was so nice. And UVA is a great resource and puts out some great doc's.
Hoping to return someday......and enjoying the review of other great places to live.
Anne
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Elizabeth
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| Posted: July 31 2006 at 7:43am | IP Logged
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Jen,
When we first got married, we had a tiny townhouse in Springfield. It was like a little dollhouse and it was beautifully set, backed up to Pohick Valley Stream Park. It was also set between my mother's house and my mother-in-laws house, within five miles of each. It was really little. I heard the house next to it (same house--they were all the same) just sold for $400,000!  ! We stayed in this area because our families were here. Makes me wonder what my children will do--it costs too much to settle here as a newlywed...
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Elizabeth Foss is no longer a member of this forum. Discussions now reflect the current management & are not necessarily expressions of her book, *Real Learning*, her current work, or her philosophy. (posted by E. Foss, Jan 2011)
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Molly Smith
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Jen L. wrote:
| Note to those of you who think you have high housing prices: Where I live (not far from Molly) it is hard to find a town house (which is what I have and wouldn't be able to buy nowadays) for less than $380,000 or so. Gets me a REALLY good house in the Denver suburbs and almost everywhere else, right? |
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No kidding!! It is unbelievable to me that the townhouses in my wee little town are going for more than the mortgage on my fairly large house on almost 12 acres! We happened to have been very lucky to find our property and build about a year before the huge boom out here. I won't even tell you what the two houses in my neighborhood are on the market for--truly ridiculous!
That's not to say there aren't some affordable properties out this way, but they are getting fewer and farther between...
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Molly Smith in VA
Mom to seven beautiful children, ages 1-14
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teachingmyown
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My dh is a defense contractor, which is why we have been tied to this area. My family is here too.
I love Virginia, but hate the traffic. We can't live anywhere close to where my dh can work. We keep moving further out, so that my parents are now an hour away in Alexandria. So, really it wouldn't be too different to be two or three hours away.
I love the four seasons here, but hate the humidity of summer. I don't think I would want to go anywhere hotter, but I couldn't handle New England type winters either. I'm not picky am I?
My dh would be like to find a city where people actually live near where they work and yet still can have some land and solitude. He thinks that Cincinnati is more like this, where there are farms inside their beltway.
Keep the suggestions coming! This is fun. 
__________________
In Christ,
Molly
wife to Court & mom to ds '91, dd '96, ds '97, dds '99, '01, '03, '06, and dss '07 and 01/20/11
Remembering Today
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lapazfarm
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Well, I have never been there, but dh says Boise Idaho is like that. My dear friend also loves that city.
Meredith, want to chime in on that one?
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Theresa
us-schooling in beautiful Fairbanks, Alaska.
LaPaz Home Learning
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Dawn
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I have to tell you a funny thing (disturbing, really) - Forbes magazine just called my county the most overpriced county in the country!  Article here.
So, though I'd love to tell you all to move closer to me, I can't do that in good conscience!
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Dawn, mum to 3 boys
By Sun and Candlelight
The Nature Corner
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~Rachel~
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Cay Gibson wrote:
| Eureka Springs, Arkansas or anywhere in the Ozarks. |
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OOOh... then you could eat at Dairy hollow house...
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~Rachel~
Wife to William
Mum to James 13, Lenore 8
Lighting a Fire
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~Rachel~
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Now where would I go? Virginia mountains probably... not too far up, more like Ivy or Ruckersville... Charlottesville is too hectic!
Of course I am limited... DH has specified that he will only move within VA or NC...
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~Rachel~
Wife to William
Mum to James 13, Lenore 8
Lighting a Fire
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Cay Gibson
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~Rachel~ wrote:
OOOh... then you could eat at Dairy hollow house... |
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Is this bed-and-breakfast Dairy Hollow House new, Rachel?
I see it's located on lovely Spring St.
My dh and I spent our honeymoon in Hot Spring and Eureka Spring, Arkansas Sweet Seasons Guest Cottages(scroll down, you can see the Wren's Nest where we stayed) .
We went back to Eureka Spring on our first anniversary when I was fat and sassily pregnant with firstborn.
Then we went back with all the kiddos and stayed at Red Bud Valley Resort on a family vacation.
Ah, those were the days...
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Cay Gibson
"There are 49 states, then there is Louisiana." ~ Chef Emeril
wife to Mark '86
mom to 5
Cajun Cottage Under the Oaks
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Meredith
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lapazfarm wrote:
Well, I have never been there, but dh says Boise Idaho is like that. My dear friend also loves that city.
Meredith, want to chime in on that one? |
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Well, so much for anonymity Just kidding!! We LOVE it here, it's a real city albeit small, so commuting is in the eye of the beholder (read no mass transit). Climate is awesome, although I could have done without the 9 straight days of 100+ we just had. If you want more, PM me!! HTH.
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Meredith
Mom of 4 Sweeties
Sweetness and Light
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Topic: Dream Location
