If you are an RN and have kids...

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where do you live and do you like living there while raising kids???

I've been a so. cal. native my entire life and while I absolutely love where I am now residing in terms of the nice community/schools, the cost of living is so high.

I'll be applying to nursing school next year and will most likely be relocating my family wherever a job will hire me as a new grad or potentially a new grad residency program. BUT I only want to apply to areas that is an awesome family town/city and the cost of living is relatively low :)

I did some research on "best places to raise a family" ect and got places like Rochester, MN, Mkinney, TX, Raleigh/Durham, NC....all look nice...thought I'd do my own research here:)

Happy new year!

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Me personally I'm thinking to relocate to NC... Beauty and brains down that way...

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Spearfish, Dakota is one of the most breathtaking cities in America. It's ideal for family life.

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I'm originally from so. cal myself and relocated to Illinois due to some personal problems. Now that I've gotten back on my feet and on my way to becoming an RN, I'm not sure if I'll be able to go back to Cali, like I had originally intended. It's a mess out there right now. But I still miss it so much, and I get homesick now and again, all my family and best friends are out there:scrying:

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Specializes in Nurse Leader specializing in Labor & Delivery.

If we were to move east, NC would definitely be on our short list.

I live in the Denver area, and love it. I've been told that CO is pretty hard for new grads, though.

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Specializes in Med Surg/ Rehabilitation.

The Woodlands, TX!!! Love it love it love it here and cost of living is awesome! I am from Louisiana and we were amazed of how much cheaper everything is out here. Just a recommendation. Good luck!

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The Woodlands, Kingwood (north of Houston), Sugar Land, Tx. All of these areas have nice schools and very reasonable cost of living. Sugar Land - while not heavily wooded like The Woodlands and Kingwood - is within 30 minutes of the Houston medical center, and close to several other "suburban" hospitals. I can't imagine living in an area with more job opportunities in nursing.

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i'm not an RN yet but I moved from NYC 7 years ago to Greensboro, NC and I have not regret'd that decision one bit. It's very kid friendly and it's just lovely. There's always something to do. Only thing i don't like.. and it's mainly because i'm a city girl... is everything closes by 11 and some times earlier.

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I lived in Rochester- there are not a lot of family activities in comparison to the cost of living. The Twin Cities, about 100 miles north of Rochester, have a lot more things to do with kids- two zoos (one is free), Children's Museum, Children's Theater, Mall of America with an indoor, year round amusement park, just to name a few. The cost of living is a bit higher, but way more worth it than Rochester. Just my opinion, I lived and worked in Rochester for five years, and I am much happier raising my kids in the metro area.

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Cool, thanks!! The only thing I am worried about and will need to do some additional research is my husband is from Nicaragua (but moved here to CA when he was 7) and so I guess we have mixed race kids. Are people in Texas "friendly" to mixed families??? I guess the same goes for everywhere else too. CA is such a "melting pot" and a democratic state at that....

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oh my gosh! I just looked up Spearfish and it's gorgeous...BUT the weather kinda stopped me in my tracks from looking further....

Woodlands, Texas...LOVE it!

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Specializes in Emergency, Trauma, Critical Care.

That's funny, my husband and I have been doing "research" for many years. I got my dream job though in Orange county, so we will stuck being renters a while, then see what happens after he finishes school. It's so sad how expensive California is. Most of my coworkers split rent on an apartment with a roommate, and they make 80k a year without overtime. Even when my husband finishes school, I don't know if we could eventually afford anything worthwhile here.

From what we have seen, Colorado Springs, CO is nice. Huntington, WV, and Fort Worth, Tx. My husband was an on the road trucker and he says those were some of the prettier places he has seen.

When he finishes school though, we will probably end up wherever any jobs are for him. As a new grad Resp Therapist, unless the economy pics up, he will have a hard time finding work.

Good luck to you!

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