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:)
Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.
From what we have seen, Colorado Springs, CO is nice. Huntington, WV, and Fort Worth, Tx.
I agree with Fort Worth, TX. I am originally from California and moved to Fort Worth in late 2005. It is in the same general metro area as McKinney, but the cost of living is much cheaper here. My 1,900 square foot house was built in 2004 and cost around $100,000 in 2005 (today it would be worth about $90,000 due to the housing market crash). Fort Worth is also the fastest growing large city in America, so that should tell you something.
The pay rates are competitive here for the cost of living. I am a newer RN with four years of experience as an LVN, and I earn $28 hourly at one job and $36 hourly at another workplace.
Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.
Ft Worth is a great place to live, but I don't think anyone could call it "pretty". Lol!
Yeah, places like Trophy Club, Southlake, Colleyville, and the other upper-crust suburbs are definitely prettier and have more aesthetic appeal than Fort Worth, but you pay up the nose for the beauty and the status.
Then again, Fort Worth is 'pretty' when compared with true centers of urban decay.
I live just east of Oklahoma City but have fallen in love with Denton, TX just outside of Dallas. I don't know why, but I love that town. I have to stay there anytime I am in that area. Thats a possible move for me once school is out, I haven't researched it much yet though!!
As for having mixed kids, please dont let that stop you! I know a lot of people think of Texas as being country and such, but it is such a melting pot of various cultures! I also have a mixed child and he fits in anywhere!
Specializes in Med Surge, Tele, Oncology, Wound Care.
I agree with Texas. I lived in El Paso for 10 years and I got payed very well for the cost of living. You can get a very nice 3 bedroom 2 bath house for 100,000 and under.
The cost of living vs the pay rate is really good.
San Antonio is great- according to a friend. Cost of living low, fun things for families to do, pay rate is high.
I hear Austin is amazing, but the cost of living is high.
I say Texas. It is a melting pot as what the prior poster said. I have met so many wonderful people and I learned Spanish.
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....
i'm new to texas, my child attends a public school and it seems like at least half the students come from multi-cultural families. from my observation, the children are accepting of one another and could care less, the teachers also seem very warm towards the students. this is in the dallas/ fortworth area.
in my experience, new yorkers were more openly hostile, i.e. staring, look of distaste, etc. there are still people out here that fly a confederate flag and express white pride, but i haven't witnessed any open hostility.
Thanks for the additional comments. Such a big decision to relocate your family! I want to afford to retire someday...hopefully without rent or a mortgage payment!
TheCommuter, BSN, RN
102 Articles; 27,612 Posts
I agree with Fort Worth, TX. I am originally from California and moved to Fort Worth in late 2005. It is in the same general metro area as McKinney, but the cost of living is much cheaper here. My 1,900 square foot house was built in 2004 and cost around $100,000 in 2005 (today it would be worth about $90,000 due to the housing market crash). Fort Worth is also the fastest growing large city in America, so that should tell you something.
The pay rates are competitive here for the cost of living. I am a newer RN with four years of experience as an LVN, and I earn $28 hourly at one job and $36 hourly at another workplace.