Considering moving within US, What city/area would you suggest?

[luv'nAustin]

I agree, there are many things about California that are easy to miss. The land is truly beautiful. I went with my family over winter break to Disney World (not the ideal vacation destination for the week after Christmas, unless you love crowds and waiting in lines) and our favorite ride was "Soaring over California" It was wonderful to revisit those sites, even if it was only for two minutes!

[veloputt]

How about Eugene, OR? Alas not as good of job opportunities as Portland, but better weather, fantastic for cycling right from your garage!! Flats if you head north, and as much climbing as you want any other direction w/in 5-10 minutes. And easy to cycle around the city, too. I lived there for 5 years, and loved it, though meth addicts abound, and so some property crime issues, but fabulous food, lots of energy and creativity, and a gorgeous area. Great for golf, too.

[Lenusik]

[QUOTE=veloputt]How about Eugene, OR? Alas not as good of job opportunities as Portland ...

I would prefer a smaller town but the job situation will be a factor for us right now. But we are definitely looking for a nice small community if only possible.
Btw, we left to work this morning at 6:10 am and traffic was already horrible. Stop and go all way. Another good reason to leave Phoenix and find a nice small town.

[pkq]

http://money.cnn.com/best/bplive/

[tulip]

I've never been to Green Bay, but it seems like it has everything going for it: good air, community, family. The winters would be different, but if you got into XC skiing, you might find that you look forward to it as much as cycling in the summer.

Asheville, North Carolina is very nice--beautiful mountains, good riding, hip community, lots to do. The schools are so-so, but there are some good private schools. The climate is good, too. It snows, but not a whole lot.

Greenville, SC is not far from Asheville. I've heard good things about it, but I haven't been there.

Austin would be great, but I bet it's pricey, housewise, while San Antonio would be alot more reasonable on that front. Can't beat the climate.

One note about schools...there's so much more to schools than the reputation as a "good school district". When I was a kid, I moved from Cambridge, Mass with a reputation of a so-so school district to Newton, Mass, which was supposed to have fantastic schools. I was miserable in Newton, shoved into a giant school with 2000 kids. Magnet schools in weaker districts can be better than regular schools in stronger districts. It gets down to the individual school and even teachers, and therefore requires a bit of legwork other than looking at rankings. Also, if you find a place with affordable housing and some good private schools, there's nothing wrong with considering them, too.

[Geonz]

One note about schools...there's so much more to schools than the reputation as a "good school district". When I was a kid, I moved from Cambridge, Mass with a reputation of a so-so school district to Newton, Mass, which was supposed to have fantastic schools. I was miserable in Newton, shoved into a giant school with 2000 kids. Magnet schools in weaker districts can be better than regular schools in stronger districts. It gets down to the individual school and even teachers, and therefore requires a bit of legwork other than looking at rankings. Also, if you find a place with affordable housing and some good private schools, there's nothing wrong with considering them, too.

Ain't that the truth!

Districts that are "highly ranked" are often willing to make compromises to keep that ranking, so if your kids aren't going to fit the mold and raise their numbers (whichever numbers they're looking at that year), welp, they just aren't priorities.

SueJ, webmastress
http://www.resourceroom.net

[Lenusik]

"http://money.cnn.com/best/bplive/"]http://money.cnn.com/best/bplive/[/URL][/QUOTE]

This is one of the most useful links I have seen. Thank you.

I know what you are saying about schools. Although I would like to leave AZ, it is not because it is one of the worst states in terms of all age school education. Unfortunately it is. But the stats speaks of averages. There are plenty of wonderful schools in AZ but it is clearly defined by their location. We live in Chandler and we are pleased with the schoos there. However, if you look at central Phoenix, the schools are rather bad. When we move, this knowledge will come only with experience. But before we have kids we will first worry about our jobs and good air quality.