Sick In Alabama Longing For California (Auburn: homes, good schools, universities)
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We can afford rent up to 2500 a month if we have to... for sure.. but we would like to stay under that if possible.
We are paying 2000 here a month and from what I have seen on craigslist in different locations that come up on there ... there are many a home that is the same or cheaper and look just as nice. I can not tell you a town... I would have to go back in and look it up.. but you could go on craigslist and see for yourselves.
The economic part of it really isnt the main argument anyway... it is the health issues... I know that we are fine in California as we have been there and not had the problems...
I dont know. At this point I really just want to try and find my husband a better job offer then what he has now or a transfer at the end of 12 months time.
If you know of anyone that is hiring in a manufacturing company or Aerospace of some form... I would appreciate it if you would either let me know on this forum or PM me about it.
Thank you so much for your input and honesty with all of this.
If you haven't seen these before, you might want to look at these links.
The Asthma and Allergy Foundation ranks the worse places for those problems.
For example, although you also have to look at the type of allergen, you might notice on this list that San Diego ranks bad along with many of the southern cities including those in Alabama. http://aafa.org/pdfs/FINAL%20public%...%20Spr2008.pdf
I wonder what made San Diego ranked the 10th worst, yet Los Angeles just to the north, is ranked all the way back at 86? Pretty big distance for two cities fairly close to each other. I wonder where all of San Diego's pollen comes from?
See what Alabama does to people?????????Just ask anyone from Tennessee. We'll tell ya! But seriously. Check for jobs in the Tullahoma Tennessee area. Probably wont help your allergys though. Everyone here is allergic to THE CRIMSON TIDE!!!!!!!!!!!
See what Alabama does to people?????????Just ask anyone from Tennessee. We'll tell ya! But seriously. Check for jobs in the Tullahoma Tennessee area. Probably wont help your allergys though. Everyone here is allergic to THE CRIMSON TIDE!!!!!!!!!!!
If she's unhappy in Huntsville, I seriously doubt she'd be any happier in Tullahoma.
Those rankings change so drastically every year, I wonder what goes into them.
Yes, this is a bad allergy year in San Diego and SoCal. If you're near a fire area, there's good chance that's largely covered in mustard right now. Also, a lot of rain this winter means things are greener than normal. More Santa Anas than normal too. I've been sick with allergies/sinus infections since New Year's.
Having said all that -- allergies are nothing here compared to Alabama! I spent a few months in Auburn -- wow, I was sick the whole time. There was much to enjoy of the area, but allergies was not one of them.
Generally, yes, California has been one of the best places for me for allergies, and I'm not alone. Typically, the closer you are to major bodies of water (ocean, immediate vicinity of great lakes), the better it is for allergies.
I currently had to move the town of Huntsville Alabama due to my husband taking a transfer through Boeing.
We lived in Alaska as of 2.5 weeks ago..... we loved it very much back home, but did want to move back to the states... Just not here.
This transfer was the only job offer so to speak though on the table as my husband had been laid off from Boeing there at Ft. Greely.
So we took it for a few reasons... we were able to keep an income this way and still be within the same company as such while looking for another position.
The problems we are facing now are as follows:
My kids and I have really bad allergies as well as asthma and exzema problems which are all worse in this part of the USA.
We have lived short term in California before and we know that it is a good area for us that way.
Alaska was the best by far that way, but California is great to. The physicians have all said that the West Coastal areas would be the better part of the country for us that way....
I understand that it is a good thing if you can stay within the same company, but there are a lot of other Engineering, Manufacturing, Aerospace Ect... type positions and companies in California that pay a lot more then what we are getting now.
The other issue is that when Boeing transfered us for this position here in Alabama they paid a full relocation. We will have to pay everything back to Boeing if we leave before 12 months time for another offer or even a transfer.
I am not sure if they will take payments on that pay back arrangement or not... or if we would have to pay it all in one lumps sum.
Part of me has thought about moving the kids and I out to California until either my husband lands another offer out there or until he gets a transfer of some sort....
I have found rentals there cheaper then what we are paying here. I never thought a Southern State could be so costly... but believe me coming from Alaska I knew what I thought was costly, but here in Alabama where I cant find milk cheaper then $4.49a gal.... Our rent for a 3.5 bedroom house here is 1900 a month and that does not include utilities or any land....
I have found the same cost if not better for rentals in the California area.
I have even found some that include utilities and a gardner...
The food costs more here in Alabama then what we paid in Delta Junction Alaska.....
I am very upset about being here. I just dont want to cause a rukus over it all. I am not sure what we can and cant do with the whole Boeing thing. My husband isnt sure if he should talk with his new manager about this or not as we have only been here for a short time.
If anyone on here is from Boeing or another company like it that would know what the ins and outs are that way and weather my husband should ask or talk with his manager about this right now... Any input would be appreciated.
THank you
Huntsville is the most expensive region in Alabama to live. $1900 per month for rent? In Atlanta, you can rent a similar home for roughly $1400.
I can understand the health issues and not wanting to stay in a place where allergies are causing you and your family misery, but I must interject that her figures are way out of whack about the cost of rentals. I went to craigslist and in less than a minute found a 2750 sq ft 2 story house in the best part of Huntsville with a lovely large yard with in ground pool with slide for $1650 per month. This was one of the most expensive homes on the listings so I have to doubt her $1900 per month. I also have to wonder where she is shopping for milk to be that high. Generally I find for less than $4 which I agree is too high but I doubt it is cheaper in California. Regular gas was $3.44/gal yesterday in Huntsville -- What is it now in CA?
I lived in eastern Alabama (near Auburn) for several years in the late 1990s, so I have first hand knowledge of life in CA and AL. If the OP thinks that moving to any decent part of California is going to be a financial break even compared to Alabama, she is in for some painful medicine. I was in AL on a temporary job assignment, if it had been a permanent job deal, I would have gladly stayed.
It just so happens that this is peak pollen season in most parts of the southeast. Get some good filters on your home HVAC system, and change them often. Vacuum often inside using a machine with HEPA filter. Give yourselves a chance to acclimate to a new place. The heavy pollen season will pass soon, and once you get into the summer, rain showers will knock down the pollen some more. You don't know how lucky you are to be in a place like Huntsville compared to most other places in the US that are struggling in these bad economic times.
Huntsville is a pretty nice place to live. The area is doing very well economically, among the best in the US. It has a good balance of residents of all backgrounds, good schools and universities, and is close to many outdoor activities. Good variety of things to do around town. Crime and safety is not a big problem, and weather is OK most of the year except for a few months of mid summer heat. A modest sized metro area that you can get out of in a relatively short time into the surrounding countryside.
Alabama has taxes that are among the lowest in the US across the board, CA is among the highest. AL has lowest property taxes in the US, state income tax is about half the rate in CA, and sales tax is about 5 percent in most places (some cities are higher) compared to 8+ percent in CA. Gas is 30 cents per gallon less, utility costs are 30 percent less in Alabama. All I can say is be careful what you wish for, there is a reason that so many people are leaving CA for other less crowded and less taxing places across America.
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