Might have to leave California, help me figure out where to go

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by AKgirlinCA

Oh sorry I was confused, that was for the OP. You're right...DFW is a great fit for us but might not be for the OP.

If you can stay home with your kids, more power to you. I am not suggesting working moms are not good moms, my own daughter worked from the day her girls were tiny babies, but I just think staying at home is a blessing to moms and kids...more for moms believe it or not..

thank being said, DFW does have a lot to offer, have you decided on any particularly area...?? Flower Mound, Lewisville and Highland Shores are all great areas..there are lots of other good areas as well, depending on where the job will be..

As for Trader Joes, Flower Mound has a market, similar, it is called Sprouts and there may be more than one in the area. It isn't Traders Joes, but close..

Nita

ps guess we are kinda off the subject, sorry about that..

[SOON2BNSURPRISE]

Originally Posted by califlo

-Weather: preferably no snow (or very minimal snow, < 5 in. a year), a moderate level of humidity with some noticeable rainfall (we are not interested in desert weather, but don’t really want to go back to Florida humidity either!), and we both love warm & sunny weather so we do not think we would do well in a city that is more often cloudy than sunny (like Seattle)

Ventura County has excelent weather. Oxnard and Ventura are in a moderate climate.

-Good air quality due to our health considerations

Fairly good air quality in the Oxnard Ventura area.

-Excellent hospitals/medical facilities nearby

We have 8 area hospitals. CMH where I work is consistantly rated as a top hospital in the state.

-Affordable housing – pretty much anything less expensive than the Bay Area

Homes are selling for a lot less in the Oxnard Ventura area than the bay area. You can find homes built in the late 1970's selling in the mid $200,000 range. At Oxnards Riverpark development you can buy a new town home with prices in the High $200,000 range.
-Low crime rate

Oxnard is now rated lower than Santa Barbara area for crime.

-Near 4yr college/university, possibly 2 yr college might work (my husband works in higher education admin)

Oxnard, Ventura, and Moorpark have Junior colleges. In Camarillo we have the California State University Channel Islands.

-Fairly diverse population and good acceptance of interracial couples (I spent a chunk of my childhood in Alabama, and my experience there as a multiracial person was horrible. I am not interested in moving to a place with a lot of racial issues)

Many interatial couples. I am a white guy married to a Mexican woman. It wouldn't make people blink one way or the other here in this area.

-Moderate to liberal people and political environment(we are pretty liberal and agnostic, and hope to find a place where there might be other people somewhat like us)

Ventura County is either baby blue or pink in its voting record. we sit in the middle most of the time. I find it refreshing as I can have an educated conversation with others that may or may not hold my view and at the end of the day we are all still friends. I may be a conservative Republican but many of my freinds are liberal minded.

Ideally, our new home would offer access to these things too but we would be willing to travel a little for them if necessary:
-a variety/quantity of ethnic restaurants (we like Indian, Thai, Vietnamese, Ethiopian, etc.) and cultural events/festivals

You will love the atmosphere here in the area, although many places close early for some. LA though is only an hour away.

-reasonable access to outdoorsy stuff (hiking, parks)

Plenty to do with lots of outdoor activities. five beaches, not too, far from the Santa Monica Mountains, Not too far from the Ojai Mountains.

-an assortment of stores for shopping like Borders, Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, Target, department stores

Name a store and we have it near by.

-less than 1- 1.5 hours from an airport

Oxnard has a regional airport with commuter service to LAX. Also LAX is about an hour away on a good day.

I know there is a lot listed here and we may not find a place that has all of this. Thank you for reading this and for any help you can give!!

Visit the area and try us out.

[marianne1952]

Denver CO