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Hello, I am an African-American single mother of two. We have decided to move, but we do not know where to. I am posting on here to get some insight from people who have experienced living in certain states. However, there are a few states we will NOT move to such as;
Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Virginia, Louisianna, Maryland, and Mississippi.
What we are looking for in a State and city:
1.) Warm Weather. (doesn't have to be year-round warm weather, but at least hot summers)
2.) Low Crime. (Since I am looking to raise my two daughters, I do not wish to be anywhere dangerous.)
3.) Affordable.(As a single mother, I need to live someplace where I can afford be.)
4.) Schools. (I NEED the schools to be good, safe and gives a great education. K-12 and COllege)
5.) Jobs. ( The jobs I am interested in are in the financial field, Federal Govt.)
6.) Activities. (Mostly artistic or outdoorsy for my two little artists.)
7.) Nothing on the FAR western part of U.S. (I live in Maryland and I plan on moving by vehicle, So I cannot travel to areas like California/Washington to Colorado.)
THANK YOU!!!
Given what you said, the best overall match would be Charlotte. Great area! They have an extremely strong financial sector. The cost of living is reasonable with very strong buying power. Lots to do. Very family friendly. Great climate and a good amount of outdoor activities. Wonderful state college system. I'd look into Belmont, Ft. Mill, and Concord/Harrisburg. You would get more for your money in terms of housing costs and taxes. Good luck in your search!
Thank you everyone I am looking in the areas of South East Charlotte, Fort Mill, Matthews area. I have another question for everyone, I was going to try to move this summer but I own a home in Maryland and have to get a Property Management company to look after my property. After thinking long and hard about everything, I think I may have to move in another year or so because my middle child is 15 and going to the 11th grade. I wanted to move this summer so that she will start the 11th grade in our new state but I will need a little more time to get things together in Maryland first. We were discussing moving next year during the summer when my daughter gets out of the 11th grade but I am not sure if its a good idea to move to another state, different school while she is going to the 12th grade. I asked my daughter and she said she will be ok but I know her well she is not too good under certain situations and she will be new to school and have to adapt in the 12th grade. I know you are probably thinking what's the rush then just wait till she graduates high school, while this is the ideal thing to do it will also be extremely difficult thing to do. The situation is I was almost robbed by gunpoint outside my home 3 weeks before Christmas, some guy just driving down the street casing the area out and I was the only one outside at that time cleaning the snow off of my vehicle. This incident brought out fears in me and my children we didn't know even exist. We are constantly on edge, can barely sleep and feel completely unsafe now. My area was made up of basically all homeowners but as the crazy situations in our area started to arise most of the homeowners are fleeing and renting their homes to anyone that can look in Craigslist (they seem to post there only.) This is not the only reason I am considering moving, the other reasons is my home sits in the middle of two rental properties now and the tenants are not clean at all and have parties all of the time, including blocking everyone's driveways, the area is getting pretty bad and dangerous since almost everyone seems to be moving out and the police don't seem to have a clue as to what to do. I do not want to sell my home as I have owned it for 15 years with 15 more to go. We just want some peace and a place where we can sit on our deck without someone walking up us on scaring the daylights out of us. I don't know if I mentioned it or not but I have a 10 yr old, 15yr old and a 23 year old that just came out of college and works full time. I am also nervous about my son in this area, he stays in the house he told me he is worried about our safety and don't want us to go anywhere without each other not letting us know. We recently got the 360 app on our phones so we can know when everyone arrives at school and work. I talked to my 23 yr old and he said he will go with me to help out with the finances as we will need his help. He has a good strong background in the Culinary Arts field and graduated from Culinary Arts Program working as a Chef for 5 years with the same company. He said its ok he can get another job wherever we move. We are not worried about staying here in Maryland for family as I am the only member of my family that lives on the outskirt of the city everyone else lives far within the County lines, we don't see each other often anyway. So now that you know the basics here is my question, what is your honest opinion about moving my 15 yr old to another state next year when she will be going to the 12th grade. Do you think this is wrong, do you think she will be able to cope (she said yes but I don't know), could her academics fall behind that quick if she starts a new school in her 12th grade year. Thank you for all of your opinions and help!
Wow that is an unfortunate situation for sure. Moving your senior year of high school can definitely be challenging. By 12th grade most friend groups have been established and sometimes it is hard to break into a mold being the new person.
But each child is different, some are extremely social and have no ills, while others are not.
Did your home value decrease? Has it remained consistent with what you paid for it? If possible can you also sell? It seems if the area is getting worst and not better, in the long term, maintaining ownership of the home, but be challenging to you, and the home value might decrease, and therefore you could use the opportunity that your child needs to stay in the same school, to also take the time to sell your home, which might take a while, if that is an option.
Again I am not sure of the exact situation. I have heard positive things about Charlotte, although I have never been, and it definitely seems to fit the criteria you are looking for.
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