Hi. Though we are not interested in relocating at this time, we have had some experience in relocating to unfamiliar areas in the past, and just though sharing our experiences might help someone else in their relocations.
1975; Relocated with wife and three children, youngest still a baby in diapers, oldest around five years old, across country, in 1971 Chevy Vega and uhaul trailer, from Longview, WA to Tunkhannock, PA. Made the trip in four days...had been unemployment six months. Had relatives in PA, who was employed at local P&G plant. Having relatives in the area helped emmensley, still required a major sacrifice, and tons of faith. Relatives had trailer rent and furnished for us upon arrival. Within two months, got my first job in PA, though it didn't pay nearly enough, it kept me out of the house and busy, until I got hired by P&G, almost a year later. And it helped toward paying bills and putting food on the table.
32 years later, kids were all grown and on their own with their own families (including a fourth, who was born in PA a year after we moved there), and though I had been gainfully employed all along, we had fallen into foreclosure on the house we were buying for twenty-seven years, and getting deeper in debt. figured the only way out of an impossible situation was to relocate again. Had been to Norfolk VA couple times over the years visiting relatives, and loved the area. After months of praying, talking to those relatives, doing some research, we made the decision. Rented a uhaul truck with car dolly, sold one old car, junked the other (beyond repair), purchased an old dependable honda, packed up and left town. Withing two months, I got hired at a local Walmart (had worked for Walmart in the past), and the wife got hired by the Navy working as housekkeeper on base, near the apartment we rented. Since, our relatives have relocated back to Missouri, where the husband was from, and we are managing. Much better off here, and enjoying life in general. Norfolk may have a high criminal rate (dont know if I would recommend it for a family) but the economy is diverse, so there's always work of somekind, and the weather's a big improvement from the Endless Mountains in PA. We've managed to get back to PA annually to visit the kids and grandkids, and our youngest, a son, makes it down sometimes twice in a year to visit, and has made it every year so far. With us, I believe that it was our faith in God that gave us the means and courage to make this relocation work, and was the right thing for us to do.
Still renting the same apartment we moved into on arrival during our move. Landlord has become a close friend and confidant. He is flexible, and works with us when we need special considerations. We help each other. He has become my "best friend."
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
RELOCATING - HELP IN ALL AREAS
This is a group where we will discuss all aspects of relocating including (but not limited to) discussions about emotions, realtors, information about different towns, education research, family challenges, finding health care professionals, the positive side of moving, new adventures, how to cope, etc.