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Hi there. I also lived in NC for about 5 years a few years back. North Carolina is a beautiful state, but yes, I understand concerns about raising children in an area where urban sprawl is taking over. I have a 17 year old son (who lives in Washington State w/ his dad) and a 16 year old daughter who lives with me.
My daughter and I are also moving to the Minot/Rugby area after I've done extensive research on everything from quality of life and affordability of that same life.
Having said that, ND is THE most affordable state I've seen in terms of housing. There isn't as much in the way of rentals, but purchasing a decent (albeit older) home can still be done for under 50K in most of the state. The bigger cities also still have a large number of properties with reasonable prices and often have incentives for new residents.
We are in NC now and I am looking to get my Son out of the big cities - I have been looking at ND (Minot?) area info for quite a while now...
Have lived in Vermont so the cold is a non issue... may complain but oh well.
Problem is I can not get over 3000.00 saved up - would go back to VT but the cost of living is out of the world...
What everyone think - basically packing up my old ford pick up and showing up in town.. ugg ten what
Being male, I would only address your search in a logical way. Ideally, you should move having a job first. Yes, faith is important too. Maybe your faith is your strongest point. I would not condemn you for that. Also, my second thought is, that if your moving to NoDak in winter with an old truck, you need to winterize it for North Dakota winters. If you find a place, but you need to park your truck outside, it at least needs a block heater, so you can keep it plugged in on the cold winter nights so your engine will turn over in the morning. It helps you to get to work.
Sounds like your in a delima, but most delimas are overcome if you have faith! Hope your move goes well, and you find a kind helpful place in North Dakota. North Dakotans are very friendly, and I'm sure will be very helpful. But, in my opinion, you need to have a back-up plan.
Hope (and pray) that your move may go without too many hitches!
Minot is not a bad choice. An area where old fashion values are still important
Weather is the least important when you have friendly souroundings. IMHO..
We are in NC now and I am looking to get my Son out of the big cities - I have been looking at ND (Minot?) area info for quite a while now...
Have lived in Vermont so the cold is a non issue... may complain but oh well.
Problem is I can not get over 3000.00 saved up - would go back to VT but the cost of living is out of the world...
What everyone think - basically packing up my old ford pick up and showing up in town.. ugg ten what
I'd note that most people who move to ND move to Bismarck or Fargo. Minot does have cheaper homes than the other cities in ND but there are likely reasons for that - Cheap homes may look good on the surface but I'd also consider some other factors (you may actually be better off financially in Bismarck or Fargo even with the higher housing payment)...
For the sake of your son if you do move to ND pick a bigger city then Minot. Fargo is good and cheap with something to do..... And it's growing everyday but keeps a small town mentality where everyone is polite and friendly. Apartments are generally around 500 for a 2 bedroom. Houses for rent that I've been looking into range from 800-1300 a month.... I've lived here for 10 years which has been my teenage years and even though I always complained that there was nothing to do the more I look at moving to another state the harder it is for me to think about leaving Fargo.... The cold is the only thing I could consider bad about this city. Otherwise I pretty much fell in love with it against my predictions. Take in mind though that my opinion is completely biased... because I personally could never live in a small town ;-)
OK everyone, let's quit bashing Minot. Minot is currently getting an intermodal system that will revolutionize the shipping industry for the state. Also, Minot is constantly growing with lots of jobs available in all fields. Remember, bigger is not necessarily better. Also, because Fargo, Bismarck, and Grand Forks is bigger, so are their property taxes. They pay more taxes for the same house in Minot. So give Minot its due process. The military base brings in lots of money and new entrepreneurs all of the time. But, before you move, you really should have a job lined up. Visit the website at Job Service North Dakota before coming and see if you can't line up a job before you arrive. You won't regret it.
OK everyone, let's quit bashing Minot. Minot is currently getting an intermodal system that will revolutionize the shipping industry for the state. Also, Minot is constantly growing with lots of jobs available in all fields. Remember, bigger is not necessarily better. Also, because Fargo, Bismarck, and Grand Forks is bigger, so are their property taxes. They pay more taxes for the same house in Minot. So give Minot its due process. The military base brings in lots of money and new entrepreneurs all of the time. But, before you move, you really should have a job lined up. Visit the website at Job Service North Dakota before coming and see if you can't line up a job before you arrive. You won't regret it.
We are in NC now and I am looking to get my Son out of the big cities - I have been looking at ND (Minot?) area info for quite a while now...
Have lived in Vermont so the cold is a non issue... may complain but oh well.
Problem is I can not get over 3000.00 saved up - would go back to VT but the cost of living is out of the world...
What everyone think - basically packing up my old ford pick up and showing up in town.. ugg ten what
As someone who got moved around a lot as a kid: STAY WHERE YOU ARE. Moving a kid during high school years is HELL on the kid, unless the kid is completely miserable at his school.
I'm pretty sure that most parents wouldn't move a child in high school unless there was a very good reason for doing so - just for that reason. Most parents would rather not uproot their child if there were any way around it. With the cost of housing and the high unemployment rates throughout the rest of the country, ND looks to be a viable fresh start for many - and that means compromise for adults and children alike.
But just think - a highschool aged child is very close to being able to change their own circumstances!
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Have you considered USDA Rural Home loans?
