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I wanted to get some opinions from all these seemingly well educated and certainly opinionated (which should be helpful) folks here. My wife, my year and a half year old son, and I are trying to decide where to move. We are coming from the Sacramento area in California. We are a young couple with our future in mind. Here is our concerns. We like California, however the cost of living is quiet high. We also are looking for a fresh encounter with different culture. I'm graduating soon with a Criminal Justice degree and want to go to law school. I feel I have to decide on a state prior to picking a law school (due to the fact I want to practice in the state that we chose). California's law system is congested and I anticipate much frustrations with it. (I would like to factor this into the decision as well). We are done, for now, with California.
Here is what we are looking for in our future location: we want a state that, overall, sets high values to education and family. We want a state with a positive outlook for their future economy. I want a relatively simple law system. She wants to be a personal trainer so we're looking for a state that she will be able to do that as well. We are looking at climate but as a secondary importance. We also have family in CA still and would like to visit more frequently. However, I hope to have enough salary coming in that I can visit from any state. In a nut shell, those are the most important things we are looking at.
only you can decide which place is right for you. My opinion? You need to spend at LEAST a weekend in each place - maybe near the law school you are contemplating - and plan it carefully - to get a sense of the vibe of a place. Bring the kid. Even in a weekend you will get a good idea of how family friendly an area is. (we found out quickly how kid-unfriendly paris was in a week! There were no ramps or elevators, and our child was glared at when we were in restaurants with him. Like he was a martian or something). Seriously, you will get at least a taste - and then you can move forward with the application process.
For my part (caveat, we are moving for hub's career), we have LOVED the Raleigh area. Lots of opportunities for family fun, getaways, playgroups. The beach and the mountains are a roadtrip away. So is DC. Cali is not nearby, and with a young child that can be really, really challenging. (been there, doing that, with 3, the youngest is almost 2). We love it, our kids love it, we will miss it immensely. I love the open space of the Triangle, the access to just about anything one could want. Local farms, great farmers market, good road system. GREAT healthcare. Lots of smart people. (high % college graduates). EXCELLENT schools (colleges) and what has historically been a fantastic school system (wcpss). Amidst some questionable change at the moment. Lots of fun activities for kids.
Regarding the law in NC - that's a pretty broad question, since there are so many different areas to practice. I have friends on many sides of the law here - I think it boils down to where you will feel the most comfortable. Do you have any friends or family in TX or CO? I just don't think you could name 3 more disparate states. Very different vibes, though CO and NC are probably the closest. Where in CO or TX - certainly Austin is way different from Dallas - in CO, quaint little towns like Durango are worlds away from Denver in look and feel.
So, all the above said, I'd stick with planning at least a weekend in each area. Get to know it a little. Then dig deeper to see if it's where you want to plant roots. You have the opportunity to do that. Many people when relocating don't have that option. Time is your friend. Ask it for a favor or 2.
I'm considering Durham in NC (due to its close proximity to both Raleigh and Cary). I'm also looking at Boulder or Denver in NC, they have the two main law schools. As for Texas, both Austin and Houston have good law schools, so somewhere in that area.
My personal choice would be Austin - it's a really cool city and well, I prefer not paying state income tax. Austin has a great base of educated workers in a variety of industries. You can get some gorgeous homes there for very reasonable prices; just place yourself carefully because traffic is a little bit ridiculous (but nothing like LA, DC or Chicago!)
I wanted to get some opinions from all these seemingly well educated and certainly opinionated (which should be helpful) folks here. My wife, my year and a half year old son, and I are trying to decide where to move. We are coming from the Sacramento area in California. We are a young couple with our future in mind. Here is our concerns. We like California, however the cost of living is quiet high. We also are looking for a fresh encounter with different culture. I'm graduating soon with a Criminal Justice degree and want to go to law school. I feel I have to decide on a state prior to picking a law school (due to the fact I want to practice in the state that we chose). California's law system is congested and I anticipate much frustrations with it. (I would like to factor this into the decision as well). We are done, for now, with California.
Here is what we are looking for in our future location: we want a state that, overall, sets high values to education and family. We want a state with a positive outlook for their future economy. I want a relatively simple law system. She wants to be a personal trainer so we're looking for a state that she will be able to do that as well. We are looking at climate but as a secondary importance. We also have family in CA still and would like to visit more frequently. However, I hope to have enough salary coming in that I can visit from any state. In a nut shell, those are the most important things we are looking at.
Any and all help/suggestions is much appreciated.
You're going to be hard pressed to find any state that isn't slashing budgets in education, and saying that you want a state that sets high value to family is a very broad and vague term, and you're not going to find any states that will specifically cite family, unless it's some senator or representative who tries to use the term "family values," to try to legislate what people do in the privacy of their own home (nothing specific).
I was looking more at the culture and attitude of society in terms of value. I know that official state governments and cities do not openly state that their priorities are family based. However, my wife has cousins in NC and it seems to be that the Southern culture appears to be quite family oriented. (Which I thought was fantastic). It could have been a mis-perception, and that's why I'm seeking the advice and counsel of strangers.
I feel I have to decide on a state prior to picking a law school (due to the fact I want to practice in the state that we chose).
I guess I'm thinking from the other direction. I would think you would want to apply and be accepted to a particular law school program before picking a state. It would seem that the quality of programs and your ability to be admitted would be a driving factor.
I'm considering Durham in NC (due to its close proximity to both Raleigh and Cary). I'm also looking at Boulder or Denver in NC (sic--I presume you mean CO), they have the two main law schools. As for Texas, both Austin and Houston have good law schools, so somewhere in that area.
You will need to post about those states in the fora for them, of course; City-Data isn't really set up to compare state-to-state unless someone happens to have lived in both/all 3.
There are lots of law schools in NC: UNC-CH, Duke, NC Central, Wake Forest, and Campbell are the ones that come to mind. All except Wake Forest are in the Triangle area where you've posted (Campbell isn't really, but many commute there); WF is in the Triad area. Of course you would pay out-of-state tuition even in the state schools unless you'd established residency by living here at least a year beforehand. Would you plan to work for a year first?
It's hard to say that any state "values family and education" at the state level. You can look up states' ranking in an almanac for educational criteria, but most of the nitty-gritty of education is at the system level (in NC, that means county level except in a very small number of cases). Put another way, I doubt you are going to find a state that "doesn't value family or education", at least in lip service. You might be a bit more specific about what you are looking for that would satisfy you there.
I think it would be smart of you to apply and get accepted to schools before moving. It would really really suck to move your family to a state just for school and then not be accepted.....
No one says you have to take the bar in the state that you graduated from. I know someone who excelled at UNC-CH for undergrad but wasn't accepted to their law school. He will be finishing from an out of state college in may and is moving straight back to NC.
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Austin has a great base of educated workers in a variety of industries. You can get some gorgeous homes there for very reasonable prices; just place yourself carefully because traffic is a little bit ridiculous (but nothing like LA, DC or Chicago!)
