France/Spain - good places to live, work & go to school? (country, place)

[mjewell]

I would like to move to Europe from Texas in a few years with my family. My husband is English and I'm a US citizen. I'm having a lot of difficulty finding out about schools, jobs, climate, and other general local information in France and Spain because most of the info is in French or a form of Spanish I'm finding difficult. Of course I'll learn the language once I decide which language I need to learn, but first I'm looking for sources of information that can help us narrow down the search.

Ideally I want a small town within easy commute to a small to mid-size city where we can find jobs (manufacturing and nursing) and hopefully, where we can afford an acre or two with a house we can renovate. I really want mild weather and a nice view of mountains, rivers, forests... anything other than concrete and buildings.

I've been told southern France/northern Spain is ideal, but I wouldn't mind going to Italy, Switzerland or Belgium if I can find the right place.

If anyone can give me a place to start looking and sources of information, I would really appreciate it.

[Mooseketeer]

Try
EscapeArtist Home Page: Living Overseas - International Real Estate, Overseas Jobs - Expatriate Resources - Overseas Retirement I think it's an expat site for Americans and they might be able to give you some good advice.
Bear in mind that property is more expensive in Europe ( a lot less land than in the US so it's at a premium).
In France I would recommend the South West ( Dordogne, Gascony that sort of place). Manufacturing wise you would be better off trying to find jobs in Toulouse ( big university and manufacturing city) , large-ish English speaking community and you could live in the country side on the outskirts, also Bordeaux ( for the same reasons). Unemployment is higher in France but Bordeaux and Toulouse are both quite wealthy cities. Public transport is excellent too.
Also try :
Bordeaux British Community ( Bordeaux British community)
Portal for Work Abroad, Study Abroad, Cultural Travel and Living Overseas.
www.frenchlinks.org (broken link)
They might be able to help.

I'm afraid I don't know enough about Spain to tell you anything about it though.

Hope that helps, all the nest and good luck for your move !

[PSI31]

Hello !

There is a little town in south-west of France : PAU
Not too big as Toulouse or Bordeaux
Nice old town
University
Industries
Mountains 60km
Atlantic ocean 110km
Ville de Pau - Pau.fr - Accueil
Site officiel du tourisme et des congrès de Pau-Pyrénées


Hope that helps you ...