[chopchop0]

Originally Posted by James Bond 007

Guess which state is the 6th best place to raise a kid? And which one is the 10th worst state to raise a kid?
http://www.aecf.org/m/resourcedoc/ae...ntdatabook.pdf

Aecf looks at it through the prism of child welfare. Illinois is 19 while parents literally worry if their schools will even open.... I'll take Florida all day for that matter over Illinois

[LIFL]

Originally Posted by floridarebel

Rural areas of central FL and the panhandle along with northern Florida and Jacksonville are best to raise a family. Small, religious, southern and family oriented. South Florida is too dangerous for children and expensive. Very pretentious as well. People are rude. Same with Connecticut. But CT has better schools but of course taxes are higher.

I dunno if you've ever been to Connecticut, but I question whether this is what they would be looking for.

[BigBlue123]

Connecticut is a funky state with a mix of New York, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island which gives it an identity crisis. They're are some beautiful areas but the state has this WASPY/preppy vibe that I don't like. Also, while the suburbs are nice, the cities are awful.

New Jersey is the better choice if you stay up there. It has more of it's own identity and more amenities with better beaches and it's own major league sports. Otherwise, Florida to me offers a lot more than Connecticut other than mountains.

[AnotherTouchOfWhimsy]

I grew up in Connecticut, and when my kids were young, we moved to Florida.

There are pros and cons to both. The cultural and educational opportunities in Connecticut are better, for sure. The weather is better in Florida (well, except for the summer). I felt like Connecticut was safer and had fewer creepy people, but that could just be my perception. I live in a safe neighborhood here in Florida, but it seems like there are sex offenders all over the place. The cost of living is better in Florida, but that gap seems to be narrowing. Property taxes in CT are higher; car taxes in FL are non-existent. Schools are undoubtedly better in Connecticut (we homeschool, so that's not an issue). Connecticut has mountain trails and fall foliage; Florida has white-sand beaches and palm trees.

It really just depends on what you want. My gut instinct is that Connecticut is a better place to raise a family, if you can afford it. My dream is to have a summer home up north, and that's what we'll likely do once the kids move out (they're teens now). I'd have loved to have done it when the kids were younger, and we could have with our homeschooling lifestyle (I also work from home), but alas, we could not afford it. I think that would be the best of both worlds.

[chopchop0]

Originally Posted by AnotherTouchOfWhimsy

). I felt like Connecticut was safer and had fewer creepy people, but that could just be my perception. I live in a safe neighborhood here in Florida, but it seems like there are sex offenders all over the place.

My buddy moved from fl to CT and he feels the exact opposite. He lives in an affordable suburb outside of new haven and data even there he hears gunshots and reads about a lot of crime. Bridgeport and new haven are arguably higher per capita crime places than most anywhere in Florida