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Yes, I've noticed that we would need connector flights in most cases to visit back home. It's certainly annoying, but not enough to hold me back from going.
I am mostly leaning towards Greenville suburbs!!
I'm more then happy with a conservative place, so no worries there.
I have not considered New Hampshire, mostly because we hate the cold and the snow...one small reason we want to leave!
I would look at Thornblade, and anything on the east side of Greenville, or (I guess) Simpsonville or Mauldin, although I'm not sure if there are many houses in Simpsonville or Mauldin that could be expensive enough.
Greenville to Charlotte's airport is 75 minutes on good days, but I-85 has been a mess for the past few years.
With CT's housing prices, you could probably trade up when you move.
Wouldn't bother me. I plan to move far away from toxic family after my mom is no longer here. I do like snow and will move to a more northern state. And I'm retired so won't need to drive in bad weather unless I want to.
Consider these family issues to help make your decision:
Do you love getting together with your family? Will you be miserable so far away? Can you afford the time and money to visit as often as you'd like?
Do you rely on them for help?
Do they rely on you for help, or will they sometime soon?
Can these be resolved from a distance?
I like Steiconi's points.
I would downsize and go more minimalist where you are currently living. It's harder to change your life where you currently are because you actually have to change your life instead of just doing a geographic move.
We moved out of Northern NJ and now are in a suburb of Charleston SC. Would never move back to the NE. We have adjusted to summer and we still have a change of seasons. Adult son bought a house and lives nearby. He could never afford a house in NJ. Nice mix of people from here, there and most everywhere.
Only issue is daughter and grandkids live in NJ. They are here visiting and the ride took 16 hours with stops. We visit them more often as the flight is short and as of now, not too expensive. Maybe someday we can convince them to get a second place here.
We have not moved with younger kids but neighborhoods here are full of kids who have recently moved. It’s a good life and we are very happy we made the change.
Thank you for all the input. It's such a hard decision.
I know it's harder to make friends as an adult, though I'm helping by joining a church in SC it would help. Churches up here aren't quite as popular...
My other option is to move to a different part of SC to be closer to my dhs parents, that way we have some family nearby, though I'm not sure the area is as much our style (lots of retires)
If you move, will you be able to afford to visit the family on holidays? If so, I’d say to go for it. If you still have children in school, this will help you integrate into the community.
You need to be very careful of the school systems in the south. Some of the public schools are sub par.
We live in GA and are retired. You will find that your northern relatives will enjoy visiting you in the winter. We live off I95, on the way to FL, and we get frequent visits.
I regret that my children did not have the experience of being close to family when they were growing up. Few family members ever came to visit us over the years. Even the difference in school start dates (mid August in TX, early September in NY) meant that we couldn't travel and participate in late summer reunions. We missed most of my extended family celebrations, weddings etc, and many funerals except those of the very closest family.
And few family was able to share in our celebrations or help in our own trials. During one of my wife's pregnancies she required periodic hospitalizations, and I had to scramble to take care of our other child during this time. We had no nearby family to help, or even visit.
Even though initially in-law family lived in the same city as us, even they moved further away and we ended up primarily seeing them only on special occasions.
As my parents aged, I couldn't spend extended time with them before they passed away. As my mother declined in health, arrangements for care was extremely difficult to say the least.
Most of my family did not have the financial means, or the time away from home/work, to travel much. Neither did we have it very much at the time. Later, their own health issues (at relatively young ages, 50s and 60s) and their own family issues and activities meant we were a lesser priority in their lives.
I suppose if one wanted to "get away" from family, or one truly disliked where they live, it may be a good trade to move away.
But, nothing beats having family just minutes away.
We would have money to visit our family up north every Christmas as we would be able to stay for free with family who have lots of extra room. We would likely also be able to afford visiting once every summer....so twice a year.
I'm not worried about schools, we use private schools up here and will continue to go private once we move, but thank you so much for the heads up.
I visit with my siblings now about 6-8 times a year, which would obviously decrease to 1-2 times a year. Luckily my kids are at an age where I don't really need babysitters or anything. We would also be closer to one set of grandparents who live in South Carolina. So that would only be a 3-4 hour drive.
It is such a touch decision because I know we wouldn't be able to change our minds and move back, my DH hates moving.
When I moved I had no serious doubts about it; 20 years later I still have no regrets and love where I live. But, there were a few early years I had some doubts. I moved a lot as a kid and into early adulthood. So, I have lived a lot of places.
Everyone's situation is different. But, you don't know what you take for granted until you do it. I discourage a couple of my friends who have lived where they grew up for 50/60/70 years.
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