Yet another "Help me decide where to move" thread (crime, house)

[kaitala]

I haven't even posted yet, so I'm not personally asking again, but I see a LOT of them on here. I'm glad there's a forum that can help with this.

We're a family of 3, my husband, 30, me 39 (no cougar comments, please ) and our 3 year old daughter. Hubby is working in construction, is a licensed crane operator, very skilled at operating other heavy equipment, and extremely proficient at driving tug/push boats. I am currently a stay-at-home mom to our daughter, and am working towards completing my degree in environmental science, wishing to focus on alternative energy/"green-ness" in some way (undecided, but willing to work with anything from power generation to residential efficiency).

My husband has become increasingly disheartened with his current employer, and is not having much luck finding employment with comparable salary and benefits elsewhere locally. He likes what he does for a living, but not the mood and personality of the company. He realizes that one *rarely* likes all aspects of their employment, and is not unrealistic in what he's looking for in a job.

We live (arrrrgh. dare I say it) at the Jersey Shore. Yes, THAT Jersey Shore. Hubby actually saw Snookie and her film crew yesterday. We are not happy with what New Jersey has become. We have outgrown our 3br house in super-suburbia. The sprawl and congestion, despite a pretty decent infrastructure, has us feeling overwhelmed. Crime is rising with population density. The Shore, once a nice place to live, with seasonal traffic, is slowly degrading to an unfriendly, overcrowded, city-fied nightmare.

Now, on to the wish list.

We'd like to find an area into which we'll fit. We don't want to be like those who have come to our beloved hometowns and imposed their preferences on the locals.

Physical attributes:
-Good arable land. I'm an avid gardener, and prefer to be able to grow many of our own vegetables, as well as beautiful ornamentals.
-Good quality water. I know filtration is usually needed for most wells, but the least contaminants and better taste is a must.
-Moderate climate. Extremes are undesireable. Snow is fine, but not 6ft of frozen tundra per year
-Adequate rainfall to maintain gardens with minimal to moderate watering
-Flat to rolling topography. While I think the mountains are lovely to visit, I much prefer flatter lands
-To embrace hubby's proficiency with boats, near bodies of water that utilize tugboats/pushboats
-I have a horse, so acreage is a must. I need to reduce the costs involved and keeping him at home would make a significant positive impact on our finances (he is currently boarded at a local farm)

Municipal Attributes:
-rural to minor suburban area, near sub-urban areas for shopping and other opportunities. 20-30 minutes to regular shopping hubs like grocery/walmart is fine
-essential services like a garbage transfer station/dump, recycling center, etc.
-good school systems

Employment Attributes:
-as stated before, opportunities near larger bodies of water for utilization of hubby's expertise
-employment opportunities for me when I return to work, with an emphasis on "green"
-near enough to a larger city that an hour commute would open up greater opportunities

Education Attributes:
-good public school for my daughter
-near enough to commute to a good, local, state college so that I can finish my education to return to the work force

Recreation Attributes:
-We do love the outdoors but do not partake of any extreme sports. Typical recreation activities (parks, bike riding, etc.) are more than enough
-I have a horse, and would enjoy a place where horses were permitted on trails

Mood of the People in the Area:
-We are open-minded, tolerant, and respect everyone's right to believe, celebrate, and live as they wish, so long as it harm no one. We do not practice any organized religion, but appreciate people with good morals an ethics, whatever their source, secular or religious. We would not fit well in a community that ostracized non-believers of the predominant faith.


This is getting too long, but I have seen while lurking that many posters are asked for more information when asking "where should I live" and I've tried to cover all the bases. If you need anything further, please feel free to ask.

So, what areas should we consider?

[ckhthankgod]

I was going to say come to the Syracuse area, but the snowfall might be a bit too much in the winter, eventhough it gets taken care of in a timely manner. Everything else seems to be possible here though.

You probably would like a part of the area like Baldwinsville, Liverpool, North Syracuse, Skaneateles or Cazenovia. It depends on your price range though.

[kaitala]

Thanks for the input, ckh! I never thought of Syracuse as big on using tugs, though, is it popular on Lake Ontario? I know hubby has a clean record and would have no problem getting through a background check to work in international commerce. What would the major port city be on the US side, Oswego?

Anyone from the Del/Mar/VA area want to sound off on this? Hubby seems drawn to the Baltimore area, and I've read about Westminster MD on the Maryland forum. Seems there's also some nice farmland that would fit our wishes. Seems like the Chesapeake Bay area might give us what we're looking for and still be somewhat close to family.

At this point, however, I'd be willing to check out anything anywhere in the country. We have no pressure to move, and have plenty of time to thoroughly check out the areas and get our ducks in a row.

I've heard Oregon and Washington are beautiful, and not as terribly cold and snowy as one would think, given their position on the map. Any residents from the PNW with a suggestion?

Thanks so much in advance!

Oh, and what's a good topographic map? Google maps doesn't seem to give a good feel for topography, either that or I'm not reading it right.


Stephi

[ckhthankgod]

Originally Posted by kaitala

Thanks for the input, ckh! I never thought of Syracuse as big on using tugs, though, is it popular on Lake Ontario? I know hubby has a clean record and would have no problem getting through a background check to work in international commerce. What would the major port city be on the US side, Oswego?

Anyone from the Del/Mar/VA area want to sound off on this? Hubby seems drawn to the Baltimore area, and I've read about Westminster MD on the Maryland forum. Seems there's also some nice farmland that would fit our wishes. Seems like the Chesapeake Bay area might give us what we're looking for and still be somewhat close to family.

At this point, however, I'd be willing to check out anything anywhere in the country. We have no pressure to move, and have plenty of time to thoroughly check out the areas and get our ducks in a row.

I've heard Oregon and Washington are beautiful, and not as terribly cold and snowy as one would think, given their position on the map. Any residents from the PNW with a suggestion?

Thanks so much in advance!

Oh, and what's a good topographic map? Google maps doesn't seem to give a good feel for topography, either that or I'm not reading it right.


Stephi

Yes, Oswego would be the major port close by. Port of Oswego Authority: Oswego, New York | Great Lakes Port, International Port

It's about 40 minutes from Syracuse, but from the Northern suburbs, it's about 25 minutes depending upon where you live in the Northern suburbs.