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My wife will be attending med school in one of these cities in a couple of years.
We are a young family, having a 10 yr old daughter, 8 yr old son, 4 yr old son, and 3 yr old triplet daughters, so we need a liveable place for a family, a place that is affordable, good public schools, not crime-ridden, and some family oriented things to do. We are visiting most of these places in a couple of weeks, as my wife take a road trip to each of these places to check out the cities and the med schools.
So I'm looking forward to hearing some opinions on which city is the best place for us. Of course we wont have a choice in the matter, depending on which schools my wife is accepted to, but if we do have to choose, it'd be nice to pick the best place for us.
I would rank the criteria like this...
1. Affordable (I make about 50k a year)
2. Public school access (schools are good even in middle class areas where I can buy or rent a house for not more than 800-900 a month payment or rent)
3. Crime rate
4. Things to do for families
5. Environment - well-kept up, bonus for hills, trees, lakes, or close to them. Nice older areas and downtown area.
One quick question... sorry, but my brain is not computing too well, and my trusty HP must need a new battery, but,,, am I really counting 6 children?!?! wow - congrats! and,,, sympathies!!!
Ok, w/ that silliness [yet somewhat important to recommendation] out of the way, I would hazard to say that one of the cities that you have in the top 4-5 that you have in your poll would be one of mine. But, would need more info from ya... for example, if the school would be in StL, would this be one near Forest Park, off of Grand? If so, will have to think about where would be good fit, using the good listing of criteria you have. Curious - you mention that you make such a figure,,, but that is now - would you also be making such in any of these cities? Would need to look at cost of living comparisons too... hmmmm... Also, does being close to any other particular region of the country make much difference, or being closer to a larger airport [ie: offering more direct flights]? What about weather, esp. winter weather?
Yes, we have 6 kids. It was supposed to be 4 but we had the triplets last, of course. But I wouldnt trade them for anything.
The school in St Louis is SLU, right where you said it was. From what I know about St Louis, it seems like it would be a long drive to there from an area that is affordable and has good public schools.
I dont know what I will be making in the other cities. My guess is a little more, since I live in an area where pay is low and housing is fairly cheap, and many of those areas are more pricey.
Region and weather arent real important. To me, the cities in the Carolinas have the most ideal climate but the other things are more important.
I've been to Kansas City a few times, and I love the area. Not too far to drive from a decent school district that is affordable to where the med schools are, and KC is an underrated city. Beautiful down around the Plaza area. I've never been to Louisville, but have heard good things about it. Madison too, but its a little more expensive. Dont know much about Indianapolis. Seems like it would be pretty bland, but that is perception. It is cheap there, though. Minneapolis I have heard great things about, but housing is expensive there. I'm sure I'll know more in about a month when I get back from visiting those places.
My vote goes to Winston-Salem. My brother just finished med school (Charleston, SC), and has spent the past several years researching and travelling, to see where he wanted to do his residency.
He visited some of those you mentioned - Wake Forest, Vanderbilt, and Chapel Hill. He was very impressed with Nashville and Vanderbilt, but he's not a big city person. He hated Chapel Hill, for reasons I'm not sure of. Based on what he's told me, Winston-Salem and Wake Forest were the most family-friendly, and were comprised of students who were a little older (30's), and had families. He eventually chose Charlottesville, VA, which I noticed was not on your list, and would also be a good choice.
He didn't consider moving to the midwest, so I can't help you there. Good luck!
Charlottesville is a little bit too small as far as my field of work goes. I have to live in a good sized area. But I've heard great things about Charlottesville nonetheless.
Thanks for your reply. I am going through both Nashville and Winston-Salem, as well as the Chapel Hill area, so I'll see those places for myself.
lol, yea, Indy does have that reputation [I live ~2 hours from there now] - yet, the downtown area is kinda , Broadripple to the north area is happening too. Overall, its not a bad area tho'.
Louisville, IMHO, is underrated - have a couple good buddies living in/near there, and it has quite a bit to offer. Plus w/in one hour can be in the southern IN hills and hollers [which is a plus to me... ].
One thing you might hear regarding StL is crime rate - please, do NOT be mislead. Yes, crime happens there [as it does everywhere] - but, the means that were used to calculate the crime stats for StL only used the city itself, not the metro area. East StL, IL and then north StL, MO are the main areas of concern.
You mentioned "hills, trees, lakes, or close to them" - how close would you like to be? Walking distance, or be able to drive in 1 hour?
All of these four that I've mentioned have quite good areas and happenings for families.
I've not mentioned anything about the other cities, as don't really know that much to recommend in this case. However, would not recommend Nashville - IMHO, it is way too crowded; does have some booming areas [for example Franklin to the south], but all the times I've spent there, Nashville itself didn't do much for me. Your mileage may vary tho'.
With all that said, and esp. considering (a) one income, (b) maybe most likely will bug out of the area after school is completed?, would hazard to guess that Indy, L'ville, or KC would be top choices - based solely on my thoughts and knowledge.
I also vote Louisville! The schools are good, the traffic is easy and the cost of living is low. Plus you have UofL which is making strides in research. Good luck on your decision!
Thanks again ShadowCaver. Hills, trees, etc can be right in the city (bonus pts for that) or within a short drive. Its not a necessity, but more of a bonus. I guess Louisville is a pretty hilly city?
I dont know what will happen once she completes her education. She will have a residency, which could be in the same city or somewhere else. If we like the city, we'd prefer to stay there through residency and possibly even after that. But if not then we'll go somewhere else.
Thanks for your input. In my mind I've had Louisville and KC near the top of the list the entire time. Indy, I will have to check out.
That said, I'm also interested in learning about and seeing places like Columbus, Lexington, Pittsburgh, Nashville, Norfolk area, and the Carolina cities, as well as Madison, Ann Arbor, and Minneapolis, though I'm a little concerned that those last 3 upper midwest cities might be too pricey to live in.
Thanks again ShadowCaver. Hills, trees, etc can be right in the city (bonus pts for that) or within a short drive. Its not a necessity, but more of a bonus. I guess Louisville is a pretty hilly city?
I dont know what will happen once she completes her education. She will have a residency, which could be in the same city or somewhere else. If we like the city, we'd prefer to stay there through residency and possibly even after that. But if not then we'll go somewhere else.
Thanks for your input. In my mind I've had Louisville and KC near the top of the list the entire time. Indy, I will have to check out.
Yes there are planty of hilly areas in Louisville, mostly in SW Jefferson County.
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wow - congrats! 
and,,, sympathies!!! 
, Broadripple to the north area is happening too. Overall, its not a bad area tho'.
