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I am originally from NYC and have been living in Florida for the past 8 years. I am looking to relocate back up North to be closer to my family but I am not sure where.
My two top priorities are:
a good public school system- I have a son with adhd/spd and he needs a lot of interventions at school. I have been fighting tooth and nail to get him the help he needs here in FL and it has become very frustrating and stressful for both of us.
Affordable rent (no more than $900 for a 3br)
My other wants are:
I would prefer some place that is no more than a 3-5 hour drive to NYC.
Mental Health Services for kids (my son currently has a psychiatrist, therapist, Occupational Therapist and case manager)
Local or community college (I am currently enrolled in a state college in FL and I would like to continue after I move)
easy to get to grocery store/walmart (i do not want to have to drive 30-45mins to get to a store)
easy to get to hospital (same as above)
A Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu school or at least a good MMA school (my kids have been in a bjj/judo school for the past 2 years and I would love for them to continue but this is last on my list of priorities)
Hmmm tough question you pose. Ohio is synonymous for boxing, and MMA. MMA practically has a cult following there. It is one of the founding fathers of MMA in the nation. There are also lots of martial arts schools in Ohio and very competitive collegiate wrestling in the state. Granted its about 8 hours to NYC. Cost of living is very reasonable with a TON of choices.
Allentown-Bethlehem, PA seem to be your best bet. I don't know about some of the specifics, but you can find stuff in your price range and you'd be about 2 hours from NYC.
In terms of family friendly, proximity to NYC, access to quality schools and other criteria like safety and quality public transit I'd recommend southern New Jersey which is an easy drive via I-95 or the Garden State Parkway up to NYC. The really great thing about New Jersey for you would be the school choice option which goes as follows:
"In New Jersey districts have the option of allowing students to transfer to schools in a neighboring district (called interdistrict choice). The state has also initiated a five-year pilot program to voluntarily establish 21 choice districts, with one per county. Students within a 20-mile radius of a choice district can apply to attend its schools. Children can also attend charter schools. Low-income students are eligible for scholarship funding to attend private schools. Under the federal No Child Left Behind law, students attending a Title I school designated as “in need of improvement” have the right to attend a higher performing school in the district."
Rentals in your price range are tight, but they are out there. I forwarded you a couple via Direct Mail.
It helps to narrow it down to certain areas. I don't know anything about any other areas except where I grew up in nyc and the places I lived it Florida so when I look at the map it is hard for me to say oh here is the place for me..lol
Pretty much Upstate NY or Eastern PA metro areas. Metros like Scranton-Wilkes Barre, Reading, Harrisburg and the already mentioned Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton in PA, along with the Syracuse, Albany, Utica-Rome and Binghamton areas in NY would work.
In the Syracuse area, I'd say that areas like Liverpool, DeWitt and DeWitt would work. They all have good schools, with pretty good special education programs and have apartments in your price range. North Syracuse would probably work too.
You can always looked into Connecticut since we have the Metro north that go there
Also, there are many great schools around there... should visit the Connecticut section (on here) to ask any question most will give you ideas what you might be looking for.
Shopping wise, you shouldn't have a problem finding Walmart, Target and the Big Box stores in the Suburbs. In the city, you will have a challenge, but with your budget that would put you outside Boston where that would not be an issue.
Finally for Community College's here is the MA site: Massachusetts Community Colleges
I would imagine that the state considered one of the leaders for higher education would have strong options for CC as well.
Also something else to keep in mind. Massachusetts was the first state in the country to pass a Universal Healthcare Law, which has resulted in 100% of children and 98.7% of adults currently holding Health Insurance. With your Son's special needs and your single parent status, that would more than likely qualify you for a subsidized (possibly fully) State Administered Health Plan that would grant you access to all the great facilities available to anyone with Insurance near Boston.
So while your rental budget would possibly have to be raised by a couple hundred a month (You could possibly find a 3 Bed for $1000-$1200) you would recoup much of your Health costs you may incur elsewhere.
Good luck with your move.
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