native american family moving where? (for sale, real estate, apartments)

[nybeswordfish]

Hello All!
I want to move from Reno, Nevada to "Somewhere Else, USA."
I am seeking opinions because I don't know if I am searching for a new
town / city for superficial, perceived - through - t.v. sort of reasons, or
for the best for my & my family's health.

IE: I don't know where acid rain is worse...

I have been looking into a few places like;
Austin, Texas ; lively city / events / concerts & activities.
West Virginia : beauty of the mountains and fresh rivers, clean air...
Oregon Coast / Portland / Eugene; for the green, rain, modern & relaxed culture.

I am a 36 year old mother of 2, who has already lived ;
(my first) 20 years in San Jose / Los Gatos.
7 years in Cherokee, N.C. on the Qualla Boundary with my
late husband and his family.(1995 - 2004)
3 years in Lawrence, Kansas for college (at Haskell).
The last 6 years have been in Reno, Nevada in a very nice
neighborhood. My daughter is doing well in elementary school
while my special needs son is preparing for kindergarten.
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So my dilemma is this:
I can no longer live in Reno because of the unemployement and
substandard schooling. This is where I was born, and where my tribe resides, so, I'm not clawing my way out of here.

I am concerned about Indian Country. I want to raise my children
around different cultures, including other tribes. But I don't want to
move to a possibly more suicidal, poverty-stricken , isolated area like
some reservations can be.

But I don't want to erroneously drop my family into
a homogeneous, oblivious town that thought all Indians were extinct.

I am asking forum members to please give your opinion, I am very open
and interested in hearing your thoughts.

Keep in mind: A very little amount of money will
fund our trip and move to chosen city/town and maybe
a 2 bedroom apartment (bigger would be better...)
I am a stay at home mom,
and will be moving with my boyfriend and gay male friend,
so open and modern thinking towns/ minds please & thank you!

[JKFire108]

Hello

I wish you good luck and hope you find a good place to live that meets your criteria. I do not really know myself if I could help you, but know that I really hope you get somewhere that is good. It might not always be possible to live in a reservation or near one if you find there is poverty there, and if you want to send your children to a good school, you might need to move to areas that don't have a lot of Indian population. I'm not saying they aren't areas where there are many Indians and good schools at the same time, but I don't know where they'd be.

If you do end up having moving into a mostly white homogenous community because of employment opportunities or good schools, I would really suggest that you learn your tribe's culture and other tribe's culture and teach it to your children. It would also be good to have you and your children form connections even online talking to friends or family who are Indian so you can keep connected that is important even if you have to move for economic or other reasons.

There was an Indian who I talked to, 13 years old and I asked him what tribe he was from and he said he didn't know nor did he know anything about his culture or religion. That is sad.

Now adays people hate Indians, they even called Osama Bin Laden "Geronimo" and many cheered at "Geronimo's death" when he was killed by the US Navy Seals in Pakistan and I guess you can say the U.S. government and U.S. military still think of them as bad people. Despite such horrific racism, I still think you should still keep your children informed of their heritage and tell them not to let any racists bother them because from what I get from your post you want to stay near a reservation so you can keep your family still intact with your culture and religion. Was I correct in that assessment?

I would also suggest you look up the "Hopi Prophecies" too. They could give you much hope and something to look forward too.

I am sorry I couldn't be of any help in knowing where you relocate. I am sure other helpful members here can show you where it would be a good place. What I could say is that Texas cities are thought of to have a lot of jobs available and a low cost of living if that is what you are looking for. Austin may be a good choice as it is more liberal but I wouldn't suggest venturing out of the city with a gay friend, or if you do please do take care. Some Texans may also be hostile to you being Indian (not all fortunately there are good non-racist and non-homophobic Texans out there too). You may be a stay at home mom but still having a better job climate than most can still be important too for your boyfriend and gay friend you think? Portland, Oregon is also a good place. The cost of living there is not that high, and I think it also has a lot of cultural activities, and I would think they are more accepting of gays for your gay friend. Haven't you also considered Santa Fe? I know there is a lot of Indian culture there, but I do not know of the job climate. I went there and it looked nice to me.

[kyle19125]

Check out Carrboro, North Carolina. It's a positive, diverse, welcoming and educated town next to Chapel Hill (equal vibe) and is part of the somewhat thriving Research Triangle area of the state which includes the larger cities of Raleigh and Durham. The Chapel Hill-Carrboro public school system is excellent and diverse as well. As a gay male I found it welcoming as well and refreshingly more down-to-earth in terms of it's gay community than other cities I've lived in. A two bedroom apartment in a decent community costs less than $600 per month. Good luck!

Carrboro, North Carolina Overview
Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools - CHCCS: Who We are Facts & Figures
Carrboro, North Carolina - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[ckhthankgod]

Check out the Syracuse NY area. LaFayette Schools just south of Syracuse are about 30% Native American. Onondaga Central Schools are about 5% Native American. Both are due to the Onondaga Nation Reservation and the suburb between Syracuse and the Rez, Nedrow is about 10% Native American. We have Native Americans in urban neighborhoods as well and most tend to be Mohawks. You'll find a couple/few Native American students at East Syracuse-Minoa, North Syracuse and Syracuse City schools too. Here's some information about Native American culture/life in the area/region: LaFayette School District

Onondaga Nation - People of the Hills

Home

Oneida Indian Nation

Native American Studies

Enjoy yourself at Turning Stone Resort · Casino (on Oneida Nation land)

Onondaga Central Schools

Welcome to the Iroquois Nationals Web Site

and more. There are other school districts in NY with relatively high Native American student populations like Silver Creek, Akron, Niagara-Wheatfield, Salmon River, Massena, Stockbridge Valley and some in the Eastern part of Long Island. Urban districts like Niagara Falls and Buffalo have their share as well.

[ckhthankgod]

More info. : Central New York Jobs

Rochester NY apartments, Buffalo apartments, Syracuse apartments, Albany NY apartments listings from The Renters Guide

Welcome to CNY Pride

cnyrealtor.com | #1 in Syracuse real estate and homes for sale. Search over 6,000 listings.
CNYHomes - the Syracuse and Central New York Real Estate Source

[Thomas R.]

Rapid City, South Dakota looks to have a low unemployment rate and is around 9% Indigenous American according to City-Data. It might be too small, too cold, or too conservative for you though.

//www.city-data.com/city/Rapid-...th-Dakota.html

Billings, Montana isn't very American Indian, but it's around 4% and looks to be doing good in unemployment. It might be too cold for you though.

//www.city-data.com/city/Billings-Montana.html

The cities of Oklahoma seem to largely be doing okay during the recession. Many of them look to be high in crime, and many of them are not particularly NA, but maybe they'd fit you okay and I think they're cheaper than much of the Northeast or California.

Difficulties with the ones I named would be the gay friend, as they're all fairly conservative, oops! Well New Mexico I think has also done okay during the recession, has a good deal of native peoples (though culturally possibly a great deal different than your people), and is more liberal/liberal-tolerant than much of the Southwest.

On unemployment I'm going by this.

Unemployment Rates for Metropolitan Areas

[citylove101]

I think what will make your decision difficult is not finding somewhwere with jobs, and Indian community, or reasonable housing--you've seen many suggesttions for that in earlier posts. But finding someplace with all of those PLUS a strong special ed program for your youngest kid will really be challenging. With budget cuts almost everywhere special ed programs, which are expensive to run, are frequently in for big cutbacks. And navigating the special ed system can be incredibly difficult and time-consuming, as districts tend not to want to pay what it costs to educate a particular child.

You don't say what your child's special needs are. Autism? Cerebral palsy? Mental Retetardation? Aspergers? Blindness? Exceptionally gifted? But I'd be sure to make his/her education a priority in your search for new digs. Bad education is bad enouygh, but bad special education, especially at the start of schooling, can screw up a kid for a long time and that's something you don't want. Good luck.

[ckhthankgod]

For possible autism or special needs info., you could check here: Jowonio School

Jowonio School

[jeffredo]

Twin Cities of Minnesota. Its more diverse than you think and there is a strong Native American presence there. There are great (and varied) educational opportunities for your children too. Plus its progressive socially for your gay friend (very big LGBT community).

[ckhthankgod]

Seattle and Madison WI might work too.