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I know that family friendly and cheap is the dream of many parents out there but does it exist without including a boring vibe?
My wife and I have lived in many spots and loved them all but now that we are parents we have found that our old haunts are either 1. too expensive with a family or 2. inexpensive but not of the family quality we are looking for.
In other words we have found family friendly but not cheap and we have found cheap but not family friendly.
We have also found dozens of family friendly and cheap spots that would work - but they are lacking any real vibrancy.
I don't want to get into where we have looked specifically because I don't want to get bashed for not properly appreciating someone's hometown.
Do family friendly and cheap co-exist with vibrant and exciting anywhere in the U.S. or is this only a fantasy??
I'm just curious as to what constitutes 'vibrant and exciting' in a family friendly way. I usually associate those terms with people looking for more adult type activities, plays, concerts, restaurants or clubs, etc.
I know that family friendly and cheap is the dream of many parents out there but does it exist without including a boring vibe?
My wife and I have lived in many spots and loved them all but now that we are parents we have found that our old haunts are either 1. too expensive with a family or 2. inexpensive but not of the family quality we are looking for.
In other words we have found family friendly but not cheap and we have found cheap but not family friendly.
We have also found dozens of family friendly and cheap spots that would work - but they are lacking any real vibrancy.
I don't want to get into where we have looked specifically because I don't want to get bashed for not properly appreciating someone's hometown.
Do family friendly and cheap co-exist with vibrant and exciting anywhere in the U.S. or is this only a fantasy??
The general rule is the more vibrant a place is, the more expensive its going to be. In addition, vibrancy can be the antithesis of family friendliness (see Denver, Portland, or Seattle). I think your best bet is to find somewhere that has a balance. The first place that jumps to mind for me is Charlotte NC. It's not the most vibrant or exciting place, but its also not the most boring. Likewise, it's not the cheapest place but its still affordable. It is a very family friendly place, but still has things to do. I think the city has a good balance and is a place you should look into.
The county i live in (Santa Cruz county) is very family friendly and very vibrant both culturally and environmentally.
Some of the towns in the county are absolutely ideal for a family.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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I have lived in several family friendly places, but none were cheap. All of the cheap places I have seen were much less than friendly to families. Besides the proximity to good jobs, home prices go up when family friendly, that is, good schools, low crime, large homes with yards, nice parks.
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