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I'm a school librarian looking, but jobs in my area are competitive and I am ready to move my famil in a year or two for the right position in the right place. I have been working on a list and am looking to get some ideas.
What we need:
Teaching jobs (especially need areas with strong support for school libraries)
Decent sized university or colleges near by
Cultural items like opera, musicals, and good restaurants. We enjoy ballroom dancing.
An airport with more than one or two airlines so I can fly southwest and stuff about an hour away
Decent schools-- I don't need anything super amazing but we do need good support for students with special needs-- my son has autism and I think he is headed for an intellectual disability dx-- and I like multiple extracurriculars and AP classes too.
Affordable housing. Right now we have a house that is 4 bed 2 bath on over 1/4 of an acre on a small lake and we fenced in the yard. I need to be able to do all that and renovate to add my dream kitchen for 500 thousand or less. And I don't want to have to drive more than 30 to 45 minutes out of a city to live there.
I also really hate hot, humid summers. No where in the south. I am thinking of the dessert as the dry heat is much more tolerable but I would want a huge yard then so I can have a pool. I prefer most days to be above freezing. And I actually like rain. Yes the PAcific Northwest is at the top of my list. We live in Illinois now, which is ok, except it is not a great state in terms of disability services.
My list at the moment:
Naperville, IL area (we have family there)
Portland, OR
Salem, OR
Tacoma,WA
Indianapolis, IN
Omaha, NE
Cleveland, OH
Detroid, MI???
Las Vegas, NV
Tacoma is a good idea. It's not expensive, has an urban core, has a mild climate, and has access to Seattle via frequent express bus as well as trains. Sea-Tac Airport is at the mid-point.
You can see what the bigger Upstate NY areas, as well as other OH areas have to offer in terms of potential positions. I know that the NY areas offer the other things you are looking for, but you would have look into job openings.
Also, would you be open to working at a college/university or is that out of the question?
I don't have the sort of qualifications for a college-- I only have one master's degree and my background is much more focused on student engagement than research. Middle school is actually what I am looking for-- I love them at that crazy age I did look into Buffalo a bit, but I admit the snow, and distance, make me hesitant.
I don't have the sort of qualifications for a college-- I only have one master's degree and my background is much more focused on student engagement than research. Middle school is actually what I am looking for-- I love them at that crazy age I did look into Buffalo a bit, but I admit the snow, and distance, make me hesitant.
When you say distance, in comparison to what? I only ask because Las Vegas and Tacoma are much further away from Illinois than Buffalo or other Upstate NY or OH cities. What about Columbus OH?
I'm a school librarian looking, but jobs in my area are competitive and I am ready to move my famil in a year or two for the right position in the right place. I have been working on a list and am looking to get some ideas.
What we need:
Teaching jobs (especially need areas with strong support for school libraries)
Decent sized university or colleges near by
Cultural items like opera, musicals, and good restaurants. We enjoy ballroom dancing.
An airport with more than one or two airlines so I can fly southwest and stuff about an hour away
Decent schools-- I don't need anything super amazing but we do need good support for students with special needs-- my son has autism and I think he is headed for an intellectual disability dx-- and I like multiple extracurriculars and AP classes too.
Affordable housing. Right now we have a house that is 4 bed 2 bath on over 1/4 of an acre on a small lake and we fenced in the yard. I need to be able to do all that and renovate to add my dream kitchen for 500 thousand or less. And I don't want to have to drive more than 30 to 45 minutes out of a city to live there.
I also really hate hot, humid summers. No where in the south. I am thinking of the dessert as the dry heat is much more tolerable but I would want a huge yard then so I can have a pool. I prefer most days to be above freezing. And I actually like rain. Yes the PAcific Northwest is at the top of my list. We live in Illinois now, which is ok, except it is not a great state in terms of disability services.
My list at the moment:
Naperville, IL area (we have family there)
Portland, OR
Salem, OR
Tacoma,WA
Indianapolis, IN
Omaha, NE
Cleveland, OH
Detroid, MI???
Las Vegas, NV
Thoughts?
Louisville! Very few cities with such a low cost of living offer such high teacher salaries as JCPS.
Louisville has probably the best 4 seasonal climate on this list and is much cooler than almost every city listed IMO. Close to home. Not really that much "hotter" than Illinois, at least the southern part. A much more interesting city than Indianapolis.
Louisville! Very few cities with such a low cost of living offer such high teacher salaries as JCPS.
Louisville has probably the best 4 seasonal climate on this list and is much cooler than almost every city listed IMO. Close to home. Not really that much "hotter" than Illinois, at least the southern part. A much more interesting city than Indianapolis.
Oregon is a longshot. We are still working our way back from lots of school cutbacks. My kids are lucky to have even part-time school librarians. I don't see education funding improving much any time soon.
I'm a school librarian looking, but jobs in my area are competitive and I am ready to move my famil in a year or two for the right position in the right place. I have been working on a list and am looking to get some ideas.
What we need:
Teaching jobs (especially need areas with strong support for school libraries)
Decent sized university or colleges near by
Cultural items like opera, musicals, and good restaurants. We enjoy ballroom dancing.
An airport with more than one or two airlines so I can fly southwest and stuff about an hour away
Decent schools-- I don't need anything super amazing but we do need good support for students with special needs-- my son has autism and I think he is headed for an intellectual disability dx-- and I like multiple extracurriculars and AP classes too.
Affordable housing. Right now we have a house that is 4 bed 2 bath on over 1/4 of an acre on a small lake and we fenced in the yard. I need to be able to do all that and renovate to add my dream kitchen for 500 thousand or less. And I don't want to have to drive more than 30 to 45 minutes out of a city to live there.
I also really hate hot, humid summers. No where in the south. I am thinking of the dessert as the dry heat is much more tolerable but I would want a huge yard then so I can have a pool. I prefer most days to be above freezing. And I actually like rain. Yes the PAcific Northwest is at the top of my list. We live in Illinois now, which is ok, except it is not a great state in terms of disability services.
My list at the moment:
Naperville, IL area (we have family there)
Portland, OR
Salem, OR
Tacoma,WA
Indianapolis, IN
Omaha, NE
Cleveland, OH
Detroid, MI???
Las Vegas, NV
Thoughts?
Can't say much about the west coast cities but from the others. You have family in Naperville which is a very nice suburb of Chicago. That would probably be your best choice. One, you are close to family and it lends to your support system esp being in a new area. That is very important when you have kids. Naperville is part of a very large area. The area with the most amenities in the midwest. You don't have to actually live/work in naperville. There are plenty of suburbs in and around or within an hour or so to choose from with decent schools. Considering Greater Chicago which is actually 3 states, the far end is up by Kenosha, WI which is an hour and a half from Naperville (family) or you can choose the Indiana side (most regionites would recomment Munster, Crown Point or Schererville) with good schools, family oriented and 50 minutes from Naperville (family). You can also just stay in IL in one of the many Illinois suburbs. The WI and IN options will be cheaper and you will pay less taxes than IL but all will offer everything you need. I will admit Indiana not really known for special needs but someone in that situation will have to chime in who has experience.
Indianapolis, well it's a family oriented city with great housing prices and like the rest of the state 1% capped property tax for sfdu's. Plenty of suburban school districts to choose from or if you were lucky get into one of the IPS Magnets if living in the city. The townships schools aren't all that bad either. Indianapolis Central Library is a gem and the kids would love it. Entire 2nd floor just for kids/teens with plenty of programs year round. One of the best libraries you are going to find and not just by midwest standards unlike say vegas' main library which basically looked and felt like Marion County Jail it was so depressing when we visited.
Detroit, a lot of people knock detroit BUT its suburbs are fantastic. Great schools, great amenities and if you headed just a tad bit west, you could/would be in Ann Arbor and U of M is no joke and Ann Arbor is just a great place to visit and live. Detroit, like Chicago, traffic can be a beast to deal with.
Cleveland, you rarely hear about the Cleveland burbs. They really are not like Naperville or Carmel where a lot of midwesterners anyway will know exactly what you are talking about but places like Solon or Shaker Heights you probably would like. A Clevelander can help you out there with more info as Cuyahoga county is a large county with plenty of places.
Indy all the way. It's the most important city in a 200 mile radius, and one of the few cities in that region that is growing at a healthy clip. It has a decent sized airport and lots to do for families. It's also a less "rusty" rustbelt city with lots of white collar jobs.
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I did look into Buffalo a bit, but I admit the snow, and distance, make me hesitant.
