Lost, Confused, and Atheist in US; Where to raise our kids?! (fit in, high crime)

[KYLE1]

If I'm not mistaken, Greenwich, CT is the richest town in the United States.

I've been there once and Greenwich is beautiful. I would much rather live there than any of the towns you've mentioned. It's also a suburb of New York City which is a huge advantage.

[Rodney12]

Race and religion will always be an issue. One is important and the other is a belief. You'll find racists and religionists all across the U.S., they're everywhere in this country.

[STLCardsBlues1989]

Just because a person is religious doesn't mean that they're always judgemental or less tolerant.

[CMDallas]

Libertarian huh?
Well I was going to say Seattle, but Dallas would work too.
Since you're Asian no one will expect you to be Christian, and the Number of Half Asian half white kids here is good.
I'm Bi-Racial. Half Asian and Half Hispanic, and I'm ok.
I am also agnostic/Atheist...Sort of trying to find myself...Sometimes I'm not..
You share many of the same view I do, except the prostitution and the legalization of drugs.
ure...The summers here can be brutal... usually always in the 80s or 90s.
It fits all your criteria here...
Seattle might be ideal too.
anyways...
San Jose- if you're willing to pay....this is the Bay Area... One of the most liberal places in the US...if not THE MOST. Libertarians tend to get along with conservatives better. The Liberals here may look down on you, SoCal is mostly conservative btw...for those who didn't know...basically all of it is except Los Angeles county...
Hawaii- the Prices are outrageous, you get paid peanuts...the medical industry there is under a monopoly I hear...as well as insurance...
Greenwich- COLD...but otherwise not a bad choice

I would go with Cary from that list...although I would really consider Houston, DFW, Seattle, Denver, Austin, Atlanta, San Antonio, and Nashville.

[kidyankee784]

Originally Posted by skytrekker

So is Italy, France & Spain heavily Catholic-but nobody really goes to church all that much or listens to the Pope!

The same holds true for New England- which is almost a mirror image of western Europe socially and religiously.
We also have large protestant minorities here-mostly New England Congregationalist-very liberal- and a sizable Jewish minority in the larger metro areas.

Also Coastal Connecticut experiences light snowfall- averaging about 20-25" a year.

Agreed.

Many people in CT have faith, but there is a limited number of people who actually go to church. People really don't care what religion you are here (or if you're even religious at all); all they care about is character. That says a lot about an area, IMO. It's hard to find that kind of class nowadays.

[kidyankee784]

Originally Posted by CMDallas

Greenwich- COLD...but otherwise not a bad choice

I wouldn't call Greenwich "cold." It has among the mildest winters in New England (about 2 months of chilly to cold temperatures) then it's back to Spring, then Summer, etc. The four seasons are great.

That being said, Greenwich is WAY out of the OP's price range. Starter homes hover around a million. There are nicer towns in CT with similar, excellent schools but without the huge price tag of Greenwich.

[skytrekker]

Greenwich indeed is the stereotypic town that outsiders think of Connecticut-rich, elitist, aloof, detached. It is in fact one of the best places to live anywhere on the Planet, the quality of life is unsurpassed, as are the services available, and the closeness to NYC , leaves every thing that New York offers 40 minutes away. But is is very expensive- however prices are equal to Marin County California, Washington DC's upper case places , Beverly Hills, Long Island, Boston & Chicago enclaves of similar persona.

Coastal CT will be colder then Phoenix, Miami and Los Angeles- but very moderate compared to the Midwest, great plains and other areas. Winters are mild and last 2-3 months. Plus the summers are not so hot that you wilt from heat stroke.

[SugarHazard]

Originally Posted by Verseau

Have you considered New Hampshire at all? Libertarianism is very strong here (you may have heard of the Free State Project). It is also overall the safest state in the country at the moment. Nobody here will force their religious beliefs on you, and I have never heard of any racism issues. The state is largely white, but Asians make up the largest minority group. We also have a great education system (varies from town to town, of course).

Thanks for that suggestion! I actually didn't know about the Free State Project until you mentioned it. It sounds like a very cute idea! I didn't realize that Libertarianism is very strong anywhere -laugh-. That is so great if that's the case. Now how do they feel about Atheists? This one will definitely go on the list!

[SugarHazard]

Originally Posted by laysayfair

Darn, I'm sorry you're moving out of California. By the time I got to #3 I wanted you to come live next door to me. By the time I got to #5 (Objectivist) I wanted you to MOVE IN with me! How did 2 objectivist meet each other?
Are you sure you don't want to live in the Westlake-Thousand Oaks area? Please...Pretty Please...?

LOL! Very funny and charming response. Now to answer your question; how did two Objectivists meet each other? Of course at the Annual Objectivist Costume Ball, silly. That's where once a year Objectivists of both gender get together and the women dress up as Ayn Rand and the men dress up as Nathanial Brandon. hehehe.

Seriously though, we not surprisingly met online back in the 1995 pre-internet days on something known as a BBS (Bulletin Board System) where you can only access it via dial-up modem if you know the phone number and all it is really is a text-based forum/chat room set-up. If not for wanting to break in the modem I got with my new computer and trying to dial up the number I found in a newspaper article as a lark, I would never have met him. PS, he said he noticed me when I was the only girl in a short, red dress and high heels at a modemer party where everyone else, boy and girl alike were dressed in black and "goth" (white make-up, fangs, black capes, etc.). In my defense, I was told that it was a birthday party and wore a party dress. Little did I know it would just be full of vampire-wanna be outcasts smoking pot, drinking whatever was in Daddy's liquor cabinet that they could put in a blender with ice, and gathering around the television watching X Files. Yeah, I kinda stuck out like a sore thumb.. just alittle bit. I asked him if he wanted to bail and he took me to a new coffee shop place called Starbucks. Yes, Starbucks didn't use to be on every corner! I took one look at his grown-out mohawk hair and black sweat shirt and thought that he must be one of the most saddest looking person I have ever seen and decided to be his friend knowing that I would be able to make him happy. Yeah, I don't usually go around thinking things like that about people but what can I say.. let's call it Pity Love-at-First-Sight -giggle-. So after some online chatting and dates at Denny's (because we were poor teenagers), we realized we had the same values, politics, religious beliefs, etc. He introduced me to Ayn Rand's Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged and the rest is history. 13 years later, 2 babies and no place to go after we leave SoCal so here we are.

Westlake/Thousand Oaks is gorgeous. I almost bought a home in TO last year. Unfortunately, it is super far away from the jobs in LA (distance-wise no but time-wise, yikes! that 101 fwy is a killer!) and we want to get outta Cali in 2 yrs. Would love to chat with a fellow Libertarian Objectivist since there aren't that many who are not lunatic Ayn Rand fanatics -laugh-. PM me and we'll talk!

[SugarHazard]

Originally Posted by amymcc

We moved a year ago from San Diego to Raleigh ( Cary ) and wow....what a life change. I was surprised at how much I miss the liberal attitudes in SoCal...people here in Cary are mostly white with a huge religious presence ( Baptist or Christian ). Where it would be very politically incorrect in Cali, here I find brochures AT WORK ( a hospital ) with bible camps and crap laying around. People often asked us what church we belong to when we said we just moved here. Plus, as I've said before, as vegetarians who study Wicca, we are viewed as freaks. They always joke about waiting til my daughter gets to school and wants McDonald's or pork rinds ( my daughter's being raised vegetarian). Most disturbing is how openly people remark of how 'disgusting' gay marriage or couples are. What?? What decade are we in? I so wanted my daughter to be surrounded by different things than that! Plus the weather is considered mild, but coming from SD....nope. You need a winter coat, some days are freezing. Then of course the summer is hot and buggy.
Two positive notes...the people are VERY friendly here. They stop their cars for you to cross or merge into traffic, they hold the door for you, and always stop to say hello to my daughter or look at my new baby.
Plus there's Carborro. A town closer to Chapel Hill that is the closest thing we've found to SoCal. It's hippie looking and I fell in love the first time we visited and I saw kids running around with Soy milk boxes and the smell of patchoulli, gathering around a black guy in dreds playing a drum.
Obviously the whole point of these forums is not to insult an area, but truly give your opinion so others can get a feel for a city. So please don't take it as an insult. I simply feel that it did not turn out to be a good fit for us.

Wow! Thanks so much for sharing your story! For the longest time, NC was our top choice until we heard terrible things bout the WCSD and how religious they are there. Your experience definitely helps me rule out NC. Unfortunately, it's the only place that we have thought about seriously that has affordable (comparatively) real estate. I so dream of a nice house with a big yard for my kids.

Austin probably won't work because his family member who moved there lost everything. And we do not want that to happen to us too.

CT is a very close contender since it has everything from all your helpful posts but the weather factor and housing affordability. We seriously do not know how that will impact us since we have lead pretty boring lives weather-wise here in SoCal. Weather here isn't something anyone thinks about unless it's either raining (we run and hide) or when it's over 100 degrees outside (we just crank up the ac). We will definitely plan a trip during winter (the only way to find out) and try commuting into NY while there. Now that you guys have helped by suggesting it and telling us more about it. Thanks so much!

Regarding Seattle.. likewise about the weather. Is it really always raining there or is that a myth and it's only overcast? I have always loved that light. It's the perfect reading light. And IT industry is good there. Microsoft headquarters. Gotta check that out as well. We will plan a visit.

Colorado I will do more research on as well as New Hampshire and Vermont. Since I was a little kid, I've always dreamed of one day retiring to Vermont. My husband says it's because I've watched the Goonies one too many times. hehe. It looks beautiful though with or without pirate ships and sunken treasure. Besides, being close to Maine will have its perks since I will get to gorge on and die a satisfying lobster death. I also wouldn't mind bumping into Martha Stewart in CT. She's awesome. Maybe she will give me a good lobster bisque recipe.


P.S. If anyone has got more suggestions, please do tell! Once the time comes or we've made up our minds we will update all you lovely folks on our situation. Thank you for all your advice!