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I read this recently in the CS Monitor. I am looking for a total change for our family. We have always lived in the Northeast but cannot make it here. Huntsville keeps cropping up lately.
Okay, you have tornadoes and a lot of rain. The crime rate looks kind of high and not everyone is 99.9% white like here in Vermont (kind of sick of it actually).
My own reservation are the schools...how bad are they in Huntsville? My son has special ed. issues (not severe, he just needs resource room type help).
Also, are there REALLY jobs or is this another gold rush story?
Also, are there REALLY jobs or is this another gold rush story?
Thanks!
It depends on your individual situation. If you're currently living in a trailer park in Vermont (as example), I'd say our trailer parks are much better. Our weather is much warmer, so it takes less to heat a trailer. We have more variety of wild life, so it is easier to just go outside of trailer and bag yourself a couple of rabbits, possums, etc. By the way, I have a great possum receipt if you're interested.
We also have a big river so we can fish & swim in them. No you don't need no fancy house boats around here. We simply put our trailer on a barge and we catch all-u-can-eat catfish. Our dogs have turned japanese, they love fresh sushi.
But just a warning, the "south" is a bible belt. So they are pretty hypocritical on fine establishments like stripper clubs. This limits our source of income quite a bit. Both my wife and daughter have to do double-shift just to make ends meet. I've switched to generic beer since to cut back on my expenses as well. Hey, I am a responsible guy and need to contribute to family's budget as well.
So let me know of your specific situation, so I can be more helpful to address your questions.
My own reservation are the schools...how bad are they in Huntsville? My son has special ed. issues (not severe, he just needs resource room type help).
Also, are there REALLY jobs or is this another gold rush story?
Thanks!
The most dangerous thing about tornadoes is driving to the store to buy supplies for a potential tornado. You might get killed in a car crash.
Some schools are bad; some are good. It's easy to find out where the good ones are using online tools such as GreatSchools - Public and Private School Ratings, Reviews and Parent Community. That's what I did. I identified the good schools then I found homes that are zoned to those schools. There is a remarkable real estate tool called ValleyMLS.com which actually allows you to find homes based on schools. There are drop down boxes for elementary, middle, and high schools.
There is no traffic so finding a home close to your job is not really that important. If you get too far out, you might miss city amenities. I live in the city limits of Huntsville. My kids attend Huntsville City Schools. There are also Madison City and Madison County schools. I'll let you do that research.
Yes, there really are jobs here in Huntsville. Real, high paying good benefit jobs. Most are engineering, technical, scientific jobs related to aerospace and defense. I feel confident that if I got layed off tomorrow, I'd find another job fairly quickly. A few months ago, there were some layoffs as one program sort of downsized. Every person I know that got layed off found something immediately. There are lots of "Plan B"s here in Huntsville.
Anyhow, we'd like to rent a place a year and eventually own a house. This seems impossible in the northeast.
I am not into living in a rural place (originally from NY and this is too rural). Just looking for a decent place to raise my son and dog where the people have morals and are friendly.
The bible belt thing, well, to each his own.
Specifically I am concerned that the schools can meet my son's challenges and that there are jobs and acceptance of "Yankees." lol.
I don't mean to sound deprecating of the South if you get this impression. I like the Southern politeness of "yes ma'am, no sir.."
PS Charles, today my husband left me the CS article with a big sticky "CHECK IT OUT."
Just sick of the northeast cold and cost of living. Yes, I hate the heat but if utilities are cheap, I will just have the a/c on a lot. (I see you guys get SNOW there!)
Anyhow, we'd like to rent a place a year and eventually own a house. This seems impossible in the northeast.
I am not into living in a rural place (originally from NY and this is too rural). Just looking for a decent place to raise my son and dog where the people have morals and are friendly.
The bible belt thing, well, to each his own.
Specifically I am concerned that the schools can meet my son's challenges and that there are jobs and acceptance of "Yankees." lol.
I don't mean to sound deprecating of the South if you get this impression. I like the Southern politeness of "yes ma'am, no sir.."
PS Charles, today my husband left me the CS article with a big sticky "CHECK IT OUT."
Just sick of the northeast cold and cost of living. Yes, I hate the heat but if utilities are cheap, I will just have the a/c on a lot. (I see you guys get SNOW there!)
Huntsville is a melting pot. There are plenty of east coasters, midwesterners, Californians, Virginians. A lot of people came here for jobs. There are a lot of ex military people here working on some of the defense programs. They are from everywhere. Most people are white, some are black, and not much else - sort of a lack of restaurant diversity for example. There are some Chinese restaurants, Mexican, Greek, Indian, Sushi, Thai, a few others but it's not like the east or west coast. Lots of BBQ. Lots of generic chain restaurants.
Electricity is cheap like seven or eight cents per kwhr.
You asked specifically about raising a family. We have four girls 10, 8, 6, and 2 and we are really happy with the city, the amenities, the sports leaugues, and the school clubs. My kids compete in Lego Robotics. Last year Hampton Cove Elementary had the number 1 and 2 robotics teams in Alabama. They're also in the math club, French club, and technology club.
I see your main concern is the schools (special needs), and didn't say much about your field of work. I'd say take a look at Madison City Schools because they are all "good", and even if they rezone soon (the new HS is due 2011), you don't get shuffled into a "bad" school. Alabama is still under the desegregation order >> you attend the school based on where you live - you can't schlep across town from a safe, cheaper, but bad schools area to your school of choice (where usually the property values are higher due to the very fact the schools are better).
I'd suggest contacting the schools and ask exactly what you need for your kid. Keep in mind education state budgets change (7.5% down this year).
I think you need to convince yourself. If you don't think you will be happy here, you won't. If you think you will be happy here, you will be. It is like every place else, what you make of it.
We personally love it here. It is a great place for my kids to play and learn, we never tire of the mountains, we have more disposable income than in other areas of the country(salary vs cost of living is great for engineers), but it is not NYC. I doubt it ever will be even NYC-like. It would be like Buffalo with less snow. I like the slower pace, the shorter drives, and anything I am missing I can be hooked up to via the internet in no time. But to each their own.
As for the schools, what is your issue. There is a complete difference of opinion between me and long time residents. I believe the special ed could be improved, others think it is just fine, but I also believe that ALL public school special ed could be greatly improved, so my perspective is different.
My son has cerebral palsy with hypertonia and has never stayed in a public program(we tried it for 6 weeks in addition to private therapy), I don't believe he is served well there. I seek private help and he is in a mainstream classroom. It has worked well for us. I personally feel that the point of the public system is to keep the kids just dependent enough to keep the $$ flowing for the district/program, if they leave and become self sufficient, how will they be paid? To me that is the key factor in determining the worth of a therapy/special education department, how many leave to become mainstream students? I can tell you without a doubt that my son would have been wheelchair bound with the public special ed(Early Intervention). So we paid through the nose, mortgaged our lives and now he walks and talks and does all of the things that we were told he would never do. He gets high grades in his kindergarten program and his teacher says he is very smart and gifted(kids with CP tend to have high IQ's if the cognitive function wasn't effected by the damage, it is a compensation mechanism that isn't quite fair considering the typical physical limitations).
Others will debate me stating that the kids are happy, the kids know things they didn't before the program, but I will never settle for happy or tying shoe, different strokes for different folks once again. I want REAL results, with real diplomas, not certificates, I want my son to be able to be anything he wants to be, not to be limited with the choices that were forced upon him by a school district that is more interested in making money than serving a child's needs.
P.S. On a side note, my mother-in-law is a Special Ed teacher and often had issues with her public district for sending kids back to mainstream. She would teach them to read, be self sufficient, responsible for their actions and back to "normal" classes, the district did not approve and she eventually quit over it. Very sad when our education system is more concerned with funding than the students.
I am not looking for a NYC place, believe me. Somewhere in between rural and city life is fine--where you don't drive 10 miles to a supermarket. For the last 2.5 years we've lived in Vermont. The weather is pretty cold (though this winter is mild in comparison). Life is not fun here. My husband works nights and we don't have a lot to do in this area once you've exhausted the hiking and parks.
In addition, I have been unemployed for a very long time. I am actually a certified teacher but have a lot of business (office experience). I might try to get work in a school if I moved down there or perhaps an office job. I have a Masters in Education and BA (in English). I also like the idea of teaching ESL and may pursue that in the future.
The requirements are safe and nurturing schools, yes. Our son has mild Asperger Syndrome and some difficulties with math and writing. Otherwise he is really bright and wants to pursue a career in either science or have a nature center!
Our family is happy if we have a park to play in, a place to walk the dog, and 2 jobs, and a good library. If we could eventually own a house again (we have rented for years) it would be a dream come true.
Unfortunately Vermont has not panned out for us. We're starting to realize the North East is pretty dead and that if we move to our next choice, Massachusetts we are just settling because it's not a big move.
Yes, it's important to have a job then move but I am just sending out feelers with this thread.
It would be an enormous move for us but also moved to the UK once so it's not the biggest.
Tornadoes and rain - tornadoes are part of life (and death) - we get them several times a year; AL is one of the wettest states - HSV gets as much rain as Haiti.
"crime rate looks kind of high and not everyone is 99.9% white" - crime is fairly localized to minority areas; HSV is about 65% white, Madison City and Madison County are about 80% white.
schools with special ed - some schools are good, many are bad, depending on your neighborhood (or color - because of the deseg order - minorities can transfer to a better school). I can't speak to special ed.
"are there REALLY jobs or is this another gold rush story" - IMO gold rush - unless you are a scientist or engineer.
"Just looking for a decent place to raise my son and dog where the people have morals and are friendly."
HSV is suburban / exurban (yards and large lots and minifarms). Public transportation is limited (almost non-existent). HSV has some very nice parks. Church is an important part of life for most people.
GypsySoul22 - keep in mind that this is a very conservative area - if you like Sen. Bernie Sanders there is a good chance you will not like it here...
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