Yesterday on The Bright Side Project we featured photographer Rachel Ballard and her carnival series.� As I stared at her images and later wrote the post, I couldn’t help but feel like I was missing something.� Aside from my Catholic elementary school fundraiser event, I’ve never been to a carnival.� Not the old fashioned ones, the ones with candy colored concession stands and tilt-a-whirls with cute pastel pennants flying over head.� The images had a certain charm that you don’t see in my part of southern California.� Maybe we’re too jaded for pastels.
Aside from switching continents my first year of life, I’ve spent 99.9% of my entire life in California–most of that time inside the same county!� I’ve always been one in favor of tradition and staying close to home, but lately I wonder what I’ve been missing.� Thanks to blog land, I’ve discovered there are a million and one other places to live that are as wonderful as California and {gasp} might be a whole lot better.
It’s not that we don’t love California.� We do.� But there are other places to love, too.� And I want to know about them.� So, would you mind chit-chatting with me for a while?� I want to know about some of the great places where people live, and what makes them great.� Or, even better–where would you live in the United States if you had a young family to raise?
I grew up in Hunterdon County, New Jersey.
It made #7 on Forbes Best Places To Raise a Family, and #4 on the Wealthiest Counties In the US last year. Go figure.
Anywho, it’s a small-town tucked into a rural county. Lots of farms and parks and nature. A county fair :-) Day trip distance to Philly, NYC, the beach. You can overnight to DC. Great schools. Very wealthy. Very white. And since I left, very gentrified, with expanding subdivisions outside of town.
I’m not old enough to objectify my childhood as idyllic or otherwise, but I walked to school alone, traipsed through my neighbor’s yards to play in the creek every day each summer, and have plenty of fond memories of my time there.
I don’t know, but I don’t think it’s Rockland County New York! I think anywhere that has good schools, a great sense of community, some culture and residential neighborhoods where you can let your kids play in the street is ideal…
north central Kansas! :)
Skies that go for miles and stars that light the night sky. All four seasons and sometimes random seasons (like a tornado warning in December) mixed in. And most importantly, people who you pass on country roads that wave, to anyone. Car break down? Walk to the neighbors, door will be unlocked, use their phone and leave a note of thanks. :)
Mikaela–you’re lying. Or joking, right? People leave their houses unlocked and YOU CAN JUST WALK IN?! I can’t even imagine. Put it this way: the other day I was driving in the supermarket parking lot and a pedestrian wanted to walk farther right than my car allowed. He got mad and punched my back passenger window as I drove past him.
Jules,
I love this post. I often ask myself “If we could pick up and start over, where would we do it?” Lately that answer has been Greenville, SC, because that is where the in-laws have retired to. A little place called Taylors that is just outside of Greenville, actually. Other places that I idealize in my brain? Your street. San Marino, CA from Father of The Bride. That place rocks. Some place with four seasons, a small community feel but with all the ammenities that I need. Some place like Stars Hollow (although I doubt that is a real place since that is the town from Gilmore Girls).
But if I could really move anywhere… anywhere at all, and my husband would just say “yeah, lets go for it, babe!” It would totally be Forks, WA. /swoon
That could have something to do with the fact that I live outside of Phoenix, and we get less than .00000000000000000001 inches of rain a year.
A girl from Phoenix moving to Forks, WA? It’s like a story from a book. I can’t put my finger on the name, but give me a minute. It will come to me…. :)
That’s funny about SC–we’ve been thinking and talking about North Carolina. No idea why! We’ve just become fixated on the state.
There is something to be said about the midwest. The weather here is crappy most of the year so you really appreciate it when you get nice weather. The cost of living is so low that there is much less stress about money. People are so, so friendly and nice and caring. My husband was raised in one of those towns where you can leave your door unlocked. Not going to happen where we live now but it’s still the midwest.
If we could live anywhere I would move to Portland (OR) in a second. It’s gorgeous, green, it feels small but is a good sized city. Less snow, less heat (than here). We’re kind of in a hard spot if we would try to move because we have to live in a larger city to find a job for the husband. I’ve heard amazing things about Colorado too (gorgeous, great weather, little humidity, etc).
Good luck!
I love it in Tucson, AZ. I am a (or so I thought “cold weather cookie”) who spent 1 day in Tucson, and moved there several months later! We moved 7 times in 4 years after getting married almost 5 years ago and I don’t have kids but I wouldn’t live anyplace else! I have traveled alot and I have seen most of the country in fits and spurts but I love my Tucson!
We have good churches, people are friendly, it’s pet friendly as well. Never in a millionish years could we have had 4 cat and the accompanying Litter-robot in Michigan, or Ohio…never, never. My husband and I are so happy about being able to walk year round (in the morning on the 100+days) and bike/hike too!
Some parts of the city are run down, but what city doesn’t have that problem right now. Some things I don’t like are: not speaking Spanish, and the coffee shop is almost 2 miles away, but they make the bestest coffee in town, hands down.
Neither I nor my hubster has been laid off since moving here, most of the time I can leave the heat and a/c off during the year and no one is the wiser, farmer’s markets are fri/sat/sun and lots of cool stores (and not just at the mall), we get slightly more money than before which will allow us to be debt free in 4 years from significant student loan debt, and then it will all go into the bank.
It might not be for everyone because of the few months of intense heat, but I will take it for the 350+ days of sunshine and blue sky’s per year.
I have lived in many many different places during my 45 years. For raising children, I think where I live now is the best: Lincoln, Nebraska. It’s one of those towns where we can leave the doors unlocked, there’s no traffic anywhere at anytime, the cost of living is amazing, the economy is still plugging along -even now, the men are smart and the women are good-looking…but I digress. If I could live anywhere though, it would involve mountains and water and Trader Joes and Whole Foods and Macy’s and Nordstroms but family most of all.
We love living in Austin! Right now, it’s unbearably hot and sticky, but most of the time it’s pleasant. Lots of live music – even for kids. Great parks – the Colorado River runs through just south of downtown and it’s surrounded by parks and trails for walking & biking on both sides. The headquarters of Whole Foods is here, plus great farmers’ markets. The kids go to a Montessori school that we really love. Lots of great yoga studios, usually near good bbq restaurants and Amy’s Ice-cream :) It really is great. My only complaints: the summer is unbearably hot, like I said. And it’s expensive, though not compared to NY, San Francisco, Portland, etc.
Love this post. I’m currently considering a move as well. My problem is that I find SO many places appealing and it’s making the decision excrutiating. I find a little bit of something that I love each place but then have to give up something else. UGH, if only I had a Scotty to beam me up, I’d live several places at once!
I’m originally from Brooklyn, NY and now live in the Seattle area by way of Spokane, WA; Berkeley, CA; Bellingham, WA & Oceanside, CA.
I’m dreaming of living in the UK for a couple of years as a longer term goal. For now, I’m on a 2 year plan for making a big move and am considering Portland, OR; Sonoma/Napa counties, Monterey/Pacific Grove/Carmel, CA areas. I could totally live back east again too, Boston perhaps or somewhere in CT or NH or Asheville, NC? See?!? How am I to decide? I’m embracing the fact that I can choose to do this but wow, it’s hard!
Can someone just maybe decide for me? ;)
xoxo
We are completely fixated on North Carolina too…dont have time to post more but MA is pretty nice too. You cant beat New England shores and mountains and season! I leave my doors unlocked during the day too!
i live in l.a. but i grew up in southern new jersey and i went to school in north carolina and they all have their charms…well…let’s say “charms” in some cases. i drove cross country to move from n.j. to l.a. and then, a few years ago, my husband and i drove back and forth for christmas. it was interesting. and much to my surprise, on all my trips i found new places to love, for reasons i never would have expected. i like the beach, i like the warm, i like the rain, but man, nebraska? gorgeous! oklahoma? stunning. santa fe, new mexico? never seen anything so lovely. and the things i hated shocked me too…the endless deserts, the dark and foreboding mountains…
take a long drive, see the country, maybe you will be as surprised as i was. maybe you will find something new to love.
Nebraska, North Carolina, and Colorado are in the lead! I want to visit all of them. :)
One of my favorite memories is going to this random carnival with my mom in some small, quaint town. I would live in a small quaint town if I could.
I live in the ‘burbs of Chicago. I’ve lived in Chicago itself and Colorado. I love living near the city. The museums, the beaches… and where I live now is home, has been for a long time. I don’t know how well I would adjust to living elsewhere. But if I could it would have to be near a big city, near an ocean and not too too cold in the winter. North Carolina has always seemed in my imagination to be a place I may be able to call home.
We live in NH about an hour away from Boston, the beach, the mountains – 4.5 hours from NYC and 6 hours from Canada. We just have to choose what direction or cultural influence we want that day. We love New England and all the books, music, nature and people. We might be an acquired taste though. Some say we are a bit cussed : )
I always think of moving ( because that’s the kind of girl I am) but I need an ocean. The Carolinas are on the table or VA. Austin TX (husband has TX family) is a fun possibility. Chicago is a great city too.
We travelled the country for a year before we got married and visited all the places we might want to live. It sure is a beautiful country, but I am choosy where I want to settle : ) AZ is amazing and Washington was breathtaking.
Take a few months off and go for a ramble… : )
The place that fits all the criteria seems to be Hawaii !
What fun to read about where everyone loves to live!
I was born in Jackson, MS, and I definitely would NOT recommend moving there. I had quite a happy childhood, and actually attended fantastic schools (The Alternative Elementary School and Secondary School, as well as a special program called Academic and Performing Arts Complex), but my family of liberals was pretty well insulated. We did live on a quiet street, and took family walks every night after dinner (your recent post reminded me of that, Jules).
BUT I’m very happy that when I was 13 we moved to Madison, WI. That’s what I really consider my hometown and I love it. Great schools, lots to do, the lakes, the university, just the friendly attitude. I live in Austin, TX now and I love it, too, and my mom lives here now so I’m not going anywhere, but I still miss Madison sometimes. (When I say that to my mom she says, “Snow.” That’s enough for her to be here rather than there.) Someone else already sold Austin (Hi, Tracy!), so I’ll stick to Madison. Great parks, fantastic farmer’s market around the capitol square on Saturdays, State Street shopping, funky stores and restaurants on the east side, wonderful restaurants in general, excellent public schools, and lots of nice people. And a bit more affordable. It’s got a great community feeling, I think, that’s hard to pinpoint or describe, but is very much in evidence if you go there.
That’s my love letter to Madison :-)
I do love Austin, and I love Tucson, too, for sheer natural beauty. But Madison just says “home” to me, maybe because I grew up there (it’s my mom’s hometown so we visited when I was a kid, too).
I think I always idealize where I don’t live. I grew up in Lincoln, NE and miss it and being on “the plains”. Except when I go home for Christmas every year and freeze my fannie off! I live in the Dallas area now and I like the weather, but the scenery is blah and the crime rate in Dallas proper is bad. (San Antonio and Houston are bad right now, too). I don’t have any children, but if I did I would be very tempted to go back to Lincoln. The Catholic schools are the cheapest I’ve ever heard of and a far cry from the 3,000 – 10,000 a year around here. My SIL sends two kids to school for less than 2000 a year.
I grew up in the Omaha Metro area, which was a great mixture of small town friendliness and big city food, entertainment and shopping. My husband and I moved to Colorado and love living here. We enjoy all of the activities, weather and big city attractions. It’s amazing how many other people have also come to CO. It seems like we are always meeting someone from Iowa or Nebraska. If we had an ocean, we would be living in paradise.
Oh, I have a sister in Seattle that loves living there. Seattle is beautiful, despite the rain. :)
Oh I love this post!!!! Love it wanna marry it! The answers are awesome and isn’t Forks ‘Twilight’? I bet there are no handsome, swoon worthy vampires in Forks…
Miss B–Forks is Twilight. If there are swoon worthy vampires there, lets hope they bathe regularly, yes?
Oak Park is a lovely place to pick up and move to! And I’m not trying to sway you to do so or anything. ;)
Parks, libraries, good schools (public and private), a farmer’s market, tons of bookstores and independent shops, restaurants and coffee houses, friendly neighbors, and beautiful Frank Lloyed Wright houses. Plus downtown Chicago is 15 minutes away by car, train, or the el� Museums, Millennium Park, beaches, architecture, shows, etc.
But North Carolina is nice too. :) I went for a craft show there (the Hand Maidens), and I was so welcomed by the crafty community! I felt very at home, and Raleigh was a nice little city.
Love this !!!! I have lived here in Northern California { North County} since 1967, and my husband is a 3rd generation Californian. I could never find a better place to live than here. My husbands parents spent a huge amount of time looking for the best place to live and they always said this was it !!! they lived in La Jolla, CA… if you can afford to live there its the BEST!!!
As much as I hate to admit it- Louisville, CO is a darn good place to raise kids. I would like to go back to MN- but there is something about this small town next to big ones, along with great schools, 4 moderate seasons and closecadventure in the mountains that makes it a darn good place.
Ok so as much as I moan about living in the middle of nowhere (LOL), Ohio is pretty cool. I live in NE Ohio in a small village (yes, you read that right), where we too rarely lock our doors. There is a soy bean field in my back yard and tractors make up 99% of the traffic on our road. A single tractor, the one belonging to the farmer. On summer nights (before my best friend moved away) it was fairly usual to find a group of us sitting in lawn chairs, on the road in front of my house, talking. Or if it was a spur-of-the-moment grouping, lounging on the pavement itself. The neighborhood kids ride up and down endlessly only stopping when someone pops out of their house to offer up popsicles. We have festivals and ‘town pump appreciation days’ and community dinners. We have seasons! Glorious colors in the fall, lots of snow in the winter, rainy green-making springs and the smell of fresh cut grass in the summer.
I know all of my neighbors by name. Most of them have known my husband since he was born. It’s a great place to live.
So if you ever get the hankerin’ (yep we say things like that here) to come this way. Stop by, we have a guest room and our kiddos could spend the day splashing in the kiddie pool, watching the trains run in the evenings or walking in the fields picking Queen Anne’s Lace.
I live in L.A. county (moving from Monrovia to Claremont this month). I’ve always lived here, and I don’t know if I could ever move from CA (having a vacation home is another story). If I were to move, I could see going to Northern CA to Sonoma or Carmel, but that’s even more expensive than L.A.!
i grew up in northern NJ and am still based here. we moved 3 years ago to a town called Montclair. our first jaunt into suburbia and we adjusted more quickly than i would have thought. we appreciate the diversity (our backgrounds are all over the place) great schools, and i have discovered – wonderful families. kids run in and out of yards. there are great restaurants, indie book stores, library open on Sunday (!?), 2 yarn shops :), public trans and now a concert hall. and we are 15miles from NYC. i have to remind myself of all these pluses because the only headache we’re dealing with now is the property taxes! NJ seems taxed to death sometimes…but my neighbor’s idea of rotating Friday night drinks seems to be lessening the pain. i feel like it’s 50’s suburbia (in a good way :)
Absolutely not lying about the open door policy. It’s all about the country and hospitality. People are always friendly and outgoing. “Thank you” are words you always hear and “no problem.” :)
I live in Boulder, Colorado. It’s a beautiful, big “small town” where I don’t worry about leaving my doors unlocked or my son’s bike in the driveway, but I miss my hometown in California so much. I’d move back in a quick minute if I could.
Thank you for this post! You know I am constantly scouting my next location!
I grew up in Oklahoma (Tulsa) and it was good and whatevs but I could never go back – the conservative fog would kill me now. I lived in Texas for 10 years which made me love Austin but dislike Texas generally. Again, the conservative thing. Plus, I didn’t go to elementary school in Texas and so I seemed to have missed that lesson on “Texas is the best place on earth.” I felt a little bit like an outsider.
I played this “where would I move?!” game back in 1999 and now here I am in Seattle! It’s a really really great place. It’s:
– temperate: 40 – 50ish from November to May (with only a few dips in either direction) and usually 70s the rest of the time.
– Incredible scenery – the trees! the mountains! the water!
– Liberal, progressive, laid back. Close to the ocean AND Canada AND HAWAII!!!
Downers:
– a lack of 4 distinct seasons,
– usually you don’t ever get warm (except for the weird week recently),
– EXPENSIVE HOUSING – omg! $500k for my bungalow! disgusting!,
– too far from my family in Oklahoma and too close to my husband’s family…
That said, I think I mostly consider moving for the novelty of the New Place.
My hubby and I are actually considering moving to California but it’s just the two of us and we would only hang around until we are ready to start a family. With family-expanding on the brain, we’re seriously considering Calgary, Alberta in Canada. Although not in the U.S., it’s not far off and seriously the cleanest, nicest place I’ve ever visited. Everything is literally pristine – I don’t think I saw a piece of litter ANYWHERE – but the people are so down to earth. They just happen to care a little more about their little corner of the world. I also second the North Carolina shoutout – super laid back, GORGEOUS and plenty to do. If we had a young family and could find jobs there, I’m pretty certain we would locate cross country and settle there for good. In Asheville, probably or somewhere in that vicinity.
Galena, Illinois. Beautiful rolling hills, histoic downtown, deep midwest traditions. Small town living. Walk anywhere and get a killer workout from the hills, friendly towns people, great schools. (only one elementry, middle and high school.) All four seasons. Within 3 hours of 4 metro areas, Chicago, Madison Wisconsin, Des Moines Iowa and the Quad Cities.
15 minutes from the Mississippi River so outdoor water sports! Camping, hiking lots to do outdoors.
Great golf, spas, small specialty shops, antiques, and a low cost of living.
Galena is a beauiful place to grow up and grow old.
Sounds like the place I just left and *used* to call home.