Have a family and relocated? Give me your input!

[redsubdivisions]

Just a little background information:

I am 25 years old with a wife and child. I live in Naples, FL and as much as I love it here with the very close proximity of beaches (I am currently 10 minutes away from the nearest beach), the sun, and lack of auto emissions testing....I truly believe it is time for me to move out of this state. I want my daughter to enjoy a full 4 seasons a year, not just the usual "okay" weather for winter time and hot for the remaining 3 seasons. she is a year and a half old, so I still have some time. As for my wife, she works in the medical field and I don't believe we would have an issue finding her a job. I have been in the auto business working as a parts guy for 5 years now (particularly MB, BMW, and Porsche), so I don't tend to believe I have a lot of options at this point other than to stay what I'm currently doing.

It is very seasonal where I live; 6 months of the year I am making great money, while the other 6 I am scraping to get by. Not only is it miserable, but also depressing. Most of my friends either work dead end jobs or have moved elsewhere. And because I have a family, my priorities have shifted to their well being and not mine. My side of the family have all moved out of state and live in various states (Michigan, N.C., S.C., Tenn., Missouri). I grew up in Naples and as much as I love Florida, I have thought about moving on several occasions.

Now the obvious question....who here has done what I "plan" on doing? My ultimate goal is to move out of state and go some where there is plenty of work all year round and isn't absurdly expensive. I have given thoughts to a good handful of area, particularly PNW and even the Carolinas.

Please chime in on your personal experience if you've done this. I feel this is the time for me to make a big move in the next year and a half or so.

[StereoInstaller1]

Visit the PNW in winter.

If you can handle months of drizzly skies, this place is awesome

[mrsleeve]

MI is a bleak prospect, people have been fleeing that state for a decade to find work.

There is lots of work in PA, WV and just getting going in OH in the Natural Gas fields if your willing to get dirty work 6 days a week and learn a trade. PNW or northern Rockies is nice but in my area there is a huge lack of work.

We packed our shit, 5 cats, a dog, 3 horses, and moved 2000 miles North and West form southern MI to NW MT, Best thing I have ever done in my life to get the fuck outta MI

[herbivor]

Just a little background information:

I am 25 years old with a wife and child. I live in Naples, FL and as much as I love it here with the very close proximity of beaches (I am currently 10 minutes away from the nearest beach), the sun, and lack of auto emissions testing....I truly believe it is time for me to move out of this state. I want my daughter to enjoy a full 4 seasons a year, not just the usual "okay" weather for winter time and hot for the remaining 3 seasons. she is a year and a half old, so I still have some time. As for my wife, she works in the medical field and I don't believe we would have an issue finding her a job. I have been in the auto business working as a parts guy for 5 years now (particularly MB, BMW, and Porsche), so I don't tend to believe I have a lot of options at this point other than to stay what I'm currently doing.

It is very seasonal where I live; 6 months of the year I am making great money, while the other 6 I am scraping to get by. Not only is it miserable, but also depressing. Most of my friends either work dead end jobs or have moved elsewhere. And because I have a family, my priorities have shifted to their well being and not mine. My side of the family have all moved out of state and live in various states (Michigan, N.C., S.C., Tenn., Missouri). I grew up in Naples and as much as I love Florida, I have thought about moving on several occasions.

Now the obvious question....who here has done what I "plan" on doing? My ultimate goal is to move out of state and go some where there is plenty of work all year round and isn't absurdly expensive. I have given thoughts to a good handful of area, particularly PNW and even the Carolinas.

Please chime in on your personal experience if you've done this. I feel this is the time for me to make a big move in the next year and a half or so.

We call Northerners that retire in Florida only to realize it sucks and move half way up to the Carolinas "half-backs". I've lived in New England, Florida, Maryland, Virginia Beach, California and North Carolina. They all have nice things about them but North Carolina is my favorite place to live and raise a family. If you can get into an older neighborhood in a nice city you will feel more connected with people, place and the architecture and it will be more satisfying for the soul. If that's not for you, we have plenty of sprawling neighborhoods and wide open country just like every other city.
I know many people that have done what you've done. Most of them from New York, seeking better climate, work, and less expensive living. I know very few that didn't like it and wanted to move back.
Good luck.

[shameson]

Visit the PNW in winter.

If you can handle months of drizzly skies, this place is awesome

Much agreed. I love living in Washington, the PNW is beautiful. Great mix of snowy mountains for winter and big lakes for summer, even more desert conditions in southern Oregon. Tons of hiking, biking and almost any outdoor sport. I'm very close to Portland, and only 3hrs from the beach or Seattle.

I realize it would be quite a move, but it's always an option. You get all 4 seasons every year, and living in Florida you're already used to humidity, which we have but not quite as bad.

[e30rapidic]

check us out in Raleigh, NC. Always ranked well in the important stuff. 2 hours from beach or mountains and the nicest people.

[z31maniac]

Check out Nashville. If the wife and I were to move, it would be on the short list of potential places.

[redsubdivisions]

check us out in Raleigh, NC. Always ranked well in the important stuff. 2 hours from beach or mountains and the nicest people.

My uncle moved up there close to a decade ago from here. He took a hit on his pay, but he said it's one of the best decisions he has ever made for his family. A better part of my family lives up there and I visited there to see snow when I was 10 years old and loved it. I should definitely look into that area.

[redsubdivisions]

In an interesting twist of events, I was just laid off from my job today! And it's just getting into summer, what a surprise. Looks like this is more of a reason to visit some of these places and hopefully relocate sooner than I anticipated.

[eskimo810]

If you want more seasons, well, Vermont has six of them.

[blksuperman2]

OP, are you trying to relocate by staying w/ family members in other states?

I've lived in Augusta, GA for the past 12yrs and have recently been trying to relocate my family (wife and 3 kids) up north. 6 months ago I took a job @ Quantico Marine Corps Base and was fortunate to stay w/ my parents in the area in Stafford, VA. A few months past and I landed a job @ Fort Bragg, NC and am able to stay w/ my wife's sister and her husband in the Fayetteville area. Now, I've just accepted a job w/ the U.S. House of Representatives in D.C. and will more than likely stay w/ my other sister n' law in Bowie, MD.

What I'm getting at is I wouldn't be able to afford to job-hop and move around w/o being able to stay w/ others. It's still hard for my wife to find work. We're hoping that in a bigger city she'll be able to land something. Good luck to ya.

[Smelser]

Ontario Canada! full set of four seasons from winter with snow and freezing days, to hot hazy and humid you cant breath summers. all near the great lakes (ok substitue for oceans just lack the salt water)
minimum wage is over 10 bucks an hour. health care is completely free
health care workers (if she is an RN or RPN or higher) is a good 80 plus a year minimum parts guys are always in need, from the major parts stores to the mom and pop parts stores.
you can live in a secluded small town and be less then an hour away from booming metropolisis. or live in the heart of the concrete jungle.
southern ontario is the place to be!
northern ontario if you like winter 6 months of the year. and dont like the cities

[slaterd]

Idk if you plan on moving around a lot but before moving at all please read this...

If you're going to move your kids around do it before they can really comprehend what's going on...before 4-5yo. I'm 23 now and before I became a freshman in high school I had been to 15 schools. This creates a lot of social issues and makes it very difficult for your kids to interact with others. Moving around also creates a very complicated person...either having separation issues or having what I call a "switch' that they'll flip to prevent themselves from getting hurt...and in return hurting everyone around them. There will be a lot of problems that'll arise if you move your kids around. I'm currently going to a shrink, lost the girl I love, I haven't spoken to my father in a year, and I'm extremely anti-social. A lot of parents will move their kids around to give their kids a better life, as in having a higher paying job, better school, yaddy yaddah. What parents don't understand is if you move you better know that where you're moving has everything your kids WANT, not one thing and then move again to get another. Parents think relocating helps create a good life for their child by opening new opportunities for them when in turn it actually destroys it. Kids don't think of money, the size of their house, or how brand new their bike is. Moving a child around is the same as if someone took away your motorcycle, car, career, wife, dog, and home. It's all they have so don't take it away.

Basically what I'm trying to say is if you plan on moving your kids around DON'T!

[Farbin Kaiber]

Best decision I ever made, spent my entire life in Southern California. Four years ago TODAY, We packed up everything we owned, and left. Headed to Idaho, to a house/town unseen, with only one of the 6 of us having employment here. The most amazing and wonderful adventure. I've learned more about myself, met more real people, found more happiness, and become more centered than I ever thought I could be.

[RagtopE30]

NC is a great place to live and have a family. I grew up in the mountains and then went off to military and traveled a lot. I had a house in SE Georgia and in the end moved my family back home to the mountains of NC. One HUGE note is that the mountains of NC are much more expensive to live in compared to the rest of the state. Everything costs more up here. And I mean everything! But we have all 4 seasons and the summer temps rarely get to the triple digits. Where we are in Asheville, the medical field is huge and constantly growing. If your wife is in health care she will have no problem finding good work. As for parts guys, they are needed everywhere including the mountains.