What is the best city US City for families?

[Miss M 54]

JNEKG, interestingly, we were faced with the exact same question when we moved here. My husband, the USC, was born in Northern California, but spent a huge amount of his life in Southern California. He still works overseas in a consulting position so technically, we could live anywhere in the world, as long as there is good airport nearby.

We picked San Francisco and don't regret it. It's a very expensive place to live, but the climate is temperate and there is so much to do here. It's a very diverse city and people here have been very friendly.

We have 2 children so having access to a lot of fun stuff to do with the kids was a big factor too; and being an African, I didn't want to live in any place that gets too cold.

We live in a neighbourhood where we can walk to tons of places - supermarkets, restaurants, parks, museums etc. I love that!

But like some posters said before me - there are so many variables and we all have very different things that are important to us, in terms of looking for a place to live.

Good luck with your decision making.

[KLS2010 30]

Unlike most states, Texas doesn't impose a state income tax. Don't know how much, if any, difference that makes, but just thought I would mention that.

And for what it's worth, not all of Texas is humid. Hot yes, humid no. Dallas does get quite hot in the summer, but it is not as humid there as it is in Houston (where I am). Austin is somewhat humid, but again nothing like Houston. Dallas also usually gets some snow in the winter, but of course nothing like what they get in the northern states. Austin is a university town - home of the University of Texas. They are big on their football lol, and music. Just my opinion, but Austin has a bit of a hippy vibe to it - so depends whether that appeals to you or not.

Of course though, there are a lot more important things to consider than the weather.

[scott76 22]

JNEKG -

Every person in this thread is going to have pride in where they live. If they don't, they wouldn't live there

If you could tell us what kind of activities you liked to do or what kind of weather you are expecting, it would go a long way in helping.

Do you have to have an ocean? Do you like to ski? Do you want to live in the city or no? Do you like the snow or hot weather? There's so many things to consider.

[Darnell 8,478]

jobs are cool, but study cost of living also. For example, a 120K job in SanFran, is worthless, as the cost of living is 280 percent the norm elsewhere.

Are you studying any particular websites for cost of living, state taxes and property values? IMO, you should !

[LeftCoastLady 441]

Another item to think about is if you want to be in a city/town where there is a representation of other countries. You can look in this forum to see people who have encountered issues in the U.S. when living in towns where people aren't familiar with people from other countries, their accents, etc.

Edited June 25, 2012 by LeftCoastLady

[sms78 18]

Just go live wherever you like? Not many people have the luxury to pick a city to live so enjoy choosing a place I'm sure every big city has some good school or school district, so you just have to decide on the location first.

I live in LA so here are some things about LA.

Good

Beautiful weather

Beautiful beach (Cold current though)

Warm year around

Almost no rain

Bad

The worst traffic ever (Hours Wasted in Traffic by City)

Very bad parking

Very polluted and dry air

This is just for fun

Edited June 25, 2012 by sms78

[Miss M 54]

Sh*t people in LA say. That was funny. My husband lived in LA for a while. That video is just too funny.

Animal style!!

[M&Pooh 12]

G'day again!

One thing that, surprisingly, wasn't still mentioned [ probably people are too politically correct? ] is the "mentality fit". If you consider yourself liberal ( I mean - by American standards; I'm not sure about Australia, but when compared to Western Europe, US society is more conservative, therefore European political/social "mainstream" = "liberal" in the US ), think twice before moving to Texas. If you feel you're conservative, think three times before settling in San Francisco.

You can see very regularly people crying out on VJ complaining about their neighbors' way of life...

Edited June 25, 2012 by M&Pooh

[JNEKG 4]

Thanks everyone. Your input is greatly appreciated.

I have been studying several websites to compare housing, cost of living, climate, health, economy, state taxes, schooling etc. The best one I have found so far is sperlings best places but I will take a look at find your spot.

We are essentially moving from one of the worlds most livable cities (Melbourne Australia) to somewhere in the US so while we don't really like snow or humidity we are up for anything. It's all part of the adventure right?

Once the job is secured we will have a better understanding of where we need to be.

One more question though. My husband currently works in the international aid sector as a writer (think - world vision). Does anyone know if these types of jobs are found more so in particular locations? From my initial searches it looks like NGO or NFP head offices are in Seattle, San Francisco, DC or New York. What are your experiences?

Thanks for all the advice here. Much appreciated.

[Holly2234 66]

We will be in Upstate NY, close to Plattsburgh. It is a nice area with good schools and low crime rate. There arent many immigrants though and there is a lot of snow!

I also love Philadelphia. I havent lived there, only visited, but i really do like the city. It is pretty diverse and plenty of immigrants.

[LeftCoastLady 441]

The four cities you listed are pretty much the prime cities for NGOs and NFPs...maybe add in Chicago as well. I've lived in Washington, DC, and have worked at an NGO (another lifetime ago!).

Based on what your husband does, DC may be your best bet because it's a big hub for the international NGO sector in addition to USAID, of course. The Washington Metro area is fairly large, so you can opt to live in the city or in one of the Maryland or Virginia suburbs where the public schools are some of the best in the country.

Summers are hot and muggy, but the winter months aren't too bad. There will be snow, but not as much as Chicago for sure. You'll have the free Smithsonian museums as well. Lots of international people abound. Depending on where you choose to live, traffic can be a hassle, so if you have the option to live relatively close to a Metro station, do it.

Good luck on your search! It's definitely an adventure in picking a place to live. I've bounced around the US and have found my spot, so I wish you and your family the best in finding yours.

Thanks everyone. Your input is greatly appreciated.

I have been studying several websites to compare housing, cost of living, climate, health, economy, state taxes, schooling etc. The best one I have found so far is sperlings best places but I will take a look at find your spot.

We are essentially moving from one of the worlds most livable cities (Melbourne Australia) to somewhere in the US so while we don't really like snow or humidity we are up for anything. It's all part of the adventure right?

Once the job is secured we will have a better understanding of where we need to be.

One more question though. My husband currently works in the international aid sector as a writer (think - world vision). Does anyone know if these types of jobs are found more so in particular locations? From my initial searches it looks like NGO or NFP head offices are in Seattle, San Francisco, DC or New York. What are your experiences?

Thanks for all the advice here. Much appreciated.

Edited June 25, 2012 by LeftCoastLady

[JohnR! 5,495]

1340533533[/url]' post='5477390']

Thanks so much for your reply.

You are right, there are a lot of variables here. My husband prefers a colder climate but I prefer the warmer weather (I am an Aussie after all). We have never dealt with snow so would prefer not to if at all possible, but understand that narrows the field significantly. We can stand humidity so would avoid Florida.

We are also looking at cost of living and housing. We love San franciso but costs are too high. Seattle is probably our favorite but again cost of living is high.

Some of the places we are considering are :

Seattle

San Francisco

Denver

Dallas

Austin

Pittsburgh

Philadelphia

New York (up state, CT)

Southern California

They are just ideas for now. If anyone has any suggestions in terms of the most central point in terms of flight schedules, that would be great.

Thanks.

These are all good places, but if you don't want to melt in the heat, somewhere in California, north of Santa Barbara all the way to Sonoma would be a good choice. The climate is good and there are lots of great communities.

San Francisco is quite possibly the most beautiful city in the US and has a populations that is diverse enough and representative of America. Furthermore, it is a plce where you are served by great public transportation and a few of the world's top universities. Life in California is expensive and real estate prices are always at a premium.

Wherever you settle, I hope you're very happy with your new home.

Edited June 25, 2012 by Gegel

[Wyld Blu 35]

When we decided to move to Tx from California, we got a LOT of info from CityData.com. There are forums on there from every state and most major (some minor) cities. You can ask people who live anywhere you are thinking of moving just about anything. It was very helpful.

-Blu-

[rlogan 2,036]

Some places are really overcrowded, like over two people per square mile.

I see San Francisco is over 17,000 people per square mile. New York City is 27,000 people per square mile and a couple New Jersey Suberbs are over 50,000 people per square mile. But the record holder is a suberb of Washington DC, a census area, smaller than a square mile but called Friendship Village - weighing in at over 90,000 people per square mile.

CityData is pretty good, yeah.

[LeftCoastLady 441]

Some places are really overcrowded, like over two people per square mile.

I see San Francisco is over 17,000 people per square mile. New York City is 27,000 people per square mile and a couple New Jersey Suberbs are over 50,000 people per square mile. But the record holder is a suberb of Washington DC, a census area, smaller than a square mile but called Friendship Village - weighing in at over 90,000 people per square mile.

CityData is pretty good, yeah.

The dangers of extrapolation. Friendship Heights Village, MD has a population of less than 5k.