My husband & I are tired of Utah. We want to move somewhere with better schools & cost of living. HELP!

Question

With Utah ranking the 9th most expensive state in the contintental U.S., 3rd lowest paid, 4th worst in air quality & always the worst for K-12 education it is time to move to greener pastures. Where can we go with low humidity, mtns, lakes, country good pay & low priced homes, good air quality & better schools? Also with 5 kids we probably wouldn't fit in the east too well lol. Any help would be great! xoxo Misty

Answer 1

Wisconsin doesn't have any mountains, but there are plenty of lakes, 4 seasons, etc.  Madison is a great place to race a family.  We actually moved to Madison, WI after living in Salt Lake City for a while.  Madison is the 2nd best place in the country for kids to go to school according to Forbes.  There isn't really any pollution in the air here.  The population is at 215,000 right now, and still growing.  The homes are priced ok right now.  Downtown Madison is on an isthmus between two lakes, Mendota and Monona.  Lake Mendota and Lake Monona are great for boating, fishing, canoing, sailing, etc.  The west side of Madison has the least crime.  I hope this helps!

Answer 2

whatever you do... don't move to California unless you want to live in a 2 bedroom apartment (with 2 adults and 5 kids) and paying about $1500-$2000 a month in rent

although the plus side : low humidity, mountains, lakes, ocean, beautiful weather etc, fair air quality, and diversity

Answer 3

Arizona, Nevada

Answer 4

If you want a much lower cost of living, something has to give as far as quality of life goes.  I live in Alaska and it is a little more expensive here, but the quality of life makes it worth it.  I admit our children are grown up and live elsewhere, but the good quality schools have helped them to be good citizens and good college students.  

Answer 5

Maine, I hear that's a great place to live, the lobster is cheap, yet fresh, the ocean air fills the state, it's very cozy in the winter, cleaner air, or Alaska, people say it's WAY too cold but it's actually quite warm in the summer. And it's the least polluted state in america, I'd choose maine

Answer 6

Middleton Wisconsin.  

Answer 7

I have no clue where you got those stats, I've always had great luck with Utah. Logan, Utah is in the top 20 cheapest places to live. I also think Utah actually has WAY better education programs than a lot of places out East. I don't even see how you can dispute that. I got basically a private education from public schools in Utah. I think the Utah education systems is one of the best.

Try Idaho.  

Answer 8

Pittsburgh Area.  Seriously.  I know it gets a lot of "yinzer" flak, but:

*the PA school system is one of the strongest in the nation (11th Smartest State in Morgan Quitno rankings), with TONS of huge colleges and universities nearby-- notably Pitt and Carnegie Mellon.  The presence of all of those educational institutes informs the region with a a collegiate flavor (amazing Carnegie Library and Museum system throughout the area) that is tempered by a friendly feel and a strong ethnic flavor that is woven throughout the city.  It's a metropolitan area without a cold metropolitan feeling.  

*There are lots of pockets of high-end shopping, including a Saks, Nieman-Marcus, and many high-end stores, such as Apple, Burberry, Coach, Louis Vuitton, BCBG, and others scattered throughout the city.  

*There is a cultural district featuring restaurants and theaters that bring in amazing entertainment opportunities from all over the world.  

*The weather is moderate--warm summers and cold winters, to be sure, but it's hardly Florida/ Minnesota extremes.  No earthquakes, hurricanes, and barely any tornadoes.  

*Water sports and professional sports teams (Go Steelers!) are right at your back door and you are within about 8 hours tops driving distance to large cities (Philly, Baltimore, New York) and . You can drive less than an hour to the mountains and hike on the Appalachian trail, go whitewater rafting, or visit Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater home on a lazy Saturday.  

*The region has a rich political and cultural history as well:  the Revolutionary and French-Indian wars were both fought in this area.  This is the birthplace of the millionaire--Carnegie, Frick, Mellon, and even Rockefeller got their starts here.  

*The home values and price of living are LOW LOW LOW...a beautiful, clean, updated 3 bedroom, 2 full bath, 1500 square foot home can be bought for $150K in a lovely neighborhood with a good school district.  Brand-new "McMansions" are being built all over and can be purchased for on average, $250K.  In some parts of the nation, those same homes would be at least $500K.  

*Pittsburgh was just ranked (again!) as the country's Most Livable City.  The lowest it has been ranked in 20 years was 14th.  USA Today did a spread on Pittsburgh living in its July 18th issue.  MSN.com included Pittsburgh suburbs in their highest-ranked neighborhoods.  

*Plus, the days of the "smoky steel mills" are over.  The air is clear and lovely!  Trees actually grow IN the few remaining steel mills- I've seen it!

Check it out!  You'll be pleasantly surprised!