Young couples with kids---Where did you move to from the DC area?

[Anonymous]

We thought about moving to Dallas, but ultimately committed to this area and moved from DC to Bethesda.

[Anonymous]

We moved to Richmond suburbs and are happy with the schools and quality of life. We were able to get an amazing house and have met quite a few folks with young kids who left DC.

[Anonymous]

L.A. Better everything with very affordable pockets.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, I hear you. We are from southwest Ohio originally and the cost of living here is unbelievable. Oh, what you could get for $500,000 in Butler county Ohio...but, do I really want to live there? No, not anymore. We sucked it up and bought a place in Reston. Love, love, love Reston. There are financing options out there and you can still find good value if you look.

Median income is Fairfax is about double that of Butler County, Ohio.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, I hear you. We are from southwest Ohio originally and the cost of living here is unbelievable. Oh, what you could get for $500,000 in Butler county Ohio...but, do I really want to live there? No, not anymore. We sucked it up and bought a place in Reston. Love, love, love Reston. There are financing options out there and you can still find good value if you look.

Median income is Fairfax is about double that of Butler County, Ohio.

Yes, but you can't buy a SFH house for 500k in Fairfax. The COL in this area is at least 6x what it is in places like Butler.

What you can get for $97,000 there is $600,000 here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, I hear you. We are from southwest Ohio originally and the cost of living here is unbelievable. Oh, what you could get for $500,000 in Butler county Ohio...but, do I really want to live there? No, not anymore. We sucked it up and bought a place in Reston. Love, love, love Reston. There are financing options out there and you can still find good value if you look.

Median income is Fairfax is about double that of Butler County, Ohio.

Yes, but you can't buy a SFH house for 500k in Fairfax. The COL in this area is at least 6x what it is in places like Butler.

What you can get for $97,000 there is $600,000 here.

Nonsense - Zillow search for SFH, 3 bedroom, <500K in Fairfax, VA returned 2 pages of homes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, I hear you. We are from southwest Ohio originally and the cost of living here is unbelievable. Oh, what you could get for $500,000 in Butler county Ohio...but, do I really want to live there? No, not anymore. We sucked it up and bought a place in Reston. Love, love, love Reston. There are financing options out there and you can still find good value if you look.

Median income is Fairfax is about double that of Butler County, Ohio.

Yes, but you can't buy a SFH house for 500k in Fairfax. The COL in this area is at least 6x what it is in places like Butler.

What you can get for $97,000 there is $600,000 here.

Nonsense - Zillow search for SFH, 3 bedroom, <500K in Fairfax, VA returned 2 pages of homes.

But I am sure what Zillow returned are not at all the type of home you could get in Butler Co, Ohio for $300,000 - $500,000. They are not apples to apples.

[Anonymous]

Try a large university town in the south. How about Oxford, MS?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

How different was your life in KC though? You saved a lot of money and got a great house. How about walkability? Activities? Entertainment (museums, plays, cultural parties)? I just did a google search and KC itself doesn't seem to have many condos or even 'non-suburban' homes. They all look like planned lots that you need to drive in and out along major highways. Is there a downtown historic section of homes that I could look at (generally close to everything)?

Thanks for your questions. There are quite a few "walkable" neighborhoods in Kansas City: W. 39th Street Corridor/Historic Westport; Brookside, Waldo, Hyde Park, and Southmoreland. For those looking for a loft experience rather than SFHs, there's a ton of activity going on in the Midtown Arts District. For classic, pre-war 2 and 3 bedroom apartments centered on retail, consider Country Club Plaza.

If we go back, Brookside (centered on W. 63rd Street and Brookside Blvd.) is probably where we'll buy. A bit pricy for KC, but walkable with a great retail corridor - places like Reading Reptile and Brookside Science and Toys alone are fantastic kid-centered stores. It also has good school options - St. Peter's (Catholic) and Academie Lafayette (French language immersion PCS).

Kansas City is currently building a streetcar line along Main Street from downtown (City Market) to Union Station. From Union Station south to West 75th Street, Kansas City has the MAX Bus along Main Street and Brookside Boulevard. It is similar in concept to the Circulator and about a 20 minute trip from Brookside to downtown. It runs 7 days a week with service every 10-30 minutes depending on day/time.

Before we went to KC, I'd been in DC for 7 years and my spouse for 11. We probably took in more "culture" during our single year in KC than in any 3 year span in DC. We fell in love with Unicorn Theater and got to attend two opening night celebrations ("Grounded" and "Other Desert Cities"). We were welcomed with open arms and felt right at home. I became involved with KKFI, Kansas City's community radio station and found it very welcoming. I even got the chance to DJ a 3 hour show that celebrates my favorite music genre (80s New Wave, synth, and industrial) just prior to leaving - that was one of the highlights of my year. There are many cultural events, book talks, concerts, etc. UMKC is a fairly comprehensive university and that brings much to the city. Also, a fair number of KU faculty live in KC, MO and reverse commute to Lawrence for work.

For families, there is so much so close - Union Station, The Royals, Children's Science Museum, the Aquarium, Zoo, Kids Shows at Sprint Center, Crown Center, City Market, Schlitterbahn, easy access to nature/farms. There's even a small ski facility north of KC.

In short, we found a great community spirit and things just seemed so much more accessible to families on a Federal salary than in DC. KC also has a very vibrant civic activist culture which I personally loved. Again, it was just so much easier to "plug into" than DC. I really enjoyed the opportunity to join with Stand Up KC and the Heartland Labor Forum on the Fight for 15 and other causes. I haven't had opportunities like this since before I came to Washington.

Of course, there's also the suburban option if that's what people want. The Johnson County (KS) suburbs are all quite accessible to KC with many amenities.

I hope this helps.

This message has been brought to you by: The Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, Kansas City Realtors' Association, and the Kansas City Tourism Board.

PP, I'm glad you enjoyed your time there. Sounds too good to be true.

She didn't even mention the barbeque. Now that's worth moving for!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:L.A. Better everything with very affordable pockets.

Like Compton?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Try a large university town in the south. How about Oxford, MS?

http://www.zillow.com/homes/for_sale/Oxford-MS/pmf,pf_pt/house_type/2104398198_zpid/13149_rid/any_days/priced_sort/34.398022,-89.466004,34.336101,-89.60505_rect/13_zm/2_p/?3col=true

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, I hear you. We are from southwest Ohio originally and the cost of living here is unbelievable. Oh, what you could get for $500,000 in Butler county Ohio...but, do I really want to live there? No, not anymore. We sucked it up and bought a place in Reston. Love, love, love Reston. There are financing options out there and you can still find good value if you look.

Reston seems to be the answer when nothing else is doable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Try a large university town in the south. How about Oxford, MS?

Dear lord, no, unless you're lily white and your family comes from there. Deep deep south.

[Anonymous]

We moved to Austin in 2015. It's amazing and we haven't regretted it. Great house (small though) for $420K with backyard and great schools. 10 minute commute. Cheaper cost of living. Awesome Montessori for 2 kids for $1800.00 a month. No snow.

[Anonymous]

I also moved to Los Angeles, although i think it's expensive. If I could go anywhere? i'm drawn to small to medium size college towns across the country. Madison WI, Boulder CO, Oxford MI. I like towns in MA and Maine, but the people can be a mixed bag. At the end of the day, I love California so I will stay here and continue to pay $$