We're visiting Vermont right now and I've decided that would be my choice. Beautiful, chill, liberal, seems to be good options for schools in enough places based on discussions we've had with people. Kids in Stowe, VT have half days on Fridays to all head to ski the mountain so you know the vibes are less competitive.

I used to live in Chicago, great great city and agree it is so easy to get a lake house up there for a reasonable price that is a wonderful thing about it. But I struggled with the surrounding areas being bland and the winters being gray but without solid snow, hard combo. So maybe I'd struggle with that in VT but they seem to do way more winter sports which is appealing to me as I don't actually mind the winter. Just the drab biting cold with no snow sports winter.

Anonymous wrote:We are looking at Raleigh/Durham and surrounding burbs. I can’t do NE or Midwest winters.

Oh good one. I love Durham and Chapel Hill.

We are looking at Raleigh/Durham and surrounding burbs. I can’t do NE or Midwest winters.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That's us and we have a have our house in the close Chicago suburbs plus a lake house 90 mins away in Wisconsin. Feel like we have the best of both worlds for leas than the price of one dc house (both homes together were $680k total). Great school district, 35 min train to downtown Chicago and all the food, events, arts, culture that entails, lake/beach/kayaks/hikes in Wisconsin.

How were you able to get a house in that area and a cottage within 90 minutes of Chicago for $680? How long ago did you purchase these houses?

Homes for sale on the northwest side of Chicago and nw burbs:
https://www.redfin.com/IL/Chicago/7228-N-Meade-Ave-60646/home/13595126#marketing-remarks-scroll
https://www.redfin.com/IL/Glenview/3210-Thornberry-Ln-60025/home/13680528#marketing-remarks-scroll
https://www.redfin.com/IL/Niles/8312-N-Wisner-St-60714/home/13655321
https://www.redfin.com/IL/Niles/8219-W-Park-Ave-60714/home/13673020
https://www.redfin.com/IL/Park-Ridge/909-S-Lincoln-Ave-60068/home/13639308

These are all within 90 mins of both Chicago and Milwaukee, 20 mins of downtown lake Geneva, in cute little neighborhoods with neighborhood only beach, park, boat launches, and slips. Also within 15 mins of skiing at either Grand Geneva or Wilmot and many golf courses.
https://www.redfin.com/WI/Trevor/12425-233rd-Ave-53179/home/169071859
https://www.redfin.com/WI/Twin-Lakes/1352-Lucille-Ave-53181/home/57859443
https://www.redfin.com/WI/Lake-Geneva/W3846-Parker-Dr-53147/home/57636534
https://www.redfin.com/WI/Burlington/7582-Lily-Lake-Rd-53105/home/89338093

Anonymous wrote:That's us and we have a have our house in the close Chicago suburbs plus a lake house 90 mins away in Wisconsin. Feel like we have the best of both worlds for leas than the price of one dc house (both homes together were $680k total). Great school district, 35 min train to downtown Chicago and all the food, events, arts, culture that entails, lake/beach/kayaks/hikes in Wisconsin.

How were you able to get a house in that area and a cottage within 90 minutes of Chicago for $680? How long ago did you purchase these houses?

Anonymous wrote:Addendum:

If the cost of living is low enough, the public school quality isn't a dealbreaker, as we could go private. But the community would need to have private schools in it, so it couldn't be too small or remote.

If you go this route, make sure you check into the quality of the private school. Sometimes even top privates are not that great.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That's us and we have a have our house in the close Chicago suburbs plus a lake house 90 mins away in Wisconsin. Feel like we have the best of both worlds for leas than the price of one dc house (both homes together were $680k total). Great school district, 35 min train to downtown Chicago and all the food, events, arts, culture that entails, lake/beach/kayaks/hikes in Wisconsin.

Where are you? We are downtown but starting to consider the burbs.

Niles/Park Ridge area bordering Edison Park

Same with us. We live in Evanston.

Anonymous wrote:That's us and we have a have our house in the close Chicago suburbs plus a lake house 90 mins away in Wisconsin. Feel like we have the best of both worlds for leas than the price of one dc house (both homes together were $680k total). Great school district, 35 min train to downtown Chicago and all the food, events, arts, culture that entails, lake/beach/kayaks/hikes in Wisconsin.

Where are you? We are downtown but starting to consider the burbs.

That's us and we have a have our house in the close Chicago suburbs plus a lake house 90 mins away in Wisconsin. Feel like we have the best of both worlds for leas than the price of one dc house (both homes together were $680k total). Great school district, 35 min train to downtown Chicago and all the food, events, arts, culture that entails, lake/beach/kayaks/hikes in Wisconsin.

Dh and I are both remote and chose to stay in New York to be close to family.

If being near family wasn’t the most important thing, then I’d move out west where we could ski every weekend in the winter. I’m an avid skier.

Anchorage Alaska. I’m actually in that situation and was looking to move this summer but unfortunately daycare waitlists are multi year everywhere so it didn’t work out. We’re going to try again in a year or so.

Addendum:

If the cost of living is low enough, the public school quality isn't a dealbreaker, as we could go private. But the community would need to have private schools in it, so it couldn't be too small or remote.

Upstate NY. Strong public schools but cheap housing. Pick somewhere with a medium city (Rochester) so it isn’t deep red.

I grew up there so I am biased, but I honestly think that’s where we will all want to live in a decade. You can actually go outside in August!

If your and your DH's jobs both gave the option of 100% remote work and you could move anywhere in the country, where would you go? Assume you have two toddlers and a baby, so the priorities are (1) a safe community with (2) inexpensive housing / low cost of living and (3) good schools.