Anonymous wrote:Fairfax county VA

Anonymous wrote:People here have a lot of opinions about red states, but zoning quirks make the Houston area incredibly affordable for such a huge city with a major international airport, great food and people moving there from all over the world for jobs in the aerospace and chemical industries. Not to mention an excellent, affordable state flagship university. It’s less quintessentially “Texan” than snootier, pricier Dallas. But you have to love humidity and driving!

Anonymous wrote:North Shore suburbs of Chicago
Cleveland suburbs, specifically Avon Lake, Orange, Hudson and similar
Columbus suburbs, specifically Upper Arlington
Detroit suburbs, specifically Bloomfield Hills

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Look at where college professors at great schools live. They want their kids educated well but don't always have the budget for an expensive privates. They also volunteer at their kids' schools.

Areas like Pittsford, New York have dirt cheap real estate and good public schools.

Areas like Roland Park, where many Hopkins professors live have less expensive private schools that punch above their weight.

Yes, no one has mentioned Baltimore yet, likely because people on this board are allergic to it. But privates in Baltimore are more affordable than in NYC and DC, and real estate is cheaper. You have to be selective about neighborhood, but if you are really looking to get out of a hyper-competitive, more more more culture, Baltimore is a good option. Roland Park is really nice, and even has decent public elementaries if you want to wait until MS for private (no idea how old OP's kids are). Baltimore also has great food, good sports culture, and a decent amount of entertainment, plus is a short train ride from DC and only a slightly longer one from Philly or NYC if you want something more from time to time.

One thing to look at with Baltimore is city property taxes. This was what kept us from relocating there from DC. It would still be cheaper to live there, for sure, but what held us up was the high taxes combined with limited or zero appreciation on real estate. It just didn't work with our long term financial plans, despite the lower COL. But I think it would work for someone willing to rent and just invest their money elsewhere, or if you were buying for cash with no mortgage, as the taxes would still be way cheaper than rent in NYC and then you'd just invest your remaining income more aggressively.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:op - would like to hear more about northern va and philly burbs. where there has really good schools? am not super familiar with the areas.

In Philly burbs, look along the Main Line to the west of the city. The closer in suburbs like Bryn Mawr are still quite pricy, but they do get more affordable the further out you go. There are also lots of universities along that line (Bryn Mawr, Haverford, Villanova) which results in lots of academics living in these neighborhoods, which contributes to strong schools.

The main obstacle in these neighborhoods will be taxes. Housing is also pricier than it used to be, but not anywhere near as bad as NYC and the public schools are good, so it would still be an improvement for you. Also, if you stayed at your current job, the commute from Main Line burbs into Philly and then up to NYC is really not that bad and you could likely still do it once or twice a week if your spouse can handle the kids on those days.

In NoVa, you're looking at a more suburban lifestyle, definitely more car centric, as the parts of NoVa with strong schools do not tend to be the parts with the best public transit. For example, Alexandria, Clarendon, and Rosslyn are all fairly walkable and have convenient metro stops, but that's not where I'd want to send my kids to school (especially MS and HS).

Instead, I'd look at Falls Church City (would be my top choice because of the combo of metro accessibility, a walkable little downtown, and good schools). After FCC, I'd look at Fairfax, Loudon, and Arlington, in that order. But you need to look at specific school pyramids, some are better than others. As with Philly, the further you get from DC the more affordable it is, and you can still find good schools. But also, in VA it gets more Trumpy the further out you go -- coming from NYC you need to be aware of that and figure out what your comfort level is.

Some more compare and contrast: Philly burbs will have older housing stock, lots more new builds in NoVa (I personally prefer older housing stock but some don't, it's just a key difference you should be aware of). Also I think NoVa burbs tend to have more and better county amenities than the Main Line suburbs, in terms of things like rec centers, public pools, etc., but that might have changed in recent years -- I think the NoVa parks, hiking, rec options, etc. are really, really good compared to other places. Property taxes definitely higher in PA but NoVa finds ways to get you, good schools and amenities are never free. But compared to NYC it will still feel like a bargain. Both have good access to major cities with good museums, dining, major league sports, and other entertainment, obviously.

Anonymous wrote:People here have a lot of opinions about red states, but zoning quirks make the Houston area incredibly affordable for such a huge city with a major international airport, great food and people moving there from all over the world for jobs in the aerospace and chemical industries. Not to mention an excellent, affordable state flagship university. It’s less quintessentially “Texan” than snootier, pricier Dallas. But you have to love humidity and driving!