Have you packed up and relocated to another state

[luvDaMouse]

My dh and I have been talking for some time about packing up and relocating down south. I have been focusing on the Summerville/Mt Pleasant area near Charleston South Carolina. We are tired of the winters and the pace of the area that we live in (We live in Pa but work in North Jersey) My question is for those who have done it. How do you just up and move from everything you know? We both grew up in the area that we work in we did move to Pa but it is only 1 hour to work. My father and Stepmother are still here but my husbands Mom lives in VA and my Mom lives in Maine so we are kind of spread out anyway. My oldest is a sophomore in college and is talking about getting an apartment (she does not want to move) My youngest is graduating High School this year and will be going to College next year. (She is willing to move) So… how did you do it? Do you go and find work first? We will still want to work. Do you sell your house and up and move? Its kind of scary but exciting at the same time.

Can anyone offer any advice?
Thanks,
Dana

[murphy1]

The two best decisions that I have ever acted on in life were to have children and to move out of my home state of Florida. I have found out so many things about myself and discovered things I enjoyed and strengths that I didn't know I had. I did it the scary way, I quit my job and moved in with my now husband. Any fear I had was overridden by a strong desire for change. I appreciate my hometown when I go back now, as well. That's a really nice area you are looking at, I love Charleston, it's funny how they still refer to the Civil War as the "War of Northern Aggression." I will never live somewhere cold, I hate it!

[Zippy 1]

My Dh lost his job 17 years ago. Within 2 weeks we picked up and moved to Colorado. We had been living inupstate NY where I grew up. It was hard at first as neither of us had jobs. My Dh found a job the day after we got here and I found one a few days later. It took a little adjusting but we made friends and a new life. We have never regreted the decision! Many great things came from our choice to move!!

[Dizneyana]

I did it 12 years ago.

I resigned from a really great job tht I was at for 9 years, sold the house in So. Cal., and packed everything up (including 5 animals) and moved lock, stock, and barrel to Washington State.

Had nothing but a house to live in, and no job. I hit the bricks quick and found an even more fabulous job within a couple of weeks.

Was it scary? You betcha.. But well worth it.

The only thing that I regret is moving away from Disneyland.

Good luck in your decision.. I think in the long run, you'll be happy that you did it. Keep us posted.

[MNNHFLTX]

Been there, done that--several times.

I moved from Minnesota to Florida when I was 23. Being single, it was a relatively simple process (aside from driving the moving truck cross-country!) I got a job and started a nursing program within weeks after moving and made a lot of new friends.

I moved up to New Hampshire from Florida six years later, when my husband and I got married and he got a new job up there. I had also lined up several potential nursing positions before moving.

Four years later, we moved back to Florida with our infant son, so that we could be closer to (his) family. Moving was starting to become more complicated now--more belongings, more details to work out, a new place to live suitable for a family, etc.

Finally, five years ago my husband got a promotion and we moved to Houston. This time we had a lot of help from his employer (thank goodness for movers this time!) but it was still very complicated. We were selling our old house at the same time as we were looking for a new one, my husband was commuting long distance each weekend to help out, we had a run of hurricanes that came through our area, and we had to convince our then 13-year-old son that he would survive in a new school. Fortunately I didn't have to look for work right away and could focus on these other things. And after living here in Texas for five years, I can honestly say that the move was a good one. Although we miss not being close to both of our extended families, we have great neighbors, good friends and a wonderful place to live. Which is good, as it looks like we will be here for awhile!

If you do choose to move, remember that the chaos is temporary and eventually a new routine will develop. Try to embrace your new locale by seeing the sights and meeting new people and you will feel at home in no time.

[RedSoxFan]

We have moved twice in the last 10 years. We moved from Massachusetts (where we are from) to Virginia in 2000. My kids were not happy. My oldest son had just finished 6th grade at the time and the other boys 4th and 2nd. DD was 3 at the time. But they adjusted well and loved Virginia. In 2006 (after my oldest graduated high school and started college at U of Kentucky) we moved to NY. Again, my kids were not happy. DS was going into the 11th grade and DS was going into the 9th grade. The new school had no lacrosse which made it worse. DD was going into the 4th grade and she wasn't too upset by the move. But again, they adjust well. My oldest ended up transferring to Syracuse Univ for his 2nd year and will graduate in May. Both moves were for better jobs for DH. Personally, I never cared for Virginia as I do not like the heat/humidity. I don't care for the snow; but I would rather deal with snow than with heat. The summers here are gorgeous. I love it here and now we are 5-6 hours from family which is a lot better than 12 hours and we go home often.

[dnickels]

I'm in kind of an unusual situation -I do all my work through the internet so I can (and do) live just about anywhere. That's included a few moves to places where I knew absolutely no one (Orlando, Northwest Montana, Key West). I don't know that I have any great advice I can give, but just some things that I've learned to consider and have heard from others

-if you're going to 'up and move' consider renting for 6 months or a year first when you get there. This gives you time to see all the neighborhoods in an area rather than just the dozen or so you might hear about from friends or that a realtor might show you or where a house you find on a real estate website is located.

-(this goes along with the above) if you live in an X,XXX square foot house now and are worried about renting a smaller apt for a few months because you won't have anywhere to put things consider getting rid of some of those things. Unless the couches, tables, chairs, entertainment centers, etc. are antiques or something they might not be worth dragging across the country. EVERYONE I've ever talked to who has made a long move has said they wished they'd brought less 'stuff' with them.

-when you get to a new place check the local events (community concerts, fairs, festivals, sporting events), they're usually listed in the paper or online, and make a point to attend those. Great way to start meeting new people. You might not meet many the first few weeks but after that you start seeing people again and they recognize you.

Best of luck whatever you do!

[wdw_bound]

You say you both want to keep working - but do you have to? I ask because our state's economy is in bad shape right now - unemployment is the second highest in the nation. While it is tough to find a job while you are living out of state, please be aware that it may take a while to find something when you get down here, as well.

The winters are much milder, but the summers can be brutal. High humidity and temps in the upper 90s. Most of the lower part of the state is coastal swamp, so please factor that into your decision, as well.

I don't want to discourage you - SC is a beautiful place and can be a great place to live. But, like most places, it does have some drawbacks as well.

Good luck with your decision.

[forever a child]

DD and I relocated 4 years ago from MI to KY. It was hard. I missed my house but once winter came I didn't miss MI at all. I hate the winters and only had lived there because that is where my family is at. Now I wish I had moved 10 years sooner. I moved to KY to attend school (I gave up a 10 year career to do so). With the economy as it is I will admit is has been hard to find work I like and the pay here in KY is a lot less for the same work as it was for me in MI. But I am still happy I moved.

When my DD finished high school I plan on moving again. I love the idea of Florida, Georgia, NC, or anywhere warm!

If you do it...I would suggest keeping in mind that it is an adventure. You may miss you home at times and your friends and family. One of the big challenges at first are the simple things like where to get groceries, who to use as a dentist or doctor, where do you take the car for service. Then there is getting lost...Mapquest and I are good friends. When I do it again, I think I will invest in a GPS.

Allow yourself some days to be sad, I would wonder "WHY?" why did I do it...but then I would get to my new school and classes and be so happy.

As far a jobs are concerned you can apply even though you are not there yet. Some careers are easier to get jobs and relocate with, mine was not. Also, be prepared to get rid of stuff. I went from a 4 bedroom house to a 2 bedroom apartment. But I am glad I did. Someone suggested getting an apartment before buying and I think that is a great idea. It gives you time to study the market and see where you might like to be...plus if you dont have work...that may change your mind later as to where you want to settle down at.

Have fun considering it.

[kaerbear178]

I moved from Iowa to San Diego when I was 23 after college. I moved with a girl I had met once (a friend of a co-worker)...I was still finalizing the apartment as I was driving and I didn't have a job. I found a job after about 2 months and ended up meeting my now dh a soon after. My roommate only lasted a couple months and my brother ended up moving out to stay with me. I hated San Diego and often wished that I had the option to move to Minnesota. Believe it or not I couldn't take the constant sunshine. But it was an adventure and I ended up staying there for 6 years.
My dh and I moved to San Francisco last year which could be considered another state. I love it am so glad that we are here. He got a job up here and moved up about 2 weeks later. I stayed in San Diego for a 1-1/2 months to keep working at my job. I ended up moving without finding a job but got one about 2 months after getting to SF. Moving here has been great for us...I love the weather, the city, my job...best thing that could have happened to us.

[magicalmom]

My great aunt used to tell a story about when she and her husband (Forest Service) moved to a new posting in Illinois. She went to the post office, and asked the post mistress what the people were like in this new town. The post mistress said, "What were the people like where you came from?" My aunt said "oh, they were wonderful!" "Then" replied the post mistress, 'You'll really like the people here." (And they did.)

[wdwfansince75]

DW and I grew up in NE Penna. Got married (46 years ago) in Brodheadsville. Navy sent me to FL, GA, WA, Japan, CA, HI, and MD. Employer sent me to VA, MD, PA, and back to MD. Negotiated transfer to SC. Tried PA again after retirement. (PA then only state that excludes all retired pay from state income tax). Winters did us in....Moved back to SC. Except for move back to SC, never moved without a job.
DS#1 and DDiL #1 followed us....son found job in SC before they actually moved. DW is a teacher, and finding teaching jobs was easy. School budgets (and other state and local budgets) are finally recognizing that state and local revenues have also fallen. Would strongly advise that you have some job prospects before you make the move. Most localities are virtually eliminating public sector hiring, and nobody in the private sector is hiring. Last I heard, we were near the bottom in employment.

[Ed]

Sure have.

After living in Maryland all my life, eight years ago I accepted a job with the federal government that afforded me an opportunity to choose where I wished to be assigned. Big surprise ~~ I chose Orlando. And two days after making the request, it was approved and I was on a plane headed south.

My DW and DD brought our RV down for me to live in temporarily while we searched for a new home, and DW traveled back and forth while she tended to disposing or moving 30+ years of accumulated 'stuff'. After about 9 months of living in the RV we found and bought our new home. DW moved down here shortly after that, landed a job almost immediately at a certain local theme park ( ), and we rented out the home in Maryland for about two years before finally selling it.

I will admit that the sudden thousand-mile move resulted in a lot of stress, and I wouldn't recommend it for the weak-hearted.

But in the long run, it all worked out for the best for us.

[Dizneyana]

Sure have.

After living in Maryland all my life, eight years ago..........

Has it been 8 years already?!?!?

I remember it like it was yesterday...

Sorry... now back to the thread...

[pink]

Hello there! My parents did this when I was 7 and 12 and both times it was hard on all of us but it only made us a stronger, closer family in the end and gave us so many wonderful memories that we still talk about today. It showed us other parts of the country and how other people live, it really broadens your horizons. The hardest part is living away from your family but if you want to do it, you should do it. As for your kids, I'm in college now and if my parents moved I know I wouldn't mind. You meet new people in college anyways and old friends tend to grow apart as this age (as I have experienced). I would secure a job before you go. Have fun!

[Disney4us2]

I have done it quite a few times. We moved as a family from Chicago, Ill to Los Angeles, CA. As a 20-30 Y/O, I moved to Hawaii (HNL) for a number of years. From there I went to Salt Lake City, Utah. It was beautiful, didn't like the cold/snow. So back to CA.... where I await the time for the next move to Florida. Somewhere close to WDW