Best place to live in the US?

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We are currently living and working in Europe but thinking seriously about a move back to the US. My husband’s family is from CA. We lived in the Seattle area which we loved but we want more sun. Where would you live, given the choice? My husband is in medicine so he usually can find a job in most communities. Catholic schools though high school are very important to us and hopefully affordable housing. I would love to be somewhere where the church is vibrant.
 
Everyone will tell you the usual suspects… Denver, Portland, San Diego, maybe a Texas city, and of course the big cities (LA, NY, and Washington).

But I’ll go totally off the wall and suggest…

Wichita.

If you are conservative and a Catholic, Kansas may be a good fit. The rural scenery looks remarkably similar to that of Poland (I’ve been there twice). There is a lot of economic activity besides farming for a small state. The weather is dynamic and varied, but summers are sunny and lakes abound. (You lived in Europe, so I doubt you lived close to the beach anyway.)

For nearby escapes, Kansas City has a lot to offer, is surprisingly cosmopolitan, and the pace and attitude of life is not that different from that of the coasts. You know Denver is always awesome. And Oklahoma City has cheap gas. 🙂

Yes some xenophobia and hick attitudes exist, but many Kansans have traveled abroad and are interested in learning new things from outsiders. Despite the xenophobic streak, it is not insular. In general the economy and society are open to any outsider who wishes to come, adapt, and participate, if that makes sense.

But more importantly, Wichita has a strong diocese in which the archbishop excommunicated the former governor. Did I mention tuition-free Catholic schools as long as you’re genuinely involved in a parish?
Archbishop Naumann: Kansas governor should stop receiving Communion
Kansas school stewardship model encourages vocations

I know, most people couldn’t be paid to live in Kansas. (I did, though, by way of academic scholarship!) But you didn’t ask this on CAF to hear obvious answers like Los Angeles, New York, or trendy Denver, right? 😃
 
I would not come back to California, especially if you have school age children. We have some of the highest taxes in the country, and the lowest school test scores. Sacramento has just passed a law that says “transgender” children may use the boys or girls restroom/locker room, depending on if they feel like being male or female that day. 😛
 
CaliLobo said:
Everyone will tell you the usual suspects… Denver, Portland, San Diego, maybe a Texas city, and of course the big cities (LA, NY, and Washington).

But I’ll go totally off the wall and suggest…

Wichita.

If you are conservative and a Catholic, Kansas may be a good fit. The rural scenery looks remarkably similar to that of Poland (I’ve been there twice). There is a lot of economic activity besides farming for a small state. The weather is dynamic and varied, but summers are sunny and lakes abound. (You lived in Europe, so I doubt you lived close to the beach anyway.)

For nearby escapes, Kansas City has a lot to offer, is surprisingly cosmopolitan, and the pace and attitude of life is not that different from that of the coasts. You know Denver is always awesome. And Oklahoma City has cheap gas. 🙂

Yes some xenophobia and hick attitudes exist, but many Kansans have traveled abroad and are interested in learning new things from outsiders. Despite the xenophobic streak, it is not insular. In general the economy and society are open to any outsider who wishes to come, adapt, and participate, if that makes sense.

But more importantly, Wichita has a strong diocese in which the archbishop excommunicated the former governor. Did I mention tuition-free Catholic schools as long as you’re genuinely involved in a parish?
Archbishop Naumann: Kansas governor should stop receiving Communion
Kansas school stewardship model encourages vocations

I know, most people couldn’t be paid to live in Kansas. (I did, though, by way of academic scholarship!) But you didn’t ask this on CAF to hear obvious answers like Los Angeles, New York, or trendy Denver, right? 😃
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Great post with a nice sense of humor 😉 Thanks.

Do you happen to know if there are several Churches in the area that might offer the Mass in the Extraordinary Form? In Communion with Rome. If so, which ones & where? How hot are the summers? And are tornadoes a big concern or not? Thanks. Pax 🙂
 
CaliLobo said:
But you didn’t ask this on CAF to hear obvious answers like Los Angeles, New York, or trendy Denver, right? 😃
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Why do you, a self-proclaimed God-hating, ex-Protestant (by your own posts), even posting comments like this here? :ehh:

As if you’re giving well-intentioned advice? :dts:

Your obvious sarcasm and anger are really inappropriate, in case you weren’t aware of it before. It’s offensive.😦

I am beginning to think that you might should seek professional help.

You seem to have real problems with your life and circumstances that the Catholic Church never was a factor in, nor a cause of, in so far as you’ve already posted.

What even draws you here?

I think that you should get some counseling or some other help before you have problems elsewhere in your life due to your anger and pain. This attitude of yours will only cause greater repercussions later in your life.

I say this out of concern for your future, and you are heading in a bad direction. Don’t go down that path.

Please. Get help.
 
Megan7 said:
Great post with a nice sense of humor 😉 Thanks.

Do you happen to know if there are several Churches in the area that might offer the Mass in the Extraordinary Form? In Communion with Rome. If so, which ones & where? How hot are the summers? And are tornadoes a big concern or not? Thanks. Pax 🙂
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You’ve not read his previous posts. :nope:

He’s not Catholic, and doesn’t care much for God. I am not sure that he’d know EF from OF from “IF”. 🤷

I believe that his post was simply malicious and devilish sarcasm, and I am not exaggerating. That’s based on reading his precious posts here.

Sorry.
 
Asheville NC mountains. Beautiful weather with 4 seasons not long winters. A little cooled summers because of the elevation. Great hospital (i am an RN) best of all the most vibrant Basilica!
 
Thank you Canuck 000, we were wondering about Asheville, but I don’t see a Catholic high school there. I am also finding that outside the Triangle (where they have established more Catholic schools in the last 20 years) many NC Catholic schools are full with wait-lists. Do you know if that is the case for the Catholic k-8 school in Asheville?
 
I believe that Cincinnati Ohio is a great place to live. It is a thriving Catholic area with wonderful Catholic schools from grade school through college. It has beautiful neighborhoods, parks, theater, sports and museums. I love Cincinnati.
 
Where are you from OP? Home, near family, can be a fine choice. I agree with the previous poster though - knowing your husband is from CA, not so good a choice these days. Although I suppose they need some solid Catholic values to influence the “its all about me” attitudes of the West Coast.
 
Michael57 said:
You’ve not read his previous posts. :nope:

He’s not Catholic, and doesn’t care much for God. I am not sure that he’d know EF from OF from “IF”. 🤷

I believe that his post was simply malicious and devilish sarcasm, and I am not exaggerating. That’s based on reading his precious posts here.

Sorry.
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Megan,
Michael’s distrust is unnecessary in this situation. Why is he making things personal on another person’s thread?

Even the Catholics are turned off by Kansas… 😃

I’ve decided religion has let me down and is not for me right now, but it doesn’t stop me from 1) respecting the self-control of practicing Catholics, 2) wanting to help people, and 3) telling you my observations and advocating for a place that I used to live at.

It doesn’t change that I used to live in Kansas and can tell you about it.

But I gotta go to work, I’ll answer your questions this evening.

Michael,
Kansas is the place where I seriously considered being Catholic (maybe that proves a point to Megan in itself). You’re accusing me of deception by suggesting Kansas, because millions of people are quick to stereotype it as hickville. But have you lived here? Maybe Fort Riley sucks, but the rest of KS is a better place than people think. And I say that as a racial minority who moved there from “glamorous” California a few years back.

I’m here because I want something different from Protestant platitudes and secular sayings, both of which are readily available in Anytown USA.
 
If you don’t pay attention to politics, and if you can earn enough money to have a nice standard of living, California is still the best place in the world to live.
 
I too recommend Wichita. Great town, absolutely amazing diocese. Yes, there are Masses done in the Extraordinary Form, as Wichita is a very traditional diocese. There are Catholic schools, countless Catholic parishes to choose from, and every year there is the Midwest Catholic Family Conference: catholicfamilyconference.org/ Ever wanted to see people like Tim Staples, Scott Hahn, Dr. Ray Guarendi, Dr. Brant Pitre, Stephen Ray, and many others like them live and actually get to meet them? Well, you can at the Conference. I’ve been going eleven years, and thousands of people go each year. It’s incredibly affordable ($90 for the entire weekend for the whole family), and I always feel bad for people who haven’t experienced it.

Oh, and if people think it’s “hickville”, you are very mistaken. 99% of the people here have normal Midwestern accents, just like if they lived in Chicago, Illinois. It’s honestly the same for places like Oklahoma, and even Texas. Are there people here with hick accents and everything? Yes. But I dare you to find a State that doesn’t have them.
 
Roanoke, VA - Catholic High School here (St. Andrews Catholic School). Great family town. In the Blue Ridge Mountains. Two hospitals (Carilion and Lewis Gale). Like Asheville, has four seasons. Close to beach and Washington DC -. 4 hours. Love it!
 
I would suggest checking out the southeast…eastern Tenn., the Carolinas.
 
North Carolina / Pittsburgh-Ohio / Texas are the three main places I have my sights on. I generally prefer more temperate climates with real winters, but the closer you get to Canada the more vacant people’s souls become. Ofc, there’s also belligerent protestantism in the eastern south, and southern Cali is a concrete death trap. Pardon my pessimism. The midwest might be a good choice, but it’s flat with a side of flat, and it’s physically impossible for me to go on a walk with somebody from the midwest without having a brain aneurism from moving my limbs so slowly. Idaho is full of neo-Nazis. The Pacific northwest is a bastion of secular complacency. There’s not really anything in the Dakotas and its getting stripped apart. Michigan is so hopelessly addicted to statism that it flies into long-term recessions and people still keep showing up to vote for kleptocrats. Wisconsin has millions of demon-possessed cows, Florida is a drug-haven for Latin Americans, and New England is the ruling seat of cafeteria Catholicism.

:hypno:
 
Michael57 said:
Why do you, a self-proclaimed God-hating, ex-Protestant (by your own posts), even posting comments like this here? :ehh:

As if you’re giving well-intentioned advice? :dts:

Your obvious sarcasm and anger are really inappropriate, in case you weren’t aware of it before. It’s offensive.😦

I am beginning to think that you might should seek professional help.

You seem to have real problems with your life and circumstances that the Catholic Church never was a factor in, nor a cause of, in so far as you’ve already posted.

What even draws you here?

I think that you should get some counseling or some other help before you have problems elsewhere in your life due to your anger and pain. This attitude of yours will only cause greater repercussions later in your life.

I say this out of concern for your future, and you are heading in a bad direction. Don’t go down that path.

Please. Get help.
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Good Lord!!! If anyone needs help it’s you. :eek:
 
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