Guest guest Posted August 7, 2006 Report Share Posted August 7, 2006 Hi, DH and I have decided our choice of guardians for DD is no longer appropriate. We are having a very difficult time choosing new guardians. Our most important criteria is veganism or at least vegetarianism. However, all potential guardians that would try to follow this have been ruled out for very major reasons. We are preparing to make a list of pros and cons for all family members and friends, again. However, we have absolutely no one we want to raise DD if we can't. Some of the other criteria we are considering are religion, age and physical and mental/emotional health, relationship with spouse and children and parenting style, the time they spend with family and views on issues such as environment, race, gender, politics and other. While it may seem that we are insisting on the perfect person(s), we really aren't. The people we know that aren't veg*n are in diametric opposition to most of our beliefs. Even though I would want my child to be raised by family or a close friend, I am scared for that to happen and sometimes feel that foster care offers better odds. Of course I don't want foster care for my daughter - I have seen how that usually turns out! We are very frustrated and worried. How have you handled potential guardians and veganism? What other criteria have you used? Maybe one of your suggestions will give more positive weight to our " candidates. " Thanks, Carrol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 7, 2006 Report Share Posted August 7, 2006 I appreciate your question. I've been leery to travel with my husband without my children because of the guardianship issue. I also have similar issues with childcare, which is one reason I chose to be a stay-at-home mom. The only person I would feel comfortable with caring for my children is my mother, but she is terminally ill. My next choice is a close friend, but she is single and has always had financial problems. I've come to the conclusion that no one can take the place of Mommy and Daddy, and I just pray that God keeps my husband and/or me around long enough for my children to reach adulthood. I've heard too many horror stories about foster care and therefore, would not want that option for my children. - rtillmansmail Monday, August 07, 2006 12:27 AM choosing guardians Hi, DH and I have decided our choice of guardians for DD is no longer appropriate. We are having a very difficult time choosing new guardians. Our most important criteria is veganism or at least vegetarianism. However, all potential guardians that would try to follow this have been ruled out for very major reasons. We are preparing to make a list of pros and cons for all family members and friends, again. However, we have absolutely no one we want to raise DD if we can't. Some of the other criteria we are considering are religion, age and physical and mental/emotional health, relationship with spouse and children and parenting style, the time they spend with family and views on issues such as environment, race, gender, politics and other. While it may seem that we are insisting on the perfect person(s), we really aren't. The people we know that aren't veg*n are in diametric opposition to most of our beliefs. Even though I would want my child to be raised by family or a close friend, I am scared for that to happen and sometimes feel that foster care offers better odds. Of course I don't want foster care for my daughter - I have seen how that usually turns out! We are very frustrated and worried. How have you handled potential guardians and veganism? What other criteria have you used? Maybe one of your suggestions will give more positive weight to our " candidates. " Thanks, Carrol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 7, 2006 Report Share Posted August 7, 2006 Did you ever see that episode of Cosby where the older daughter and her husband have twins but refuse to be in the same place at any time? They were afraid if they were in the same location, they would perish together leaving the children parentless. They wore themselves out trying to avoid each other. While this is not realistic and doesn't lend itself towards a good marriage or stable family, I can understand the point of the episode. My grandmother was a great foster parent. I lived with her during this time (I was going to college). She received many children that suffered more at the hands of their foster parents than their own parents. I would never want my child in foster home. I am just so frustrated. I feel like it is a huge gamble with any of our family members (other issues like parenting style, intolerance and religion are a problem as well). Someone advised we let go of our beliefs and chose somneone with a good parenting style and a stable home. As I mentioned above, that is definitley part of the problem. Two of our family members will work with vegetarianism (not exclusively) but gentle parenting and stablility are not in their vocabulary, or most of our family. We are not old but are not young parents either. We are in our early 40's with a 3 year old. I expect to live forever but have to face the reality that we could leave a minor parentless (I already have an undiagnosed problem). Fortunately, as long as we are able to keep up on insurance premiums etc, finances for our child won't be a problem. And I have no problem pointing a trustee separate from the guardian. We just don't want our child to be raised in a bad environment and are trying to determine which is best. I don't want a judge making the decision. Carrol , <admartin5 wrote: > > I appreciate your question. I've been leery to travel with my husband without my children because of the guardianship issue. I also have similar issues with childcare, which is one reason I chose to be a stay-at-home mom. > > The only person I would feel comfortable with caring for my children is my mother, but she is terminally ill. My next choice is a close friend, but she is single and has always had financial problems. I've come to the conclusion that no one can take the place of Mommy and Daddy, and I just pray that God keeps my husband and/or me around long enough for my children to reach adulthood. I've heard too many horror stories about foster care and therefore, would not want that option for my children. > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 7, 2006 Report Share Posted August 7, 2006 We have also wrestled with this. Mid '40s with a ten year old, we agonized over this throughout my pregnance. We choose a close friend as guardian/godmother for our daughter. We have been friends since we were five and her life philosophy is closest to ours. Despite being single and childless (though she is a teacher and has three dogs), we know that if we were not here, our friend and daughter would be a great family and our daughter would remain involved with her friends and blood relations. rtillmansmail <rtillmansmail wrote: Did you ever see that episode of Cosby where the older daughter and her husband have twins but refuse to be in the same place at any time? They were afraid if they were in the same location, they would perish together leaving the children parentless. They wore themselves out trying to avoid each other. While this is not realistic and doesn't lend itself towards a good marriage or stable family, I can understand the point of the episode. My grandmother was a great foster parent. I lived with her during this time (I was going to college). She received many children that suffered more at the hands of their foster parents than their own parents. I would never want my child in foster home. I am just so frustrated. I feel like it is a huge gamble with any of our family members (other issues like parenting style, intolerance and religion are a problem as well). Someone advised we let go of our beliefs and chose somneone with a good parenting style and a stable home. As I mentioned above, that is definitley part of the problem. Two of our family members will work with vegetarianism (not exclusively) but gentle parenting and stablility are not in their vocabulary, or most of our family. We are not old but are not young parents either. We are in our early 40's with a 3 year old. I expect to live forever but have to face the reality that we could leave a minor parentless (I already have an undiagnosed problem). Fortunately, as long as we are able to keep up on insurance premiums etc, finances for our child won't be a problem. And I have no problem pointing a trustee separate from the guardian. We just don't want our child to be raised in a bad environment and are trying to determine which is best. I don't want a judge making the decision. Carrol , wrote: > > I appreciate your question. I've been leery to travel with my husband without my children because of the guardianship issue. I also have similar issues with childcare, which is one reason I chose to be a stay-at-home mom. > > The only person I would feel comfortable with caring for my children is my mother, but she is terminally ill. My next choice is a close friend, but she is single and has always had financial problems. I've come to the conclusion that no one can take the place of Mommy and Daddy, and I just pray that God keeps my husband and/or me around long enough for my children to reach adulthood. I've heard too many horror stories about foster care and therefore, would not want that option for my children. > > > For more information about vegetarianism, please visit the VRG website at http://www.vrg.org and for materials especially useful for families go to http://www.vrg.org/family.This is a discussion list and is not intended to provide personal medical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a qualified health professional. edical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a qualified health professional. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 7, 2006 Report Share Posted August 7, 2006 we've considered this many times too. we have a 16-month-old and another on the way. we're younger (22 and 27), but we're not so naive that we don't realize that anything could happen at any time. so we've definitely considered the issue. we're vegan, but really that's the least of our lifestyle issues. my husband and i grew up in completely different circumstances. there are pros and cons on both sides. on my side, my stepmother was abusive to me, but she's turned around in some ways (at least with physical violence) and she adores our son. my husband's parents are complete opposites from mine. they would raise him with at least some aspects of our spirituality, but not others. neither set of parents would be willing to raise him vegetarian, much less vegan, or to attachment-parent. neither set would consider alternative schooling. both sides are extremely conservative politically. we love our parents, but honestly there are more reasons why we would NOT want our children with them than reasons why we would. but we recognize that in the event of our deaths, if we don't have a decision laid out, there would be a huge legal battle between our families (and our parents don't get along, so it would be pretty ugly). so we thought long and hard about it. i'm an only child. my husband has five siblings. so we thought a lot about his siblings. two we ruled out immediately because they're too young. two others, married, we ruled out because they don't share any of our values at all. but we are very fortunate in that he has one sibling, a brother, who shares many of our beliefs. we even converted him to vegetarianism and he's trying to push his wife to become vegan with him also. he's in favor of homebirthing and attachment-parenting. i'm a student midwife and he's already planning on me catching their babies (she's a little more hesitant but he's working on her, lol). they are both artists and quite liberal politically (but independent, not democrats, which is also a plus!). they share our religion, although he's sort of uncomfortably effusive about it. there are some other drawbacks also (like i think they are both very immature, but then, they're only 21), but i consider it a tremendous blessing that we have someone in the family whom we trust who share many of our values and beliefs. and they were completely receptive to the idea of becoming our son's guardians. so on isaiah's first birthday we had them sign a paper stating that they would become isaiah's legal guardians in the event of our deaths. of course you have to compromise. i don't know about other people but i know that my husband and i are extremely isolated in our values and belief systems. so finding someone who was even remotely close to that was a miracle, and we jumped on it. they know how we'd like to raise our kids, how we're attempting to raise them. of course they have their own ideas, but we just have to trust that at least we chose the closest approximation. chandelle' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 7, 2006 Report Share Posted August 7, 2006 I think two points which have already been brought up are so important that they're worth repeating.... 1) Have a will/trust naming the first choice guardian, and a back-up. Anything/anyone is better than letting the courts (and your respective families) duke it out. 2) If you're not independently wealthy, make sure you have adequate life insurance payable to your children. You can name a separate fiduciary (financial) trustee to manage the money rather than the children's guardian(s), if you want. Taking on someone else's children because their parents have died is enough of a shock without also having to absorb all of the added costs. In addition, if money isn't as much of an issue, you can consider people you think would make good guardians but who otherwise wouldn't have been able to take the responsibility on. FWIW, the guardians I've named are not vegetarian, and their lifestyle isn't exactly like ours. However, they would respect our diet WRT raising my children. And they are honest, honourable, good people who love my children, and whom my children love. You can't have everything, so you have to prioritize. Liz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 7, 2006 Report Share Posted August 7, 2006 >My next choice is a close friend, but she is single and has always >had financial problems. i got around a similar problem that making sure my life insurance policy provides enough for my daughter's care and pays off the house Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 8, 2006 Report Share Posted August 8, 2006 We have taken care of the financial issues. When we take veg'nism out of the equation that leaves only people who have parentng styles we can't stand. Things like intolerance, racism, shame and guilt, spanking and " children are to be seen and not heard. " Heartbreaking for me to think my dd would be raised by people like this. This even includes our best childhood friends. We have grown so much more than our family and friends. We are considering moving to an area that has a larger community of veg*ns or AP parents just so we can make new friends. Does anyone know which areas of the US this may be? I'm serious. I mean, we are talking about moving for her education. So, why not for her potential guardians? Chandelle - that's great that you were able to do that. All of the people in my life that are flexible are not in good enough health to consider. We thought we could count on one particular couple and then a single friend but have found that these choices are just as bad as the others. Carrol , ERB <bakwin wrote: > > I think two points which have already been brought up > are so important that they're worth repeating.... > > 1) Have a will/trust naming the first choice guardian, > and a back-up. Anything/anyone is better than letting > the courts (and your respective families) duke it out. > > 2) If you're not independently wealthy, make sure you > have adequate life insurance payable to your children. > You can name a separate fiduciary (financial) trustee > to manage the money rather than the children's > guardian(s), if you want. > > Taking on someone else's children because their > parents have died is enough of a shock without also > having to absorb all of the added costs. In addition, > if money isn't as much of an issue, you can consider > people you think would make good guardians but who > otherwise wouldn't have been able to take the > responsibility on. > > FWIW, the guardians I've named are not vegetarian, and > their lifestyle isn't exactly like ours. However, > they would respect our diet WRT raising my children. > And they are honest, honourable, good people who love > my children, and whom my children love. > > You can't have everything, so you have to prioritize. > > Liz > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 8, 2006 Report Share Posted August 8, 2006 Carrol, I think you're doing exactly the right thing. Moving isn't a bad idea. It sounds like you've out grown your current friends in more than one way. The most vegan friendly place I know is Seattle, WA. It's amazing and there is a true sense of community there. You should check it out...maybe a vacation or a long weekend. You will be impressed. Even the surrounding areas are very veggie/vegan savvy. The school are good, as well. Susan , " rtillmansmail " <rtillmansmail wrote: > > We have taken care of the financial issues. When we take veg'nism out > of the equation that leaves only people who have parentng styles we > can't stand. Things like intolerance, racism, shame and guilt, > spanking and " children are to be seen and not heard. " Heartbreaking > for me to think my dd would be raised by people like this. This even > includes our best childhood friends. We have grown so much more than > our family and friends. We are considering moving to an area that has > a larger community of veg*ns or AP parents just so we can make new > friends. Does anyone know which areas of the US this may be? I'm > serious. I mean, we are talking about moving for her education. So, > why not for her potential guardians? > > Chandelle - that's great that you were able to do that. All of the > people in my life that are flexible are not in good enough health to > consider. > > We thought we could count on one particular couple and then a single > friend but have found that these choices are just as bad as the > others. > Carrol > > > , ERB <bakwin@> wrote: > > > > I think two points which have already been brought up > > are so important that they're worth repeating.... > > > > 1) Have a will/trust naming the first choice guardian, > > and a back-up. Anything/anyone is better than letting > > the courts (and your respective families) duke it out. > > > > 2) If you're not independently wealthy, make sure you > > have adequate life insurance payable to your children. > > You can name a separate fiduciary (financial) trustee > > to manage the money rather than the children's > > guardian(s), if you want. > > > > Taking on someone else's children because their > > parents have died is enough of a shock without also > > having to absorb all of the added costs. In addition, > > if money isn't as much of an issue, you can consider > > people you think would make good guardians but who > > otherwise wouldn't have been able to take the > > responsibility on. > > > > FWIW, the guardians I've named are not vegetarian, and > > their lifestyle isn't exactly like ours. However, > > they would respect our diet WRT raising my children. > > And they are honest, honourable, good people who love > > my children, and whom my children love. > > > > You can't have everything, so you have to prioritize. > > > > Liz > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 8, 2006 Report Share Posted August 8, 2006 Carrol, Come to Chicago! A wonderful, diverse city. Our daughter is in a public school that was rated one of the top ten in the US. Please contact me offlist if you have any questions. Robin rtillmansmail <rtillmansmail wrote: We have taken care of the financial issues. When we take veg'nism out of the equation that leaves only people who have parentng styles we can't stand. Things like intolerance, racism, shame and guilt, spanking and " children are to be seen and not heard. " Heartbreaking for me to think my dd would be raised by people like this. This even includes our best childhood friends. We have grown so much more than our family and friends. We are considering moving to an area that has a larger community of veg*ns or AP parents just so we can make new friends. Does anyone know which areas of the US this may be? I'm serious. I mean, we are talking about moving for her education. So, why not for her potential guardians? Chandelle - that's great that you were able to do that. All of the people in my life that are flexible are not in good enough health to consider. We thought we could count on one particular couple and then a single friend but have found that these choices are just as bad as the others. Carrol , ERB wrote: > > I think two points which have already been brought up > are so important that they're worth repeating.... > > 1) Have a will/trust naming the first choice guardian, > and a back-up. Anything/anyone is better than letting > the courts (and your respective families) duke it out. > > 2) If you're not independently wealthy, make sure you > have adequate life insurance payable to your children. > You can name a separate fiduciary (financial) trustee > to manage the money rather than the children's > guardian(s), if you want. > > Taking on someone else's children because their > parents have died is enough of a shock without also > having to absorb all of the added costs. In addition, > if money isn't as much of an issue, you can consider > people you think would make good guardians but who > otherwise wouldn't have been able to take the > responsibility on. > > FWIW, the guardians I've named are not vegetarian, and > their lifestyle isn't exactly like ours. However, > they would respect our diet WRT raising my children. > And they are honest, honourable, good people who love > my children, and whom my children love. > > You can't have everything, so you have to prioritize. > > Liz > For more information about vegetarianism, please visit the VRG website at http://www.vrg.org and for materials especially useful for families go to http://www.vrg.org/family.This is a discussion list and is not intended to provide personal medical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a qualified health professional. edical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a qualified health professional. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 9, 2006 Report Share Posted August 9, 2006 We're in the process of moving to Austin, TX for the same reasons. There are many veg only restaurants and veg friendly restaurants too. Definitely a true sense of community, cool people, mild weather, great culture and music scene, hilly and green, affordable and very liberal. We were looking at Austin, Portland and Seattle as the top choices. N.Ca and Boulder would have been great but we would not have been able to afford even a 1 room studio and my husband and I already lived in Colorado!! We decided on Austin. Although, you can't go wrong with any of them! earthgrlss <earthgrl wrote: Carrol, I think you're doing exactly the right thing. Moving isn't a bad idea. It sounds like you've out grown your current friends in more than one way. The most vegan friendly place I know is Seattle, WA. It's amazing and there is a true sense of community there. You should check it out...maybe a vacation or a long weekend. You will be impressed. Even the surrounding areas are very veggie/vegan savvy. The school are good, as well. Susan , " rtillmansmail " <rtillmansmail wrote: > > We have taken care of the financial issues. When we take veg'nism out > of the equation that leaves only people who have parentng styles we > can't stand. Things like intolerance, racism, shame and guilt, > spanking and " children are to be seen and not heard. " Heartbreaking > for me to think my dd would be raised by people like this. This even > includes our best childhood friends. We have grown so much more than > our family and friends. We are considering moving to an area that has > a larger community of veg*ns or AP parents just so we can make new > friends. Does anyone know which areas of the US this may be? I'm > serious. I mean, we are talking about moving for her education. So, > why not for her potential guardians? > > Chandelle - that's great that you were able to do that. All of the > people in my life that are flexible are not in good enough health to > consider. > > We thought we could count on one particular couple and then a single > friend but have found that these choices are just as bad as the > others. > Carrol > > > , ERB <bakwin@> wrote: > > > > I think two points which have already been brought up > > are so important that they're worth repeating.... > > > > 1) Have a will/trust naming the first choice guardian, > > and a back-up. Anything/anyone is better than letting > > the courts (and your respective families) duke it out. > > > > 2) If you're not independently wealthy, make sure you > > have adequate life insurance payable to your children. > > You can name a separate fiduciary (financial) trustee > > to manage the money rather than the children's > > guardian(s), if you want. > > > > Taking on someone else's children because their > > parents have died is enough of a shock without also > > having to absorb all of the added costs. In addition, > > if money isn't as much of an issue, you can consider > > people you think would make good guardians but who > > otherwise wouldn't have been able to take the > > responsibility on. > > > > FWIW, the guardians I've named are not vegetarian, and > > their lifestyle isn't exactly like ours. However, > > they would respect our diet WRT raising my children. > > And they are honest, honourable, good people who love > > my children, and whom my children love. > > > > You can't have everything, so you have to prioritize. > > > > Liz > > > " The greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated. " Gandhi " Each man is haunted until his humanity awakens " Blake " Sit down before fact like a little child, and be prepared to give up every preconceived notion, follow humbly wherever and to whatever abyss Nature leads, or you shall learn nothing. " T.H. Huxley Everyone is raving about the all-new Mail Beta. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 9, 2006 Report Share Posted August 9, 2006 <<We are considering moving to an area that has a larger community of veg*ns or AP parents just so we can make new friends. Does anyone know which areas of the US this may be?>> Any big city or university town would be a huge improvement to your current situation. Every state has some place....even Texas has Austin. Which part of the country are you in? And are your jobs transferable? Liz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 9, 2006 Report Share Posted August 9, 2006 , " rtillmansmail " <rtillmansmail wrote: > > We have taken care of the financial issues. When we take veg'nism out > of the equation that leaves only people who have parentng styles we > can't stand. Things like intolerance, racism, shame and guilt, > spanking and " children are to be seen and not heard. " ...... ...Does anyone know which areas of the US this may be? I'm > serious. I mean, we are talking about moving for her education. So, why not for her potential guardians?... Oh, please consider Jersey Village, TX! No, not really. We have some decent schools, but I think I'm the only vegetarian in this part of the Houston area. I have a similar problem with finding a guardian. My husband wants to name his sister - who may or may not respect vegetarian. BUT she's a smoker - UGGGHH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 10, 2006 Report Share Posted August 10, 2006 We can't wait to have y'all here, Tricia! :-) Amy On Aug 9, 2006, at 12:12 PM, wrote: > 2c. Re: choosing guardians > Posted by: " Tricia McElwee " triciamcelwee triciamcelwee > Wed Aug 9, 2006 5:15 am (PDT) > > We're in the process of moving to Austin, TX for the same reasons. > There are many veg only restaurants and veg friendly restaurants > too. Definitely a true sense of community, cool people, mild > weather, great culture and music scene, hilly and green, affordable > and very liberal. > > We were looking at Austin, Portland and Seattle as the top > choices. N.Ca and Boulder would have been great but we would not > have been able to afford even a 1 room studio and my husband and I > already lived in Colorado!! We decided on Austin. Although, you > can't go wrong with any of them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 10, 2006 Report Share Posted August 10, 2006 Thank you :-) Soooo looking forward to it. Amy Nylund <austinvegan wrote: We can't wait to have y'all here, Tricia! :-) Amy On Aug 9, 2006, at 12:12 PM, wrote: > 2c. Re: choosing guardians > Posted by: " Tricia McElwee " triciamcelwee triciamcelwee > Wed Aug 9, 2006 5:15 am (PDT) > > We're in the process of moving to Austin, TX for the same reasons. > There are many veg only restaurants and veg friendly restaurants > too. Definitely a true sense of community, cool people, mild > weather, great culture and music scene, hilly and green, affordable > and very liberal. > > We were looking at Austin, Portland and Seattle as the top > choices. N.Ca and Boulder would have been great but we would not > have been able to afford even a 1 room studio and my husband and I > already lived in Colorado!! We decided on Austin. Although, you > can't go wrong with any of them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 10, 2006 Report Share Posted August 10, 2006 > We have grown so much more than our family and friends. We are considering > moving to an area that has a larger community of veg*ns or AP parents just so > we can make new friends. Does anyone know which areas of the US this may be? > I'm serious. I mean, we are talking about moving for her education. So, why not > for her potential guardians? How about the Philadelphia, PA area or Bethlehem, PA. We live between the two and both are veggie friendly. Plenty of health food stores. More and more veg restaurants opening up. The area has alot of great school districts and many colleges & universities to choose from. There are also many veg groups active in the area. I read an article recently (I forget where) that Bethlehem is one of the best places to retire and Philly was named by National Geographic traveler as the next young & hip city to move to. The area's economy is booming too! Lots to do outdoors as well. Philly has the largest city park system in the country and Pennsylvania has more state parks than any state, so you're never far from the country if you like that. Too place my opinion in context, I grew up in NW Pennsylvania in a small rural dairy farming communtiy and am not too fond of urban and suburban areas, but I live here now (my wife is from Philly) and am pretty happy with where I am. If I just could afford 100 acres to have my farm! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 11, 2006 Report Share Posted August 11, 2006 We were in Philly about 5 years ago. I did notice how veg friendly it is. And, although my husband was raised in Atlanta, he was born in Philly. He lived in Upper Darby (or is it Lower Darby?) for his first 6 years. None of his family lives in PA now but I will mention it to him. When we considered it years ago we were childless with different priorities. It seems that maybe the crime rate was an issue at that time. Do you have info on this? We love the parks and outdoor activities. How else would you describe the area you live in - size, transportation, culture, etc.? Can you get houses with real yards (not farm sized!) without paying a fortune? I'll look some of this up but first hand experience is always handy. Thanks for the reminder! Carrol > How about the Philadelphia, PA area or Bethlehem, PA. We live between the two and both > are veggie friendly. Plenty of health food stores. More and more veg restaurants opening > up. The area has alot of great school districts and many colleges & universities to choose > from. There are also many veg groups active in the area. I read an article recently (I forget > where) that Bethlehem is one of the best places to retire and Philly was named by National > Geographic traveler as the next young & hip city to move to. The area's economy is > booming too! Lots to do outdoors as well. Philly has the largest city park system in the > country and Pennsylvania has more state parks than any state, so you're never far from the > country if you like that. > > Too place my opinion in context, I grew up in NW Pennsylvania in a small rural dairy > farming communtiy and am not too fond of urban and suburban areas, but I live here now > (my wife is from Philly) and am pretty happy with where I am. If I just could afford 100 > acres to have my farm! > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 12, 2006 Report Share Posted August 12, 2006 The whole Delaware Valley (SE Penn) is quite a large area. It is like many metropolitin areas. Remember we are part of the Megalopolis that stretches from Washington D.C to Boston. Every open space that isn't protected is being taken up with housing, commercial interests and buisiness. That being said, you can find houses with a small bit of land usually around .2 acres. Philadelphia & the Deleware Valley has pretty decent public transportation (for the US) and there is a push to expand it. We definitely need it as the major and minor thoroughfares are becoming more and more congested. The prices have been increasing rapidly, but I think we're more affordable than other areas like Boston, NY and San Francisco. The real estate market has certainly cooled down this year. My wife and I bought our 1440 sq. ft. townhouse with .08 acres, 4 years ago for $115,000 and we are selling right now for $188,900. Similar homes in our development have sold for $190,000-$195,000. We are moving closer to Philly to be close to my DW's family and a comperable house just outside the city limits are going from $200,000 to $250,000, depending on the community. Just to give some visual, here's a link to our house. Notice the organic, raised bed garden that gives us lots of delicious goodies. The covered stuff is my basil that the japaneese beetles have been trying to destroy. http://WebLinks.trendmls.com/Ecard/Ecard.asp? DM=CV & i=25776512 & e=5714 & k=57%2E047 I hope this helps! David > We love the parks and outdoor activities. How else would you describe > the area you live in - size, transportation, culture, etc.? Can you > get houses with real yards (not farm sized!) without paying a > fortune? I'll look some of this up but first hand experience is > always handy. > > Thanks for the reminder! > Carrol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 12, 2006 Report Share Posted August 12, 2006 > >How about the Philadelphia, PA area or Bethlehem, PA. I live about 8 miles outside of Bethlehem and while there are a lot of stores that make veg living possible and some restaurants and stuff, I think the rapidly changing character of the area makes it hard to recommend to anyone. Housing costs are skyrocketing-- I bought my half a double in '03 for 95k, my friend bought a similar but slightly smaller home in 04 for 120K and now it would be $150. It's hard to find jobs that pay decently close to home. Plus with all the commercial and residential development, and the potential of casinos in Bethlehem, who know what kind of situation the area will be in in five years? Plus the public transport here is very limited and the highways can be troublesome, but nothing like traffic in major metropolis areas. I'm also editor of a newspaper in Bethlehem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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