Guest guest Posted April 13, 2009 Report Share Posted April 13, 2009 Portland OR is very veg friendly. And I think you'd fit right in! We lived there for 3 years (pre-kids, but not pre-veg--in fact I went from vegetarian to vegan while there...) and loved it and I constantly miss it. HTH, Elizabeth On Mon, Apr 13, 2009 at 2:34 PM, Amity Pauley <havingagreatfuldaywrote: > > > The Easter holiday yesterday made me very frusterated and even more > determined to move. My family is becoming more and more hard to deal with on > the vegetarian issue. We try to laugh it all off but it seems that they are > becoming almost hostile about our life style. For many years now my husband > and i have been wanting to move to a new location. (we live in Fort Wayne, > IN) We had our eyes and hopes set on California (San Diego area mostly). > Unfortunately the state that California is in now doesn't give us much hope > of actually being able to stay there for an extended amount of time. I > guess what I am saying is that I need your help!!! We are very liberal, and > would love to find a community where we will not be looked at as if we are > from another planet. (along with being extremely strict vegetarians we are > fairly heavily tattooed and wear our hair in locks.) I love big cities but I > love the country too. Mostly I am looking for > suggestions on places that are more veg friendly, places where it will be > easy to meet friends that we don't have to argue with about our lifestyle. > We just want to live peacefully without drama. A good music scene would be > a plus too. Thanks in advance for any and all advice. > > Amity > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 13, 2009 Report Share Posted April 13, 2009 Go to New Orleans. It has a reputation for being extremely meet centric and some places are, but there are a number of vegetarian/vegan options if you know where to look. I lived there for 8 years as a vegetarian (and 34 all together) and when I go back in May for a visit, I'll be vegan. And honestly, in New Orleans, nobody cares what you look like and what you do. There is a huge tattooed/pierced community along with punks and goths, bike-riders, etc, so you could certainly find your place there whatever it may be. I am one of the tattooed/pierced people, so I know. One of the local coffee shops just hired a vegan chef, which is pretty exciting for that area. You will run into problems at certain restaurants (very high end) with people not getting what being veg means, but that will be in almost any city. I have a long list in my head of places to eat there that I know off offhand and New Orleans is like a world onto itself. It also moves very slowly there as well. Everybody there is a little different, so it doesn't matter if you as well. So while you would easily be accepted there, there are negatives. The possibility of having to run from hurricanes, housing costs and job opportunities. However, since you were looking into San Diego, it seems housing costs would be less than that. The music scene is incredible with lots of local support. Basically, any taste you have is probably there in some form. - Dawn M. Amity Pauley wrote: > > > The Easter holiday yesterday made me very frusterated and even more > determined to move. My family is becoming more and more hard to deal > with on the vegetarian issue. We try to laugh it all off but it seems > that they are becoming almost hostile about our life style. For many > years now my husband and i have been wanting to move to a new > location. (we live in Fort Wayne, IN) We had our eyes and hopes set > on California (San Diego area mostly). Unfortunately the state that > California is in now doesn't give us much hope of actually being able > to stay there for an extended amount of time. I guess what I am > saying is that I need your help!!! We are very liberal, and would > love to find a community where we will not be looked at as if we are > from another planet. (along with being extremely strict vegetarians we > are fairly heavily tattooed and wear our hair in locks.) I love big > cities but I love the country too. Mostly I am looking for > suggestions on places that are more veg friendly, places where it will > be easy to meet friends that we don't have to argue with about our > lifestyle. We just want to live peacefully without drama. A good > music scene would be a plus too. Thanks in advance for any and all > advice. > > Amity > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 13, 2009 Report Share Posted April 13, 2009 Hi Amity, So sorry your weekend was tough. Families are an interesting thing - I find I want to be near my family on holidays, then sometimes have to debrief for a couple days afterward. I mean, my family is nice enough about the vegetarianism, and cook things for us special, but they also overlook some things like gelatin in sweets sometimes. They may be more aware since we've been doing this for over 20 years now - and we live in San Diego, so southern CA has a bit more awareness of our crunchy, hippy ways. :-) That said, if I didn't have family here and friends and an established business and a connection to the area (I've lived other places and just so miss the beaches and Balboa Park and the connection I feel since I was raised here) - if I didn't have all that, I'd live somewhere else. California real estate is a mess, the economy is a disaster, and even though the rest of the world sees CA as the hippy mecca, San Diego and some other southern CA areas can be very conservative - high republican count, lots of military bases that tend to be more conservative politically, etc. But, there are cool areas like Hillcrest in the metro area and the north coastal beach areas like Encinitas and around there. If you really like CA, the San Francisco Bay area is also cool, but even more expensive than San Diego. If you're really willing to go to another area, what about Seattle or Portland or New York or Hawaii somewhere? And here's a couple ideas: online there are quiz sites that ask questions, and at the end of the quiz, they suggest places you would like to live - I think it was discussed on this list before, if you want to check archives, or just google something like " where should I live. " And another idea, if you can afford it, try visiting a couple places you're interested in living - check out rental/real estate prices while you're there, restaurants, parks, schools, jobs, grocery stores, CSAs, etc. We have two friends/families who have moved to cities they vacationed in because they loved the area so much - both left San Diego - one went to Portland and one to Seattle. Both are really happy with their moves. And if you decide to come to San Diego, there is a natural families here and lots of attachment parenting kinds of groups and playgroups, an annual Earth Fair, and some good health food stores, CSAs, a good co-op hfs (in Ocean Beach - you guys might like that area, too), etc. And we haven't had a problem seeing local live music whenever we want to - plus good museums, theater, etc. Good luck with your decision! Lorraine On Behalf Of Amity Pauley Monday, April 13, 2009 12:35 PM At my witts end The Easter holiday yesterday made me very frusterated and even more determined to move. My family is becoming more and more hard to deal with on the vegetarian issue. We try to laugh it all off but it seems that they are becoming almost hostile about our life style. For many years now my husband and i have been wanting to move to a new location. (we live in Fort Wayne, IN) We had our eyes and hopes set on California (San Diego area mostly). Unfortunately the state that California is in now doesn't give us much hope of actually being able to stay there for an extended amount of time. I guess what I am saying is that I need your help!!! We are very liberal, and would love to find a community where we will not be looked at as if we are from another planet. (along with being extremely strict vegetarians we are fairly heavily tattooed and wear our hair in locks.) I love big cities but I love the country too. Mostly I am looking for suggestions on places that are more veg friendly, places where it will be easy to meet friends that we don't have to argue with about our lifestyle. We just want to live peacefully without drama. A good music scene would be a plus too. Thanks in advance for any and all advice. Amity Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 13, 2009 Report Share Posted April 13, 2009 Hi- Well, I'm going to recommend you check out Astin Texas. I've never set foot there (!) but I hear it's an eccentric city, great music scene, all alternative types welcome- and anomaly for Texas, to be sure. Others in this group might be more familiar with it. I personally live in Sacramento CA. I confess I wouldn't choose to set foot anywhere near southern CA (to live, anyway)- the traffic alone would make me insane, among other things. I'm sure plenty of people in this group live in that general area and love it to death and hate Sacramento (and can give you all the good points of SoCal). Good points of Sacramento: no one would blink an eye at tattoos or dreads, LOTS of natural food stores/coop/ good selection of veg restaurants. The music scene seems fairly vibrant to me, although I don't run in those circles much with three small kids. Also MUCH cheaper to live than Southern California, at least housing wise. Some other Northern CA areas to consider: Davis (went to college there, 20 minutes from Sacramento, all of the good points of Sac- but moreso, more expensive houses, to be sure, but more of a college town feel. The most 'bicycle friendly' town in the nation- awesome place to live if you like alternative transportation); The Northern Coast (I'd love to live in Arcata, the home of Humboldt State). As a general rule, plenty liberal, again, no batting of eyes at 'alternative' lifestyles and appearances, including veg, one of the best co-op 'systems' in the nation (it's a group of several stores in different towns), AFFORDABLE (for CA). I'd stay away from Eureka; it's more of a traditional logging town; I don't think there's much of a logging industry anymore, but the feel remains in some ways. If you're looking for a BIG city (the Sacramento area's about 400,000-500,000), you might check into Portland, Oregon or Seattle. Portland, I haven't spent much time in, but I know for sure it's veg friendly, green (in many different ways!), again with the tattoos and dreads no big deal. Seattle is my very favorite city in the whole world. VERY veg friendly, houses on the expensive side (I'm guessing it would be fairly similar to Southern Cal, but since the recession, don't know. It's one of those places that exploded during the housing boom and I know it's suffered, price-wise). Mass transit friendly, great restaurants, etc. Great group of co-ops, several locations, again. I spent a lot of time there as a kid (and an adult) and I just can't say enough about it. I would move there in a a heartbeat if I was looking to move. I'd say anywhere on the west coast would be culture shock for anyone moving from Indiana; for your family, probably that would translate to a very good thing! I haven't ever been to IN, but my husband spent part of every summer there and calls it a 'time warp'. I certainly wish you luck in your quest. j. ________________________________ Amity Pauley <havingagreatfulday Monday, April 13, 2009 2:34:49 PM At my witts end The Easter holiday yesterday made me very frusterated and even more determined to move. My family is becoming more and more hard to deal with on the vegetarian issue. We try to laugh it all off but it seems that they are becoming almost hostile about our life style. For many years now my husband and i have been wanting to move to a new location. (we live in Fort Wayne, IN) We had our eyes and hopes set on California (San Diego area mostly). Unfortunately the state that California is in now doesn't give us much hope of actually being able to stay there for an extended amount of time. I guess what I am saying is that I need your help!!! We are very liberal, and would love to find a community where we will not be looked at as if we are from another planet. (along with being extremely strict vegetarians we are fairly heavily tattooed and wear our hair in locks.) I love big cities but I love the country too. Mostly I am looking for suggestions on places that are more veg friendly, places where it will be easy to meet friends that we don't have to argue with about our lifestyle. We just want to live peacefully without drama. A good music scene would be a plus too. Thanks in advance for any and all advice. Amity Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 13, 2009 Report Share Posted April 13, 2009 Come to Chicago! It's very veg-friendly, progressive and culturally diverse. Nobody seems at all taken aback by the fact that my husband and I are vegan and we are raising our son that way. There is always something going on, plenty of which are free events, and there are no shortage of vegan and veg-friendly establishments. We have a vegan family network here, too, which meets once a month and gives our children peers who live the same way they do. Come out this way! Marla > The Easter holiday yesterday made me very frusterated and even more determined > to move. My family is becoming more and more hard to deal with on the > vegetarian issue. We try to laugh it all off but it seems that they are > becoming almost hostile about our life style. For many years now my husband > and i have been wanting to move to a new location. (we live in Fort Wayne, > IN) We had our eyes and hopes set on California (San Diego area mostly). > Unfortunately the state that California is in now doesn't give us much hope of > actually being able to stay there for an extended amount of time. I guess > what I am saying is that I need your help!!! We are very liberal, and would > love to find a community where we will not be looked at as if we are from > another planet. (along with being extremely strict vegetarians we are fairly > heavily tattooed and wear our hair in locks.) I love big cities but I love the > country too. Mostly I am looking for > suggestions on places that are more veg friendly, places where it will be easy > to meet friends that we don't have to argue with about our lifestyle. We just > want to live peacefully without drama. A good music scene would be a plus > too. Thanks in advance for any and all advice. > > Amity > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 13, 2009 Report Share Posted April 13, 2009 Hi Amity, What about Chicago? It is close enough to your family for occasional visits, and very veg and tatoo friendly. Robin --- On Mon, 4/13/09, Amity Pauley <havingagreatfulday wrote: Amity Pauley <havingagreatfulday At my witts end Monday, April 13, 2009, 2:34 PM The Easter holiday yesterday made me very frusterated and even more determined to move. My family is becoming more and more hard to deal with on the vegetarian issue. We try to laugh it all off but it seems that they are becoming almost hostile about our life style. For many years now my husband and i have been wanting to move to a new location. (we live in Fort Wayne, IN) We had our eyes and hopes set on California (San Diego area mostly). Unfortunately the state that California is in now doesn't give us much hope of actually being able to stay there for an extended amount of time. I guess what I am saying is that I need your help!!! We are very liberal, and would love to find a community where we will not be looked at as if we are from another planet. (along with being extremely strict vegetarians we are fairly heavily tattooed and wear our hair in locks.) I love big cities but I love the country too. Mostly I am looking for suggestions on places that are more veg friendly, places where it will be easy to meet friends that we don't have to argue with about our lifestyle. We just want to live peacefully without drama. A good music scene would be a plus too. Thanks in advance for any and all advice. Amity Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 13, 2009 Report Share Posted April 13, 2009 Chicago - or more technically - Oak Park, IL. There's been a HUGE surge of cool vegan restaurants/bakeries that opened in the last couple of years. We have a pretty huge vegan potluck group that meets once a month, rotating to different houses in winter (basically when it's too cold out) and then in parks all summer (I think it ranges from Chicago to the suburbs). We have great public transportation out here, and there's a pretty active music scene (my friend and I just went recently to see a country-punk fusion band! They did country songs to punk tunes and vice versa - it was awesome!). There is also the Pitchfork music festival and the Hideout (once a year they do a block party that's 3 days, they had a vegetarian food stand, and a vegan ice cream stand and a few other things, oh and a kids area with Puppet Bike!). There's of course all manner of thing in Chicago proper, but I like it out in Oak Park better than in the city - it's close enough, but there's less congestion and people/etc - basically it's a nice compromise for us, because my husband would prefer the big city, but I could go even a bit smaller than here -but the layout and where we are in relation to our city's downtown area, and Chicago proper make it where we are both happy (I'd actually prefer to move to Florida to be closer to my family,but my husband won't even think about it, so this is about as much of a happy medium as we can get LOL). missie On Mon, Apr 13, 2009 at 2:34 PM, Amity Pauley <havingagreatfulday wrote: > > > The Easter holiday yesterday made me very frusterated and even more > determined to move. My family is becoming more and more hard to deal with on > the vegetarian issue. We try to laugh it all off but it seems that they are > becoming almost hostile about our life style. For many years now my husband > and i have been wanting to move to a new location. (we live in Fort Wayne, > IN) We had our eyes and hopes set on California (San Diego area mostly). > Unfortunately the state that California is in now doesn't give us much hope > of actually being able to stay there for an extended amount of time. I > guess what I am saying is that I need your help!!! We are very liberal, and > would love to find a community where we will not be looked at as if we are > from another planet. (along with being extremely strict vegetarians we are > fairly heavily tattooed and wear our hair in locks.) I love big cities but I > love the country too. Mostly I am looking for > suggestions on places that are more veg friendly, places where it will be > easy to meet friends that we don't have to argue with about our lifestyle. > We just want to live peacefully without drama. A good music scene would be > a plus too. Thanks in advance for any and all advice. > > Amity > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 14, 2009 Report Share Posted April 14, 2009 Hi Amity, I can understand your frustrations! We don't have such issue with our extended family and it's because we don't live near them. They live in Michigan and we lived for 9.5 years in Las Vegas and then for the last 2.5 years we've lived in Florida. I've been an ethical vegetarian for 13.5 years now, so most of the time we've been veg it has been living away from them. There are issues when we go back to visit, so I know it would be hard to take if we saw them all the time and lived near them. Have you thought about Orlando? It's very vegetarian friendly. They have several good vegan/veggie restaurants, a very good and active vegetarian group, and it's a beautiful place! Only an hour from the ocean or the Gulf and being central in the state the hurricane risks are lower. The vegetarian group has monthly meetups, special events, and even puts on an Earth Day Festival and VegFest each year. It's great! You could even look a half an hour outside the city in either direction to get out more, but yet still have access to all the good stuff there. Jacqueline Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 14, 2009 Report Share Posted April 14, 2009 Lawrence, kansas Sent via BlackBerry by AT & T Amity Pauley <havingagreatfulday Mon, 13 Apr 2009 12:34:49 At my witts end The Easter holiday yesterday made me very frusterated and even more determined to move. My family is becoming more and more hard to deal with on the vegetarian issue. We try to laugh it all off but it seems that they are becoming almost hostile about our life style. For many years now my husband and i have been wanting to move to a new location. (we live in Fort Wayne, IN) We had our eyes and hopes set on California (San Diego area mostly). Unfortunately the state that California is in now doesn't give us much hope of actually being able to stay there for an extended amount of time. I guess what I am saying is that I need your help!!! We are very liberal, and would love to find a community where we will not be looked at as if we are from another planet. (along with being extremely strict vegetarians we are fairly heavily tattooed and wear our hair in locks.) I love big cities but I love the country too. Mostly I am looking for suggestions on places that are more veg friendly, places where it will be easy to meet friends that we don't have to argue with about our lifestyle. We just want to live peacefully without drama. A good music scene would be a plus too. Thanks in advance for any and all advice. Amity Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 14, 2009 Report Share Posted April 14, 2009 Hi, My name is Sheena and I grew up in St.Louis MO. They have great culture and It's a Big City with a little town feel. I love it there. They have The Loop and guess what, most are covered in tattoo's as well. I myself have very large pieces. I love the fact that you will find ALL walks of life there. I truly think that you would feel at home there. Well good luck!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 14, 2009 Report Share Posted April 14, 2009 What about Eugene, Oregon? It's wet and rainy but progressive, super kid friendly, and lots of veggie options. Rachel Sent from my iPhone On Apr 13, 2009, at 12:34 PM, Amity Pauley <havingagreatfulday wrote: > > > The Easter holiday yesterday made me very frusterated and even more > determined to move. My family is becoming more and more hard to deal > with on the vegetarian issue. We try to laugh it all off but it > seems that they are becoming almost hostile about our life style. > For many years now my husband and i have been wanting to move to a > new location. (we live in Fort Wayne, IN) We had our eyes and hopes > set on California (San Diego area mostly). Unfortunately the state > that California is in now doesn't give us much hope of actually > being able to stay there for an extended amount of time. I guess > what I am saying is that I need your help!!! We are very liberal, > and would love to find a community where we will not be looked at as > if we are from another planet. (along with being extremely strict > vegetarians we are fairly heavily tattooed and wear our hair in > locks.) I love big cities but I love the country too. Mostly I am > looking for > suggestions on places that are more veg friendly, places where it > will be easy to meet friends that we don't have to argue with about > our lifestyle. We just want to live peacefully without drama. A > good music scene would be a plus too. Thanks in advance for any and > all advice. > > Amity > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 14, 2009 Report Share Posted April 14, 2009 Look into some midwestern options; you could even drive or take a train to visit over a weekend to get a real sense. - Ann Arbor, MI - Indianapolis or South Bend, IN - Champaign/Urbana, IL - Madison, WI (Notice they're all college towns?) Liz ________________________________ Amity Pauley <havingagreatfulday Monday, April 13, 2009 2:34:49 PM At my witts end The Easter holiday yesterday made me very frusterated and even more determined to move. My family is becoming more and more hard to deal with on the vegetarian issue. We try to laugh it all off but it seems that they are becoming almost hostile about our life style. For many years now my husband and i have been wanting to move to a new location. (we live in Fort Wayne, IN) We had our eyes and hopes set on California (San Diego area mostly). Unfortunately the state that California is in now doesn't give us much hope of actually being able to stay there for an extended amount of time. I guess what I am saying is that I need your help!!! We are very liberal, and would love to find a community where we will not be looked at as if we are from another planet. (along with being extremely strict vegetarians we are fairly heavily tattooed and wear our hair in locks.) I love big cities but I love the country too. Mostly I am looking for suggestions on places that are more veg friendly, places where it will be easy to meet friends that we don't have to argue with about our lifestyle. We just want to live peacefully without drama. A good music scene would be a plus too. Thanks in advance for any and all advice. Amity Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 14, 2009 Report Share Posted April 14, 2009 Austin is a wonderful place to live. I moved here for school 15 years ago. Because of the University of Texas, and the " Keep Austin Weird " lifestyle, you get an incredibly diverse mixture of every possible culture you could imagine. You would look like everyone else here. There is a great selection of vegetarian restaurants: http://www.happycow.net/north_america/usa/texas/austin/ There are several Whole Food grocery stores, along smaller natural food grocers, like Wheatsville Coop and Sun Harvest. Great Farmers Markets, lots of outdoor activites, great weather year round. There is the Barton Springs Pool, a natural spring fed pool, Lake Austin, Lake Travis, the Lady Bird Lake hike and bike trail, and lots more parks. Austin is the " live Music Capital of the World " , so you have more music than you could imagine. Lots of festivals: SXSW music and film festival, ACL music festival, reggae fest on Bob Marley's Birthday, we even celebrate Eore's Birthday. (from winnie the pooh) Good luck, Shelly <shelly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 14, 2009 Report Share Posted April 14, 2009 I live in Champaign-Urbana, IL and it can be a pretty progressive place to live. It is a college town so we get a lot of different people and diversity. We are close enough to Chicago, Indy, and St. Louis, but the cost of living is less. We moved here from the DC area and I miss a lot of things about DC (the great restaurants and the wonderful Animal Rights community and my favorite animal sanctuary, etc.), but with three kids it is nice to live in a college town. We wouldn't have the money to spend on restaurants if we still lived in the DC area. One of the reasons we moved here is because I was pregnant with our first and we knew we wanted to homeschool (IL is great for homeschooler and the C-U area specifically). We don't own a car and while I wouldn't say our mass transit is wonderful (I miss the Metro), but it is a small enough area with little traffic so bikeability is a plus. There are CSAs, several farmers markets, a great growing co-op, buying clubs, and a locally owned heath food store (with plenty of organic foods in the mainstream stores as well). We have a new vegan meetup group which meets for potlucks at different houses each month. We also have a group of friends and we meet with them at least once a month for our own private potlucks. I belong to a natural family living group (I've been a part of it for nine years) and we have over 100 people on our email list. Many of us are homebirthers, cloth diapering and/or ECing, co-sleeping, etc. parents. Even the people who aren't vegan in our group (more veg than vegan, but most are omnis) are interested in eating less meat and have started a sub-group about meatless eating. There lots of ethnic restaurants in town where you can get vegan food. We only have one veg restaurant so it is a great place for someone to start a restaurant!!! There is definitely a niche to be tapped. Several of my friends have tatts and dreads. My neighborhood is very diverse, but you can also find pretty conservative areas of town. You have to know where to look. The downside of a college town is people move a lot and that is tough, but this happened in the DC area as well. My family lives here which is a pro and a con, but I think I would live here even if my family did not. We love our neighborhood and it is much cheaper and easier than a metro area, but close enough that we can go away for the weekend to visit friends in the city. Good luck!!! Linda A Marketplace for a Better World (Cruelty-free, Environmentally-Conscious, and Fair Labor Products) http://triballife.net/ http://triballifeinc.blogspot.com/ My personal blogs: http://veganlinda.blogspot.com/ http://cucarfree.blogspot.com/ ________________________________ ERB <bakwin Tuesday, April 14, 2009 8:47:35 AM Re: At my witts end Look into some midwestern options; you could even drive or take a train to visit over a weekend to get a real sense. - Ann Arbor, MI - Indianapolis or South Bend, IN - Champaign/Urbana, IL - Madison, WI (Notice they're all college towns?) Liz ____________ _________ _________ __ Amity Pauley <havingagreatfulday@ > @gro ups.com Monday, April 13, 2009 2:34:49 PM At my witts end The Easter holiday yesterday made me very frusterated and even more determined to move. My family is becoming more and more hard to deal with on the vegetarian issue. We try to laugh it all off but it seems that they are becoming almost hostile about our life style. For many years now my husband and i have been wanting to move to a new location. (we live in Fort Wayne, IN) We had our eyes and hopes set on California (San Diego area mostly). Unfortunately the state that California is in now doesn't give us much hope of actually being able to stay there for an extended amount of time. I guess what I am saying is that I need your help!!! We are very liberal, and would love to find a community where we will not be looked at as if we are from another planet. (along with being extremely strict vegetarians we are fairly heavily tattooed and wear our hair in locks.) I love big cities but I love the country too. Mostly I am looking for suggestions on places that are more veg friendly, places where it will be easy to meet friends that we don't have to argue with about our lifestyle. We just want to live peacefully without drama. A good music scene would be a plus too. Thanks in advance for any and all advice. Amity Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 14, 2009 Report Share Posted April 14, 2009 I forgot to mention we have a great music scene for a smaller town. I don't have time to get out so much with my 19 mo. old, but between my 2nd and 3rd child, I would go out a couple times a week to hear local bands or bands from Chicago/St. Louis, etc. I am on the board of our local community radio station and we have a lot of bands come through town who come into the station. We are also working on a radio show for veg*ns. Linda A Marketplace for a Better World (Cruelty-free, Environmentally-Conscious, and Fair Labor Products) http://triballife.net/ http://triballifeinc.blogspot.com/ My personal blogs: http://veganlinda.blogspot.com/ http://cucarfree.blogspot.com/ ________________________________ ERB <bakwin Tuesday, April 14, 2009 8:47:35 AM Re: At my witts end Look into some midwestern options; you could even drive or take a train to visit over a weekend to get a real sense. - Ann Arbor, MI - Indianapolis or South Bend, IN - Champaign/Urbana, IL - Madison, WI (Notice they're all college towns?) Liz ____________ _________ _________ __ Amity Pauley <havingagreatfulday@ > @gro ups.com Monday, April 13, 2009 2:34:49 PM At my witts end The Easter holiday yesterday made me very frusterated and even more determined to move. My family is becoming more and more hard to deal with on the vegetarian issue. We try to laugh it all off but it seems that they are becoming almost hostile about our life style. For many years now my husband and i have been wanting to move to a new location. (we live in Fort Wayne, IN) We had our eyes and hopes set on California (San Diego area mostly). Unfortunately the state that California is in now doesn't give us much hope of actually being able to stay there for an extended amount of time. I guess what I am saying is that I need your help!!! We are very liberal, and would love to find a community where we will not be looked at as if we are from another planet. (along with being extremely strict vegetarians we are fairly heavily tattooed and wear our hair in locks.) I love big cities but I love the country too. Mostly I am looking for suggestions on places that are more veg friendly, places where it will be easy to meet friends that we don't have to argue with about our lifestyle. We just want to live peacefully without drama. A good music scene would be a plus too. Thanks in advance for any and all advice. Amity Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 14, 2009 Report Share Posted April 14, 2009 Toronto, Ontario (Canada). Probably not an option for you but we are one of the most diverse cities in the world (I dare say the most diverse). It's a great city with great people from all walks! No one bats an eye when it comes to vegetarianism (at least that I have encountered). Paula , Amity Pauley <havingagreatfulday wrote: > > The Easter holiday yesterday made me very frusterated and even more determined to move. My family is becoming more and more hard to deal with on the vegetarian issue. We try to laugh it all off but it seems that they are becoming almost hostile about our life style. For many years now my husband and i have been wanting to move to a new location. (we live in Fort Wayne, IN) We had our eyes and hopes set on California (San Diego area mostly). Unfortunately the state that California is in now doesn't give us much hope of actually being able to stay there for an extended amount of time. I guess what I am saying is that I need your help!!! We are very liberal, and would love to find a community where we will not be looked at as if we are from another planet. (along with being extremely strict vegetarians we are fairly heavily tattooed and wear our hair in locks.) I love big cities but I love the country too. Mostly I am looking for > suggestions on places that are more veg friendly, places where it will be easy to meet friends that we don't have to argue with about our lifestyle. We just want to live peacefully without drama. A good music scene would be a plus too. Thanks in advance for any and all advice. > > Amity > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 14, 2009 Report Share Posted April 14, 2009 That's great to hear about all the cool stuff in the Champaign-Urbana area, Linda. I may get in touch if we ever pass through and maybe you can pass me some of your tips. Marla > I live in Champaign-Urbana, IL and it can be a pretty progressive place to > live. It is a college town so we get a lot of different people and diversity. > We are close enough to Chicago, Indy, and St. Louis, but the cost of living is > less. We moved here from the DC area and I miss a lot of things about DC (the > great restaurants and the wonderful Animal Rights community and my favorite > animal sanctuary, etc.), but with three kids it is nice to live in a college > town. We wouldn't have the money to spend on restaurants if we still lived in > the DC area. One of the reasons we moved here is because I was pregnant with > our first and we knew we wanted to homeschool (IL is great for homeschooler > and the C-U area specifically). We don't own a car and while I wouldn't say > our mass transit is wonderful (I miss the Metro), but it is a small enough > area with little traffic so bikeability is a plus. There are CSAs, several > farmers markets, a great growing co-op, > buying clubs, and a locally owned heath food store (with plenty of organic > foods in the mainstream stores as well). We have a new vegan meetup group > which meets for potlucks at different houses each month. We also have a group > of friends and we meet with them at least once a month for our own private > potlucks. I belong to a natural family living group (I've been a part of it > for nine years) and we have over 100 people on our email list. Many of us are > homebirthers, cloth diapering and/or ECing, co-sleeping, etc. parents. Even > the people who aren't vegan in our group (more veg than vegan, but most are > omnis) are interested in eating less meat and have started a sub-group about > meatless eating. There lots of ethnic restaurants in town where you can get > vegan food. We only have one veg restaurant so it is a great place for > someone to start a restaurant!!! There is definitely a niche to be tapped. > Several of my friends have tatts and dreads. My > neighborhood is very diverse, but you can also find pretty conservative areas > of town. You have to know where to look. The downside of a college town is > people move a lot and that is tough, but this happened in the DC area as well. > My family lives here which is a pro and a con, but I think I would live here > even if my family did not. We love our neighborhood and it is much cheaper > and easier than a metro area, but close enough that we can go away for the > weekend to visit friends in the city. > > Good luck!!! > > Linda > A Marketplace for a Better World (Cruelty-free, Environmentally-Conscious, and > Fair Labor Products) > http://triballife.net/ > http://triballifeinc.blogspot.com/ > My personal blogs: > http://veganlinda.blogspot.com/ > http://cucarfree.blogspot.com/ > > > > > ________________________________ > ERB <bakwin > > Tuesday, April 14, 2009 8:47:35 AM > Re: At my witts end > > > > > > Look into some midwestern options; you could even drive or take a train to > visit over a weekend to get a real sense. > > - Ann Arbor, MI > - Indianapolis or South Bend, IN > - Champaign/Urbana, IL > - Madison, WI > > (Notice they're all college towns?) > > Liz > > ____________ _________ _________ __ > Amity Pauley <havingagreatfulday@ > > @gro ups.com > Monday, April 13, 2009 2:34:49 PM > At my witts end > > The Easter holiday yesterday made me very frusterated and even more determined > to move. My family is becoming more and more hard to deal with on the > vegetarian issue. We try to laugh it all off but it seems that they are > becoming almost hostile about our life style. For many years now my husband > and i have been wanting to move to a new location. (we live in Fort Wayne, IN) > We had our eyes and hopes set on California (San Diego area mostly). > Unfortunately the state that California is in now doesn't give us much hope of > actually being able to stay there for an extended amount of time. I guess > what I am saying is that I need your help!!! We are very liberal, and would > love to find a community where we will not be looked at as if we are from > another planet. (along with being extremely strict vegetarians we are fairly > heavily tattooed and wear our hair in locks.) I love big cities but I love the > country too. Mostly I am looking for > suggestions on places that are more veg friendly, places where it will be easy > to meet friends that we don't have to argue with about our lifestyle. We just > want to live peacefully without drama. A good music scene would be a plus > too. Thanks in advance for any and all advice. > > Amity > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 14, 2009 Report Share Posted April 14, 2009 Sure! I'm happy to help anyone out who comes to the area. Linda A Marketplace for a Better World (Cruelty-free, Environmentally-Conscious, and Fair Labor Products) http://triballife.net/ http://triballifeinc.blogspot.com/ My personal blogs: http://veganlinda.blogspot.com/ http://cucarfree.blogspot.com/ ________________________________ Marla Rose <marla Tuesday, April 14, 2009 11:38:55 AM Re: At my witts end That's great to hear about all the cool stuff in the Champaign-Urbana area, Linda. I may get in touch if we ever pass through and maybe you can pass me some of your tips. Marla > I live in Champaign-Urbana, IL and it can be a pretty progressive place to > live. It is a college town so we get a lot of different people and diversity. > We are close enough to Chicago, Indy, and St. Louis, but the cost of living is > less. We moved here from the DC area and I miss a lot of things about DC (the > great restaurants and the wonderful Animal Rights community and my favorite > animal sanctuary, etc.), but with three kids it is nice to live in a college > town. We wouldn't have the money to spend on restaurants if we still lived in > the DC area. One of the reasons we moved here is because I was pregnant with > our first and we knew we wanted to homeschool (IL is great for homeschooler > and the C-U area specifically) . We don't own a car and while I wouldn't say > our mass transit is wonderful (I miss the Metro), but it is a small enough > area with little traffic so bikeability is a plus. There are CSAs, several > farmers markets, a great growing co-op, > buying clubs, and a locally owned heath food store (with plenty of organic > foods in the mainstream stores as well). We have a new vegan meetup group > which meets for potlucks at different houses each month. We also have a group > of friends and we meet with them at least once a month for our own private > potlucks. I belong to a natural family living group (I've been a part of it > for nine years) and we have over 100 people on our email list. Many of us are > homebirthers, cloth diapering and/or ECing, co-sleeping, etc. parents. Even > the people who aren't vegan in our group (more veg than vegan, but most are > omnis) are interested in eating less meat and have started a sub-group about > meatless eating. There lots of ethnic restaurants in town where you can get > vegan food. We only have one veg restaurant so it is a great place for > someone to start a restaurant!! ! There is definitely a niche to be tapped. > Several of my friends have tatts and dreads. My > neighborhood is very diverse, but you can also find pretty conservative areas > of town. You have to know where to look. The downside of a college town is > people move a lot and that is tough, but this happened in the DC area as well. > My family lives here which is a pro and a con, but I think I would live here > even if my family did not. We love our neighborhood and it is much cheaper > and easier than a metro area, but close enough that we can go away for the > weekend to visit friends in the city. > > Good luck!!! > > Linda > A Marketplace for a Better World (Cruelty-free, Environmentally- Conscious, and > Fair Labor Products) > http://triballife. net/ > http://triballifein c.blogspot. com/ > My personal blogs: > http://veganlinda. blogspot. com/ > http://cucarfree. blogspot. com/ > > > > > ____________ _________ _________ __ > ERB <bakwin (AT) sbcglobal (DOT) net> > @gro ups.com > Tuesday, April 14, 2009 8:47:35 AM > Re: At my witts end > > > > > > Look into some midwestern options; you could even drive or take a train to > visit over a weekend to get a real sense. > > - Ann Arbor, MI > - Indianapolis or South Bend, IN > - Champaign/Urbana, IL > - Madison, WI > > (Notice they're all college towns?) > > Liz > > ____________ _________ _________ __ > Amity Pauley <havingagreatfulday @ > > @gro ups.com > Monday, April 13, 2009 2:34:49 PM > At my witts end > > The Easter holiday yesterday made me very frusterated and even more determined > to move. My family is becoming more and more hard to deal with on the > vegetarian issue. We try to laugh it all off but it seems that they are > becoming almost hostile about our life style. For many years now my husband > and i have been wanting to move to a new location. (we live in Fort Wayne, IN) > We had our eyes and hopes set on California (San Diego area mostly). > Unfortunately the state that California is in now doesn't give us much hope of > actually being able to stay there for an extended amount of time. I guess > what I am saying is that I need your help!!! We are very liberal, and would > love to find a community where we will not be looked at as if we are from > another planet. (along with being extremely strict vegetarians we are fairly > heavily tattooed and wear our hair in locks.) I love big cities but I love the > country too. Mostly I am looking for > suggestions on places that are more veg friendly, places where it will be easy > to meet friends that we don't have to argue with about our lifestyle. We just > want to live peacefully without drama. A good music scene would be a plus > too. Thanks in advance for any and all advice. > > Amity > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 14, 2009 Report Share Posted April 14, 2009 The Philadelphia area (including 'burbs) is pretty veg-friendly. Even though we're known for being fat and eating greasy cheesesteaks and white flour pretzels, you don't get wierd looks for being vegan. There are plenty of Whole Foods and lots of smaller natural food stores. We have one of the best Vegan restaraunts in the country (Horizons) and there are many other veg-friendly restaraunts. There is a big homeschool community, veg social groups, stay-at-home moms groups, etc. It's a nice place to live because you can be in the suburbs but have the city close, too. Public schools in my area are constantly ranked in the top in the nation and my township (Abington) was named #22 on the top 100 communities to live in the US. South Jersey is close by and also a good place to call home. , Amity Pauley <havingagreatfulday wrote: > > The Easter holiday yesterday made me very frusterated and even more determined to move. My family is becoming more and more hard to deal with on the vegetarian issue. We try to laugh it all off but it seems that they are becoming almost hostile about our life style. For many years now my husband and i have been wanting to move to a new location. (we live in Fort Wayne, IN) We had our eyes and hopes set on California (San Diego area mostly). Unfortunately the state that California is in now doesn't give us much hope of actually being able to stay there for an extended amount of time. I guess what I am saying is that I need your help!!! We are very liberal, and would love to find a community where we will not be looked at as if we are from another planet. (along with being extremely strict vegetarians we are fairly heavily tattooed and wear our hair in locks.) I love big cities but I love the country too. Mostly I am looking for > suggestions on places that are more veg friendly, places where it will be easy to meet friends that we don't have to argue with about our lifestyle. We just want to live peacefully without drama. A good music scene would be a plus too. Thanks in advance for any and all advice. > > Amity > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 14, 2009 Report Share Posted April 14, 2009 Hi I'm sorry that your weekend was rough. Families can be challenging! I just wanted to pipe in and recommend that you consider Ann Arbor, MI as well as Chicago. My husband is from Chicago and we get to go back to visit friends and I love the choices there. Traffic seems kind of rough, however. I've lived near or in Ann Arbor for most of my life and it is awesome! My oldest son is moving there in the next month or two for school and we love the area. We are in the country about 45 minutes south and drive up a few times a week for classes and friends. So we get the benefits of AA and the quiet of the country. We are homebirthing, homeschooling, non-vaccinating, food co-oping, natural parenting and living and it is all no problem. We have great music options, as well, with AA and Detroit. I did live in Tampa, Florida for 10 years and Orlando is a great place, too. The only things I would give you a heads-up about would be the vaccination issue and homeschooling. They did not allow philosophical exemption for vaccinations and require registration as a homeschooler. Your children are then required to be evaluated yearly and the results must be submitted to the county, I believe it was. Things may have changed in the five years since I lived there, but I didn't like the state telling me what to do with my children! I don't like rules! Michigan is much more hands-off. Good luck with your search! Let us know if you get out this way!! P & L Shawn --- On Mon, 4/13/09, Amity Pauley <havingagreatfulday wrote: Amity Pauley <havingagreatfulday At my witts end Monday, April 13, 2009, 3:34 PM The Easter holiday yesterday made me very frusterated and even more determined to move. My family is becoming more and more hard to deal with on the vegetarian issue. We try to laugh it all off but it seems that they are becoming almost hostile about our life style. For many years now my husband and i have been wanting to move to a new location. (we live in Fort Wayne, IN) We had our eyes and hopes set on California (San Diego area mostly). Unfortunately the state that California is in now doesn't give us much hope of actually being able to stay there for an extended amount of time. I guess what I am saying is that I need your help!!! We are very liberal, and would love to find a community where we will not be looked at as if we are from another planet. (along with being extremely strict vegetarians we are fairly heavily tattooed and wear our hair in locks.) I love big cities but I love the country too. Mostly I am looking for suggestions on places that are more veg friendly, places where it will be easy to meet friends that we don't have to argue with about our lifestyle. We just want to live peacefully without drama. A good music scene would be a plus too. Thanks in advance for any and all advice. Amity Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 14, 2009 Report Share Posted April 14, 2009 Oh, I didn't realize there was homeschooling involved...my friend started up a homeschool co-op one day enrichment thing they do in Oak Park: http://www.homeschoolcommunitycoop.org/ There are a bunch of homeschooling groups in the area (Oak Park, as well as in Chicago and surrounding suburbs to OP and Chicago). Hee. As for req's I don't know about non-vax, but I do know a few folks out here who have done it. We did a delayed schedule and our Dr. wanted to hold off to see if our son got Chicken pox naturally (there is also a chicken pox party type group out here for exposure/re-exposure as needed...). From what I've gathered from my friend, IL is pretty easy to homeschool in, but I don't know the specifics, since we don't, but we're HS friendly. Heh. Missie On Tue, Apr 14, 2009 at 12:39 PM, food4u1575 <dana.sommers wrote: > > > The Philadelphia area (including 'burbs) is pretty veg-friendly. Even though > we're known for being fat and eating greasy cheesesteaks and white flour > pretzels, you don't get wierd looks for being vegan. There are plenty of > Whole Foods and lots of smaller natural food stores. We have one of the best > Vegan restaraunts in the country (Horizons) and there are many other > veg-friendly restaraunts. There is a big homeschool community, veg social > groups, stay-at-home moms groups, etc. It's a nice place to live because you > can be in the suburbs but have the city close, too. Public schools in my > area are constantly ranked in the top in the nation and my township > (Abington) was named #22 on the top 100 communities to live in the US. South > Jersey is close by and also a good place to call home. > > , Amity Pauley <havingagreatfulday > wrote: >> >> The Easter holiday yesterday made me very frusterated and even more >> determined to move. My family is becoming more and more hard to deal with on >> the vegetarian issue. We try to laugh it all off but it seems that they are >> becoming almost hostile about our life style. For many years now my husband >> and i have been wanting to move to a new location. (we live in Fort Wayne, >> IN) We had our eyes and hopes set on California (San Diego area mostly). >> Unfortunately the state that California is in now doesn't give us much hope >> of actually being able to stay there for an extended amount of time. I >> guess what I am saying is that I need your help!!! We are very liberal, and >> would love to find a community where we will not be looked at as if we are >> from another planet. (along with being extremely strict vegetarians we are >> fairly heavily tattooed and wear our hair in locks.) I love big cities but I >> love the country too. Mostly I am looking for >> suggestions on places that are more veg friendly, places where it will be >> easy to meet friends that we don't have to argue with about our lifestyle. >> We just want to live peacefully without drama. A good music scene would be >> a plus too. Thanks in advance for any and all advice. >> >> Amity >> >> >> >> >> >> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 14, 2009 Report Share Posted April 14, 2009 It sounds like the homeschooling laws have changed for the better in Illinois. When we were exploring HS, children could only be taught by their own parents. Non-vax in Illinois is possible, but complicated. After much research and discussion, we choose to delay vaxing; insisted on single dose, preservative free; one shot per visit; read the insert before allowing any shot to be given. We skipped chicken pox, and planned to have Alyssa tested at 11 or 12; she got the Pox when she was ten. --- On Tue, 4/14/09, Missie <mszzzi wrote: Missie <mszzzi Re: Re: At my witts end Tuesday, April 14, 2009, 2:43 PM Oh, I didn't realize there was homeschooling involved...my friend started up a homeschool co-op one day enrichment thing they do in Oak Park: http://www.homescho olcommunitycoop. org/ There are a bunch of homeschooling groups in the area (Oak Park, as well as in Chicago and surrounding suburbs to OP and Chicago). Hee. As for req's I don't know about non-vax, but I do know a few folks out here who have done it. We did a delayed schedule and our Dr. wanted to hold off to see if our son got Chicken pox naturally (there is also a chicken pox party type group out here for exposure/re- exposure as needed...). From what I've gathered from my friend, IL is pretty easy to homeschool in, but I don't know the specifics, since we don't, but we're HS friendly. Heh. Missie On Tue, Apr 14, 2009 at 12:39 PM, food4u1575 <dana.sommers@ wholefoods. com> wrote: > > > The Philadelphia area (including 'burbs) is pretty veg-friendly. Even though > we're known for being fat and eating greasy cheesesteaks and white flour > pretzels, you don't get wierd looks for being vegan. There are plenty of > Whole Foods and lots of smaller natural food stores. We have one of the best > Vegan restaraunts in the country (Horizons) and there are many other > veg-friendly restaraunts. There is a big homeschool community, veg social > groups, stay-at-home moms groups, etc. It's a nice place to live because you > can be in the suburbs but have the city close, too. Public schools in my > area are constantly ranked in the top in the nation and my township > (Abington) was named #22 on the top 100 communities to live in the US. South > Jersey is close by and also a good place to call home. > > @gro ups.com, Amity Pauley <havingagreatfulday > wrote: >> >> The Easter holiday yesterday made me very frusterated and even more >> determined to move. My family is becoming more and more hard to deal with on >> the vegetarian issue. We try to laugh it all off but it seems that they are >> becoming almost hostile about our life style. For many years now my husband >> and i have been wanting to move to a new location. (we live in Fort Wayne, >> IN) We had our eyes and hopes set on California (San Diego area mostly). >> Unfortunately the state that California is in now doesn't give us much hope >> of actually being able to stay there for an extended amount of time. I >> guess what I am saying is that I need your help!!! We are very liberal, and >> would love to find a community where we will not be looked at as if we are >> from another planet. (along with being extremely strict vegetarians we are >> fairly heavily tattooed and wear our hair in locks.) I love big cities but I >> love the country too. Mostly I am looking for >> suggestions on places that are more veg friendly, places where it will be >> easy to meet friends that we don't have to argue with about our lifestyle. >> We just want to live peacefully without drama. A good music scene would be >> a plus too. Thanks in advance for any and all advice. >> >> Amity >> >> >> >> >> >> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 14, 2009 Report Share Posted April 14, 2009 Where we are, and I'd guess probably also Chicago proper, the YMCA and the park districts do homeschool only days at the pool and the gyms, too. Missie On Tue, Apr 14, 2009 at 3:55 PM, robin koloms <rkoloms wrote: > > > It sounds like the homeschooling laws have changed for the better in > Illinois. When we were exploring HS, children could only be taught by their > own parents. > > Non-vax in Illinois is possible, but complicated. After much research and > discussion, we choose to delay vaxing; insisted on single dose, preservative > free; one shot per visit; read the insert before allowing any shot to be > given. We skipped chicken pox, and planned to have Alyssa tested at 11 or > 12; she got the Pox when she was ten. > > --- On Tue, 4/14/09, Missie <mszzzi wrote: > > Missie <mszzzi > Re: Re: At my witts end > > Tuesday, April 14, 2009, 2:43 PM > > Oh, I didn't realize there was homeschooling involved...my friend > started up a homeschool co-op one day enrichment thing they do in Oak > Park: > http://www.homescho olcommunitycoop. org/ > > There are a bunch of homeschooling groups in the area (Oak Park, as > well as in Chicago and surrounding suburbs to OP and Chicago). Hee. > > As for req's I don't know about non-vax, but I do know a few folks out > here who have done it. We did a delayed schedule and our Dr. wanted to > hold off to see if our son got Chicken pox naturally (there is also a > chicken pox party type group out here for exposure/re- exposure as > needed...). From what I've gathered from my friend, IL is pretty easy > to homeschool in, but I don't know the specifics, since we don't, but > we're HS friendly. Heh. > > Missie > > On Tue, Apr 14, 2009 at 12:39 PM, food4u1575 > <dana.sommers@ wholefoods. com> wrote: >> >> >> The Philadelphia area (including 'burbs) is pretty veg-friendly. Even >> though >> we're known for being fat and eating greasy cheesesteaks and white flour >> pretzels, you don't get wierd looks for being vegan. There are plenty of >> Whole Foods and lots of smaller natural food stores. We have one of the >> best >> Vegan restaraunts in the country (Horizons) and there are many other >> veg-friendly restaraunts. There is a big homeschool community, veg social >> groups, stay-at-home moms groups, etc. It's a nice place to live because >> you >> can be in the suburbs but have the city close, too. Public schools in my >> area are constantly ranked in the top in the nation and my township >> (Abington) was named #22 on the top 100 communities to live in the US. >> South >> Jersey is close by and also a good place to call home. >> >> @gro ups.com, Amity Pauley <havingagreatfulday >> wrote: >>> >>> The Easter holiday yesterday made me very frusterated and even more >>> determined to move. My family is becoming more and more hard to deal with >>> on >>> the vegetarian issue. We try to laugh it all off but it seems that they >>> are >>> becoming almost hostile about our life style. For many years now >>> my husband >>> and i have been wanting to move to a new location. (we live in Fort >>> Wayne, >>> IN) We had our eyes and hopes set on California (San Diego area mostly). >>> Unfortunately the state that California is in now doesn't give us much >>> hope >>> of actually being able to stay there for an extended amount of time. I >>> guess what I am saying is that I need your help!!! We are very liberal, >>> and >>> would love to find a community where we will not be looked at as if we >>> are >>> from another planet. (along with being extremely strict vegetarians we >>> are >>> fairly heavily tattooed and wear our hair in locks.) I love big cities >>> but I >>> love the country too. Mostly I am looking for >>> suggestions on places that are more veg friendly, places where it will be >>> easy to meet friends that we don't have to argue with about our >>> lifestyle. >>> We just want to live peacefully without drama. A good music scene would >>> be >>> a plus too. Thanks in advance for any and all advice. >>> >>> Amity >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 14, 2009 Report Share Posted April 14, 2009 Newcastle Australia! Is that a bit too far away? Seriously though I'm sorry your having so much trouble. I always say to people, if my lifestyle was a recognized religion than you wouldn't be so disrespectful of my lifestyle. My parents and I had a falling out not long ago and they said I was " too radical " in regards to veganism! I said what's so radical about me not eating certain foods? I find peoples lack of understanding so silly. I have found people take my food choices as a personal attack. I hope you find somewhere nice to live. Here is very nice! Although we are the worlds largest coal exporter. We just have a lot of community opposed to it! X ange. (maybe we will see you soon! )Sent from my iPod On 14/04/2009, at 5:34 AM, Amity Pauley <havingagreatfulday wrote: > > > The Easter holiday yesterday made me very frusterated and even more > determined to move. My family is becoming more and more hard to deal > with on the vegetarian issue. We try to laugh it all off but it > seems that they are becoming almost hostile about our life style. > For many years now my husband and i have been wanting to move to a > new location. (we live in Fort Wayne, IN) We had our eyes and hopes > set on California (San Diego area mostly). Unfortunately the state > that California is in now doesn't give us much hope of actually > being able to stay there for an extended amount of time. I guess > what I am saying is that I need your help!!! We are very liberal, > and would love to find a community where we will not be looked at as > if we are from another planet. (along with being extremely strict > vegetarians we are fairly heavily tattooed and wear our hair in > locks.) I love big cities but I love the country too. Mostly I am > looking for > suggestions on places that are more veg friendly, places where it > will be easy to meet friends that we don't have to argue with about > our lifestyle. We just want to live peacefully without drama. A > good music scene would be a plus too. Thanks in advance for any and > all advice. > > Amity > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 15, 2009 Report Share Posted April 15, 2009 I didn't know IL laws had ever been " bad " . I've homeschooled here for nine years and the state has always been very hands off. We don't vaccinate and many of our friends don't either (public schooled kids as well as homeschooled) and I've never heard of anyone having an issue unless they want to adopt a child. We have homeschool art classes through the park district, homeschool PE through some of the gyms, and special programs geared at homeschoolers at the local museums. We have homeschool coops where you can drop off your child and some where you stay with them during the classes. Something new is always starting. I have friends who send their homeschooled kids to public school for things like band and the schools have been very accomidating. I do wish we had Waldorf. There was a group that started in a home, but it has dissolved after a couple of the families moved away (problem with a college town). We have several Montesorri schools, but no Waldorf. Linda A Marketplace for a Better World (Cruelty-free, Environmentally-Conscious, and Fair Labor Products) http://triballife.net/ http://triballifeinc.blogspot.com/ My personal blogs: http://veganlinda.blogspot.com/ http://cucarfree.blogspot.com/ ________________________________ Missie <mszzzi Tuesday, April 14, 2009 5:09:56 PM Re: Re: At my witts end Where we are, and I'd guess probably also Chicago proper, the YMCA and the park districts do homeschool only days at the pool and the gyms, too. Missie On Tue, Apr 14, 2009 at 3:55 PM, robin koloms <rkoloms > wrote: > > > It sounds like the homeschooling laws have changed for the better in > Illinois. When we were exploring HS, children could only be taught by their > own parents. > > Non-vax in Illinois is possible, but complicated. After much research and > discussion, we choose to delay vaxing; insisted on single dose, preservative > free; one shot per visit; read the insert before allowing any shot to be > given. We skipped chicken pox, and planned to have Alyssa tested at 11 or > 12; she got the Pox when she was ten. > > --- On Tue, 4/14/09, Missie <mszzzi (AT) gmail (DOT) com> wrote: > > Missie <mszzzi (AT) gmail (DOT) com> > Re: Re: At my witts end > @gro ups.com > Tuesday, April 14, 2009, 2:43 PM > > Oh, I didn't realize there was homeschooling involved...my friend > started up a homeschool co-op one day enrichment thing they do in Oak > Park: > http://www.homescho olcommunitycoop. org/ > > There are a bunch of homeschooling groups in the area (Oak Park, as > well as in Chicago and surrounding suburbs to OP and Chicago). Hee. > > As for req's I don't know about non-vax, but I do know a few folks out > here who have done it. We did a delayed schedule and our Dr. wanted to > hold off to see if our son got Chicken pox naturally (there is also a > chicken pox party type group out here for exposure/re- exposure as > needed...). From what I've gathered from my friend, IL is pretty easy > to homeschool in, but I don't know the specifics, since we don't, but > we're HS friendly. Heh. > > Missie > > On Tue, Apr 14, 2009 at 12:39 PM, food4u1575 > <dana.sommers@ wholefoods. com> wrote: >> >> >> The Philadelphia area (including 'burbs) is pretty veg-friendly. Even >> though >> we're known for being fat and eating greasy cheesesteaks and white flour >> pretzels, you don't get wierd looks for being vegan. There are plenty of >> Whole Foods and lots of smaller natural food stores. We have one of the >> best >> Vegan restaraunts in the country (Horizons) and there are many other >> veg-friendly restaraunts. There is a big homeschool community, veg social >> groups, stay-at-home moms groups, etc. It's a nice place to live because >> you >> can be in the suburbs but have the city close, too. Public schools in my >> area are constantly ranked in the top in the nation and my township >> (Abington) was named #22 on the top 100 communities to live in the US. >> South >> Jersey is close by and also a good place to call home. >> >> @gro ups.com, Amity Pauley <havingagreatfulday >> wrote: >>> >>> The Easter holiday yesterday made me very frusterated and even more >>> determined to move. My family is becoming more and more hard to deal with >>> on >>> the vegetarian issue. We try to laugh it all off but it seems that they >>> are >>> becoming almost hostile about our life style. For many years now >>> my husband >>> and i have been wanting to move to a new location. (we live in Fort >>> Wayne, >>> IN) We had our eyes and hopes set on California (San Diego area mostly). >>> Unfortunately the state that California is in now doesn't give us much >>> hope >>> of actually being able to stay there for an extended amount of time. I >>> guess what I am saying is that I need your help!!! We are very liberal, >>> and >>> would love to find a community where we will not be looked at as if we >>> are >>> from another planet. (along with being extremely strict vegetarians we >>> are >>> fairly heavily tattooed and wear our hair in locks.) I love big cities >>> but I >>> love the country too. Mostly I am looking for >>> suggestions on places that are more veg friendly, places where it will be >>> easy to meet friends that we don't have to argue with about our >>> lifestyle. >>> We just want to live peacefully without drama. A good music scene would >>> be >>> a plus too. Thanks in advance for any and all advice. >>> >>> Amity >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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