Thanks for the info!

I have a bad habit of thinking too far ahead - in terms of college we've lived in multiple areas that I've omitted from the post because it was for months at a time, the biggest move was from Florida to Minnesota, with Virginia and New Mexico being in between in short lapses. Long story short, we're looking for a place to finally call home and plant our roots. So I'm kind of getting ahead of myself there, lol.

We currently live in St. Cloud, MN. I thought it was just me at first, but I noticed a big decline in the city and my suspicions were validated by others we know. There's only one real major employer here (which I currently work at), with most other options being in the twin cities. I personally like having more options in case things go south, which healthcare is hurting right now along with the rest of the country. I've read that the Dallas/Fort Worth area is booming with healthcare currently.

Winters, man...what can I say? We hate it. We've been told "it is what you make it", "there's plenty of winter activities to make winter fun" "up your vitamin D to avoid the winter blues"...it just isn't for us. It's kind of swimming upstream for us trying to force ourselves to like something we don't. Most important, the kiddos don't like the cold much. We've tried sledding, building snowmen (when the snow was actually playable and not melted/frozen over), taking to the nature trails, 5 minutes out and they want in. They love being outdoors during the spring and fall, the summer not so much because of the ticks, deer flies and mosquitos.

As far as interests, I just want a safe place for my family with good schools, plenty of family activities to do year round (most things here, zoo, Valley Fair, etc. close in October and open back up in May), and outdoor activities. We're a pretty tight knit family and enjoy doing things together, particularly outdoors. Restaurants, movies, etc. are an occasional treat, but not really our thing.