Ok, this is part rant, part council seeking, part idea-tossing. Yesterday was my sons last with me, and after putting him on that plane, a part of me felt like it died. And after him telling me several key things about what goes on at his mothers (BTW, they live in Iowa), I so want to go beat her ***. But no, I gotta play legal. And seeings how no judge in their right mind is going to grant a single father with no family in the area full custody, staying in Orlando just hampers my pursuit. My sister and her husband (who is pregnant now and has difficult health problems) lives just north of Atlanta. And it just so happens that there is a position with my company at the Air Force base there...hmm...

I am also considering the housing market. Do a search for houses at the 150k range for Orlando, then do the same for Cummings Georgia...see where I am going with this???

The more positive things I have going for me (family nearby, a home instead of an apartment) the greater the chance I have with getting my son full-time. Or at least that is my reasoning.

Anyone can chime in on this...the more informed I am, the better.

Well upon reading this. I say go for it. You've been fighting for your son and this could be the final nail in the coffin for your ex-wife. If you could show the judge that you live in a house, have a good job (which you do) and have family nearby. I also suggest looking into public schools nearby, maybe you could use that to show that this area is much better than Iowa.

While I have no knowledge of the housings in Atlanta, I like preassembled houses that is placed on small lots, I'm sure you could score a nice preassembled house and put it on a lot. Key thing here is to avoid the slums and crime-ridden areas (judges don't like that)

Good luck.

As a previous resident of Buckhead (an Atlanta suburb), I must say that Atlanta is a great place to live. There are some great people, crime is not horrible (then again, I'm a Detroiter, lol), the schools are excellent, and there'* a ton to do. I say go for it, but make sure you do your research.

how did she get custody and live 6-7 states away from you?

do you have partial custody?

I have been to visit my sister in Cummings. It is a pretty, small town that is more redneck and laid-back (I am from a small town in Tennessee, so I think I would fit in quite nicely), opposed to Orlando, which is filled with illegals, crazy drivers, and a sky-high cost of living. You can't even buy a house for 150k here unless you go to crack town, let alone a condo. But over there....167k buys a nice all-cedar house on decent propery...and a detatched garage that matches.

Economically, it makes sense. To be near family, it makes sense too as it only puts me 4 hours from my hometown instead of 13ish. But I am mainly doing this to, as you say, put the final nails in the coffin for my ex. If you could only hear what Brandon said...you would be livid. It took all my self-control to not let loose when I have to talk to my ex...but I know if I made a few calls to Child Protective Services things would change...but I can't do it right now because my ex, despite her IQ, CAN put 2 and 2 together.

This is a long story.- We got married in Guam in 2000, we were both Navy. We leave Guam in late 2000, and we both had orders to San Diego...however she goes straight to *.D., and I had orders to Penscola for 6 months. THAT is where the initial separation comes in. NOW THEN, I originally had our son when we left Guam, but had to leave him with her aunt and uncle during duty (they lived in Pensacola too). One night, after I got off duty and went to my barracks room, I got a call from my wife saying that she wanted a divorce, and that her aunt was on her way to San Diego...with son in tow. Tried as I might, I could not place kidnapping charges on the aunt, and needless to say, I was devestated. 2 days later, it is found I am not medically sound to go to a ship...meaning the Navy no longer needs me. So, after being discharged medically, I had no money...no job...and no way to go to San Diego to fight.

Fast forward - she is on her THIRD husband in 5 years, they have no place of their own as they live on his parents property, HER mom and dad live with them, they ALL smoke, and oh yeah...she has a second child, from the second husband, that is legally mine (don't ask..this is another story), and obviously moved out of Cali.

Atlanta'* great except for the traffic and the ghettos. If you need any help, lemme know man. I'm about an hour and a half from Atlanta.

I hope I'm not being rude or nosy. You've just listed all the advantages of living there. To me, that would be enough for me to start looking for houses tomorrow in Cummings.
Can I ask why you're still mulling this over? I know you can't leave Don and Mike but they can manage...

Yeah, you can come hang wit me. We need some more local members.

Check out some of the Cost of Living Comparison calculators offered on the web. I wasn't able to find Cummings, but some did have Athens, which is probably a better city to use over Atlanta. I found anywhere from 12- 19% cheaper to live in rural GA.
http://search.yahoo.com/search?ei=ut...g%20comparison

In addition to housing, call your insurance company and find out what the difference in auto insurance will be. This is probably your largest expense after housing and it will vary depending upon where in the country you live. For example, auto insurance in AZ was double from NY because of the higher rate of auto theft.

From the sounds of it, it will likey be a good move. Will you need to drive into Altanta for your work? That is another thing to consider. Six lanes of traffic one way...dead stop during rush hour traffic. My brother in law moved back to NY because of it...but he'* impatient and had a family waiting at home. It wasn't for him, but it is for many others.

If you do move, don't buy a house right away...see if you can get a six month rental or a month to month lease...try out the town first before you commit. Yea, it stinks to pay rent instead of paying on a mortgage, but if you find out six months after moving that you don't like it, it will cost you a lot more in the end if you've bought a house and then have to sell it. And you never know what it is you will find. There are some things that can't be researched before hand...you have to find out first hand if you truly wish to live there.

Weigh out your options...list out the pros and cons of both places. But in the end, it'* what you feel is right in your heart...listen to that little voice...it knows best. I envy you in a way...yes, you're going through crap with the ex...but you have the world by the balls, if you think about it. You can chose to do whatever, where ever, and with whomever you wish. You are more free to chose the direction of your life than most of us.

Right north of ATL is a nice area. I drove thru there everytime I went home to Michigan while I was stationed in Warner Robins.

I liked it down there, hot in the summer though.

Get the job and MOVE!!