My husband works in Galliano, LA and we live in Clearwater, FL. We have a 12 year old daughter going in 6th grade and a lil one due in October a Boy. We want to live closer to his work so he doesnt have such a far job, he is a captain on an oil rig, so he wants to stay where he is at of course. We want a family area, low crime (aspossible) and good school. not in a rural area but not right in the middle of a big city. We have lived in pensacola before and prefer not to go back there. Please if you have any suggestion, give us a town and we can google it. Thanks so much for everyones help in advance.
Joy

sorry for the typo, (3rd line) work so he doesnt have to DRIVE so far.

With 2 kids I would start by looking at the school disrict ratings. I think these are areas where you will need to look carefully to find a true quality education for your children.

Can't comment on specifics, since I don;t know the areas myself, but I do know that education can be a significant issue. You will want your kids to get the best start in life possible and admittance to truly excellent univerisites is highly competitive.

Have you looked at the Destin, Florida area? The small area outside Destin off 30-A is one of the most peaceful places on earth. I am not sure where the city is in LA you are referring to, but Destin is a nice-sized city and the South Walton schools are pretty solid with low crime in the area. You did not say why you did not like Pensacola, though, if because of the beach, you will not like Destin area.

Also, the Fairhope area might be worth looking into?

I thought "Fairhope" too.

Or Daphne, right outside of Fairhope. The area is booming, in a good way.

None of these places will be near a rig, of course, but he could commute as a lot of oil workers do and spend his days off with his family. It will be hard to make decent money in the Florida economy unless he is a licensed tradesman or an experienced mechanic, who can always get work.

Covington, LA is a highly rated city just N of NOLA and Lake Pontchartrain. Abita Springs and Mandeville are nice towns that are near by. I have friends that live in AS. And you would be close to NOLA if you want to visit a great city for the day. And you would be about 100 miles from your husband's job at Galliano. Good luck.

You should also consider Desota County, MS. Southaven is just S of Memphis and this area is one of the fastest growing in the US. Your husband could take a short flight from Memphis to NOLA and a short drive to Galliano.

I respectfully disagree about Southaven. I love spending the night in downtown Memphis, but would not want to live there - or near there. I'd first look at the other suggestions nearer the coast.

We've spent vacation time in Destin but have no idea about the school system, etc. there. Fairhope is beautiful, but again, I have no personal information about it.

I agree that this decision should be all about education. Without good school systems, nothing else really matters.

Ocean Springs, MS.

Lovely little town next to Biloxi, great schools, among the best in MS (I know that's not saying much but the HS has sent grads to many Ivies, rare for MS). There are many people in that area who work on rigs.

Fairhope is pretty nice too.

Wouldn't live in or near Memphis - it's not close to the coast and it's one of the most dangerous cities in America.

Somewhere on the Mississippi coast, perhaps Gulfport or Biloxi or similar? Considering the political cultures, Mississippi is generally run better than Louisiana and the taxes are likely lower.

My DD spent some time in Biloxi at Keesler AFB.
Katrina was hard on the town but it looks like they are bouncing back. School info http://www.biloxischools.net/Distric..._Education.asp

If you don't mind casinos in the back yard there are much worse places to live. If you want to live in Louisiana, check out Slidell.

I agree with Littleman and would choose Northshore of Lake Ponchartrain. Good schools, closer to Galliano, and close to New Orleans.Check Covington, Manderville, or Madisonville.

Is the OP reading any of this?

Don't know your timeframe and if this is too late, but the public schools in Ascension Parish, La., are top notch. Not that far from Galliano. Google Gonzales, La., or Prairieville, La., for more info.