Personally, any move can be stressful. I have moved from Europe to US, US to Europe, North to South, South to further South and I find no matter were you go everywhere has it's own quirks, rituals, culture etc. But, honestly I found many people in the south to be friendly, hospitable and very pleasant. There are definite culture difference and there are things that will make you wonder but ... it is true of anyplace. So, just enjoy the wonderment of finding out!!

By the way, I heard that if you move from the North to the South, that it is very hard to be accepted. Is this true?

Thank you so much for your honest answer. I have been searching the public school system on the great schools website for Aiken, SC. My daughter is 12, 7th grade, and we may be moving by high school. That is my hope for her to finish off 7th and 8th grade with all her friends and start high school in SC. I noticed that Aiken High is rated very well and many parents have positive things to say about it. Thank you for the tip on calling the superintendent, good idea. I am glad you are happy with your private school decision.
Linda

Dear Linda,

I understand your concerns completely as I moved here just 9 months ago and went through many transistions. Aiken overall has a fairly good school system. Many of the schools here are highly awarded and have recommendations. I have one major concern with the system which is they only teach on grade level throughout the county. If you have children who are advanced in certain subjects then they will become bored very easily. It is not until 3rd Grade when they offer forgien language or a gifted program. So, it all depends on the age of your children. I personally called the Superintendents of the areas and found out the cultures and academic cirriculum performaces of each school. That was very interesting. We have found a great school here but it is private. It was a decision I made based on the best needs for my children. To be honest, it was the best decision I made.

I hope this is helpful.

Thank you for your answer. I am on great schools website now and have been looking at their rating's for different schools in different counties. I have read the reviews but I just wanted to know more. We are like many others that are affected by this bad economy. My husbands company will be closing its doors in 2011. At least they have given us time to prepare.

Have you tried using Greatschools Research and Compare feature, on the green menu bar near the top of this page? You can enter the location and grade level of the schools you're interested in, and see how they rate to other schools in the state.
This previous discussion also lists ways to compare school systems from state to state: community.greatschools.net/advice/184/Helpful-websites-when-seeking-info-about-HOW-SCHOOLS-COMPARE-STATE-TO-STATE-