I'm not a "Texan lady", but I lived there for a few years. I know that in the area around Sweetwater they have enough rattlesnakes to have a "rattlesnake rodeo" every year. :) There are supposedly more types of snakes there than in any other state, so keep that in mind. I'm sure Mary or Melody (or someone else) can give you more info.

What I KNOW about snakes is very little, but what I have EXPERIENCED with snakes is a bit more than the average bear. I have had many of my little animals bitten by copperheads -- one kitten was only a few weeks old and the kitten's mother became a very experienced snake killer. Fascinating to watch her.-- but I have never had one die because of the bite. Miserable and swollen, but survivors. The dog I have now was bitten when she was maybe 6 months old, now long after we adopted her, and she now alerts us when a snake shows up. She had one corners a week or two ago that was about 8 feet long.

My mother-in-law was once bitten by a rattler, but survived. In fact the most dangerous thing about the incident was that she panicked. she received ant-venom and something else, and was in the hospital a couple of days however.

I have a grandson that catches the ones he can, skins and tans the skins, and then eats the meat. Ugggh! He is not a bit afraid of any of them.

I do know that there are cottonmouths in Texas, and even think I have seen one a couple of times, but have never known anyone that was bitten by one, but am aware that they are dangerous.

I briefly looked at something one time onlline about snakes, but can't recall what it was. Maybe Wikipedia.

Wish I could help better than this.

Thank you both so very much.

We are contemplating placing our house on the market in a year or so, and we're looking at areas that would be good to raise our kids. We are not close to making any decisions yet, we are just trying to inform ourselves about different areas.

Scott and I have spent our whole lives in Northern California and we have done very little traveling, so the information search is a little intimidating.

Thanks once again for your help.

Love and Hugs, Angie

Angie, come on out to TN! We have snakes, too, but it's beautiful in east TN. If I turn my head to the left right now, I can see the Smoky Mountains. Absolutely gorgeous! I've lived in MO, IL, MO (again), NM, TX, NM (again), SC, NC, & TN. I'll take east TN every time!

Thanks!

But we're really not sure of the homeschooling laws in Tennessee. From what I understand we can homeschool them up until they reach high school age. At that point we have to turn them over to someone else because neither of us has a 4 year degree. That really concerns me.

In Texas we just have to have a bona-fide curriculum (in writing). An extra for us is that it is illegal for Texas colleges to discriminate against them because they were homeschooled, the same is true for North Carolina and New Mexico, but home prices are a little too high in those places.

We want to be where the church is strong, homeschooling laws are friendly, the second amendment is protected and the cost of living is lower. The median home cost here is 379,000 and we live at over 30% the average cost of living in the U.S. With taxes, fees and costs rising it makes life really hard. (And contrary to popular belief the average Joe doesn't make more in California, atleast up here.)

I understand. When the kids are involved, there are a whole new world of concerns. I'm not sure about the homeschooling laws in TN, but I know that we have several high school students who play on our sports teams who are homeschooled. If you're in the Knoxville area, there are several VERY good Christian schools. Housing prices cover a wide range in this area, depending on where you locate. (Our area is too high, but it's because we have a lot of retirees from up north.) Most other towns in the area are cheaper. And I don't think there's any discrimination with the colleges, because there are a HIGH number of homeschoolers in TN. But we both know that God will make sure that you're where He needs you to be. And isn't that a comfort?!

Yes! It's so wonderful to know that whether we go or stay, He's in charge! It takes the worry out of it.