My father was in the Navy, yet I think I actually move more now than when I was a kid. I figured out the stats the other day, and it was kind of enlightening:
Number of times I’ve moved with a baby: 3
Number of times I’ve moved with 2 children: 4
Number of houses I’ve owned in 8 years: 3 (though not at the same time)
Number of cities I’ve lived in, total, since birth: 8
Amount of money I’ve spent moving and buying/selling houses: I don’t want to know
And yet, I’m trying to move again. I’m hoping this time is the last time for a long, long while, so I want to make sure it’s a good place. I’ve already shared with you my neuroses about picking a vibrant city with good air quality to move both my daughters to, but especially the one with asthma.
Check out my favorite sites for finding pollution stats for cities/counties/metro areas under the cut. Or don’t. Some of the numbers might scare you, depending on where you live:
Scorecard
Want some frightening post-Halloween fun? Plug in your zip code to see how it stacks up against other U.S. communities in areas like toxic releases, Superfund sites and air quality. It’s a pretty useful tool, though, if you’re brave. We considered moving to a city in North Carolina until we discovered it ranked in the bottom 10% of zip codes for every single pollution statistic the site tracks. So that one’s off the list. Environmental Defense started Scorecard but Green Media Toolshed owns it now.
American Lung Association’s State of the Air
Obviously the first link contains more pollution numbers overall, but the ALA’s State of the Air is my gold standard for air quality reporting. If you have an Asthma Kid, too, and you’ve never read the report, you should. The ALA publishes it annually, and it tracks both ozone and particle pollution. Each county gets a grade, and you can check out the *Best and Worst Cities* link for comparison, too.
EPA: Where You Live
The *Window to My Environment* database contains all kinds of information for your community. Features include an interactive pollution map, local population statistics, and local environmental issues. Check out the AIRNow air quality index, toxic releases inventory, and Superfund site locater, too. Of course, I don’t know that the EPA is the most reliable source for pollution information.
