# Family-friendly smaller town with good internet access?



## LauraSuzy (Sep 22, 2015)

My husband just got approval to keep his job in the US but work remotely from Spain, so we get to fulfill a lifelong dream of living in Spain with our family! I speak Spanish, and my husband knows a little, but nobody else in my family does. We have 5 children, ages 9, 9, 7, 5 and 1, so I'll be home with the baby and will need some company from other stay-at-home moms. We'd like to live in a smaller town or suburb and get to know the locals, send our kids to public school so they can learn Spanish, and be somewhat near the beach and mountains (I think - that part is really still up in the air), but preferably not in a super-touristy area. I'd love to be able to walk to school and the store and such, so we can just get a van (or bring ours?) for weekend road trips. More importantly, we want to be near a good evangelical Christian church, which I know is much harder to find! Our church here has sister churches in Madrid and Pamplona, but I am drawn to the Mediterranean coast. So... any suggestions about places we should go check out on our upcoming scouting trip?

Priority #1 - good high speed internet access for work!
Priority #2 - church
Priority #3 - family-friendly, not interested in night-life in particular 

We are hoping to move in 6-9 months, assuming we can get the visas approved and get our stuff in order here, and we're looking to make a scouting trip in the next month or so before we start the application process.

Can you give any suggestions? Thanks! Muchas Gracias!


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## 90199 (Mar 21, 2010)

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria might be of interest, seems to tick all your boxes.


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## LauraSuzy (Sep 22, 2015)

Hmm... I think I'd like to be on the mainland. How far down the coast is Catalan the primary language? If we chose a suburb of Barcelona, would it be overwhelming to learn Catalan and Spanish at the same time?


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## 90199 (Mar 21, 2010)

LauraSuzy said:


> Hmm... I think I'd like to be on the mainland.


Understandable, wouldn't do for everyone to live in the Islas Afortunados


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## mickbcn (Feb 4, 2013)

Penedès, area of vineyards and cellars, 15 minutes to the beachs of Vilanova i la Geltrú and Sitges,and 40 minutes to Barcelona or Tarragona, 35 minutes to the airport of Barcelona.
Your children will learn catalan and spanish at same time and in 2 years they will be fluent in both languages without problem.
And there are one small evangelic church..


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## mickbcn (Feb 4, 2013)

And internet conexion of 300 mb.


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## Guest (Sep 23, 2015)

Not all areas have access to Fibre at the moment, more chances of having Fibre internet in a city than the outskirts. (Call Movistar/Telefonica to check before renting a property!)

If you're really unlucky you may have access to a slow ADSL connection but that should be enough for remote work.

If you do rent a property on the outskirts and have a slow internet connection, it might be better to connect to the mobile phone network using a 3G router from home like we do with our house near Pamplona.

Good luck!


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## tonymar (Jan 29, 2015)

Hi and Welcome

We put our kids through the Spanish school , ( Agost nr Alicante ) and a lot of the lessons were in Valenciano , which is similar to catalan 

So that may rule out the costa blanca area , unless you send them to private school .

As regards to internet , ( and other services ) may not be up to the standards you are used to !

We live in the campo and only get 6mb using wimax ,

Any way good luck with your adventure , Spain in my opinion is a great place for kids to grow up 

Cheers Tony


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## Brangus (May 1, 2010)

LauraSuzy said:


> We have 5 children, ages 9, 9, 7, 5 and 1, so I'll be home with the baby and will need some company from other stay-at-home moms.


Albacete -- a city that feels like a town -- has a weekly story time at the public library that would be one place to meet other moms. Click here for info:
BPE



LauraSuzy said:


> We'd like to live in a smaller town or suburb and get to know the locals, send our kids to public school so they can learn Spanish, and be somewhat near the beach and mountains (I think - that part is really still up in the air), but preferably not in a super-touristy area.


Albacete is not near the beach or mountains and is not touristic, but it's a good place for families. To quote my landlord, It's a city where you cry twice: first when you lay eyes on it _('¡Jo...! ¿¡Me toca vivir aquí?!_) and again when you have to leave.



LauraSuzy said:


> I'd love to be able to walk to school and the store and such, so we can just get a van (or bring ours?) for weekend road trips.


Albacete is very walkable. For a car, you would need a Spanish driver's license, which I think requires you to take classes through a driving school. That costs about 1,000 euros in Albacete. Here's recent news article on the subject:
El carn? de conducir en San Sebasti?n te puede salir hasta 1.000 euros m?s caro que en La Coru?a | Econom?a | EL MUNDO[/QUOTE]



LauraSuzy said:


> More importantly, we want to be near a good evangelical Christian church, which I know is much harder to find! Our church here has sister churches in Madrid and Pamplona, but I am drawn to the Mediterranean coast.


Google says there are two in Albacete. I can't say if they're "good," but one has an online presence at Inicio - 1ª Iglesia Evangélica Bautista de Albacete and Primera Iglesia Evangélica Bautista de Albacete .



LauraSuzy said:


> So... any suggestions about places we should go check out on our upcoming scouting trip?


Speaking of "scouting," Scout groups for kids are popular in Albacete, so that's another thing that might interest your family. Some groups are nonsecular, while some are Catholic-oriented.

Interesting "Quality of life" map from 2012: 
Calidad de vida en las ciudades: ha empeorado - OCU



LauraSuzy said:


> Priority #1 - good high speed internet access for work!
> Priority #2 - church
> Priority #3 - family-friendly, not interested in night-life in particular


Actually, I think Priority #1a is going to be obtaining a visa that allows you to live and work legally in Spain. Does such a visa exist? Americans working remotely is a subject that comes up occasionally on this forum. Check out this thread, for example:

http://www.expatforum.com/expats/sp...orking-remotely-visa-restrictions-spouse.html

Good luck!


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## Helenameva (Aug 15, 2014)

mickbcn said:


> Penedès, area of vineyards and cellars, 15 minutes to the beachs of Vilanova i la Geltrú and Sitges,and 40 minutes to Barcelona or Tarragona, 35 minutes to the airport of Barcelona.
> Your children will learn catalan and spanish at same time and in 2 years they will be fluent in both languages without problem.
> And there are one small evangelic church..


Also an hour or so to the Pyrenees and then you're into France. 

There are a few other Evangelical churches in the city centre and suburbs, plus the popular International Church.

Learning Catalan and Spanish for the kids shouldn't be a problem, they are young enough to soak it in. As a fluent Spanish speaker, you should pick up Catalan more easily than your husband if he only speaks a little, but remember all Catalans speak Spanish so being able to speak both languages isn't essential. They will love you for trying to learn Catalan but they won't hate you if you don't. Look at this website to see if you think you can, or want, to learn Parla.cat. It's free.

I live in the Penedès area of Barcelona too, if I can help with anything else I would be happy to help. Also I am a Quaker and might be able to help you find a church you are comfortable with.


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## Pazcat (Mar 24, 2010)

Brangus said:


> Actually, I think Priority #1a is going to be obtaining a visa that allows you to live and work legally in Spain. Does such a visa exist? Americans working remotely is a subject that comes up occasionally on this forum. Check out this thread, for example:
> 
> http://www.expatforum.com/expats/sp...orking-remotely-visa-restrictions-spouse.html
> 
> Good luck!



This is by far the most important part but it has to be sorted. I don't know if there is a Spanish family history for the OP they could use.
What is worrying is there are a number of websites/blogs around that I have recently come across that are stating all you need to work remotely in Spain is a non lucrative visa which may not be as accurate as people may think.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Pazcat said:


> This is by far the most important part but it has to be sorted. I don't know if there is a Spanish family history for the OP they could use.
> What is worrying is there are a number of websites/blogs around that I have recently come across that are stating all you need to work remotely in Spain is a non lucrative visa which may not be as accurate as people may think.


yes I've seen that too - & I agree it is misleading

a non-lucrative visa doesn't come with permission to work - only to live here

which means you can't work - & working remotely *is *working - though I dare say people take & chance & hope they don't get caught

if they were caught the fines could be horrendous & also they run the risk of deportation & a ban - even a lifetime ban


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## Pazcat (Mar 24, 2010)

There are quite a few of these around and from reading a few it may even be the case that they are being told they can by consulates in the US.

I suppose they are not too concerned about leaving a blog trail for the authorities to find , the genuinely believe they are in the clear.


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## Elyles (Aug 30, 2012)

Most readers of this are Brittish and really enjoy the sunny/warmer coastal areas. Mountains and beaches together are difficult to find but not impossible. Growing up as a Navy brat in the US gave me opportunities to reside in and around some of the largest cities in the world, beaches on both coasts, mountains and various suburbs. After ending up in Houston Texas near the Gulf Coast for about 30 years and flying to ski in California, Nevada, Colorado and Wyoming for many years gave us the best of both worlds.Eventually, I completed my career in the mountains of Wyoming, near Park City, Ut. Three years ago we retired to Jaca, Spain, a town of normally 12000 people until August, when everyone and their grandmother here goes on vacation and our population swells to over 30000 for only a month. Normally also it is a sleepy moderate size community at the base of the Pyrenees, close to France that offers much in the way of cultural diversity. We are in a valley with a microclimate that pretty much prohibits constant winter snow and ice. But, we are close enough to major ski resorts that cost a pittance compared to those stateside. The weather variation between the closest resort 20km from here and us is radical. Anyway, no beach! The city itself is very affordable and offers some of the most spectacular views. What I see as a big problem is your children attending the Spanish school system. This is not an expat community with English speaking schools. Children adapt quickly though. There are only a few Brits here and even fewer Americans. When we moved here my wife spoke no Spanish and I spoke some. We enrolled in free adult education languages classes. I am almost fluent and my wife gets by pretty well. My advice is to immerse yourselves in the culture, learning as much as possible and have an adventure. Look us up. We are three hours from Barcelona or Bilbao and three and a half from Madrid. We love it here.


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## Elyles (Aug 30, 2012)

We have good high speed internet and there is a branch of the Evangelical church here of which we are members. Unlike the US, the Evangelical church here is simply a Protestant Spanish Church--nothing extreme. Contact a friend of ours who is a pastor in Bilbao, Felipe Arranz. at [email protected] and he can explain the church much better than I can. And he speaks English. He was the first person we met in Spain and remains a close friend and great source of information. Felipe can also address any of your questions. Just say Ed and Chris in Jaca referred you.


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## el romeral (May 8, 2012)

LauraSuzy said:


> If we chose a suburb of Barcelona, would it be overwhelming to learn Catalan and Spanish at the same time?


If it were me, that would be more than enough reason to avoid that area of Spain completely. Seems like it is only going to get worse with that Artur Mas idiot about.


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## Helenameva (Aug 15, 2014)

el romeral said:


> If it were me, that would be more than enough reason to avoid that area of Spain completely. Seems like it is only going to get worse with that Artur Mas idiot about.


Perhaps if you did your homework more thoroughly you would see this is complete tosh.


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## Chopera (Apr 22, 2013)

el romeral said:


> If it were me, that would be more than enough reason to avoid that area of Spain completely. Seems like it is only going to get worse with that Artur Mas idiot about.


Independence is a separate issue (or separatist issue ) but I don't think people should be put off because of difficulties learning both Catalan and Spanish. Kids should be able to pick them both up easily enough.

In fact, since the OP has indicated a preference for the med coast, they'll have to head to Murcia/Andalucia to find smaller towns that are going to have both fast internet access and be solely Castillian speaking.


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## mickbcn (Feb 4, 2013)

el romeral said:


> If it were me, that would be more than enough reason to avoid that area of Spain completely. Seems like it is only going to get worse with that Artur Mas idiot about.


Mas is idiot? you know him?this is the tipical spanish behavior, only insults,,we the people are who want the independence not Artur Mas,but I know that is not your fault, because the spanish media repeat the same mantra 24 hours a day, Mas Mas mas.
I don't know if he is idiot,but he speak 4 languages not like Mariano Rajoy who only speak spanish,he is the 129 th president of the Generalitat de Catalunya,founded in 1359 and voted for the majority of the catalan people and he, if you where a little bit democrat you must give him a little of respect as I respect the government members of your country.
In the next months (If we win next sunday) we will see who will be in worse condition.....
And remember before give one opinion you must have better information ,,from both sides, now you are receiving information from Spain.


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