I relocated for a new job, pre-pandemic, and I can attest it was hard with a family. Moving before kids get to high school is less of an ordeal though. Generall

I relocated for a new job, pre-pandemic, and I can attest it was hard with a family. Moving before kids get to high school is less of an ordeal though. Generally speaking kids tend to have proximity friends thru elementary/middle school (grades K-8) but then have more common interest based friends going into high school. Everyone is different and some will have childhood friends from elementary for life. However, I've seen many instances when kids are funneled into larger populations (elementary to middle, middle to high) their circle of friends changes. The other element of relocating is its much nicer to be in an area growing than an area that is declining, economically speaking. If there are large pushes for "return to office" or a layoff, its much better to have many options in your area vs. a few major employers with zero growth.