Hi I have moved cross country several times and this is what I have learned.

Things to do before you go. I have moved to several states and here are some things that I have learned. Start looking for jobs now. Check out the local paper, local job websites, Monster, Yahoojobs, Hotjobs and every other site you can get your hands on. This lets you know what the market is like and if you are going to be able to get a job there. If you can start applying a few months before you move, try to set up phone interviews and get the ball rolling. Trust me it is much better to have the job before you move. Take a trip to the area a month or two before you move, look at houses, apartments and areas that you want to live in. You will want to have a place to stay before you go! Be prepared to make a few trips there before you move to sign papers and that kind of thing. Save up a lot of cash before you go. You will want to have at least 4 months of living expenses saved up before you go. Things happen and if you move before you have a job it can be tough to find one. It is better to be prepared. Make sure you have your closing cost, cost of movers, deposit for utilities and so on saved! Start calling the utility companies now and find out what it takes to get them turned on and approx cost to have them each month. In STL gas is like $20 during the summer of course more in winter. Electric is like$100 in summer and $20 in winter and water was like $40. Don’t forget sewer, phone, and subdivision annual fees. All these things start to add up! For extra cash sell your stuff on Ebay, yard sale or give it to charity and use it for a tax write off. Helps you get a little extra cash for your move.
Make a to do list and up date it each week, check off stuff as you go. Make a plan for each new week by looking at the sheet and get at least 3 things done that week. Makes it much easier in the long run if you start in advance and keep up with things. List help so start getting used to them ha ha ha.
You need to contact your bank and find out what you need to do to get your account moved. You need to contact your insurance company for both the house and the car and find out about rate changes and notify them of your new information. Also be sure to contact your health insurance company and inform them you are moving so the benefits can be transferred to that area. HMO’s have a limited area so you want to notify so you are covered. You need to notify all of your Credit Card companies and update your information, this also keeps them from freezing your account. I would also call the cell company, and any other “cards” you might have like Blockbuster and let them know. Make sure you fill out a change of address form with the post office at least 3 weeks in advance so you get your mail. Notify friends and family of the move, that includes people that you only talk to once a year and let them know so they are not sending things to the old place. You can always just send out just moved postcards. Since you will need child care start researching now it never hurts! Get ride of stuff now! The more you can get ride of the less it cost to move. If you haven’t used it in years, can live without it, or buy new get rid of it. Trust me the movers will cost you less or you can rent a smaller UHAUL to get your stuff down there. All this saves money. Start your moving book now. I always do this very helpful and keeps you organized. Get a binder and make sections for things like housing, jobs, movers, utilities, important phone numbers and contracts. Put everything associated with the move in the book. Make sure you take this with you, that way if something goes wrong you have the information at your finger tips! Also start packing number your boxes and make a packing list of what is in each box. That way if one gets lost you know what is in it, this is really helpful if you are using movers, also helps you when you unpack because you will know what are the most important boxes. Make sure you move all important documents (taxes, contracts ect) with you, have them in the vehicle that you are taking. This is your personal information and it is hard to get copies of this stuff so make sure you take it! Don’t trust the movers!
Contact the Chamber of Commerce and ask for your FREE relocation packet, this has everything you need to get you started. It has info on jobs in the area, cost of living, phone numbers, stats on crime, schools and more. This is one of the most helpful things you can do for your move! I have done it for every move and I cannot stress how helpful it is.
If you currently own a house get it ready for the market! Talk with a realtor and find out how long most houses in the area are taking to sell. Check your local real estate sites, chamber of commerce and listings in the area. Price your house to sell, do your fix ups now. The housing market is real bad right now, where I live houses used to sell in two days now we are looking at 4 months. You don’t want a house in one state and another payment in your state, find apartments that will rent month by month and get rid of the house before you go. Plan, plan, plan, organize, organize and organize some more. I cannot stress to you enough that when moving from state to state you cannot plan enough. Be sure to triple check everything, make out a to-do list and get yourself a time table set up. This will keep you on task and you will have a visual aid to let you know that everything has been taken care of. Trust me I have moved the wrong way and regret it and I have moved the right way and everything went as planned.
Good Luck to you on your move, do your research, take your time, save your cash, plan and organize and everything will go well!

I am in the process of planning a move ( Ohio to Nevada), but without children. this is a first for me so i know how you feel. I have been to Reno many times so I was familiar with my new city. my job has a location there, so that makes having a job when I get there easy. i just went last month.I visited the job location. I looked at places to live. I went to the DMV to see what was needed to register my car. I have looked into long-distance moving companies, my quotes were around $3k. Also, i am considering having my car shipped or driving it out there. If you look into moving co’s on line they have links for moving tips. Also, the little things like change of addresses for all you bills/creditors, setting up new utilities, change cell phone (if necessary), Definitely visit the areas before you make a decision. I would suggest moving before the end of the summer so that the kids can enroll in school at the beginning of the school year. Most of all do all of the research possible, it is best to be as prepared as possible. check out move.com and moving.com
GOOD LUCK

Research the area first. If you know of anyone who lives there that can help, thats best or contact a Realtor in the area. Of course they might be biased? Contact the churches in that area as well as reading their daily paper online. You will get an idea of the crime rate as well as prices of things.
Good luck!