Pick a state

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dukeboy440

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My wife and I are discussing possibility uprooting and starting over in a new state. But we can’t decide on where we wanna go. Must be a pretty free state, as in no New York’s, California’s, Illinois etc.

State needs to have car hobby friendliness and even more friendliness towards things that go boom when a trigger is pressed.
Job market needs to be fairly stable or growing, cost of living can’t be stupid high or have stupid taxes.

I’d love to move to the Dakotas or Montana, but with the snow, I doubt I could convince her. Tennessee is nice but way too many people. same with the Carolinas and anything south and East. Texas is too damn hot, Arkansas wouldn’t be bad. So the heartland is where I think we’d like to stay.

Missouri? Kansas? Kentucky?


Thoughts?
 
I've always liked Georgia. Like Daddy always said, it has some of everything. Mountains, lakes, beaches, farm land and rural areas. Kitty and I would like to see some more snow.....and we've talked about the north east corner of Georgia, but probably never happen.
 
I've always liked Georgia. Like Daddy always said, it has some of everything. Mountains, lakes, beaches, farm land and rural areas. Kitty and I would like to see some more snow.....and we've talked about the north east corner of Georgia, but probably never happen.
Georgia wouldn’t be bad. I wouldn’t mind being up around Mount Currahee area
 
My wing man is headed to Tenn in the near future. His son and grankids are near Ft Campbell Ky. Liquidating his assets here gets him a big home on acreage there and leaves a big chunk of change in his pocket.
 
Yep, my wife and I have been talking about it for years. Florida has a lot of freedom. However, very Hot and flat. We have always liked NE TN and looking into KY.
 
Depends on what you want out of life at this point. My idea could be different from yours.... Ideally if you are getting closer to retirement a consideration would be higher income taxes and less taxes on everything else. That's what I have read anyways.

Me personally. Minimal interaction with people and small town living. Cheese sandwiches and a place for my dog. Everything else is negotiable. But I don't try to impress people I don't know with money I don't have lol.....

JW
 
Tennessee has plenty of open areas with smaller populations, a buddy is thinking of moving southeast of Nashville.
 
If you don't mind flat, Kansas has lots of open area's with very little to no people. Not sure about the government in Kansas, but I do know that every Kansian I have met has lots of guns. Lots and lots of guns.
I've been quite impressed with rural Kansas. Just have to get past the flat. In reality you can get good land, sometimes with trees and water.
Hot like the south in the summer and cold like the mountains in the winter.
 
Depends on what you want out of life at this point. My idea could be different from yours.... Ideally if you are getting closer to retirement a consideration would be higher income taxes and less taxes on everything else. That's what I have read anyways.

Me personally. Minimal interaction with people and small town living. Cheese sandwiches and a place for my dog. Everything else is negotiable. But I don't try to impress people I don't know with money I don't have lol.....

JW
Good point. I don’t either. That said, we’re in our mid 30s. 2 kids, one on the way. But starting to wonder if a fresh start some place new would take stress and drama off. Lots of family dynamics is making things unbearable at times here.
Personally, I want to go to Montana and really get away but that’s not likely to ever happen.
 
If the state and or county has real/and personal property taxes, your not really free...
That’s why I say “pretty free”. Around here, if I want to put a fence up or plant a tree, I don’t need any permits or have to pay fees. I do have property taxes but I can live and deal with that
 
If you don't mind flat, Kansas has lots of open area's with very little to no people. Not sure about the government in Kansas, but I do know that every Kansian I have met has lots of guns. Lots and lots of guns.
I've been quite impressed with rural Kansas. Just have to get past the flat. In reality you can get good land, sometimes with trees and water.
Hot like the south in the summer and cold like the mountains in the winter.
Only thing is tornadoes haha
 
sounds like you need to make some trips and experience some of these places for yourself.. people have been flocking to tenn,ga,fla and the carolinas for years. while they may still have open space they are building up like mad. gotta be able to look into the future some too and judge what it will be in 10-20 years. being in your 30's you need to find a place that actually has jobs or those stresses will be as bad or worse..
 
Personally, I want to go to Montana and really get away but that’s not likely to ever happen.

Montana is a great state. I've spent some time there in the rural outbacks hunting dinosaurs. Tough living though. Jobs are difficult to find. Winters are absolutely brutal. I live at 7K feet in the mountains of Colorado and work at 9K and above building custom homes. It's not as cold here as it is in Montana. Gotta be one of the hottest places I've been and one of the coldest places I've been.
Grew up in Louisiana so I understand hot and humid too.
I hope to one day pick up a ranch in the middle of the badlands in Montana for retirement.
One nice thing about Montana is that I have spent weeks in the badlands and literally not talked to another person (aside from my partner) for those weeks. Not many folk there.
 
sounds like you need to make some trips and experience some of these places for yourself.. people have been flocking to tenn,ga,fla and the carolinas for years. while they may still have open space they are building up like mad. gotta be able to look into the future some too and judge what it will be in 10-20 years. being in your 30's you need to find a place that actually has jobs or those stresses will be as bad or worse..
Lol. That’s the problem. I’ve traveled extensively in all but the extreme north east states and Hawaii/Alaska. At last count, I think I’d stayed in 40 something states out of the 50.
 
Too many people in Tennessee? Compared to what....? High elevation parts of Arizona are nice ie. Flagstaff. Not the east coast green, but alpine green. Jet down as its 8500 feet, higher than Denver!
 
Montana is a great state. I've spent some time there in the rural outbacks hunting dinosaurs. Tough living though. Jobs are difficult to find. Winters are absolutely brutal. I live at 7K feet in the mountains of Colorado and work at 9K and above building custom homes. It's not as cold here as it is in Montana. Gotta be one of the hottest places I've been and one of the coldest places I've been.
Grew up in Louisiana so I understand hot and humid too.
I hope to one day pick up a ranch in the middle of the badlands in Montana for retirement.
One nice thing about Montana is that I have spent weeks in the badlands and literally not talked to another person (aside from my partner) for those weeks. Not many folk there.
Nice! I spent two weeks during high school working on a ranch near where the Battle of Bull run is. Can’t think of the town name off top of my head but it’s beautiful country.
 
Too many people in Tennessee? Compared to what....? High elevation parts of Arizona are nice ie. Flagstaff. Not the east coast green, but alpine green. Jet down as its 8500 feet, higher than Denver!
Compared to the heartland states of Kansas, Nebraska etc. especially around the tourist areas. Really though that’s everywhere east of the Mississippi.
 
Missouri? Kansas? Kentucky?
Thoughts?

Missouri seems to just have people in every back hollow I've explored. I have spent a few weeks driving around the back woods rural Missouri looking for mopars. Found a bunch, including an aar. Everywhere I went, every little dirt road had someone living at the end of it. Seemed like there are more people in the state than what it appears to hold.
But like most of the Southern states you can get lost pretty easily in Missouri due to the sheer amount of trees. You can't see through the trees at all. Makes for the illusion that you are alone.
Guns are very acceptable in Missouri. Of course I'm talking rural. Big city people have the same problems as other big city people.
 
Missouri seems to just have people in every back hollow I've explored. I have spent a few weeks driving around the back woods rural Missouri looking for mopars. Found a bunch, including an aar. Everywhere I went, every little dirt road had someone living at the end of it. Seemed like there are more people in the state than what it appears to hold.
But like most of the Southern states you can get lost pretty easily in Missouri due to the sheer amount of trees. You can't see through the trees at all. Makes for the illusion that you are alone.
Guns are very acceptable in Missouri. Of course I'm talking rural. Big city people have the same problems as other big city people.
Yeah, I like the Lebanon Missouri area. Some of the friendliest people I’ve ever met were in that little town.
 
I'm in Colorado. Absolutely love the rural atmosphere in Colorado. However the three counties in Colorado, Denver, Golden and Boulder control all of our politics and those city people do not have the slightest idea of what the rural life is about. They are ruining the state. We are a blue state, controlled by Denver.
This is why I have been looking at other states in the last ten years. I can see what's coming down the californian pipe line.
No where in America is as beautiful as Colorado. Of course I have not seen everything, but I've been looking for a better location than where i am for years and just can't find it.
Beauty doesn't trump politics though.
Eastern Colorado is very similar to Kansas. Very rural farming communities. They love their guns. Guns are a way of life for rural Colorado people. And I mean a daily way of life.
The south western corner of the state has a low population, mostly indians and mexicans in the rural areas. Good places to buy land and disappear if that's what your after.
Here in Central Colorado I have to drive 60 miles to make it to the next big town. Everything is divided by about 60-70 miles. Not a lot of people, yet.
I ride my dirtbike in the mountains a 100 miles a day and won't run into another human. It's the way it's supposed to be.
STAY AWAY from Denver.
 
Yeah, I like the Lebanon Missouri area. Some of the friendliest people I’ve ever met were in that little town.

I'll agree with you there. Missouri definitely had a ton of nice people. We knocked on doors that were in the true boonies and people were nice and invited us into their homes often times.
Alabama has to be the nicest state in the union with Missouri being close in the following.
 
I vacation a bunch. I made 30 states last year and 3 countries. Was a great year even with the crap that happened. Viewed at least 50 concerts too.
 
I'm in Colorado. Absolutely love the rural atmosphere in Colorado. However the three counties in Colorado, Denver, Golden and Boulder control all of our politics and those city people do not have the slightest idea of what the rural life is about. They are ruining the state. We are a blue state, controlled by Denver.
This is why I have been looking at other states in the last ten years. I can see what's coming down the californian pipe line.
No where in America is as beautiful as Colorado. Of course I have not seen everything, but I've been looking for a better location than where i am for years and just can't find it.
Beauty doesn't trump politics though.
Eastern Colorado is very similar to Kansas. Very rural farming communities. They love their guns. Guns are a way of life for rural Colorado people. And I mean a daily way of life.
The south western corner of the state has a low population, mostly indians and mexicans in the rural areas. Good places to buy land and disappear if that's what your after.
Here in Central Colorado I have to drive 60 miles to make it to the next big town. Everything is divided by about 60-70 miles. Not a lot of people, yet.
I ride my dirtbike in the mountains a 100 miles a day and won't run into another human. It's the way it's supposed to be.
STAY AWAY from Denver.
Yeah, my brother is in Fort Collins. All that is definitely true
 
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