If You Could Move Anywhere In The USA Where Would It Be, And Why?

We made our decision last year and moved to Austin TX. Both our daughters are here and as a disabled vet I don't have to pay property taxes on our new home which is under construction. It was a win win situation for us but the downside is we moved from CA's drought to the Texas drought so I still can't wash the car in the driveway.

Good luck on your choice and I hope it works out for you. My best,

a reply to: lovebeck

I'm actually Canadian, and have wanted to move to the states for quite some time. I have a daughter here though, and given that her mother and I are no longer together, I don't think I will ever get to do that (at least not within the next 16 years).

I have always liked the idea of moving to the south. Texas in particular had my interest. Mostly, I'm just tired of the insanely long winters and the cold, but I also like the gun laws in certain states, and I like the idea of being able to open carry or even get a concealed carry permit. Up here in Canada, you can own handguns but you are basically only permitted to take them from your residence to the range and back. I find that sort of legislation to be overly oppressive. I'm certainly not trying to start a gun control debate in your thread, it's just one of the reasons why I'd like to move south.

I also tend to find Canadians a little too "liberal". That is not to say I am strictly conservative (I tend to hold views on both sides of the political spectrum), but Canadians take neo-liberalism to a whole new level.

I think I would miss hockey too much though. And poutine.

I am quite surprised at how much Colorado is mentioned on here. I wonder why it's such a hot place for people to move?

I mean sure we have beautiful mountains, skiing, lots of outdoor recreation and legal marijuana but our neighbors to the north have quite a bit of the same too and far less people.

That's my biggest complaint about Colorado is it has become so saturated with people, traffic and cost of living is getting ridiculous! The congestion really takes away from the beauty of the state. If you want a more small town feel with the landscape of Colorado go to Wyoming or Montana. Those two states are extremely overlooked.

I lived in Northern Wyoming for two years and the climate was actually pretty similar to Northern Colorado's (only being a bit colder in the winter). While southern Wyoming generally is windier than Colorado we can definitely get our fair share here.

Anyway those would be my choices.

originally posted by: Snarl

originally posted by: Tangerine

originally posted by: Snarl
Been looking at this hard lately. Choices (in order) Alabama, Texas, Colorado, with Washington State a distant fourth. Will most likely spend three years in DC and then retire.

ETA: Why? Freedoms most appropriate to my lifestyle.

Can you give us an idea of why those four rank high in freedom (apart from pot being legal in two of them)?

Sure. I'm strongly conservative, and I really enjoy making use of the firearms I've invested in. Those four states allow for what I want to do in retirement and give me much to think about in terms of lifestyle. I didn't even consider MJ in the equation.

Washington is a progressive state with, I believe, the highest percentage of atheists. How does that fit in with the other three states you mentioned?

originally posted by: lovebeck

originally posted by: Tangerine
a reply to: lovebeck

You haven't mentioned whether you're married or single and looking, straight or gay, have kids (what age?), like city life or rural life near a city, like a hot climate a cold climate or something in between, and what your hobbies are.

Doesn't really matter but, I am married...to a man. I love photography, being outside, and warm weather. We have no young kids (our one and only is on her own) and we're both still pretty young with plenty of life left in us.

I have family that has lived in Hawaii...Both have said it is a wonderful place to visit.

We are looking for a place that has warm weather, at least a milder climate compared to what we have where we live now. So no thank you to MI's UP. Been there though and it is ABSOLUTELY beautiful!

Arizona, New Mexico, Cali, and Colorado seem to be the four we are looking at.

May take another look at the PNW as well...

All four of those are beautiful states in different ways. Arizona is much more politically conservative than the others. California, at least on the coast, is very expensive. New Mexico is probably the least expensive except for Santa Fe. Do you like the desert? Desert mountains can get cold. You do realize that it gets quite cold in Colorado, right? You mentioned that you're looking for someplace warm.

originally posted by: Tangerine

originally posted by: Snarl

originally posted by: Tangerine

originally posted by: Snarl
Been looking at this hard lately. Choices (in order) Alabama, Texas, Colorado, with Washington State a distant fourth. Will most likely spend three years in DC and then retire.

ETA: Why? Freedoms most appropriate to my lifestyle.

Can you give us an idea of why those four rank high in freedom (apart from pot being legal in two of them)?

Sure. I'm strongly conservative, and I really enjoy making use of the firearms I've invested in. Those four states allow for what I want to do in retirement and give me much to think about in terms of lifestyle. I didn't even consider MJ in the equation.

Washington is a progressive state with, I believe, the highest percentage of atheists. How does that fit in with the other three states you mentioned?

Proximity to world-class hunting. Proggies and atheists don't bother me. The only reason Washington comes in at a distant fourth is the weather.

originally posted by: Tangerine
Washington is a progressive state with, I believe, the highest percentage of atheists. How does that fit in with the other three states you mentioned?

FALSE. Washington gets very libertarian/conservative as you head east to the Cascades and is VERY conservative east of the Cascades. The state's constitution is written in such a manner that the state's legislature is actually broken down by counties rather than population. That keeps Seattle/Tacoma/Olympia from dominating the entire state. As a result of that, the state itself has some very excellent laws (like being tremendously 2nd Amendment friendly.)

Fairbanks Alaska
That's probably as remote Alaska as I could get and still have indoor plumbing as well as dental care nearby.

originally posted by: burdman30ott6

originally posted by: Tangerine
Washington is a progressive state with, I believe, the highest percentage of atheists. How does that fit in with the other three states you mentioned?

FALSE. Washington gets very libertarian/conservative as you head east to the Cascades and is VERY conservative east of the Cascades. The state's constitution is written in such a manner that the state's legislature is actually broken down by counties rather than population. That keeps Seattle/Tacoma/Olympia from dominating the entire state. As a result of that, the state itself has some very excellent laws (like being tremendously 2nd Amendment friendly.)

You're right, the less populated eastern part of Washington is conservative.

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New Zealand

Kind of away from everything. Beautiful vistas, good weather variance.
It's an island, so zombie hordes are limited, hehe.....
They already speak English.

a reply to: Gazrok

So the US took over NZ while filming LOTR?

originally posted by: FlyersFan
Fairbanks Alaska
That's probably as remote Alaska as I could get and still have indoor plumbing as well as dental care nearby.

One thing the travel brochures fail to mention about Fairbanks: If you have tree allergies, especially Birch allergies, Fairbanks is the worst place on Earth for you to consider being. I've seen Fairbanks in early summer running with pollen counts in excess of 4,000 PPM... anything over 100 PPM is considered extreme. That said, Fairbanks is a beautiful place... I'd certainly be raising my family there right now if only it was closer to the ocean.