Where to move to in America?

[shane45]

I fought the fight as much as I could here in NJ. Founding board member of the New Jersey Second Amendment Society etc etc. But I have simply reached a point that I have grown tired of a state determined to create convicts out of citizens. I just cant stay in a state where a scumbag beats his kid into permenant brain damage and gets two years but someone who has a regular capacity mag (committed no actual crime other than administrative) in his car from out of state gets 7! I resigned my seat and am now focusing my efforts on leaving. NJ hates me and my guns and I hate em right back, FU NJ! .

So where to go? On paper lots of states look good but when you hit the forums on specific locations, deal breakers abound.

I would love a place with great scenery, warm, good schools, lower cost of living, good job prospects. I currently work from home so my work comes with me but would like to be in an area where if something happened, there would be prospects. Clearly favorable gun laws are a must. Both my wife and I have spinal fusions so cold is a real issue for us.

North Georgia was a front runner until I stumbled on their vehicle tax law. Unfortunately I have two new leases, my wife's truck and my truck. And that would result in an almost 6k DMV bill :O.

Eastern TN. Good on Paper but talking to people I could find that lived there gave very unfavorable viewpoints on the people and areas there(even the really good ones).

North and South Carolina. A possibility but concerned about humidity and jobs.

Arizona. Love AZ but houses are pricey and water issues are a concern.

Colorado. Getting over run with libtards? Concerns with the cold.

Wyoming. Cold?

Oklahoma. This state looks like it hits a lot of check boxes. But its hard to ignore the sky may drop the finger of death upon you!

Texas is a consideration but the towns I like, the homes are expensive.

Arkansas. Looked but didn't really find a fit, on paper anyway.

Not interested in Fla, or LA.

So where am I missing or what part of states I've mentioned am I overlooking? Except GA! Im not paying 6k to DMV!!!!!!

Thanks!

 

[proneshooter]

Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, the Carolinas, Texas, Washington, Michigan, Minnesota, Arkansas, Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Oregon, Idaho.

Take your pick.

 

[bkw1911]

Come to queen Creek az. Houses are pretty cheap. We're twenty minutes from the heart of Gilbert and mesa and about 45min from phx. If you work from home then qc is definitely the place to be. We've got all the major shopping and eating within a mile and the desert within about 3miles.

 

[TimeWillTell]

I currently live in OK, around the OKC area. I am in med school here. Overall, I think you would like OK. Living costs are very low compared to the rest of the country, lots of jobs, especially in the oil and natural gas realm. It does get hot here, but no worse than Texas. It also can get cold here but usually we only get a short (5-10 days) cold spell a year (meaning below freezing). Gun laws are very favorable, taxes are pretty low unless you move into a city/country that got a little too big for their britches (Bristow, near Tulsa comes to mind).

ETA: Don't worry about tornadoes that much. Sure, they are something to be aware of but get a shelter installed at your house if you don't have one and you'll be fine. I would argue no worse than Hurricanes as statistically you are very unlikely to be hit by one. Also, with a little reading you can find the tracks that tornadoes like to take and avoid those areas. Sure, that is not 100%, but it may give you a little piece of mind. Case in point: the Moore tornadoes last year that everyone is aware of. Tornadoes like to come from the SW of OKC and circle around the OKC area and hit Moore/Norman on the south and the Guthrie area to the north. Every place you would consider living will have some sort of natural disaster possibilities.

That said, I spent the first 18 years of my life in Kansas near Lawrence. Some beautiful country up there, but the political climate in Lawrence and some other larger cities is getting a little problematic. And the taxes are outrageous where my parents still live in Douglas County, 10 miles south of Lawrence. Probably no worse than NJ though, and there are some other surrounding counties that are still reasonable. Western Kansas is a whole different animal haha, but not in a bad way necessarily. Very rural.

I like Kansas a lot and enjoy visiting, but my morals and values fit a little better with Oklahoma so I intend to stay here once I finish school. Any other questions you have I will try to answer.

 

[Hairball]

Good luck, the list you have (great scenery, warm, good schools, lower cost of living, good job prospects) does not exist or everyone would try and move there and then it would be just as bad as everywhere else. Every place has its positive and negative aspects. You need to decide what elements(s) are the most important and compromise on the rest. If Georgia is the front runner then find a way to cover the 6k and move to the place you will enjoy. Or , get rid of one of the lease vehicles and move with one, if the lease allows you to leave the state with the vehicle (as you work from home you don't need one right away). Better to pay 6k and move to what you want than save the money, move to someplace you don't really like and then bitch about it for the next 10 years. I want to move out of CA but the wife has a business here that makes too much money to just walk away from so we will stay for the foreseeable future. By no means a place where I want to live but it is what it is.

 

[Exo]

Come to queen Creek az. Houses are pretty cheap. We're twenty minutes from the heart of Gilbert and mesa and about 45min from phx. If you work from home then qc is definitely the place to be. We've got all the major shopping and eating within a mile and the desert within about 3miles.

Another vote for AZ...I live in El Mirage (the other side of the planet basically from Queen Creek) but the housing prices are still low. Its ALWAYS warm. Im about 5 minutes from Glendale / Phoenix / Surprise and about 20 minutes from 2 separate mountain ranges. The bonus...you can shoot ALMOST anywhere in AZ!

 

[proneshooter]

Having lived in Washington, Kansas, and Ohio over the last 22 years, I'd pick Kansas (Wichita area/south central).

Oklahoma is a very, very close second.

 

[redneckbmxer24]

If I moved from VA it would be to TN, FL, or possibly PA. I love VA though but northern virginia is a shit hole. The Fredericksburg and Front royal areas are both nice. Fredericksburg has great job opportunities and cheap living and surprisingly low crime rate, I live in fairfax county which is one of the most expensive to live in for the whole country and it's much higher here. The best part about the area is you drive 45 minutes west and you're in the mountains, 45 minutes east and you're at the beach. 45 mins southwest gets you to lake Anna which is very nice if you don't do salt water.

 

[Unknown]

Oregon and Idaho are pretty neat places. I'm currently in Washington state, but the state seems to have their hand out for money MUCH more often than I felt in Oregon. Most tax review sites place Washington State's overall tax burden on the citizen ahead of Oregon's. Oregon currently allows select fire and short barreled rifles, Washington state does not. Look at southern and central oregon.

 

[Nomad0001]

Been through that dilemma before. No matter where you go, there is going to be *something* in the negative column. Don't get so picky that you end up not moving ;-)

 

[KUSA]

North Carolina has decent guns laws compared to most states. It is very diverse in landscape from one end to the other so your environment is up to you.

I used to live in AZ and I think I like it better but it's all in what you like trees or cactus.

 

[BoilerUP]

Floyd County, Indiana - excellent public schools, in the Louisville KY metro area with major employers like Humana, Yum, Ford, UPS and Brown Forman (among many others), very reasonable cost of living, lower taxes/insurance than Kentucky, very firearm-friendly, and certainly doesn't get any colder than Jersey does.

Also: eff Jersey, who in the HELL came up with the bright idea to make you turn right 3 times in order to turn left?!?

 

[jimmykm21]

Check out western NC , around Ashville area , Lake Lure , Black Mountain etc..

I love that area , 4 seasons but a very short winter , beautiful mountains , nice lakes , hiking trails that older people like me can handle easy.
When I'm done in CT that will be the place I move too.

 

[velillen]

Oregon and Idaho are pretty neat places. I'm currently in Washington state, but the state seems to have their hand out for money MUCH more often than I felt in Oregon. Most tax review sites place Washington State's overall tax burden on the citizen ahead of Oregon's. Oregon currently allows select fire and short barreled rifles, Washington state does not. Look at southern and central oregon.

Washington allows Short Barrel Rifles but as of right now we dont allow Short Barrel Shotguns. Western WA is nice. You can find some cheap places outside of King county. Weather is generally pretty wild but we do have spells of under freezing every couple years. Same we have 2 weeks or so of hot weather (85+) a year.

But WA is funny and our gun laws can change at anytime it seems like. As ive said before its King County (seattle) vs the rest of the state on most topics.

 

[Foweis]

AZ BUDDY. I live in New Mexico. It's very similar. But AZ is where id rather live.
Better laws. A lot cleaner. And the people are not known for being slow,retarded, fuck tards.
Haha sorry. I vote AZ!

 

[jimmykm21]

That's exactly what everyone in Michigan and Florida did, so I bailed out.

How did you like living there?

 

[Cstanm70]

Kansas will fight the good fight till the end. If you come here your guns are safe.

 

[Slow-n-easy]

If Wyoming is out consider Arizona or Texas.

 

[Bill Larson]

Come live with us in Illinios...... here our politicians serve 2 terms.... one in office... one in the state pen..... Joliet IL.

 

[Maggot]

The thinkg that stuck out in your post was wanting warm weather because of rusions, health problems. While Arizona is beautiful, the whole south west, Texas included, is under going a severe, long term drought. The big reservoirs like Lake Meade and Lake Powell are at only about 30% capacity. A lot of that foes to LA, San Diego, and Vegas. If things dont change it could become catastrophic.

Virginia is beautiful, and very gun friendly, but still pretty cold in the winter. Same with western North Carolina around Asheville, which is the prettiest part of the state. think Hairball told you right. If Georgia is first on the list, then deal with the autos, and go where you feel is best for you.

 

[shane45]

Believe me, wherever I go, I will not be bringing any North East tendencies with me! In fact when I travel for biz to states like TX, AZ, KY they all say, "you don't seem like you come from there, you seem like your from here" Unfortunately every time I'm in one of these states I usually only get to see an industrial park before Im back on a plane! I will check out some of these other areas mentioned! SBR's and Cans are of particular interest to me and of course, strong right to carry, state constitution, and castle doc.

 

[Blackjack988]

Georgia and PA are my top 2 for whenever I can afford to move out of this state. As long as where-ever I go has a decent tech sector i'll be fine job-wise.

 

[HD-Ghost]

I vote AZ. The wife and I were considering a move there (Prescott/Flagstaff areas) until she got a great job here. Lots of Natl Forest to shoot/camp in; back roads for riding; forests in the higher altitudes.

NM is OK. Lots of outdoors, but little water (thus not much game). Obama has started shutting down vehicle access to a lot of our public owned land. There is alot left, but usually this actions rarely sunset.

Taxes vary. Vehicle taxes are very low, property tax is med-low, but there is a state income tax. I would venture that half the state does NOT work, and because we are one of the poorest (we just beat out Miss for last place) the govn has to tax the few who work. Business taxes vary, some are progressive. This is why we have a hard time recruiting new companies.

Most of the roads are dirt or gravel. Lived in Albuquerque 10 yrs and have probably ridden every paved road in the state.

 

[Unknown]

Washington allows Short Barrel Rifles but as of right now we dont allow Short Barrel Shotguns. Western WA is nice. You can find some cheap places outside of King county. Weather is generally pretty wild but we do have spells of under freezing every couple years. Same we have 2 weeks or so of hot weather (85+) a year.

But WA is funny and our gun laws can change at anytime it seems like. As ive said before its King County (seattle) vs the rest of the state on most topics.

I'm in the Puget sound area now, and really like the area. Weather is pretty much the same as in the Portland area. There are a couple of areas around Puget sound that have what is called a rain shadow. The rain shadow is an anomaly where most of the rain gets dumped prior to and after those cities. As a result of the rain shadow, cities like Port Townsend and Sequim (pronounced squim) only get 12-15 inches of rain a year. They actually have difficulty having sufficient water... But those areas aren't really flush with employment, or infrastructure. They are a good hour away from major hospitals, but they are pretty neat areas.

Although I do like the area, I feel the tax and fees from government more heavily than I did in Oregon. Washington doesn't have an income tax, but it does have a sales tax around 9%. Oregon doesn't have a sales tax. I have mixed feelings on sales taxes. On one hand, it is nice that all the people who deal illegal drugs, or work under the table have to pay something to the state. On the other hand, I haven't seen a government yet (either state) that isn't trying to figure out how to squeeze the most they can out of the citizens of that state. Whenever the government changes the tax structure, the net result is for them to get more money.

Overall, I think Oregon and Idaho have the most firearms friendly laws. But Washington state's firearms people are slowly trying to change things. However I doubt Washington state will ever let people have select fire weapons like Oregon does.

 

[jimmykm21]

Beautiful place. I guess you've spent enough time there to know Asheville is full of hippies and many of the residents of WNC (and ETN) have their hand out. My family is all from the S Appalachians, so getting away, but also being close enough to visit has it's benefits. A lot of people from up north and FL have made it their home (or seasonal home). Anyone w/ a FL tag doing 20 mph should be advised the truck behind you is shaking their head in frustration saying 'damn floridiot' It's changed a lot and IMO, not for the better. No one seems to know the history anymore. Every hollar had a name, not written on paper, but everyone knew it and probably had a story about it. They knew the light that you could sometimes see on the mountain was the ghost of that slave looking for his lost master. I guess I'm just glad to not be there now because I hate to see what it's become. FWIW, NC is suffering badly from 'interstate disease', so don't think it's a safe place as far as 2A rights. It's not that great in that regard now and could take a turn for the worse in a heartbeat.

I certainly know what you mean about the hippies. I have vacationed there for the last 9 or so years . We rent a mountain cottage and when I'm there I hate when it's time to pack up and leave. I stay out of the downtown Ashville area unless we are going to a place to eat . I mostly just love the mountains and the way it's easy to get away from any type of crowd just by driving a few miles out. For me at least it just seems like the perfect climate , beautiful mountains , great fishing . The only thing that would worry me would be the 2A issue but look where I'm coming from. The communist state of CT so anything to me would be an improvement

 

[mtrmn]

Don't fall for the propaganda that Louisiana is nothing but swamps, alligators, and second-lining jazz bands. It is, however wicked hot with the 90% humidity and 95* temps.......

 

[kraigWY]

This post reminds me of a story I heard a while back.

This old boy retired and was searching for a retirement home. He pulls into a little country gas station/store in an area he thought he might like. He ask the old guy running the store about the people in the area, adding he just retired and was looking for a retirement home. The old gentleman asked what the people were like where he came from. the Retiree told him, they are all assholes, that's why I want to leave, they really suck.

The gas station owner told him, sorry sir, I'm afraid you'll find the people here the same way, they're all assholes.

A couple days later, here comes another recent retiree, stopped for gas at the same store and inquired from the owner about the people in the area, saying he was looking for a retirement home. Again the owner asked what the people were like around this area.

The old guys ask, what were the people like where you come from. The retiree hangs his head, he says that's the problem, they were great people, I hate to leave such folks but with my pension I just have to find a cheaper place to live. I was hoping to find the same sort of folks. The store owner smiles and says, fellow, this is the place, you'll not find a greater bunch of folks anywhere.

 

[Gunga]

I live in north Georgia and recommend it to friends that ask about it. I suggest you recheck the vehicle tax info you got. I've never paid any tax like what you mentioned. The property taxes on my house and 10 acres isn't as much as your source said vehicle taxes are.
Best of luck to you either way.

 

[dakota_goon]

Can't believe you aren't considering North Dakota??? Great hunting and fishing. You get to experience all 4 seasons as they were meant to be experienced. Cold is relative. There a colder places

 

[Smcarroll]

Wyoming and Montana are full of assholes, you would hate it here.

 

[ShtrRdy]

First Step - anywhere but NJ. ( and NY, MA, ..... )

 

[gme]

I reached that point in life a few years ago, searched around the country for a better place for my family and my business than southern CA, we settled on northern AZ

 

[CthulhuAwakens]

Come to CO and help us fight the good fight.

 

[Bjm0918]

Just pack your shit and head west across the Delaware. Not sure what part of jersey you are in but the Philly area isn't that bad. I moved back 7 years ago after 15 years in MA so this is a huge improvement.

 

[TGuthrie]

North Alabama is really an awesome place to be. Along with some of the other states mentioned, we will fight the good fight until the end. Climate is perfect IMO, job market is much better than you would expect, and the schools are great. Take a look at Madison county. It's just west of Huntsville and about 45 minutes east of the more rural Athens.

 

[kmose73]

I heard Nevada is just a big dry shooting range