Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Where Would You Move To?

To the rest of you making helpful suggestions- thanks. I appreciate the feedback.

I'm from the midwest. I'm from a small town. Traffic was something that existed in Chicago (and even there it's still leaps and bounds better than Seattle). I don't need mountains. I'm not necessarily trying to live close enough to my family members to visit every weekend. But close enough that I can drive there in a day's time. The cost of living here is outrageous. I'm willing to take a pay cut for an even better cost of living cut. I hate the politics here- I'll never find somewhere perfect but having traveled the country a fair bit save for the southwest, I'm confident I'll land in a decent state and quickly find a job.

ETA: A few mentioned me taking care of my parents. Absolutely not the case. And don't expect it to be anytime in the next 10+ years. They're young and healthy.

Tell me more please.

By those standards you just eliminated Michigan, Wisconsin and probably Indiana. Of the three remaining states, Missouri is you best choice. I'd put Tennessee ahead of Kentucky simply on climate.

I live in Midwest Michigan and can hit Iowa City Iowa in approx 6 hrs. according to Google, Louisville, KY in 6.5.

The area I live in is very conservative as is most rural to mid sized areas in Michigan.

With Detroit drying Michigan is making a come back.

Maybe, but I have an automotive OEM knowledge that is useful to Detroit. I can handle a winter, have before- for 6 months of the year. I don't have to land in the perfect place. And based on what I've looked at in my research, the places I have listed are far better than western WA. I looked at KCMO. Can't remember why off the top of my head, but wasn't interested. Traffic isn't an issue, I have a pretty intimate knowledge of the worst places in the USA for traffic. Chicago isn't in the top ten. Top 25 yes, not the top ten. I ain't landing in Chicago or IL unless the $$ is right and I have 6 deadbolts on the door to keep parental pop-ins at bay (not a real worry, just making fun of it).

Just spitballing at why members here like or hate where they live, relative to where I'm looking. This is all helpful. Thanks.

Just announced that Alaska,s health care costs are the highest in the nation.

Said that a family of 4 pays an average of 40 k for health insurance here in Alaska.

Something to consider in your moving equation.

My plan is to buy a shop - house outside to go to for a few months for health care.

https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/art...in-booming-health-care-costs/2012/11/26/

1. Tennessee- great state

2. Kentucky- what's not to like

3. Indiana- southern Indiana, along the Kentucky border is pretty nice. Lots is big bucks along the Ohio River

Classic 'fire. What, 15% on topic?

Wow, I must be way below average. when I lived in AK, I paid about $7K a year for insurance, but there were only 3 of us in the family. But I will bet that our average health care costs for the year did run up to maybe 12K overall. (Insurance cost plus what we had to pay out of pocket) Thanks Obongo...

That's especially true on the Tennessee side of the state line.

I'd look close at NE Iowa.

Don't know how long you've been out of the state, but insurance premiums have pretty much doubled in the past 4 years combined with rising deductibles to where it seems everything is out of pocket.

That said I don't know how an average family is spending $40k a year unless they are on expensive medications.

You can be a SE Wyoming resident and meet that requirement. From here, it looks like you are only 900 miles from your parents, and 500 miles of that is I-80 straight through Nebraska, and then a bunch more through Iowa. It wouldn't be fun during a blizzard, though.

Tennessee is also better than Kentucky on taxes. The problem that I see with Tennessee is Nashville, Knoxville, and down on the west end is the Memphis mega chithole.

Besides, Tennessee doesn't have a Bluegrass region,...and they still have helmet laws down there.

I travel down to Tennessee quite regular because of family down there. It's not a bad place but it seems a bit bland in comparison to what Central Kentucky has to offer.

In fact, a lot of places seem a bit bland after one gets used to the scenery that exists in the Bluegrass region of Kentucky.

The farther you get away from it the uglier the world gets until you get to the Rocky Mountains.

Ozarks seem like the Appalachians to me. Branson/Springfield is ruint unless you can tolerate lots of folks. There are still some old-timey hill country places left though. I think the OP ain't serious anyway. The laws and majority in three of those states quickly cross them off my list. I'd fit in in Missouri, Kentucky or Tennessee, not in Yankeeland.

I have a friend who made a bunch of money working 7 days a week for a few years. After buying a motor home and touring the country, she decided to settle in Bristoe’s part of the world. She bought some rural acreage with a house and river frontage. She posted the property against trespassing. And then the trouble started. The locals didn’t take kindly to an uppity female outsider moving in and excluding them from “their” property, and trespassing and vandalism were constant problems. At one point, she would sling an AK47 to get the mail. One time she could not get out of her house and it turned out that someone had welded the doors shut. The sheriff couldn’t or wouldn’t do anything. I haven’t spoken with her lately, but I heard from another friend that she moved to another state.

Due diligence is important. I am sure my friend’s situation could happen in a lot of places, not just in Kentucky.

That doesn't sound like typical behavior in the Bluegrass region,...maybe southeast of here.

I'd grab a case of bourbon and head to Bristoe's for a few weeks. Trial run.

Have no idea what her situation is, but often times how you treat your neighbors when you move in often times affects how they treat. If one comes into the neighborhood and introduces themselves to the neighbors and breaks bread with them they'll likely have a different experience than if they act in a way that says, "Stay off my property you backwards hillbillies."

is there any place welcomes a Californian ?