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I am trying to narrow down what may be the most appropriate western state for our family, and hope folks here will have some suggestions (or tell me if what I'm looking for is impossible)!
Important:
Access to health care (within ~30 min drive both as a consumer and a healthcare professional)
Access to big game hunting
Access to hiking and horse trails
Single family home on at least 1 acre, for $200,000 or less, if possible
Proximity to mountains/hills
Mostly widely type of fuel used for heating - natural gas is preferred. We use oil and wood now and would like to get back to natural gas.
Mountain views, of course
Not Important:
Schools for kids
Major shopping
Snow and cold doesn't bother us, and we're used to driving in it
Doesn't matter to us whether the state has income tax or not - I believe they will get their money one way or another, through income tax or property tax, etc.
We have been trying to compare New Mexico, Colorado, Idaho and Montana and are working to make visits to all of them. Of course they are all huge states, so any help we can get in focusing in our search is most appreciated
New Mexico - some parts of it are dramatic, and many are God-forsaken. It's also TOO dry.
Colorado - you can probably get your R.E. scenario, but in the more rural areas...not near the ski resorts and not on the Front Range near Denver
Idaho - can you deal with the 2nd largest concentration of Mormons? Something to think about. They can be nepotistic. That said, the Panhandle of Idaho, which touches Canada, is beautiful and includes Sandpoint, Sarah Palin's hometown (j/k)
Montana - though Montana is huge and there's room for everyone (less than 1 million people live in the entire state), the locals, or newcomers themselves, aren't very welcoming. They resent the movie star types who came up there to retire on enormous ranches and still think they're in California. But, with Glacier National Park in its western part, it is beautiful. Plus, no sales tax.
For me, the only one I could handle is Colorado, but then, I'm NOT cut out for the Intermountain West, though I know a bit about it. For you, I'd say Montana.
Wow, Philadelphia and now here. No, they don't bite, but a Mormon once laughingly told me that if a non-LDS person tendered a bid for contract work in Utah against a bunch of LDS folks, it would be a waste of time.
To the OP, forget Utah. You will be asked about your faith A LOT.
Last edited by robertpolyglot; 03-11-2012 at 06:21 PM..
Thank you all for the great advice! I've always been fascinated by Utah, but haven't been for a visit yet, so I wasn't sure about adding it to the list. Salt Lake City does seem very appealing. My parents regularly vacation around the west and they have always loved Utah. I am definitely going to add it to the list and will try to get out there soon. Thanks again!
Washington State, but Eastern Washington State, which is more rural and conservative. No income tax, little extreme cold, great access to the big cities of Seattle and Portland, if needed.
Washington State, but Eastern Washington State, which is more rural and conservative. No income tax, little extreme cold, great access to the big cities of Seattle and Portland, if needed.
I do love western Washington, but I have never been to eastern Washington. Though I do believe it would (logically) be similar to NID. I have been under the impression real estate taxes and prices are high in Washington, in general. Is that more in the western part of the state? The idea of being close to Seattle for a weekend trip is very appealing.
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