Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Many states are large and diverse, with a wide range of options for whatever lifestyle one wants to live. Sure, Maine and North Dakota aren't going to have a big city experience, and states like Connecticut aren't going to have vast expanses of rural land, but most places are in the middle.
I'm from and live in a declining manufacturing/mining area in northeast TN, but have lived in southwest Virginia (even more isolated and backward), upstate South Carolina and a small town between Columbia and Charleston as a kid, Indianapolis, Des Moines, and greater Boston. I've been around a bit and have lived outside of TN for four out of the five past years.
I don't hate this area - people are very friendly and I have a fairly low stress, well-paying job. Outdoor activities are great most of the year, and there are only three real months of winter (never a consistent snow pack), with occasional days of 60s and even 70s sprinkled in. However, there is very little here in the way of shopping. The nearest Costco and Whole Foods are nearly two hours away. No electronics retailers other than Best Buy - I used to go to Fry's Electronics a lot in Indy. The only "hypermarket" here is Walmart - no Super Target, Meijer, or HyVee like the Midwest. Grocery prices are higher than anywhere else I've ever lived and selection is terrible. Many common items, like certain brands of BBQ sauce, that were readily available in the Midwest aren't available at all here. Everything revolves around church and I'm not religious, though I do vote Republican.
I'm a big sports fan and there are no major college or professional sports within two hours of here. I probably went to twenty NBA games a year in Indy, four or five Colts games, etc., dozens of AAA baseball games, probably a dozen Reds games, also went to see Cubs, White Sox, Brewers, and Detroit Tigers. I could go to various places from Indy in an easy day trip for sports if Indy didn't have what I want - here, it's a major effort and the nearest major metro is Charlotte, three hours away. Nashville is four hours away. Atlanta, Cincinnati, and Raleigh are about five hours away.
I want somewhere that is at least big enough to have a major college nearby, AAA baseball, and stores like Costco/Macy's. Proximity to the coast or mountains is a plus.
Have lived in Colorado for a lifetime, ready for a change going into retirement. This state has changed quite a bit and so ready to move on. Spouse and I both love life on the water, which is a struggle in a landlocked state obviously, so looking into coastal state options, warmer climate preferred.
I am wondering if leaving my State of CT would benefit me. I always dwell on this. I feel the State is to congested and overly developed. With exception being a few small areas in the Northeastern and Northwestern part of the State are rural. In addition to, COL is high, property values are high, and taxes are high. Weather is not terrible. Late January to Mid March winter kicks in to gear, but outside of that weather is decent.
Wondering if there is a State that is not overly developed, not congested, and low to no income & sales tax.
There are a lot more things to consider. I am retired and have a small income, which includes Soc Sec, a pension and payments from a 401k. I know it sounds like a lot, but it isn't. In any case, if you need a job, even part-time, you need to consider an area where there are jobs available.
If your user name indicates your birth year, then you are much younger than I am and probably have different interests and needs. However, I found a gorgeous area in Western NC that's very affordable. The property taxes and home insurance are both very low and, although it gets cold for a couple of months in winter, the weather is very pleasant. OTOH, I'm very bored and although there are stores & restaurants, the amenities are limited. There are many outside activities during the warmer weather, although enthusiastic people enjoy hiking year round.
There is no perfect place. We each need to choose an area that's affordable, safe, quiet and meets our own personal needs. There are plenty of places that aren't overly developed and have hardly any traffic, but there's usually a trade-off.
I'm stuck in Colorado for another year, but I'm counting the minutes until I leave. I feel completely isolated here with the nearest "city" to Denver being Albuquerque, or as I call it, the armpit of the Southwest.
If you're not into skiing, mountain biking, fishing, etc, there's no reason to be here. I guess I'll miss the dry climate, but I can't wait to get back to civilization.
I'm stuck in Colorado for another year, but I'm counting the minutes until I leave. I feel completely isolated here with the nearest "city" to Denver being Albuquerque, or as I call it, the armpit of the Southwest.
If you're not into skiing, mountain biking, fishing, etc, there's no reason to be here. I guess I'll miss the dry climate, but I can't wait to get back to civilization.
My husband and I were born and raised in central California. We wanted to move out of California for years, but due to all of our family living in California and us having young children we stayed. Finally last year hubby started looking for a new job outside of California. We looked at Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. We moved to Wyoming in November and we couldn't be happier.
I've been in Missouri for three and a half years and I'll either be moving to Florida or Washington state. It's strange though. I feel an attachment to this land that I've never felt in any other place I've lived, even though it's not an area I feel like I fit into politically or socially, at least compared to other places I have lived. My intuition tells me that I will feel quite a bit of melancholy leaving here which is weird since I have nothing in particular tying me here like family or long-time friends.
I think I would love to live in coastal South Carolina, but then whenever I'm there, as much as I love it and it's a "happy place" for me, I can't wait to get back home. The region where I live was settled by my family almost 200 years ago and we've been here ever since. I feel like it's a part of me in a way that I can't explain. Even though I don't love the climate from November through March and I love the ocean, I still feel at peace here in a way that I don't anywhere else.
Does anyone else know what I'm saying? It's like, I would like to move but then I know deep in my heart that I don't ever want to move and that I would end up right back here anyway. I feel like I would be leaving a huge piece of me behind, not to mention that life is way too short to move away from our adult kids who love it and are thriving here.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
