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Hi there. I'm hoping someone here will have some advice for me. I currently live in Florida, and have my whole life. But I have NEVER planned on staying here, and I hate it. I cannot handle the heat and humidity anymore. So I'm going to leave sometime in the next 10 years hopefully.
Anywho, I have narrowed down my state choices to: Washington state, Wyoming, South Dakota, and maybe certain parts of Texas?
Here's some serious considerations on finding the right area for me:
1) I need acreage. I have 8 horses, 6 dogs, etc, I have a lot of animals and they will ALL come with me, which means I need land and a place that doesn't regulate the amount of animals you own to some ridiculous number like 2.
2) I can not and will not tolerate FL summers anymore. I need to find an area that does not come close to FL summer's heat and humidity. But I also have never lived where it snows, so I'm not sure I want to go to a place that regularly blizzards or something. I am fine with moderate snow during the winter, but hopefully nothing super crazy. And I could definitely handle a few summer days of like 90 degree heat, but not for as long as it drags on in FL. I WANT SEASONS, REAL ONES, where the leaves change color!!! And I want REAL trees that don't start with "palm"
3) I am happily child free, so I do not need to live near good schools or anything, nor am I publicly political but would definitely rather live in a place that didn't mind guns.
4) I have a skin condition which requires me to live in an area with good healthcare/doctors/dermatologists.
5) I'm independently wealthy so don't need to live near good/high paying jobs.
6) I'm not a huge socializer, I don't need to live near bars/nightclubs/whatever people do on the weekends. I'm fine with some good local resturants/fast food, a walmart/publix/costco whatever. I spent 99% of my time on my own property.
I would so greatly appreciate any advice anyone has for possible towns that might be good for me and I can answer any follow up questions you may have! Thank you so much
Give Kentucky a look. It's far enough north to have four seasons and a little bit of snow, but far enough south that blizzards are uncommon. Kentucky is also the epicenter of equestrian culture in the U.S., and relatively gun-friendly too. As for health care, I'm sure there are good options in Louisville and Lexington, so a location in central Kentucky would be convenient to them.
Give Kentucky a look. It's far enough north to have four seasons and a little bit of snow, but far enough south that blizzards are uncommon. Kentucky is also the epicenter of equestrian culture in the U.S., and relatively gun-friendly too. As for health care, I'm sure there are good options in Louisville and Lexington, so a location in central Kentucky would be convenient to them.
The states I listed are the only options for my permanent residence, but I have been to Kentucky and it is nice there!
Hi there. I'm hoping someone here will have some advice for me. I currently live in Florida, and have my whole life. But I have NEVER planned on staying here, and I hate it. I cannot handle the heat and humidity anymore. So I'm going to leave sometime in the next 10 years hopefully.
Anywho, I have narrowed down my state choices to: Washington state, Wyoming, South Dakota, and maybe certain parts of Texas?
Here's some serious considerations on finding the right area for me:
1) I need acreage. I have 8 horses, 6 dogs, etc, I have a lot of animals and they will ALL come with me, which means I need land and a place that doesn't regulate the amount of animals you own to some ridiculous number like 2.
2) I can not and will not tolerate FL summers anymore. I need to find an area that does not come close to FL summer's heat and humidity. But I also have never lived where it snows, so I'm not sure I want to go to a place that regularly blizzards or something. I am fine with moderate snow during the winter, but hopefully nothing super crazy. And I could definitely handle a few summer days of like 90 degree heat, but not for as long as it drags on in FL. I WANT SEASONS, REAL ONES, where the leaves change color!!! And I want REAL trees that don't start with "palm"
3) I am happily child free, so I do not need to live near good schools or anything, nor am I publicly political but would definitely rather live in a place that didn't mind guns.
4) I have a skin condition which requires me to live in an area with good healthcare/doctors/dermatologists.
5) I'm independently wealthy so don't need to live near good/high paying jobs.
6) I'm not a huge socializer, I don't need to live near bars/nightclubs/whatever people do on the weekends. I'm fine with some good local resturants/fast food, a walmart/publix/costco whatever. I spent 99% of my time on my own property.
I would so greatly appreciate any advice anyone has for possible towns that might be good for me and I can answer any follow up questions you may have! Thank you so much
I'd pass on Wyoming. People there are clannish and don't help each other out. I lived there eight years and it was eight too many. Also extremely political and in your face with conservative politics. If you don't like humidity stay west of the Missouri in South Dakota. It gets pretty humid east of there. I would pick Rapid City or Spearfish. Washington I don't know enough about.
If jobs aren't a concern, you might consider the Rapid City area. It's a lot less humid than the eastern part of South Dakota, and winters are generally more mild (by SD standards ) It can snow a lot and the weather can be very unpredictable, but the winters are generally pretty sunny and the snow usually melts quickly. We typically have days where the temps get into the 40's, 50's and higher. The downside is that spring can be very hit and miss, and tends to be the snowiest part of the year for us. It can get hot in the summer, but it usually cools down at night.
There are no arbitrary limits on the number of animals one can own (at least not where I live). If you don't want to be in the Black Hills, you might look for some property south/east of town. If you want to be in the hills, it will be more expensive. Property taxes tend to be a little on the high side, I think, but there's no income tax.
Obviously, the area is very gun friendly. For the most part, people tend to mind their own business. There have been a lot of new stores and restaurants that have come to town in the last five or six years. There's no Costco but there are the usual chains...Target, Walmart, Sams, Safeway. There are a lot of great small, local businesses, too. I can't speak much for the medical system (as with most things, I've heard positive and negative), but it's the regional center for the area.
Hi there. I'm hoping someone here will have some advice for me. I currently live in Florida, and have my whole life. But I have NEVER planned on staying here, and I hate it. I cannot handle the heat and humidity anymore. So I'm going to leave sometime in the next 10 years hopefully.
Anywho, I have narrowed down my state choices to: Washington state, Wyoming, South Dakota, and maybe certain parts of Texas?
Here's some serious considerations on finding the right area for me:
1) I need acreage. I have 8 horses, 6 dogs, etc, I have a lot of animals and they will ALL come with me, which means I need land and a place that doesn't regulate the amount of animals you own to some ridiculous number like 2.
2) I can not and will not tolerate FL summers anymore. I need to find an area that does not come close to FL summer's heat and humidity. But I also have never lived where it snows, so I'm not sure I want to go to a place that regularly blizzards or something. I am fine with moderate snow during the winter, but hopefully nothing super crazy. And I could definitely handle a few summer days of like 90 degree heat, but not for as long as it drags on in FL. I WANT SEASONS, REAL ONES, where the leaves change color!!! And I want REAL trees that don't start with "palm"
3) I am happily child free, so I do not need to live near good schools or anything, nor am I publicly political but would definitely rather live in a place that didn't mind guns.
4) I have a skin condition which requires me to live in an area with good healthcare/doctors/dermatologists.
5) I'm independently wealthy so don't need to live near good/high paying jobs.
6) I'm not a huge socializer, I don't need to live near bars/nightclubs/whatever people do on the weekends. I'm fine with some good local resturants/fast food, a walmart/publix/costco whatever. I spent 99% of my time on my own property.
I would so greatly appreciate any advice anyone has for possible towns that might be good for me and I can answer any follow up questions you may have! Thank you so much
If you want to avoid long periods of heat, Texas isn’t for you. In most areas of Texas, May-September average 90+ degree days, so you’d have 4-5 months of hot a$$ weather.
Wyoming definitely has land and obviously is a “ranching” type state, but it’s not exactly a super “developed” area, so being close to great healthcare, etc...could be a challenge
My sister lives in South Dakota, they have for about 5 years now and love it. I don’t know much about it, but they have an autisitc son that goes to “special” schools, doctors, etc...so I’m assuming healthcare is at least somewhat decent and available.
And lastly Washington, check out the town Enumclaw. It has land, trees, mountains in the distance, and is a very nice little town. I have friends who settled there and commute the crappy drive to Seattle everyday because they like it so much.
Based in what I know of your needs the three states leave out the best fits. Only you know why these states fit so good luck. Texas isnt for you we don't play blind games where a lot of cards are hidden.
I live in Star Valley Wyoming and we love it a lot. We haven't found the people here to be clannish and unhelpful, rather the people have been friendly and welcoming to us. We moved here from California last year.
You can find land with acreage and as long as you don't buy in a development with a home owners association I think you shouldn't have an issue with that many animals.
The weather is much cooler than Florida, we do get some below zero temperatures and a good amount of snow, but we acclimated easily and where we lived before we never had any snow. It has four seasons here which I love!
Medical facilities are pretty good, there's a hospital in Afton, which is nice, but they don't have everything there, they'll refer you to St. John's in Jackson, or over to the hospital in Idaho Falls for the major stuff. Both the Jackson hospital and the Idaho Falls hospital have been good to me.
There are not a lot of restaurants and stores here, the most being in Afton. Costco is over in Pocatello two hours away, and Sam's Club is in Idaho Falls, an hour and a half or more away. K-mart in Jackson is an hour away. We're a very rural community you'd have to adjust to the lack of options when it comes to eating out, and shopping. Amazon.com is a must for the things you need that you can't get in town.
We've been very happy since moving here, and while it doesn't check everything on your list, I thought I'd throw it out there. Best of luck finding a new place to call home.
Eastern Washington sounds like the best bet given everything you listed.
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) It can snow a lot and the weather can be very unpredictable, but the winters are generally pretty sunny and the snow usually melts quickly. We typically have days where the temps get into the 40's, 50's and higher. The downside is that spring can be very hit and miss, and tends to be the snowiest part of the year for us. It can get hot in the summer, but it usually cools down at night.
