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Old 02-28-2007, 03:42 PM
 
3 posts, read 10,798 times
Reputation: 13

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I know that as a soon to be California refugee that many native Montanans will be angry at seeing another CA license plate this summer, but I am trying to move with my wife and young daughter to a place we can truly call home. I am a secondary teacher for social studies and business education, I have already applied to a number of school districts in Montana but want to hear from some locals on which areas to really focus on. My wife and I certainly aren't the types who will be putting up a million dollar home (I am a teacher so you guess how much money I have!!!) and no, unfortunately the housing market here for my house might allow me to bring only a very small amount of money for another house down payment. We are trying to escape everything that is bad about California and actually want a small, quiet town to allow my daughter to grow up and we can plant some roots there.

Sadly enough and by no means am I trying to be disrespectful but I do need to remind many people that California has been ruined by all the millions who have COME HERE and ruined this state too. We have been absorbing migrants from all other 49 states for decades and can't do it anymore, not to mention the millions of immigrants from all over the world both legal and illegal. I grew up in the desert and can remember playing in sand dunes for as far as the eye could see . . . but no longer. I can empathize with Montanans for seeing their beautiful land being run over. However, I feel that same way when I see tens of thousands of snowbird RV's with Montana license plates clogging up my streets, going 30 miles under the speed limit on highways and causing me the inability to go to restaurants because of their presence every winter. The reality of it all is that the American people are a mobile people and very few people are true natives of the place they live in. By no means do I want to try and change Montana; on the contrary, what attracts my wife and I the most is the ability to escape the realities of where we live and find a place to actually enjoy life one day at a time and not worry about crime, pollution, overcrowding and wondering if I can actually make enough money to survive. We have wanted out of California for many years and have finally decided to make what we hope is out last move in life. Please don't hold that against us - we only want to share in your good fortune of having a wonderful place to live!
Any help any of you can give would be truly appreciated!
Thanks
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Old 03-01-2007, 12:05 AM
 
Location: Golden Valley AZ
777 posts, read 3,197,650 times
Reputation: 284
Quote:
Originally Posted by teachermike View Post
.....I can empathize with Montanans for seeing their beautiful land being run over. However, I feel that same way when I see tens of thousands of snowbird RV's with Montana license plates clogging up my streets, going 30 miles under the speed limit on highways and causing me the inability to go to restaurants because of their presence every winter.....
I hate to say it, but this comment might not win you any points Where do you live that you see so many MT RV's?
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Old 03-01-2007, 12:58 AM
 
Location: Great Falls, Montana
529 posts, read 1,892,729 times
Reputation: 250
Quote:
Originally Posted by johns65vette View Post
I hate to say it, but this comment might not win you any points Where do you live that you see so many MT RV's?
Actually, I think that he's talking about his fellow Californians... you know... the ones that take advantage of our licensing loopholes that allow Californians to purchase motorhomes here (and license them in Montana) so they can get out of paying California tax...

I'll poke around for the article..... It was in the L.A. Times I think.

Our snowbirds go to places like Mexico or Arizona or Texas or Florida.... (mostly Mexico and Arizona though)..

Oh and on the subject of slow RV's??... heh heh...30 mph under the limit huh?.... Just wait till you get to Montana..... The guys driving these things go slower than that, and won't even give us the courtesy of pulling off the road to let us pass.... so here we are... cruising 25 mph over Rogers pass, or behind one going 30mph over McDonald pass in the left lane cause the right lane has one in it doing 25mph ... heh heh..... loads of fun I'll say. Most of them are from either Oregon, Washington, or... surprise, surprise... California.....

Last edited by GiftShoppeGuy; 03-01-2007 at 01:13 AM..
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Old 03-01-2007, 01:08 AM
 
Location: Golden Valley AZ
777 posts, read 3,197,650 times
Reputation: 284
Quote:
Originally Posted by GiftShoppeGuy View Post
Actually, I think that he's talking about his fellow Californians... you know... the ones that take advantage of our licensing loopholes that allow Californians to purchase motorhomes here (and license them in Montana) so they can get out of paying California tax...

I'll poke around for the article.....

.
O I C my mistake Sorry Mike. I didn't realize they were doing that
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Old 03-01-2007, 01:35 AM
 
Location: Great Falls, Montana
529 posts, read 1,892,729 times
Reputation: 250
Quote:
Originally Posted by johns65vette View Post
O I C my mistake Sorry Mike. I didn't realize they were doing that
I don't think that Mike realizes that a full 90% of the big RV's he see's in California with Montana license plates on them, are actually owned by Californians......

Big article about it here a while back in a big paper in California... I thought it was the L.A. Times, but I'm not sure... I'll have to do some looking....


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Old 03-01-2007, 01:41 AM
 
Location: South Bay
208 posts, read 979,805 times
Reputation: 90
There is still *plenty* of desert and wide-open spaces in California, you just have to get away from the major urban areas. Most of the top 1/4 of California is wide-open, the eastern sierras, the high deserts, parts of the central valley and central coast, etc... but I don't blame you for going to Montana for a more affordable lifestyle.
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Old 03-01-2007, 08:59 AM
 
3 posts, read 10,798 times
Reputation: 13
Default Response

Folks, I am not bashing any other state or snowbirds! I am leaving this state for a variety of reasons incl. wanting a better life for my daughter. All I am asking is that people kindly remember that California has been asborbing tens of millions of Americans from all other states INCLUDING Montana over the last few decades and this state cannot do it anymore without sacrificing the quality of life. As for the snowbird RV'ers, I live in the Palm Springs area and have been here for 34 years. I have an RV park literally behind me that was build after I moved in; I have personally spoke to 11 couples with Montana plates and everyone of them are native Montanans. As for any article in the LA Times, well people that rag is not necessarily the bastion of "truth and fairness." If your state doesn't want a dedicated teacher who spends a couple of thousand dollars of his own salary a year to help his student learn more, then just say so! I have teaching position options in other states but I do want to come and be apart of one of the last great places in this country. As for coming up and jacking up your housing prices, well folks I have had two offers from Montana RV'ers to buy my house and more than 50,000 less than my offering price which I have already dropped twice in the last 3 months. Just please remember that not all of us are moving to your state with loads of cash in our wallets; many of us California "refugees" are moving with little more than our possessions and a few bucks for gas - sort of the Montana and Wyoming folks I remember moving HERE 20 years ago. I want to take part in Montana and call it home and I will tell any other Californian to remember to be respectful and not try to ruin your state as long as Montanans remember that California accepted many of your residents with open arms years ago. It's sad but a fact of life that many Americans have to move around to survive yet our ability to move and adapt is what makes this nation unique. To all have a great day!
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Old 03-01-2007, 10:39 AM
 
989 posts, read 3,526,527 times
Reputation: 640
Quote:
Originally Posted by teachermike View Post
...All I am asking is that people kindly remember that California has been asborbing tens of millions of Americans from all other states INCLUDING Montana over the last few decades and this state cannot do it anymore without sacrificing the quality of life.
You make a very good point. For a long long time California was the place to move to-- Now its Montana and places like that.

Point well taken.
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Old 03-01-2007, 02:01 PM
 
Location: Larkspur, CO
189 posts, read 799,675 times
Reputation: 81
Mike,

There's a lot of angst and hostility on this board, so please don't get the idea that all Montanan's are full of hatred towards Californian's wanting to escape.

What part of MT are you considering?
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Old 03-01-2007, 04:29 PM
 
Location: Nashville, Tn
7,915 posts, read 18,624,668 times
Reputation: 5524
A teacher can get a job in any state so you've got that going for you. I've mentioned on this forum before that my sister taught school in Montana for over 30 years before she retired, in Deer Lodge for a few years and most of the time in Chinook which is a little town not far from the Canadian border. There was one odd thing when she retired though. She took a new job as a teacher in Guadalajara, Mexico a couple of years ago but even though she's no longer living in Montana she is obligated to pay Montana state income tax from her pension. Maybe this is common for teachers, I don't know, but it isn't for other types of jobs including my own. I just thought I'd mention it. You probably want to get as much info as you can.
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