Each person says their location is the best. Confusing to choose a location! (cost, housing)

[Need_affordable_home]

Each person says their location is the best. Confusing to choose a location!
How would one know where to live if he cant get a clear answer? I have asked many people where I should relocate to and many others have asked the same. Some high crime locations are to be avoided, many people will warn you away from those locations. Other good but "boring" locations some may not recommend but maybe its only boring to some people and therefore an opinion, not fact. I am still gathering my options of good locations and am getting conflicting opinions. The facts are clear but not the opinions. I really want to visit some of those locations.

What makes one location better than the other? Location doesnt seem important to me and alot of other people. Whats more important is jobs(if you want one) shopping, low crime, low pollution and affordable housing. I see lots of expensive locations that dont offer more than cheap locations.

[Mike from back east]

Originally Posted by Need_affordable_home

Each person says their location is the best. Confusing to choose a location! How would one know where to live if he cant get a clear answer?....

Well gee, maybe that's because everyone ELSE is speaking for THEMSELVES based on what matters to THEM. The more people you ask the more "here is best" answers you're going to get. You cannot let OTHERS pick your place. YOU have to decide what matters to YOU, then YOU have to go out and get it.

[christina0001]

Determining a "best" location is completely subjective. I love my husband...other people might hate him. I strongly dislike mozzarella cheese, yet millions of Americans love it. You can factually determine which places might have the lowest crime, the cheapest housing, the most recreation, the best job market...but none of those facts can tell you which place(s) you will like the best. Narrow down your choices, and then hit the road, visit these places. That's what we did, and it is half the fun.

[gonefishing]

I started by looking at property, gasoline, tobacco, sales and state income taxes.

New Jersey has the highest property taxes, followed by New Hampshire, Connecticut, New York and Rhode Island. The lowest five, in order: Louisiana, Alabama, West Virginia, Mississippi and Arkansas. For a state-by-state comparison of property taxes in 2005, the most recent year for which figures are available
Property tax burdens by state -http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Taxes/Advice/PropertyTaxesWhereDoesYourStateRank.aspx

Maine collects an average of 13.5% of residents' income while Alaska, has the lowest taxes at 6.6%, and also doesn't collect sales or income taxes.

Each state, county and municipality has its own formula for taxing its residents, so sometimes it costs a lot more to live in one state instead of another.

Sales taxes in the United States are assessed by most states except Alaska, Delaware, Hawaii, Montana, New Hampshire and Oregon --
sales tax 2.9% (Colorado) to 7.25% (California).

Every state but Illinois exempts prescription drugs.

36 states exempt food.

Counties and municipalities can add their own sales taxes, so comparisons are difficult between states. To find the sales tax in a specific ZIP code https://thestc.com/RateC.stm

Alaska, Florida, Nevada, South Dakota, Texas, Washington and Wyoming don't assess income taxes. New Hampshire and Tennessee have income taxes on just dividends and interest. These states balance the lack of income taxes with other taxes, notably sales taxes.

To see State Individual Income Tax rates that other states use http://www.taxadmin.org/fta/rate/ind_inc.html

Gasoline and diesel -besides the straight excise tax, which varies from a low of 4 cents a gallon in Florida to a high of 34 cents in Washington, most states add other gas taxes. The state with the greatest total state tax on gasoline is New York (41.7 cents); the lowest is Alaska (8 cents). The federal tax on gasoline is still 18.4 cents per gallon.


States with higher tobacco taxes (FYI-for each 10% increase in price, cigarette smoking drops by about 4%. )
Kentucky cigarette tax 30 cents. In Minnesota, the tax on a pack of cigarettes $1.49 in 2006. Arizona boosted the tax to $2 over that period. New Jersey $2.58 per pack, before. South Carolina, at 7 cents a pack, now the lowest tax in the nation.

18 states and the District of Columbia have recently implemented significant estate taxes.

For sunny weather, no income tax and no estate tax- Florida

__________________________________________________ ____________
HTH!

[gonefishing]

Lots of people are moving to TX, Oklahoma, AR and Missouri where the money seems to goes a long way for a housing.

What do you like to do for fun might help us come up with some ideas (do you like country living or do you want to be near the amenities of a big city?)

[Rance]

I'll make it easy on you. Alaska is the best!

[gonefishing]

Originally Posted by Need_affordable_home

Each person says their location is the best. Other good but "boring" locations some may not recommend but maybe its only boring to some people and therefore an opinion, not fact.

What would you find boring so we can steer you away from there?
What would be most interesting/exciting to you?

I am still gathering my options of good locations and am getting conflicting opinions. The facts are clear but not the opinions.

That is true what Mike from Back East and Christina0001 said. I will tell you that I live in the best place because I am in the heart of shopping and can walk to my job, which is good because there is LOTS of traffic here. You might hate the thought of that so wouldn't think much of my opinion no matter how much I tried to convince you that it is the BEST place. [/quote]

What makes one location better than the other? Location doesnt seem important to me and alot of other people.
Whats more important is jobs(if you want one) shopping, low crime, low pollution and affordable housing.

Ok, I'm very serious-- I can get you a job right across from your apartment or a duplex or a house. (I don't know what is considered affordable to you.) Now the job is only going to pay $8.75 an hour (top pay)...pays more if you speak Spanish... but you will be within walking distance of the mall and a super Wal-Mart, restaurants, doctors, convenience stores, bus runs close by...so one wouldn't really even need a car (or car ins, tag, or gasoline, or maintenance so there is so savings there. How does this sound so far? It is humid in summer though.

I see lots of expensive locations that dont offer more than cheap locations

I'm sorry but I didn't understand that to be able to respond.

[dullnboring]

My location isn't the best. Hell, I hate where I live. With that said, I have recommended it to people on this very board. The reasons being, where I live could be a good location for some people. It just isn't for me. People have different likes and different priorities that I take into account when I recommend a location to them. I try to look at the situation objectively rather than constantly recommending one location for a person as if it were some sort of utopia. No place is perfect and no one place is perfect for everyone.

[cassy1]

It's because all people have different things they are looking for. For example some may want good schools and a small town feel, others large towns with lots of night life. It all comes down to what you are looking for and that should be a choice that you alone can only make. Good luck.

[Need_affordable_home]

Should I assume the more expensive a location, the larger amount of people are looking for that location? Theres alot of people already in states like Texas, Georgia and the Carolinas and thousands more looking to move there everyday, yet that location is still cheaper than many other locations that appear less desirable. Could those locations just be very overpriced, perhaps due to rampant speculation while other locations didnt get much speculation but are great locations?