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Guess you missed this part of Caladium's post, displayed below for your edification.
I agree with her. Let it die. Beyond that, not everything in life or retirement is all about nothing but finances. Believe it or not, there's a whole lot more to life than mere money.
Exactly. And even moreso, not everything in life or retirement is all about nothing but politics. Believe it or not, there's a WHOLE lot more to life than mere politics (for those who have a life and who don't make their living as politicians, that is).
For some not all but some any of the following might be a consideration when relocating or having done so over the last five years:
A. Same sex couple wondering what the odds are of any given state legalizing same sex marriage or passing a constitutional amendment to prohibit it.
B. Families with children committed to public schools wanting to know if a state will share that same committment or be more focused on charter and private schools.
C. Folk who are gun enthusiast wondering if a state will be committed to protecting their second amendment rights
D Folks without health insurance looking for work that may not provide them with insurance wanting to know the liklihood of Medicare being expanded in any given state.
In the last year Maryland has passed one of the strictest control laws in the country including a ban on assault weapons and limiting clips to ten rounds. In the last time North Carolina has passed a constitutional amendment banning same sex marriage. These are serious quality of life issues for some people and each state has people upset and want to leave etc etc etc and probably seeking a place more compatible with their needs and beliefs.
There are many other possible reasons for some to be wanting information and a ton of reasons for others to not. But isn't it their right to inquire and others to respond? If we don't care let them ask and if anyone wants to answer they will and perhaps they will continue in DM as often happens. However there seems to be a thought that asking/answering a question needs to meet some sort of approval process? Isn't it up to the individual to decide what the want to focus on? The OP asked multiple questions about relocating and this was just one of them as is often the case.
So is there any harm in letting a forum in City-Data being used to get data and information about cities and states and their political leanings? At one point in time that is how this all began and even today the data screen and all the great demographic info on cities and counties is a great starting point for many folks who then may venture into the forum for more questions and specifics.
But the answer to the question posed, once more information was elucidated from the OP, could NOT be answered strictly based on blue or red politics, as was evident from the answers that were put forward. What I saw was not so much an attempt to make her not ask the question as an attempt to point that out to her - what she's looking for can be found in states of both hues, and some of it more in states of a hue other than that she was seeking out of some misguided idea that red or blue guarantees what she seeks, so she was asking the wrong question to find what she's looking for. And that IS an answer to her question, really.
It's sort of like when a buyer comes to me with a list of what they want, and after further discussion and defining the real goals that they're trying to accomplish with that list, they find out that their goals can be found equally well, sometimes better, by something not on the list at all or very different from what IS on the list. And that allows them a better chance at success in accomplishing the actual goals.
Hey, I said I would never step foot into Arizona because of "extreme politics". Unfortunately (or not) I still have a conscience that is coupled with a healthy sense of outrage that can sometimes get me in trouble. There is no way I could stand by and quietly watch someone stopped for driving while Hispanic. Trust me on this. I once pulled my vehicle behind a cop car when I observed two cops smashing a guy's head against the trunk. My then husband freaked out - so I reluctantly pulled away. Since I am now single there would be no one to stop me from being 'cuffed. Add to this all of the other political stuff and I'd have a heart attack or stroke within 24 hours of arrival. That's just the way I am.
There are several countries I would also refuse to enter - do they count?
Well if you feel you would suffer a heart attact or a stroke "within 24 hours of arrival" then I agree you are wise to stay the heck out of Arizona. Let me just say that over the past 50 years I have passed through Arizona in both directions by car some twenty times maybe, both via the northern and southern routes, most recently about a year ago. Never have I witnessed any misconduct by police, and I have spent the night in motels there, eaten in restaurants there, bought gas there, visited aircraft museums there, visited that cowboy town where the O.K. Corral is, visited the Grand Canyon there, visited the Navajo Indian country there, and more. I have changed planes in Phoenix and attended a wedding in Phoenix.
Police misconduct is a serious issue, I agree. You could have had the misfortune to encounter it anywhere.
As for the foreign countries, do they count for what? There are some of those I would refuse to enter also, but we are talking about real, genuine moral issues in those cases.
I've been taken aback at peoples' preconceived notions of ALL states...
When I tell people at work (I live in Utah) that my spouse and I most likely will want to return to California for retirement - they look aghast at me.
Because of course, THIS IS THE PLACE!!! How could you NOT want to stay here? And HOW CAN YOU AFFORD IT???
Well, we're trying to make it so.
I could give them a list - but I shut my mouth and simply say we want to go home where we feel at home - and be near family and friends.
There are assumptions made all over the place about California, Utah and everywhere. We all need to respect each other's choices.
Tuborg: I can see what you are saying--that makes sense. But those issues are not really exclusively retirement issues.
My point earlier(which I guess I didn't make too well, lol) is that it isn't necessarily a particular state one should be considering--it is the community within that state that is going to make the difference in how folks feel about fitting in.
I agree that we should try to answer all serious questions with respect.
Tuborg: I can see what you are saying--that makes sense. But those issues are not really exclusively retirement issues.
My point earlier(which I guess I didn't make too well, lol) is that it isn't necessarily a particular state one should be considering--it is the community within that state that is going to make the difference in how folks feel about fitting in.
I agree that we should try to answer all serious questions with respect.
I should add my original involvement with CD was years ago, well before my posting history which is not complete if anyone checked. It was for a long time limited to the data section and I used it over and over and over and thought I had died and gone to data heaven. I ignored the forums and eventually joined them asking relocation questions about a wide range of things including politics etc etc etc. There were a number of ways to try to get after your question I discovered without getting people to have bunched up panties. I at one point would post and respond to folks asking similar questions and eventually it led to them direct messaging me as I did with others. So having transplanted and using this vehicle to provide major assistance I perhaps see things from that perspective. Why retirement forum as my son would tell me transplanting when you are in your 20's is very different than in your 60's as the generations you are part of are very different with different attitudes on a variety of subjects. Also the retirement forum is less geographic specific and you can get answers from a variety of places with one question as opposed to local forums and she did ask in local forums about life there. Start wide and than narrow within a state you might like.
How your neighbors respond to you and how others respond to your can be very different by age groups in a similar city, county neighborhood etc. We were fortunate that we had a very good real estate agent who understood more than we realized and she guided oh so well. You live in Charlotte and you know that many of the dynamics today are very different than five years ago and that is welcomed by some and cursed by others as witnessed by Moral Monday etc etc. All of this is viewed by some considering relocation. The post I initially responded to was from 2009 and was someone telling the OP that NC was a good Blue State and they didn't know about the next election so I clarified for anyone reading.
"As for the foreign countries, do they count for what? There are some of those I would refuse to enter also, but we are talking about real, genuine moral issues in those cases."
Aye, but I feel the same about Arizona. Apparently, my moral compass differs from yours. If I move (or travel) to another country it is assumed that I will follow the laws and at least respect the culture of that country. (Or risk being labeled an ugly American.) Could not the same standard be applied to moving into or traveling to another state? My preference is to avoid that state and/or country.
In terms of retiring to another state? Politics, as Tuborg points out, encompasses policy. For example, would I retire in a state that has determined that lowering taxes is more important than providing medical insurance for all of its children? Hell, no. In my world, that's a real, genuine moral issue and it's not one I'd be able to ignore in exchange for gaining lower taxes or better weather.
"As for the foreign countries, do they count for what? There are some of those I would refuse to enter also, but we are talking about real, genuine moral issues in those cases."
Aye, but I feel the same about Arizona. Apparently, my moral compass differs from yours. If I move (or travel) to another country it is assumed that I will follow the laws and at least respect the culture of that country. (Or risk being labeled an ugly American.) Could not the same standard be applied to moving into or traveling to another state? My preference is to avoid that state and/or country.
In terms of retiring to another state? Politics, as Tuborg points out, encompasses policy. For example, would I retire in a state that has determined that lowering taxes is more important than providing medical insurance for all of its children? Hell, no. In my world, that's a real, genuine moral issue and it's not one I'd be able to ignore in exchange for gaining lower taxes or better weather.
Lenoir, based on all of my interactions with you if you left Maryland for many other places you might have a heart attack.
I should add my original involvement with CD was years ago, well before my posting history which is not complete if anyone checked. It was for a long time limited to the data section and I used it over and over and over and thought I had died and gone to data heaven. I ignored the forums and eventually joined them asking relocation questions about a wide range of things including politics etc etc etc. There were a number of ways to try to get after your question I discovered without getting people to have bunched up panties. I at one point would post and respond to folks asking similar questions and eventually it led to them direct messaging me as I did with others. So having transplanted and using this vehicle to provide major assistance I perhaps see things from that perspective. Why retirement forum as my son would tell me transplanting when you are in your 20's is very different than in your 60's as the generations you are part of are very different with different attitudes on a variety of subjects. How your neighbors respond to you and how others respond to your can be very different by age groups in a similar city, county neighborhood etc. We were fortunate that we had a very good real estate agent who understood more than we realized and she guided oh so well.
Again, good points.
And you are right--an area can appear to be a good match demographically and even financially--but what you can't always measure are attitudes, especially on social issues. You can only glean so much info from census records!
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