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Which state would you rather live in? Which state has the highest QOL, best economy, best education system etc. Which state is has more to offer? How would you rank these states?
Of the choices, Massachusetts. I like the stage. Probably my third or fourth favorite state, and Boston is my third favorite city
Why MA for me?
-Quaint, charming but bustling
-First in Education, First in Healthcare, top 5 in Quality of Services and Amenities.
-Most liberal of states listed
-Beaches, Mountains, Cities, Charming towns. You're never bored
-if you can afford a home here, the quality of what you get is absolutely unmatched.
-Very very fast growing diversity and also good job scene.
Drawbacks
-Classist/Elitist around Boston
-a bit blighted in the central / southern parts
-Some laws make absolutely no sense
-$$$$$ demand is way too high to move there and it's forcing the middle class out fast. And they arent even building enough...
New York is almost as good as MA, especially with NYC. But it lacks charm and way too sergegated. It's stronger than MA in entertainment, nightlife, dining and access. For sure. But I think MA fits my boat better. New York is solid in parts too.
Third VA. It's a top 5 state for me, but I can't see myself living there long term. Best natural beauty of the four easily. I could live here too
Florida is not my speed or style. It's great for some people no doubt, but it ranks in my bottom 5 states to live in.
Virginia is one of those places I always thought I would like more than I do. NoVa is nice but not worth anything close to the COL.
NY has some surprisingly nice places as long as you’re away from the city, but for the most part is pretty meh.
Massachusetts? Just please no.
What they all share is the east coast crowdedness. Florida somewhat less, but even in VA, you rarely ever get out into actual wilderness - there’s always a house or something. It’s one of the reasons I’ve never particilularly looked east of the Mississippi for places to live, and in fact Florida is the only state touching the Atlantic I would seriously consider living in. I’m otherwise more of a desert rat. NY and Mass also share that northeastern crowded/old/kinda dreary vibe, and as a west coast kid, they feel slightly foreign and cold to me.
It took me a while to warm up to Florida, and while it’s not a top-5 contender for states I’d consider living in, I do like the lack of winter (very important for me having Raynaud’s syndrome. Winter is literally painful), good roads, and kind of exotic looks with palms and Spanish moss and all that. It’s one of the last states where you can really make of it what you want, there’s a bit of freedom there which I don’t necessarily see anywhere.
Virginia is one of those places I always thought I would like more than I do. NoVa is nice but not worth anything close to the COL.
NY has some surprisingly nice places as long as you’re away from the city, but for the most part is pretty meh.
Massachusetts? Just please no.
What they all share is the east coast crowdedness. Florida somewhat less, but even in VA, you rarely ever get out into actual wilderness - there’s always a house or something. It’s one of the reasons I’ve never particilularly looked east of the Mississippi for places to live, and in fact Florida is the only state touching the Atlantic I would seriously consider living in. I’m otherwise more of a desert rat. NY and Mass also share that northeastern crowded/old/kinda dreary vibe, and as a west coast kid, they feel slightly foreign and cold to me.
It took me a while to warm up to Florida, and while it’s not a top-5 contender for states I’d consider living in, I do like the lack of winter (very important for me having Raynaud’s syndrome. Winter is literally painful), good roads, and kind of exotic looks with palms and Spanish moss and all that. It’s one of the last states where you can really make of it what you want, there’s a bit of freedom there which I don’t necessarily see anywhere.
Just curious, but what are some of these places that fit this criteria?
Just curious, but what are some of these places that fit this criteria?
Besides having family in Rochester, I occasionally ran loads in WNY, usually near Syracuse, and occasionally near Rochester, Buffalo, or Niagara Falls. I wasn’t always on interstates either. Out in the country, NY is waaaaaaaaaay different than I thought it would be. I expected more of a sad rust belt vibe and for people to be sort of that gruff NYC type, and I was wrong. The towns tend to be well-kept, and for some reason I didn’t expect farms. In some ways, WNY feels like the Midwest more so than the Northeast. While I can’t say I’m into the architecture there, it is nice to see it kept mostly pretty clean. Other things like the Erie Canal walking paths and Watkins Glen are nice little bonuses too. I haven’t been to the Finger Lakes or Letchworth State Park, which I’m told are worthwhile. I’m more of a desert guy, so the abundance of greenery is sort of a “whatever” thing for me. And I’m still scared to bathe in Lake Ontario. I see a couple of nuke plants on the shore and get pictures in my head of the Cuyahoga river on fire in Cleveland and wonder if I’m not stepping into some of the same.
The Southern tier was pretty, but it felt like it had a bit more of that dismal vibe I get a lot of in PA.
Besides having family in Rochester, I occasionally ran loads in WNY, usually near Syracuse, and occasionally near Rochester, Buffalo, or Niagara Falls. I wasn’t always on interstates either. Out in the country, NY is waaaaaaaaaay different than I thought it would be. I expected more of a sad rust belt vibe and for people to be sort of that gruff NYC type, and I was wrong. The towns tend to be well-kept, and for some reason I didn’t expect farms. In some ways, WNY feels like the Midwest more so than the Northeast. While I can’t say I’m into the architecture there, it is nice to see it kept mostly pretty clean. Other things like the Erie Canal walking paths and Watkins Glen are nice little bonuses too. I haven’t been to the Finger Lakes or Letchworth State Park, which I’m told are worthwhile. I’m more of a desert guy, so the abundance of greenery is sort of a “whatever” thing for me. And I’m still scared to bathe in Lake Ontario. I see a couple of nuke plants on the shore and get pictures in my head of the Cuyahoga river on fire in Cleveland and wonder if I’m not stepping into some of the same.
The Southern tier was pretty, but it felt like it had a bit more of that dismal vibe I get a lot of in PA.
Yes, I think people have an idea of what the rest of the state looks like based off of NYC or they go the complete opposite and think it is all rural.
There are beaches on Lake Ontario. So, people do go into the water and are still alright.
I don't know if you are into mountains, but the Adirondacks, Catskills and other small ranges may be worth checking out.
Plenty of gorges, waterfalls, islands(i.e.-Thousand Islands), valleys, orchards, vineyards/wineries, etc. as well.
Yes, I think people have an idea of what the rest of the state looks like based off of NYC or they go the complete opposite and think it is all rural.
There are beaches on Lake Ontario. So, people do go into the water and are still alright.
I don't know if you are into mountains, but the Adirondacks, Catskills and other small ranges may be worth checking out.
Plenty of gorges, waterfalls, islands(i.e.-Thousand Islands), valleys, orchards, vineyards/wineries, etc. as well.
It’s pretty likely that I’m moving up Rochester ways at some point due to some family things. I wouldn’t have picked NY as a place to move to on my own, but I suppose I could do worse.
I forget that the Adirondacks exist. I do like mountains, though they aren’t my everything. Most exciting for me is that it looks likenesses are some great driving roads there. Somewhat related, I was shocked to see how good the roads generally are. The snowbelt is generally associated with bad roads, so that was another plus. Looks like a bit of a drive to get there though. I wouldn’t mind seeing the Thousand Islands Area, that looks like an entirely new kind of landscape.
I’m not entirely excited, as I’ll have to sell some guns/let my folks take care of them for a while before I can even legally possess some of them. Bummer. The income taxes aren’t onerous for my income bracket, but even though housing tends to be fairly cheap, the property taxes aren’t, and Texas isn’t a property tax bargain to begin with.
Probably my biggest thing is that I’m still fundamentally a west coast kid, so it feels a little culturally foreign up there. The midwestern vibe softens that blow a little bit. And, Raynaud’s syndrome + winter is not a good mix. Shoveling snow will probably take me forever. Maybe I’ll have to just train the kids to do it. I hate what salt does to cars - it’s almost criminal vandalism to my mind - but from what I’ve seen, the roads generally stay pretty clear, so I don’t have to be so terrified of snow driving.
Virginia is one of those places I always thought I would like more than I do. NoVa is nice but not worth anything close to the COL.
NY has some surprisingly nice places as long as you’re away from the city, but for the most part is pretty meh.
Massachusetts? Just please no.
What they all share is the east coast crowdedness. Florida somewhat less, but even in VA, you rarely ever get out into actual wilderness - there’s always a house or something. It’s one of the reasons I’ve never particilularly looked east of the Mississippi for places to live, and in fact Florida is the only state touching the Atlantic I would seriously consider living in. I’m otherwise more of a desert rat. NY and Mass also share that northeastern crowded/old/kinda dreary vibe, and as a west coast kid, they feel slightly foreign and cold to me.
It took me a while to warm up to Florida, and while it’s not a top-5 contender for states I’d consider living in, I do like the lack of winter (very important for me having Raynaud’s syndrome. Winter is literally painful), good roads, and kind of exotic looks with palms and Spanish moss and all that. It’s one of the last states where you can really make of it what you want, there’s a bit of freedom there which I don’t necessarily see anywhere.
You should actually explore Virginia, and reassess. The 1-81/Shenandoah Valley/Blue Ridge Mountain corridor from the WV/MD borders south to the TN/NC borders is full of places like that.
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