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Hi, I need to get out of California ASAP! I currently live in the Bay Area and I'm running out of reasons to stay here. Aside from the weather and some family I can't live here anymore, the cost of living, the punishing high taxes, the lack of personal freedoms (gun laws etc...) it's just getting too much. The two states I have been eyeing the most are Arizona and Colorado, but I am open to other suggestions.
I know everyplace has it's pro's and cons, but here is my "wish list" so to speak:
-Sun! I used to live in Oregon and I suffered from Seasonal Affective Disorder, the winters were BRUTAL and I could not bear it! I need plenty of sunshine, this is a must.
-Low Taxes! This is also a must for me. I am tired of losing a quarter of my paycheck every 2 weeks. The Nanny State here is not good.
-Low Cost of Living! I think pretty much any where I move to would be better as far as this is concerned.
-Shorter flight times. I have family on both the West and the East Coast, though my immediate family lives in the West. I take several trips a year to the East Coast to visit them, and the 5-6 hour flight is just brutal! I do not do well on long flights, so ideally I would prefer being able to be within shorter flight times to both coasts.
-Generally somewhere that has more conservative political leanings. Now this is not really a big deal to me, and I would probably be fine living in a liberal state, just as long as it's not the militant liberalism like it is here in California. I don't care about things like gay marriage or legalized pot, those issues don't bother me at all. What I do want however is a state that has more laxed gun laws, lower taxes, and a stronger Christian presence.
-I am a city slicker, I have lived in small towns and rural areas before and I found them absolutely boring! I need the hustle and bustle and all the amenities that City Life provides.
-I want to live somewhere that is fairly open minded and tolerant. Not the fake kind they have in California. Someplace where people are accepting and tolerant of different races etc....
-I am more of a West Coast person oriented person despite having family on both sides of the map, I identify as a Westerner and it's important to me to remain close to my immediate family here.
-Generally speaking I like warmer weather but I am willing to tolerate colder weather, the main thing is just the Sun for me. As long as I have that with lot's of blue skies I think I'll be alright.
-I prefer to live in a state with mountains and hills, as opposed to flat. I love hiking, would also prefer to live in a place that has lot's of fishing and lakes.
Thank you for taking the time to read this and help me! The two states I'm most interested in are Arizona and Colorado. Both places have a far better Cost of Living than here, but I have never been to Colorado before and I hear it's winters are brutal but sunny. Arizona I have only vacationed to but I hear it's summers are unbearable, but it's also always sunny. Mainly interested in Phoenix and Denver.
Most cities in Texas would fit this bill (minus Austin), but Phoenix would have shorter flights between there and California (where I presume your family lives?).
Most cities in Texas would fit this bill (minus Austin), but Phoenix would have shorter flights between there and California (where I presume your family lives?).
Minus Austin? How?
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